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Last summer my parents and l went to Yunnan. It left us wonderful memories. If you like a spring climate ,clean air and nice views, then Yunnan is the best place for you! Day l Shanghai-Kunming Activities: Arrive in Kunming. Hotel check-in. Meals: No meals (We flew to Kunming. After our arrival in Kunming, the guide took us to our hotel by bus. Then he showed us around the shopping center for the rest of the day.) Day 2 Kunming Activities: Visit Stone Forest, Bird & Flower Market. Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch (In the Bird&Flower Market, we saw many kinds of flowers and birds as well as some traditional Chinese arts.) Day 3 Dali-Lijiang Activities: Arrive in Lijiang. Visit Lijiang Dayan Ancient City, and its famous Square Street. Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch (The Ancient City of Lijiang is known as Dayan Town. It has a long history of over 800 years.) We can't find _ in the Bird & Flower Market. The Commonwealth games have meant that the eyes of the world have been focused on our fair city--Melbourne. And it would look pretty good, wouldn't it? And what better way to regain our title as world's most liveable city? I'm told that we recently lost the right to say this to foreign friends proudly when the international list was re-examined and we slipped to the fourth place. It's hard to see how Melbourne could have lost its crown when you look at what it has to offer. 24 hours Coles, free transport for drunks on New Year's Eve, a new freeway, it's all here. The first focus for the international press will obviously be the endless stadiums dotted around the city. But as well as being full every other weekend, these great places often play host to slightly older kids. At Rod Laver, even the olds get a look-in as the Christian evangelical road show rolls into town once a year for a night of stadium worship . Another pleasure Melbourne enjoys is that it's very easy to get around. There's a bit of a squeeze during rush hour for sure, but nothing like Bangkok, where the journey home can take longer than growing a beard and parking is barely distinguishable from the drive itself. Driving here is a piece of cake. It must be because the wise people who hand out the taxis seem to actively encourage a career behind the wheel within 24 hours of landing in the country as an educational tool for getting to know the city. No slowing down for learning bends, just go, go, go! As for the social life, with over 40 million bars in Melbourne's CBD alone, we have plenty of places for spectators to celebrate national victory, making this town as good as any and it happens 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. _ . But the rest of the world will know that this is the place to be. The most liveable city in the world. By far the easiest place on earth to cheat death, which is essentially what we're talking about. What does the author mainly want to show in the passage? Young women who take part in beauty contests are helping to keep alive an outdated opinion of women that a woman's most important value is how she looks. Women have been working very hard through the years to change their image. They have been trying to prove that the value of a woman does not lie only in her beauty. The world is just beginning to recognize that women are as smart, wise and strong in personality as men are, and that there are qualities more important than looks when judging people. When women take part in beauty contests for top prizes, they encourage people to value them for their beauty alone. It is unfair to say that beauty alone determines one's worth. Beauty contests not only encourage spectators to judge women by their appearance, but they encourage this idea in the contestants as well. These young women spend months losing weight to be the "right" size and learning how to dress, wear makeup, and walk just right so that some judges will consider them beautiful. I think it's great for a woman to feel good about her appearance, but looks shouldn't be sought after in an extreme or unreasonable way. There are too many other, more important, things in a young woman's life: learning, developing friendships and preparing for their future work and perhaps a family. As long as there are beauty contests, women won't be fully recognized as well-rounded human beings. What do women usually do in preparation for beauty contests? Daniel Defoe (about 1660~1731) was an important novelist in the English literature . When he was young, he served as a soldier and had been to Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At the same time, he went in for politics. He cared much about the development of capitalism . He had written a lot of articles against it and he was put into prison twice for that. It was not until he was nearly sixty that he began to write the famous novel Robinson Crusoe, which was published in May, 1709. It spread so rapidly that the story was known to _ very soon. Robinson Crusoe can be divided into three parts. The first part is about Crusoe's three voyages, the second part about his hunting, hiding in caves farming and his hard struggles against nature on a small island, the third part about the things which happened after his return from the island. The second part is the body of the novel, in which Robinson's characters are clearly shown. Defoe wrote his novel in a simple style and his language is easy to understand. His novel-writing set a milestone of the modern English novel. In his later part of life, he was in poor health and lived very poorly. He died on April 24th, 1731. Every household in this passage means _ . "Drink your milk. It's good for you!" You've probably heard that many times, and it's true. Milk contains calcium , which is necessary for keeping bones and teeth healthy and strong. The US government even requires milk as part of the National School Lunch Program, saying that students should drink one cup of fat-free or low-fat milk every meal. However, a group of doctors asked the government to take it away from the lunch program. The US 'Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says, "Milk is high in sugar, fat and animal protein," all of which have negative effects on health. The PCRM says there are better and healthier ways to get calcium such as eating beans, broccoli, cereals and tofu. Orange juice and soymilk that have calcium added to them also supply the nutrient. "One of the only reasons people prefer milk is that it is going to help build strong bones," says Dr Neal Barnard, president of the PCRM. But milk may not be the best way to get calcium your body needs. Of course, calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth, but there are other things that affect your bone strength, such as genes, how much vitamin D you take in, and getting an hour's worth of exercise every day. Some people disagree with the idea that milk isn't important. Keri Gans, an American Dietitian, says "I don't think it's irresponsible to take this beverage that children enjoy it very much, especially among those who are unable to meet their nutrient needs for the day, and remove it from the lunch line." The U.S government is now considering the request of the PCRM, but a decision may be a long way off. Meanwhile, Marion Nestle, a professor puts it best: "Milk certainly has nutrients. Other food has the same nutrients. It's just food. As with other food, too much might be a problem." The U.S. government requires milk as part of the National School Lunch Program _ .
My grandfather is eighty years old.He always complains about how fast things have changed,and he often says that life used to be better. "Families aren't families the way they used to be."A 1ot of families have broken up.If husband and wife have problems with their _ ,they no longer stay together.And mothers used to stay at home and take care of their children,but now everyone is busy working.No one has time to 1ook after children at home. And the cars! No one walks any more;more and more people drive.We used to walk five miles to school on schooldays,even in winter.But now we don't.And in school children don't have to think any more.In math class.for example,we used to add,subtract, multiply and divide in our heads.Kids don't use their heads any more;instead,they use calculators . Most families have computers now.In the past we didn't have computers.We didn't even have lights.My mother used to spend all day cooking in the kitchen.But now we don't often eat homecooked food. And people don't talk to each other any more.They are too busy to talk,too busy to eat,to busy to think... Life used to be simple,but it isn't any more. What has happened these years according to the passage? Answer: All of the above. A couple of days ago, as the test results came out, my son and a group of his 13-year-old friends piled into the back seat of my car, ready for the last-day-of-school party at McDonald's. "Jack got a laptop for getting straight A's, and Laurie got a cell-phone," one boy said. "Oh, yeah, and Sarah got an iPad, and she's only in third grade," said another. "And how about Brian? He got $10 for each A." I suddenly became concerned. These payoffs might get parents through grammar school, but what about high school and beyond? What would be left after the electric guitar, the cell-phone, and the DVD player? I saw the road ahead: _ I saw my comfortable lifestyle disappear before my eyes -- no more of those $5 bags of already-peeled organic carrots. No more organic anything! I started to feel surprised and nervous. Would every goal achieved by my two children fetch a reward? A high grade point average? A good class ranking? Would sports achievements be included in this reward system: soccer goals, touchdowns? What about the orchestra? Would first chair pay more than second? I'd be penniless by eighth-grade graduation. "We never paid anything for good grades," said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. "He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that's about it." Don't you just hate that? We're all running around looking for the MP3 player with the most updates, and she's spending a few dollars on pizza. She gets motivation; we get negotiation. And what about the primary grades? What do these students get? "When the teacher asked if anyone got rewards for good grades, everyone in my class raised their hands and said they got ice cream cones ," said one third-grader. The author takes her neighbor as an example to show _ . Answer: rewards are not the only way to encourage children Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge of women in the workforce may mean a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse of this concern is that becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriage. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to put off marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy comes to life, the number of marriages also rises. The increase in divorce rates follows to the increase in women working outside the home. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wife's work on divorce is no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible . Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. By raising a family's standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family's financial and emotional stability. Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union. Also, a major part of women's inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities. It is said in the passage that when the economy falls _ Answer: more people would prefer to remain single for the time being Almost everyone accepts the fact that crime can never be wiped out entirely. Thus control of crime becomes the focus of police and government around the world. The question lawmakers must answer is, "Which system of criminal punishment works best for society?" Each country has developed its own ideas for solution to this question, and these solutions then determine how criminals are punished under different systems. However, none of the current system in use has proved 100 percent effective. There are many ideas about punishment of criminals. Some systems look only to get retribution against criminals. These systems work to frighten criminals away from repeating a crime in the future. These systems also try to deter others in society by using the criminal as an example of what can happen to a person if he or she is caught committing crimes. Rehabilitation is another philosophy by which many systems of punishment operate. The goal of these systems is to return a former criminal to society after a required period of treatment and training, usually in prisons. The idea is to help change the person's behavior so that he or she becomes a law-abiding citizen. Capital punishment is another form of punishment which systems use in extreme criminal cases, sometimes involving such crimes as a murder, rape, and violent theft. In these cases, the person is put to death. Today, capital punishment is used in relatively few countries. Many countries have done away with it. In other words, capital punishment remains only in officially law books but is rarely used. However, capital punishment remains in use in some countries including the United States. When looking at the number of crimes committed, the effectiveness of any of these forms of punishment comes into question. In the United States, for example, 80 percent of the people arrested each year are male, and the majority of these are young men or boys. One-third of all auto thefts, robberies, and burglaries are committed by young men under the age of 18. Generally, young people have less responsibility in society, so they risk losing little if they are caught in a criminal activity. However, it can also be argued that today's youthful criminals do not fear the punishment they receive if caught by police. Current methods of criminal punishment do not serve the purpose of deterring young criminals in the United States. A major problem with the current system of rehabilitation in the United Stated is that most criminals return to crime after they have supposedly been rehabilitated. Two-thirds of those caught by police each year are repeat criminals. As a result of this fact, many people feel that rehabilitation of criminals is a lost cause. Since the late 1970s, many see retribution as a preferred punishment in criminal cases in the United States. What is a big problem with the system of rehabilitation ? Answer: Criminals repeat crimes Researchers who helped discover a new species of Mexican butterfly are offering to sell the naming rights to raise money to fund more research. Co-discoverer Andrew Warren is hoping to raise at least $50,000 by auctioning off the rights to name the 4-inch "owl eye" butterfly, which lives in Sonora, a Mexican state bordering Arizona. "That would support at least two years of research for our team down in Mexico," Warren said. "Money goes a long way down here in Mexico." According to the scientific tradition, discoverers of a new species have the say in naming it. In recent years, some discoverers have auctioned off their naming rights to raise money. Warren said the amount being sought for the butterfly is not out of the question, noting that naming rights for a new monkey species brought in $650,000 two years ago. A group of 10 new fish species that went on the naming auction block at the same time earlier this year brought in a total of $2 million. The butterfly discovered by Warren and researcher George Austin ranges as far north as Mexico. The butterfly was actually in a collection, misidentified as an example of another new species, at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of National History in Gainesville, said Warren. They soon began the hard process of determining that it was indeed a "new" model of butterfly. After checking photos and comparing it with other known species, they determined it was a separate species. Where did the researchers discover the new species of butterflies? Answer: In a place in US.
Construction workers in Southern California have made a wild discovery. They were digging at a building site in San Timoteo Canyon when they unearthed hundreds of ancient animal fossils. Researchers say the bones hold important clues about the history of the region. Nearly 1, 500 fossils were recovered from the dusty canyon. The remains are about 1.4 million years old. They include the bones of a new species of deer, several small rodents and more. A giant cat fossil was also found. Scientists believe the animal was an ancestor of the saber- toothed tiger. Signs of plant life were uncovered as well. "This is a huge find," says Rick Greenwood, a scientist studying the site. "I don't think most people had any idea that those types of animals were wandering around here more than a million years ago." San Timoteo Canyon is located about 85 miles from Los Angeles. The area of the canyon where the fossils were found was once part of a green river valley. Today, the region is dry and plant life is rare. Most of the fossils are well preserved. Experts say a muddy lake bed may have trapped thirty animals that wandered over for a drink. The mud helped to protect the animal fossils. The remains are a million years older than those discovered at the famous La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. Scientists studying the bones will be able to learn more about how the animals adapted to changes in the environment. "We have a confused view of what this time period was like, " says another scientist. "A discovery like this could really be an important contribution." About 35 different animal species are represented in the fossil collection. Scientists began removing bones from the site last fall. The project was completed this summer. Starting next year, the fossils will be on display at the Western Science Center in the nearby city of Hemet, California. What do we know about the fossils from the passage? A. All of them are of new species. B. Some of them have been destroyed C. They were looked for under experts' guidance. D. They will be on show in the near future. Answer: D. They will be on show in the near future. John is a very strong man. He gets a job of cutting trees in a forest. His boss gives him an axe and showed him the area where he should work. The first day, John cuts down 18 trees. "Good," the boss says, "keep it up!" happily, John tries harder the next day, but he only cuts down 15 trees. The third day he tries even harder, but he can only cut down 10 trees. Day after day he cuts down fewer and fewer trees. "I must be losing my strength ," John thinks. He goes to the boss to say sorry and says that he can not know what is going on. "When is the last time you sharpen your axe?" the boss asks. "I'm busy cutting trees, so I have no time to do _ . " The moral of this story: While John is working hard, he doesn't work "smart". He doesn't think about the best way to do his job. What does the story tell us? A. It's really good to work hard B. It's very bad to cut down the trees. C. It's better to think of the best way. D. It's so hard to sharpen the axe. Answer: C. It's better to think of the best way. LONDON, Feb. 18,2014 (Xinhua News agency) --Britain will send experts to East China's Shanghai to learn from the city's experience in maths teaching in an attempt to raise the teaching standards. British Education Minister Elizabeth Truss is to lead a delegation of experts on a fact-finding mission to Shanghai's schools next week to see how children there have become the best in the world at maths, to get a first-hand look at maths classes and teaching methods there, and particularly to investigate why the performance of almost all children in Shanghai is high, regardless of gender or income. Britain was last year placed 50th out of 148 countries and regions in the World Economic Forum's competitiveness ranking in quality of maths and science education. Two years ago, Shanghai topped the 2012 international PISA tables for maths, while England was ranked in 26th place. The top five were all in Southeast Asia, with 15-year-olds in Shanghai judged to be three years ahead of their peers in maths. The education department said: "England's performance in maths has lagged behind while other countries have improved and overtaken us, including Poland and Germany." Actually, it is the latest step in the government's drive to raise standards in maths, looking at what has made schools in the far East the most successful in the world in teaching the subject. "Shanghai is the top-performing part of the world for maths--their children are streets ahead. Shanghai and Singapore have teaching practices and a positive mind that make the difference. They have a belief that diligence makes up for lack of ability," Truss said. "Our new curriculum has borrowed from theirs because we know it works--early learning of key arithmetic, and a focus on times tables and long division , for instance." She was determined to change the situation as performance in maths is weakening the country's skills base and threatening the productivity and growth. The government is emphasizing maths because of the importance of good grades in the subject to young people competing for good jobs in a global labor market and to the economy more generally. An education and skills survey released by the Confederation of British Industry last year showed that 30 percent of employers reported dissatisfaction with the standard of school and college leavers' numeracy. More than two-thirds of employers said they wanted both maths and science promoted more in schools. Which of the following statements is true according to the two international competition results? A. British students performed better in 2013 than in 2012. B. British students did better than the students from Poland in 2013. C. The students from Singapore did better than the students from Germany. D. The students from Germany did better than the students from Poland. Answer: C. The students from Singapore did better than the students from Germany. Tears came into this mother's eyes when she talked about waking up her son. Every morning, her ten-year-old boy puts up one finger with his eyes still closed, begging for one more minute to sleep. Why is he so sleepy? Because, like thousands of student "early birds" in China, he has to get up before 6 a.m. every morning. School students usually need eight to ten hours' sleep a night. But in Shanghai, it's reported that 90% of the students do not get enough sleep. And studies show that without a good night's sleep, students seem to be weaker than they should be. Many become near-sighted as a result. Li Ming, a student at Qinghua High School, said that he usually goes to bed after 11 p.m. But when he has exams coming up, he can stay up as late as midnight. This "night bird" lifestyle has made many students nod off in class. Li Ming said that it is during afternoon classes that he feel most sleepy. "My parents are usually happy to see me studying so late," he said. "They think I work very hard and they make me cups of coffee." However, not all parents are happy about this. "My daughter gets up so early. She looks tired and it really hurts me." said one of the parents. Why don't so many students get enough sleep? Now many members of society began to think about it. Which one is True according to the passage? A. All the parents hope their children stay up. B. No students complain about their lack of sleep. C. Most students watch TV or play computer games deep into night. D. Some parents are worried about the fact that most of the students don't have enough sleep. Answer: D. Some parents are worried about the fact that most of the students don't have enough sleep. At the age of sixteen,I joined a volunteer group with my dad. I went on my first volunteer project in West Virginia. On the night we arrived, we discovered that "our family" was living in a trailer that was in poor condition. A crew had been working on it for two weeks,but every time they finished one problem,another surfaced(, ). We decided the only reasonable solution was to build a new house--something unusual but necessary under these circumstances. The family was overjoyed with their new house that was twenty by thirty feet with three bedrooms,a bath and a kitchen. On Tuesday of that week, while we were eating lunch together,I asked the family's three boys,Josh,Eric and Ryan,"What do you want for your new room?"Expecting toys and other gadgets that children usually ask for, we were astonished when Josh responded,"I just want a bed." The boys had never slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding. When we saw the delivery truck coming,we told the family about the surprise. We could hardly control ourselves. It was like watching excited children on Christmas morning. That afternoon, as we fitted the frames of the beds together, Eric ran into the house to watch us. Too dirty to enter his room,he observed with wideeyed enthusiasm from the doorway. As my father slipped a pillowcase onto one of the pillows,Eric asked,"What is that?" "A pillow," he replied. "What do you do with it?" Eric continued to ask. "When you go to sleep,you put your head on it," I answered softly. Tears came to my eyes as my father handed Eric the pillow. "Oh...that's soft," he said,hugging it tightly. Now,when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems urgent,my dad gently asks, "Doyouhaveapillow?" We know exactly what he means. On hearing Josh's answer, the writer was shocked because _ . A. the family lived in a trailer B. he expected to get some toys C. he didn't know what a bed was D. the boys had no bed to sleep in Answer: D. the boys had no bed to sleep in
For as long as humans have lived on the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a spoken language problem, communication can be carried out through sign language, in which gestures stand for letters, words, and ideas. Tourists and people unable to hear or speak have often had to turn to this form of expression. When gestures describe words or ideas, they can often be used internationally. When used for spelling words however, where each gesture stands for a single letter, people must share the same written language. Body language sends ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either meaningfully or not. A wink can be a way of showing that the person is only joking. A nod means agreement, while shaking the head indicates disagreement. Other forms of language can be found in Braille (a reading system of raised dots read with the fingertips used by the blind), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide and warn people. While language is the most common form of communication, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings. What can't be effectively communicated by sign language when people belong to different language groups? A Spelling B Idea C Whole words D Expressions Answer: A. Spelling On my first trip in the United States , I went to San Antonion . I was on foot . So I went to only three places there : the Alamo , the River Walk , and the Art Gallery . I especially enjoyed visiting the Alamo , a well- known building in America . When I arrived at the Alamo , I was deeply impressed because it was well kept and in good shape . The Alamo was erected in about 1722, was later used as a fort , and has been kept as a state monument to the Texan War of Independence against Mexico . During the battle , all of the Texan defenders were killed . I was surprised at the exhibition of rifles , guns , cannons and swords . I was especially attracted by the paintings of a war . The paintings expressed the feelings of a painter very well . Even thought about 160 years have passed since the Battle of the Alamo , the exhibit is well kept . When I came out after seeing the exhibition , I felt as if I had a victory . The outer wall of the Alamo was destroyed here and there . When I touched the wall , I could feel the damage . After the war , little remained of the Alamo . All of the windows and doors were destroyed . The top part of the gate way disappeared without a trace . I will remember the Alamo forever . It is one of the best places to visit in San Antonio . Which of the following may be the best title for this passage ? A A Famous Building in America B My First Visit to America . C The Texan War of Independence against Mexico . D My Impressions of the Alamo in San Antonio , Texas . Answer: D. My Impressions of the Alamo in San Antonio , Texas . Banks are not ordinarily prepared to pay out all accounts(,); they rely on depositors not to demand payment all at the same time. If depositors should come to fear that a bank is not safe, that it cannot pay off all its depositors, then that fear might cause all the depositors to appear on the same day. If they did, the bank could not pay all accounts. However, if they did not all appear at once, then there would always be enough money to pay those who wanted their money when they wanted it. Mrs. Elsie Vaught has told us of a terrifying bank run that she experienced. One day in December of 1925 several banks failed to open in a city where Mrs. Vaught lived. The other banks expected a run the next day, and so the officers of the bank in which Mrs Vaught worked as a teller had enough money on hand to pay off their depositors. The officers simply told the tellers to pay on demand. The next morning a crowd gathered in the bank and on the sidewalk outside. The length of the line made many think that the bank could not possibly pay off everyone. People began to push and then to fight for places near the tellers' windows. The power of the panic atmosphere was such that two tellers, though they knew that the bank was quite all right and could pay all depositors, drew their own money from the bank. Mrs Vaught says that she had difficulty keeping herself from doing the same. The tellers in Mrs. Vaught's bank were told to _ . A explain why they could not pay out all accounts B pay out accounts as requested C make the depositors believe that the bank was stand D pay out money as slowly as possible Answer: B. pay out accounts as requested The social sciences, as the name shows, are the scientific study of the behavior of human beings, both in groups and individually. There is no past or present information of human beings who were not in groups. The groups may be small, like the family, or large, like a city or nation. But in order to reach complete development, man must be a member of a society. It is true that some individuals are more solitary than others. Some like monks or hermits may decide, for religious or other reasons, to leave their society and live alone. But these are unusual individuals, and even they cannot separate themselves completely from the rest of mankind. A society, then, seems to be the natural environment of mankind. Scholars who study mankind in social organizations are called social scientists. The human behavior which social scientists study is learned behavior. The behavior of the human body as a living organism is studied by the biologist, the biochemist, or the physician. This behavior of man's physical body is inherited through the genetic development of his species. For example, all physically normal and healthy humans learn to walk as their bodies grow and develop. Social scientists concern themselves with the behavior that man must learn so that he can take his place in a social group. In order to be a functioning member of that group, each member must learn to behave in a way acceptable according to the differences among societies. The social scientists are newcomers to academic studies. By the end of the 19th century, the natural sciences had developed a method, by which they were able to understand the physical world. By using the scientific method, chemists, physicists, and astronauts, for example, learned a great deal about the universe. It seemed reasonable to apply the same method to the study of man's social life. Through this kind of study man may learn to understand himself much better. The scientific method is a way of collecting facts in order to describe an existing situation as correctly and completely as possible. The description must consist only of what can be perceived , analyzed, measured and recorded. Feelings and personal opinions or ideas have no place in scientific description. The fact must be observed and described in such a way that another scientist could repeat the same study and get the same results. What does a social scientist study? A The family and its members. B Human beings as members of groups. C All families, cities and nations. D The behaviors of all the species. Answer: B. Human beings as members of groups. Dear Vicky, Thanks for your letter and for the photos of your family. Now it's my turn! This is a photo of my family. My dad is called Peter. He's a dentist. He likes playing golf and he loves watching sports on TV. In fact, we all like watching TV! My mom's name is Diana. She's a teacher. She likes reading and she also likes watching romantic movies. I have two brothers-James and Brian. James is nine years old. He likes watching cartoons and playing video games. Little Brian is still a baby. He's only two years old. He doesn't like watching TV! He likes playing with his teddy bear. And me? Well, I like watching tennis on TV but I prefer to play. Do you like playing tennis? I do. Maybe we can play some time? What do you like to do? Write and tell me. Yours truly, Debbie How many people are there in Debbie's family? A 3. B 4. C 5. D 6. Answer: C. 5.
Li Denghai, with his muddy boots and tanned face, may not look like he is one of China's famous agricultural pioneers. But the 61-year-old man from Shandong Province has made scientific breakthroughs , which made great contributions to China's food security . His main work has been in achieving the higher output of corn production. Li, who holds the world record for the highest output of summer corn, once says, "Corn has a life; it sings and dances. If you listen clearly, it can speak to you." He started his research in 1969 when he was 20 and just dropped out of a high school. He then read an article which pointed that corn output per mu in the USA was six times higher than that in China. He was shocked and set out to work on just a small piece of land _ to see if he could increase the output. He often went to the field with a flashlight late at night, if he had been away during the day. By careful nurturing he managed to double the output. Li Denghai was awarded the "China Award for Significant Contribution to the Maize Industry" in 2005, and the same year the company named after his own name came into the market on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Li, however, is never happier than when he is in the middle of his cornfields. "I can forget my tiredness when talking to my corns," he says. From Mr. Li's words in this passage, we can learn that _ . A he is not good at communicating with people B he is too tired to go to the corn fields C he talks to his corn when feeling lonely D he loves his career deeply Answer: D I'm Ann. I am twelve. My birthday is on May 11th. I am a student. I am in No. 3 middle School. I have a good friend. Her name is Alice. She is twelve, too. We are not in the same class. We have the same English teacher. Her name is Monica. We all like her. Kate is Alice's sister. Oh, today is November 11th. It's Kate's birthday. I will buy her a birthday card. Who is Monica? _ . A She is Ann's mother. B She is Alice's mother. C She is Kate's friend. D She is Ann and Alice's English teacher. Answer: D Your car is a necessary part of your life. You use it every day. Of course, you want to hold on to it so you make sure it has the latest alarm and immobilizer. But despite all these, cars like yours are still stolen every day. In fact, in this country, one car is stolen almost every minute! And if your car is stolen, you only have a 50:50 chance of seeing it again. Each year, car crime costs nearly PS3 billion. Of course, if you're insured, you won't lose out, or will you? Firstly, you will have to pay extra insurance later on, and then you may not be offered the full amount by the agent. You will probably have to hire a car and you will also lose the value of the contents and accessories in the car. Now comes the solution. An RAC Trackstar system, hidden in one of 47 possible secret locations in your car, is the key of our system. If your car is stolen, radio signals are sent at twenty-second intervals from the car to the RAC Trackstar National Control Center via a satellite network. Then a computer gives the vehicle's exact location, speed and direction. The RAC Trackstar National Control Center, which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, will immediately inform the police in the area where the car is located. Because the police receive information every twenty seconds, they will always know the vehicle's location. Once the thief has been arrested, your car will be returned to you. RAC Trackstar is unique in being able to provide the National Control Center with details of the exact location of your car, its speed and direction. And speed is the key to successful recovery of a stolen vehicle. RAC Trackstar Control will immediately tell the police if you report your car stolen and under the 24-hour Guardian Option. _ will also tell you if your car has been stolen. RAC Trackstar's constant updates mean the police are kept informed of the car's location. All these greatly improve your chances of seeing your car again. According to the passage, people with RAC Trackstar _ . A automatically find directions B seldom get their vehicles damaged C have less chance of being in an accident D are more likely to get the stolen cars back Answer: D Everyone knows that regular bedtimes are important, especially for children. But a research by Yvonne Kelly of University College, London, shows that daughters, it seems, do benefit from regular bedtimes. Sons do not. Dr Kelly and a team of colleagues examined the bedtimes and cognitive abilities of 11,178 children born in Britain between September 2000 and January 2002, who took part in a research project called the Millennium Cohort Study. The bedtime information they used was collected during four visits interviewers made to the homes of those participating in the study. These happened when the children were nine months, three years, five years and seven years of age. Besides asking whether the children had set bedtimes on weekdays and if they always, usually, sometimes or never made them, interviewers collected information about family routines, economic circumstances and other matters--including whether children were read to before they went to sleep and whether they had a television in their bedroom. The children in question were also asked, at the ages of three, five and seven, to take standardised reading, mathematical tests, from which their IQs could be tested. Dr Kelly's report shows that by the time children had reached the age of seven, not having had a regular bedtime did seem to affect their cognition. But that was true only if they were female. On the IQ scale, whose average value is 100 points, girls who had had regular bedtimes scored between eight and nine points more than those who did not. Boys were not completely unaffected. Irregular bedtimes left their IQs about six points below those of their contemporaries at the age of three. But the distinction disappeared by the time they were seven. This difference between the sexes is puzzling. "I did not expect it, and more research is necessary." said Dr Kelly. Which was NOT possibly included in the interviewers' questions? A Do your children go to bed on time on regular basis? B When do your children get up and start off to school? C Do you read to your children before they go to bed? D Have your children done well in reading and maths tests? Answer: D NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares. Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly wipe out, the effect of painful memories. In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are wiped out. They are not sure to what degree people's memories are affected. The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it. Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories. "Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering." But those who are against the research say that maybe the pills can change people's memories and changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past. "All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were terrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist. The drug tested on people can _ . A cause the brain to fix memories B stop people remembering bad experiences C prevent body producing certain chemicals D wipe out the emotional effects of memories Answer: C
Question: If you want to get rich, leave New York City, Washington D.C. or Los Angeles and head to Plano, Texas;Aurora, Colorado or Omaha, Nebraska, where wages are high and life is good, a new survey showed. A poll that ranked 69 US cities with populations of more than 250,000 people showed the best places to build personal wealth and raise a family were in cities where some of the nation's largest companies are headquartered. The No.1 city, Plano, is the ninth largest city in Texas and home to company's headquarters including soft drink company Dr Pepper Snapple Group, PepsiCo's snack foods company FritoLay and movie theater company Cinemark. "The city has a reputation as one of the best places in the country for employers to do business and for families to live and work. Plano has a nationally acclaimed public education system and well-educated, diverse residents." Aurora, the third most popular city in Colorado, came in second, according to the survey which said its economy is booming and it is a business leader in key growth industries such as biotechnology, aerospace and high technology. Nebraska's largest city Omaha, home to famous US investor Warren Buffett, nabbed third place. Buffett, who is the richest man in the world according to Forbes magazine, is often called the "Sage of Omaha" for his successful investments . New York City came in last, behind Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. "These cities do have some of the highest average wages in the country, but when it comes to increasing your dollar for the future, it is difficult to do in these cities," salary.com said. How many famous companies are mentioned in this passage? A. 3. B. 5. C. 6. D. 10 Answer: A. 3. Question: The bicycling craze came in when we were just about at the right age to enjoy it.At first even "safety" bicycles were too dangerous and improper for ladies to ride, and they had to have tricycles.My mother had(I believe)the first female tricycle in Cambridge;and l had a little one,and we used to go out for family rides,all together;my father in front on a bicycle. and my poor brather Charles standing miserable on the bar behind lny mother.I found it very hard work.pounding away on my hard tyres;a glorious,but not a pleasurable pastinle. Then, one day at lunch, my father said he had just seen a new kind of tyre,filled up,with air,and he thought it might be a success.And soon after that everyone had bicycles,ladies and all; and bicycling became the smart thing,and the lords and ladies had their pictures in the papers,riding along in the park,in straw hats. My mother must have fallen off her bicycle pretty often,for I remember seeing the most appalling cuts and bruises on her legs.But she never complained,and always kept these accidents to herself.However,the great Mrs. Phillips,our cook, always knew all a hout them;as indeed she knew practically everything that ever happened.She used to draw us into the servants' hall to tell us privately:"Her Ladyship had a nasty fall yesterday;she cut both her knees and sprained her wrist.But don't Iet her know I told you."So we never dared say anything.Similar little accidents used to occur when,at the age of nearly Seventy,she insisted on learning to drive a car.She never mastered the art of reversing ,and was in every way an unconventional and terrifying driver. Mrs.Phillips used then to tell us:"Her Ladyship ran into the back of a milk-cart yesterday;but it wasn't much hurt";or"A policeman stopped her Ladyship because she was on the wrong side of the road;but she said she didn't know what the white Line on the road meant,so he explained arld Let her go on."Mrs.Phillips must have had an excellent Intelligence Service at her command,for the stories were always true enough. The writer admired Mrs.Phillips because _ . A. she was the best cook they had ever had B. she was in command of all the setvants C. she could keep secrets D. she had an outstanding ability to gather information Answer: D. she had an outstanding ability to gather information Question: Do you want a job?Here are some positions for you. Please have a look! A WANTED Are you hardworking? Do you like to meet people? If your answer is "Yes", and then we have a job for you as a waiter. Call AL Hotel at 556779! SUMMER JOB Do you like to talk with people? Do you like to write stories? If you want to work for our magazines as a reporter, please call Karen at 558366. HELP WANTED Do you like babies? Can you look after one baby for two days? If you are sure to take good care of it, call us at 766588. Hurry! CLEANER WANTED Can you make a large house clean and tidy? If you hope to get the job paid at $20 a time, call us this evening 18:00-20:00. Tel: 633800. If you like children and have two days free, you can call at _ for a job. A. 556779 B. 558366 C. 766588 D. 633800 Answer: C. 766588 Question: Live Music----Late Night Jazz Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet player. He is known to play well in the early hours. So don't want to get much sleep. PLACE: The Jazz Club DATES: 15-23, June PRICE: Y=200-250 TIME: 10 p.m. till late TEL: 4668736 Scottish Dancing Scottish dancing is nice and easy to learn. The wonderful dance from England will be given. PLACE: Jack Stein's DATES: 10-20, May PRICE: Y=180 TIME: 7--10 p.m. TEL: 4021877 Shows -Anhui Museum There are 12,000 pieces on shows here. You can see the whole Chinese history. PLACE: Anhui Museum DATES: 1Mar--30 Jun PRICE: Y=60 (Y=30 for students) TEL: 4888688 TIME: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Weekends 9 a.m.--9 p.m. If you want to watch dancing, you can call _ A. 4668736 B. 4021877 C. 4210877 D. 4888688 Answer: B. 4021877 Question: He lived his whole life as a poor man. His art and talent were recognized by almost no one. He suffered from a mental illness that led him to cut off part of his left ear in 1888 and to shoot himself two years later. But after his death, he achieved world fame. Today, Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh is recognized as one of the leading artists of all time. Now, 150 years after his birth on March 30, 1853, Zundert, the town of his birth, has made 2003 "The van Gogh Year"in his honor. And the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, home to the biggest collection of his masterpieces, is marking the anniversary with exhibitions throughout the year. The museum draws around 1.3 million visitors every year. Some people enjoy the art and then learn about his life. Others are first interested in his life, which then helps them understand his art. Van Gogh was the son of a pastor . He left school when he was just 15. By the age of 27, he had already tried many jobs including an art gallery salesman and a French teacher. Finally in 1880, he decided to begin his studies in art. Van Gogh is famed for his ability to put his own emotions into his paintings and show his feelings about a scene. His style is marked by short, broad brush strokes ."Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use color more freely, in order to express myself more forcibly," he wrote in a letter to his brother in 1888. Van Gogh sold only one painting during his short life. He relied heavily on the support from his brother, an art dealer who lived in Paris. But now his works are sold for millions of dollars. His portrait of Dr. Gacher sold for $89.5 million in 1990. It is the highest price ever paid for a painting. "I think his paintings are powerful and the brilliant colors in them are attractive to people," said a Van Gogh's fan. Van Gogh killed himself because of _ . A. the poor life B. his illness C. his pain from left ear D. the objections from the artists of his time Answer: B. his illness
Depression is much higher amongst female bosses than male bosses,a new US survey finds.Dr Tetyana Pudrovska,the study's first author,explained:"Women with job authority-the ability to hire,fire,and influence pay-have greatly more symptoms of depression than women without this power.But men with job authority have fewer symptoms of depression than men without such power." The study followed 1,500 middle-aged women and 1,300 middle-aged men who all graduated from high schools in Wisconsin.The men and women were surveyed in 1993 and 2004 to look at the connection between how much authority they had at work and symptoms of depression. The results showed that amongst men and women with lower levels of authority at work,women had slightly higher levels of depression.This is normal since overall women suffer from depression slightly more than men.Amongst men and women with higher levels of authority at work,however,it was women who had many more symptoms of depression than men.Men in authority actually had a 10% lower risk of depression,while authority increased the risk of women having depressive symptoms by 9%. Dr Pudrovska continued:"What shocked us is that women with job authority in our study are advantaged in terms of most characteristics that are strong signs of positive mental health.These women have more education,higher incomes,better jobs,and higher levels of job satisfaction than women without job authority.Yet,they have worse mental health than lower-status women." The cause of this _ is not known,but Dr Pudrovska says:"Years of social science research suggests that women in authority positions deal with interpersonal anxiety,negative social interactions,negative stereotypes,prejudice,social isolation ,as well as resistance from colleagues.Women in authority positions are viewed as lacking in the assertiveness and confidence of strong leaders.But when these women display such characteristics,they are judged negatively for being unfeminine .This causes mental stress." Men,on the other hand,do not have to face these kinds of negative stereotypes about their abilities. What did Dr Pudrovska think of the results? Answer: Surprising. Fortunately for early humans,the huge primate's diet consisted mainly of bamboo. Scientists have known about Gigantopithecus since some of its teeth were discovered on sale in a Hong Kong pharmacy about 80 years ago.The idea of a giant ape aroused the interest of scientists around the world,but It remained unclear when this beast became extinct. Now Jack Rink,a geochronologist at McMaster University in Canada,has used a high-precision -dating method to determine that this ape-the largest primate ever--roamed Southeast Asia for nearly a million years before the species died out 100,000 years ago.By this time,humans had existed for a million years. "Gigantopithecus is a primate that co-existed with humans at a time when humans were undergoing a major evolutionary change,"said Rink. Some of Gigantopithecus fossils were found in Guangxi.It is the region where some believe the modem human race originated.according to Rink.Scientists have been able to piece together a description of Gigantopithecus using just a handful of teeth and a set of jawbones. "The size of these specimens--the crown of the molar,for instance,measures about an inch (2.54 cm)across--helped us understand the extraordinary size of the primate,"Rink said. Scientists can only guess at what killed off a beast this size.Some scientists believe that a diet of bamboo combined with increasing competition from more nimble humans eventually led to its extinction. While most scientists agree that Gigantopithecus died out long ago,some people--Big-foot and Yeti enthusiasts in particular-believe that this ape is the source of tales of giant,hairy beasts living in the woods. Even though mainstream scientists dismiss these claims,it isn't impossible.The coelacanth a type of fish thought to have died out millions of years ago-was discovered swimming off the coast of Africa in 193& We can gain some information about Gigantopithecus EXCEPT_. Answer: their language(s) In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. More than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university. They use the loan to pay for tuition fees, books and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan. The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with debts of around PS12,000. Students of medicine usually have debts of more than PS20,000. That is a lot of money. It means graduates cannot afford to buy a house for many years. They even struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan after graduating. If you start to earn over PS15,000 a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary. Is it any surprise, therefore, that the average British person does not leave their parents' home until they are 30 years old? You might think that a British person with a degree will find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in white-collar jobs seem to have a degree these days, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper. Like everyone else, graduates usually have to start at the bottom and work their way up. That can be very frustrating for them, since they are often over-qualified for the work they are doing. While at university, they have dreams of getting an exciting, challenging job. Therefore, life after university ends up being quite disappointing for a lot of graduates. All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. What's the best title of this passage? Answer: What's a University Education worth in the UK? Sophia Wu, 25, is a young Chinese woman who does business with her family in Santiago, Chile . On February 27, she experienced a night that she will never forget. "I was asleep and was woken up by powerful shaking at around 3:30 in the morning. My whole room was moving and I couldn't stand still. I wanted to run downstairs and go outside, but suddenly the wall got broken and the lights in the room went out. The room became so shaky that I couldn't move at all." That night an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile. Buildings and bridges fell down. Electricity and water services shut down. The Chilean Red Cross reported that about 500,000 homes were destroyed and more than 800 people died. The earthquake has been the fifth strongest since 1900. More than 90 aftershocks followed the earthquake. A tsunami was set off in the Pacific Ocean by the earthquake. Scientists say that there are about 500,000 earthquakes in the world each year. Of these, only 20% are felt, and 100 of them cause damage. So far, scientists haven't found a way to predict earthquakes. But you can learn to protect yourself during an earthquake. The most important thing to remember is to drop, cover and hold on. So remember to drop to the floor, get under something for cover and hold onto something strong during the shaking. ,. (10) How should we protect ourselves during an earthquake? Answer: We should drop, cover and hold on. Speaking in his first National Day Rally speech on 15 August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien said Singapore's education system was set for more reforms in the years ahead, particularly for the primary and secondary education.Read the summary of his thoughts on education below. For a start, the Government is prepared to send and additional 3,000 teachers to Singapore schools, cut the courses of study even further and change the way the mother tongue, especially Chinese, is taught.But, for the changes to be successful, parents need to help. Singapore has a devoted group of teachers and principals and quite a few of them are outstanding, but the Republic's schools can be even better.To help the schools make a jump in quality, the Government plans that within the next 6 years, it will send 1,000 more teachers to primary schools, 1,400 to secondary schools and 550 more to junior colleges.Each school would decide how to use its extra teachers.Some may want to make classes smaller so students get more individual attentions while others may have new teachers assist more senior teachers, but the overall goal is to give teachers the time and space to come up with ways to bring out the best in their students. More teachers must not mean more homework, however.In fact, the Prime Minister wants to see the courses cut down so that there is less pressure on the students.Good grades are important but they should not be the only goal students have.PM Lee is convinced that "we must teach less so that our children can learn more." Another change will be in the teaching of the mother tongue so that students can become more fluent.The key is to teach Chinese as a living language not just an academic subject like Latin.Therefore, the focus should be on speaking and reading the language.To do this, there must be an environment outside the classroom that is contributing to strengthening the Chinese lessons. The text is mainly about _ in Singapore. Answer: the education reform
Question: My dad and I both love music. He taught me how to play some pop songs on the piano and he is teaching me to play the drums and sing. He even creates custom tracks for me to help me perform my best! -- Samantha, age 11, California, USA My dad encourages me to do my best in school so I can achieve my dream of being an animal doctor someday. He also encourages me to try new things and do sports. We often go camping, rock climb, hike, and ride bikes. I love that my dad likes to go on adventures with me! -- Isabella, age 10, Nevada, USA My dad is funny, and he has given me a good sense of humor , too. He teaches me to make the best of a situation, even if it's difficult or scary. He also tells me that laughter is the best thing to make me feel better. [: _ Z _ X _ X _ K] -- Lila, age 12, California, USA My dad has taught me never to give up, no matter how hard things get. He helps me realize that even if I don't get a perfect mark on a test or something, it is not the end of the world. He has taught me that I can learn from my mistakes and work harder the next time. -- Jane, age 11, British Columbia, Canada . Jane's father has taught her _ . A. to learn from her mistakes B. to learn from her classmates C. how to work smartly D. how to get a perfect mark on a test Answer: A Question: I can still remember my first day at school. I was only 6 years old at that time. It was a very big room. I sat at the desk near the window, but I couldn't see anything because the windows were too high. There was a big map of the world on the wall. But I don't think I was worried or unhappy at that time. There was another little boy next to me. He sat there and kept quiet at first. Then he began to cry, because he didn't want to stay there. More and more students came in , but the boy didn't stop crying " Mom, I want to go home. " He cried again and again. Later , the teacher came in . She went to the little boy, and said something to him. I couldn't hear what she said. Soon the boy stopped crying and began to smile. To this day, I still don't know what the teacher said to the little boy. Why he couldn't see anything ? A. Because he was short. B. Because the window was too high. C. Because he was short seeing. D. Because he was blind. Answer: B Question: My husband, Michael, a co-owner of a development company, came home from work one day said , " it 's not looking good."At midnight, I'd wake up and see him sitting in a chair,with his hand on his forehead As a family, we'd always talked about traveling more, but we'd been tied to routines. Now l saw no point in sitting around worrying when we could see the country. We'd take our kids, Aidan, 11, Charlie, 8, and Rosie ,6, out of school and teach them on the road. It was the perfect time, before they reached high school. Michael resisted at first but realized that with his cell phone and computer, he could work anywhere. We listed our house for rent and got a great deal on an RV . I created a website for us familyofftrack. com--and secured five major sponsors, including Geico and Encore campgrounds. Their ads on our site would help bear the travel cost , and we'd promote their brands. All spring and summer, we visited treasured lands, our first stop was Springfield, Illinois, home of Abraham Lincoln. In the south, we drove along the Natchez Trace, lined with Civil War history. At Bandelier national monument, we climbed ladders up to the ancient cliff dwellings of native Americans. And we took swims in Oregon' s rivers. we kept a video blog; Aidan added the music. Rosie made a slide show of photos, while Charlie put receipts in a folder. By the end of August ,we were ready to return home. Michael's company continued to slide. But Michael and l spent so much time planning that we're now going to make the RV a permanent part of our lives. I've always felt that my husband and I make a great team. Now I feel it even more .Together we made our kids realize: Nobody ever made history by living 100 percent by the book. What did the family do before traveling around the country ? A. The children dropped out of high school B. The couple sold their house C. The author worked for a website D. They got an RV to serve their travel Answer: D Question: One mile long runway can take people across the oceans, to reach every corner of the world. That's the magic power of airplanes as well as airports. Similar as most airports are, some do have their unique features. Lukla Airport Lukla Airport, is a small airport in the town of in the town of Lukla, eastern Nepal. A program titled Most Extreme Airports, rated the airport as the most dangerous airport in the world. The airport is popular because Lukla is the place where most people start the climb to Mount Everest Base Camp. High wind, cloud cover, and changing visibility often mean flights can be delayed or the airport closed. The airport's runway is accessible only to helicopters and small, fixed-wing, short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft. The runway is only 527m with an elevation of 2,845m. Princess Juliana International Airport Princess Juliana International Airport is in the country of Saint Maarten. The airport is perhaps best known for very low-altitude flyover landing approaches due to one end of its runway being extremely close to the shore and Maho Beach. The thrilling approaches and ease of access for shooting spectacular images make the airport one of the world's favorite places among plane spotters. Gibraltar Airport Gibraltar Airport serves the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, a tiny peninsula with an area of only 6.8 square kilometers. The lack of flat space there means the peninsula's only runway is bisected by its busiest road, the Winston Churchill Avenue that heads towards the land border with Spain. It is really scary that there is a four lane highway passing through the middle of the runway! Kai Tak Airport Kai Tak Airport was officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, when it was closed and replaced by the new one at Chek Lap Kok, 30 kms to the west. With numerous skyscrapers and mountains located to the north and its only runway jutting out into Victoria Harbour, landing at the airport were dramatic to experience and technically demanding for pilots. The low altitude manoeuvre required to line up with the runway was so spectacular that some passengers claimed to have glimpsed the television through apartment windows along the final approach. Which of these airports is out of business now? A. Lukla Airport B. Princess Juliana International Airport C. Gibraltar Airport D. Kai Tak Airport Answer: D Question: Read the suggestions for making an English speech. a. Looking at and talking to one person in the audience helps keep you natural, but it feels foolish talking to only one person. Speak to that person as long as 15 seconds and then change another one. b. The audience have a hard time understanding what they hear. They need your help. Slow down, pause and guide the audience through your talk. Remember that you should help the audience understand what you are saying. c. Make your voice a little lower than normal. Listeners like to listen to a relatively deep voice. d. When you talk, try to be as natural as possible. Don't try to memorize your words and read or recite them to your audience. You can use short notes to help you remember the important points. e. You should know you and most of the people you talk to are different in many ways. Some of them may not know what you are talking about. Then speak to them on their terms and in their languages. f. Concentrate on what you want to say. If you are always paying attention to gestures ,you will feel uncomfortable. g. It's true that there are some differences between American English and British English, but they'll not cause much difficulty for listeners, so just speak the way you're used to. Choose a suggestion for each of the following students according to their problems. Tony: Should I talk in American English or British English? A. a B. b C. c D. g Answer: D
Question: Patty sued Mart Department Store for personal injuries, alleging that while shopping she was knocked to the floor by a merchandise cart being pushed by Handy, a stock clerk, and that as a consequence her back was injured. Handy testified that Patty fell near the cart but was not struck by it. Thirty minutes after Patty's fall, Handy, in accordance with regular practice at Mart, filled out a printed form, "Employee's Report of Accident Mart Department Store," in which he stated that Patty had been leaning over to spank her young child and in so doing had fallen near his cart. Counsel for Mart offers in evidence the report, which was given to him by Handy's supervisor. The judge should rule the report offered by Mart A. admissible as res gestae. B. admissible as a business record. C. inadmissible, because it is hearsay, not within any exception. D. inadmissible, because Handy is available as a witnes Answer: C. inadmissible, because it is hearsay, not within any exception. Question: Contests from the Community Annual Playwright Challenge Attention, students! Unleash your creativity and writing skill by submitting an original story for an opportunity to have your entry produced as a full-length musical by the Scripps Performing Arts academy this fall. The winner will also get the opportunity to perform in the show or serve as the assistant director of the production. Also, the winner will attend two playwright workshops with the director to work on the musical together. Entries can be submitted in paragraph, story or script form (1-3 pages) to info@ scrippsperformingarts.com with the subject line: Playwright Challenge Entry. For ages 18 & under. Students are allowed to work individually or as a team of two for each submission. Deadline: April 1. Kids' Poster Contest The City of San Diego's Public Utilities Department invites students, grades 1-6, to make a poster with the theme: "Sam Diegans Waste No Water. All Days. All Ways. " Three winners will be selected for each grade level and will receive gift cards and a Certificate of Excellence. Also, winning posters will be on display in the lobby of the City Society's Gallery and the San Diego County Fair's Kids Best Art Exhibit. Open to students in the cities of San Diego, Coronado and Imperial Beach. To enter, go to www.wastenowater.org. Deadline: March 28. Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program Outstanding young volunteers, ages 6-18, can be rewarded through this annual program. Regional winners will each receive a $1,000 scholarship for higher education, while national winners will each be rewarded a total of $10, 000 in scholarships plus a $ l, 000 donation from Kohl's to a nonprofit of the student's choice. Nominations are now accepted at www.kohlskids.com. Deadline: March 14. Dream House Raffle Enter to win a $ 4 million home in Rancho Santa Fe or $ 2.1 million in cash in this annual raffle that includes more than 1,300 prizes to be given away! In addition to the grand prize drawing on May 17, you can also be part of early bird drawing that offer more chances of winning. Next earlybird drawing is on March 19 (entry deadline: March 7). Proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego. For tickets and the list of prizes, visit www.sdraffle.com or call 888-8254-9939. Your friend Iverson usually participates in volunteer services, which you really appreciate. You can visit_to nominate him. A. www.sdraffle.com B. www.kohlskids.com C. www.wastenowater.org D. www.scrippsperformingarts.com Answer: B. www.kohlskids.com Question: The young man arrived on the Massachusetts beach early carrying a radio, a shovel , and a strange set of tools: a brick layer's trowel, a palette knife, spatulas, spoons, and a spray bottle. He walked down near the water -- the tide was out -- and switched on the radio to listen to soft rock. Then he shoveled wet sand into a pile nearly four feet high and as many feet across. Then he created a square shape. After that, he set to work with palette knife, spatulas, and spoons. He shaped a splendid tower, topped walls, fashioned beautiful bay windows, and carved out a big front gate. The man knew his sand. He smoothly finished some surfaces and carved artistic designs on others. As the shapes began to dry, he gently kept them slightly wet with water from the spray bottle, in case they might break in the wind. All this took hours. People gathered. At last he stood back, obviously satisfied with a castle worthy of the Austrian countryside or Disneyland. Then he gathered his tools and radio and moved them up to drier sand. He had known for a while what many in the crowd still ignored: the tide was coming in. Not only had he practiced his art with confidence and style, he also had done so against a powerful, irresistible deadline. As the crowd looked on, water came at the base of the castle. In minutes it was surrounded. Then the rising flood began to eat into the base, walls fell, the tower fell, and finally the gate fell. More minutes passed, and small waves erased bay windows -- soon no more than a small part was left. Many in the crowd looked terribly sad; some voiced fear and discouragement. But the man remained calm. He had, after all, had a wonderful day, making beauty out of nothing, and watching it return to nothing as time and tide moved on. In this passage, why did the young man start early in the day? A. He needed the sun to help dry the sand. B. It gave plenty of time for the crowd to gather. C. He knew the tide was out on this particular morning. D. It was easier to begin his work with only a few people around. Answer: C. He knew the tide was out on this particular morning. Question: The story happens on an island called Berk. Hiccup, a Viking teenager, lives with his tribe on the island. The Vikings are strong and good sailors . They often go on adventures . Fighting dragons is one of their traditions. Hiccup's father, Stoick the Vast, is the leader of the island. He hopes his son will become as strong as him and be the leader one day. But it does not seem to go well for him. Hiccup is nothing like his father. He is weak. People say he is not suitable to be the future leader. But Hiccup is smart and has a great sense of humor. Now Hiccup and other Viking teens are in Dragon Training. Hiccup will have to show others that he has what it takes to be a fighter. One day Hiccup hits a dragon with a stone cannon . He finds the hurt dragon named Toothless. Hiccup sets Toothless free and the two became friends. But his new friendship goes against the village's tradition. He has to stop others from killing the dragon! Will Hiccup be able to save his friend? What difficulties will he have to face? Go to see How to Train Your Dragon, a Hollywood 3D cartoon film. You'll find the answer. The film comes out on March 26. Where can we probably find the passage? A. in a film magazine. B. in a science book. C. in a story book. D. in a travel guide book. Answer: A. in a film magazine. Question: In Xinjiang, most people knew the stories of Avanti. Avanti was a very clever man. People liked him because he not only spoke for the poor but also was always ready to help them. One day Avanti walked on the street and saw two men arguing with each other. A lot of people stood around them. One of the two men was the owner of the eating house in the town and the other was a young man. The young man just passed by the eating house. The owner of the eating house told the young man to pay him money. The young man explained that he hadn't taken anything from the eating house. But the owner said that the young man had taken the smell of the nice food from the eating house, and he must pay for it. So Avanti went up to the owner and said, " I'll pay you the money." Avanti took out some coins from his pocket and put them into his bags. He shook his bag, and people heard the sound of the coins. Then Avanti said to the owner, " Take away the sound of the coins. That's what I pay for the smell of your food." One day Avanti saw two men _ . A. arguing about the eating house B. arguing about the payment C. eating in the eating house D. laughing at the people around them Answer: B. arguing about the payment
If your parents were to surprise you with a present on your birthday, which one would you prefer, a trip to the amusement park or a new pair of shoes? According to Science Daily, about onethird of the people are likely to prefer shoes to a fun trip. These people are called "materialists", namely, those who value material goods more than experiences. But which of the two choices makes people happier? Back in 2009, Ryan Howell, a professor at San Francisco State University, found that in the long run, experiences make people happier than possessions. This is because the joy of receiving a new object fades over time as you get used to seeing it every day. Experiences, on the other hand, can continue to bring you joy in the future through happy memories. But materialists should at least be happy when they first buy something, shouldn't they? To figure it out, Howell did another study. He classified a group of adults according to their personality types, ranging from less materialistic to more materialistic. Each person was asked different questions to see how they felt about spending money on material goods versus spending money on experiences. As expected, the more materialistic participants got less happiness from purchases than the less materialistic, because such purchases didn't fit with their personalities and values. But to Howell's surprise, he found that materialists weren't any happier even if they spent money on material items. This is because materialists worry that others may criticize or look down on their choices. "There are certain value systems that are rejected by society," said Howell. "When we find out someone is materialistic, we think less of them, and that drives their happiness down." Another reason is that materialistic people always focus on what they don't have instead of what they have now. This makes them feel less satisfied and grateful. If you happen to be a materialistic person, there's something you can try. "If materialists make more accurate purchases, rather than trying to impress others, they will be happier," Howell said. You should also remember what an ancient Greek philosopher once said, "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." What did Ryan Howell find in his studies? Answer: Material goods bring people less happiness than experiences. Barack and Michelle Obama have two daughters: Malia, born in 1998, and Sasha, born in 2001. Before his inauguration, President Obama published an open letter to his daughters in Parade magazine, describing what he wants them and every child in America "to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world." While living in Chicago, they kept busy schedules. Soccer, dance and drama for Malia, gymnastics and tap for Sasha, piano and tennis for both. Malia and Sasha attended the private Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. The Obama girls began classes there on January 5, 2009. In his victory speech on the night of his election, President Obama repeated his promise to Sasha and Malia to get a dog to take with them to the White House. On April 12, 2009, it was reported that the Obamas had adopted a six-month-old Portuguese water dog given to them as a gift. The dog was named Bo by Malia and Sasha. Though Malia and Sasha Obama are the president's kids, it doesn't mean they'll be catered to. The girls are still required to do their chores. Besides bed-making, Malia and Sasha must clean up their rooms and keep on top of their homework. The Obamas want their girls to grow up in a "normal" way. Which statement is RIGHT? Answer: Sasha is three years younger than Malia. The food we eat seems to have profound effects on our health. Although science has made big steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that 80 percent of all human illness are connected with diet and 40 percent of cancer is connected with the diet. Therefore, that food is connected with illness is not a new discovery. In 1940's scientists realized that nitrates , which are often used to keep color1 of meat, and other additives caused cancer. However these additives remain in our food and it becomes more difficult to know which additives are helpful or harmful. Farmers sometimes give drugs to animals not because the animals are ill but because they want to sell the animals at higher prices. For example, farmers try hard to make animals grow big so that they can sell the big animals for more money. Although the Food and Drug Administration has tried again and again to control farmers to do so, farmers go on doing this. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true? Answer: Some additives besides nitrates can cause cancer. On May 2, 2012, Ashok Gadgil became the winner of the $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation . Each year, the honor is given to an inventor who has made a big difference in the lives of people in developing countries. Gadgil is a professor and physicist at the University of California, Berkeley. He spent thirty years helping people in need. His inventions have helped more than 100 million people around the world. "I chose to focus on problems where my knowledge of science could help," Gadgil said. In the 1990s, Gadgil designed his first life-saving invention after more than 10,000 people died from Bengal cholera because of the clean water crisis in India. His invention uses ultraviolet light to kill deadly disease-carrying germs from drinking water. It costs just one cent to clean five liters of water (about 21 cups). So far, the invention has provided safe drinking water for more than five million people in India and other developing countries. Gadgil's another important invention is the Berkeley-Darfur Stove . The long and violent war in Darfur, Sudan, has caused many people to move to foreign countries and live in refugee camps . They are given food aid. But people still have to travel a long distance five times a week to gather firewood to cook meals. This can be dangerous because of street violence in the area. To avoid danger, some spend much of their money used to feed their families buying firewood. The stove Gadgil created cuts fuel usage by 55%. That means people wouldn't have to leave the camps to find firewood as often. The invention also helps to save homes more than $300 a year. About 125,000 people and their families have been helped. As a professor, Gadgil encourages his students, "Be optimistic when you try a hard problem," he says. "It's when you solve a large problem that you can have a big influence on the world." Which of the following statements about Gadgil is TRUE? Answer: He used his knowledge to help people in need. Lost iPhone Unexpectedly, I lost my white iPhone 5s in Midtown on Friday night. It had a blue green cover on it. There are many pictures of my son in it, and I'm heartbroken. Please return, no questions asked. Reward. Reply to: -2652255359@craigslist. org Do you need a babysitter that you can trust? [:++] My name is Tina. I am a responsible babysitter that you can trust. If you are looking for someone dependable and affordable I am that person! I HAVE MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE (including disabled children)! I am a retired Home Health Aid and absolutely love children. I work with my sister Iris who has also more than 20 years' experience as a teacher's assistant. WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETINC YOU! Available 24 hours and flexible with fees! I am fully bilingual--Spanish/English. Please email me or call 712-867-7688. I BABYSIT ONLY AT MY HOME I accept children from all ages. Fee starts from $100~$150 a week depending on the hours. I am very flexible and my fee can change. Feel free to contact me via email or on my cell phone 566-67-1873 and we can work something out. Part-time Chinese Babysitter Wanted Part-time Chinese speaking babysitter needed to assist with one-year-old twins and to perform some light housework as needed. Assistance needed Fridays and occasional weekends. Please provide your salary expectation. College students are welcome to apply. Reply to: comm-encbq-2652113885@craigslist. org An applicant accepted by Ad 4 will have to _ . Answer: look after two children
Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiao Festival is eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. We call these balls Yuanxiao or Tangyuan. Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself. It is said that the custom of eating Yuanxiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song periods. The fillings inside the dumplings or Yuansiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, Walnuts, sesame , osmanthus flowers , rose petals, sweetened tangerine peel, bean paste, or jujube paste . A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling . The salty variety is filled with minced meat , vegetables or a mixture. The way to make Yuanxiao also varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls, make a hole, insert the filling, then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China, sweet or nutmeat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores, dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer of the flour sticks to the filling, which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes, like rolling a snowball, until the dumpling is the desired size. The custom of eating Yuanxiao dumplings remains. This tradition encourages both old and new stores to promote their Yuanxiao products. They all try their best to improve the taste and quality of the dumplings to attract more customers. Why do we eat Yuanxiao today? A Because it's a tradition. B Because it's a tasty food. C Because we love our country. D Because this food can make money. Answer: A Michael Jackson's sudden death really astonished his fans, but soon they are glad to find another younger "King of Pop" has appeared. Wang Yiming, who is known as Xiao Bao, has already been popular across the world with his wonderful dance moves. He once appeared on U.S. television show "Ellen" and performed successfully at the World Expo 2010. About seven years ago, Xiao Bao was born prematurely , which made his mother really worried. He was so weak. What could he do? Doctors suggested that moving his body to music would help make him strong, but soon his parents were surprised by how quickly Xiao Bao fell in love with music! "When he was young, we just started playing music to him and he started moving around like this. But we didn't think that he had such a strong feeling for music. When he was just several months old, we would let him listen to music and he would stop crying and calm down at once," the proud mother once said. So far, Xiao Bao has learned the moonwalk and other Jackson's moves well. His fans are crazy about his wonderful shows. He has drawn more people's attention. He is fast becoming internationally popular. There are lots of problems waiting for him, but Xiao Bao will never give up. He is serious about his dancing career . Where there is a will, there is a way. We are sure that Xiao Bao's dream will come true one day. How did Xiao Bao's parents feel when they first saw his reaction to music? A Surprised. B Happy. C Proud. D Worried. Answer: A Four-bedroom house for sale This house is on a quiet street only a few meters from the beach. It has a wonderful view of the sea and would suit a family or an investor . There are many international cafes and restaurants nearby, and it is only a short walk to the stores. It's near the bus stops. The house has two floors. On the first floor there is a modern kitchen, a large sitting room, a dining room, and a bathroom. On the second floor you will find four bedrooms. There are also two bathrooms. There is also a swimming pool and a beautiful garden around the house. Please telephone Jim Watson at 014-735-8383.One -bedroom apartment for sale This apartment is on the top floor of a six-floor building and has a wonderful view of the city. There is a big park near the building. It is near the centre of the city. It will be a good home for a young couple . The apartment is freshly painted. A modern kitchen and a tidy bathroom make it very comfortable. The owners need money, so they are eager to sell it. Call Julie Kelly at 014-735-8484 for more information Which is NOT true about the house? A It has a garden around it. B It is by the beach. C It is in a busy street. D It is large. Answer: C Three boys and three girls were going to Fort Lauderdale and when they boarded the bus,they were carrying sandwiches and wine in paper bags,dreaming of golden beaches as the gray cold of New York vanished behind them. As the bus passed through New Jersey,they began to notice Vingo, He sat in front of them,dressed in a plain,ill-fitting suit,never moving,his dusty face masking his age. He kept chewing the inside of his lip a lot,frozen into some personal cocoon of silence. Deep into the night,outside Washington,the bus pulled into Howard Johnson's,and everybody got off except Vingo. He sat rooted in his seat,and the young people began to wonder about him,trying to imagine his life:perhaps he was a sea captain,a runaway from his wife,an old soldier going home. When they went back to the bus,one of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself. "We're going to Florida," she said brightly, "I hear it's really beautiful." "It is,"he said quietly,as if remembering something he had tried to forget. "Want some wine?" she said. He smiled and took a swig. He thanked her and once again returned to his silence. After a while,she went back to the others,and Vingo nodded in his sleep. In the morning,they awoke outside another Howard Johnson's.And this time Vingo went in. The girl insisted that he join them. He seemed very shy, and ordered black coffee and smoked nervously as the young people chattered about sleeping on beaches. When they returned to the bus,the girl sat with Vingo again,and after a while, slowly and painfully,he told his story. He had been in jail in New York for the past four years,and now he was going home. "Are you married?" "I don't know. "You don't know?" she said. "Well,when I was in jail I wrote to my wife,"he said. "I told her that I was going to be away a long time,and that if she couldn't stand it.if the kids kept asking questions,if it hurt too much,well she could just forget me, I'd understand. Get a new guy,I said she's a wonderful woman,really something and forget about me. I told her she didn't have to write me for nothing. And she didn't. Not for three and a half years." "And you're going home now,not knowing?" "Yeah,"he said shyly. "Well,last week,when I was sure the parole was coming through, I wrote her again. We used to live in Brunswick,just before Jacksonville,and there's a big oak tree just as you came into town. I told her that if she'd take me back,she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree,and I'd get off and come home, If she didn't want me, forget it, no handkerchief,and I'd go on through." "Vow," the girl _ . "Wow." She told the others,and noon all of them were in it, caught up in the approach of Brunswick,looking at the pictures Vingo showed them of his wife and three children. The woman was handsome in a plain way,the children still unformed in the much-handled snapshots. Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick, and the young people took over window seat on the right side,waiting for the approach of the great oak tree. The bus acquired a dark,hushed mood,full of the silence of absence and lost years. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face into the ex-con's mask, as if fortifying himself against still another disappointment. Then Brunswick was ten miles, and then five. Then,suddenly,all of the young people were up out of their seats,screaming and shouting and crying,doing small dances of joy. All except Vingo. Vingo sat there stunned,looking at the oak tree. It was covered with yellow handkerchiefs,20 of them,30 of them,maybe hundreds,a tree that stood like a banner of welcome billowing in the wind. As the young people shouted,the old rose and made his way to the front of the bus to go home. What is the best title for the story? A An Unexpected Return B Forgiving My Absence C Going Home D The Old Oak Tree Answer: C Little Lopsy fluttered into our home and our hearts one Saturday morning this summer. My husband went out to do something, and when he opened the door there was a great flutter on the ground and something came into the living room. It was clear that whatever it was was hurt. I was in a bit of a shock and didn't know what to do next. Fortunately it calmed down and tried to hide itself in a corner. I realized it was a sparrow chick . There are a few sparrow nests under the roof of our apartment, and this little fellow must have fallen out and hurt itself. It was also very young, and obviously far from ready to leave the safety of the nest. I ran to the place and found a box. Having read somewhere that one shouldn't touch a baby bird with one's hands, I picked the chick up with a hand towel and put it in the box. I placed the box outside the front door in the hope that the parents would try to feed it. They never came near it and I brought it inside. I placed the box on a table and it slept for about twenty hours. We later learned that it is quite normal for a hurt bird to sleep so much after undergoing such a hurt experience. When it finally woke up we carefully examined it for wounds, but fortunately there wasn't any. It had hurt its right wing and leg, which meant it must have landed on its right side when it fell out of the nest. We named it Lopsy. After doing some research we felt there was a chance that it might survive, but we weren't sure that it would ever be able to fly. A hurt bird doesn't stand much of a chance of survival and could fall easy pray to cats, other animals. Was it fair to allow it to live if it meant keeping it in a cage its whole life? It was a hard decision, but we decided to give it a go. We started off by dripping drops of water into its mouth. It was very thirsty and drank quite a bit. Next we fed it with bread soaked in water. Our household routine soon revolved around Lopsy who needed to be fed about every three hours during the day. Fortunately we live on campus and my husband could come home during his breaks to feed our new baby. Soon Lopsy was growing nicely. The bigger it got, the more vocal it became. There was no doubt as to who was ruling the house. We remained concerned because its leg did not heal, and its wing seemed quite useless. I took it outside for exercise every day. I also hoped it would get used to the sights and sounds of nature. In the beginning all it was interested in was staying as close to me as possible. Anyway, it got stronger and started running on the grass, and one day Lopsy found a fence it liked. It got to the point where I would leave it outside under its fence for about two hours at a time while I kept an eye on developments from our kitchen window. Soon Lopsy figured out how to get from one branch to another.[: ] It also got to the point where it could flutter down from my hand to the ground, and I let it do this over and over again to exercise its wings. Then came the day that it actually flew into the fence. We were overjoyed when this happened. Finally it got to the point where I left it outside in its fence all day and night, but I would still go outside to feed it. Lopsy remained vocal and would jumped over for its food as soon as I came into view. I left some bread on the wall next to its fence, but it would have none of it. The little fellow was totally spoilt and wanted to be spoon fed, but I saw him eating quite happily as soon as I left his line of vision. Some of the bigger species of birds were a bit aggressive towards Lopsy, and I continued to keep a close eye on it. Not long after this we saw Lopsy flying without a problem. It still jumped to the side, but that didn't seem to stop it in any way. Other birds seemed quite curious about Lopsy. At first it chased them away if they came too close to its fence, but Lopsy soon seemed to realize that they were of its own kind and it stopped doing so. Then, one day, our fellow left the nest. We never saw it again, but I know Little Lopsy is now leading a happy life. This experience has taught me much. The author finally decided to let the sparrow chick go because _ . A she knew that it would be able to fly B it could fall easy pray to other animals C taking care of it is too troublesome D keeping it in a cage is against its nature Answer: D
Kate: I like running very much. It's good exercise. My parents both like running, too. We usually get up early in the morning and run together. It is good for one's legs, heart and lungs. It helps one to have a strong body. Mum says that she should thank running because it helps her to get thinner. Running is fun. It can make one happy. There are many different ways for one to run. One can run in a school or in a park. One can join a running club to run and make new friends, too. Chen Feng: I like ball games, like football, basketball and tennis. And basketball is my favorite. I often play basketball with my friends on Sunday mornings when we are free and the weather is nice. I joined my school team last year. And I can play it very well now. There is going to be a basketball game between No. 1 Middle School and our school in our school next Saturday. Many students are going to cheer us on. Our teacher says that she will buy some presents for us if we win. I hope we can win the game. Chen Feng _ . Answer: is a member of the school basketball team Selective breeding has resulted in plants that are resistant to pests and produce a higher yield of fruits and vegetables. Which of these is the most likely disadvantage that can result from this process? Answer: decreased genetic diversity Glacier National Park in Montana shares boundaries with prefix = st1 /Canada, an American Indian reservation, and a national forest. Along the North Fork of the Flathead River, the park also borders about 17,000 acres of private lands that are currently used for ranching, timber, and agriculture. This land is an important part of the habitat and migratory routes for several endangered species that frequent the park. These private lands are essentially the only ones available for development in the region. With encouragement from the park, local landowners initiated a landaus planning effort to guide the future of the North Fork. The park is a partner in an interlocal agreement that calls for resource managing agencies to work together and with the more than 400 private owners in the area. A draft plan has been prepared, with objective of maintaining traditional economic uses but limiting new development that would damage park resources. Voluntary action by landowners, in cooperation with the park and the county, is helping to restrict small lot subdivisions, maintain wildlife corridors, and minimize any harmful impact on the environment. The willingness of local landowners to participate in this protection effort may have been stimulated by concerns that congress would impose a legislative solution. Nevertheless, many local residents want to retain the existing character of the area. Meetings between park officials and landowners have led to a dramatically improved understanding of all concerns. The relationship between park officials and neighboring landowners may best be described as _ . Answer: cooperative Last weekend marked one of the nicest days so far this spring. It was warm with a tiny wind, the sun streamed through lightweight sweaters to warm the skin; the male choir was warming up, and the students were moving around the lawn behind the huge crowd of six-thousand-plus observers. With all of the parents, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, the state university was a center of activity. My nephew was going to receive his bachelor's degree. Who would have guessed that four years would go by so quickly? As the crowd of freshly polished candidates wandered, joked, hugged and chatted behind the bleachers , I heard several cell phones ring. There were several casual conversations going on with the accompanying giggles of the not-quite-mature students, but then one conversation in particular caught my attention: "Yes, Grandma, I'm really graduating. I can't believe it, either! I never thought I'd be here today, you know? Really! Like, I know it! Yes, it's a very special day. Oh, what did the doctor say? He did? I know, Gran... I know you wanted to come... It's okay... No, really, please don't cry...It's a very happy day, you know? "Hold on, we're lining up okay, all set... yes, the center aisle ... the grass is awesome! Smells really good, too... Oh wow, they've got like a million balloons they're going to release! Yes, Kelly's here... Okay, I'll give her your love... here we go! Gran, I'm graduating! "Love you, too, Gran. I'm so glad you could be here with me!" And somehow, my initial dislike at the use of cell phones and the casual conservations during such a serious occasion left me. For these little representatives of modern technology had joined a young woman and her fond Gran to share a very special moment in time. How did the author feel at first about the students casual conversations? Answer: Annoyed Safeburn Planning a home demands great care. The fireplace should be distinctive and elegant , with a fire that looks like a fire, giving your family the warmth and protection they need.Every year 7,000 people die in fires in Britain, and hundreds of them are little children. Thousands more are disfigured for life. When you choose a fire, choose Safeburn. It gives you the atmosphere of home comfort you are looking for, and sets your mind at rest. Caithness Pride Caithness Pride. The ninth Duke of Caithness would only drink the best whisky. So he built his own private still, in the heart of the Highlands, with the fresh water running in the stream nearby. When we came into possession of the still, we paid the Duke's heirs a lot of money for it. But it was worth it. After all, what was good for the Duke is too good to be kept a secret. From the second passage we've learnt that to make good whisky people need _ . Answer: good water
The London Underground (The Tube) The main source of public transport in London revolves around the Underground (or the Tube as it is known to Londoners). This network of 12 lines can get you to most places in the center of the city quickly. It's most necessary to get an Oyster Card or a Travelcard. Single tickets are priced starting at the intentionally absurd price of PS 4.80 (Zone 1-3), if you pay cash. Using an Oyster card, a single fare is PS 2.30 if you are traveling within the central Zone 1. On hot days it is also advisable to take a bottle of water with you as Underground trains are not air-conditioned. Last trains leave central London at around 00:30 weekdays, 23:30 Sundays. First trains leave the suburbs at around 5:00. The Bus System Outside the center of London, Tube stations are farther apart, so buses help fill the gaps. Also, the bus offers a cheaper alternative, even if it is a slower journey. Cash fares for London buses have been abolished -- you cannot pay cash. A bus fare costs PS 1.50 if using only buses, the fare is capped at PS 4.40 per day for Oyster or contactless users. River Services There are a number of different routes along the River Thames. The faster commuter services operate all day from Greenwich Pier to Embankment and from Putney and Chelsea harbour to Blackfriars during Peak Hours only. These routes will pass a number of places of interest including the Houses of Parliament and London Bridge. A return fare from Putney to Blackfriars will cost about 12 pounds. National Rail Once you leave Central London or if you are traveling South of the River Thames, the best public transport option will often be National Rail. There are numerous connections to the Rail System from the Tube. Travelcards can be used for travel on the National Rail (but not the Heathrow Express). Oyster cards can be used up to Zone 6 except certain services including Heathrow Express, Heathrow Connect and HSI. If you use river services along the River Thames, you will pass _ . A. London Bridge B. Stratford C. Canary Wharf D. Tower Hill Answer: A Michigan is the land of the great lakes, where A. glaciers tore out lakes B. there are lots of swimmers C. glaciers are in lakes D. lakes are filled with eels Answer: A It was Andria Baker's high school graduation party, and the time had come for her father to make good on a promise that he had made her years ago, when she was a fourth-grader. "After you started on your first day of kindergarten and continue it through your last day of high school, and I'll buy you a car." Tim Baker had told the child. Through the years, Andria Baker kept up her end of the bargain, willing herself to go to school on those days even when she felt under the weather. She did carry out her 13th year of uninterrupted coming to the classroom with her final day at Constantine High Sehool even when she was ill. At Sunday's party, her father gave the young woman the keys to a new, $17 000 Pontiac G6. Tim Baker, who teaches seventh grade at prefix = st1 /ConstantineMiddle School, said he has no regrets about the deal. "Without a doubt, it was worth every penny I spent," he said. The look on his daughter's face when she saw the car was great. Baker said, "When she turned around after seeing the car, she did not know what to do. We got her into the car and she just sat there. Then she ran into the house to get her driver's license, and she and her best friend got in the car and drove down the road." Andria Baker, 19, said she thinks she would have gone ahead with that even if a new car had not been promised her. "A lot of my friends thought I was crazy, but I just kept going." she said. Baker plans to go after an education degree at AlmaCollege. "In my sophomore year I hurt my ankle in a basketball game, and it was really painful," she said. "Also that day I caught a cold and the teacher looked at me and said, 'I'm not the teacher who's going to send you home.'" Andria Baker could come to school every day because _ . A. she was helped by all of her friends B. she wanted to get a new car C. she never got ill D. she just wanted to keep on doing that Answer: D While residents of wealthy nations tend to have greater life satisfaction, new research shows that those living in poorer nations report having greater meaning in life. These findings, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological science, suggest that meaning in life may be higher in poorer nations as a result of greater religiosity . As countries become richer, religion becomes less central to people's lives and they lose a sense of meaning in life. "Thus far, the wealth of nations has been almost always associated with longevity, health, happiness or life satisfaction," explains psychological scientist Shigehiro Oishi of the University of Virginia. "Given that meaning in life is an important aspect of overall well-being, we wanted to look more carefully at differential patterns, correlates , and predictors for meaning in life." Oishi and colleague Ed Diener of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign investigated life satisfaction, meaning, and well-being by examining data from the 2007 Gallup World Poll, a large-scale survey of over 140,000 participants from 132 countries. In addition to answering a basic life satisfaction question, participants were asked: "Do you feel your life has an important purpose or meaning?" and "Is religion an important part of your daily life?" The data revealed some unexpected trends: "Among Americans, those who are high in life satisfaction are also high in meaning in life," says Oishi. "But when we looked at the societal level of analysis, we found a completely different pattern of the association between meaning in life and life satisfaction." When looking across many countries, Oishi and Diener found that people in wealthier nations were more educated, had fewer children, and expressed more individualistic attitudes compared to those in poorer countries - all factors that were associated with higher life satisfaction but a significantly lower sense of meaning in life." The data suggest that religiosity may play an important role: Residents of wealthier nations, where religiosity is lower, reported less meaning in life and had higher suicide rates than poorer countries. According to the researchers, religion may provide meaning to life to the extent that it helps people to overcome personal difficulty and cope with the struggles of working to survive in poor economic conditions: "Religion gives a system that connects daily experiences with the coherent whole and a general structure to one's life ... and plays a critical role in constructing meaning out of extreme hardship," the researchers write. Oishi and Diener hope to reproduce these findings using more comprehensive measures of meaning and religiosity, and are interested in following countries over time to track whether economic prosperity gives rise to less religiosity and less meaning in life. What can be inferred from the passage? A. The poorer a country is, the more religious its people are. B. Economic prosperity gives rise to less religiosity and less meaning in life. C. If you want to find meaning in life, you must practice a religion. D. Meaning in life doesn't have much to do with the amount of wealth one possesses. Answer: D The first Olympics took place at Olympia in Greece in 721 B. C. almost 3,000 years ago. Many different sports, such as boxing, running and throwing the discus were played there, though there were much fewer sports than in the modern Olympics. People fr0m all over Greece came and watched the Games at the foot of Olympus, and even those at war stopped fighting and went on with the games. The Games were held every five years, until they were ordered to stop by the Romans in 383 A. D. It was nearly 1500 years since the Romans stopped the Olympics. Later in 1884 Baron Pierre de Coubertin thought it's possible to start the Games again, so he invited sportsmen from different countries to the competition. Many others agreed to his proposal and in 1896 the first modern Olympics was held in Greece. Only 50,000 people watched the Games, but the rest of the world soon became enthusiastic about them and from 1900 the Games were held every four years in a different country. 0nly three Olympics were crossed out because of the wars 1916,1940 and 1944. In Tokyo in 1960, the Games reached their highest point in size -- there were over 5650 competitors from 84 countries. Which of the following is TRUE? A. From the beginning the Olympic Games were held every four years. B. After a period of more than 1500 year without Olympics the first modern Olympics was held in Greece. C. The modern Olympics were stopped twice because of the war in the 19th century. D. People in the world were eager to see the first modern Olympics was held in Greece and many people went there to watch. Answer: B
Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said. "Can we write him a letter?" She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes." My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked. "No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for. "Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face. She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining. "Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three." The balloon, carrying my letter, darted upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds. Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary. I prayed to be a balloon. When the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she _ . Tom and Fred are students. They are twelve years old, and they are in the same class in their school. On Monday morning, they have a fight in class, and their teacher is angry. She says to the boys, "Come here after school this afternoon, and write your names 1,000 times ." After the last class, Tom and Fred are in the classroom with their teacher and write their names. But Fred cries . The teacher looks at him and asks why. "Because his name is Tom King, and my name is Frederick Hollingsworth," Fred says ," It is bad . I have a very, very long name!" After school _ are in the classroom. Nick Santonastasso has one arm equipped with one finger. He has no legs. He also has no limitations . " I know anything's possible ," the 12-year-old told TODAY 's Ann Curry. He can play baseball and football, play the keyboard and drums, and play video games with his brothers. When Nick was born, he suffered a disease only found in 11 other people. The Santonastassos had three other children, and they decided to treat Nick the same as others, with love but without excuse " We're supposed to be heroes to our children, but Nick is a hero to us," his father Michael said. But heroes have heroes, too, and Nick's is Tiki Barber, the former football superstar who retired last year and became a reporter for TODAY. Curry told Nick that for his birthday, the show wanted to give him a new skateboard. The person who presented it to him was Barber. " You're an inspiration," Barber said. " There are a lot of kids who might be at a disadvantage. You give them strength." Curry observed that most parents try to protect their kids from failure, but the Santonastassos didn't do that with Nick. "Absolutely not, "Nick's mother Stacey said. " If you do have a small failure, it just makes you stronger to succeed at the next stop." " It builds self-confidence in yourself to try it again," Nick added. Recently, Nick entered a drawing in a statewide contest in New Jersey. His drawing was a tree with a spreading canopy and deep toots. Above the tree were the words, "The roots of a family are..." Below the ground, the roots spelled out the final word for the message: " Love." It won the contest. The judges didn't know Nick' physical condition. He won on merit , the same way he does everything else in life. How did the Santonastassos treat Nick? People in the western state of California who are in the United States illegally can now request a driver's license. The law went into effect on January l. California is not the first American state with such a law, but it has the largest number of illegal immigrants. More than a million people began to request licenses shortly after the new state law went into effect. Among them was Christian Alvarado. Mr. Alvarado entered the United States from El Salvador eight years ago without permission from the U.S. government. Some call such people "illegal immigrants." Others call them "undocumented immigrants " Mr. Alvarado thinks is so exciting, for be has been waiting for the license for a long time. But some are worried that their personal information will be used to find them and deport them. Armando Botello is a spokesman for the California Department of Motor Vehicles, or DMV. He says people should not be afraid, for such information will not be shared. The new licenses are the same as licenses given to citizens except that they have the words "Federal Limits Apply". That means the license cannot be used to travel on an airplane or enter a federal building. Ana Garcia, working at the Central American Resource Center, says some illegal immigrants fear those words will be used to abuse them. Civil rights groups say the police and others Dan Schnur , a political scientist at the University of Southern California, said that the main argument against the new law is that it rewards illegal behavior. But Professor Schnur argued that young, white Americans generally support immigration reform, including giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants "It's simply because they grew up a much more multicultural society than their parents or their grandparents did:" Professor Schnur says he believes the changes in beliefs about illegal immigrants that have taken place in California will spread throughout the United States. What's the public's attitude towards the new law released on January l in California? Salesman Ramesh lived in the southern part of India. He got his first assignment in the month of June, the start of the rainy season in the area. He was given a list of local laundry owners whom he had to approach and sell products to. He was scared and thought he wouldn't be able to fulfill the task, but he accepted the challenge as he had no other choice. The next day he started approaching the laundry owners, and within 15 days he got a really nice response. Most of them purchased his products, but they borrowed money from Ramesh to buy the products. Everyone promised to pay him back within the next 15 days. During the last week of June amidst heavy showers, he started visiting the laundry owners to collect money. Upon visiting half of them, he realized he hadn't collected a penny. After almost 14 days, on a bright sunny Monday morning, he started visiting the laundry owners once again. Suddenly, by noon Ramesh realized that he had collected the payments from almost 50% of the owners. He worked hard throughout the day, and by the end of the day he had completed 90% of his target for June and July. At last, he became the "star performer" for the months of June and July. Why did the laundry owners look at the sky and tell him to come the next day when Ramesh visited them? He went to a laundry owner and asked him the question. The owner said, "This is the month of the rainy season and we have to wash the clothes, dry them off and iron them before handing them over to customers. If the sun doesn't shine, how can we dry our clothes and earn money to pay you back?" Ramesh then realized that it was his patience and endurance that kept him going and ultimately helped him achieve success. Like Ramesh, each one of us should realize that apart from being honest and hard-working, if we can keep our patience, we are inching up the ladder of success. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
Agatha Christie went out at night.She never forgot the night when she met a robber many years ago. That evening, she was invited to a birthday party which lasted until 2 o'clock in the morning.Agatha walked in the quiet street alone. Suddenly from the shadow of a dark building a tall man with a sharp knife in his right hand ran out at her. "Good morning, lady," the man said in a low voice, "I don't think you wish to die here!" "What do you want?" Agatha asked. "Your earrings . Take them off!" Agatha suddenly had a bright idea. She tried to cover her necklace with the collar ( ) of her overcoat while she used the other hand to take off both of her earrings and then she quickly threw them on the ground. "Take them and let me go," she said. The robber saw that the girl didn't care for the earrings at all, only trying to protect the necklace. He thought the necklace would cost more, so he said, "Give me your necklace." "Oh, sir. It's not worth much. Please let me keep it." "Stopping rubbish . Quick!" With shaky hands, Agatha took off her necklace. As soon as the robber disappeared, she picked up her earrings and ran as fast as she could to one of her friends. The earrings cost 480 pounds and the necklace the robber had taken away cost only six pounds. The birthday party _ . A was over at 2 B didn't end after 2 C ended before 2 D didn't end at 2 Answer: A When Sara and Nathan Jones were training to become foster parents , their son, Noah, learned a tough thing or two about foster care. For instance, nearly 600 local foster kids changed families every year, and they carried their belongings from one home to the next in black garbage bags. Noah, then ten, couldn't imagine squeezing his clothes, favorite toy, and soccer ball into a trash bag and dragging it to a new house in the middle of the night. "Packing kids' belongings into garbage bags is like telling them that their stuff has no more worth than trash," says Noah. So with help from his parents and younger sisters, Macy, then nine, and Molly, then seven, Noah began to collect suitcases and duffel bags from friends and extended family; he received more than 100 bags in less than two weeks. He then sent letters to churches and put ads in local newspapers and on radio stations asking for donations. Within a few months, the family was collecting about 500 bags a week, which they stored briefly in their spare bathroom and downstairs hallway before giving them to foster care caseworkers at the Department for Community Based Services. In addition to suitcases, Noah now provides foster kids with backpacks containing shampoo, soap, a journal, and a toy--all donated. "My hope is that by giving the children things that are just theirs, they will feel a little control in the midst of the chaos," says Noah. Noah's group, A Case for Dignity, collects and distributes hundreds of bags a year. He recently convinced foster care managers from 15 Kentucky counties to pledge to use his bags instead of trash bags. "I've been so inspired by him," says his mom. "If a ten-year-old can see a problem and create a solution, how much more can we do as adults?" Noah's group, A Case for Dignity _ . A helps foster kids carry belongings B provide foster kids with only backpacks C aims at helping foster kids with their belongings D consists of only children from foster families Answer: C More than four decades ago British scientist Robert Edwards first witnessed the miracle of human life growing inside a test tube at his Cambridge lab. Since that ground-breaking moment, more than four million babies have been born through IVF and in 2010 his great contribution to science was finally recognized as he was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine. The prize for Dr Edwards, who was given a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Award in 2008, includes a PS900,000 cheque. The Nobel Assembly described IVF as a "milestone in modern medicine". With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, the Manchester-born physiologist developed IVF -- leading to the birth of the world's first test tube baby. Dr Steptoe died 10 years later but their work has transformed fertility treatment and given hope to millions of couples. It was a scientific breakthrough that transformed the lives of millions of couples. They said: "His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a disease which makes human unable to have a baby. This condition has been afflicting a large percentage of mankind including more than 10% of all couples worldwide." Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, made international headlines when she was born in Oldham, Gtr Manchester, in 1978 to parents Lesley and John who had been fruitlessly trying for a baby since 1969. Ivf-in-vitro fertilisation is the process whereby egg cells are fertilised outside the body before being implanted in the womb. After a cycle of IVF, the probability of a couple with infertility problems having a baby is one in five -- the same as healthy couples who conceive naturally. Professor Edwards, who has five daughters and 11 grandchildren, began his research at Cambridge University in 1963, after receiving his PhD in 1955.He once said: "The most important thing in life is having a child. Nothing is more special than a child." With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, Prof. Edwards founded the Bourn Hall clinic in Cambridge shire, which now treats more than 900 women a year. Each year, more than 30,000 women in Britain now undergo IVF and 11,000 babies are born as a result of the treatment. But his work attracted widespread criticism from some scientists and the Catholic Church who said it was "unethical and immoral". Martin Johnson, professor of reproductive sciences at the University of Cambridge, said the award was "long overdue". He said: "We couldn't understand why the Nobel has come so late but he is delighted -- this is the cherry on the cake for him." Professor Edwards was too ill to give interviews but a statement released by his family said he was "thrilled and delighted". What is Robert Edwards' contribution to science? A Challenging a disease which stops human having a baby. B Seeing the wonder of the first tube baby growing. C Enabling millions of couples to live a better life. D Helping couples with infertility to have tube babies. Answer: D People seem to have a natural need for friends and with good reasons. Friends increase your enjoyment of life and relieve feelings of loneliness. They even can help reduce stress and improve your health. Having good friends is especially helpful when you are going through any kind of hard time such as when you are experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, or depression. When you are with good friends you feel good about yourself, and you are glad to be with them. A fiend is someone who-- l you like, respect, and trust, and who likes, respects and trusts you l doesn't always understand you, but accepts and likes you as you are, even as you grow and change l allows you the space to change, grow, make decisions, and even make mistakes l listens to you and shares with you both the good times and the bad times l respects your need for secrets, so you can tell them anything l lets you freely express your feelings and emotions without judging, teasing, or criticizing you l accepts the limitations you have put on yourself and helps you to remove them A person once said, "Friendship is a continuing source of bonding ,releasing, and creating in yourself and with the other person. There is an emotional bond between the two people." A good friend or supporter may or may not be the same age or the same sex as you, and may not have the same educational, cultural, or religious background, or share interests that are similar to yours. Friendships also have different depths. Some are closer to the heart and some more superficial, but they're all useful and good. Which is the best title for the passage? A A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed B What Kind of person a Friend Should Be C To Be a Good Friend D How to Get on with Your Friend Answer: C Here are a few tips to help you, the workaholic, re-focus and get the best out of life. EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP! Make it a point to get at least eight hours of sleep and plenty of rest. Don't believe that you can always "catch some sleep or rest later." Your body cannot make up for lost sleep or rest time because it is not physiologically possible. STRICTLY FAMILY ON WEEKENDS! Resolve to make Saturdays and Sundays strictly for family time. And stick to this! Mondays until Fridays you make an excuse not to relax and spend time with your family because it's work time, why not make a similar excuse for Saturdays and Sundays? "I can't work today because I'm spending time with my family." GET SOME FOOD IN! Make sure you get food in your stomach. Workaholics are known to be food-skippers. If you can't afford to get off your desk or from doing paperwork, have food delivered to you. It's always a good idea if you have crackers on your drawer to ease the hunger pangs. CONFINE WORK! Resolve to _ work in your office. Don't bring work to your home! Keep those files in your office desk where they belong. Practice working only within your working hours. If you have an eight-to-five working schedule, stick to it. WORK UP THOSE MUSCLES! Exercise, exercise, exercise! Set aside at least an hour each day or every other day for exercise. You body needs to be conditioned, and working non-stop isn't going to give it the proper physical conditioning it needs. Since most workaholics tend to have their behinds stuck on their chairs, it's even more important that you get some exercise. MAKE A PLAN! Plan your day. Work on only one or two things at a time. It's much easier to work on something and finish it first and then move on to the next rather than do a number of things all at the same time and never finish or accomplish anything at the end of the day. Make out a list of priorities. Write down things that need to be worked on immediately or are urgent, keeping the least ones at the bottom of your list. After you've done this, be guided by this list. Turning this activity into a habit will also help you manage your time better, be more organized, and accomplish more. If there were one more tip, it could be _ . A WORK TO LIVE B LIVE TO WORK C MAKE WORK YOUR LIFE D STOP TO ENJOY WORKING Answer: A
Pictures That Don't Last "YEARS ago when I was at the Grand Canyon, I remember someone coming up to the canyon's edge, taking a shot with their camera and then walking away, like 'got it - done', barely even glancing at the magnificent scene sprawling in front of them," Linda Henkel, a scientist at Fairfield University, US told Live Science. Henkel was surprised by how obsessed people are with taking pictures these days - before dinner, during friends' birthday parties, on museum tours and so on.You know people just like that, don't you? They keep taking pictures because they think that it helps record the moment, but as Henkel's latest study has just found out, this obsession may prevent their brains from remembering what actually happened, reported The Guardian. In her study, Henkel led a group of college students around a museum and asked them to simply observe 15 objects and to photograph 15 others.The next day the students' memory of the tour was tested, and the results showed that they were less accurate in recognizing the objects and they remembered fewer details about them if they photographed them. "When people rely on technology to remember for them - counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves, it can have a negative effect on how well they remember their experiences," Henkel explained. But there is also an exception: if students zoomed in to photograph part of an object, their memory actually improved, and those who focused the lens on a specific area could even recall parts that weren't in the frame. So basically, this study is saying that constantly taking pictures can harm your memory.But shouldn't reviewing pictures we have taken help wake up our memories? This is true, but only if we spend enough time doing it. "In order to remember, we have to access and interact with the photos, rather than just amassing them," Henkel told The Telegraph.However, previous research has shown that most people never take the time to look over their digital pictures simply because there are too many of them and they aren't usually very organized on their computers. Which of the following statements about Henkel's study is TRUE? Answer: Pictures that focus on the details of objects are likely to improve people's memories. Sixteen-year-old Karlos Dearman's future is looking much brighter than he might previously have imagined. "I love bikes, but I've never thought I'd end up with working with them," he says. "This program has changed my life." Karlos is learning to refurbish old bicycles in the workshop of ReCycle Bikes, an independent non-profit bike project in Sheffield. It provides training chances for young people aged 14 to 16 with the help of the local government, particularly those struggling in mainstream education or rejected from school. "It's about engaging young people with education and youth training by teaching them work and life skills," explains Des Pearce, workshop training manager. "These young people have so much potential, but often don't realize it." Founded in 2001, ReCycle Bikes repairs bicycles donated by the public, which are sold for PS20 after refurbished. Abandoned bikes supplied by the government make sure a steady flow of bikes, but a recently formed partnership with Sheffield University should improve the further development. "The student population presents a large and ready market," says Pearce. "So we approached the university last year and offered to host bike sales on the campus . They thought it was a great idea, and agreed to provide us with more support. This means we can train young people to repair extra 500 bikes over three years." Having set up ReCycle Bikes on his own, Pearce now has the staff and resources to track the profession development of those who have passed through his workshop. "But we are planning exit interviews with the young people to make sure what they plan to do, and these will allow us to check on their progress," says Pearce. That most of the teenagers enjoy the work is, according to Pearce, easily explained. "Most kids have ridden a bike and know how to oil a chain or mend a flat tyre. As low-cost transport, cycling gives the young and old a sense of freedom and independence, and the effect on their well-being is big. Add to that a growing concern for the environment, and it's no surprise that bike sales are on the increase." How did ReCycle Bikes run at the beginning? Answer: By repairing bicycles donated by the public and selling them. Move Earth--it's no science fiction LONDON--Scientists have found an unusual way to prevent our planet from overheating: move it to a cooler spot. All you have to do is send a few comets in the direction of Earth, and its orbit will be changed. Our world will then be sent spinning into a safer, colder part of the solar system. This idea for improving our climate comes from a group of US National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) engineers and American astronomers. They say their plan could add another six billion years to the useful lifetime of our planet--effectively doubling its working life. The plan put forward by Dr Laughlin, and his colleagues Don Korycansky and Fred Adams is designed to carefully direct a comet or asteroid so that it passes close by our planet and sends some of its gravitational energy to Earth. "Earth's orbital speed would increase as a result and we would move to a higher orbit away from the Sun," Laughlin said. Engineers would then direct their comet so that it passed close to Jupiter or Saturn. The comet would pick up energy from one of these giant planets. Later its orbit would bring it back to Earth, and the process would be repeated. In the short term, the plan provides an ideal way to global warming, although the team was actually concerned with a much greater danger. The sun is certain to heat up in about a billion years and so "seriously _ " our biosphere by cooking us. That's why the group decided to try to save Earth. The plan has one or two worrying aspects, however. For a start, space engineers would have to be very careful about how they directed their asteroid or comet towards Earth. The smallest miscalculation in orbit could fire it straight at Earth--with deadly consequences. There is also the question of the Moon. As the current issue of Scientific American magazine points out, if Earth was pushed out of its current position, it is "most likely the Moon would be stripped away from Earth," it states. This would greatly change our planet's climate. What serious problems might the plan cause according to the passage? Answer: The comet might hit Earth and man might lose the moon. Do you know what really troubles me? For some reason, words with silent letters have always bothered me. For example, consider these words: know, design, island, school, wrist, naughty, and salmon. All of these words have at least one letter that is not typically pronounced, and these words are just a very small part of words with silent letters in them. Some words are even worse, consider this word: colonel. Not only are some letters not pronounced, but letters that are not even there are pronounced. Even foreign languages, especially French, are guilty of this needless complexity and confusion. I know there must be some main historical reasons why the words are spelled and pronounced the way they are, but that does not mean bad traditions must continue to survive. Especially if they are no longer logical. Unfortunately, there is very little that anyone can do for it, because there's no group of people who can change or have the right to change the English language for everyone. However, the only thing we can do is make changes in the way we talk and write in hopes that it _ . For example, I pronounce the letter "l" in salmon on purpose to make people annoyed and to sound more different or complicated. I even pronounce colonel the correct or French way. I can only hope these two minor changes to the English language make sense to you, and you will help to keep up these minor changes forever in your everyday life. Which of the following is the best title for this passage? Answer: Words with silent letters It may help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech.At some point in every speech, every speaker says something that is not understood exactly as he has planned.Fortunately, the moments are usually not obvious to the listeners. Why ? Because the listeners do not know what the speaker plans to say. They hear only what the speaker does say. If you lose your place for a moment, wrongly change the order of a couple of sentences, or forget to pause at a certain point, _ .When such moments occur, don't worry about them. Just continue as if nothing happened. Even if you do make an obvious mistake during a speech, that don't really matter. If you have ever listened to Martin Luther King's famous speech - " I have a dream", you may notice that he stumble his words twice during the speech.Most likely, however, you don't remember.Why? Because you were fixing your attention on its message rather than on his way of speech-making. People care a lot about making mistakes in a speech because they regard speech-making as a kind of performance rather than as an act of communication. They feel the listeners are like judges in an ice-skating competition.But, in fact, the listeners are not looking for a perfect performer. They are looking for a well-thought-out speech that expresses the speaker's ideas clearly and directly.Sometimes a mistake or two can actually increase a speaker's attractiveness by making him more human. As you work on your speech, don't worry about being imperfect.Once you free your mind of this, you will find it much easier to give your speech freely. What would be the best title of the passage? Answer: Don't Expect a Perfect Speech
Question: Jenny and Henry were born on the same day and they look the same. Their father is a taxi driver and he is busy all the time. He goes out early in the morning, but comes back when his children are sleeping in bed. He makes a lot of money but he doesn't talk with them about their study. The two children study in the same class. Jenny works hard at her lessons, but her brother likes nothing but playing. He is not good at writing compositions . One day Mrs. Cook told her class to write a composition "My Mother". After supper Jenny wrote one in her exercise book and then went to help her mother to do some housework. But Henry went to play football. When night fell, he came back to watch TV until the TV play was over. And he took off his clothes and went to bed, he remembered the composition and had to go to the sitting room again. But he didn't know how to write it. He thought hard and at last he found a way. He found Jenny's schoolbag and brought out her exercise book and copied her composition. Two days later Mrs. Cook asked Henry, "Can you tell me why your composition is the same as Jenny's?" "Yes, I can, madam," answered Henry. "We have the same mother. " Which is the best title of this passage? A. The Twins B. Henry Copied the Composition C. Jenny is Good at Lessons D. We Have the Same Mother Answer: D Question: One of the most famous nursery rhymes in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb .It has touched many children who have read it. It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb. The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, in the USA. Mary Sawyer (1806-1889) lived on a farm with her family.One day, when she was about nine years old, she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother. It was very weak and looked as if it would die at very moment.Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it. _ , it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary, following her everywhere she went. One day, the lamb even followed Mary to school.At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school.During the class, she hid the lamb under her desk.But when she was called to go to the front of the class, to her surprise, the lamb followed her.Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school, the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb outside of the school. That very day, a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary's school. He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day. His poem contained twelve lines. Later, Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title "Mary Had a Little Lamb". The poem has become a classic, loved by children all over the world. The appeal of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little girl and her pet. The town of Sterling has honoured Mary's lamb by building a statue of the lamb with Mr Roulstone's poem below the statue. Why did the poem become a classic? A. It had another twelve lines added. B. It was written by a young man. C. It describes the true love between a little girl and her pet lamb. D. A statue of lamb was built in the town of Sterling. Answer: C Question: May : Happenings from the past May 5,1884 Isaac Murphy , son of a slave and perhaps the greatest horse rider in American history , rides Buchanan to win his first Kentucky Derby . He becomes the first rider ever to win the race three times . May 9 , 1754 Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette produces perhaps the first American political cartoon , showing a snake cut in pieces, with the words " Join or Die" printed under the picture. May 11,1934 The first great dust storm of the Great Plains Dust Bowl , the result of years of drought,blows topsoil all the way to New York City and Washington , D.C. . May 19, 1994 Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis , former first lady and one of the most famous people of the 1960s , died of cancer in New York City at the age of 64 . May 24, 1844 Samuel F.B. Morsr taps out the first message , " What Hath God Wrought ," over the experimental long-distance telegraph line which runs from Washington, D.C. , to Baltimeore , Md . We know from the text that Buchanan is _ . A. Isaac"s father B. a winning horse C. a slave taking care if horses D. the first racing horse in Kentucky Answer: B Question: Tim Berners-Lee is the man who wrote the software program that led to the foundation of the World Wide Web. Britain played an important part in developing the first generation of computers. The parents of Tim Berners-Lee both worked on one of the earliest commercial computers and talked about their work at home. As a child he would build models of computers from packing material. After graduating from Oxford University he went on to the real thing. In the 1980s, scientists were already communicating using a primitive version of e-mail. While working at a laboratory in Switzerland, Tim Berners-Lee wrote a program, which let him store these messages. This gave him another idea: write a program that will let academics from across the world share information on a single place. In 1990 he wrote the HTTP and HTML programs which form the basis of the World Wide Web. The next year his programs were placed on to the Internet. Everyone was welcome to use them and improve them if they could. Programmers used this codes to work with different operating systems. New things like web browsers and search engines were developed. Between 1991 and 1994 the number of web pages rose from 10 to 100,000. In 1994 Tim Berners-Lee formed the newly formed World Wide Web consortium , or W3C. More than 200 leading companies and laboratories are represented by W3C. Together they make sure that everyone can share equally on the web. "The Web can help people to understand the way that others live and love. It helps us understand the humanity of people." he says. The passage is mainly about . A. when the Internet came into being B. who Tim Berners-Lee is C. why computers develop so rapidly D. how the World Wide Web started Answer: B Question: In the UK, most children have their lunches at school, but in some schools, parents can choose what their children eat. The children can have a school dinner-a hot, cooked meal; or they can take a packed lunch with them, which usually includes cold food like sandwiches. Often parents know what their children want. Cath, a mother of three children, told us, "My children have packed lunches because they say they don't like to have school dinners. So I make three packed lunches every morning." However, another mother, Susan, made a different choice. She said, "My daughters have a always had school dinners. I think they probably get healthier food at school than a few sandwiches I make for them." But how healthy are school dinners? Kaz, a father, thought poorly of them. He said, "Fizzy drinks were offered and I think there were a lot of chips." Jamie Oliver spent a year working in a school kitchen. He was worried about the unhealthy food which included burgers, pizzas and chips. So he tried to cook healthy food such as good stews and curries for the children instead. So Jamie improved the school dinners, and trained the dinner ladies to cook healthy food in that school. Then he advised the government to improve school food across the country. And it seems that the changes have begun. Anna, a pupil, told us, "We used to have a fast food window where you got chips and coke, but they stopped that this year. There's a salad restaurant, which is good, so it's healthier than it was." ,. Jamie thought _ were healthy food. A. stews and curries B. burgers and pizzas C. chips and fizzy drinks D. sandwiches and coke Answer: A
Question: Technology helps people do everything from planning to meet for a movie to keeping in touch with a friend who lives in a different country. When planning to get together with friends, Julian said , " If I want to go and see a movie with a few friends, I usually send them text messages. By telephone, you have to call every single friend one by one. But text messaging allows you to send the same message to as many people as you'd like, which saves a lot of time." Email, IM, and other low-cost methods of communication also help people keep long-distance friendships in ways they couldn't have even a few years ago. Mike told us, "I had this friend when I was 8 or 9 , and then she moved away to the country. We promised to stay friends and to send letters, and at the start we did. Then the letters got fewer and fewer and we at last stopped writing to each other. I think if we had had email, we would still be in touch." James found out about cost the hard way. He said, " I called my friend in New Zealand, which is halfway around the world, and it cost me over $200! So now I just stay up late to see if I can catch him on MSN or I write an email." Email, IM, and other low-cost ways of keeping in touch also allow people to develop brief acquaintances into long- lasting friendships. Andrea told us, " I met this really cool girl. We've been in touch over half a year and it's nice to talk to her." The writer uses Andrea's story to show that _ . A. everyone can make good use of technology B. long-lasting friendships can be gained anywhere C. there are many kinds of ways of keeping in touch D. it is easier to make new friends than before due to technology Answer: D Question: Carbon dioxide emissions have increased due to large numbers of automobiles and increased industrialization. Which of the following has been most affected by the increase in carbon dioxide levels? A. the ability of farmers to plant crops B. the ability of scientists to study other planets C. the ability of Earth to continue recycling rocks D. the ability of Earth to maintain lower temperatures Answer: D Question: If someone is lost in a forest( ), he needs only study the trees around him carefully to find his way. On this half of the earth, he will find that the side of the tree with the most leaves and branches( ) is the south side. Also, by checking the tops of the trees, he will find that they lean( ) to the south too. Another sign( ) for him to know where he is going is found in the bark.( ) That is brighter on the south side.The remanining( ) of a cut tree is also a finder, for its rings can give him another sign. The rings will be thinner on the south side and thicker on the north side. One more sign: some very small plants grow at the foot of a tree and they point to the north. The passage tells us _ ways of finding the direction in the frorest. A. three B. four C. five D. six Answer: C Question: Everybody in London knew Mr. Scrooge. He was very rich but also very mean. The most important thing in his life was money! At six o'clock Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's clerk, went to Mr. Scrooge. "Excuse me. sir. Tomorrow is Christmas Day, can l stay at home?" "Stay at home," shouted Scrooge. "I don't pay you to stay at home!" "But it is Christmas," said Cratchit. "Very well," said Scrooge. "but you must work double hours on Boxing Day!" "Yes sir, certainly sir, Merry Christmas, sir." "Get out," shouted Scrooge. "Christmas! Everybody talks about Christmas!" said Scrooge. "It's just an excuse not to work. People want money too. Always money! For doing nothing!" Scrooge put on his hat and coat and left the office. It was Christmas Eve and everyone was shopping. It was dark and Scrooge was alone. He saw a person dressed in black. "Are you the Spirit of Christmas to come?" asked Scrooge. The Spirit didn't speak. It pointed to a group of people. The people were talking. "Is he dead?" asked one man. "Yes. No-one will cry for him," said another. "He was a horrible, unkind man. He never gave money to us poor people. He wasn't a happy man." "Who's dead?" asked Scrooge. The Spirit pointed down. It was a grave . There were no flowers and no people there. "Who is it?" asked Scrooge nervously. The Spirit pointed again. "No, I don't want to look, I want to go home." But the Spirit didn't move. Very slowly Scrooge rubbed the snow away. On the grave were the words EBENEZER SCROOGE. It was morning. Christmas morning. Scrooge was in bed! "I'm alive, I'm alive, how wonderful!" He jumped out of bed, singing and dancing as he went around the room. "What a beautiful day it is. I love Christmas. I love everybody." He went to the butcher's and said, "Take the biggest turkey you have to Bob Cratchit's house." Scrooge met the two men collecting money for the poor. "Please take this," said Scrooge to the men and gave them a big sum of money for the poor. From that Christmas Scrooge was a new man. He helped the poor and was kind to everyone. He became a happy man and everybody loved him. Scrooge became a new man because _ . A. the Spirit of Christmas told him to do so B. he was saved by the Spirit the next day C. he saw how he was treated after death D. he was afraid to see his own grave Answer: C Question: Tim and Janey woke up earlier than normal. Their stomach were growling. They were ready for breakfast. They had gone to bed at their normal time, but they could not help being up now. So they woke up their father and went downstairs for breakfast. It was so early in the morning the sun was not even out yet. But their dad knew once the kids were up, there was no going back to sleep, so he got started. He gave them each a banana to start. He let them pick either a biscuit or toast. They chose toast. So he made wheat bread toast and put grape jelly on it. The quickly ate it and the orange juice they were given. They then each had a bowl of Rice Krispies before getting showered and dressed. They kissed their mom as she went to work and began enjoying the day off from school by playing in their rooms. Dad thought he'd done a good job feeding the kids. But in two hours, they both were asking for turkey sandwiches for lunch. With Tim and Janey so hungry so soon, their dad knew he was in for a long day. And a busy one in the kitchen. Who made breakfast? A. Dad B. Tim C. Janey D. Mom Answer: A
A few years ago, I worked at a church . Since my son was home schooling, he went with me to the church every day. Most mornings, we'd stop at a local store, and get a chocolate drink for him and a cup of coffee for me. The clerk at the store made our lives more enjoyable each day, and so we returned again and again. She had found her own way of enjoying life and her job. I'm not even sure if she realized that her warmth and brightness put a smile upon the face of each customer . When a customer brought cakes to the counter, any other clerk could have asked: "Would you like some milk with those cakes?" Instead, she asked: "Would you like a lottery ticket with those cakes?" She might have asked me if I wanted sugar with my coffee. But instead, she asked: "Would you like some batteries with that coffee?" Yes, life is what you make of it. This clerk's method of dealing with what some think is a boring job, and with the customers she met daily, made the hours in her day more enjoyable. In doing that, she also refreshed the lives of others and made them laugh. Sometimes, if my day at the church had been very tiring, we'd stop at that store before going home. We'd giggle as we left the store, the clerk's words echoing behind us. "Would you like some shampoo with that orange juice?" Why did the writer and her son return to the store again and again? A. Because the drinks were delicious there. B. Because the food was cheap there. C. Because they felt happy there. D. Because there was only one store. Answer: C Online purchases have soared during the Chinese New Year holiday. It's the dead of winter in Shanghai. Delivery man Liu Jia and his colleagues start the day when most of people are still asleep. Working at a distribution point of a shopping website in Shanghai, they promise to deliver products within three hours of an order being placed. "I buy most of my grocery online, especially the heavy items. It's convenient and cheap compared to the supermarket in my neighborhood," Customer Chen Hong said. Orders such as these have increased for the New Year, forcing Liu Jia to work around the clock. "The orders are usually rice, laundry detergent , tissue paper and snacks, mostly food and articles for everyday use," Liu Jia said. According to an industry report, China's B2C (Business to Customer) online sales are growing at an annual rate of 25 percent. Competition between online giants like Taobao and Jingdong is now fiercer than ever. "The _ of online shopping is that customers can buy products easily. So the competition is about: firstly, the range of products; secondly, the depth under each category of products; third, the price and user experience," Pan Biao, vice president of YHD. com, said. E-commerce is one of China's fastest growing sectors. It's changed people's buying habits, and even their living habits. And it's had a huge impact on the retail industry. To make online shopping more convenient, major sites are investing heavily to build payment systems and logistics networks. On average, a retailer now can deliver goods to the majority of cities within 3 days, and to towns and more remote areas in the country within a week. "Competition will produce a number of good companies, making better products and services that customers need. In the field of E-commerce, we are leading the world in terms of products, services and industry development," Liu Yinbin, associate professor with Dept of Information Management, Shanghai University, said. Experts also say customers are increasingly making their online purchases from mobile devices, opening up vast new opportunities and competition for retailers. Which of the following can be the best topic of the passage? A. Customers like buying mobile devices. B. Online shopping increases rapidly for Chinese New Year. C. Most customers buy food and articles for everyday use. D. Taobao and Jingdong are competing fiercely. Answer: B A group of frogs were travelling through the woods. Two of them, Nick and Jack, fell into a deep pit . All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told Nick and Jack that they were as good as dead. Nick and Jack ignored what the other frogs said and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their strength. The other frogs went on telling them to stop, and that they were as good as dead. Nick listened to them and gave up. Finally, he fell down and died. Jack continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the frogs around the pit shouted at him to stop the pain and just die. Jack jumped even harder and finally got out. When he was out, the other frogs asked, "Did not you hear us?" Jack explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him all the time. The other frogs told Nick and Jack to stop because they thought the pit was too _ . A. big B. strange C. small D. deep Answer: D There are some differences between American English and British English. Some differences are quite interesting. When my friend Lily from London used the word "larder", I didn't know what it meant. Realizing I didn't follow her, she used another word. I finally knew she wanted to find something to keep some food. The next word came up when we were planning a lunch date. She _ the date and time in her diary, while I marked my calendar. If she called me on the phone, she would ring me up. But if the line was busy, she would say the line was engaged. Most times, I can know what Lily means. Last week, she regretted sending her boys to watch an early morning tennis game without their fleeces. I thought that she meant without their jackets or something like that. Other times, we have to ask each other. She recently told me a funny tale about a pissed woman. I wondered what had made the lady angry. It turns out that pissed means drunk. Here is one more example. My British friend Jane was filling out a ticket at the grocery store recently. She asked the young man to help her if he had a rubber. When she noticed he didn't follow her, she quickly asked for an eraser, which, in England, is often called a rubber. In order to communicate well with British people, we Americans should learn some words that the British use differently. And I think people who learn English as a second language should also realize that there are differences between American English and British English. According to the passage, in British English _ . A. the word "pissed" means angry B. the word "jacket" is often used C. the word "engaged" means tired D. the word "rubber" means eraser Answer: D October 31, 2009, California Tsien Hsue-shen, PhD'39, one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died on October 31, He was 98. Tsien, born in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, graduated from the National Qinghua University in 1934 and in August of 1935 he left China to study at the Massachusetts Institute Technology. In 1936 he went to the California Institute of Technology to _ graduate studies .Tsien obtained his doctor degree in 1939 and would remain at Caltech for 20 years, becoming the Goddard Professor and establishing a reputation as one of the leading rocket scientists in the United States. In 1943, Tsien and two others in the Caltech rocketry group drafted the first document to use the name Jet Propulsion Laboratory. During the Second World War, he was amongst the other scientists participated the "Manhattan Project" .After World War II he served as a consultant to the United States Army Air Force. During this time, Conlonel Tsien worked on designing an intercontinental space plane. His work would inspire the X--20Dyna-Soar which would later be the inspiration for the Space Shuttle. In1945 Tsien Hsue--shen married Jiang Ying, the daughter of Jiang Baili--one of the Chinese nationalist leader Chiang Kai--shen's leading military strategists. But in 1950, the Chinese-born scientist was accused of harboring Communist sympathies and stripped of his security clearance. In September 1955 he was permitted to leave for China, where Tsien resumed his research, founded the Institute of Mechanics, and went on to become the father of China's missile program, a trusted member of the government and Party's inner circle, and the nation's most honored scientist, Tsien retired in 1991 and has maintained a low public profile in Beijing, China. The PRC government launched its manned space program in 1992 and used Tsien's research as the basis for the Long March rocket which successfully launched the Shenzhou V mission in October of 2003.The elderly Tsien was able to watch China's first manned space mission on television from his hospital bed. In his late years, since the 1980s, Tsien devoted himself to spirituality research, and advocated scientific investigation of traditional Chinese medicine, Qigong and "special human body functions". Which of the following statements is NOT true? A. Tsien Hsue--shen got a doctor's degree in 1939. B. Tsien Hsue--shen married Jiang Ying, the daughter of Chinese nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shen. C. Tsien Hsue-shen has made a contribution to the Space Shuttle. D. Tsien Hsue-shen was interested in traditional Chinese medicine, qigong and "special human body functions" in his later life. Answer: B
Our village carpenter , John Hill, came one day and made a dining table for my wife. He made it just the right size to fill the space between the two windows. When I got home that evening, John was drinking a cup of tea and writing out his bill for the job. My wife said to me quietly, "It's his ninth cup of tea today." But she said in a loud voice, "It is a beautiful table, dear, isn't it?" "I will decide about that when I see the bill, " I read: One dining table, 10 November, 1989. Cost of wood: $17.00 Paint: $1.50 Work: 8 hours ($1 an hour) $8.00 Total: $36.50 When I was looking at the bill, John said, "It's been a fine day, hasn't it? Quite sunny." "Yes," I said, "I'm glad it is only the 10thof November." "Me, too," said John. "You wait. It'll be a lot colder by the end of the month." "Yes, colder.... And more expensive! Dining tables will be $20 more expensive on November 30th, won't they, John?" John looked hard at me for half a minute. Was there a little smile in his two blue eyes? I gave his bill back to him. "If it isn't too much trouble, John," I said, "Please add it up again and you can forget the date." I paid him $26.50and he was happy to get it. Why did the writer say that dining table would be$ 20 more expensive on November 30th? _ Answer: .Because he thought John would certainly add to the cost of the dining table. On July 1 at exactly 7:59:59, Bejing time, the world' s atomic clocks will pause for a single second, or, more precisely, change to the unusual time of 7:59:60. The addition of a leap second , is to keep our clocks in time with the slowing of Earth' s rotation and astronomical time as measured by the sun. Just one extra second could affect the way computers and websites work, however. When the last leap second was added back in 2012, the community website Reddit crashed. For Reddit, the problem was that a Linux system got confused when it checked the network time and found an extra second. Speaking to Wired about the problem back in 2012, Linux creator Linus Torvalds commented:"Almost every time we have a leap second, we find something. It' s really annoying, because it' s code that is almost never used, and thus not tested by users under their normal conditions. " Companies have thought of their own solutions, and Google' s"leap smear"may be the best- known example. As company engineer Christopher Pascoe explains in a blog post, companies usually try to turn back the clocks by one second at the end of the day so that they play that second again. However, Pascoe believes this creates problems. He asked:"Does email that comes in during that second get stored correctly?"Google has a solution: Cut the extra second into milliseconds and then put these tiny amounts of time into the system throughout the day."This means that when it became time to add an extra second at midnight."Says Pascoe."Our clocks have already taken this into account over the course of the day." For many companies without Google' s money, however, the leap second will likely still cause some crashes. How do companies usually deal with the problem of the extra second? Answer: By turning the clocks back by one second at the end of the day. Jenny was a five-year-old girl. One day, while she was shopping with her mother, she saw a plastic pearl necklace and loved it so much. So she asked her mother to buy it for her. Every night, before Jenny went to bed, her dad would read stories to her. One night, when he finished the story, he asked, "Jenny, do you love me?" "Dad, you know I love you," Jenny answered. "Well, give me your necklace," Dad said. "No, Dad. But you can have my favorite doll." Several times, when her father asked her to give him the plastic necklace, Jenny would give him something else instead. One evening, after Jenny's father read her a story, Jenny said, "Here, Dad." She put her plastic pearl necklace into her father's hand. Her father hold the necklace in one hand and opened the other hand. There was a real pearl necklace in it. He had had it for a long time, and waited for Jenny to give up the cheap one so that he could give her the real one. So, don't be _ . If we are generous , maybe we will get something better. What did Jenny's father do every night? Answer: Read stories to Jenny. Being green is everywhere these days, whether it is in the school, factory or anywhere on the Internet. This is because our planet is in danger, losing resources, polluting resources and destroying ecosystems . Different species are dying because we can't take care of our home. Now ask yourself why you don't want a green healthier lifestyle and to save animals. Keep _ in mind as you read on. There are many ways to be green, first of all, everyone should recycle; it's something easy and helps our planet in many ways. All you'd have to do is put recycling in recycling and garbage in garbage. Another popular thing is to try your best not to drive a car. Sometimes you can just walk, bike, or take a subway. This ensures that our air won't be polluted, which in turn helps our lungs and everything else on our planet. Next thing is saving energy. We can do this by not using too much heat or air conditioning in summer or winter. It's not preferable because it's hard, but you can try and put your washing machine on cold whenever possible and try to keep electronics out of the rubbish. What's more, remember to stop drinking from plastic bottles because plastic can only be used once and if used many times, it will become unhealthy. So you'd better use a glass or buy a reusable water bottle. The last and most important thing is, spread this news to the world and tell them what's happening in our world. I've only listed a small part of the endless possibilities to save this world. The least you can do is do the simple ones. How many ways to be green are mentioned in the passage? Answer: Five. Having a child may improve a woman's memory, a new study suggests. In the study, women who were new mothers scored better on tests of visuospatial memory - the ability to understand and remember information about their surroundings--compared with women who didn't have children. The findings contradicts the old belief that women develop"baby brain" or a decline in memory and cognitive function, after they have kids, said study researcher Melissa Santiago, a doctoral student at Carlos Albizu University in Miami. "You don't have to feel that because you have kids, your memory isn't the same," Santiago said. The study was small, and the findings will have to be tested in larger groups of people, Santiago said. Previous studies on the topic have had mixed results--some showed motherhood hurts cognition, and others showed the opposite. Studies on rats show those with pups have better memory than those without offspring. Santiago analyzed information from 35 first-time mothers whose children were ages 10 to 24 months, and 35 women who had never been pregnant. Both groups scored similarly on intelligence tests. The average age of mothers was 29 and the average age of never-pregnant women was 27. To test visuospatial memory, the women were shown a paper containing six symbols for 10 seconds, and then asked to draw what they remembered. This task was repeated several times. The first time women were shown the paper, both groups remembered about the same amount. But on the second and third pass, mothers performed better than those without children, indicating that the mothers collected more information each time than the other women. Later, the women were shown a variety of different symbols, and asked to remember which ones were presented on the earlier task. Mothers did not make a mistake in this task--they remembered every symbol correctly--but those without children made one or two errors, Santiago said. How did Santiago lead to the findings? Answer: By comparison.
A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports. Grimsvotn is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvotn different is that it lies under a huge glacier of ice up to 12 metres thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer of water between glacier and the volcano, keeping it stable. As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what is happening today. Now airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM, one of Europe's biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane's engines, causing damage to the plane. The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp, glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them eating ash-covered grass or the sharp objects. Which of the following is the result of the volcano eruption? Answer: When Andrea Peterson landed her first teaching job, she faced the daunting task of creating a music program with almost no money for equipment or supplies in a climate where standards-based learning was the focus and music just provided a break for students and teachers. For her drive and creativity in overcoming those challenges, she's been named national teacher of the year. Principal Waynes Kettler said he's worked with many outstanding teachers in his 22 years as an educator, but Peterson is "just that one step above anybody I've ever worked with before." Kettler and others at Monte Cristo Elementary School talk about the ways she has introduced the learning from other classrooms into her music program and her creativity in working around things such as the lack of money for new music. When students were reading S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders in their regular classroom, Peterson helped them write a 30-minute play with scenes from the book. Then they chose three Broadway tunes that focused on race, equality and social justice, the themes of the book. Peterson composed two other songs herself after classroom discussions about the play and the book. The honor means a lot to residents of Granite Foils. It's inspiring to know that people from small towns even win national honors. As national teacher of the year, Peterson will spend the more years outside the classroom, as a national and international spokeswoman for education. She said it's essential for schools to offer classes such as art or music and physical education because for some kids one of those subjects is the only thing that attracts them to come back to school day after day. Which of the following is an example of Peterson's way of teaching music? Answer: Limestone is a sedimentary rock and marble is a metamorphic rock. Even though limestone and marble have the same chemical makeup, they are classified as different rocks because they Answer: Carlos puts a new battery into a radio. What does the battery supply to the radio that makes it turn on? Answer: One summer night Ludwig Beethoven took a walk in the suburb of Bonn. Suddenly a gentle wind came. He heard some music. He listened carefully and found it was his F sonata. He followed the music and came to a small house. There through the window, he saw a girl playing a very old piano and a young man was making shoes beside her, he pushed the door open and went in. The host received him very warmly and told him that the girl was his sister, who was blind but very fond of music. They couldn't afford to send her to a master. So she was only trying to play some music she heard the neighbors play. She knew it was the work of a great composer. Beethoven was very much moved. Suddenly the candle was blown out. Moonlight struck on the girl's slender figure. Then Beethoven played music for them. He played so wonderful that the brother and sister were amazed. That was his famous Clair de lune. The young man and the girl were _ . Answer:
The BBC was founded in 1922, including radio and television services. It is based at Broadcasting House in London. The BBC is controlled by some governors chosen by the government, but these people have freedom and the government can't interfere . That is, the BBC is supposed not to be the mouthpiece of the government. It has to be as fair as possible in giving radio and television time to, for example, political parties and religious groups. There is a kind of interesting service in British-rental services. Many people prefer to rent their television sets instead of buying them. The rent for a black and white set is about 80 pence a week. The rent of a color set is more than twice that of a black and white set. If the sets go wrong, people can have them repaired free of charge or replaced immediately. Everyone has to buy a yearly license, since there is no advertising on BBC radio or television. It is from the sale of licenses that the BBC gets most of its money. A license for a black and white set costs 8 pounds, and for a colour set 18 pounds a year. There are four specialized radio channels, which broadcast different kinds of programmes. Radio I is mainly pop music.Radio 2 deals with light music, sports and other programmes. Radio 3 broadcasts serious music, talks on serious subjects etc.News broadcasts are mainly given by Radio 4. There are special programmes for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and certain parts of England.It also broadcasts programmes about Britain--in many different languages as well as in English to all parts of the world. If he wants to watch TV at home, everyone _ . Answer: has to buy a license once a year All over the world, and for many different reasons, there are millions of people who rarely or never eat meat. These people are called vegetarians. To people who eat meat, being a vegetarian may seem like a very strange thing, diets for several different reasons. First, vegetarians have an enormous health advantage. One of the major health problems in modern societies is not too much protein but too much fat, especially in the form of animal fats. Medical evidence suggests that animal fats, including butter, contribute to the development of cholesterol in the human body. High amount of cholesterol seem to be part of the cause of heart disease. Most vegetarians have low level of cholesterol. High amounts of animal fats also seem to lead to certain kinds of cancer, and vegetarians are typically less _ to these cancers than people who eat a lot of meat. Overall, studies comparing the health of vegetarians and meat-eaters show that the meat-eaters are twice as likely to die of heart disease as vegetarians are. Better health is one reason that people choose to become vegetarians. Another reason is religion. Some religions forbid the eating of meat. The largest of these is the Hindu religion, which has about 600 million believers in the world. Although not all Hindus are vegetarian, many are, and there are many believers of other religions such Buddhism and even some Christian religions that also do not eat meat. Many vegetarians do not eat meat simply because they do not like the taste of it. They have no religious or philosophical reasons; they just do not like meat. Another important reason that vegetarians give for not eating meat is the health advantages that were given above. Lastly, there are many people who do not eat meat because they just do not like the idea of killing animals for food. They believe that life, all life, is valuable , and that we do not have to destroy life to feed ourselves when there are other good sources of food. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . Answer: most vegetarians believe that life without meat is happy. Consumers everywhere are faced with the same dilemma: given limited resources, what sorts of purchases are most likely to produce lasting happiness and satisfaction? Recent research has confirmed that experiential purchases tend to produce greater hedonic gains than material purchases. The reason why experiences improve with time may be because it is possible to think about experiences in a more abstract manner than possessions. For example, if you think back to a fantastic summer from your youth, you might easily remember an abstract sense of warm sunshine and youthful exuberant , but you're less likely to remember exactly what you did day-by-day. Material possessions are harder to think about in an abstract sense. The car you bought is still a car, that great new jacket you picked up cheap is still just a jacket. It's more likely the experience of that summer has taken on a symbolic meaning that can live longer in your memory than a possession. Purchasing may have a negative impact on happiness because consumers often buy "joyless" material possessions, resulting in comfort but not pleasure. In general, people adapt to experiences more slowly than to material purchase. This can be seen in both negative and positive purchases: hedonic adaptation would result in a positive experience causing more happiness but a negative experience causing less happiness than the comparable material purchase with the same initial happiness level. Experience, however, seems to be more resistant to these sorts of unfavourable comparisons. It is because of the unique nature of experience. It's more difficult to make an unfavourable comparison when there is nothing directly comparable. After all, each of our youthful summers is different. It's well established that social comparisons can have a huge effect on how we view what might seem like positive events. One striking example is the finding that people prefer to earn $50,000 a year while everyone else earns $25,000, instead of earning $100,000 themselves and having other people earn $200,000. A similar effect is seen for possessions. When there are so many flat-screen HD TVs to choose from, it's easy to make unfavourable comparisons between our choice and the others available. If you make an experiential purchase before a material purchase, you may go to _ . Answer: a theatre before going to a store An animal usually requires a warm body temperature for survival, such as Answer: a fox in the snow Drinking more than two alcoholic drinks daily in middle-age may raise your stroke risk more than traditional factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes , according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. In a study of 11,644 middle-aged Swedish twins who were followed for 43 years, researchers compared the effects of an average of more than two drinks daily ("heavy drinking") to less than half a drink daily ("light drinking"). The study showed that: Heavy drinkers had about a 34 percent higher risk of stroke compared to light drinkers. Mid-life heavy drinkers (in their 50s and 60s) were likely to have a stroke five years earlier in life _ of genetic and early-life factors. Heavy drinkers had increased stroke risk in their mid-life compared to well-known risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes. At around age 75, blood pressure and diabetes appeared to take over as one of the main influences on having a stroke. Past studies have shown that alcohol affects stroke risk, but this is the first study to pinpoint differences with age. "We now have a clearer picture about these risk factors----how they change with age and how the influence of drinking alcohol shifts as we get older," said Pavla Kadlecova, M.Sc., a statistician at St. Anne's University Hospital's International Clinical Research Center in the Czech Republic. Researchers analyzed results from the Swedish Twin Registry of same-sex twins who answered questionnaires in 1967-1970. All twins were under age 60 at the start. By 2010, the Registry had provided 43 years of follow-up, including hospital discharge and cause of death data. Researchers then sorted the data based on strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes and other cardiovascular incidents. Almost 30 percent of participants had a stroke. They were categorized(......) as light, moderate, heavy or non-drinkers based on the questionnaires. Researchers compared the risk from drinking and health risks like high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking. Among identical twin pairs, siblings who had a stroke drank more than their siblings who hadn't had a stroke, suggesting that mid-life drinking raises stroke risks regardless of genetics and early lifestyle. The study is consistent with the American Heart Association's recommended limit of two drinks a day for men and one for women. That's about 8 ounces of wine for a man and 4 ounces for a woman. Regular heavy drinking of any kind of alcohol can raise blood pressure and cause heart failure or irregular heartbeats over time, in addition to stroke and other risks. "For mid-aged adults, avoiding more than two drinks a day could be a way to prevent stroke in later productive age ," Kadlecova said. Who might be the target readers of the passage? Answer: People who like drinking
Do you love hamburgers? Do you how they were created? The first hamburgers in U.S. history were served in New Haven, Connecticut, at Louis' Lunch sandwich shop in 1895. Louis Lassen, founder of Louis' Lunch, ran a small lunch wagon selling steak sandwiches to local factory workers. Because he didn't like to waste the excess beef from his daily lunch rush, he ground it up, grilled it, and served it between two slice of bread--and thus America's first hamburger was created. The small _ is still owned and operated by the third and fourth generations of the Lassen family. Hamburgers are still the specialty of the house, where steak is ground fresh each day and hand molded, slow cooked, broiled vertically, and served between two slices of toast with your choice of only three "acceptable" garnishes: cheese, tomato, and onion. Want ketchup or mustard? Forget it. You will be told "no" in no uncertain terms. This is the home of the greatest hamburger in the world, claim the owners, who are perhaps best known for allowing their customers to have a burger the Lassen way or not at all. Why did Louis Lassen start making hamburgers? Because he didn't want to waste excess beef. A group of senior high school students are playing outside on a basketball court. They are shouting with excitement. And they all have the same dream. They wish to play in the NBA, just like Huston Rocket's Yao Ming. "Someday, there will be more Chinese players like Yao in the NBA," said 15-year-old Xie Tao, a senior 1 boy at Shanghai No. 2 Middle School. Xie always watches Yao playing on TV. "He is a great player. He makes me proud to be Chinese," he said. Like Xie, 17-year-old Liu Yan at Beijing No. 22 Middle School is also a big NBA fan. "Since early May, I've not missed one game in the NBA," said the senior 3 student. Basketball is becoming popular in middle schools across the country. And more young players are starting to like the sport. More students are playing the game. Jiang Hui, a basketball teacher at Beijing No. 2 Middle School, said that 85 percent of the students at this school like the sport. "Students are full of passion for the game," Jiang's team won the regional first prize in the 2004 National High School Boy's Basketball League in march. The league is the first national basketball competition for high school students. Playing basketball is a good way to exercise. But students also enjoy it for other reasons. For Li Yan, a Senior 2 at Shanghai No. 12 Middle School, basketball teaches him lessons in life. "When I am in a game, I feel more confident about my studies, " he said. " It also teaches me to have a good team spirit and to enjoy friendship." Which school team won the regional first prize in the first national basketball competition for high school students? Beijing No. 2 Middle School. Many children like to watch TV. It's very interesting. The programs on TV tell us many things about the country and a lot of news about the world, Judy watches TV on Sundays. There is an English program getting to know America. It's her favorite program. It tells about the life of America, such as buildings, traffic, food, houses, movie stars. Why does she love the program? Because she likes English. She likes English best of all the subjects. When she is watching the program, she can remember every word she sees on TV. That helps a lot, because she learns many new words, English really interests her . She likes learning English. On weekdays, she doesn't watch TV, but reads English story books every night before she goes to bed. She can learn a lot from the TV program and the story books. When does Judy often watch TV? On Sundays. At this moment in different places of the world people are doing different things. In Beijing it's early morning. People are sleeping. In London people are leaving work to go home. They are waiting for buses or running for trains. Some people are driving their cars. Some are having afternoon tea at home or walking to the pubs to have a drink. In Moscow it's evening and people are having supper at home or in restaurants. Some are going to watch a ballet . Some are drinking in the pubs. In Los Angeles it's morning. People are working in their offices. Children are starting their lessons. New York is midday now. People aren't working but having lunch. They are eating hamburgers or hot dogs and drinking coffee or Coke. Some people are seeing friends or shopping. According to the passage we can see that at night some people in Moscow like to _ go to watch a ballet Believe it or not, optical illusion can cut highway crashes. Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. Bent strips, called chevrons , painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down. Now the American Automobile Association Foundations For Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan's success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes. Excessive speed plays a major role in as much as one fifty of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards are the greatest-curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges. Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars. Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction of highway speed and the number of traffic accidents. The passage mainly discusses _ . a new way of highway speed control
Almost everyone likes dogs, and almost everyone likes reading stories about dogs. I have a friend. The friend has a large police dog. Its name is Jack. Police dogs are often very clever. Every Sunday afternoon my friend takes Jack for a long walk in the park. Jack likes these long walks very much. One Sunday afternoon a young man came to visit my friend. He stayed a long time. He talked and talked. Soon it was time for my friend to take Jack for his walk. But the visitor still stayed. Jack became very worried. He walked around the room several times and then sat down in front of the visitor and looked at him. But the visitor paid no attention. He continued talking. Finally Jack couldn't stand it. He went out of the room and came back a few minutes later. He sat down again in front of the visitor but this time he held the visitor's hat in his mouth and ran out of the room. Jack is the name of _ . A a young man B a policeman C a police dog D a good friend Answer: C Spring is a good time for kite flying -- a popular activity in China. On a sunny day with a good breeze , you'll see hundreds of colorful kites flying in the sky. They have all kinds of shapes like swallows and peaches. Some of the shapes have special meanings. For example, swallows mean good luck and peaches bring you a long life. The city of Weifang in Shandong is the home of the kite. The city holds an international kite festival in April every year. There are competitions for kite-flying skills and new styles of kites. The most famous is the competition for the "Kite King ". Thousands of kite fans from more than 30 countries visit the city to take part in the competitions, or to just enjoy this colorful event . The largest kite in the world is a big "octopus ". It's about 1,100 square meters, twice as big as a basketball court. Li Jingyang, a kite fanin Jilin, spent eight months making it in 2008. The kite was invented by Chinese people over 2,000 years ago. According to historical record, kites were first used by soldiers to send news to their friends. In the Tang Dynasty, flying kites became a popular game played by everyone. As it was introduced to the West in the ll00s, the kite brought a great influence on Western life. In 1782, the lightning rod was invented with the help of a kite. Modern aircraft came from kites, too. At the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, a board reads: "The earliest man-made aircrafts were the kites and missiles of ancient China." What activity is very popular in spring? A Eating peaches. B Feeding swallows. C Flying kites. D Going to competitions. Answer: C John is a very strong man. He gets a job of cutting trees in a forest. His boss gives him an axe and showed him the area where he should work. The first day, John cuts down 18 trees. "Good," the boss says, "keep it up!" happily, John tries harder the next day, but he only cuts down 15 trees. The third day he tries even harder, but he can only cut down 10 trees. Day after day he cuts down fewer and fewer trees. "I must be losing my strength ," John thinks. He goes to the boss to say sorry and says that he can not know what is going on. "When is the last time you sharpen your axe?" the boss asks. "I'm busy cutting trees, so I have no time to do _ . " The moral of this story: While John is working hard, he doesn't work "smart". He doesn't think about the best way to do his job. Why does John cut down fewer and fewer trees day after day? A Because he is losing his strength B Because he is busy doing something C Because he doesn't sharpen his axe. D Because his boss lets him do so. Answer: C I used to travel by air a great deal when I was a boy. My parents used to live in South America and I used to fly there from Europe during holidays. An airhostess would look after me and I never had an unpleasant experience. I like traveling by air and only once I have ever felt frightened. After taking off , we were flying low over the city and slowly gaining height when the plane suddenly turned round and flew back to the airport. While we were waiting to land, the airhostess told us to keep calm and to get off the plane quickly as soon as it had touched down. Everybody on board was worried and we wanted to find out what had happened. Later we learned that there was a very important person on board, and the police were told that a bomb was on the plane. After we had landed,the plane was searched thoroughly . Fortunately, nothing was found and five hours later we were able to take off again. What did the airhostess ask the passengers to do when the plane was landing? A To sit calmly after the plane landed. B To sit quietly when the plane landed. C To get off quickly after the plane landed. D To sit quietly after the plane landed. Answer: C An interesting experiment is taking place at the Children's Hospital in London. Dogs, cats, and even horses help sick children to get better. Dr. Marcus Finch of the Children's Hospital says,"Children have many problems as they are growing up. When they have problems, it's not easy for them to open up. But when they are with a pet animal, they feel relaxed and always smile. Animals don't speak, so they don't criticize .They listen and don't stop children. Children can talk with animals because they can believe them. Animals know how to keep secret! Also, children feel they are needed because they help to feed the animals and look after them."At the Children's Hospital, you can find children playing with cats, dogs, and goats,and riding horses. The doctors just watch them and are surprised at the power of the animals. How many kinds of animals are mentioned in the passage? A Three B Four C Five D Six Answer: A
I called a meeting with the parents of my student, Tommy. I wanted to talk with them about his schoolwork and behaviour .Tommy was always an excellent student. How could I make his father and mother believe that their recent separation made his grades bad.? Tommy's mother came in and sat down. Then his father arrived. But they didn't say even one word to each other. I told them about Tommy's schoolwork and behaviour. I hoped to help them see what they were doing to their son. But it looked that my words didn't work. I thought that maybe Tommy could tell them something himself. I found Tommy's paper in the back of his desk. Tommy has written some words on it many times. I gave the paper to Tommy's mother. She read it and gave it to his father. He read it and his face became soft . He reached for his wife's hand. She smiled up at him. My eyes were with tears. He helped her with her coat and they left together. I picked the paper up and looked at it again. It read: "Dear Mommy... Dear Daddy... I love you." . According to the teacher, Tommy changed so much all because _ . Answer: All students need to have good study habits .When you have good study habits, you learn things quickly. You also remember them easily. Do you like to study in the living room? This is not a good place because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, like your bedroom. A quiet place will help you only think about one thing. When you study, don't think about other things at the same time. Only think about your homework. If you do this, you will do your homework more quickly and you will make fewer mistakes. Good study habits are very important. If you do not have them, try to learn them. If you are already good, try to make them better. If you do not have good study habits, you must _ . Answer: Luggage We ask you to keep what you bring with you down to one mediumsized suitcase per person on board the bus. Seat Arrangements Special needs for particular seats can be made on most bus breaks when booking, but since arrangements are made on a firstcomefirstserved basis, early booking is advisable. When bookings are made with us, you will be offered the best seats we have on the bus at that time. Travel Documents When you have paid your deposit , we will send you all the necessary documents, so that you receive them in good time before the bus break departure date. Certain documents, for example, air or boat tickets, may have to be kept and your driver or guide will then give them to you at the proper time. Special Diets If you need a special diet, you must tell us at the time of booking and provide us with a copy of the diet. This will be passed on to the hotel or hotels on your bus break. However, on certain bus breaks, the hotels used are tourist class and they may not be able to prepare special diets. Any extra costs must be paid to the hotel yourself before leaving the hotel. Programs Some of our hotels arrange extra programs which include music, dancing and film shows, etc. They are all offered by the hotel, but not guaranteed . Extra programs are _ . Answer: Scientists have devised a way to determine roughly where a person has lived using a strand ( ) of hair, a technique that could help track the movements of criminal suspects or unidentified murder victims. The method relies on measuring how chemical variations in drinking water show up in people's hair. "You're what you eat and drink, and that's recorded in your hair," said Thure Cerling, a geologist at the University of Utah. While U.S. diet is ly identical, water supplies vary. The differences result from weather patterns. The chemical composition of rainfall changes slightly as rain clouds move. Most hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water are stable, but traces of both elements are also present as heavier isotopes ( ). The heaviest rain falls first. As a result, storms that form over the Pacific deliver heavier water to California than to Utah. Similar patterns exist throughout the U.S. By measuring the proportion of heavier hydrogen and oxygen isotopes along a strand of hair, scientists can construct a geographic timeline. Each inch of hair corresponds to about two months. Cerling's team collected tap water samples from 600 cities and constructed a map of the regional difference. They checked the accuracy of the map by testing 200 hair samples collected from 65 barber shops. They were able to accurately place the hair samples in broad region roughly corresponding to the movement of rain systems. "It's not good for pinpointing ( )," Cerling said. "It's good for eliminating many possibilities." Todd Park, a local detective, said the method has helped him learn more about an unidentified woman whose skeleton was found near Great Salt Lake. The woman was 5 feet tall. Police recovered 26 bones, a T-shirt and several strands of hair. When Park heard about the research, he gave the hair samples to the researches. Chemical testing showed that over the two years before her death, she moved about every two months. She stayed in the Northwest, although the test could not be more specific than somewhere between eastern Oregon and western Wyoming. "It's still a substantial area," Park said, "But it narrows its way down for me." What is said about the rainfall in America's West? Answer: A student standing near a campfire feels warmer as the fire grows. Which process most likely transfers heat from the campfire to the student? Answer:
Question: It seems that there's a good reason why dogs are always seen as man's best friend. Scientists have found that dogs are the only animals that can read emotion in faces much like humans. The finding suggests that like an understanding friend, dogs can see if we are happy, sad, pleased or angry. When humans look at a new face, their eyes usually look across the left, falling on the right hand side of the person's face first. A possible reason for this is that the right side of the human face is better at expressing emotions. Scientists have now shown that pet dogs also have "left gaze bias ", but only when looking at human faces. No other animal has been known to do like this before. Dr. Kun Guo showed 17 dogs pictures of human, dog and monkey faces as well as something else with his team. The dogs' eyes and heads show a strong left gaze bias when the animals see human faces. But this did not happen when they were shown other pictures, including those of dogs. Guo suggests that over thousands of years living with humans, dogs may have developed the left gaze bias as a way to guess our emotions. "Recent studies show that the right side of our faces can express emotions better than the left. If true, then it makes sense for dogs and humans to see the right hand side of a face first." The passage mainly wants to tell us that _ . A. dogs have been man's best friends for thousands of years B. humans have a "left gaze bias" C. the "left gaze bias" works on all animals D. dogs can read emotions the same as humans Answer: C. the "left gaze bias" works on all animals Question: When I was two years old, something happened which I have never forgotten. It was early spring, and there was a light mist over the trees and fields. The other young fellows and I were feeding at the lower end of the field when we heard the distant cry of dogs. The oldest among us lifted his head to listen. "There are the hounds ", he said, and immediately raced off. The rest of us followed him to the top of the field where we could see several fields beyond. Soon the dogs were all racing down the field next to ours, making a loud "yoyoyoyo" sound. After then came men on horses, some in green coats. Suddenly, the dogs became silent and ran around with their noses to the ground. "They've lost the smell of the hare." said the old horse. "Perhaps it will escape." But the dogs began their "yoyoyoyo" again and came at full speed towards our field. Just then a hare, wild with fear, ran towards the trees. The dogs jumped over the stream and ran across the field, followed by the huntsmen. Six or eight jumped their horses over the stream, close behind the dogs. Before the hare could get away, the dogs were upon her with wild cries. We heard a terrible scream, and that was the end of the hare. One of the men picked her up and held her by the leg. She was covered in blood, but all the huntsmen seemed pleased. I was so greatly surprised that at first I did not see what was happening by the stream but when I did look, I saw a sad sight. Two fine horses were down, one in the stream struggling to stand up and the other on the grass with one of his legs broken. One rider, who seemed unhurt, was climbing out of the water, but the other lay quite still. "His neck is broken," said my mother. "I can't understand why men are so fond of this sport. They often hurt themselves and ruin good horses, all for one hare that they could get more easily in other ways. But we are only horses, and don't know why men do these things." They carried the dead rider to our master's house, and then came back to the black horse on the grass. The animal was in great pain and one of his legs was broken. Someone ran to our master's house and came back to the horse with a gun. Soon after there was a loud bang and a terrible cry, and the black horse did not move any more. The best title for the passage would be _ . A. WhataPoorHare B. MyTerrible ChildhoodMemory C. A Black Horse D. SceneryintheField Answer: B. MyTerrible ChildhoodMemory Question: Scientist Florence Wambugu works with farmers in Kenya, a country in East Africa. She helps them grow bigger and better crops. Wambugu is especially interested in finding simple ways to produce more food. In the past ten years, Wambugu has spent much of her time studying sweet potatoes, which are an important food in her part of Kenya. A virus kept attacking the plants. It stopped the sweet potatoes from growing well. Because of the virus, some farmers lost three quarters of their crops. Wambugu went to war against the virus. Her research for a way to save the sweet potatoes led to a lab in St. Louis, Missouri. The lab mainly works on genes , the chemical "computer programs" found in the cells of living things. Genes tell a plant to produce pink flowers or an animal to grow black hair. Now scientists have found ways to move genes from one living thing to another. That process is called genetic engineering. Wambugu spent three years in the lab. As a result, she created a sweet potato plant that could fight off the virus. Wambugu tested her research in Kenya, and her plants produced wonderful sweet potatoes. That's just the beginning, Wambugu believes. Genetically modified foods, she thinks, could help farmers in poor countries grow badly needed crops, thus, fewer people will go hungry. What is Wambugu's attitude toward "genetic engineering"? A. It will help more hungry people. B. It should be carefully used. C. It has more disadvantages than disadvantages. D. It is a too expensive technology at present. Answer: A. It will help more hungry people. Question: An example of evaporation is a body of water drying by by absorbing what energy? A. hotness B. electrical C. cool D. chilly Answer: A. hotness Question: Janet walked past the barn, the big tree, and through the back yard to reach the chicken pen. Janet gathered the eggs from the chicken pen, so that her father could make scrambled eggs for breakfast. He would need at least 5 eggs for the meal, two for Janet and three for himself. Janet could only find four eggs in the chicken pen. She looked under every chicken, and in every nest, but could not find another egg. She placed the four eggs in her basket, and began to walk toward the house, when she heard a quacking sound. She went toward the sound and found a nest near the pond, with large brown eggs inside. "Quack" said a nearby duck, as Janet took an egg from the nest. Now she had enough for breakfast. Where did Janet find the eggs she needed? A. The chicken pen and a nest near the pond B. In a big tree and in the back yard C. The barn and pig pen D. The bushes and the front porch Answer: A. The chicken pen and a nest near the pond
Question: Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. This is an old English saying. It means that we should go to bed early at night and get up early in the morning. If we do, we shall be healthy. We shall also be rich and clever. Is this true? Perhaps it is. The body must have enough sleep. Children of your age need ten hours' sleep every night. If you do not go to bed early, you can not have enough sleep. Then you can not think properly and you can not do your work properly. You will not be wise and you may not become wealthy! Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is not good for them. We should sleep at night when it is dark. The dark helps us to sleep well. When the daylight comes, we should get up. This is the time for exercise. If the body is not used, it will become weak. Exercise keeps it strong. Exercise helps the blood to move around inside the body. This is very important. Blood takes nutrition to all parts of our bodies. The brains in our heads also need blood. We think with our brains. If we keep our bodies healthy, and take exercise, we can think better! Our bodies also need air to breathe. Without air we will die. Get up early in the morning and we can have plenty of clean, fresh air. That will keep us healthy and happy. This passage is probably written for _ . A. old people B. middle-aged people C. weak people D. children Answer: D. children Question: Bicycle tour and race A bike tour and race will be held on August 26 and 27(Sat. & Sun. ). At 5:30am, the riders will leave Tian'anmen Square and ride the first 35 kilometres as a training leg. Then the next 55 kilometre leg, from Yanjiao to Jixian, will be the first competitive part of the tour. The riders and their bikes will then be taken from Jixian to Changli. The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaibe, covering a distance of 20 kilometres. Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper. Sunday morning is free for play at the seaside. At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing. Cost: 200 yuan Telephone: 4675027 Brazilian footballers The Brazilian Football Club will play Beijing Guo'an Team at the Workers Stadium on August 26. The club has four national team players. Also coming is 1994 US World Cup star Romario ho has promised to play for at least 45 minutes. Ticket prices: 60,100,150 yuan Time/Date: 4:30 pm, August 26(Sat. ) Telephone: 5012372 Rock climbing The Third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26-27 at the Huairou Mountain-climbing Training Base. More than 10 teams from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it. A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing. Free for spectators . Take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou. Time/Dates: 9-12 am, August 26 and 27 Telephone: 7143177, 7144850, Wang Zhenghua The main purpose of announcing the above events is to give information about _ . A. visiting teams B. famous players C. things to do for the weekend D. prices to pay for the sports events Answer: C. things to do for the weekend Question: Su Hua is studying at Cambridge, UK. She has bought a bicycle and is worried about security. Her friend, Kate, found this article and sent it to her. www.zxxk.com Introduction A lot of crime is against bicycles. About 150,000 bicycles are stolen every year and most are never found. You can prevent this happening by following a few careful steps. Basic Security Do not leave your bicycle in out-of-the-way places. Always lock your bicycle when you leave. Secure it to lampposts or trees. Take off smaller parts and take them with you, for example lights and saddles . Locks Get a good lock. There are many different types in the shop. Buy one that has been tested against attack. Ask for a recommendation from a bike shop. Marking Security marking your bike can act as a deterrent to a thief. It can also help the police find your bicycle. It should be clearly written and include your postcode and your house or flat number. This will provide a simple way to identify your bicycle. Registration There are a number of companies who will mark your bicycle for you. They will then put your registration number and personal details on their computer database. Then if your bicycle is found it will be easy to contact you. Finally Keep a record of the bicycle yourself: its make, model and registration number. You can even take a photograph of it, this will prove the bicycle belongs to you. The article advises you to keep a record of your bicycle _ . A. in the bike shop and your computer B. in a police station and security company C. in a security company and your university D. by yourself and in a security company Answer: D. by yourself and in a security company Question: The instance of which of the following colliding and causing death is considered to happen? A. Trees B. Buildings C. Animals D. Electronics Answer: B. Buildings Question: If you've ever owned a chimney, you know that it can get pretty dirty. There's a whole lot of soot that gets stuck on the inside. That stuff has to get cleaned, or you could have a serious fire risk. While nowadays we have easier ways of doing this dirty job, in the way back days somebody used to climb up the chimney and clean all that soot. And the thing is, not just anybody could do it. You had to be really small to fit up in the chimney, so they used to give the task to kids - some as young as four or five years old. They worked for their boss known as a master-sweep. They were often covered in soot, and were very likely to get burned. They often developed what became known as soot wart, a form of cancer. Are your unfairness bells ringing? William Blake's certainly were. The physical dangers and widespread unfairness of the chimney-sweeping job really stuck in his throat, so much so that he wrote not one, but two poems called "The Chimney Sweeper". The first poem (the one we're discussing here)was published in 1789 in a book called Songs of Innocence. These little poems took children and the joys of childhood innocence as their subject. As you've probably guessed by now, many of the poems in Songs of Innocence, like "The Chimney Sweeper", are about the ways in which childhood innocence is destroyed by unkind old adults. For Blake, innocence is, in many ways, a total joke. It doesn't exist, because it's always taken away by the realistic world - chimney-sweeping, death, poverty, etc. What does a five-year-old chimney sweeper in 18th-century England have to do with you? More than you might think. It is reported that 150 million kids are in child labor in developing countries. Many of them work long hours and face dangerous health risks. Like Blake's chimney sweeper, these kids are not even given a chance at innocence because experience keeps getting in the way. Why did Blake write two poems called "The Chimney Sweeper"? A. He was very interested in the job. B. He had much experience in the job. C. He considered the job very important. D. He felt deeply sorry for the kid workers. Answer: D. He felt deeply sorry for the kid workers.
Reproduction means a development of genes like A. time travel B. a personality C. magical powers D. hairline Answer: D Most shoplifters agree that the January sales offer wonderful opportunities for the hard-working thief. With the shops so crowded and the staff so busy, it does not require any extraordinary talent to help you to take one or two little things and escape unnoticed. It is known, in the business, as "hoisting". But the hoisting game is not what it used to be. Even at the height of the sales, shoplifters today never know if they are being watched by one of those evil little balls that hang from the ceilings of so many department stores above the most desirable goods. As if that was not trouble enough for them, they can now be filmed at work and obliged to attend a showing of their performance in court. Selfridges was the first big London store to install closed-circuit videotape equipment to watch its sales floors. In October last year the store won its first court case for shoplifting using an evidence a videotape clearly showing a couple stealing dresses. It was an important test case which encouraged other stores to install similar equipment. When the balls, called sputniks, first make an appearance in shops, it was widely believed that their only function was to frighten shoplifters. Their somewhat ridiculous appearances, the curious holes and red lights going on and off, certainly make the theory believable. It did not take long, however, for serious shoplifters to start showing suitable respect. Soon after the equipment was in operation at Selfridges, store detective Brian Chadwick was sitting in the control room watching a woman secretly putting bottles of perfume into her bag. "As she turned to go," Chadwick recalled, "she suddenly looked up at the 'sputnik' and stopped. She could not possibly have seen that the camera was trained on her because it is completely hidden, but she must have had a feeling that I was looking at her." "For a moment she paused, but then she returned to counter and started putting everything back. When she had finished, she opened her bag towards the camera to show it was empty and hurried out of the store. " The woman stealing perfume _ . A. guessed what the sputniks were for B. was frightened by its shape C. could see the camera filming her D. knew that the detective had seen her Answer: A If you're in Florence, Italy, and see a man on a ladder wiping the dust off statues and buildings, don't worry.It's just Alessandro Ricci gathering material for his famous smog paintings. Ricci is not a common artist, because he used smog as the main medium of his artworks. Unlike other painters seeking fast recognition of their talent, he doesn't really care about "being this big artist".Instead he is more concerned about bringing attention to how much smog there really is in his home town and how it's destroying both its monuments and people. Although he did take a couple of art classes a few years back, he is mainly self-taught, doesn't work in a studio, donates most of his work, and refuses to play by the rules of the Florentine Art Gallery, which he considers corrupt.Alessandro Ricci believes selling his smog paintings will not only compromise his principles, but also contradict the very thing he's trying to do-raise awareness about smog pollution in this city. Alessandro lives with his parents nearby Florence, but almost every day he visits the streets of the city, and collects smog for his paintings.He gets it from several meters above ground, from clean surfaces like marble, plastic and stone, using damp pieces of cotton.Then he applies the smog directly onto a cloth and creates street scenes and reproductions of the very buildings from which he got the dangerous material.Finally, he seals his paintings with a natural resin . His actions helped win a small victory for the people of Florence, as in October 25, 2012 the Duomo area of the city was made pedestrian-only.But there is still a long way to go, the artist believes, and only cleaning the thick layer of smog that has accumulated throughout Florence would take several years.Still, he continues to paint his unique smog artworks and let the people know how polluted the environment they live in really is. In what way is Ricci quite different from other artists? A. He lacks talent in art work. B. He cares little about fame. C. He hates all the art Galleries. D. He likes to do things at will. Answer: B The Camp Invention Program will be held through July at the Hillcrest Intermediate School, North Huntingdon. It exposes children to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) through hands-on activities. The Camp Invention Program, created by Invent Now Kids, was founded in 1990. Now it has grown to include almost l,500 sites across the U. S., with thousands of children attending the program each year. "Our main purpose is to help children develop a greater interest in the fields of STEM," said Lori Bryne, the Senior Regional Program Manager. Children in the camp will be given the opportunity to explore the unknown and put ideas into practice. The program will challenge children to real world situations that will help them build a team spirit and life skills. The program will include five modules this year. One module will feature "Problem Solving on Planet ZAK". It will challenge children by creating a world of science fiction. Imitating a "crash" onto a planet, children will be asked to figure out ways to stay safe, find food and to "rebuild" their spacecraft, using a variety of common objects. Another module will be "Saving Sludge City" which will have children find ways to create a cleaner and eco-friendly city. "Imagination Point: Ride Physics" asks children to work as interns in the world's newest and largest theme park called "Imagination Point". Children will learn the basic principles of motion through hands-on activities related directly to rides. Another feature of the camp will be the "I Can Invent" which will focus on the real world of inventions by having children explore the process of invention. The final module will be "Global Games" which will introduce games ranging from those played in ancient times to the present day to children. "We want to encourage children to go into the fields of STEM," Bryne said. "This program is a fun way to do that." According to the text, the Camp Invention Program _ . A. has rapidly developed B. is held every other year C. was organized by Lori Bryne D. has been in existence for 24 years Answer: A Governors, lawyers and business leaders have to deal with scientists, and every educated person finds his views affected by science. Yet our science teaching of non-scientists, in school and college, has built up mistaken ideas, dislikes, and the common boast, "I never did understand science.' Even those students who arrive at college with plans to become scientists usually bring a mistaken picture of science: some have a collection of unorganized facts about science, and some regard the study of science as a game which includes getting the right answer. The first of these attitudes seems to come from a kind of course which provides various kinds of information; the second, from a training course on how to pass examinations that do not ask about the student's understanding but simply require him to put the numbers in the right formulas . Neither type of courses (in school or college) seems to give students and understanding of science as we find it among scientists. Neither shows students how real scientists work and think how the facts are gathered, how discoveries are made, and what they mean. Young people need good teaching of science, not so much a great wealth of knowledge as a healthy understanding of the nature of science. They need an understanding of knowledge leading to sympathy with science and an eagerness of the way scientists work. Given these, it is easy to encourage later reading and learning. According to the passage, we can safely say that the subject of the passage is _ . A. need for good science teaching B. every person, including governors, lawyers and business leaders should study science C. young people should form a correct attitude to science D. students must know what science is and how scientists work and think Answer: A
Show Biz Summer 2014 Location: Rosewood Center for Family arts Important Information: * Tuition paid on the first day of class. No tuition refunds . * DCT reserves the right to cancel any class; refunds made for cancelation . * Please accompany student to the first day of class. * Registration begins one-half hour before class time. How To Register: * Mail : fill out the form in this brochure. * Be sure to list the class and group that you want & the dates. Drama Days! --$ 175 Entering Grades : Group A : lst -- 2nd Group B : 3rd -- 5th . Time: June 2--June 6 * create the situations and scenes * SHOWTLME-invite family and friends to your Friday Showcase ! * Bring a sack lunch and drink each day! Laugh Out Loud --$ 175 Entering Grade : 5 th Time: June 23--June 27 * Tell a joke! Learn why old jokes can be the best! * Work with your class to put on a Comedy Show for family and friends! Acting --Just Acting--$225 Entering Grades : Group A: lst --2nd Group B: 3rd -- 4th Time: August 4 -- August 8 * Start with the characters: Who are you ? Be the Star of your Dreams. * Work with your class to create the plot. Summer Scenes --$ 225 Entering Grades: 5th -- 6th Time: August 11-- August 15 * Do you want to be an actor? * Improve your skills with instruction from professional actors & directors. It can be inferred from the text that all the four classes_. Answer: are all held at Rosewood Center for Family Arts Send us your joke, anecdote or story, and if we publish it in the magazine, we'll pay as follows: My Story $ 500 Personal stories beyond the call of daily life. They must be unpublished, original and less than 1,000 words. Click here to read more stories. Kindness of Strangers up to $ 250 True accounts of good _ inspiring acts for unexpected kindness and generosity, or just something someone did that made your day different or changed your life. 100--500 words. Click here to read more stories. Anecdotes and Jokes $ 50--$ 250 Funny things can happen at work and at home, especially when kids are around to pass comment. We may run your writing in Life's Like That, All in a Day's Work or As Kids See It, or as a short filler. Got a new joke? Send it in for Laughter, the Best Medicine. Click here to read more jokes. Send Us Your Punchline So you think of yourself as a bit of a jokester? See if you can come up with punchline to this month's joke... You Said It If you'd like to comment on something you saw in Reader's Digest magazine or on this website, this is the place to do it! Is It Just Me Can you be humorous about the trials and mysteries of modern life? Get it off your chest in 500 words. Click here to read more stories. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: The magazine is mainly intended for entertainment. A habit is any action that we have performed so often that it becomes something we do almost without thinking. Some of them are thought to be bad habits. People spend countless hours and dollars each year trying to drop these bad habits but often fail. Why? Change is hard work and _ . However, there is still some advice for you to follow. First, look at why you do it. In other words, what's the result of doing this thing? If your bad habit is shouting at people when you are unhappy or under pressure, what do you get from it? It may make you feel a little better for the moment. Or maybe you have a bad habit of leaving your homework undone. The result could be that you get more time to spend on the Internet! Next, take a look on the other hand. What are you losing because of your habit? Shouting at other people is a bad habit because it makes people around you feel bad and unhappy. Leaving your homework undone is a bad habit because you may be punished by your teacher. Having more Internet time means that you are losing the chance to learn the things that you need to learn. When you think that way, you'll find that it's not wise to keep your bad habit! Now it is time to make a decision. What will you choose? I'm sure you will choose to do what you think is more important. . The main purpose of this passage is to ask us _ . Answer: to give up our bad habits The Winter Olympics proved no match for television's gold-medal winner, "American Idol". Fox's unbelievable successful contest crashed the Olympics in head-to-head competition on Tuesday night, 27 million viewers to 16.1 million, according to Nielsen Media Research. The Olympics recovered a bit after "Idol" went off the air, but its overall audience of 18.6 million was the least-watched winter Olympics telecast since Nagano's closing ceremonies in 1998, Nielsen said. Since its opening on Friday, the Turin games have been running well below the 2002 Salt Lake City games in viewership interest. Much of that was expected, but Tuesday's rating was the first alarming sign for NBC that increased TV competition has _ . "The competition from 'Idol' is heavier than the Olympics has ever seen," said NBC Sports spokeswoman Alana Russo. It doesn't figure to get any easier, with "Idol" and ABC's "Lost" on the air Wednesday. CBS' "Survivor" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" offer more competition on Thursday. Even figure skating, the most popular winter Olympics sport for viewers, didn't help much on Tuesday. NBC filled about two-thirds of the hour during which it competed with "American Idol" with tape of the men's figure-skating competition. Through five nights of Olympics coverage, NBC's average prime time rating is 12.7 ( a rating point represents 1,102, 000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 110.2 million TV homes). NBC said before the games started that it had promised its advertisers a rating of between 12 and 14. If it slips below that, NBC will have to make it up to advertisers with free commercial time. " 'American Idol' is clearly a phenomenon," said Randy Falco, president of the NBC Universal Television Group. "But we expected it and are tracking fight where we planned to be at this point." Between NBC and its networks, about 65 percent of the nation's television homes have tuned in at least some of the games. How many viewers watched the Winter Olympics on Tuesday night? Answer: 16.1million In some urban centers, workholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual: they accept the lifestyle as normal. Government workers in Washington D. C., for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week. They don't do this because they have to; they do it because they want to. Workholism can be a serious problem. Because true workaholics would rather work than do anything else, they probably don't know how to relax. Is workholism always dangerous? Perhaps not. There are, certainly, people who work well under stress. Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in life. Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For most workaholics, work and entertainment keep them busy and creative. Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work. Of course, it provides people with paychecks, and this is important. But it offers more than financial security. It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction when they've produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say, "I made that." Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity through participation in work, they get a sense of self and individualism. In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others. Perhaps some people are compulsive about their work, but their addiction seems to be a safe-even an advantageous-one. The passage indicates that workaholics _ . Answer: find their work provide them more satisfaction and self-confidence than how much they are paid
Bruce Alberts, the former President of the National Academies (USA), has now taken over as Editor-in Chief of Science. Judging by his editorial in this week's issueConsidering Science Education there could be some interesting times ahead inScience offices. Here's part of what Bruce has to say about science education... I consider science education to be critically important to both science and the world, and I shall frequently deal with this topic on this page. Let's start with a big-picture view. Science has greatly advanced our understanding of the natural world and has enabled the creation of countless medicines and useful devices. It has also led to behaviors that have improved lives. The public appreciates these practical benefits of science, and science and scientists are generally respected, even by those who are not familiar with how science works or what exactly it has discovered. But society may less appreciate the advantage of having everyone acquire the ways of thinking and behaving that are central to practice of successful science: scientific habits of mind. These habits include a critical attitude toward established claims and a strong desire for logic and evidence. As famous astronomer Carl Sagan put it, science is our best detector . Individuals and societies clearly need a means to logically test the constant clever attempts to operate our purchasing and political decisions. They also need to challenge what is unreasonable, including the intolerance that led to so many regional and global conflicts. So how does this relate of science education? Might it be possible to encourage, across the world, scientific habits of mind, so as to create more rational societies everywhere? In principle, a strong expansion of science education could provide the world with _ , but only if scientists, educators, and policy-makers redefine the goals of science education, beginning with college-level teaching. Rather than only conveying what science has discovered about the natural world, as is done now in most countries, we should provide first all students with the knowledge and practice of how to think like a scientist. In Bruce Alberts' opinion, which is the most important in science education? A. Offering all students enough practice to drill their mind. B. Equipping all students with a thinking model of a scientist. C. Telling students what science has discovered about the natural world. D. Advising all students to challenge all established scientific achievements. Answer: B. Equipping all students with a thinking model of a scientist. As has been all too apparent in recent days at Balcombe, few issues cause greater concern than energy policy. Many village communities feel their countryside is being ruined by the power-producing machines of wind farms; yet they never take "direct action", even though the planning laws put them at a severe disadvantage. And the generous subsidies , which encourage the expansion of wind power, are not favorable to the village communities and set landowners in conflict with other residents . Those who disagree with the rapid expansion of wind farms state that the damage they cause is out of proportion to the benefits they bring, because their energy output cannot match that of the carbon-based power stations they are supposed to replace. Supporters insist that wind must be part of a mix of renewables, nuclear and carbon, and that the country is committed to meeting EU ( European Union) targets for non-carbon energy generation. ZXXK Against this background, the fact that there is an argument within the Government over whether to publish an official report on wind farms' impact on the countryside becomes even more extraordinary. The two parties in the coalition government are in disagreement over what it should say. We have some advice for the two parties: publish the report, and let the country be the judge. Even if it contains evidence that wind farms are harmful, it will hardly be a pleasant surprise to people who do not like them. Equally, supporters must argue their case by acknowledging the concerns and explaining why they are either misplaced or worthy of much attention. The suggestion that further negotiations are to take place to produce an "acceptable" report suggests that the politics of coalition government are doing the country harm in a certain way. Given the sensitivities involved, all the information should be available so that people can reach their own conclusions, rather than being left with the suspicion that facts are being replaced by political beliefs. Which of the following reflects the author's opinion? A. Increase political impact on energy policy. B. Release a statement of supporters on wind farms. C. Let the nation judge the facts about wind power. D. Leave the two parties to reach their own conclusions. Answer: C. Let the nation judge the facts about wind power. There are all kinds of food in the world. Some people like the Chinese food. Firstly, the Chinese food has a lot of fruit and green vegetables. It has little sugar and fat. Secondly, the Chinese food is very delicious and has many dishes. So Chinese people can keep fit and have white teeth. However, some people enjoy the western food. Now many people, especially the workers in companies , are too busy to have lunch slowly so the western food meets their need and they can eat quickly. And the food is not too bad, too. It is a great pleasure to try eating a different style of food. In my opinion, I like the Chinese food more than the western food. First of all I'm a Chinese and used to Chinese food, it can keep us healthy. On the other hand, the western food is high in fat, sugar and salt. If you eat too much these food and don't take enough exercise, you'll get fat easily. The western food is too expensive and "not good value for money". If you eat too much western food and _ ,you'll get fat easily. A. don't take enough exercise B. don't take swimming lessons C. drink too much water D. take enough sleep Answer: A. don't take enough exercise When I asked my daughter which item she would keep; the phone, the car, the cooker, the computer, the TV, or her boyfriend, she said"the phone". Personally, I could do without the phone entirely, which makes me unusual. Because the telephone is changing our lives more than any other piece of technology. Point 1 The telephone creates the need to communicate, in the same way that more roads create more traffic. My daughter comes home from school at 4:00 pm and then spends an hour on the phone talking to the very people she has been at school with all day. If the phone did not exist, would she have anything to talk about? Point 2 The mobile phone means that we are never alone. "The mobile saved my life,"says Crystal Johnstone. She had an accident in her Volvo on the A45 between Otley and Skipton. Trapped inside, she managed to make the call that brought the ambulance to her rescue. Point 3 The mobile removes our secret. It allows marketing manager of Haba Deutsch, Carl Nicolaisen, to ring his sales staff all round the world at and time of day to ask where they are , where they are going, and how their last meeting went. Point 4 The telephone separates us. Antonella Bramante in Rome says, "We worked in separate offices but I could see him through the window. It was easy to get his number. We were so near----but we didn't meet for the first two weeks!" Point 5 The telephone allows us to reach out beyond our own lives. Today we can talk to several complete strangers simultaneously ( ) on chat lines (at least my daughter does. I wouldn't know what to talk about). We can talk across the world. We can even talk to astronauts (if you know any) while they're space-walking. And, with the phone line hooked up to the computer, we can access the Internet, the biggest library on Earth. Which of the following best shows people's attitude towards mobile phones? A. Mobile phones help people deal with the emergency. B. Mobile phones bring convenience as well little secret to people. C. Mobile phones are so important and should be encouraged. D. Mobile phones are part of people's life. Answer: B. Mobile phones bring convenience as well little secret to people. The first day of school we were interested to get to know a new classmate.I looked around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.I found a little old lady with a warm smile. She said,"Hi ! I'm Rose.I'm 87 years old.Can I give you a hug?"I laughed and I heartily responded,"Of course!" "Why are you in college at such a young,innocent age?"I asked. She jokingly replied,"I'm here to meet a rich husband,get married,have children, and then travel around." "Not seriously,"I asked.I was curious why she took on this challenge at this age. "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!"she told me.We became instant friends. Over the year,Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.She loved to dress up and she enjoyed the attention from the other students. At the end of the semester,we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.Here are the secrets to staying young.You have to laugh and find humor every day.You've got to have a dream.When you lose your dreams,you die.Unfortunately we have many people like this walking around?"she said. "There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.Anybody can grow older.That doesn't take any talent or ability,"she added."But growing up requires finding the opportunity in change.Have no regrets.The elederly usually don't regret what they did,but rather things they did not do." One week after graduation that year,Rose died peacefully in her sleep.She taught us by example that _ . According to the passage,Rose loved to do the following EXCEPT _ . A. dress up B. enjoy the attention from the other students C. play football D. make friends Answer: A. dress up
Like many languages spoken by people, Ayapaneco is dying. Only two people in the world still speak it, and they won't talk to each other. Spoken in Mexico for centuries, Ayapaneco is one of 68 surviving languages in the mainly Spanish-speaking nation. The two speakers are Manuel Segovia and Isidro Velazquez. Though they live only 500 meters from each other in the village, the two men seldom talk to each other. Daniel, an American expert, who is working to make a dictionary of Ayapaneco, says the two men "don't have a lot in common," and that Segovia can be "active" while Velasquez tends to mind his own business and stay at home. While Segovia still speaks to his wife and son in Ayapaneco, neither of them can manage more than a few words. Velasquez hardly speaks his native tongue any more. Daniel is working to preserve the language in dictionary form before its last surviving speakers pass away. According to Daniel, Ayapaneco and the other languages began dying out with the introduction of public Spanish education in the mid-20thcentury. For decades, local children weren't allowed to speak anything else. Many people to cities, starting in the 1970s, also helped the dying out of native languages. Ayapaneco is the name given to the language; Segovia and Velazquez call it "Nuumte Oote", which means "true voice". Neither man, however, speaks the same language. The dictionary will contain two versions of the language when it comes out later this year. Those behind the dictionary aren't the only ones trying to save Ayapaneco. The National Language Institute plans to hold classes so that Segovia and Velasquez can pass on what they know to children. It is thought that there are about 6,000 languages spoken on earth and that about half will disappear over the next 100 years. Let's hope the "true voice" isn't one of them. Segovia and Velasquez seldom talk to each other in Ayapaneco because they _ . Answer: don't share the same interests Nothing beats sitting down in front of the TV with some delicious candy or tasty French fries. Recently, an online list of favorite snacks in China became popular. It says that peanuts , walnuts and chocolate are good for our health, but jelly , potato chips and lollipops are "bad" for us. Kids, though, hardly care if the snacks are good or bad for their health. They love them either way. Some snacks often have special importance in a certain country or culture. Potato chips and French fries are very popular in the US. They are cheap and tasty. People don't need to wait for a long time to eat it. Popcorn is another common snack. People love eating it when they are watching sports games or visiting the amusement park. Most cinemas sell it to attract customers. In the UK, kids often sit down for snacks after school. They call this "afternoon tea". A traditional afternoon tea includes biscuits and tea. People also have scones with jam and cream, which is probably the most classic English snack. In South Korea, Choco Pie is one of the most popular snacks. It's also a favorite of soldiers. The sweet snack makes them happy and helps them _ hard times. However, it is not just about what you eat as a snack - it's how much you eat and when. Chips and French fries are high in calories and eating too much may make you fat. Sweet snacks like candy and chocolate are high in sugar and eating a lot may give you bad teeth. From the passage, we can know popular snacks in different countries except _ . Answer: Canada A, B, C, D,. Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera, by Andrew Lloyd Webber, debuts (appears in public for the first time ) in Shanghai , marking the production's first Asian performance. Since it was first staged in London , the play has been seen by 58million people all over the world.. The Phantom of the Opera, depicts a mysterious person with a beautiful voice living under the Paris Theatre. The Grand stage sets and music have made the musical famous throughout the world. 7:15 pm, December 18 200---2000yuan 7:15pm, December 19,24--26,31 100 -800 yuan Shanghai Grand Theatre,300 Renmin Dadao Tel: 5466-0206 Cello recital Cellist Nina Kotova will stage a recital in Shanghai . Kotova, from Russia, is an excellent musician and composer . She gained world attention when she won first prize in an international music contest at the age of 15. She is also a model and has graced the covers of many fashion magazines. 7:30 pm., December 15 50--500 yuan Shanghai Concert Hall. 523 Yan'an Donglu Tel: 6386-2836 Pipa concert Yang Jing plays the pipa in concert. The pipa player found her distinctive musical character through the ancient pieces of an ancient culture and the most contemporary( )music of the world. Rooted in the millennia -old tradition of Chinese music, she builds on a vast body of musical history from the East and West. 7:15 pm, December 10 40--100 yuan He Luting Concert Hall ,20 Fenyang Lu Tel: 6437-1192 We can know from the advertisements that _ . Answer: Cellist Kotova's photo can be seen on the covers of many fashion magazines Do you love the holidays,but hate the pounds that follow? You are not alone. Holidays are times for feasting and celebrating. Many people are worried about their weight.With proper planning,though,it is possible to keep normal weight during the holidays.Whether it is celebrating at the office party or sitting down for the traditional family dinner,regard eating as a time for tasting a variety of the foods.The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don't have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. Here are some tips for preventing weight gain and maintaining physical fitness: Don't skip meals.Before you leave home,have a small,low-fat meal or snack.This may help to avoid getting too excited before delicious foods. Control portions.Use a small plate (about 10 inches) and put aside the large ones that may encourage you to "load up." You should be most comfortable eating an amount of food about the size of your fist. Once you have your "tasting" serving,move away from the buffet . Doing so will make it less tempting to be eating constantly as your appetite is inspired by the sight of food. Begin with soup and fruit or vegetables. Fill up beforehand on water-based soup and raw fruit or vegetables. Or drink a large glass of water before you eat to help you feel full. Stick to physical activity. Don't let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess calories. Avoid high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy may have a large amount of fat. Choose lean meats. Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables. Use lemon juice instead of dessert or butter. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? Answer: You had better turn your attention away from delicious foods. On a cold morning at a bus station, a man played six famous pieces of music for about an hour. During that time, about two thousand people went through the station, most of them were on their way to work. 3 minutes later: a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed down, stopped for a few seconds and went away. 4 minutes later: the musician received his first dollar. A woman threw the money in the box and kept on walking without stopping. 6 minutes later: a young man stopped to listen to him. Then he looked at his watch and started to walk again. 10 minutes later: a 3-year-old boy stopped to look at the musician, but his mother took him away. Several other children did the same as the boy. And nearly all the parents took their children away. 45 minutes later: the musician kept on playing. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 persons gave him money but left quickly. After 1 hour, the musician finished playing. In the end, he collected $ 32. No one noticed that he had finished playing. No one knew this, but the musician was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. At that time, he played one of the most wonderful pieces ever written, with a very expensive violin. If we do not have time to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing with the most beautiful violin, how many other things are we missing? _ gave the first dollar to Joshua Bell for his performance. Answer: A woman
Question: Mum gives little Tom ten yuan. Then little Tom goes shopping. He gets on the bus and sits down next to an old woman. Then he sees the old woman's bag is open. There is ten yuan in it. He quickly looks into his pocket. The money isn't there now! Little Tom is sure that the old woman is a thief . He decides to take back the money from the old woman's bag. So he carefully puts his hand into the old woman's bag,takes the money and says nothing. Suddenly the old woman shouts,"Where is my money? I can't find it. There is a thief in the bus." Little Tom feels strange . Then he sees his own ten yuan under his seat. Little Tom is thinking a question now,"Am I a thief ?" _ is sitting beside little Tom. A. A young woman B. An old woman C. A young man D. An old man Answer: B. An old woman Question: Kenji Croman has broken his bones,his shoulder and elbow, and nearly drowned several times.He's also had three close encounters with sharks over the years.A 10-foot wave landed directly on top of him five years ago,bending his body to the point that he actually kicked himself in the head."I literally heard every bone in my body crack."he said. Croman has been photographing ocean waves since 2008,sometimes risking his life to get that perfect shot at the surf break.Despite the risks and certain injuries that come with wave photography, the Hawaii resident,body surfer and former competitive swimmer wouldn't do anything else.The 36-year-old photographer loves the thrill of meeting breaking waves head on,shooting waves as his interest and shooting surfers to pay the bills. The process of photographing waves requires more than just swimming out to where the surf breaks and waiting,he says.The night before a photo shoot Croman checks Surfline.com,a website and the coastal camera network that provides live and predicted ocean weather information,to see what the winds,waves and tide will be like at certain times.Croman has both a primary camera and a backup for emergencies.He goes without a wetsuit and uses heavy duty underwater housing to protect his camera.There is no great way for him to protect himself.He admits there are probably protective clothes he should be wearing,but there is little he could have done to decrease the impact of the 10-foot wave that crashed on top of him. The hardest part of Croman's job is staying calm in the face of breaking waves when his initial reaction is to panic and swim away.At most.Croman will take two to three shots of a single wave."I've shot waves for so many years now that I see the wave in slow movement,"he said. Why does Kenji Croman check the websites like Surfline.com? A. To get better prepared for shooting. B. To predict something about weather. C. To learn more about surfing waves. D. To buy better equipment for safety. Answer: A. To get better prepared for shooting. Question: Have you seen a historical film recently? Do you think it was accurate? Some say that there is no such thing as a historical film. In many cases, Hollywood film-makers simply change the facts. Just look at these supposedly "historical" films. 1. The Patriot The film was released in 2000 and was directed by Ronald Emmerish and starred Mel Gibson. It is set near Charleston, South Carolina, during the American Revolutionary War(1775--1783) and follows the story of Benjamin Martin and his fight for American freedom against the British. The film was criticized for inventing and exaggerating British cruelty. The most criticized scene was one showing the burning of a church containing people of the town, of which there is no historical record. Another historical inaccuracy was the description of American-owned slaves being freed to serve with the American forces. In reality, many slaves ran away from their American owners and fought with the British against the Americans. 2. Brave Heart The film(1995) starred Mel Gibson was directed by Toby Reisz. It is based on the life of Scottish national hero William Wallace and his fight against English rule in Scotland during the 13th century. The film includes an affair between William Wallace and Princess Isabella (based on Isabella of France). The film implies she is a mother-to-be when William Wallace will be killed. However, historically, the real Isabella was a child of nine still living in France at this time, never having met Wallace. The film also caused controversy because of its anti-English nature. Apparently, when the film was shown in Glasgow, there was a loud noise made by happy American audience. 3. U-571 This 2000 film was directed by Jonathan Mostow and starred Mathew MacConaughey, Havey Keitel and Jon Bon Jovi. It took place during the Second World War(1939--1945). In the film, a German submarine(warship underwater) is boarded in 1942 by American soldiers who made themselves up as Germans. They took away the German submarine's code-language machine, which, in the film, helps the Americans get many secret messages from Germany. However, the film was heavily criticized because it was actually the British who got the machine in May 1941 when they boarded U-110. The movie was also criticized for showing a scene where the U-boat sailors killed American sailors in the water after their ship sunk, which is, in 99% cases, impossible to happen. 4. The 300 Spartans The latest controversy surrounds the film The 300 Spartans. The film (directed by Zack Synder) tells the story of the battle between the Greeks and Persians in 480 BC. It is regarded as a key event in the birth of western democracy by some historians. In the film, 300 Spartans under the king fight against the enemies, 120,000 Persians led by Emperor Xerxes. The tiny Spartan forces repeatedly gain advantage over the invaders. These actions delays the Persians' attack and gives the Greek armies enough time to prepare for the defense of Athens. But the Iranians (modern-day Persians) aren't happy with the film. They say the film describes them as savage, killing-loving, and war-loving. This article mainly _ . A. praises four "historical" films B. shares with us four great movies C. tells the readers about the inaccuracy of four "historical" films D. expresses the writer's positive attitude towards the "historical" films Answer: C. tells the readers about the inaccuracy of four "historical" films Question: Hi, boys and girls! A new Mama store is in No. 1 Middle School now. Come and see at our great sale! We have bread for 3 yuan. Xiangpiaopiao milk tea is on sale for 2 yuan. Vegetable hamburgers are only 3 yuan. Do you need notebooks? They are only 6 yuan for three. We also have pens in all colors, only 1 yuan each . Some students want to buy socks. We have black socks for only 10 yuan for 3 pairs. For girls, we have socks in pink and purple, they are very nice. Come and buy your things at our great sale. Mary wants to buy a notebook and a pen, she pays _ . A. 6 yuan. B. 2 yuan. C. 3 yuan. D. 4 yuan. Answer: C. 3 yuan. Question: A man heard that a certain government wanted a clerk, so wrote and asked for the position. But while he was waiting for an answer, a friend of his introduced him to the head of the department, who gave him the job. Several months later, while the man was working in the department, he got a letter that had been sent to him from the place he used to live in. This letter said, "Dear sir, We are sorry to have to tell you that we cannot offer work in this department because we do not think that you would be able to do the work successfully. Your faithfully." The man laughed, but when he looked at the letter more carefully, he saw that he had signed it himself. At the beginning of the story the man wanted _ . A. to be a clerk in a certain government B. his friend to introduce him job C. to visit the head of the department D. to get an answer from the department Answer: A. to be a clerk in a certain government
Have you ever stayed in a hotel? Most Chinese hotel often provide guests with things like disposable toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and slippers. Many guests like the idea because they don't have to bring their own. But ,if you travel to Beijing, remember to bring your own things. Starting from June, some hotels in Beijing will no longer provide guests with these disposables. They want to ask people to use fewer disposable things. Many disposable things are made of plastic. People throw them away after only using them once. It is a waste of natural resources and is very bad for the environment. Do you know that one Chinese person makes as much as as 400kg of waste a year? Most of that waste comes from disposable things. In Beijing, people throw away about 19,000 tons of plastic bags and 1,320 tons of plastic lunch bowls every year! Plastic can take between 100 and 400 years to bread down. So wherever you travel, bring your own things and use them again and again. Back at home and school, you can also do something to make our world a better place. Try to do these things in your daily life: use cloth shopping bags, not plastic ones. After using a plastic bag, wash it out and let it dry. Then you can use it over and over again. Do not use paper cups. At your school canteen . use your own bowl and chopsticks instead of disposable ones. We can tell from the story that _ . A People don't like disposable things at all. B We can't use paper or plastic bowls at school. C We should use fewer plastic things and protect our environment. D Hotels won't provide disposable things to save money. Answer: C The medical term for a broken bone is a fracture.But there are different kinds of fractures.A single fracture is when a bone is broken in just one place.You may have heard the term hairline fracture.This is a single fracture that is very small,like the width of a hair.A complete fracture is when the bone comes apart.When a bone is broken in more than two places or gets crushed.the name for it is a comminuted fracture.Still another condition is called a bowing fracture.This happens with a bone that bends but does not break.It happens mostly in children.Ever heard of a greenstick fracture? This is when a bone is bent and breaks along only one side,like a young stick of wood.Another kind of break is an open or compound fracture.This is when the bone breaks the skin. This is very serious.Along with the bone damage there is a risk of infection in the open wound. A lot of things happen as the body reacts to all injury like a broken bone.You might suddenly feel lightheaded.You might also feel sick to your stomach.People who are seriously injured can go into shock.They might feel cold,dizzy and unable to think clearly.Shock requires immediate medical attention.But while broken bones can be painful,they are generally not life-threatening. Still,broken bones should be treated quickly because they can restrict blood flow or cause nerve damage.Also,the break will start to repair itself, so you want to make sure the bone is lined up correctly. X-rays are taken to see the break.Treatment depends on the kind of fracture that is identified. A doctor sets a broken bone to make sure it is in the correct position.Severe breaks may require an operation to hold the bone together with metal plates and screws.Then,a hard _ may be put around the area of the break to hold the bone in place while it heals.Casts are usually worn for one to two months.In some cases,instead of a cast,a splint made of plastic or metal will be secured over the area to restrict movement. If a bone is bent but does not break, it belongs to A a hair line fracture B a bowing fracture C a greenstick fracture D an open fracture Answer: B Sun Li has bumped into the headline of the press recently not because of her role of an actress but of a sponsor of a university student. The student named Zhang Haiqing, who studies in prefix = st1 /ShanghaiFisheriesUniversity, wrote a letter to a reporter named Qiu Zhaoju working in Chongqing Satellite TV , saying that Sun, who had sponsored him for two years, stopped the financial aid after his entry into university and insulted him with words like "you are no better than a pet dog. " In 2002, Sun decided to sponsor the student who had lived in a poverty-stricken area when she shot a TV series in YunnanProvince. According to Sun's spokeswomen Ms. Wang, the actress and her mother bought pens, notebooks, even a mobile phone and a camera besides tuitions for him. Qiu revealed the complaint in his blog, which has soon set off a heated debate over whether Sun should stop or continue her aid to Zhang. Most of netizens who responded to the news expressed strongly different views to-wards the issue. The issue has answered for an old Chinese saying that longtime sponsorship will lead to hatred, an article written by a reader named Yin Guo'an on people. com. cn. The saying tells us that longtime contacts will set off conflicts. If Sun had donated 5,000 yuan to Zhang once and for all, the student would have had heartfelt gratitude for her. Now, however Sun's two -year-old funding has induced his complaint. It could be seen, the article said, that Sun had planned to shoulder Zhang's tuition until his graduation from university, as showed the actress' responsible attitude. As a student being sponsored, Zhang should have some self-control so he could neither feel justified to ask for constant help nor return kindness with hatred, the article suggested. The reporter Qiu also voiced his own views on kindness. There is no real kind and enmity between Sun and Zhang, he said. Both parties have not done something wrong, the reporter believed, _ , which results in mis-understanding and such a result no one could expect at the very beginning. That is why he put the student's letter in his blog, the reporter explained. "I want you to think of the questions: why will a kind action lead to a bad ending? How should we help an innocent student deal with the action? What sort of kind actions will get the best result?" Which of the following is the best sentence to be put into the blank in the text? A they just lack some communication B they don't want their matter solved C the key between them lack honesty D they both think themselves Answer: A A certain disease of the spinal cord can be passed on from a dog to its offspring. This disease can result in the dog's muscles becoming weak, leading to paralysis. This is an example of A an infectious disease. B a respiratory disease. C an inherited disease. D an environmental disease. Answer: C The label, Made in China, is one that is becoming increasing popular in shopping centers all over the world. In the United States, shoppers at Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer , have a wide selection of products mostly produced in China. The large amount of Chinese imports have created a large selection of goods in other countries as people begin to buy more and more products made in China. These goods are even widely available in other Asian nations, where Chinese-made goods are quite popular. Chinese _ names are also becoming more well-known outside China, such as Gree,Media and Huawei. When Chinese Americans visit family and friends in their homeland, gifts from the U.S. are a must. But TVs and fashionable clothes aren't rare any more, and anything 'Made in China' shouldn't be considered in any case. "When I decide to visit my family members in China, I will have a big headache. What should I buy for them? They may not all speak English, but everyone in China knows those three words," a Chinese American said. "When they see the label 'Made in China,' they will think, 'Why do you send me this?' " The development of China has surprised the world with its growth. As a result, the other countries are beginning to try to reduce Chinese goods with the use of taxes and import restrictions . However, the development on the Chinese economy still affects the world in many ways. In the Unites States, the products in Wal-Mart are mostly produced in _ . A America B China C Asian Nations D European countries Answer: B
Farquaad, the ruler of a country called Duloc, decides that all the characters from fantasy stories must leave the country. There is a huge green monster called Shrek who lives in a forest and all the fantasy characters hide in his home, although Shrek doesn't want them to. Shrek visits Farquaad. Farquaad agrees that the fantasy characters can come back if Shrek can find the beautiful princess that Farquaad wants to marry. Shrek goes to look for the Princess Fiona. He finds her and discovers that at night she becomes as ugly as him. When Farquaad discovers that Fiona is ugly, he doesn't want to marry her. But the monster and the princess get married, and the princess decides to stay ugly all the time for love. Shrek goes to find the princess because _ . A. he wants to marry her B. he wants to kill the princess C. Farquaad wants to marry her D. he wants Farquaad to let the fantasy characters live in the country Answer: D To travel around the world is the dream of many adventurous people. But very few people can afford a global tour because hotels, food and airplane tickets are too expensive. Some people, however, have thought of some ways to realize their dreams. Laura Cody and Tanbay Theune, a couple from Britain, decided to travel around the world. They have found a good way to pay for their trips. They look after pets for rich house owners. In exchange, they can stay in the houses for free. They have looked after horses, cows, cats, dogs and fish. In two years, the couple has been to Australia, Germany, Spain and Italy. They have stayed in big cities and small villages. The home owners are usually very generous and have given them food, wine and day trips. Another person who tries to realize her travel dream is photographer Rhiannon Taylor. She travels around the world to visit, review and take photos of the best hotels. She shares the places she stays in and the food she eats on the Internet with tens of thousands of followers. With these ways of making money, traveling around the world is no longer a dream. More and more young people are thinking creatively to make their dream come true. According to the passage, Taylor is a photographer who shares her photos _ . A. on the Internet B. during her travel C. with hundreds of followers D. during staying in hotels Answer: A My father had returned from his business visit to prefix = st1 /Londonwhen I came in, rather late for supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said,"How would you like to go to Eton?" "You bet. " I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You should be entered at birth, if not before. I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class; our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100. This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict with his fear of drawing attention to himself. It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world , my father thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness. "Oh, he doesn't want to go away. " said my mother. "You shouldn't go on like this. " "It's up to him. " said my father. "He can make up his own mind." We can know from the passage that _ . A. children who can go to Eton are the best B. children can go to Eton if they want C. Every family can not afford to send children to study at Eton D. Children to attend Eton should be sent there at birth Answer: C In April, 2013, I visited Yangzhou. Ge Garden is very beautiful and peaceful. The ticket has a map on the back of it that I didn't noticed until I had already left. But to be honest, I don't think that map is very useful because it isn't very clear an tailed. In my opinion, it's better to improve it. Compared with He Garden, the map on the back of the ticket for He Garden is much clearer, more detailed and more useful. However, in the room that has the picture of the family members, there is only Chinese, no English, so my advice is to add English in interesting places. I got lost in the Slender West Lake. I spent about 30 minutes just trying to get out of one area. I think they need more signs posted along the trails. I like the Slender West Lake best, as she is so pretty! The ladies that were sweeping were very sweet. They always smiled at me and said hello, so it was nice. Taking a taxi is the most efficient and quickest way to get around Yangzhou. I didn't have a problem getting to the places which I'd like to go to while using a taxi. The driver was very friendly. The fare isn't too high, either. But I didn't enjoy taking the bus. The bus ride to the Mastixia Bay took long although I only had to pay one yuan. It was also hard finding where Bus 32 was. I tried asking some people in English but they couldn't understand me, so I had to ask in simple Chinese that I only know buy that still didn't work. I spent about one hour walking around the city to look for Bus 32. The tricycle was nice, but it was a little too expensive for a small distance. Maybe I was _ by the guy who rode for me, but it was an enjoyable ride. I felt like I was part of the garden city more. Over all I am satisfied with Yangzhou and will recommend it to others. How many places of interest are mentioned in the passage? A. Three B. Four C. Five D. Six Answer: B Once a boy went to a palace to ask a wise man what the secret of happiness is. After talking with the boy, the wise man asked the boy to look around the palace and return in two hours. "And , I want to ask you to do something,"said the wise man ."As you look around, carry this spoon with you without making the oil spill ." The boy began walking up and down the stairs of the palace, and he kept his eyes on the spoon all the time. After two hours, he returned. "Well," asked the wise man, "what did you see in my palace?" The boy said that he had seen nothing. "Then go back and enjoy my wonderful world," said the wise man. The boy picked up the spoon and began to look around the palace again. This time, he saw many beautiful things in the palace. When he returned, the wise man asked, "but where are the drops of oil I give you?" The boy saw that the oil was gone. "There is only one piece of advice I can give you," said the wise man. "The secret of happiness is to see all wonders of the world and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon." ,A, B, C, D,, . Which of the following is NOT true? A. The wise man lived in the beautiful palace. B. There were many beautiful things in the palace. C. It was difficult for the boy to carry the spoon with him without making the oil spill. D. The boy was invited to see a wise man. Answer: D
I still remember the last time I went to the playground with two of my children. It had rained during the night and the playground was very muddy . They had just put on clean clothes, so I was a little worried about the mud on the playground. It was not long before Kathy got her beautiful skirt dirty on the playground. She dug through the rocks. I was about to blame her for getting her clothes dirty when she ran towards me with a smile on her face. When she got to me, she handed me a little heart-shaped rock and said, "Here, Mom! Here is a heart for you --just because I love you! Keep it!" With tears in my eyes, I thanked her. Should I blame her for getting her clothes muddy? No way! I still have that little heart-shaped rock. It is one of the best gifts that I have ever received. I realized that many times it was not necessary for us adults to worry about the small things our children did. Let them do what they'd like to. I will spend a lot more time on the playground with my children. I'm sure I will learn a lot from them. It makes me think of the days when my grandfather told me, "You would not enter the kingdom of happiness until you pretended to be a small child." The author was deeply moved by her daughter's _ . Answer: special way to show her love While firing off pictures of a curious five-month-old fox, photographer Simon Czapp soon realized his subject had quite an interest in photography herself. The clever fox was so curious about the camera equipment that she climbed right on top of it. And while she was supposed to be the subject of the shoot, the fox stood on the shutter release button and took her own _ .s6t---- Mr Czapp visited the New Forest Wildlife Park to capture images of new arrival Jessie. She has been at the animal park in Ashurst, Hampshire -- home to wolves, deer and other animals in 25 acres of ancient woodland -- after being left by her mother.s6t---- Mr Czapp said, "Jessie was very playful and curious and not at all camera shy. Soon after I arrived she was chewing my shoes and everything seemed to be a game to her. Then she started exploring the camera I had set up on a tripod . She stood on her back legs to look at the back of the camera. She balanced her front paws on it and at one point knocked it over."s6t---- He put the camera back on the tripod and Jessie soon jumped back up. At one point she had all four paws on the camera and was keeping her balance. Mr Czapp added, "She jumped up there several times and I realized it could make a good picture. As I was leaving with the public's viewing window behind me, I thought I heard the camera go off but didn't think much of it. But when I checked the memory card afterwards, I was amazed to see Jessie had actually taken two pictures of me photographing her. I couldn't believe a fox had gained an advantage over me! Jessie is a lovely little fox. There were some lovely photos of her but she obviously thought the photographer was worthy of a picture too!"s6t---- What do we know about Jessie from the passage?s6t---- Answer: She was sent to the park because her mother left her.s6t---- "Hypotheses ," said Medawarin 1964, "are imaginative and inspirational in character"; they are "adventures of the mind". He was arguing in favour of the position taken by Karl Popper that the nature of scientific method is hypothetico-deductive and not, as is generally believed, inductive. The myth of scientific method is that it is inductive: that the formulation of scientific theory starts with the basic, raw evidence of the senses -- simple, fair, unprejudiced observation. Out of these sensory data -- commonly referred to as "facts" -- generalisations will form. The myth is that from a disorderly collection of factual information an orderly, relevant theory will somehow come out. However, the starting point of induction is an impossible one. There is no such thing as an unprejudiced observation. Every act of observation we make is a function of what we have seen or otherwise experienced in the past. All scientific work of an experimental or exploratory nature starts with some expectation about the outcome. This expectation is a hypothesis. Hypotheses provide the motivation for the inquiry and influence the method. It is in the light of an expectation that some observations are held to be relevant and some irrelevant, that one method is chosen and others abandoned, that some experiments are conducted and others are not. Hypotheses arise by guesswork, or by inspiration, but having been started they can and must be tested thoroughly, using the appropriate method. If the predictions you make as a result of deducing certain consequences from your hypothesis are not shown to be correct then you abandon or adjust your hypothesis. If the predictions turn out to be correct then your hypothesis has been supported and may be kept until such time as some further test shows it not to be correct. Once you have arrived at your hypothesis, which is a product of your imagination, you then move on to a strictly logical and thorough process, based upon deductive argument -- therefore the term "hypothetico-deductive". So don't worry if you have some idea of what your results will tell you before you even begin to collect data; there are no scientists in existence who really wait until they have all the evidence in front of them before they try to work out what it might possibly mean. The hypothetico-deductive method describes the logical approach to much research work, but it does not describe the psychological behaviour that brings it about. The psychological behaviour is a much more complicated process -- involving guesses, reworkings, corrections, and above all inspiration, in the deductive as well as the hypothetic component. However, describing the logical approach is like writing the final thesis or published papers of research work. These theses and papers have been, quite properly, organised into a more logical order so that the worth of the output may be evaluated independently of the behavioural processes by which it was obtained. It is the difference, for example between the academic papers with which Crick and Watson demonstrated the structure of the DNA molecule and the fascinating book The Double Helix in which Watson (1968) described how they did it. From this point of view, the scientific method may more usefully be thought of as a way of writing up research rather than as a way of carrying it out. Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage? Answer: The Scientific Method Emilio and Michi spread the colorful tablecloth on the table. They made room for Drew, who was carrying a dish. "Watch out," Drew warned. "This is pretty hot." A moment later, Kent and Alyssa added another hot dish to the table. "That smells so good!" said Michi. "Are most of the parents here yet? I'm hungry." Kent looked through the doors that led into the hallway. "I think Ms. Milano and Mr.Hasselbach just finished giving _ the garden touring. They should be heading into the cafeteria next." The students of Jefferson Middle School in Saint Louis, US had spent all afternoon preparing for the evening meal. They did their best to transform the lunchroom into a beautiful dining area for their families. As the families found their seats, Ms. Milano asked Drew, Emilio, and Michi to join her at the front of the room. She said, "I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate Drew, Emilio and Michi for their wonderful idea. A year ago, they first came to me with the plan for starting a garden at Jefferson. I wondered whether it would work, but they had thought through everything. Any time I had a question about how we would make this work, they had an answer prepared. As you can see, they were absolutely correct. About three-quarters of the food you will be enjoying came from the school garden. The students prepared the entire meal themselves." Ms. Milano handed Drew, Michi and Emilio a box each. They opened their box as Ms. Milano continued. "As a thank-you to these students for their creative idea and hard work, they have each received a stepping stone for the garden. Their names and date appear on the stones." She turned to them. "Students for years to come will be enjoying the garden that you helped create," she said. "We thought it would be appropriate for them to have a reminder of our garden's founders." They held up their stepping stones and smiled as the crowd clapped. "And now," said Ms Milano, "please help yourself to some of the mouthwatering food our young chefs have prepared. Dinner is served!" Why did Ms. Milano give stepping stones to Drew, Michi , and Emilio? Answer: They are the founders of the school garden. Visiting Balboa Island, in sunny southern California, proved an exciting experience that I will never forget. I had never been to Balboa Island, even though it is only about an hour from my home in northern San Diego. Our first stop was for a specialty called a "Balboa Bar". It is a famous chocolate covered ice cream on a stick, created many years ago. As we drove along the streets toward the boat, I also saw some interesting buildings that stood for many years. Many of the building designs seemed like dollhouses and someone in our group said that the style was called, Victorian. After we parked our car on one of the streets, we got on the boat sailing to Balboa Peninsula. As I looked around the boat, I saw a bird flying very close to the water and our boat. A little girl near the boat' s edge jumped out to touch it and shockingly fell into the water! Her dad, who stood nearby, jumped in after her at once and everyone on the boat ran to help. The boat's engine stopped and both father and daughter got saved with the help of people on the boat. On Balboa Peninsula my family and I went to various shops, especially for food! We saw a restaurant at the very end. We enjoyed our lunch there, at the first Ruby's Diner ever opened in southern California. Although I have been to other restaurants of this popular chain , being at the very first is a great memory. On our way back to Balboa island we stopped at the huge Ferris Wheel, bought some sugars and played games. It was an exciting afternoon walking around on Balboa Island. I look forward to returning soon to spend some time on the beach again or maybe even to try fishing! The author' s dining experience at the first Ruby' s Diner was Answer: unforgettable
Question: Almost all of us have been there: A sense of uneasiness strikes us when we see the battery running low on the smartphone. While today's smartphones enable us to surf the Internet, take pictures and play music, their limited, sometimes annoyingly short battery life has started to make people full of memories of early models. "My favorite phone of all time was a silver Nokia 6310i from the early 2000s. It may be primitive by today's standards, but it could run for 17 days on a single charge," wrote Daily Mail columnist David Derbyshire. But scientists spend no time thinking about the past. They have built an aluminium battery which could be a cheap, fast-charging alternative to current designs. You can squeeze, and practically bend it in half without breaking the packet. It is more environmentally friendly than alkaline batteries, and more safe than lithium batteries - it won't catch fire "even if you drill through it", as Hongjie Dai of Stanford University told The Telegraph. The battery is the work of a team led by Dai. And the best part is that it has a recharge time of around one minute. However, at present, the only problem is that it produces just half the voltage of a typical lithium battery. But Dai explained they were setting about changing the voltage and energy density ". "Our battery has everything else you'd dream that a battery should have. I see this as a new battery in its early days," he told The Telegraph. How many advantages does the aluminium battery have according to the article? A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5 Answer: C. 4 Question: Tips for avoiding traffic jams The radio has more than just music. Check the local news station for the latest traffic report. Or go online and check traffic cameras before you set out. If there is a jam, you'll be prepared and can try another route. Take the road less traveled. Although highways may be the most direct route, back roads can be much less crowded, which can save you from the frustration of the stop-and-go traffic. Rush hour isn't just a lovely nickname. It means the morning and afternoon traffic lasts for several hours, but they are still called "rush hour" for a reason--everyone's on the road and in a hurry to get somewhere. Treat rush hour like bad weather--if you don't have to go anywhere, stay off the roads. Tips for those unavoidable traffic jams Don't break the law. You've gone 30 feet in 30 minutes and all of a sudden you see people using the shoulders . Don't behave like them. Not only is this illegal, but also there's a good chance they'll get caught or cause even more problems. Pay extra attention to zig-zaggers when some people are anxious, they may start changing lanes every 5 seconds or cut you off. Keep checking your windows and mirrors for these lane changers. Look for an escape. If it is possible to exit the road safely, do it. Use a GPS unit, and you can change your route mid-trip if needed. Be courteous. Good manners could help you avoid a possible accident. Allow people in from a lane that is ending. Speeding up to keep them out increases your chances of an accident. To avoid traffic jams, we are advised to do the following EXCEPT_. A. get traffic news before leaving B. choose back roads C. avoid rush hours D. change lanes frequently Answer: D. change lanes frequently Question: Competition between international universities is heating up, as China grows as one of the largest exporters of students aiming to study abroad. "Lots of universities are becoming more and more aggressive to attract Chinese students. Every day I receive contacts from universities in the US expressing the desire to come to China to recruit students," said Frank Joseph, a commercial officer from embassy of the United States. One key reason why more Chinese students are able to study abroad is the economy: With China's boom within the past decade, more families have the financial wherewithal to send their children to international universities. There will be a total of 200,000 family-funded Chinese students studying overseas in 2009, up 20 percent from last year, said Wu Zaofeng, deputy secretary general of China Education Association for International Exchange. International institutions, Joseph said, are also facing increasingly tough financial situation with a shortage of domestic students and a drop in government subsidies . Students, especially in the US are paying high tuition fees and living expenses. Chinese students with money to spend, according to experts, can fill up the gap. Students on average spend 150,000 yuan to 200,000 yuan every year studying in US, according to statistics from the US Institute of International Education. During 2007-2008, there were approximately 81,000 Chinese students studying in the US, up 19.8 percent from 2006. Representatives from approximately 60 universities from the United States are planning to arrive in Beijing this weekend to attract more Chinese students at this year's fair. Besides the US, many other countries are also vying to enroll Chinese students. Post-study work visa put out by British government allows all international students completing a UK degree qualification to apply for a visa to stay on and look for work in UK for up to 2 years. Being the third most popular destination for international students next to the US and the UK, France has set up two types of scholarships and has handed out an increase of 26 percent in scholarship funds to Chinese students in recent years. From the passage we can learn that _ . A. the number of foreign students is becoming smaller and smaller B. there were approximately 81,000 foreign students studying in the US during 2007-2008 C. the international universities are short of money D. the Chinese students are richer than the American students Answer: C. the international universities are short of money Question: Father's Day may be over in the United States, but animal dads are still hard at work. From penguins to catfish , some animal fathers play a big part in raising their babies. "Seahorses are possibly the best example of fathers caring for their young in the animal world," said Heather Masonjones, a biologist at the University of Tampa in Florida. Human mothers carry their babies in their bodies for nine months. But seahorses are different. A female seahorse lays eggs and then puts them in a pouch on a male seahorse's belly , where the eggs stay until they hatch. Male seahorses aren't the only animal dads caring for eggs. The male hardhead catfish carries up to 48 marble- size eggs in his mouth for 60 days! He doesn't eat for the entire time. "You'd think it would be hard for them to give up a meal," said Ed Matheson, a fish expert at the Florida Marine Research Institute. Emperor penguins sit on eggs to hatch them during Antarctica's freezing winter. The males have to gather closely together for warmth and can lose half of their weight in the two months that it takes the baby penguins to hatch. Even mammal dads play a role in raising their young. The male South American marmoset takes care of the baby in place of the mother a few weeks after she gives birth. So next Father's Day, remember the millions of dads hard at work in the animal kingdom! Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this text? A. The female hardhead catfish carries eggs in her mouth for 60 days. B. The male marmoset takes care of the baby as soon as the mother gives birth. C. The eggs stay in a pouch on a male seahorse's belly until they hatch. D. Emperor penguins sit on eggs to keep warm during the freezing winter. Answer: C. The eggs stay in a pouch on a male seahorse's belly until they hatch. Question: Langston Hughes was born in prefix = st1 /Joplin,Missouri, in 1902. His parents got divorced. He spent most of his childhood with his grandmother inLawrence,Kansas. She told him stories about their family and their fight to end slavery. Her storytelling filled him with pride in himself and his race. He first began to write poetry when he was living with her. In 1919, he moved to Cleveland,Ohio, to stay with his mother. He attended Central High School inCleveland. Langston was named Class Poet one year. He published his first short stories while still in high school. Langston Hughes struggled with a feeling of loneliness caused by his parents' divorce. He developed a love for reading books as a way to deal with the lack of time his parents spent with him. His love for reading grew into a desire to write. He wanted to reproduce the powerful effect other writers, like Walt Whitman, had made upon him. After graduating from high school in 1920, Langston moved to Mexico Cityto live with his father for one year. His father did not offer much warmth to him. Yet, Langston turned the pain caused by his family problems into one of his most famous poems," The Negro Speaks of Rivers." In this poem, he speaks of the strength and pride of black people in ancient African civilizations and inAmerica. Langston arrived in New Yorkat 19. Later, he left school, broke with his father, and began traveling. Traveling was a lifelong love that would take him throughout the world before he died. In 1922, Hughes took a job on a ship and sailed to Africa. He wrote poems and short stories during his travels. His experiences while traveling greatly influenced his work. He sent a few of his writings back home. They were published, and readers found a totally new and fresh style in his poems. What was the main reason for Langston's first attempt at writing poems? A. .His love for reading B. His grandma's storytelling C. His family problems D. A feeling of loneliness Answer: B. His grandma's storytelling
Most of the news in the newspapers is bad but sometimes there is a story with good news. This is one of those stories. Millions of people around the world suffer from AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other serious diseases. There are medicines to treat these diseases but for people in poor countries, these medicines are too expensive to buy. When a pharmaceutical company produces a new medicine, they receive a special license called a _ This license means that the new medicine or drug is protected for a period of 20 years. The company that produced the drug can fix the price of the drug and no other company is allowed to produce the same drug or a copy of the drug for 20 years. At the moment, these patents operate all over the world, both in rich countries and in poor countries. The drugs companies say that they need patents so that they can get the money to pay for research to find new drugs and medicines. In rich countries people usually have enough money to pay for these drugs but in poor countries people can't afford to buy them and cannot treat diseases like AIDS and malaria. Last month, however, a group of experts published a report which says that patents are very bad for poor countries. The report says that drug companies do not want to find new medicines for diseases of poor people in poor countries. It says that poor countries should be allowed to buy cheap drugs without patents from other countries. The authors of the report were lawyers, scientists and a senior director from the drug company Pfizer. Of course, the pharmaceuticals industry doesn't agree with the report, "We need patents so that we can develop new medicines to fight disease both in the developed and developing world," said a spokesman. But the report is the first sign that there might be a change in the patent system. This change could save millions of lives in the world's poorest countries. This really is good news. What might happen if the patent system is changed? A. Millions of lives will be saved in poor countries. B. Drugs companies will stop producing drugs. C. Drug companies will make more money. D. The competition will be canceled. Answer: A. Millions of lives will be saved in poor countries. Volcanoes, have a A. Esophagus B. Camels C. Emotional experience D. Cigarettes Answer: A. Esophagus Joshua, Helmut, and Bethlehem Michelle O. Donovan ISBN 9781462058679 Life is not easy for nine-year-old Joshua during World War II. Because of his family's Jewish background, they are sent to live in the concentration camps . Scared and alone, Joshua one day makes friends with a little mouse he calls Bethlehem who becomes his closest friend. Encourage Me! Inspirational Poetry Gloria Coykendall ISBN 9781412027854 It is an easytoread collection of poems originally written to encourage in faith and to be a cure for chronic depression ... cure to strengthen identity and purpose. Seeking the Edge Dr.Joseph L.Rose ISBN 9781462031795 Seeking the Edge provides the tools and techniques to find that edge in one's life-driving readers to achieve success whether in your current job, finding a new job, in education, family, or even hobbies. More Things in Heaven Bill Bosworth ISBN 9780595433582 In his More Things in Heave, Bill Bosworth presents the highlights of his 83 years of life,including his trips to India and the study of the writings of several great spiritual leaders. More Things in Heaven will appeal to anyone who insists on finding the deepest meaning for their existence based on their own experiences. Creation or Evolution Michael Ebifegha ISBN 9781450289023 Were humans created,or did they evolve? How old is the Earth? The debate between science and religion continues to be heated. In Creation or Evolution, Michael Ebifegha examines these two opposed world views within the structure of empirical science. What kind of readers will probably like reading More Things in Heaven? A. Those who are searching for the meaning of life. B. Those who are trying to be spiritual leaders. C. Those who study the art of writing. D. Those who like traveling abroad. Answer: A. Those who are searching for the meaning of life. Two people sit down to play Go . One of the players is an old man. He is now 89 years old. He has spent all of his life playing this game. The other person is a young woman. She has been playing Go for only three years. Before this, the woman was an expert at playing computer games. Now she plays Go the same way she played computer games---by becoming a machine herself. They will play many games, until they know who the winner is. The woman shows no feelings but thinking about all the possible ways of placing her next stone. The old man, on the other hand, looks at the movements of her hands and of her face. This has always helped him to win. He wins the first three games. She wins the next game, and the man is surprised. He has never lost to a woman. The old man worries about the way the young woman is playing the game. He can't read her face, he does not understand her way of playing. "The way I think about the game", says the woman, "is that it is steps for getting what I want." Again, the old man is surprised. For him, the game is a way of life itself, and not a model of life. "There is no more beauty any longer. Everything is science and rules. Everything is about winning. Nothing is about playing," he says. They cannot agree with each other, but it is not necessary. "Change is a necessary part of life", thinks the man. "Playing is as important as winning", thinks the woman. They start to play their final game. What is the best title of the passage? A. An Old Go Player B. A Strange Woman C. A Boring Game D. Winning or Playing Answer: D. Winning or Playing Fear can be a wonderful feeling in our lives, protecting us from dangerous situations and keeping us safe. But fear can also limit our lives significantly. While it may not be conscious, fear may make us think we are unacceptable or that what we have to offer isn't valuable. Fear may make us feel that we are not safe being ourselves. To avoid feeling fear, we may limit our lives greatly, living in tiny boxes. Living this way gives us the illusion of safety but leaves us with an unfulfilling life of no passion. If we shine a light on many of our fears, we see they have a very limited view of what is "safe" and how to "protect" us. Many of our fears are concerned only with protecting us from humiliation and failure. While these fears are doing their jobs incredibly well, they are doing so with faulty and outdated programming. Many fears we have as adults are trying to protect us as they protected us when we were children. Indeed, many of our current, automatic reactions to fear were actually formed when we were children. Even so, it's important not to judge ourselves for feeling these types of fears. If we judge ourselves, we will bury our fears or disguise them. By denying our fears, however, we also deny our energy, creativity and passion. So what do we do with fear? We recognize the fear for what it is--- a feeling we've experienced many times in the past and a feeling we will experience many times in the future. We become very familiar with our own particular brand of fears and how we allow them to control our lives. It is especially beneficial for each of us to become aware of the particular behavior patterns we've adopted when we feel fear, so we can look at our reactions with a sense of humor and compassion. Then, if we wish, we can choose a different response, which can be a scary yet very exciting experience. What would be the best title for the passage? A. Is fear managing your life? B. Be calm when feeling fear C. What do you fear most? D. Passion, chance and fear Answer: A. Is fear managing your life?
Look! This is Li Mei's room. What's in her room? Her books are on the desk. This is one of her shoes. Where is the other one? Oh, It's under the desk. She can not find her school bag. Where is it? Oh, It's behind the door. Li Mei can not look after her things. Her mother often says to her, " Li Mei , you must look after your things." ,. (5) Her _ is behind the door. Answer: school bag BEIJING -- The launch of a new manned space mission brings China closer to the establishment of a permanent space station, international experts say. Chinese taikonauts, Jing Haipeng, 50, and Chen Dong, 37, were _ into space onboard Shenzhou-11 at 7:30 am Monday and will spend 30 days in the Chinese space laboratory Tiangong-2.The launch marks a key step toward China's plan to eventually operate a permanent space station. The successful launch of the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft is another step forward to put China among leading players in space technology, said Alexander Zheleznyakov, a Russian expert on history of space flights. China's experimental space lab will help provide solutions for spacecraft of different functions to approach and anchor, and for a long-term operation of life support system, said Zheleznyakov. Shenzhou-11 is scheduled to anchor on Wednesday with Tiangong-2, which is part of China's plan to build a permanent space station by 2022. China can now test technologies for cargo spacecraft anchoring, life support system operation and water recycling to ensure a long-term continuous operation of its space station in the future with less dependence on renewal from the Earth, he said. If all goes well, China will launch the unpiloted Tianzhou-1 cargo ship next spring to autonomously tie up with Tiangong-2. Tianzhou-1 will be capable of automatically transferring rocket fuels, a vital requirement for space station grouping and maintenance, according to a report by Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). "That will further their anchoring abilities needed for the larger space station," Johnson Freese was quoted." Tiangong-2 is supposed to be able to stay in orbit for two years or longer, so that's taking them (Chinese) really close to 2019 or so. I think this will be their last big technology test phase before going to their large space station," said Freese. Why did China launch Shenzhou-11 into space? Answer: To set up a permanent space station. Which would likely occur as a result of logging? Answer: an eagle and hawk compete for resources Which resource is considered nonrenewable? Answer: fossil fuels Though the last book of the spectacular Harry Potter series was released seven years ago in 2007, the young wizard continues to be extremely popular with both kids and adults. Over the years, Harry Potter fans have been able to experience numerous aspects of the young wizard's life, right down to his favorite drink -- butter beer. Now thanks to a British hotel, they can also spend a night in the wizard's Hogwarts Castle dormitory room. The four-star Georgian Hotel in Central London, which recently opened its two wizard chambers , is ideally suited to reproducing J.K. Rowling's school of wizardry . That's because the hotel, which is still run by the descendants of the original owners, dates all the way back to 1851. It still remains its original styles inside. According to the owner of the 163-year-old Georgian Hotel, the idea originated as a way to create a kid-friendly environment in a hotel that is well-known for its Victoria Classic and Belgravia Boutique rooms. The wizard chambers that have been refinished to resemble the Hogwarts Castle dormitory rooms are furnished with everything a wizard fan could think of -- four-poster beds, stone wash basins, potion bottles, cauldrons (,), spelling books and even study tables. In order to make them appear even more magical, the hotel owners have added their own special touches that include placing a wand in the hand of the Mona Lisa painting that is in one of the chambers. As you may have guessed, these unique accommodations are not cheap. The rooms, breakfast included, cost about $350 for two people. Kids sharing the same room pay only an additional $40 each. Given that the big wizard chamber can contain up to five people, the overall cost is perfect for families that are all Harry Potter fans. Special packages include a Muggle Walking Tour that takes Harry Potter fans through the areas of the city where parts of the movies were filmed or a visit to Warner Brothers Studio, home of the Harry Potter films' sets and props . The hotel is certainly generating a lot of buzz among Harry Potter fans! How long does the Georgian Hotel exist? Answer: It has a history of more than 160 years.
Do you remember when your grandma told you the story of Snow White? Ah, the happy days of childhood! But did you know that Snow White comes from Germany? It's just one story from the 209 in Grimm's Fairy Tales (<<>> ). The Grimm brothers started to collect fairy tales in 1806. Their first book came out in 1812. Why are German fairy tales so interesting? Maybe it's because they come from a great place famous for its stories - the Black Forest. The Black Forest is in southwest Germany. It's the largest forest in the country - and one of the most beautiful. It's famous for its trees and lovely views, There are valleys and waterfalls there. It's a good place to start a story. Don't forget to bring something back if you visit. People there are good at making clocks, musical instruments and watches. The story mainly tells us _ . A. who wrote the story of Snow White B. some things about Black Forest C. people should visit Germany D. Snow White is a very famous fairy tale. Answer: B Ensure you are prepared for your exams by understanding the processes, dates and support information relating to examinations. Please read the information under Examination Policies and Processes below, especially the Rules to be observed by candidates for examinations. Examination period Semester 1, 2015 Monday 15 June -- Saturday 27 June (inclusive) Semester 2, 2015 Monday 9 November -- Saturday 21 November (inclusive) Important notice: special consideration All students are reminded that submitting an unreal medical certificate or PPC with a special consideration application amounts to misconduct and carries severe fines and punishment. Final personal exam timetables will be available from 4:00pm Thursday the 8th of October. Rules to be observed by candidates for examinations (updated April 2012) You need to follow all instructions given by examination teachers. 1. You may take in pens, pencils, drawing instruments and small items of food such as sweets. These items may be left on the desk during the examination. You may also bring in small valuables such as wallets, purses, mobile phones and laptops which must be powered off, not just silent. These items must be placed on the floor below the desk. Don't leave money or valuables in bags. The University can accept no responsibility for the loss of students' personal property. 2. Anything taken into an examination room must be made available for inspection by the examiner or other University staff. 3. The use of approved calculators may be permitted in examinations. The make and model of all calculators used by students in formally inspected examinations will be recorded. You are not permitted to share calculators, or pass them between each other in an examination. Mobile phones which have a calculator facility are not allowed. Use of a non-approved calculator may be regarded as misconduct. If you are unsure what functionality is permitted, make sure you check with your examiner that your calculator may be used in the examination. 4. No candidate may be admitted to an examination room after 30 minutes from the start of writing. No candidate who has entered an examination room and seen the examination paper may leave until 30 minutes has passed from the time writing started. No candidate may leave during the last ten minutes of any examination. 5. Smoking is not permitted in examination rooms. Students with disabilities, medical conditions or injuries Students with a disability, including serious medical condition, or recent injury, which puts them at a disadvantage during examinations should contact Disability Services, Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building, as soon as possible. Phone: +61 28627 8422 Fax: +61 28627 8482 If appropriate, special arrangements can be made to meet particular requirements. Serious illness, injury or misadventure -- Special Consideration regarding assessments Please read about Special Consideration. Students who feel too ill to attempt an examination at the scheduled time should consult a medical practitioner after reading the Special Consideration section. *Students who fall ill during an examination will be asked by invigilators whether they wish to consult a doctor at the University Health Service. If this occurs the doctor will complete a Special Consideration form and forward it to the relevant examiner. Misreading of the timetable is not accepted as a reason for failing to attend an exam. Past exam papers You can view many past exam papers at the University Library website. According to the passage, you will be fined if you _ . A. share or pass your calculator in an examination B. hand an unreal medical certificate to your school C. use a calculator that is not permitted by your examiner D. leave the examination room 30 minutes before the end of the exam Answer: B Kyle was excited. So excited that he ate and got dressed before his dad even woke up. Today he was going to the store to spend the money his grandma had sent him for his birthday. When Dad was finally ready to go, Kyle hurried to the car. Today was extra special because none of his sisters were going with them. His older sister Sandy was visiting her best friend. His younger sister Sarah was going to a movie with their mom. So today was a special day, only Kyle and Dad being guys together. Once they reached the store, Kyle walked slowly down each aisle, looking at all the toys and trying to find the best one. Purple superheroes, colorful games, and a bright blue ball all caught his eye, but Kyle kept looking. Finally he saw it, hiding on the bottom shelf. The most perfect toy- a shiny, white jeep. Kyle rushed to pick it up and show it to his dad. His dad thought the jeep was a great toy. And Kyle had enough money to buy it. The clerk took Kyle's money and placed the perfect car into a bag for the boy. As they drove home, Kyle looked into the bag at his dream toy several times, to make sure it was real. And all afternoon he pretended to drive his jeep around the house. This had been the best day ever! Who gave Kyle the money? A. Grandma B. Dad C. Sandy D. Sarah Answer: A A recent British study examined the salaries and jobs of people who spent time enjoying the arts when growing up. They found those who enjoyed the arts from an early age had better jobs and higher salaries than those who didn't. What's the link ?How could visiting a museum, enjoying a symphony ,or improving painting skills lead to career success? Other studies have found that students who study the arts exercise their reasoning ability. This skill helps with problem-solving. Creative and critical-thinking abilities are also developed through art study. When faced with a real-life challenge ,these skills can be put to good use. The best kind of art excites our imagination and makes us think. Paintings aren't just pretty pictures. They tell stories about the experience of the painter. See Michelangelo's art, and you will taste the power of his faith in God. Look at the world from Picasso's point of view, and you see everyday life in new ways. In Shakespeare's plays you'll find lessons about character and morality .Chinese poet Li Bai brings the wonder of nature's beauty to every reader. The arts show and explain the world beyond our own personal knowledge. When we look beyond ourselves, we can appreciate the experience of people from different walks of life. The arts help develop the ability to see things from many different points of view. These things will help us better communicate and cooperate with other people. What are Li Bai's poems about? A. Friendship. B. Family. C. Nature. D. Reading. Answer: C What is the hottest English word these years? "Selfie" may be one of them. It was even named Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionaries in 2013. The word was first used in an Australian online forum in 2002. Now, almost everybody knows it. Selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself. People usually take selfies with a smart phone and send them to a social media website. Nowadays, more and more people are taking selfies. From your best friend to your favorite pop star, selfies are taking over Renren and Sina Weibo. What makes people love selfies? Selfies can help to remember what's going on in their personal life. "Almost every day, I take a photo of myself at school, and save it in my Qzone. These photos record my happy and sad moments." said Huang Xu, 16, from Hunan. Another usual reason for taking a selfie is to share online. They hope to make friends and share their feelings with others. "During summer vacation, my classmates and I shared many selfies online. Through these photos, we got to know each other's holidays and feelings," said Wang Lin, 15, from Henan. "I'm too shy to ask someone to take pictures of me, but it's easier to do it by myself." Although taking selfies is popular among young people around the world, they should be careful at the places where they take selfies. People are warned not to take light-hearted selfies in serious places, such as in some traffic accidents. In order to protect art works, selfie is _ in some museums and galleries, too. The word "selfie" has a history of about _ . A. 2 years B. 13 years C. 15 years D. 20 years Answer: B
Every people uses its own special word to show its ideas and feelings. Some of these expressions(,) are commonly used for many years. Others are popular for just a short time. One such American expression is "Where's the beef?" It is used when something is not as good as it is said to be. In the early 1980s "Where's the beef?" was one of the most popular expressions in the United States. It seemed as if everyone using it at the time. Beef, of course, is the meat from a cow, and food is more popular in America than a hamburger made from beef. In the 1960s a businessman named Ray began building small restaurants that sold hamburgers at a low price. Ray called this "McDonald's". Ray became one of the richest businessmen at last in America. Other business people watched his success. Some of them opened their own hamburger restaurants. One company called "Wendy's" said its hamburgers were bigger than those sold by McDonald's or anyone else. The Wendy's Company began to use the expression "Where's the beef?" to make people know that Wendy's hamburgers were the biggest. The Wendy's television advertisement showed three old women eating hamburgers. The bread that covered the meat was very big, but inside there was only a bit of meat. One of the women said she would not eat a hamburger with such a little piece of beef. "Where's the beef?" she shouted in a funny way. The advertisement for Wendy's hamburger restaurants was success. As we said, it seemed everyone began using the expression "Where's the beef?". Other people wanted to open hamburger restaurants because they thought _ . they could make a lot of money Twelve-year-old Leonardo was born in a poor family in Bambamarca in Peru. He knew how to read but he had never seen a book in his life. So he asked the new priest in his village to give him one. But there was no electricity. So Leonardo borrowed candles from the church and sat up all night reading it. The next morning, he was at the door of the priest asking for another book to read. John Medcalf, the priest,was moved. He also realised that people would love to read if given a chance. But he knew how difficult it was for Leonardo and those in his village to get books. And yet, no one can be taught to read and write without books. To make people in a poor, faraway area grow to love books,they have to be with them. So he thought the only way was to bring books to people. But how could _ be done? Mobile libraries or car libraries would be too expensive and difficult to continue in the rocky, hilly land of Peru. So what other method could be used? Medcalf got a new idea from the barefoot doctors of China. And that was how the barefoot librarians first appeared in the villages of northern Peru,almost thirty years ago. The librarians began by going from village to village, lending books to villagers. They helped start The 12ura1 Library Network of Peru. At first,they were teachers of the village schools which these faraway libraries belonged to. But the teachers were not very interested in the job because it meant a lot of hard work. So, village leaders took on the job themselves. Today, there are 600 village libraries across Peru. The barefoot librarians who walk up to 15 hours a day with bags of books are their lifeline. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . the barefoot librarians are important to village libraries A student provides the following directions for brushing teeth: • Turn on the water. • Fill the glass with water and leave the water running. • Put toothpaste on the toothbrush. • Brush for two minutes. • Rinse mouth with the water from the glass. • Rinse the toothbrush with the running water. • Turn off the water. Which change in these directions would conserve the most water? Turn the water off before brushing. The concept of culture has been defined many times, and although no definition has achieved universal acceptance, most of the definitions include three central ideas: that culture is passed on from generation to generation, that a culture represents a ready-made principle for living and for making day-to-day decisions, and, finally, that the components of a culture are accepted by those in the culture as good, and true, and not to be questioned. The eminent anthropologist George Murdock has listed seventy-three items that characterize every known culture, past and present. The list begins with Age-grading and Athletic sports, runs to Weaning and Weather Control, and includes on the way such items as Calendar, Fire making, Property Rights, and Tool making. I would submit that even the most extreme advocate of a culture of poverty viewpoint would readily acknowledge that, with respect to almost all of these items, every American, beyond the first generation immigrant, regardless of race or class, is a member of a common culture. We all share pretty much the same sports. Maybe poor kids don't know how to play polo, and rich kids don't spend time with stickball, but we all know baseball, football, and basketball. Despite some misguided efforts to raise minor dialects to the status of separate tongues, we all, in fact, share the same language. There may be differences in diction and usage, but it would be ridiculous to say that all Americans don't speak English. We have the calendar, the law, and large numbers of other cultural items in common. It may well be true that on a few of the seventy-three items there are minor variations between classes, but these kinds of things are really slight variations on a common theme. There are other items that show variability, not in relation to class, but in relation to religion and ethnic background -- funeral customs and cooking, for example. But if there is one place in America where the melting pot is a reality, it is on the kitchen stove; in the course of one month, half the readers of this sentence have probably eaten pizza, hot pastrami, and chow mein. Specific differences that might be identified as signs of separate cultural identity are relatively insignificant within the general unity of American life; they are cultural commas and semicolons in the paragraphs and pages of American life. The author's main purpose in writing this passage is to _ . show that the idea that the poor or the rich establish a separate culture is an absurdity Which of the following statements is true biofuel releases CO2 but is better than oil
Tony has always loved going to the beach. He spends as much time there as he can. It was a bright, sunny day. The beach was full by the time Tony and his mum got there. It seemed that everyone had the same idea today. When they found a spot , Tony sat down and began to relax. Soon Tony noticed something strange. There was an empty water bottle in the sand. Then, a paper bag was blowing down by the water. People had littered all over the beach! Tony was mad. His mum explained that a lot of people littered instead of using garbage cans . If Tony wanted to stop it, he would have to work to save the beach. He worked hard. Tony got a group to help clean up. He put up signs saying" _ " and got his town to add more garbage cans in the area. Most of all, he let people know how bad littering is for the environment. Tony worked hard to make a difference! What is Tony like according to the passage? Answer: Hard-working and caring. Here's How to Get Your 6 Movies for 1C/Each Just Write in the Numbers of the 6 movies you want for 1C/each, plus shipping. In exchange ,you agree to buy just six more movies in the next three years, at our regular Club prices (which currently start as low as $19.95 plus shipping) -- and you may cancel membership at any time after doing so. What's more, you can get two more movies for the low price of $6.95 each and you will, after that, spend much less on the movies you want. Free Video Magazine sent every four weeks (up to 13 times a year), with our Director's Selection --plus many lower-priced cassettes, down to $14.95. And you may receive Special Selection mailings up to four times a year (a total of up to 17 buying opportunities per year). Buy Only What You Want! If you want the Director's Selection, do nothing -- it will be sent automatically . If you prefer some other selection, or none at all, just mail the answer card always provided by the date specified. And you'll always have 14 days to decide. Instant Bonus Plan. As soon as you become a member, you'll immediately have the right to our money-saving plan! It enables you to enjoy more great savings on the movies you want -- right from the start of your membership! 10-Day Risk-Free Trial. If not satisfied, return everything within 10 days, and then you'll get your money back and there will be no further obligation. You can have _ besides a free Video Magazine every four weeks. Answer: Director's Selection and a number of lower-priced cassettes Every year, more than four million babies are born in the United States. Some parents named their children based on family, cultural or religious traditions. Girls are often named after a family member but rarely their mothers. Sons, though, are often named after their fathers. Every year the Social Security Administration releases a list of the most popular baby names in America. Last year, Jacob was the most popular boy name and Emma the number one name for girls. These days, the choice of a baby name seems to be guided as much by individual desires as by tradition. This is shown in the fact that the most popular baby names are not as popular as they used to be. Researchers at San Diego State University in California did a study. They found that thirty-two percent of boys received one of the ten most popular names in 1955. The same was true for twenty-two percent of girls. By 2007, however, the numbers were down to less than ten percent of boys and only eight percent of girls. "People are more and more interested in finding unusual names. And now since we have the information on the Internet of what the most popular names are, the percentage of kids who get them actually is going down because people are able to avoid them much more successfully than they did before," said Cleveland Evans, a professor of psychology at Bellevue University. Parents can find plenty of advice on the Web and in bookstores about choosing a baby name. A lot has also been written about the possible effects that a name might have on a child's future. There are studies that suggest children with unusual names are more likely to be teased. Other studies suggest that as adults, they might be less likely to get called for a job interview. Yet other research suggests that giving a child an unusual name might help build character. What all this adds up to is a big responsibility for parents to consider what's really in a name. According to some studies, which is to NOT the possible effect of giving children unusual names? Answer: Children with unusual names can get more chances in future. Mr Parker was born in a small village. His father was so poor that he couldn't send him to school. The boy had to help his parents to do some farming and learned English and maths by himself when he was free. Later on he was made to leave his home village and hoped to find a job in a city. And as soon as war broke out, he joined the army . He couldn't forget his terrible past and fought with the enemies bravely . So he became a general when he was fifty. He was honest and friendly to his soldiers and often punished those who tried to pocket a portion of the soldiers' pay . And his soldiers liked him very much. Once Mr Parker heard from a soldier. In the letter the young man said the food in their military camp was very bad and he wished the general could go to find out the reasons. The old man went there at once without telling anybody. He went in the kitchen and examined everything carefully and found it was very dirty. Then he went in the soldiers' bedrooms and found there were a lot of fleas. He became angry and asked the soldiers, "What do you think of your food, young men?" The soldiers saw their officer standing by the general and said nothing. Only a new soldier said, "Very bad, sir!" "What did you have for lunch today?" asked Mr Parker. "A fried chicken, some fish and pork, a cake, six eggs and I had three cups of wine ." "Really?" Mr. Parker called out in surprise. "It's the King's lunch, I think!" "So do I, General," said the young man. "But it's my birthday today. I paid three hundred dollars for them all in the restaurant!" The soldiers didn't say anything because_. Answer: the officer followed the general "When studying foreign speech, don't forget about body language," Anne Merritt said. Something as simple as a smile can show friendliness in one culture, embarrassment in another, impatience in a third. Even silence means different things in different places. If you want to avoid making some mistakes when traveling abroad, you should pay attention to the following. Touch Britain, along with much of Northern Europe and the Far East, has a "non-contact" culture. In those countries, there is very little physical contact in people's daily talks. Even brushing someone's arm by accident is the reason for an apology. However, in the high-contact cultures of the Middle East, Latin America, and southern Europe, physical touch is a big part of daily life. What's more, there are different standards for who touches whom and where. In much of the Arab world, men hold hands and kiss each other in greeting, but would never do the same with a woman. In Thailand and Laos, it is taboo to touch anyone's head, even children's. In South Korea, elders can touch younger people with force when trying to get through a crowd, but younger people can't do the same. Eye contact In most Western countries, frequent eye contact is a sign of confidence and attentiveness . We may think that a conversation partner who looks away is either not listening to us or lying. Of course, this is not the standard around the world. In many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, the unbroken eye contact would be considered impolite and rude. These cultures consider avoiding eye contact a sign of respect for bosses and elders. In these parts of the world, children won't look at an adult who is speaking to them, and nor will employees look at their bosses. In southern Europe, physical touch is_. Answer: common
These days, more and more students in the UK are taking a "gap year"between their graduation from school and their university studies. This means they can take a year off to do something else, before they start their studies. For most students, spending time in foreign countries is the favorite activity --- and Australia is the favorite place to go. Many parents, teachers and business people agree that travelling can teach important values. "After a year of travelling, I felt I'd grown up. I had learnt the importance of relationships with people, on all kinds of levels." There are many companies around the world that welcome these students on their projects---helping people in poorer countries, or even in your home country. Although you don't get paid for your work, this kind of work can teach important skills---decision making and finding answers to problems, for example---that will help many students in a job one day. Finally, getting some knowledge and experience in an area you hope to study or work in one day will always be very useful. If several university graduates are applying for the same job, gar year work experience allows you to say, " I've already had some experience of this kind of work." And that can get your job. is their favorite activity for most students in the UK. Answer: How often do you use your car? Can you use your car less often? Do you know the following facts in the UK? * About 50% of all car journeys are just for fun. * Over 80% people go to work by car. * 25% car journeys are under two miles. * 70% car journeys are under five miles. WALKING & CYCLING Instead of using the car for short journeys, why not walk or ride a bicycle? Walking is a most popular form of exercise--it's healthy and it can save you money. If you work nearby, try walking or cycling instead of driving. BUSES Bus companies are using new buses: some run on new fuels which produce less pollution; some have easier access for disabled and old people. There are special traffic lanes to make bus journeys easier and more reliable. So do something to help solve the pollution problem--let the bus take you to work and your children to school. TRAINS All car journeys, long or short, can be hard work. For some trips it is wiser to take the train. Leave your car at home and walk, cycle or take a bus to and from the station. Train travel is fast, safe and comfortable. Train tickets are not always expensive; some are quite cheap at discount. The writer believes that _ can give children valuable road experience. Answer: Which is most likely a cause of camouflage's effectiveness? Answer: Have you ever noticed how busy our roads are becoming? Every year more and more cars are using them. Already in such countries as America, almost every family has a car. Many accidents happen because cars are now made to travel very fast. Also, people waste time and money every day as long lines of cars move slowly into towns and cities. In most big towns it is very hard to find parking spaces. Wide, smooth , straight roads must be built now in place of the old and narrow roads. These roads must not pass through towns and cities. They must not be crossed by other roads. Today such roads are being built in many countries in the world. These roads have at least two lanes , one for slow-moving traffic and the other for fast-moving traffic. These roads do not pass through town and cities; horses and bikes are not allowed on them. Accidents do not usually happen. Cars can travel hundreds of miles without having to stop. But these modem roads often cannot be built in towns and cities. Before a road in a town can be made wider, many buildings have to be pulled down. Some people feel that more car-parks should be built outside a city, then the drivers should leave their cars and catch a bus or take a taxi to their offices. The writer thinks that many accidents happen because _ . Answer: We convey information through the position and movement of the body. We often use gestures or body movements to stress what we are saying. For example, when I lecture , I often use my hands to emphasize points or point to something on the blackboard. Some people use them more than others. The victory sign, the OK sign, the goodbye wave and the blowing of a kiss are all popular gestures in America. It is important to recognize, however, that most gestures are not universally recognized. For example, although the OK gesture means acceptance in prefix = st1 /America, it has other meanings in other cultures. InFranceit means worthlessness. And in Greece, it is considered obscene . There are some sex differences in nonverbal behavior. In American culture, men tend to sit or stand with legs apart and hands outward, while women tend to keep legs together and hands at their sides. Women are also better than men at understanding nonverbal gestures. A nonverbal behaviour is to have the tongue just slightly protruding from the mouth. A study showed that people were less willing to approach others who had their tongues showing. Perhaps this is why people often tend to avoid individuals with bad nonverbal behaviours. When we make decisions about other people, we learn to recognize nonverbal cues and interpret them along with verbal information. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? Answer:
Beckham in a Football Movie Do you like football? You must know David Beckham. But do you know that he will be in a movie? He will be David Beckham in the movie Goal. Beckham said, "I want to teach kids how to play football when I finally _ ." "I believe that Goal will send a _ message to kids around the world." Beckham, 29, said, "I think that Goal will make football more popular in America and Asia. I am very happy because I can help do it," he said. How old is Beckham? A The story doesn't tell us. B Twenty-nine. C Twenty-two. D He is not old. Answer: B. Twenty-nine. Who's building the new China? It's not the factory owners or the business men.It's someone else. We see them every day.They work day and night in the terrible working places and weather.They build the roads,the theaters,the cinemas and the supermarkets.They even clean up our rubbish.They are China's migrant workers . Over 140 million workers left their homes in the countryside to look for jobs in big cities around China.They hope to be rich,but they find they have many difficulties in making enough money.And one of the difficulties is the pride and discrimination from the people in cities. When night falls.I see the sad faces of the migrant workers.Many are living far away from the people whom they love. Yes,they dress differently,they speak differently,and they have different habits,but they work hard.The people in cities think they are outsiders,and most governments refuse to give them medical care and public schooling for their children. If China hopes to move into the future.many things need to change.The first is discrimination! We need to stop our discrimination against the migrant workers of China! They may not make as much money as some people in cities,but they are good people just trying to _ . These workers are very important and necessary to China's economic development and play an important role in changing Chinese society .They are building the new China,so we should help them. Which one is NOT TRUE about China's migrant workers according to the report? A The people around the country should help the migrant workers . B More than 140 million migrant workers are in big cities to make money. C The people in cities welcome migrant workers though they are outsiders. D China's migrant workers are important in changing Chinese society. Answer: C. The people in cities welcome migrant workers though they are outsiders. Big Ben, one of London's best-known landmarks, which is famous for its accuracy and chimes ,stopped ticking for 90 minutes, an engineer said Saturday. Officials do not know why the 147-year-old clock on the banks of the River Thames stopped at 10:07 p.m. Friday. It continued keeping time, but stopped again at 10:20 p.m. and remained still for about 90 minutes before starting up again, a spokeswoman for the House of Commons said. A recent period of hot weather may have been to blame. Temperatures in London reached 90 Saturday, and forecasters called it England's hottest day in May in the past fifty three years, since 1953. Big Ben, which is operated by the Palace of Westminster, survived attack by German Luftwaffe bombers during World WarII,continued to mark the time within11/2 seconds of Greenwich Mean Time. However, the clock has experienced occasional problems. In 1962, snow caused the clock to ring in the New Year 10 minutes late. In 1976, the clock stopped when a piece of its machinery broke. Big Ben also stopped on April 30, 1997, and once more three weeks later. Big Ben is actually the clock's 13-ton bell, which was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the British commissioner of works at the time the clock was built. The official name for the Gothic tower holding Big Ben is St. Stephen's Tower. Standing 315 feet tall, it was completed in 1859 after an 1834 fire destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster. The probable reason for Big Ben stopping ticking for 90 minutes is _ . A high temperature B low temperature C broken machine D heavy snow Answer: A. high temperature I was not quite seventeen when I decided to join the US Marine Corps.My mother tried her best to talk me out of my dream, and then finally signed the papers that would permit me to enter the service. One day, nearly two years after the Philippines became my home, I was summoned to the office of Lieutenant Colonel Boyd.He seemed to be a kind man, but I was pretty sure that he hadn't called me in to pass the time of day. Standing before his desk, I waited nervously as he read through some paperwork.Then he looked up."Why, Private, haven't you written to your mother for more than six months?" I felt weak in my knees.Has it been that long? I thought. "I didn't have anything to say, Sir." Lieutenant Colonel Boyd told me that my mother had contacted the American Red Cross, which in turn communicated with my commanding officer about my failure to write. Then he asked, "Do you see that desk, Private?" "Yes, Sir." "Open the top drawer and you'll find some paper and a pen.Sit down right this minute and find something to say to your mother." "Yes, Sir." When I finished a brief letter, I stood before him again. "Private, I'm ordering you to find something to say to your mother at least once a week.Do you understand?" I did. Some 35 years later, my aged mother's mental condition was deteriorating, and I was forced to place her in a convalescent home .As I went through her belongings, I began inspecting the contents of an old cedar chest.At the bottom, tied with a bright red ribbon, I found a bundle of letters. They were the letters I had been ordered to write from the Philippines.I sat on the floor of her apartment that afternoon reading each one, tears streaming down my cheeks.I now realized how deeply, as a young man, had upset her by my lack of consideration. The lesson I learned may have been too late to help my mother, but it's still done me good.These days I don't need a commanding officer standing over me to write to my loved ones on a regular basis. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage? A The writer now realized that he should write to his wife regularly. B The writer had been in the US Marine Corps for nearly two years. C The writer had decided to stay with his mother in the convalescent home. D The writer's lack of consideration led to his mother's deteriorating mental condition. Answer: A. The writer now realized that he should write to his wife regularly. I never saw my father home from work late or ill, nor did I ever see my father take a "night out with the boys". He had no bobbies but just took care of his family. For 22 years, since I left home for college, my father called me every Sunday at 9:00 am. He was always interested in my life-how my family was doing. The calls even came when he and my mother were in Australia, England or Florida. Nine years ago when I bought me first house, my father, 67 years old, spent eight hours a day for three days, painting my house. He would not allow me to pay someone to have it done. All he asked, was a glass of iced tea, and that I hold a paintbrush for him and talk to him. But I was too busy, for I had a law practice to run, and I could not take the time to hold the paintbrush, or talk to my father. Five years ago, my 71-year-old father spent five hours putting together a swing set for my daughter. Again, all he asked was that I get him a glass of iced tea, and talk to him, But again, I had laundry to do, and the house to clean. The morning on Sunday, January 16, 1995, my father telephoned me as usual, this time he had seemed to have forgotten some things we had discussed the week before. I had to get to church, and I cut the conversation short. The call came at 4:40 am. That day my father was sent to hospital in Florida. I got on a plane immediately, and I vowed that when I arrived, I would make up for the lost time, and have a nice long talk with him ad really _ . I arrived in Florida at 1:00 am, but my father had passed away at 9:12 pm. This time it was he who did not have time to talk, or time to wait for me. In the years since his death I have learnt much about my father, and even more about every single day. When her father painted her first house, the daughter _ . A could only afford a glass of iced tea B was too busy to talk to her father C could do nothing but hold a paintbrush D spent eight hours a day working with her father Answer: B. was too busy to talk to her father
You may have noticed that you feel hungry a lot. This is natural----during teens, a person's body needs more nutrients to grow. Snacks are a great way to satisfy that hunger and get all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs. But you need to pay attention to what you eat. Filling your stomach with a lot of fries after class may give you a short-time help, but a snack high in fat and calories will only slow you down in the long time. To keep energy levels going---and avoid gain weight---keep away from foods like candy or soda. Look for foods like bread and grains and combine them with some food like peanut butter or low-fat milk or cheese. Choosing healthy snacks means shopping smart. Be careful of the health instructions on food bags. Here are some things to watch out for. That something is "all natural " doesn't necessarily mean that it's nutrients. For example, "all natural" juice drinks or sodas can be filled with sugar (which means they'll be high in calories and give you little nutrition.) A granola bar is a good example of a snack that people think is healthy. Although granola bars can be a good source of certain vitamins and nutrients, may also contain a great deal of fat, including a particularly harmful type of fat called trans fat. Check the Nutrition Facts instructions on the bag to be sure. Which of the following snacks is unhealthy according to the text? A. Peanut butter B. Candies and soda C. Low-fat milk D. bread Answer: B A new research shows that in Britain more and more people are returning to the old tradition that the whole family have a meal at table. Worrying about the obesity and breakdown of a family, people change their eating habits so greatly, according to analysis. They find the number of the family having a meal together increases by 5% from 2002 to 2004, and most people who have meals with their family come from the rich social class. The new discovery makes doctors and the people struggling against obesity extremely excited. Giving up the tradition that the whole family have a meal together is exactly one of the reasons for a series of problems including children's overweight. If a child has a meal in front of the television or the computer alone, he will often eat some fast food. Jason Collins is one of the persons returning to the old tradition. Collins is a manager of a bake house. He finds after he gets used to having a meal at home with his child, the child becomes much more obedient . Dr. Jin is a child psychologist, and she expresses welcome to this result of the study. She says it can make parents have a very good chance to chat with the child when the whole family have a meal together. We can infer from the passage that _ . A. people's eating habit has much effect on their family B. most rich people have meals with their family C. most children have the problem of overweight D. most children don't like having dinner with the parents Answer: A American boys and girls like watching TV. Some children spend six hours a day at school and four to six hours a day in front of the TV sets. Some children even watch TV for eight hours or more on Saturday. Television is like books and films . A child can learn good things and bad things from it. Some TV _ help children to understand the news, the people and places from other countries. With TV, children do not have to go out to see films, they can hear interesting music or watch a game at home. But some programs are bad for children, so parents sometimes help them to find other interesting and useful things to do. With TV, children can _ at home. A. play football B. hold a sports meeting C. see some films D. have a swim Answer: C heat and pressure change the remains of what into natural gas? A. leaves B. cans C. books D. cars Answer: A From my father I have learned a lot. And I'm very thankful to him. I remember when I was a child my father always got up very early, quietly putting on his clothes and going off to work. To arrive in time to open his tiny store at 8:30, he needed to leave our apartment at 6:30. After all, he had to take a bus and then the subway. The last journey was a long walk through a neighborhood much of which was full of the smell of rubbish. I learned: it is very important to work. No excuse. When I was 12, I would, on some Saturdays, go to my father's store to help out. After helping set up the outside clothing display, for the rest of the day, I'd watch to make sure no one stole anything. When I noticed someone looking unusual or strange, I would look the person in the eye, smile and say, "May I help you?" Usually that worked, but sometimes, someone would run off with something. The first time, I ran after the thief but my father shouted, "Martin, stop! There is no need to do that." It's true that safety is more important than money. After 10 years of hard work, he saved up enough money to buy his first car, a cheap one--he wouldn't buy one until he could afford to pay for it without borrowing money. I learned: buy only what you can afford. Buying necessary food and clothing won't make us go in debt . The unnecessary things won't give us happiness, which comes from achievement only. What shop did the author's father own? A. A bookshop. B. A coffee shop. C. A clothing shop. D. A food shop. Answer: C
Question: Alex Taw,a 21yearold student from Wiltshire,England.He spent last summer like any other high school graduate--hanging out with friends,preparing for college,worrying about his university fees.While most of his peers gave up on their pipe dreams,he sat down with a notebook at home,and jotted down the question:How can I become a millionaire? The result was the MillionDollarHomepage.com.Alex's initial investment was 50 pounds to buy web space and a domain name.He divided the blank homepage into one million pixels ,10,000 blocks of 100 pixels each.Each pixel was worth $1 with minimum purchase 100 pixels.Within a month Alex had earned some $37,000,enough for him to cover the entire cost of his forthcoming three years at university.In just a few months,he became a real millionaire. How did he come up with the idea of the Million Dollar Homepage? "Well,I was trying to think of a way to make some money before I started university,as I was about to take on a huge debt and I was already overdrawn .Swift action was necessary!"He said. He also added,"The important thing is that anything is possible--we are only limited by our imagination.I always had this belief that a good idea can be successful on its own.I think I've learnt that if we think deeper there are magical solutions hiding away for us to find." His personal philosophy around money is:Money is not everything,but it's an essential part of the way we live. _ He also said,"I still want to go to university.Aside from gaining knowledge about business,there are other reasons--exploring your interests,meeting new people,and being in a creative environment." Besides making contributions to society,he would try to encourage and inspire people to think of creative solutions to problems,whatever they are. What would be the best title for the passage? A. Little Money Leads to Be a Millionaire B. The Success Road to Be a Millionaire C. Alex Taw:An Millionaire Boy D. The MillionDollarHomepage.com Answer: C. Alex Taw:An Millionaire Boy Question: Giving bad news is a difficult ball game. To help you get through an already difficult situation, try these tips when you have to tell someone bad news. Think about your audience. People respond differently to bad news. Think about who you're talking to and how best to pass on unpleasant information to that person. Consider the news. Are you the best person to give this news? If not, then you should consider letting others do it. Remember, however, that if you're talking to someone about your relationship, there is no other choice. It is something you yourself have to face. Look for an appropriate moment to break the news. You don't tell the bride her grandfather died right before she walks down the passage. Wait until the time is right and you are at a private place where you won't be interrupted. Find a chair. No one should be standing when receiving bad news. Go straightforward. Give bad news the same way you take off a bandage: QUICKLY. Say that you have bad news and then tell it. Don't leave the receiver twisting in the wind. Let it sink in. Many people mentally shut down when hearing bad news. There's no reason to keep talking if someone can't hear you any more. Be ready for anything. Your audience may do nothing or may instead scream and throw things when you give unwelcome news. You just never know. If things get out of hand, you may need to temporarily excuse yourself or seek the help of friends or s. Offer your help. Let people know you are there for them. If you're breaking up with someone, however, you should consider skipping this step, because the last thing she'll want is your help. What is the best way for you to break the bad news to a bride? A. To let her stand up B. To release it quickly C. To wait for a right time D. To shut down her mind Answer: C. To wait for a right time Question: Amy went to the beach one day last summer. She went with her family. Her parents let her and her brother, Brian, each bring one friend. Amy invited Candace. Brian asked David. Their neighbor Eddie also went. The six of them got into Amy's dad's car and began the long trip to the beach. In the car, they sang and played games together. They soon got the beach. Everyone put on sun block and had lunch. They ate on a large, blue blanket. Amy's mother had brought the blanket. After eating, everyone found fun things to do. Amy and Candace made sand castles with Amy's father. Brian, Eddie, and David swam in the sea and played catch. Amy's mother sat in a chair and read a book. When the sun began to set, they packed everything up and began to drive home. Both Brian and Candace slept. David played a game with Amy and Eddie before Eddie fell asleep and started to drool. After they got home, everyone had dinner at Amy's and talked about how much fun they had at the beach. Who did not fall asleep? A. Brian. B. Candace. C. Eddie. D. David. Answer: D. David. Question: When you come across an animal that passed away, it sometimes smells awful because it died recently and has begun to what? A. whimper B. Rot C. die D. cook Answer: B. Rot Question: Nobel, who was born in Stockholm, is a great scientist famous for his dangerous experiments. Nobel studied in the USA and then Russia between 1850 and 1859. After his return, he started researching into bombs. As is known, bomb is dangerous to life, but Nobel was working under that condition. Once a big explosion in his lab completely destroyed the lab and caused some deaths. After that he had to experiment on a boat in a lake. He received criticism and satire , but he proceeded with the work rather than losing heart. From 1860s to 1880s, Nobel made many achievements and his inventions were first used in building roads and digging tunnels. Most of the bombs were safer and more possible to be controlled. Even at the end of the 20th century, we still used his methods. Nobel had many patents in Britain and other European countries. He was quick to see industrial openings for his scientific inventions and built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries. Indeed his greatness lay in his outstanding ability to combine the qualities of an original scientist with those of a forwardlooking industrialist. But Nobel's main concern was never with making money or even with making scientific discoveries. Seldom happy, he was always searching for a meaning to life, and from his youth, he had taken a serious interest in literature and philosophy. His greatest wish, however, was to see an end to wars, and thus peace between nations, and he spent much time and money working for this cause. To follow his will, a fund was set up to encourage people to make great progress in physics, chemistry, physiology , medicine, literature and peace. That's the Nobel Prize which means great honor to a scientist. In fact, his inventions were first used in _ . A. a war to kill and injure his fellow men B. building roads C. digging tunnels D. both B and C Answer: D. both B and C
English has now achieved global status (position). Whenever we turn on the news to find out what's happening in East Asia, or Africa, or South America, or anywhere, local people are being interviewed and telling us about it in English. Indeed, if one looks at the facts about the amazing reach of the English language, he or she would be surprised. English is used in over 90 countries as an official or semi-official language. English is the working language of many international colleges as well as of most international research scientists. It is believed that over one billion people worldwide are learning English now. One of the most remarkable sides of the spread of English around the world has been the extent to which Europeans are accepting it as their language. English is spreading from northern Europe to the south and is now firmly set up as a second language in countries such as Sweden, Norway, Netherlands and Denmark. If one visits any of them , it would seem that almost everyone there can communicate with ease in English. Recently, a special survey of Europeans' use of languages has just been published. The report said that English is the most widely known foreign language now, with 43% of Europeans saying they speak it and that Sweden now holds the most of English speakers, with over 89% of the population. What's more, English is the language _ as the most useful language to know, with over 77% of Europeans who do not speak English as their first language considering it useful. English has without doubt become the global language. About English, which of the following statements is TRUE? Answer: Officials say the islands of Tokelau in the South Pacific Ocean have become the world's first territory totally powered by the sun.The move is expected to save money and ease the environmental burden of depending on imported fossil fuels. Tokelau's three main atolls ,or islands,now have enough solar capacity to meet all of their electricity needs.Until now.Tokelau has been 100%dependent on diesel for producing electricity.That has burdened the country with heavy economic and environmental costs. The three atolls of Tokelau are about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii and are administered by New Zealand. Each atoll received its own solar power grid system.New Zealand officials estimated the cost of the project to build the three solar grids at around seven million dollars.The last of the grids has been completed. It is estimated that oil imports make up to 30%of national income in some parts of the Pacific.The move to solar power could save Tokelau about one million dollars a year.Tokelau will now be able to spend more on social programs to help its citizens. Other South Pacific islands are attempting similar projects.The island nations of Samoa and Tuvalu are aiming to get all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.The Cook Islands plans to start moving to solar panels and wind turbines.And most houses in the South Pacific groups of islands will begin to use solar water heaters. East Timor's government has promised that no households in the capital,Dili,would be using firewood for cooking by 2015.It also says 50%of the country's electricity will come from renewable sources by the end of the decade. New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says the country will hold a Pacific energy summit in March this year.He said the meeting would build on the success of clean and affordable energy solutions for Tokelau,Tonga,and the Cook Islands. All the island nations except _ will get all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Answer: April 23 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. Organizations in Britain have planned numerous events to honor him. In Stratford-upon-Avon, his birthplace, the tourism organization has a great number of free events, including performances of Shakespeare's plays, and a dazzling fireworks display. And the BBC is broadcasting a live show from Stratfore-upon-Avon, celebrating Shakespeare's widespread influence on the world. In England's capital, the London Shakespeare Centre and King's College London are holding a series of public performances, exhibitions and activities. It isn't just England that honors the anniversary of the death of this extraordinary writer. In Washington, D. C., the Folger Shakespeare Library, which houses the world's largest collection of documents relating to William Shakespeare, is displaying a series of exhibitions. Shakespeare is probably the most famous author who ever lived an is considered a genius by most. He wrote around 37 plays and 154 sonnets , and his work has been translated into over one hundred languages! He penned beautiful metaphors , serious dramas and amusing tales. Shakespeare also invented many new terms and phrases. If someone's behavior suggested they were not being honest and should not be trusted, Shakespeare called their actions suspicious. If someone was being silly and perhaps looking like a fool, Shakespeare found their actions laughable. And Shakespeare called people who offered their opinions on the quality of something critics. Today, for instance, food critics and film critics give audiences their opinions of food and film. The familiar phrase "break the ice" comes from Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew. The "ice is broken" when a difficult conversation or meeting is calmed by some basic introduction, such as a simple game. More common words coined by Shakespeare include road, gossip, lonely, bump and hurry. Four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare surely lives on, in everyday speech, as the most famous writer of all time! Shakespeare is honored in the following ways except _ . Answer: IMAGINE if there was a device that could do everything for you - wake you up every morning, chat with you and type your e-mails. The piece of technology in question would be smart, able to tell you about the weather and where the nearest restaurants are. The good thing is you no longer need to wonder, because something like this already exists. And its name is Siri. Siri is a voice recognition application designed for Apple products and the concept has been around for almost a year. When Siri first came out it could only speak English, but now it has "learned" lots of new languages, including Chinese, Cantonese and Taiwanese, reported The Wall Street Journal. So, you can give it orders in your mother tongue. But how could a cell phone or a computer "hear" what you are saying and understand it? This is all because of voice recognition technology. When you speak, your voice creates vibrations in the air - a bit like waves in the water when you throw a rock into the lake. The microphone receives the vibrations and the computer changes them into digital data that is then divided into many parts. They are analyzed one by one to see what pronunciations each part stands for. The computer then puts these pronunciations together into possible words according to its built-in dictionary. But figuring out the words is far from enough; building words into meaningful sentences is the most difficult part. The computer has to compare what it hears to a large library of known phrases and sentences to determine what the user is saying. However, people don't always talk in the most standard way and sometimes make grammatical mistakes. This is why traditional voice recognition software always requires you to remember keywords and to speak in a certain way. Fortunately, Siri isn't like that. It's not just "voice recognition"; it's "natural language understanding (NLU)". You can ask it things like "Do I need an umbrella today?" and it will know that you are asking about the weather, according to ABC News. "The key thing is NLU - understanding what you mean and what you want," Neil Grant from Nuance, a software company in the US, told The Guardian. "Historically, you had to learn a huge long list of commands . As NLU progresses, you can say what you want in a way that's natural to you." The text is mainly about _ . Answer: Lots of kids hate school, a new study found. Usually this kind of feeling doesn't last long. But what happens if you feel this way too much? School is a fact of life and getting a good education can help you build the kind of future life you want. So let's talk about school and what to do when you don't like it. If you don't like school, the first step is to find out why. You might not like school because you don't have enough friends, or maybe you don't get along with your teacher. Sometimes it's a big problem with your classes and school-work. You may be getting farther and farther behind, and it may seem like you'll never catch up. When you know why you don't like school, you can start taking steps to make things better. It's a good idea to talk to someone about your problems with school. Your mum, dad, teacher or school counselor will be able to help you. Another good idea is to write down your feelings about school in a notebook. It's a great way to let out emotions . Remember, you don't have to share what you've written with others. When you start taking steps to make things better, one of the good ideas is to_. Answer:
News One: The first quantum communications satellite developed by China is expected to launch in July of this year. It means that a quantum communications network will be formed, and quantum communication between the satellite and the ground will be achieved for the first time anywhere in the world. News Two: Shanghai Disney Resort opened in a trial run last week to prepare for its official opening on June 16. A one-day visit to the resort for a family of three will cost at least 2,600 yuan, which covers entrance ticket and three meals as well as shopping, while a two-day trip will cost no less than 6,000 yuan in total, which is too expensive for most visitors. News Three: More and more people get interested in running. The number of runners is increasing, and the economics of running is growing with it. Runners are always going to need shoes and they are always going to be looking for races. Both of these markets have just developed during the past 30 years or more. News Four: Overweight students at Nanjing Agricultural University are having a special sports course. The more weight they lose, the higher marks they will get. The course is not for everyone, but just for the students who needs to lose weight to keep healthy. There are 3 or 4 specially designed sports classes every week and each class lasts 90 minutes. When will the quantum communications network be formed? _ . In which environment would a white rabbit be best protected from predators? It is illegal to kill animals in I will probably remember one June day seven years ago for the rest of my life. My father had been complaining that my brother and I were watching too much TV, but we ignored him. Then one day we came home and the television was gone. When I asked my father about the missing TV, he said watching television was a waste of time. Without it, we would have time for other things. I decided he was wrong. Is there life without TV? How can we spend the week without all those shows and soaps? I was sure my life would be boring without TV, I used my best debating skills to argue with him, but he would not give in. However, I found other ways to spend my time finally, Each day I ran around the street. This reminded me of my love for athletics, which I still enjoy. I joined Volunteers, and I built lasting friendships. Most importantly, I discovered an artistic world I never knew. I started taking art contests, and was shocked when I won. Then I took piano lessons. I began to like listening to AM radio, reading news magazines. Living without TV has taught me how to manage my time, so that I can do many things in one day. I am proud to have learned I don't need television. Looking back, I think my father did the right thing. "You are smart. You could do anything that you put your heart to." he used to say. He believed in us. His actions showed me a much more colorful side of life without TV and the value of having a goal and sticking to it. What did I do after the TV was missing? There was once a little fairy named Twinkles who lived in an old willow tree. The tree grew next to a river in a large, green forest. Twinkles loved to fly around the forest with her best friend Betsy the Bat. Betsy was a very forgetful bat. One day Twinkles and Betsy were playing next to the bushes by the river bank when Betsy shouted, "Oh no, I've forgotten my lunch that my mom packed for me today! It is late in the afternoon and I am hungry." "Do not worry," said Twinkles. "I am going to wait here for you until you get back." With that, Betsy flew off toward her home in the wet cave near the other end of the river. An hour went by and Betsy still had not returned. "Hmm," thought Twinkles, "I wonder where Betsy went off to." Twinkles flew off to find her best friend. Soon, she heard a voice calling from down below. "Help me! I'm stuck!" Twinkles looked down. Sure enough, it was Betsy! She had been caught in a pile of sticky mud near the mouth of the cave. "Don't worry, I am coming to save you!" cried Twinkles. Twinkles swooped down to the ground. She found a strong stick nearby that she could use to help her pull Betsy out of the thick mud. Betsy grabbed the end of the stick that Twinkles held out to her. After some heavy tugging, Betsy was free. "Thank you so very much for pulling me out of the mud! I was looking for some berries to use for jam down by the river. They grow on the bushes there. I wanted some for a little dessert after my lunch. I accidentally walked into the pile of mud on the floor and got stuck." "No problem," said Twinkles. "That's what friends are for." Where does Twinkles live?
People People is America's No.1 magazine about fascinating people.It's a guide to who and what's hot in the arts,science,business,politics,television,movies,books,music and sports.It is published weekly. Publisher:The Time Inc.Magazine Company Cover Price:$211.47 Our Price:$117.00 Issues:53 issues/12 months Lucky Lucky is the shopping magazine with the best buys,and the fashion tips you'll need before you hit the stores.What makes Lucky really special is that it gets you the information you need before anyone else has it. Publisher:Conde Nast Publications Inc. Cover Price:$35.40 Our Price:$15.00 Issues:12 issues/12 months Parents The most trusted magazine for parents who want to raise smart,loving and self-confident children.Each issue has age-specific child-development guidance,advice on your child's health and safety,and the best ways to encourage your child's learning. Publisher:Meredith Corporation Cover Price:$42.00 Our Price:$9.97 Issues:12 issues/12 months Entertainment This magazine covers movies,television,music,Broadway stage productions,books,and popular culture.Unlike _ like People,its main concentration is on entertainment media and reviews.It's intended for a more general audience. Publisher:The Time Inc.Magazine Company Cover Price:$199.50 Our Price:$38.95 Issues:57 issues/12 months Celebrity-focused magazines are probably ones focusing on _ . Answer: LONDON (Reuters) -- British milkman Steve Leech, who saved several shops and flats by putting out a fire with 320 pints of milk, was celebrating Thursday after winning a national bravery award. Leech, 35, named "Hero Milkman" by the National Dairymen's Association, said that he had noticed smoke coming out of a shop in Cornwall, southern England, while delivering milk as usual a year ago. "I saw the flats up above and thought I'd better do something. So I kicked the door in and started pouring milk everywhere," Lee told Reuters Thursday. "When firemen arrived, the fire was almost out," he said. Firemen said he had helped save the lives of eight people living in the flats above the shops. " _ . But it was even harder trying to explain to my boss where all the milk had gone." Which is NOT TRUE according to the passage? Answer: Pressure is quite high in spaces such as Answer: People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18thcentury, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous . They called tomatoes "poison apples." President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President's party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored guests about the fact. According to the text, _ made the beautiful pink soup served at the President's party? Answer: Working at camp is a great journey that not only creates lifelong memories for yourself ,but the chance to make an influence on the loves of children who attend Kids Camp. As a summer camp professional, you are a teacher , a friend and most importantly a role model. Staff-members ensure the Our youngest staff is 18, but most are over 20 years old we desire a staff with a strong interest in children and job-related experience,Each tent has six campers and two staff members ,We run an exciting range of activities and programs such as Athletics, Arts, Basketball ,Computers , Field Games, Fun & Games, Gardening, Hiking, High\Low Ropes Course, Nature Education. Great Reasons to Become a Camp Professional Meet energetic, warm-hearted staff from around the world Gain meaningful leadership experience Sing crazy songs and wear funny costumes A positive challenge you will remember in the rest of your life Make a difference to the life of a child Staff Needs Lifeguards --Red Cross certified preferably holding a current WSI certification High Ropes Staff--training/certification from a nationally recognized organization Fun & Games - lead non-competitive athletic games Juggler/Clown - teach circus skills Archery - with certification from a nationally recognized course Nature/ Garden - with strong knowledge or interest in natural wildlife and gardening Dave Meizels , Camp Director E-mail: demeizels@channe12kidscamp.org Tel:860-742-2267 Contact Dave if you have any questions about our-application process. Which of the following is TRUE about kids Camp? Answer:
Passage 4 From the world's heaviest apple, the oldest lady to the world's smallest dog, these are all parts of a group of the world's strangest people and things. And they are all in the Guinness Book of Records(<<>> ). The book is going to celebrate its birthday this August. It began exactly half a century ago. And it's always one of the best selling books in the world. People now can break over 1000 records every week! Why do so many people want to break the records? Do they want their names in the book or meet more people around the world? "It gives people a chance to show they're the best in the world." said one of the record keepers Stewart Newport. The book was started by Hugh Beaver from Britain. In 1951, he went shooting birds and talked with his friends about the fastest bird in Europe. Three years later, they were still talking about it. So Beaver believed that people must have different ideas. So, he decided to start a book to record the world's truly greatest people and things in it! The newest book came out last Tuesday. This book has a lot of interesting records. Here are two: A British dog, Whitney, is the world's smallest dog. It's only 76mm tall. An American woman Lee Redmond has the longest fingernails .They grew as long as 600 mm! She made the record in 1971. Newport thought many people tried to break Guinness records because _ . Answer: they could be known as the greatest by the world. Relationships in general have gone downhill because of two factors:technology and our demanding drive for excitement. Body language, especially eye contact, is very important to a relationship. With one glance we can tell the mood of a close friend, if they are happy or sad. Thus, visual contact has a major impact on the amount of understanding we have with another person and the amount of connection that can be achieved. However, when the telephone, email and message come into play, all of that human interaction is lost. We have increasingly less human contact and start lacking social skills because of a lack of communication. Technology greatly influences our standpoint on how fast we think everything needs to be done. If you put a dollar in the soda machine, you expect the bottle to move forward and fall down to the bottom. You can' t count how many times you' ve _ the machine if it went too slow for your expectations. You wanted instant results, immediate fulfillment. Another shot against healthy relationships is everyone ' s demanding need for excitement. Society in general has increased its expectations for excitement. Little kids spending time playing outside together now replace that with hours of playing video games alone at home. On the weekends we seize every minute with " exciting" activities, rushing from one to the next. The effect on relationships from all these activities is that they take on more concern and that we have no patience for each other. Gradually we distance ourselves from our loved ones. According to the author, good relationship mainly relies on communicating _ . Answer: face-to-face If you give something to someone for free, will that person value it and use it? Development experts have debated this question for decades. Some think the act of paying causes people to value something and use it more. Selling necessary health treatments, others argue, may deny them to the people who need them the most. Consider, for example, chemically treated bed nets, which kill mosquitoes anti protect people against malaria while they are sleeping. William Easterly, an economist at New York University, believes this is one example of development having gone wrong. In a recent book, Professor Easterly suggests bed nets given free in Africa are often used for the wrong purpose. Yet, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends bed nets be given out free and used by whole communities. The success of a large free bed net campaign in Kenya led the WHO to announce this recommendation This debate will likely influence social programs in the developing world. Many non-governmental organizations support the creation of self-supporting programs in poor countries. Goods and services are sold for a price to help these programs survive. According to Rachel Glenerster, who runs a research lab doing development and poverty studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her several studies have proven that small price changes have a big influence on the number of people who use a product. A price change will reduce the total amount of use of the product as well, she says. She has also found no evidence that the very act of paying for something changes how people use it. As for a particular product among special populations, some development experts argue that pricing is useful. When it comes to bed nets, Miss Glenerster says research shows no evidence of this. People are just as likely to use a bed net whether they paid for it or not. The debate among experts focuses on _ . Answer: a popular way to help the poor I have always been interested in making things. When I was a child, I enjoyed drawing, but I also liked making things out of clay . I won a prize for one of my paintings when I was fourteen. That may be why I went to art school four years later. But I studied painting at first, not pottery . I like being a potter because I like to work with my hands and feel the clay. I'm happy working by myself and being near my home. I don't like mass-produced things, because they are made by machines. I think crafts are very important and crafts-people make things cleverly with hands. They make our lives color1ful. When I left school, I got some money. I hope to become a full-time crafts-woman. This work-place is small, but I wish to move to a larger one next year. When entering art school, the writer was about _ . Answer: 18 Do you have a dream, something you always see yourself doing? Perhaps you see yourself as a lawyer, businessman, or even a scientist. Whatever it is, don't let it die. A dream is a wonderful thing. It can give your hope for your future and encourage you to try when all odds are against you. However, there are dream killers that want to kill your dream. People who don't want to see your dream fulfilled can destroy your dream. They may tell you that it is impossible for you, that you are not smart enough or that it's never been done before. However, many times the biggest dream killer is you. Don't let fear, doubt or lack of finances prevent you from fulfilling your dream. Talk back to these killers, " I can and will fulfill my dream." You may have to do this every day. The more you instill within your heart that you can do it, the more safely your dream will be held within you. It is very important to take steps towards fulfilling your dream. For me, in order to fulfill my dream of one-day owning my own magazine, I needed to go back to school and finish my college degree. For you, it may be something different you know deep inside what the voice of your dream calls for. Don't be afraid and just do it. Try not to let too much time go by. Time is another one of those dream killers. Think about the words of a song by Yolanda Adams, " Keep the dream alive, don't let it die, if something deep inside keeps inspiring you to try, don't stop. And never give up, don't ever give up on you. Sometimes, life can place a stumbling block in you way. But you gotta to keep the faith. When you dream, dream big and never give up. Your dream is just yours. Never let anyone tell you that your dream can't happen--- it can! Nurture your dream. Keep seeing yourself do what's never been done before. As you continue to feed your dream and protect it, not only will you keep it alive, but it will come true. What does the author dream of doing? Answer: Publishing his own magazine
Recovery from bulimia is difficult,but a beautiful journey!You'll come across many challenges--but once you've beaten them,the world will look much more beautiful. You can recover from this illness--I promise!Remember:If I recovered--you can too! I began throwing up when I was just a kid. Back then I didn't know why I did that. But now I can see that it was the result of my seeking so called fashionable diets. I was only 8 years old when my aunty phoned my mom saying that I'd thrown up my dinner.I told them it was just a party trick,and they ignored it. Their reaction made me realize that this "trick" of mine should be a secret. I would continue doing it,but would never let anyone know. As I got older,this secret habit got more and more serious,and this carried on for years. During my first year of university,at the age of 20,I wasted over $20,000 on food from the school dining hall. Finally,after having had bulimia for nearly 12 years,I decided enough was enough. I was close to death--I could feel it in every part of my body. I needed help,and I made an appointment with a counselor of my university. One year later,I graduated from university. I was proud of myself for getting my degree. But there was a deeper pride and strength inside my mind. I had beaten bulimia. It had been a long and difficult road--but I'd done it. The passage is written for people _ . who also suffer from bulimia He came again the next day and worked until it was time to leave. His name was Jerry. He was 12 and had been at the Children's Home since he was only four. I thought of him. He was honest . For example, the handle of the ax broke one day. Jerry said the Children's Home would mend it. I handed him some money to pay for it. He wouldn't take the money. "I'll pay for it, mama. I broke it. I didn't hit the wood in the right place. " _ And it was a weak handle. I'll speak to the seller. " It was only then that he would take the money. Another thing about Jerry was that he would do those little but helpful things. The things would not be badly needed but would make life so much easier. For example, he found a hole near the fireplace. "I'll put some wood in the hole, mama. Then when a sudden storm comes up, you can stay warm. " One cold day, Jerry sat close by me near the fire. We watched the fire bum. He suddenly talked of something he had never talked of before. "You look like my mother, especially next to the fire" But you were four, Jerry, 'when you came to live at the Children's Home. Do you still remember your mother?" How did Jerry feel after he broke the handle of the ax? Sorry. The goal of earthquake prediction is to give early enough warning. The U.S. Geological Survey conducts and supports research on the likelihood of future earthquakes. Scientists estimate earthquake probabilities in two ways: by studying the history of large earthquakes in a special area and the rate at which strain accumulates in the rock. Scientists study the past frequency of large earthquakes in order to determine the future likelihood of similar large shocks. For example scientists researched the large earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay region during the 75 years between 1836 and 1911. For the next 68 years, no earthquakes of magnitude 6 or large occurred in the region. Beginning with a magnitude 6 shock in 1979, the earthquakes in the region increased dramatically; between 1979 and 1989, there were four magnitude 6 or greater earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. So scientists estimated that the probability of a magnitude 6.8 or larger earthquake occurring during the next 30 years in the region is about 67 percent. Another way to predict earthquakes is to study how fast strain accumulates. When plate movements build the strain in rocks to a critical level, like pulling a rubber band too tight, the rocks will suddenly break and slip to a new position. Scientists measure how much strain accumulates along a fault each year, how much time has passed since the last earthquake, and how much strain was released in the last earthquake. This information is used to calculate the time required for the accumulating strain to build to the level that results in an earthquake. This simple model is so complicated that such detailed information about faults is rare. In the United States, only the San Andreas Fault System has adequate records for using this prediction method. Scientific understanding of earthquakes is of vital importance to the Nation. As the population increases, expanding urban development and construction encroach upon areas susceptible to earthquakes. With a greater understanding of the causes and effects of earthquakes, we may be able to reduce damage and loss of life from this destruction. What does the passage mainly talk about? How to predict earthquakes. Friends and Buddies This program is planned for teenagers who have special needs with the goal of meeting within a community with other peers . The purpose of the program is that it will lead to a better understanding of friendships. Gym, Swim, Surprise Guest, and Pizza are included. Ages 12-18, numbers of members are limited. Contact: Gloria Bass. This program is held 2 Fridays per month. Fees: $65/$85 Club Saturday Swim This program is available to anyone aged 5-14 who is challenged by mental, physical, or emotional trouble. The program will be held each Saturday afternoon, 12:00-12:30 pm or 12:30-1:00 pm. Fees: $136/$260 Sibshops (Ages 10-13) Sibshops is a program for siblings of children with challenges. It includes group activities and talk treatment ways with the focus on improving sibling relationships and whole family happiness. Location: Hope Church, Wilton CT. Wednesday: 4:00-5:00 pm. Fees: $50/$65 Banana Splits Banana Splits is an educational support group for children in family trouble. Children aged 9-13 will have the opportunity to meet other children whose parents have separated or divorced, learn to recognize feelings, think of healthy coping skills and have a place to share their struggles through verbal , physical, and artistic experiences. Location: Hope Church, Wilton CT. Tuesday:4:30-5:30 pm. Fees: $50/$65 Which of the following is TRUE according to the four passages? They are all intended for children. If you want to find out a piece of information about anything , the best place to search for it is Wikepedia. This online encyclopedia is written by thousands of people around the world. Anyone can add or change the information if he or she finds it not correct or not well written. In this way, people who know a lot about a certain subject can write about it even if they are not university professors. What is more, Wikepedia includes articles written in about 235 languages. This fact makes it one of the few websites on the Internet that are truly international. It was started in 2001 by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales, as a free online English-language encyclopedia project. By April 2008, over 10 million articles had been put on Wikipedia. A quarter of the articles are in English. Wikipedia is also a place where people can find the latest news. However, Wikipedia has its own problems. There have been many complaints that some of the information on Wikipedia is not accurate and some important subjects are not included. This has led to arguments between the writers of articles. The people running Wikipedia say that the accuracy of the information is improving and that it is one of the top 20 visited websites on the Internet. So, if you are looking for some information, why not try Wikipedia? People who write on Wikipadia _ . know much about a certain subject
A round of applause, please, for the Indian man who recently sang for 80 hours straight, setting a new Guinness world record. It's an impressive feat, to be sure, but let's just hope he still has a voice.According to Indian newspapers, Rajesh Burbure has been told to keep silent for several days so his vocal cords can heal. It was reported that Burbure and his family are in a celebratory mood. "It's a proud moment for all of us," his wife told DNAIndia.com. I, on the other hand, am unable to share their enthusiasm.Don't get me wrong: I hope the 35-year-old Burbure lives forever, sells a million records and becomes an international celebrity.But his record--singing for 80 hours straight--is about as meaningful as most of the other curious but crazy feats listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Granted, I'm not qualified to speak on the subject.I've got no world records to my name, and I never expect to have any.Then again, maybe I am qualified to speak for those of us who have better things to do than train for years to sing an 80-hour medley of pop songs. But let's not just pick on poor Burbure.He's not the only person chasing meaningless accolades .The Guinness Book of World Records is full of the names of people who at one time grew the longest hair, or built the biggest bicycle, or baked the largest cheesecake. To all of these enterprising souls I ask, simply, "What was it all for?" Congratulations! For all of your painstaking effort, you became a footnote in a thick book that no one reads, except for you and the person who will eventually surpass you, with one more hour of singing, a few more centimeters of steel or a few more pounds of cheese. After all, records are made to be broken. The author's attitude to some Guinness world records is _ . A. positive B. impressed C. negative D. touched Answer: C How do you spend your spare time? There will be different answers to it .Most people in Poland have their own ways of spending free time. Sometimes they just want to have a rest, but they try to do something more pleasant most of the time. They have many different hobbies, which help them to get away from their everyday problems and spend their free time happily. Many Polish people like traveling. They look for new places that they have never been to and add new and exciting experiences to their journey. Some of them like to climb mountains,. others like to go to the sea or a lake to swim, because theses can make them get exercise and are good for their health. Many Polish people also like to do sports in their free time. They are usually crazy about football, and football is regarded as the Polish national sport. Many football fans may support a certain team ,so they go to watch every match of the team they support, and they buy many things that have any relation with the team. Watching sport and doing it are both good ways to relax In addition, doctors say that doing sports is very good for the health. Many people in town, especially young men, often go to the gym to attend the exercise classes to keep fit. Besides these ways, Polish people have many other ways to spend their free time . And they really enjoy their free time. What can we learn from the passage? A. Polish culture is colorful. B. We can have many ways of spending our free time. C. A doctor can give you good advice. D. It is no need doing sport activities. Answer: B These days, more and more people begin to look after their health by exercising. What sport should we do then? * Ping-pong Wang Bing opened up a ping-pong room. He was very surprised that there were so many people coming on the first day of the new year. He added five more tables, but it still couldn't meet the need. "I am pleased to see so many people like playing ping-pong. It's a very good sport for health, " said Wang Bing. * Basketball Xia Wen works in a bookstore. He often goes to play basketball in the middle school near the bookstore. "Although the students are having their summer holidays, to my surprise, the playground is crowded with people," said Xia Wen. Of course, there are some other sports that people can do to keep healthy. But it's certain that people who often exercise can work better. The playground was crowded during the holidays because _ . A. students still stayed at school B. people went there to play ping-pong C. people went there to play basketball D. students went to school to read books Answer: C Going green is something that affects every single one of us. Whether by recycling those plastic water bottles, or by cutting down on electricity in your home, the importance of going green on a personal level is extremely important. But, when you're a millionaire NBA basketball star, how do you help out the environment? Yao Ming is a basketball player that plays for the Houston Rockets and has spoken out against hunting of sharks for fins, a delicious food in his native China. He is also the United Nations' Environmental champion. His goal is to raise awareness of climate change and energy-saving. "I will work with young people across the world and try to inspire them to plant trees, harvest rainwater and to become environmental champions in their own communities." The Philadelphia Eagles, a professional American football team, are really doing their part to give back to the community. The Eagles Go Green page has a "Green Energy Calculator" and according to the web site fans have saved $ 73,674.90 a year and saved 666,320 pounds of CO per year. Also, the Eagles have set up a "Stop global warming virtual march on Washington", a march across America for one year, through the Internet with a goal to bring fans together and to urge leaders to deal with the serious problem of global warming now. Bob Burnquist, a Brazilian skateboarder, is a member of Action Sports Environmental Coalition and founder of a program that gets organic foods and farming into schools for healthy lunch programs. Bob also has a huge homegrown organic farm where he hosted a gathering in celebration of Earth Day. Kelly Slater is a surfer and eight-time champion, but he also supports saving the coral reefs world wide. He has founded the Kelly Slater Invitational Competition which raises funds and awareness for Reef Check, which is able to get its message out to a large group of guests including professional surfers, film and music stars, and other famous people. The best title for the passage would probably be _ . A. Highly Competitive Athletes B. Environment-friendly Athletes C. World-famous Athletes D. Millionaire Athletes Answer: B Terry is a normal human boy who enjoys football and playing with his toys. What makes him different is that he really enjoys talking to his magical reindeer Max. One day, Terry is walking around town with Max, and as they pass by the nearby farm, the farmer who owns the land calls out to them - "Hey! You, over there!" They quickly turn around, not sure if they are the ones being called to, but seeing no one nearby, they walk over to the farmer. "What do you need, sir?" Terry asks. "I need help with the plants; they're growing faster than normal. Can you help with the potato plants?" the farmer asks. "Sure! Let's help out, Max!" Terry happily answers. They end up spending the rest of the day helping, and are paid well, both in potatoes, carrots and money, for their work. "That was fun!" Terry says to Max, as they head home. Max simple nods back, as they hurry back to their home. Who asks Terry for help? A. Max B. A farmer C. His parents D. Terry Answer: B
With petroleum reserves decreasing,the search is on to replace gas with a cleaner,greener alternative.Though much eco-talk has centered on biofuels from corn and soybeans,the biofuel that looks more likely to replace petroleum comes from a most unlikely source:algae . Algae,like corn,soybeans,and other crops,grow via photosynthesis and can be processed into fuel oil.However,they _ 30 times more energy than land crops such as soybeans,according to the U.S.Department of Energy.Many algae species also can grow in saltwater and polluted water-while corn and soy require arable land and fresh water that will be in short supply as the world's population balloons. "If you replaced all the diesel in the U.S.with soy biodiesel,it would take half the land mass of the U.S.to grow those soybeans,"says Matt Caspari,chief executive of Aurora Biofuels,a Berkeley,Calif.-based private firm that specializes in algae oil technology.On the other hand,the Energy Department says that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States,it would require 15,000 square miles,which is a few thousand miles larger that Maryland (12,407 square miles),the 42nd state in land area. Another bonus:Because algae can be grown just about anywhere in a closed space,they 're being tested at several power plants across the nation as a carbon absorber.Smokestack emissions can be pumped directly into the ponds,feeding the algae while keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. Although processing technology for algae fuel--also known as "oilgae" in some environmentalist circles--is improving,it's still years away from reaching your local gas pump."It's just a question of cost,because no large-scale facilities have been built yet," Caspari says. Compared with corn and soybeans,algae _ . Answer: can grow in poor conditions Because earthquakes happen without warning, it's important to take steps now to prepare.Because you don't know where you will be when an earthquake happens, prepare some supplies for your home, workplace, and car. 1.Water. A person need at least 1/2 gallon of water daily just for drinking.Store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day and be prepared for a 72-hour period.It is suggested that you buy bottled water.Keep bottled water in its original container and do not open it until you need to use it.Also, do check the "use by" date. 2.Food. It's always a practical idea to keep a supply of nonperishable food on hand.Have an enough supply of canned food, powdered milk, dried fruits, nonsalted nuts and canned juices for at least 72 hours. 3.Flashlights and spare batteries. Keep a flashlight beside your bed, at your place of work, and in your car.Do not use matches or candles after an earthquake until you are sure that no gas leaks. Prepare a battery-powered radio and spare batteries.Most telephones will be out of order, so radios will be your best source of information. 4.Clothes. If you live in a cold place, you must think about warmth.You might not have heat after an earthquake.Think about your clothing and bedding supplies. Why should people prepare themselves for an earthquake? Answer: Because earthquakes take place without warning. Good Housekeeping has discovered that even if a child wear a helmet when she bikes, or skates, it may not protect her from a serious head injury. Every year, 390,000 children under age 15 go to hospital emergency rooms with bike-related injuries. Of that number, about one third children suffer head injuries and an estimated 200 die. By wearing a helmet, a child can reduce her risk of injury by as much as 85 percent. But remember ---- a bicycle helmet must fit properly to be safe. Here are five steps to making sure your child's helmet fits properly. 1) If you haven't bought your child's helmet already, you might want to consider one with a rear stabilizer . A rear stabilizer holds the back of the head gently and helps the helmet stay correctly positioned. 2) The helmet should fit closely and shouldn't slide from side to side or front to back. If your child can put two fingers on both temples inside the helmet, it's too big. Try a smaller size. But if the next size down is too small, use the fit pads . Fit pads come in different sizes and attach to the helmet with Velcro. 3) Tell your child to open her mouth widely and ask if she can feel the helmet push down onto the top of her head. If she can't, you need to readjust her helmet. 4) To prevent strap slippage, wind a rubber band around the strap where it meets the fastener. 5) Recheck the fit regularly. You should replace the bicycle helmet: If she has been in an accident with it. If the buckle breaks or if a piece breaks off. If it doesn't have a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, American Society for Testing and Materials, or Snell Memorial Foundation sticker. If it doesn't fit correctly. Even if the helmet fit perfectly two years ago, it might be too small now. Who is this passage mainly written for? Answer: Parents. This was the first day of Katie Daglish's new job as the new manager of the Glasgow Underground Lost Property Department. She was really nervous. There were already hundreds of items in the room, including umbrellas, coats, shopping bags, toys and bears. At 9:30 a.m., a worker came in with a box full of new lost property . Katie heard a mobile phone ring and jumped. She looked over to the box. There were over 20 phones there. She found the phone that was ringing but it stopped just when she picked it up. Ten seconds later, it rang again. " Hello." " Hello, who is this?" said a man. It wasn't easy to hear him. " This is Katie Daglish. I work for the Glasgow Underground Lost Property Department." " Do you have my bag?" " What does it look like?" " It has green and white stripes . It says'Celtic'on both sides." " Let me see. Yes! Yes! I've got it." ks5u " Great! My sister will come to your office in the afternoon to get it. Thanks." Katie gave the address to the man. She hoped it would always be this simple. At 2p.m., a lady came into her office. She described the green and white bag and said her cousin had lost it. " I thought it was your brother," said Katie. " No, it's my cousin." Katie thought that there couldn't be many bags like this and the man wasn't easy to hear. He probably said cousin. Katie gave the lady the bag. One hour later, another lady came in. " Hello. You spoke to my brother this morning. You have his Celtic bag. He's so happy because it has PS10,000 in it. He was worried because there are hundreds of Celtic bags in Glasgow." " Ten thousand pounds..." said Katie nervously. She quickly looked in the bag again. She found another Celtic bag with some clothes but nothing else. Katie told the lady what had happened. She was very angry and called the police. Katie thought she would only have this job for one day. A policeman came quickly. She told Katie, who didn't come from Glasgow, that, because Celtic is a popular football team in Glasgow, many people have green and white bags. Katie was just about to describe the first lady to the policeman when the first lady stepped in. she had looked in the bag and found the money. The second lady thanked the first lady and gave her PS500. The policeman told Katie to be more careful and keep the names of people who took lost property. The next day, the man came to thank Katie. He told her to find out more about Glasgow. He then gave her two tickets to the next Celtic football game. Katie was nervous at first because _ . Answer: she was starting a job Have you heard of the following places on Earth that look completely alien? Waiotapu, New Zealand Steam and gases rising through the pool create bubbles of mud, at the site of what was once a volcano. While Waiotapu is a popular tourist spot, visitors are warned to stay on walkways built by the government for fear that they fall through thin crust surfaces and risk being burned by hot geothermal gases or fluids. Rio Tinto, Spain Rio Tinto is a river in southwestern Spain that originates in the Sierra Morena mountains of Andalusia. It flows generally south - southwest, reaching the Gulf of Cadiz at Huelva. As a possible result of the mining, Rio Tinto is notable for being very acidic (pH 2) and its deep red color1 is due to iron dissolved in the water. The Pinnacles, Australia This stretch of desert landscape in Australia's Nambung National Park boasts thousands of weathered rock projections that rise out of yellow sand hills -- some topped by round roofs, while others form sharp-edged columns. The spires , some of which reach 11 feet in height, are limestone formations sculpted by wind, vegetation, rain, sun and time over millions of years. Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii The closest thing on Earth to a Venusian environment may be the smooth, black basalt formations on Hawaii's Big Island. One of the best examples of a Venus-like volcano is Kilauea Volcano, the youngest and southernmost volcano on the island, and one of the world's most active. Since 1952, there have been more than 34 eruptions at Kilauea, which in Hawaiian tradition is the home of Pele, the volcano goddess. Why are people supposed to stay on walkways in Waiotapu? Answer: Because you may be burned if not.
Question: Please come to meet a family from Canada. The girl's name is Wendy. Her family are in China now. Her father and mother work in Shanghai. Wendy's father is an office worker and her mother teaches English in a school. Wendy has two brothers but no sisters. They are all students but they are in different school. She is in Grade Eight and her brothers are in Grade Six. They love their schools. Wendy usually goes to school with her brothers _ . Sometimes their father takes them in his car. In the afternoon, they have lunch at school.They like to play with their classmates. And they often help each other. Wendy and her brothers are in _ A. the same school B. the same class C. the same grade D. different grades Answer: D Question: A 13-year-old Shenzhen girl has written a novel about life in junior high school, and the book is expected to hit the city's bookshelves in June, the Shenzhen Economic Dailyreported on Thursday. "A Fresh Summer Day," a 180,000-character novel which Zhao Yue completed writing in three months, is in fact Zhao's second published book. Her first book, "A Better Present," is a collection of the articles she wrote when she was still a primary school student. Zhao is a Junior One student of a middle school in Longgang District. She started writing the novel after her first book was published. "I was very much motivated to write a new book when I saw many of my schoolmates reading my first book," said Zhao. She added that she wrote most of the novel at night, sometimes until the early hours of the morning. "I attended school as usual during the three months of writing. I felt all right every day even though I slept for only four hours a day," said the girl. "A Fresh Summer Day" is about puppy love between two junior high school students, which is becoming very common among young children, the paper said. AShenzhen Economic Daily reporter who read the draft of Zhao's story said the plot develops smoothly and naturally, while the descriptions of the characters' feelings are true. Zhao said the story was based on interviews she carried with some of her fellow students, "I myself don't have such a story to tell yet." Zhao has loved writing since early childhood. The second novel written by Zhao Yue is about _ . A. city life B. school life C. her own life D. her early childhood Answer: B Question: The art of reading fiction is largely a matter of inferring meanings. To infer means to understand facts which are not directly stated---only suggested. Inference is one of the commonest ways of knowing things: a child holds his knee and cries; this action implies his feeling; an observer infers that the child is hurt. To infer accurately in everyday life requires caution in observing; to infer skillfully in fiction requires caution in reading; both require disciplined imagination. The short-story reader can expect to find certain basic elements in any story. For example, all stories involve a person or persons, in a particular setting, faced with a demand for a response. The response called for may be a physical action, such as defeating an adversary or escaping from a danger; or it may be a mental action, such as adjusting to others or within oneself. In either case, the short story is a description in two ways: first, it shows the motives for a given human action; second, it makes a point about the general human situation. Such descriptions, however, rather than being stated directly, usually are implied by the elements of the story. When the reader of a story understands all the facts and their interrelationships, he is ready to infer the significance of the story as a whole---its comment on the human situation. This comment, or theme, is the seed from which the story grew. It is also the idea by which all the separate elements of the story are governed, while these in turn further shape and modify the theme. In addition to action, character, and setting, these elements include structure, mood, tone, and point of view. Fiction reading requires an awareness of all the ways in which a story communicates. It also requires attention to detail. What the author provides is a network of points which serve as clues to his meaning. He invites the reader to develop the meaning by inference, actually to create much of the story himself and so make it part of his own experience. What is inferring in fiction based on? A. Readers'guessing. B. Thebasicelementsofthestory. C. Thesettingofthestory. D. Theinterrelationshipsbetweenpeopleinthestory. Answer: B Question: A new satellite is travelling 1.5 million kilometers over a 110-day period to enter an orbit of the sun. It is called DSCOVR--the Deep Space Climate Observatory. It will replace a satellite that has been observing space weather. DSCOVR will begin its work during the worst of the 11-year-long solar cycle. This is a time when extreme weather on the sun can have the greatest effect on planet Earth. DSCOVR will gather information about a continuing flow of particles from the sun. We are protected from these particles by the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. But we are not fully protected from what scientists call Coronal Mass Ejections. These are strong storms that can happen on the sun's surface. Thomas Berger is the director of the Space Weather Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. He says these ejections are much more dangerous than solar particles. He says the Coronal Mass Ejections are extremely large magnetic clouds that are expelled from the sun at extremely high speeds. He says when they impact Earth, it is like a hurricane impacting Earth in terms of space weather. Violent space weather can make electric systems stop working. It can block satellite signals to Earth. It can interfere with radio signals and air travel. Mr. Berger says we cannot stop the ejections from affecting us, but we can prepare for them if we know when they will happen. When the DSCOVR satellite records an ejection, it will release a warning. Mr. Berger says the warning will provide NOAA about 15 to 60 minutes to let people know that a very strong storm is coming in to the Earth. He says that is enough time for power grid operators to take protective action. He says it is also enough time for workers to place satellites on a safe operating method if necessary. Mr. Berger says scientists would like even more time, of course. He says researchers are developing instruments that will give an earlier warning. The warnings from DSCOVR will be for the whole planet. But Mr. Berger says a new system may be able to give more-targeted warnings. He says future models will be able to tell exactly what part of the world will be more at risk from a solar storm. That means that, for the first time, humans will get both a warning that a magnetic storm is heading towards Earth and information about where it is likely to hit. The new satellite is used to _ ? A. replace the satellite in use B. observe space weather C. study the sun D. take pictures of space Answer: B Question: As I was leaving to meet Lynne,my roommate told me that I'd better take some money,but I didn't listen to him. I thought that Lynne would pay because she had invited me. I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time. I'd been told that Americans expect you to be on time. Lynne and I sat at a table in the corner of the restaurant and a waitress came and took our order. The dinner was a great success. I talked a lot about Saudi Arabia and Lynne told me all about herself. After two hours the waitress finally came and asked if we wanted one check or two. Lynne said two. We went to the cashier and Lynne paid her check. I was embarrassed when the cashier gave me my bill. I had no money to pay for my meal. Then I had an idea. I pretended to look for something in my pockets and said,"Oh!I forgot my money! Can I call my roommate,please?" The cashier showed me where the phone was and I quickly called my roommate. In a few minutes he arrived with some money,but he couldn't hide how he felt. He laughed all the way home. Now,I think it's funny too. But at the time I was terribly embarrassed. I thought that an invitation to have dinner meant the same thing in the United States as in my country. I guess you have to understand that your customs are only your customs. When you visit a foreign country,you have to learn about their customs,too. Why didn't Lynne pay the check for the writer? A. Because she thought it was natural for people to pay their own check. B. Because she didn't have the meal. C. Because she wanted to embarrass the writer. D. Because she didn't have enough money with her. Answer: A
Princess Diaries star Anne Hathaway has announced she is engaged .The actress, 29,confirmed the news after she was photographed wearing a ring while with her boyfriend Adam Shulman in Brooklyn yesterday. Shulman, an actor and jewellery designer, worked with Kwiat Heritage Jewels to create the ring. The pair quietly began dating in November 2008,but weren't pictured together until the following year. "We hit it off immediately the first time we met each other but it took us a pretty long time to get together," she has said of Shulman. "He thought that I had a boyfriend and I thought that he had a girlfriend, so I thought that I'd better keep my distance because I didn't want to be that girl. She described their union as more mature than her previous experiences, adding, "Being mature doesn't always make for a good story, but it makes for a good life." Speaking about the relationship in the September issue of U.K.s Marie Claire, she said, "Adam totally ruined my plan. I was really actually looking forward to a little time alone tod then I fell in love like a fool. Her romance with Shulman followed a disastrous relationship with an Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri. She split up with him in 2008 when he was arrested on fraud charges and he was later sentenced to four and a half years in prison. The actress, whose film credits also include Brokeback Mountain and One Day, will next star in the new The Dark Knight Rises. She plays Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A. Marie Claire is a travel guide B. Anne split up with Raffaello because of Shulman C. Follieri totally ruined Anne's life D. the relationship with Raffaello hurt Anne Answer: D You might think I'd have little in common with a camel, but we do share one useful skill: both of us can go for a very long time without water. Usually I start my day with a cup of tea, and then I might have a glass of water with my lunch and one with dinner, that's about a liter of liquid in 24 hours. It feels like plenty, but apparently it's not nearly enough. After years of suffering headaches and poor digestion I spoke to a neurologist about my regular headaches and a nutritionist about my poor digestion, and both told me I should be drinking up to three liters of liquid a day for my body to function at its best. I decided to conduct an experiment. What would happen if I drank the recommended amount every day for a month? The photograph of me taken the day I started this trial demonstrates perfectly and rather frighteningly what a lack of hydration does to a face. I am 42, but have to admit I look more like 52 in this picture, which is shocking. There are dark shadows under and around my eyes, which make me look exhausted, a profusion of wrinkles and strange reddish blotches, and my skin lacks any luster . It looks dead. Even my lips look shriveled . This is all classic evidence of poor hydration, apparently. Every system and function in our body depends on water. It flushes toxins from the vital organs, carries nutrients to cells, provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues, and eliminates waste. Not drinking enough means all these functions becomes damaged. So I decided to see how I would look and feel if I drank three liters of water every day for 28 days. The results were astonishing. According to the passage, the author most probably tends to tell us _ . A. the more water one drinks, the healthier he is B. drinking water makes ladies look younger C. drinking enough water is key to one's health D. it's necessary to follow specialists instructions Answer: C Parts of Africa are covered by a dark cloud. But this is no rain cloud. It is a living cloud made of billions of locusts and they are eating everything in their path. And now in order to fight against this disaster, a radio station in Senegal, West Africa, is offering listeners 5 kilograms of rice if they can catch and kill 50 kilograms of locusts. "We think this idea will get more people to take part in the fight against the locusts," said Abdoulaye Ba, from Sud-Fm, a radio station in one of Senegal's worst affected area. This is West Africa's biggest locust disaster in 15 years. Now it is moving east and it leads to the loss of crops. When they move, they have babies, so their number is getting bigger. and will soon threaten Sudan in the northeast of Africa. Some say it may reach Asia. Experts say many people in the areas will go hungry because of this disaster. What's worse, governments in the areas don't have enough things to fight the locusts. Although leaders of 12 countries have agreed on a plan, it is not enough. 'We are now treating 6,000 hectares per day with pesticide , but we need to treat 20,000 hectares per day in order to have any hope of controlling this disaster,' said Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Babah, leader of locust control in Mauritania. Which of the following is WRONG? A. Sud-Fm offered a reward to those people would join in catching and killing locusts. B. Senegal is to the northwest of Sudan. C. People in West Africa often go hungry. D. 12 countries worked together but they didn't have enough pesticide. Answer: B Years ago a John Hopkin's professor gave a group of graduate students this task: Go to the slums . Take 200 boys, between the ages of 12 and 16, and research into their background and environment. Then predict their chances for the future. The students, after consulting social statistics, talking to the boys, and compiling much data, concluded that 90 percent of the boys would spend some time in prison. Twentyfive years later another group of graduate students was given the job of testing the prediction. They went back to the same area. Some of the boys--by then men--were still there, a few had died, some had moved away, but they got in touch with 180 of the original 200. They found that only four of the group had ever been sent to prison. Why was it that these men, who had lived in a breeding place of crime, had such a surprisingly good record? The researchers were continually told: "Well, there was a teacher..." They pressed further, and found that in 75 percent of the cases it was the same woman. The researchers went to this teacher, now living in a home for retired teachers. How had she exerted this remarkable influence over that group of children? Could she give them any reason why these boys should have remembered her? "No," she said, "no I really couldn't." And then, thinking back over the years, she said amusingly, more to herself than to her questioners: "I loved those boys." What conclusion can we draw from the story? A. Love can work miracles. B. Like teacher, like pupil. C. Adversity leads to prosperity. D. Nothing is difficult to the man who will try. Answer: A Several hundred strangers received "love letters" from a young man on the street. The letter was written and given out by Yang Yang,a student majoring in human resources at Chongqing University of Science and Technology, who hoped to show his disappointment with job hunting. Yang's story has caught media attention perhaps because it is similar to those of millions of recent graduates seeking jobs and struggling for survival in the country's wealthiest cities. They have diplomas, rather than professional skills, and come to big cities in hopes of better lives, only to find low-paying jobs and poor living conditions. They are China's "ant tribe ",a term coined by sociologist Lian Si from Peking University in his 2009 book, Ant Tribe."They're so similar to ants. They share small and narrow living areas. They're intelligent and hardworking, yet nameless and underpaid."The term also speaks to their helplessness in a world governed by the law of the jungle-only the strongest survive. A survey in Lian's another book published this year, Ant Tribe II, found nearly 30 percent of "ants" are graduates of famous universities-almost three times last year's percentage. Most had degrees in popular majors. In addition, 7.2 percent of "ants" have at least a master's degree compared to 1.6 percent in 2009. An "ant's" average monthly salary is 1,904 yuan, with about 64 percent of them earning less than 2,000 yuan a month. Another survey in the 2010 Annual Report on the Development of Chinese Talent found more than 1 million "ants" live in big cities. "Most ants are from rural families or small towns, and their experiences in universities didn't arm them well enough to fight with competitors in big cities' employment markets."Professor Zhang Ming at Renmin University of China said. The "ant tribe's" embarrassing living situations have become a serious social problem, and the government should develop smaller cities to attract more graduates from big cities, Zhang believed. However, "ants" expect more study and training opportunities in big cities, which keeps them positive despite their situations. Yang's story is introduced in order to _ . A. analyze graduates' difficulties in finding jobs B. lead to the topic of the article-"ant tribe" C. tell readers a story about those big cities D. show a clever way of dealing with pressure Answer: B
The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are "rocket-boosters" to the brain and better therapy than self-help books, researchers will say this week. Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind, catches the reader's attention and cause moments of self-reflection. Using scanners, they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S Eliot and others. They then "translated" the texts into more "straightforward", modern language and again monitored the readers' brains as they read the words. Scans showed that the more "challenging" prose and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the more pedestrian versions. Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it "lit up" as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure. This "lighting up" of the mind lasts longer than the initial electrical spark, shifting the brain to a higher gear, encouraging further reading. The research also found that reading poetry, in particular, increases activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, an area concerned with "autobiographical memory", helping the reader to reflect on and reappraise their own experiences in light of what they have read. The academics said this meant the classics were more useful than self-help books. Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study with the university's magnetic resonance centre, will tell a conference this week: "Serious literature acts like a rocket-booster to the brain. "The research shows the power of literature to shift mental pathways, to create new thoughts, shapes and connections in the young and the elderly alike." How do classics such as Shakespeare and Wordsworth benefit the readers? Answer: They draw readers' attention and help make self-examination. In today's prefix = st1 /Ireland, it seems hard to imagine the grim days of the 19thcentury when so many of the population starved, or that, in those days, many poor people had no clue how to prepare any food other than boil a potato. Nowadays, it is quite possible to eat both well and heartily all over the island. Tourism has made a _ difference to the standards of cooking inIreland. Until recently there was hardly any tradition of eating out in many districts, except perhaps on very few occasions at a local hotel. Patterns of diet were old-styled, based firmly on 'meat and two vegetables' (somewhat overcooked), potatoes (of course) and large quantities of dairy produce. Now things are very different. Tourist demands for predictable, inexpensive fast-food are met, as everywhere, with hamburgers and pizzas - a better bet being fish and chips. But more sophisticated tastes have introduced wholefoods and vegetarian restaurants (almost unheard of before), and a vast number of new restaurants, often French in style, have opened in the main tourist centres. Food 'events' such as Kinsale's Gourmet festival or Galway's Oyster Festival attract large numbers of visitors and reflect the new interest in food. Whatever Irish cooking lacks in finesse , it nearly always makes up for in plenty, and ingredients are of a high quality. Home-grown produce includes rich dairy foods, beef, lamb and pork, and a great variety of seafood. One of its great specialities is soda bread. It is made with buttermilk and is served fresh and warm with every meal. Recently there has been a return to simple Irish foods such as stews and potato dishes. One of the best-value meals in Irelandis breakfast. A 'traditional Irish breakfast' is a plateful of bacon and eggs with soda and potato breads. Accommodation rates are nearly always quoted with a full breakfast included, so you might as well eat enough to keep you going all day and get your money's worth! How has Irish food improved in recent years? Answer: There is more kinds. Radio, telephone and TV are widely used in the world. When you turn on the radio, you can listen. But when you use telephone, not only can you listen to others but also you can chat with them, however, you can't see anything at all. TV is much better than both of them. People can watch TV and listen to it, but they can't take part in what they see. Today, some people are using a type of telephone called vision-phone . With it, two people who are talking can see each other. It is better than radio, telephone or TV. Vision-phones can be of great use when you have something to show the person whom you are calling. It will be helpful in people's life. Some day you may be able to call up a library and ask to read a book on your vision-phone. You may be able to do some shopping too. Perhaps in the future, people will use vision-phone. ,. In the future, you can use a vision-phone to _ Answer: read a book Amy Chua may well be very _ . What kind of a mother will drag her then 7-year-old daughter's dollhouse out to the car and tell her that it is going to be donated if the poor kid doesn't master a difficult piano composition by the next day? What kind of a mother will inform her daughter that she is nothing but "garbage"? And what kind of mother will believe, as Chua tells readers, that "an A- is not always a good grade"? The only activities her children should be permitted to do are those in which they can eventually win a medal, which must be gold. What kind of a mother she is? Why, a mother who is raising her kids in the typical Chinese way, rather than the Western way. In her new book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Chua tells her adventures in Chinese parenting, and -- so _ as she may be -- she is also mesmerizing . Chua's voice is that of a happy, knowledgeable serial killer -- think Hannibal Lecter -- who's explaining how he's going to cut his next victim, as though it's the most self-evidently normal behavior. There is another attractive aspect of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. There are methods to Chua's madness, enough method to stir up self-doubt in those readers who support the more educating parenting styles. It is trusted that Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is going to be a book club and parenting blog phenomenon; there will be fevered debate over Chua's tough love strategies, which include unchangeable bans on such Western indulgences as sleepovers, play dates, and any after class activities except practicing musical instruments, which must be limited between the violin or the piano. The back story to Chua's book is this -- she is the daughter of a couple of Chinese immigrants and is now a professor at Yale Law School and the author of two best-selling "big-think" books on "free-market democracy" and "the fall of empires". When Chua married her husband, her fellow Yale law professor and a novelist Jed Rubenfeld, they agreed that their children would be brought up in "the Chinese way," in which punishingly hard work, enforced by parents produces excellence; excellence, in turn, produces satisfaction. The success of this strategy is hard to debate. Their older daughter is a piano talent who played at Carnegie Hall when she was 14 or so. The second, a more rebellious daughter, Lulu, is a gifted violinist. Chua rode the girls hard, making sure they practiced at least three hours a day even on vacations, when she would call ahead to arrange access to practice in hotel lobby bars and basement storage rooms. Chua also rarely refrained from criticizing her daughters. She explains: Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable to Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, "Hey so fatty, lose some weight." By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of "health" and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in treatment for eating disorders and negative self-image. ... Western parents are concerned about their children's minds. Chinese parents aren't. They assume strength, not weakness, and as a result they behave very differently. Which of the following practices are tough love strategies EXCEPT _ . Answer: Children are indulged to sleepover, play dates, etc. Mrs. Amatuli was my teacher in the fourth grade. One day at lunch time,I was getting ready to eat my same old tuna fish sandwich and suddenly Mrs. Amatuli asked me if she could buy my sandwich from me. She explained that I could use the money to buy a hot lunch from the cafeteria. I was thrilled. I never bought my lunch at the cafeteria. It was too expensive for my family,and I always carried my lunch and brought the bag back home to use again the next day. My sandwiches were either bologna or tuna fish. It rarely varied beyond that. You can understand my delight when I had the opportunity to buy a hot lunch. When we finished lunch that day. Mrs. Amatuli took me aside and said she wanted to explain why she had bought my sandwich. I really didn't care why, but it gave me a few minutes of her precious attention so I was very quiet as she explained. You see,she was Catholic and she told me that Catholics didn't eat red meat on Fridays--they ate fish on Fridays. Oh,I couldn't wait to get home and tell my mama that from now on 1 wanted tuna fish on Fridays. After my mama understood why,she gladly fixed tuna fish for me on Fridays. She even fixed it on brown bread because she knew Mrs. Amatuli liked brown bread. From then on. every Friday I could get in line with the rest of the kids for a hot lunch. I didn't care how many of the kids complained about cafeteria food--it tasted _ to me! I realize now that Mrs. Amatuli could have fixed herself a tuna sandwich of Friday. But she bought my sandwich because she saw a 1ittle girl who was thrilled over the simple act of having a hot lunch. I will never forget her for her compassion and generosity and what I should do is to follow her example. Which of the following can best show the theme of this text? Answer: Love makes the world go around.
This is a room in Kate's house. There is a big bed, a table, a computer and some chairs in it. There's a glass and some books on the table. There is a picture on the wall. Kate is in the room. She is looking at the picture. Her father and mother are in the school. They work hard. What's in the room? A Only a bed. B Only a table. C Only some chairs. D A bed, a table, a computer and some chairs. Answer: D. A bed, a table, a computer and some chairs. C 8:30 PM Outlook Outlook is back with a new series of reports to keep you up date with all that's new in the world of entertainment. Stories go all the way from the technical to the romantic, from stage to screen. There will be reports of the stars of the moment, the stars of the future and the stars of the past. The director with his new film,he designer with the latest fashion and the musician with the popular song are part of the new Outlook . The program is introduced by Fran Levine. 9:00 PM Discovery When a 10-year-old boy gets a first class degree in mathematics or an 8-year-old plays chess like a future grand master, they are considered as geniuses . Where does the quality of genius come from? Is it all in the genes or can any child be turned into a genius ? And if parents do have a child who might become a genius in the future,what should they do? In this 30-minute film, Barry Johnson , the professor at School of Medicine , New York University will help you discover the answer . 10:00 P Science/Health Is it possible to beat high blood pressure without drugs? The answer is "yes", according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins and three other medical centers . After a study of 800 persons with high blood pressure , they found that after 6 months , those devoted to weight loss--exercise and eating a low--salt , low-fat food--lost about 13 pounds and became fitter . Plus , 35% of them dropped into the "normal" category . This week, Dr . Alan Duckworth will tell you how these people reduce their blood pressure to a level similar to what's achieved with Hypertension drugs . According to the third text , which of the following has almost the same effect as Hypertension drug ? A Exercise plus a healthy diet . B Loss of thirteen pounds in weight . C Six months of exercise without drugs . D Low-salt and low-fat food . Answer: A. Exercise plus a healthy diet . The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy." The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy." The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness. Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this. What's inside the box according to the little girl? A nothing B air C kisses D gold wrapping paper Answer: C. kisses A bus stops at a small bus stop. A man is hungry and he wants to buy some cakes. It's raining hard, he doesn't want to go out in the rain. He sees a boy. "Come here, boy!" he cries. "Do you know how much the cakes are?" The boy says yes. The man gives the boy four dollars and asks him to buy two cakes. "One is for you and one is for me." Three minutes later, the boy comes back. He's eating a cake. He gives the man two dollars and says: "Sorry, there is only one cake left." How many cakes does the boy get? A One B Two C Three D Four Answer: A. One Fame troubled Marie Curie and also her husband, because science was their world and in their world of science fame and honor had no value. One day, when a writer for a newspaper tried to ask Marie about herself and her thoughts and her belief, she answered him, "In science we must be interested in things, not in persons." Much of the real character and spirit of this unusual woman is found in these few words, which she was later often to repeat. One evening, at a big party, a friend asked if she would like to see the king of Greece, who was also a guest. She answered in her simple manner, "I don't see the value of it." Then, seeing that she had hurt the feeling of her friend, she quickly added, "But...but...of course, I shall do whatever you please, just as you please. According to Marie's character and spirit we should _ . A try hard to get fame and honor B always attend parties and meetings C sing high praise for officials D fix our attention upon our work and study Answer: D. fix our attention upon our work and study
Hello, everyone, I'm Xing Fei. I'm from China. My family name is Xing. I live in Bei Jing. My family is very large. In my family, my grandfather's father is the oldest one. He is now ninety-nine years old. My grandfather is eighty years old. And my grandma is eighty-two years old. They have four children, my uncle, my father, and my two aunts. I'm their grandson. My parents have two children, my sister and me. And I have four cousins. Now, I'm a student in No. 10 Middle school. And my sister is only five years old. My parents are both teachers. They love my family very much. So they work hard. We go to the park every morning. My mother says that it can help us keep healthy. How old is his sister? Answer: The audience starts to scream and young people all over Britain turn on their TVs. Yes, it's Top of the pops! Top of the pops is an amazing 45-year-old programme. Pop stars from all over the world appear on this successful TV prograrmme. After about 2340 shows, it's still the most popular pop music show in Britain.So what's the secret? "We get lots of bands to perform live in the studio," says producer Chris Cowey. "That just doesn't happen on other shows" Chris starts the preparations for the programme over a week before it goes out.His first job is to decide which bands to have on the show. When the chart of the top twenty songs is produced on Sunday, Chris can start to book the bands Monday starts with Chris meeting his sound, lighting and camera workers. They listen to each song and plan the show. Tuesday is paperwork day. There are bookings to make sure of, letters to answer and lots of phone calls to make. The show is on Thursday. Bands arrive at the studio from 10 o'clock in the morning and start practicing. Tonight's presenter, Jo Whiley, practises too First the bands go to make up. Judy and Issy are the make-up artists. "We see the stars with no make-up on, looking terrible," says Issy. Then the bands go to the costume department where Marianne dresses the stars. Back in the studio things are happening. The audience is practising their dance moves! It takes over two hours to record the whole programme, then Chris edits it all night long. The final version is exactly 29 minutes long What make (s) Top of the Pops the most popular in Britain? Answer: Which example best shows the effect of vibration on matter? Answer: Ryo Desmidt is in his first year at a kindergarten in Hong Kong and seems like an especially gifted child.He is three years old.Since he was ten months old,his mother,Momoe,has been taking him to a language center five times a week where he is taught to listen, speak and interact in English, Mandarin and Japanese.He attends a language school in the city that offers courses for children as young as a few months old. Some parents will even pay a tutor to speak in a particular language for an hour in the belief their baby will absorb this.This is just one of the many examples of how parents in Hong Kong are trying to get ahead of the game by giving their children a competitive edge in the race for limited school places. With a large expatriate community and an increase in mainland Chinese parents wishing to send their kids across the homer to school.Hong Kong's world class educational system is undere siege with applications.And this pressure is being felt by parents,many of whom are starting early and going to extraordinary lengths to outshine thousands of other applicants for limited pre--school opportunities,believing it will give them an advantage when it comes to securing a primary school place. At this time of the year,parents go into a crazy queuing for application forms at schools acroos Hong Kong.According to Fung Kai Kindergarten in the city's Sheung Shui district,around 2,000 people camped out overnight to apply for only 240 available spaces on October 7--police were even called in to deal with complaints about people cutting the queue. In Hong Kong,where formal pre--school education begins at the age of three,many prospective parents begin mapping out education plans before their children are born.Desmidt,an expat mother living in Hong Kong,revealed she started looking for potential kindergartens and playgroups during her pregnancy. A ccording to the text,Desmidt was a_mother. Answer: "It was all his own idea, " says Pat Peters, the 38-year-old wife of Palo Alto, California high school . Bob had just drawn up a "motherhood contract" ----- a document stating that for 70 days this summer he would take over the care and feeding of the couple's four children, plus all household chores . Although he didn't even know how to make coffee when he signed, he was quite confident.(He thought the experience would make a nice book.) After 40 of the 70 days, he was ready to give up. "I was beaten down, completely humbled, " admits Peters. Three weeks later he spoke to the local press (also part of the bargain), stating, "Not only is motherhood a difficult task, not only is it never-ending, it is an impossible job for any normal human being." Bob and Pat were high school sweethearts. After they were married in 1960, she worked as a secretary to help put him through university. Since then Bob has been the football and wrestling coach at Palo Alto's Cubberley High while Pat raised the kids. Then two years ago Pat went back to work as a secretary at Cubberley. "I had been around children so much," she sighs , "I couldn't talk to a grown-up." She continued to run the household, however----- until Bob signed the contract, whereupon she decided to relax and enjoy it. Although Peters had consulted with his school's home economics teachers and the head of the cafeteria , his meals were sometimes a disaster. "I tried to slip the butter I'd forgotten under the eggs after they were frying, " he says. For the last three weeks, the family ate out a lot--sometimes having Macdonald's hamburgers for lunch and dinner. As for housekeeping, a home economics teacher had told Bob that a room always looks clean if the bed is made. "I found an easier way-----I shut the doors, " he says. Soon the kids were wearing the same clothes for a week. "I made them wear their shirts inside out, and when we went to pick up Pat at work they turned them right side out so they would look clean." Now that Bob has publicly admitted he was wrong, he is routinely sharing the child-raising and household tasks with Pat. The tentative title of his book about the summer is taken from something he shouted at the kids one day. It was agreed that if Bob failed to keep to the contract, he would have to _ . Answer:
The Slender West Lake. named National AAAAA Tourist Area in 2010, includes the Great Rainbow Bridge, the White Pagoda, Five-pavilion Bridge, the Twenty-four Bridge, the Small Golden Hill and so on. The best time to tour the Slender West Lake is in March. During the visit to the park, the boat travels on the water and visitors travel in the picture. Ticket: Mar. - May. Y= 150; Other months Y=90 Time: 8:30 - 17:00 Bus: No. 4, 5, 6, 17, 61 buses Tel: 0514-87357803; 0514-87370091 Website: http://www.shouxihu.com He garden, the most famous garden in the late Qing Dynasty, is known for its long double-way corridor , which is regarded as the earliest footbridge. Ticket: Mar. - May. Y= 40; Other months Y=30 Time: 7:30 - 17:15 Bus: No. 19, 61 buses Te: 0514-87900345; 0514-87222353 Website: http://www.he-garden.net Six months ago. Jack came to China to study. He has heard that Yangzhou is famous for its gardens. And he plans to visit some gardens in July, so he has collected information about them online as follows: What's He Garden famous for? A The long corridor. B The green bamboo. C The man-made hills. D The boat travelling. Answer: A One morning, Tina and Wesley both wake up with sore throats and stuffy noses. They have the same symptoms, but they react very differently. While Tina reaches for water and vitamins, her husband, Wesley, reached for the phone. "I'd better make a doctor's appointment," he says. Why do these two Chinese people react to sickness so differently? Tina grew up in the U.S. Wesley grew up in Taiwan. And they have discovered that differences between Chinese and American cultures extend to every area of life. Even sickness and health. When Westerners experience pain, they usually express their discomfort. Most Asians don't. This creates a challenge for American nurses who care for Asian patients in the U.S. How do they know if that calm, quiet patient is really hurting? They have to keep asking their Asian patients how they feel. In addition, Americans usually don't want sickness to slow them down. Unlike Chinese people, Americans often don't take time off work to rest and get well. They'd rather sneeze and cough all day at the office. Americans who get sick in Asia may protest when Chinese friends suggest they go to the hospital. "I'm not that sick!" they may say. In the U.S., only very sick or injured patients go to hospital. People go to a doctor's office for less serious problems. Like Tina, Americans more often turn to vitamins or over-the-counter drugs to help them get well. Chinese people, however, often head straight for the doctor when they get sick, like Wesley did. They want a prescription to treat their sickness before it gets serious. Chinese patients often just trust their doctors to give them the information they need. Most Americans, however, ask their doctors lots of questions and do research. American patients want to know everything they can about their condition. So, are one culture's attitudes toward health better than the other's? Perhaps not. Tina and Wesley will both recover from their colds. And today, doctors all over the world are sharing treatment methods with each other. In health, as in everything else, we can learn a lot from each other. According to the passage, which of the following might a Chinese not do when he's ill? A Go to the doctor's. B Be absent from work. C Keep silent about it. D Accept medical treatment. Answer: C My father' s family is not a musical family. They are a family of words. My brother has my father's dark hair, his love of a good argument. I take after my mother. From her I inherited a curious nature, a sense of adventure, bright red hair. I did not, contrary to her hopes, inherit a talent for the piano. That fact was established beyond doubt after unsuccessful attempts to draw music from me. The piano lessons began when I was four. My mother was convinced that I would be a child Mozart. She found the ideal teacher--Madame Oblenka, a strict Russian woman, whose pursed lips were enough to frighten a wild horse into submission. Madame Oblenka, who expected a little Mozart, was not very delighted to find a little girl banging her fists on the keys. I tried to please her. "Feel the music," she urged. I "felt" it and winced my ear--for what is more unpleasant than a series of wrong notes played continuously? She "felt" my music, too, which is why she always left with an angrier expression than when she came. Once, when I was ten, I managed to record one of my own rehearsals . In order to escape my practice sessions, I would close myself behind the door of the piano room, put on the tape recording, and read until the tape had finished. That method worked for a week, until my mother began to wonder why I always missed the same B-sharp. She knocked on the door, and, receiving no answer, came in to check on me and found that I had fallen asleep while the tape of my performance played on and on. I was twelve when my parents finally acknowledged that my hidden talent was not about to _ any time soon. My mother, refusing to admit defeat, told me to pick another instrument. "Choose anything you want, Honey," she said, assuming that freedom of choice would inspire devotion. I thought long and hard and chose the drums. My parents, sensitive to noise, would be less than overjoyed by a daily bombardment of playing. I imagined my father in his study, cotton wads in his ears. I worked my way through several other instruments before my mother hit on another idea. Maybe I wasn't meant to be an instrumentalist. Realizing that drama might be more suited to my talents, Mom took me to a drama teacher. However, he put me backstage, painting scenery. Once I recovered from my sense of injury, I realized the wisdom of his choice. I loved the active, practical backstage world, and I discovered that I had a knack for constructing and painting. I loved the challenge of taking our scanty supplies and using them to make something beautiful. Imagining a scene and then seeing it emerge before me--this, to me, was close to magic. I'm a sculptor now, and every day I experience afresh the joy of being fully absorbed in the act of artistic creation. It's a wonderful, blissful feeling. I realize that my parents, in their misguided attempts to interest me in music, were trying to give me this feeling. And now I feel grateful. Perhaps they went about it in the wrong way, but their hearts were in the right place. We can learn from the passage _ . A art should be treated as a joy rather than a burden B the ordinary backstage work can help one succeed C you can only get better at something if you practice D parents should encourage their children to create art Answer: A Metro Pocket Guide Metrorail Each passenger needs a farecard to enter and go out. Up to two children under ago five may travel free with a paying customer. Farecard machine are in every station, Bring small bills because there are no change machines in the station and farecard machine only provide up to $ 5 in change. Get one of unlimited Metrorail rides with a One Day Pass. Buy it from a farecard machine in Metro stations. Use it after 9:30 a. m. until closing on weekdays, and all day on weekends and holidays. Hours of Service Open: 5 a. m Mon-Fri 7a. m. Sat--Sun . Close: midnight Sun--Thurs 3 a.m. Fri.---Sat. nights. Last train times vary. To avoid missing the last train, please check the last train times posted in the station. Metrobus When paying with exact change, the fare is $ 1. 35 . when paying with a smarTrip card, the fare is $1. 25 Fares for the Senior /disabled customers Senior citizens 65 and older and disabled customers may ride for half the regular fare. On Metrorail and Metrobus, use a senior/disabled farecard or SmarTrip card. For more information about buying senior/disabled farecards, farecard or SmarTrip cards and passes, please visit MetroOpenDoors. com or call 202-637-7000 and 202-637-8000. Senior citizens and disabled customers can get free guide on how to use proper Metrobus and Metrorail services by calling 202-962-1100 Travel tips . Avoid riding during weekday rush periods -before 9:30 a. m. and between 4 and 6 p. m. . If you lose something on a bus or train or in a station, please call Lost & Found at 202-962-1195. What is good about a SmarTrip card? A It is convenient for old people B It saves money for its users C it can be bought at any time D it is sold on the Internet. Answer: B A new study has found evidence of aggressive behavior in children who drink four or more servings of soft drinks every day. Information for the study came from the mothers of 3,000 5-year-olds. Researchers asked the women to keep a record of how many servings of soft drinks their children drank over a two-month period. They were also asked to complete a checklist of their children's behavior. The researchers have found that 43 percent of the children drink at least one daily serving of soda, and 4 percent of the youngsters have even four or more sodas to drink every day. Shakira Suglia, a famous expert, says they've found that children who drink the most soda are more than twice as likely as those who drink no soda to show signs of aggression. "For the children who consume four or more soft drinks per day, we see more _ behaviors, which make them hard to get along well with others." The aggressive behaviors include destroying possessions belonging to others, taking part in fights and physically attacking people. The researchers have determined the link after considering factors like the child's age and sex. They have also considered other possible influence, such as whether the boys and girls are eating sweets or giving fruit drinks on a normal day. In addition, the researchers have examined parenting styles and other social conditions that may be taking place in the home. Researches are trying to find why young children who drink a lot of soda have behavior problems. An ingredient often found in soft drinks is caffeine, which helps to make people feel energetic. Doctor Suglia suggests that caffeine could cause the 5-year-olds to be more aggressive. Earlier studies of adults have found the highest sugar levels in those who carry weapons and show signs of negative social behavior. According to the research, which of the following is right? A Mothers were asked to keep a record of how many servings of soft drinks their children drank over a three-month period. B 4 percent of the youngsters have even four or fewer sodas to drink every day. C Children who drink no soda show fewer aggressive behaviors. D Children with the highest sugar levels tend to carry weapons and show signs of negative social behavior. Answer: C
In the more and more competitive service industry , it is no longer enough to promise customer satisfaction. Today , customer "delight" is what companies are trying to achieve in order to keep and increase market share. It is accepted in the marketing industry , and confirmed by a number of researches, that customers receiving good service will promote business by telling up to 12 other people : those treated badly will tell their tales of woe to up to 20 people, 80 percent of people who feel their complaints are handled fairly will stay loyal New challenges for customer care have come when people can obtain goods and services through telephone call centers and the Internet. For example , many companies now have to invest a lot of money in information technology and staff training in order to cope with the " _ "--caused by delays in answering calls ,being cut off in mid-conversation or left waiting for long periods. "Many people do not like talking to machines ,"says Dr . Storey Senior Lecturer in Marketing at City University Business School. "Banks, for example, encourage staff at call centers to use customer data to establish instant and good relationship with them .The aim is to make the customer feel they know you and that you can trust-- the sort of comfortable feelings people have during face-to-face chats with their local branch manager." Recommended ways of creating customer delight include: under-promising and over-delivering (saying that a repair will be carried out within five hours ,but getting it done within two );replacing a faulty product immediately : throwing in a gift voucher as an unexpected "thank you" to regular customers ;and always returning calls ,even when they are complaints. Aiming for customer delight is all very well , but if services do not reach the high level promised , disappointment or worse will be the result . This can be eased by offering an apology and an explanation of why the service did not meet usual standards with _ (for example, "I know how you must feel") , and possible solutions (replacement , compensation or whatever fairness suggests best meets the case). Airlines face some of the toughest challenges over customer care . Fierce competition has convinced them that delighting passengers is an important marketing tool, while there is great potential for customer anger over delays caused by weather , unclaimed luggage and technical problems . For British Airways staff , a winning telephone style is considered vital in handling the large volume of calls about bookings and flight times. They are trained to answer quickly , with their name , job title and a "we are here to help" attitude. The company has invested heavily in information technology to make sure that information is available instantly on screen. British Airways also says its customer care policies are applied within the company and staff are taught to regard each other as customers requiring the highest standards of service. Customer care is obviously here to stay and it would be a foolish company that used slogans such as "we do as we please". On the other hand , the more customers are promised, the greater the risk of disappointment. Customer delight is important for airlines because _ . Answer: WHAT sets Spain apart from the rest of Europe? It might be "siestas", the three-hour lunch break that is customary in the country. The Spanish start work at 8 or 9 am, but in the early afternoon they usually take a three-hour break. After lunch, people can be seen napping in cars or on benches. During hot summer afternoons, Spanish village streets are often totally deserted . When they return to their offices at 4 pm, Spanish workers often have to make up for the lost time by working until 8 or 9 pm. So, while most other Europeans are sound asleep, Spaniards are still having dinner or watching television. "Everything in Spain happens later, from meal times to broadcast entertainment," described AP. "This work schedule is a Spanish cultural vice," said Nuria Chinchilla, head of the International Center on Work and Family at the University of Navarra in Barcelona. "Changing to the European schedule should be the most urgent project for the government." Many Spanish people complain about their never-ending workdays, and some even think the issue has affected the country's development. "In Spain we sleep almost an hour less than the World Health Organization recommends," lawmakers in the Spanish parliament wrote in a proposal. "This has a negative effect on productivity, stress, accidents and school dropout rates." That's why, last September, they recommended that Under the proposed newuthe government turn back the clocks by one hour. schedule, the lunchtime break would be cut to an hour or less. And a regular eight-hour workday would be introduced. However, some doubt that changing the time zone would reverse low productivity, which comes more from the country's service-oriented economy , according to Maria Angeles Durant, a sociologist with the Spanish National Research Council. But Ignacio Buqueras, the president of the Association for the Rationalization of Spanish Working Hours, told The New York Times that "changing the Spanish schedule would allow families more free time together and boost Spain's economy." The Spanish government is treating the campaign seriously, but it hasn't taken any action yet, reported The New York Times. Spain's siesta is not actually a product of its relaxed Mediterranean culture. At the start of the 20th century, Spain had the same working hours as many parts of Europe. It was during World War II that the country moved the clocks forward to align them with those of Nazi Germany. The same thing happened in Portugal. After the defeat of Hitler, Portugal returned to Greenwich Mean Time, but Spain did not. What's the main idea of the passage? Answer: Once upon a time, there were two seeds . They were good friends. They often talked with each other when they were free. One day, they had nothing to do . They lay on the ground. They looked up at the sky and had a chat with each other. The first seed said, "I want to grow! Then I can enjoy the sun and the rain!" Later, it grew. It had a chance to enjoy the sun and the rain. The second seed said, "I am afraid of growing up. If I grow, I have to live in the _ . Little animals may come up to me and eat me. How terrible! If I become a beautiful flower, a child will come and pick me. It is much better for me to wait. It's a dangerous way to be alive." It did nothing and refused to grow. Spring came soon. A duck came up to the seeds. It eat the second seed and went away. See? We shouldn't act like the second seed. We should face our life bravely. The first seed wanted to grow because Answer: Baekeland and Hartmann report that the " short sleepers" had been more or less average in their sleep needs until the men were in their teens. But at about age 15 0r so, the men voluntarily began cutting down their nightly sleep time because of pressures from school, work, and other activities. These men tended to regard their nightly periods of unconsciousness as bothersome interruptions in their daily routines. In general, these "short sleepers" appeared ambitious, active, energetic and cheerful. They stuck to their opinions, and were very sure about their job choices..They often held several jobs at once, or worked full-or part-time while going to school. And many of them had a strong urge to appear "normal" or " acceptable" to their friends and colleagues. When asked to remember their dreams, the " short sleepers" did poorly. More than this, they seemed to prefer not remembering. Similarly, their usual way of dealing with psychological problems was not to admit that the problem existed, and then to keep busy in the hope that the trouble would go away. The sleep patterns of the " short sleepers" were similar to, but less extreme than, sleep patterns shown by many mental patients categorized as manic . The "long sleepers" were quite different indeed. Baekeland and Hanmann report that these young men have been lengthy sleepers since childhood. They seemed to enjoy their sleep, protected it, and were quite concemed when sometimes they didn't have their desired 9 hours of nightly bed rest. They tended to remember their dreams much better than the " short sleepers". Many of the "long sleepers" were shy, anxious, quiet, nervous, passive, mildly depressed, and unsure of themselves ( particularly in social situations) . Several openly stated that sleep was an escape from their daily problems. When sometimes they cannot enjoy adequate sleep, the "long sleepers" might _ . Answer: Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was a good and tireless writer, and he wrote The Declaration of Independence. There is much we can learn from him. Here are some of the things he said and wrote: Go and see. Jefferson believed that a free man obtains knowledge from many sources besides books, and personal investigation is important as well. Judge for yourself. Jefferson refused to accept other people's opinions without careful thought. "Neither believe nor reject anything," he wrote to his nephew. Learn from everyone. Jefferson once visited the French nobleman, Lafayette, and said to him, "You must go into the people's home as I have done ,look into their cooking pots and eat their bread. If you will only do this, you may find out why people are dissatisfied. " Do what you believe is right. In a free country, there will always be conflicting ideas, and this is a source of strength. It is not unquestioning agreement but conflict that keeps freedom alive. Though Jefferson was for many years the object of strong criticism, he never answered his critics. He expressed his philosophy, "There are two sides to every question. If you take one side with decision and act on it with effect, those who take the other side will of course resent your actions. " Trust the future and trust the young. Jefferson felt that the present should never be chained to customs which have lost their usefulness. "The earth belongs to the living generation. " He didn't fear new ideas, nor did he fear the future. "How much pain has been caused by evils which have never happened?" he remarked,"I expect the best, not the worst. " What would be the best title of the passage? Answer:
Bad days happen to us all. Often a day that starts out bad just continues to get worse. Sometimes there's a "domino effect " with bad events. For example, you sleep through the alarm, so you're stressed. And you will sit in the bad traffic, which will also make you late for work, etc. How can we turn a bad day to a good day? Here are some ideas that have worked for me: Smile a lot Smiling a lot will help you feel relaxed. Research has shown that smiling produces three useful chemicals which make us feel good. Talk to a good friend Keeping bad or unhappy things in your mind is not a good idea. Talking to someone who cares and listen really does help us feel better, too. Concentrate on your good things It's hard to concentrate on how bad things are when you're concentrating on how good things are! Think of 10 or more things you're thankful for, and you'll achieve a whole new outlook on your day. Get some exercise If you can, go for a walk. Exercising will help you feel better. Excising can get your day back to be normal again. Make the day a challenge If you make yourself think of the day as a challenge, you'll start to do all the things you can to make your day better. ,. If the writer wants to feel better, how does the writer do? Get some exercise Last week Adele's second album, 21, sold 257,000 copies in the UK, a sales figure that would look incredible as an opening sales week for any album by any global superstar. The fact that the album was celebrating its 10th week at No.1, and that each of the previous nine weeks it had sold over 100,000 copies, makes what Adele has achieved look miraculous. The last female singer to spend that long at No.1 in the UK was Madonna in 1990 with her greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection. For Adele, the success of 21 is part of a perfect storm of talent, timing and a connection that went beyond gender, age and credibility. But what does it say about the state of the music industry? Does Adele's success signal a return to the MOR musical depression, when the likes of James Blunt dominated the charts? Her success may well lead to a great many similar acts aiming for an MOR audience, but that's more the fault of an industry desperate to recreate any kind of success by creating poor copies until the world shouts "stop now". What seems to have set Adele apart is her apparent ordinariness, besides that incredible voice. While Gaga parades around in a dress made of meat and Beyonce orbits a world out of touch to the majority of most human beings, Adele's chain-smoking, girl-you'd-like-to-go-to-the-pub-with persona stands out. Even for a British act, her ordinariness goes against trend, with fellow Jessie J adopting a very American habit of over-emoting, talking about a "journey" and making the idea of being a pop star seem fairly difficult. It's this universality and broad appeal that's helped her translate talent into sales. While the first single from 21, Rolling in the Deep, appealed to Radio 1 listeners and bloggers, the second single, Someone Like You, is so successful that silenced the grand O2 Arena during this year's Brit Awards. The press can write pages and pages in that there's enough of a connection of musicians - Rick Rubin worked on the album, there's a cover of the Cure, Mumford & Sons were an influence - while the gossip magazines have been excited by the fact that the album is one long break-up record, eager to find the ex. In 1990, Madonna was a global superstar with a back catalogue of era-defining hits to her name. She was untouchable and, tellingly, unknowable. She was (and still is) a megastar, but a megastar of a different age. These days, we want to know a bit more about our artists; that they have relationship problems, walk their dog. Her selling point and appeal is precisely the fact that she exists at the point between everyday ordinariness and pop star. For now, Adele's success should be celebrated, especially for becoming an unlikely global star on her own terms. The danger is that we're headed for a lot of fairly boring pop, a situation that led to the "birth" of Gaga a few years back. Pop goes in cycles and it feels like we're headed back towards the very middle of MOR. Compared with other female pop stars, what does the author think of Adele? She stands out in a totally different way from Gaga and Beyonce. Many people have to work on the weekend. Some people do not mind. Others think it is terrible. One man thinks that working on the weekend can be dangerous. He is Graham Coates. Mr Coates works in an office in Brighton, England. On Saturday, May 24, 1986, he went to the office to do some work. When he got on the lift , it stopped between floors. Mr Coates could not get out of the lift. He started to shout, but no one heard him. Then Mr. Coats remembered that it was a holiday in England. No one was going to come to work until Tuesday. There was nothing for him to do. He had to wait until one of his workmates came to work and found him. With nothing to eat or drink, Mr Coats ended up sleeping for most of the day. Now Mr. Coates says, "I only use lifts if they have telephones in them." In the lift, there was _ . nothing It's Sunday today. The Blacks(Black) are all at home. Mrs. Black is in the kitchen . She is cooking for the _ family. Mr. Black is in the living room. He is sitting in the chair and reading the newspaper. Their son Tom and his friends are in the garden . They are playing football there. Ann is Tom's sister and she is playing with a cat in her room. Her grandparents are watching TV in the room. How happy the family are! ,, Mr. Black is reading the newspaper _ . in the living room Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence , according to Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ). The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. "Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache," said Lisa Myron, manager of the children's department. Last November the two groups started "Dog Day Afternoon" in the children's department of the main library. About 25 children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a "pawgraphed" book at the last class. The program was so successful that the library plans to repeat it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager. What is mainly discussed in the text? A special reading program.
Question: My destination is the River Walk, one of the most popular places in all of Texas. In the first half of 20 century, to control flooding, the city fathers began redirecting the San Antonio River. They built a network of canals that pass through the downtown area. At nearly every street corner, stairs lead down to walkways on both sides of the canals. The River Walk is linked with cafes, bars, shops --- and, of course, plenty of bridges. You can easily cross over to the other side without having to return to the street. It's a constant party along the River Walk, with music and festivals throughout the year. The Mud Festival, for example, takes place each January, when the city empties this section of the river to clean it out. That's when the Mud King and Mud Queen are crowned. No visit to Texas would be complete without seeing a --- another aspect of this part of the country that is completely foreign to someone from New England. The announcer walks on stage and gets the crowd excited with talk about the courageous cowboys who'll be performing. While he's talking, a band plays sad songs about love gone wrong. Suddenly the announcer calls for silence. He takes off his tall hat and asks us to join him in prayer. We pray for the cowboys who are, we are told, risking their lives to entertain us, as well as for the bulls and other animals taking part in the shows. We pray for the tourists who are visiting. The rodeo gets going and the fun begins. Our prayers for the cowboys and animals are answered, and nobody gets hurt. But as we walk over to the cowboy dance hall after the show to enjoy a Texas-size barbecue, it's clear that not enough prayers were said for the bulls' less athletic relatives --- the ones not chosen for rodeo work. They'll be our meal. It seems that moving too slowly has its disadvantages, too. What do you know about the River Walk from the article? A. People hold parties to celebrate festivals here every day. B. It refers to the sidewalks on either side of this section of the San Antonio River. C. There are many bridges that connect the River Walk and the Main Street. D. Stairs link the River Walk to cafes, bars and shops in the street. Answer: B Question: Which two body systems work together to transport oxygen to the cells? A. skeletal and respiratory B. digestive and respiratory C. respiratory and circulatory D. respiratory and reproductive Answer: C Question: The population of which of the following 26 organisms would most likely decline if small animals like rats, rabbits, and snakes were eliminated from an ecosystem? A. earthworms B. grasses C. hawks D. mushrooms Answer: C Question: Seventeenth-century houses in colonial North American were simple structures that were primarily functional, carrying over traditional designs that went back to the Middle Ages. During the first half of the eighteen century, however, houses began to show a new elegance. As wealth increased, more and more colonist built fine houses. Since architecture was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was left either to amateur designers or to carpenters who were engaged in translating architectural handbooks imported from England. Inventories of libraries shows an astonishing number of these handbooks for builders, and the houses built during the eighteenth century show their influence. Nevertheless, most household architecture of the first-quarters of the eighteenth century displays a wide _ of taste and freedom of application of the rules laid down in these books. Increasing wealth and growing sophistication throughout the colonies resulted in houses of improved design, whether the material was wood, stone, or brick. New England still favored wood, though brick houses became common in Boston and other towns, where the danger of fire gave an impetus to the use of more durable material. A few houses in New England were built of stone, but only in Pennsylvania and areas nearby was stone widely used in buildings. An increased use of brick in houses and outbuildings is noticeable in Virginia and Maryland, but wood remained the most popular material even in houses built by wealthy landowners. In the Carolinas, even in closely packed Charleston, wooden houses were much common than brick houses. Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvements over the former ones. Windows were made larger and shutters removed. Large, clear panes replaced the small leaded glass of the seventeenth century. Doorways were larger and more decorative. Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms. Walls were made of plaster or wood. White paint began to take the place of blues, yellows, greens, and lead color1s, which had been popular for walls in the earlier years. After about 1730, advertisements for wallpaper styles in scenic patterns began to appear in colonial newspapers. What's the passage mainly about? A. The improved design of eighteenth-century colonial houses. B. A comparison of eighteenth-century houses and modern houses. C. The decorations used in eighteenth-century houses. D. The role of carpenters in building eighteenth-century houses. Answer: A Question: The blues was born on the Mississippi River Delta in the early 1900s. After the Civil War, the slaves were free but life was still not easy. They had to find new work. In the south, work camps were formed. Black people from these camps worked on farms and built up the Mississippi River banks. During the week, the people worked long and hard. They often lived alone, without their families, far from home. On the weekends, the workers got together at picnics or drinking places. Traveling black musicians with guitars entertained them. The musicians sang songs about the difficult life of the workers. These songs were called the blues. If you have the blues, it means you feel very sad. But blues songs were not always sad. Some of them were happy and many of them were funny. Early blues singers often had very interesting names like Blind Lemon Jefferson and Howlin Wolf. Sometimes, the blues singers had song contests. Each singer sang new words or a new style of the blues song. They made up the music as they played. In this way they created new music. This is called improvisation. Later, improvisation became a very important part of Jazz music. The blues began in the country in the south. As blacks moved into the big cities to work, the blues went with them. There, they sang about life in the cities. W. C. Handy, a black band leader from Memphis made the blues popular all over America. In 1914 he wrote the most famous song of all "The St. Louis blues." The blues songs used to tell about . A. the funny life of singers B. the happy life of black musicians C. the lonely life of black people D. the hard life of black people Answer: D
Some dances gain more popularity than others because they can be performed to different kinds of music and the steps change accordingly. One such dance is waltz . There is a basic form for waltz, which you can see in this drawing of a dancing couple. The man places one arm around the woman's waist and she places her opposite hand on his shoulder. Then, they stretch their other arms out from their bodies and clasp hand. If someone tries to teach you a formal kind of dancing, chances are your teacher will start with the waltz. Have you ever tried to dance like this? There are lots of different kinds of waltz, all performed to different types of waltz music. The music might be fast or slow but what they all have is a regular one-two-three, one-two-three rhythm. The traditional form is the old-school waltz in which dancers turn all the time with a hopping , springy step. This waltz has a slow, smooth, gliding step. There's also the Mexican waltz, which moves much faster. Listen to this Mexican waltz music and you can imagine how fast the dancers had to move. Formal dancing has even become a profession, with people entering competitions. Have you ever seen a formal dance competition? Today, ballroom dancing is almost considered a competitive sport; professionals perform different dances, each with strict rules. Everything from where the dancers place their hands to how they move is judged. In the glide waltz, dancers are judged by how smoothly they move. " I can dance with a glass of water on my head," is a well known sentence used by skilled dancers in the old days. In the past, some people learned how to dance by reading books, while others studied with a teacher called the "dancing master." How do people learn to dance today? If one says " I can dance with a glass of water on my head," we know that _ . A. he is a good dancer B. he is a beginner C. he is practising dancing D. he is tired of dancing Answer: A. he is a good dancer Which of the following characteristics of an individual wolf is most affected by its environment? A. the size of its feet B. the color of its eyes C. the shape of its ears D. the condition of its fur Answer: D. the condition of its fur Mr. King lived with six hundred wild animals on the Greek Island of Kyklos. Ever since he left school, he had traveled all over the word collecting animals for his own zoo. He hoped to collect two examples of every kind of animal on his island. But he was afraid that people would find him someday. He wrote books about his travels and about his animals that he collected. The money from the books helped to pay for all the food that these animals ate. One day, when Mr. King was out looking for drinking water, he found oil. He needed money for his travels and for his zoo, and a little oil would buy enough water for what he needed all his life, but he knew that if he told anyone else about it, it would be the end of his zoo and his life's work. So he decided not to tell anyone else about what he had found, because oil and water couldn't mix. Mr. King wrote books to _ . A. tell people about his story B. tell people how to find oil C. get enough money for his animals D. make money for his travels Answer: C. get enough money for his animals " Drink your milk.It is good for you! " You've probably heard that many times, and it is true.Milk contains calcium, which is a necessary nutrient for keeping bones and teeth healthy and strong.The US government even requires milk as part of the National School: Lunch Program, saying that students should drink one cup of fat - free milk at each meal. Last Thursday, however, a group of doctors asked the government to remove the lunch program.The Physical Committee for Responsible Medicine says, "Milk is high in sugar, high in fat and high in animal? protein," all of which have negative effects on health.The PCRM says there were better and healthier ways to get calcium such as eating beans, broccoli, cereals and tofu.Orange juice and soymilk that have calcium added to them also supply the nutrient."One of the only reasons people talk about dairy, or promote it at all, is because it is going to help build strong hones." says Dr.Neal Barnard, president of the PCRM.But milk may not be the best way to get calcium your body needs. Of course, calcium is important for health bones and teeth, but there are other things that affect your bone strength, such as genes, how much vitamin D you take in and getting an hour' s worth of exercise every day. Some nutritionists disagree with the idea that milk isn' t important.Keri Gans, a dietitian, says, " I think it is irresponsible to take this beverage that children enjoy, especially among those who are unable to meet their nutrient needs for the day, and remove it from lunch time." The US government is studying the request of the PCRM, but a decision may be a one way to take off.Meanwhile, Marion Nestle, a professor at New York University, put it best: " Milk demonstrably has nutrients.Other foods have the same nutrients.It' s just a food.Like other foods, too much might be a problem." Why does the US government ask students to drink one cup of milk at lunch time? A. They have been told many times. B. They have taken the PCRM' s advice. C. Fat - free or low - fat milk is less expensive. D. Milk helps build students' strong bones. Answer: D. Milk helps build students' strong bones. Researchers have established that when people are mentally engaged, biochemical changes occur in the brain that allow it to act more effectively in cognitive areas such as attention and memory. This is true regardless of age. People will be alert and receptive if they are faced with information that gets them to think about things they are interested in. And someone with a history of doing more rather than less will go into old age more cognitively sound than someone who has not had an active mind. Many experts are so convinced of the benefits of challenging in the brain that they are putting the theory to work in their own lives. "The idea is not necessarily to learn to memorize large amounts of information," says James Fozard, associate director of the National Institute of Ageing. "Most of us don't need that kind of skill. Such specific training is of less interest than being able to maintain mental alertness." Fozard and others say they challenge their brains with different mental skills, both because they enjoy them and because they are sure that their range of activities will help the way their brains work. Gene Cohen, acting director of the same institute, suggests that people in their old age should engage in mental and physical activities individually as well as in groups. Cohen says that we are frequently advised to keep physically active as we age, but older people need to keep mentally active as well. Those who do are more likely to maintain their intellectual abilities and to be generally happier and better adjusted. "The point is, you need to do both," Cohen says. Intellectual activity actually influences brain-cell health and size. What is the passage mainly about? A. Special mental training for old people. B. Biochemical changes in the human brain. C. The influence of intellectual activities on brain-cell size. D. The importance of mental activities in the efficiency of the brain. Answer: D. The importance of mental activities in the efficiency of the brain.
Mr. Jackson lived in the center of London but he had a hotel near the airport. There a lot of foreigners stayed for night. He didn't know any other language but English and he found it difficult for him to understand the foreign visitors. Sometimes he had to use the gesture to talk with them, and tried his best to make himself understood. But he was often misunderstood and it brought him a lot of trouble. A friend of his who taught a few foreign languages in a university would teach him. He was happy and studied hard. At first he learned some, but soon he found it wasn't very easy to remember the words and expressions. His friend advised him to write down the useful expressions in his notebook so that he could use them when necessary. He did as he was told. He found it helpful for him to do so. One evening there were plenty of people in the dining-room. They were all busy eating something except a Japanese. He was wandering there and waiting for his wife who was dressing herself up upstairs. Mr. Jackson thought to himself, " The man wants to eat something but he doesn't know any English. Let me help him." As he knew only a little Japanese, he had to bring out his notebook and showed it to the man, pointing to the sentence "I'm hungry." The Japanese had a look at it and gave him two pounds and left. Mr. Jackson had to use the gesture because _ . A. he wanted the foreign visitors to understand him B. he wanted to learn the foreign languages from the visitors C. he hoped to know the foreign visitors' custom D. he hoped more foreign visitors would stay for night in his hotel Answer: A. he wanted the foreign visitors to understand him We should feel grateful in our heart when we accept anything others sacrifice for us. However, we often unconsciously do the opposite, which may not be regarded as returning kindness with ingratitude, but have the equal power to harm each other. In particular, the closer the relationship is, the more determined we are. Jennifer, my friend Randy's mother, is already over 70, poor eyesight and weak legs. But due to her character, she chose to live alone in the suburbs. No matter how busily Randy works, he would go there to visit her once or twice every week. That day as soon as he parked his car, Randy smelt the delicious smell of meat coming from her mother's house. His mother said, "Your birthday is coming next week, so I'm preparing pork trotters for you!" Seeing the steaming delicious trotters, he couldn't help complaining, "I don't like these things at all, so fatty." On his way back, he called me, saying that he felt sorry. In fact, he longed to thank his mother and eat up that bowl of trotters. But he felt sorry that it took her too much time and energy. If he didn't stop her strictly, he was afraid the same thing would continue. He would rather not eat trotters any more than have his mother overwork. I understand how he felt exactly. Each of us has done like that. Because of feeling sorry for others' sacrifice, we purposely harden our heart against accepting others' favor and even criticize them severely in order to frighten their goodness away and make them never do that again. This method may work, but it will hurt each other's feelings. It's not wrong logically, but we always neglect another sound deep in our heart: because we're afraid we can't repay them, we're unwilling to shoulder others' goodness. So we reduce its value and refuse it severely. But to destroy others' goodness is also to deny you. Randy telephoned the author to _ . A. express his apology to his mother B. complain about his mother C. apologize for his rudeness D. ask for a bowl of trotters. Answer: A. express his apology to his mother Charlie was always happy. He liked helping others and people asked him for help when they were in trouble. He even got the name"Happy Charlie". One day, a boy called Waterworks came to the town on holiday. No matter what Charlie said to him, Waterworks would always find some reason to be sad-- My parents didn't buy me that toy; I can't watch TV; I don't like to go to school...... Everything seemed so sad to Waterworks. He was always sad. But Charlie didn't care and kept spending more time with Waterworks , trying to make him happy. Then, one day, they went out together. When Charlie was saying something, someone dropped a pie from a window and it leaned right on his head. He got such a sudden fear that couldn't say a word. The two boys were speechless. During those moments of silence, Waterworks missed Charlie's happy words so much that he finally said:"Wow,Charlie. That's a nice disguise." And, after saying those words, Waterworks felt so good and he realized that he was used to his friend's enthusiasm. And came to the town. What do you know about Waterworks? A. He didn't care about his friends too much. B. He became a happy boy because of Charlie C. He was influenced greatly by his parents. D. He used to be a boy who liked helping others. Answer: B. He became a happy boy because of Charlie Millions years ago much of our earth was covered with blocks of ice. These ice blocks were as tall as high buildings in modern cities. Most of the ice was in the northern part of the world. Then the ice blocks started to move south. Cold and rain came with the ice. Animals and people had to move. At last, the ice began to melt . After half a million years, most of it had melted. More than half of the earth became covered with water. The _ became much warmer. Things began to grow. The earth began to look the way it looks today. Millions of years ago our earth was very _ . A. warm B. hot C. cool D. cold Answer: D. cold Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality. People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that "addicted" was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the _ of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol. The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern. I see people trapped in a pathological relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money. What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for proclaiming the wisdom that "too much of a good thing is wonderful." But it's time to discover that it does not work for technology. Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that "we can be swept away by our technologies." To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today's overused technology. It can be inferred from this passage that people _ . A. consider too much technology wonderful B. have realized the harm of high-tech devices C. can regain freedom without high-tech devices D. may enjoy life better without overused technology Answer: D. may enjoy life better without overused technology
Joey is loyal, encouraging and self-sacrificing, always putting others' interests ahead of his own. He is a hard worker, who also loves to run and play. In short, he's an ideal friend and a heroic character. Here is the thing: Joey is a horse, who appears as the main character in Steven Spielberg's new film War Horse. It is based on Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel, which also caused the same-titled Tony Awards winning play. The film follows the saga of Joey, a racehorse that's trained for farm work under the loving care of Albert (Jeremy Irvine )after Albert's drunk father Ted(Peter Mullan ) overpays for the animal at auction . Then the World War I tears Albert and Joey apart. Joey is sold into the war effort for the British and starts his episodic adventures in Europe. Splendidly staged, the battle plots in the film are visually and impressive. And with Spielberg's unique, top-notch direction and storytelling skills, War Horse cannot escape its episodic nature, calling to mind another Spielberg film about the horrors of war and its effects upon soldiers and civilians--Saving Private Ryan. While that film shocked with horrific scenes of bleeding, it relied on a company of easily-described characters and a focused storyline to present heroic themes. Like Saving Private Ryan, War Horse clings to a series of characters, not only Albert, but also British officers, French civilians and German soldiers, who display courage in the face of danger. Everyone who comes in contact with Joey is either already in touch with their inner angel or is quickly moved to become more humane. Although none of this covers the fact that we've seen this stuff elsewhere before, the lovely sentiment will steal your heart. And the emotional signature of Spielberg can be felt as he establishes the relationship between the boy and the horse and the mood of the piece - there will be tears. Therefore, calling this beautiful, dramatically incomplete film " Saving Private Joey", is entirely justifiable. Which statement is true according to the passage? Joey came to Albert's care after Ted paid a lot of money for it. Mrs. Keller had a big family .Her husband had a factory in the town .One of her sons was a lawyer and the other two were drivers .And her two daughters worked in the post office .The old woman stayed at home and could do all housework and wouldn't employ anybody . One evening ,the telephone rang while the old woman was preparing supper .She went to answer it .She was told that one of her sons died in a traffic accident .She heard this and fell in a faint .When she came back to life ,she was in hospital .And she needed to be helped after that . Several months later she was told on the telephone her daughter died while she was being operated on .The old woman was so sad that she had to be in hospital again .From then on she was afraid to answer any telephones and sometimes she was afraid to hear the bell .Of course it brought them some trouble and some important business was held up .So her husband advised her to see a psychiatrist .The man examined her carefully and then asked her some questions. "You will soon be all right if you follow my advice ,Mrs. Keller" said the psychiatrist. The old woman took the medicine the doctor gave on time and tried to forget her dead son and daughter .And two months later she went to see the psychiatrist again . "You have saved me, Doctor ,"the old woman said ,as soon as she saw him . "Are you afraid to answer the telephone now?" "No," answered Keller . "I dare answer it whether it rings or not " After she came out of hospital , Mrs Keller wasn't _ as before . strong When people think of food in the United States, they think mostly of fast foods like hamburgers and hot dogs. In fact, in the U.S. cities like New York and Los Angeles, there are thousands of different kinds of restaurants with foods from all over the world. So if you like to try different foods, the United States is the place for you. The United States has people from all over the world, and they bring with them typical foods from their countries. You can eat tempura in Japanese restaurants, tacos in Mexican restaurants, paella in Spanish restaurants, pasta in Italian restaurants, and you can also eat America's most popular food, pizza. Yes, pizza! Pizza is from Italy, but today it is an important part of the U.S. menu. There are about 58,000 pizzerias in the United States--that's about 17% of all restaurants in the country, and the number is growing. The United States has eating places for all tastes--and all pockets. You can buy a hot dog on the street and pay one or two dollars. Or you can go to a four-star restaurant and pay $200 for a dinner From the text we know that in America _ . all of the people can enjoy the food I was walking along the main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking for somewhere to make a phone call. My car had broken down outside the town and I wanted to contact the AA Company. Low grey clouds were gathering across the sky and there was a cold damp wind blowing off the sea which nearly threw me off my feet every time I crossed one of the side streets. It had rained in the night and water was dripping from the bare trees that lined the street. I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat. There was no sign of a call box, nor was there anyone at that early hour whom I could ask. I had thought I might find a shop open selling the Sunday papers or a milkman doing his rounds, but the town was completely dead. The only living thing I saw was a thin frightened cat outside a small restaurant. Then suddenly I found what I was looking for. There was a small post office, and almost hidden from sight in a dark narrow street. Next to it was the town' s only public call box, which badly needed a coat of paint. I hurried forward, but stopped in astonishment when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a man inside. He was fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat. I could not see his face and he did not even raise his head at the sound of my footsteps. Carefully, I remained standing a few feet away and lit a cigarette to wait for my turn. It was when I threw the dead match on the ground that I noticed something bright red _ from under the call box door. Why didn't the man raise his head when the writer came near? He was probably murdered. If a climate becomes colder over time bears that grow heavier pelt will survive
For years and years people have been saying that railways are dead. "We can do without railways," people say--as if cars and planes have made railways unnecessary. We all keep hearing that trains are slow, lose money and are dying. But this is far from the truth. In these days of expensive oil, railways have become highly _ with cars and planes. If you want to carry people or goods from place to place, they're cheaper than planes. And they have much in common with planes. A plane goes in a straight line and so does a railway. What is more, a railway takes you from the heart of a city center. It doesn't stop you as a car does on crowded roads. And no plane or car can ever carry as many goods as one train does. Far from being dead, railways are much alive. Modern railway lines give you a comfortable journey. Where else can you eat well, sleep comfortably, feel safe and enjoy the scene while you are traveling at the same time? And we are only the beginning, for we have just entered the age of super-fast trains, which are traveling 150 miles an hour and more. Soon we will be wondering why we spent so much on highways and planes we can't fly in because we don't have enough money to buy the oil. Some people think railways are dying because _ . Answer: Last Friday a storm swept through two villages in the New Territories , destroying fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly destroyed that their owners had to leave them, and fifteen others had broken windows or broken roofs. One person was killed, several were badly hurt and taken to hospital, and a number of other people received smaller hurt. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless after the storm. A farmer, Mr. Tan, said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour. "I was eating with my wife and children," he said, "when we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We tried our best to climb out but then I saw that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him safe but very frightened." Mrs. Woo Mei Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she felt that her house was moving. She ran outside at once with her children. "There was no time to take anything," she said, "A few minutes later, the roof came down." Soldiers helped to take people out of the water area and the welfare government brought them food, clothes and some other things. How many homes altogether were destroyed in the storm last Friday? Answer: Ms Tan,you've referred to your new novel as your eighth book. That's because it took me six or seven attempts at a second novel before I started and completed this one. Why do you think you had so many false starts? I would say that my reasons were wrong:I was trying to prove that I wasn't just a mother-daughter storyteller,or I was trying to prove that I didn't just have to write about things that were strictly Chinese or Chinese-American.Those were never the right reasons for writing those early stories.And I could never come up with other,better reasons for continuing them. What kept you going on this book? This book was different because it was based on my mother's real life.The reason for writing it became more personal and emotional.After The Joy Luck Club came out,my mother was always explaining to people that she wasn't any of the mothers in that book.And at one point she said to me,"Next book tells my true story."And then she started telling me things I never knew before.She also told me many,many stories,because my mother doesn't generalize.The book really grew out of that. Have you ever visited China? Yes.I've been there twice:about three years ago and then again last November,both times with my mother and my husband. Was it difficult to capture the Chinese-American dialect without sounding like a parody ? No,because it's the language I've heard all my life from my mother.She speaks English as it's direct translation from Chinese.But it's more than that:Her language also has more imagery than English. Can you think of an example? Somebody might say to me,"Don't work so hard.You'll kill yourself."My mother will say to me,"Why do you press all your brains out on this page for someone else?"So it's very vivid.That's the way she talks. Have many readers told you that the Chinese mother in your book reminded them of the typical Jewish mother? Many people have told me that.I think the mother-daughter relationship is very intense in both cases.Culturally there is an acceptance that mothers have the power to tell their children,especially their daughters,how to conduct their lives--not simply up until the time they are 18,but for the rest of their lives.However,when children grow up in a different culture from their parents',they tend to keep more secrets from their parents.The children think,"They just wouldn't understand that I had to do this."And that can really create a gap,and it can grow as the number of secrets grows. Based on the questions in this interview,what do you think Ms Tan's profession is? Answer: A breathtaking trick potentially left over from our ancestors might be found in us -- the ability to sense oxygen through our skin. Amphibians, animals such as frogs that can live both on land and in water, have long been known to be capable of breathing through their skin. In fact, the first known lungless frog that breathes only through its skin was discovered recently in the rivers of Borneo. Now the same oxygen sensors found in frog skins and in the lungs of mammals have unexpectedly been discovered in the skin of mice. "No one had ever looked," explained Randall Johnson, a biologist researcher. Mice and frogs are quite distant relatives, so the fact they have these molecules in common in their skin suggests they might well be found in the skin of other mammals, such as humans. "We have no reason to think that they are not in the skin of people too," Johnson said. These molecules not only detect oxygen, but help increase levels of vital red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Normal mice breathing in air that is 10 percent oxygen--a dangerously low level similar to conditions at the top of Mount Everest, and about half that of air at sea level. However, mice that had the oxygen sensor HIF-1a genetically removed from their skin failed to produce this hormone even after hours of such low oxygen. These findings, if they hold true in humans, suggest one could raise the level of oxygen circulating inside the body. This could help treat lung diseases and disorders such as anemia without injecting drugs, which make up a multibillion-dollar market, Johnson said. Athletes also often try to get more oxygen delivered to their muscles in order to improve their performance. They often do this by training at high altitudes or in low-oxygen tents. The new study suggests they might want to expose their skin as well as breathing in low-oxygen air to improve their performance. "It's hard to say what exactly might be done, however--there's a lot we don't know yet," Johnson explained. The scientists detailed their findings in the April 18 issue of the journal Cell. One of the functions of the molecules mentioned above is _ . Answer: Wikipedia is a free-access, free content Internet encyclopedia , supported and hosted by the non-profit Wikipedia Foundation. Wikipedia is ranked among the ten most popular websites and is considered the Internet's largest and most popular general reference book. Now, Wikipedia is becoming Wookiepedia as scientists hope the informative website will help us reach out to intelligent life forms. So aliens can learn about the human race. Astronomers would like to beam the entire contents of Wikipedia into space in the hope of contacting aliens. They want to send messages to hundreds of star systems and planets 20 light years away using radio telescopes. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, in California, wants to use powerful radio telescopes to try to reach Chewbacca and his mates in a galaxy far away. The plans will be discussed by astronomers at the weekend as some scientists fear the reply from ET might not turn out to be friendly. Institute scientist David Black said, "One question is if there are dangerous creatures we might be drawing their attention to ourselves. Another is if we go ahead, what message should be sent? There could be many civilizations out there,but if they are all listening and no one is broadcasting or responding, then nothing will happen." Professor Stephen Hawking, who has warned that intelligent aliens probably exist and we should keep a safe distance from them, is among _ . "If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," he said. Signals from Earth's radio and TV broadcasts have been heading out in space for some 60 years reaching around 5,000 stars. Which can be the best title? Answer:
Chicago On a Budget How to have fun in Chicago without spending a lot of money? Sightseeing * The Art Institute of Chicago has a fine collection of photos and paintings. The ticket is $10.00,but go on Tuesdays and you'll get in free . * The Sears Tower is the world's third tallest building. By going to the 103rd floor, you can get a great view of the whole city! All for only $8.50. * There are free concerts in Grant Park in summer. They are held Wednesday through Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. * Attend the taping of a TV show for free. The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Jenny Jones Show both offer tourists free tickets. For The Oprah Winfrey Show you'll have to book tickets at least a month before. Places to stay You can get a hotel for $100 to $ 300 a day. However, you can get a room in the dormitory at Roosevelt University for $215 for a whole week! But you have to stay for 30 days to get this great rate . It will cost you _ if you visit the Art Institute instead of the Sears Tower on Sundays. Students who date in middle school have significantly worse study skills, are four times more likely to drop out of school and report twice as much alcohol and tobacco use than their single classmates, according to new research from the University of Georgia. "Romantic relationships are a symbol of adolescence , but very few studies have examined how adolescents are different in the development of these relationships." said Pamela Orpinas, study author and professor in the College of Public Health. Orpinas followed a group of 624 students over a seven-year period from 6th to 12th grade. Each year, the group of students completed a survey indicating whether they had dated and reported the frequency of different behaviors, including the use of drugs and alcohol. Their teachers completed questionnaires about the students' academic efforts. He found some students never or hardly ever reported dating from middle to high school, and these students had the best study skills according to their teachers. Other students dated infrequently in middle school but increased the frequency of dating in high school. "At all points in time, teachers rated the students who reported the lowest frequency of dating as having the best study skills and the students with the highest dating as having the worst study skills," according to the journal article. Study skills refer to behaviors that lead to academic success such as doing work for extra credit, being well organized, finishing homework, working hard and reading assigned chapters. "Dating a classmate may have the same emotional complications of dating a co-worker," Orpinas said, "When the couple break up, they have to continue to see each other in class and perhaps witness the ex-partner dating someone else. It is reasonable to think this could be linked to depression and divert attention from studying." "Dating should not be considered a ceremony of growth in middle school."Orpinas concluded. When doing his study, Orpinas _ . Her attractive lips seemed to speak words of kindness, while her eyes appeared to seek out the good in people. "You have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others." She used to say. It was for this rare charm and inner beauty that British movie star Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) was named the most naturally beautiful woman of all time in June, 2004. "Her skin looks fresh in all her films and her warm and lively personality really shines through," said one beauty expert. Life was never easy for Hepburn. Shortly after her parents' painful divorce when she was nine, she found herself in the Netherlands at the start of World War II. Hepburn watched helplessly as several of her relatives were killed. She survived by eating tulip bulbs and carried secret messages for the resistance in her ballet shoes. She dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer but was told she was too tall and not talented enough to be a success. Hepburn then turned to musicals and spent most of her time as a chorus girl . She had some small movie roles but it was not until Roman Holiday (1953) that she became a star. With her good manners and delicate figure, she was perfect in the role of a European princess. She took the Best Actress Oscar for her performance. In 1988 Hepburn began her most important role--as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF(United Nations Children's Fund). She traveled to the poorest places, doing her best to provide care and create awareness of the difficult situations in which some children live. When Hepburn passed away, a message displayed at her funeral read, "In losing Audrey, the world not only lost a movie star, we lost a princess, an angel, a person who inspired us all and whose selfless and loving examples shall always be remembered." Which of the following best describes Audrey Hepburn's life? _ We know that many animals do not stay ill one place. Birds, fish and other animals move from one place to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons: most of them move to find food more easily, but others move to get away from places that are too crowed. When cold weather comes, many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration is probably the migration of the fish, which is called "salmon" . This fish is born in fresh water but it travels many miles to salt water. There it spends its life. When it is cold, it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies there. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mouse. They leave their mountain homes when they become too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way to the seaside, and many of them are killed when they fall into the sea. Recently, scientists have studied the migration of a kind lobster . Every year, when the season of bad weather arrives, the lobster get into a long time and start to walk across tile floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody knows where they go. So, sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another, but at other times we don't. Maybe living things just like to travel. ,. The lobster move _ . What would you do if a stranger gave you some medicine and it would keep you slim or help you do well in exams? Would you take it? Students at Shenzhen Luohu Foreign Language Middle School have learned to keep themselves safe by saying "no". In fact, what those strangers want to give them are drugs . Drugs are dangerous to your health! "Because teens don't know much about drugs, they might want to try them," said Zhang Dongsheng, the director of Shenzhen Drug Control Office. Now, many schools arrange courses or organize some activities to help students know about drugs. Liang, 16, was a good student before trying drugs. One day, some old friends told him it would be fun. After taking drugs only once, he found it very hard to stop. Liang began to spend all his time and money on drugs. Soon, he stopped going to school and started stealing. In the end, he was put in prison. In China, taking drugs is becoming a big problem for teens. According to a survey, about one million people in China were using illegal drugs last year, and 72% of them were young people. Worse still, there are about10,000 drug users under 16 now. Zhang has some good advice on staying clean. He said, "Drugs are dangerous. Never try them, even if you're curious! It is the most important for you to keep safe and healthy." From Liang's story, we can know that it's _ to give up drugs even if one tries only once.
Much of the world does have electricity, though, and electricity makes using the Internet possible. Now that so many have Web access, you might have noticed that people don't write letters to each other very often. But that doesn't mean they have stopped keeping in touch. "Key pals," who use a computer keyboard and e-mail account instead of a pen and paper, still continue the pen pal tradition today. E-mail and handwritten letters have different advantages. With e-mail, your pen pal can receive your note almost instantly , and you can attach digital photos. Letters take longer to arrive, but you can include stickers, pictures, or drawings. Maybe you want to know more about what having a pen pal is like before you jump into the experience. If so, there are plenty of books that can give you a taste of different pen pal adventures. Look for them at a bookstore or library. There are things to remember when communication with pen pals, especially in the digital age: Make sure to share all letters and e-mails with your parents so they know you are safe. If something seems _ , stop writing letters. Never meet a pen pal in person unless a grown-up is with you. And, of course, have fun! Your pen pal could become your new best friend. Or a pen pal relationship could bring you closer to someone you already know. With a pen pal, you can have your own taste of far-away places, someone to share your own discoveries with, and the adventure of opening your mailbox to find a letter in it just for you. When communicating with a pen pal, you should _ . A. keep all the pen pal's letters and e-mails in private B. meet him/ her with one of your classmates C. be sure you are safe at any time D. share whatever you experience with him/ her Answer: C. be sure you are safe at any time About 6 percent of luxury hotels in three major Chinese cities have stopped serving shark fin ,a survey has found. Although the controversial dish remains on the menu at most hotels, Green Beagle Environment Institute, a Beijing-based non-government organization that was the main sponsor of the survey, said the results are encouraging and reflect increased awareness. The survey was carried out in Beijing, Shenzhen and Fuzhou, which were selected as representative cities to collect basic data on shark fin consumption nationwide. In Beijing, 132 hotels completed the phone questionnaire between Nov. 20 and Dec. 12. Only 12 hotels, 9 percent, said they do not serve shark fin. A similar survey of 131 Beijing hotels conducted a year ago found only one hotel that did not serve shark fin, Wang Xue, chief coordinator of the survey, said on Saturday.In Shenzhen, four out of the 85 four and five star hotels surveyed had stopped serving shark fin, accounting for about 5 percent. In Fuzhou, only one of the 40 hotels surveyed did not serve shark fin. On average, about 6. 61 percent of the hotels in the three cities did not serve the food. "The survey reminded us there is still a long way to go to remove shark fins from Chinese hotels and restaurants, but the improved situation in Beijing is encouraging," said Wang. "We found more hotels and restaurants were willing to take action over the past year." International hotels are more active in the "shark-fin-free" project, she noted. China is the world's biggest importer and consumer of shark fin, which has been used in luxurious Chinese dishes for 500 years. Dishes made from shark fin are still regarded as a symbol of honor and respect,especially at business dinners, according to Wang. Research has also found that shark fin contains poisonous elements, but the nutritious value is less than that of chicken or pork. "We hope hotels and restaurants remove shark fin products from their menus," Wang added. According to the text, which city did the best this year? A. Shanghai B. Shenzhen C. Fuzhou D. Beijing Answer: D. Beijing Some plants get so hungry they eat flies, and even small frogs. What's more amazing is that these plants occur naturally (in special environments) in every state. In fact, they're found on every continent except Antarctica. You've probably seen a Venus' flytrap -- a small plant, which grows 6 to 8 inches tall in a container. At the end of its stalks are leaves that act like traps . Inside each trap is a lining of tiny hairs. When an insect lands on them, the traps suddenly shut. Over the course of a week or so, the plant feeds on its catch. The Venus' flytrap is just one of more than 500 species of meat-eating plants, says Barry Meyers-Rice, the editor of the International Carnivorous Plant Society's Newsletter. He states although you might have read some science-fiction stories, no meat-eating plant does any danger to humans. Barry says a plant is meat-eating, only if it does all four of the following: "attract, kill, digest, and absorb" some form of insects. Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants -- well, most of the time. All green plants make sugar to produce food. What makes meat-eating plants different is their special leaves, which need insects for one reason: nitrogen . Nitrogen is a nutrient that they can't obtain any other way. Why? Almost all green plants on our planet get nitrogen from the soil. Meat-eating plants can't. They live in places where nutrients are hard to get from the soil because of its acidity. So they've come to rely on getting nitrogen from insects and small animals. In fact, nutrient-rich soft is poisonous to meat-eating plants. Never fertilize them! But don't worry, either, if they never seem to catch any insects. They can survive, but they'll grow very slowly. Which of the following is true? A. Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants. B. It's hard to get nutrients in the soil when acidity is high. C. The Venus' flytrap eats flies to get nutrient from them. D. Green plants make sugar at night. Answer: C. The Venus' flytrap eats flies to get nutrient from them. Of all the famous English writers, probably the best known is William Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 on April the 23rd. His father was an important man in town so Shakespeare had a good upbringing. Shakespeare probably went to school (although no records survive to prove this) but not university. He got married when he was 18 to Anne Hathaway and the couple had 3 children. Shakespeare wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets (a sonnet is a kind of poem). He began working in his home town of Stratford but by 1592 was writing in London. He became rich enough to buy a house in the capital and one in Stratford. He wrote sad stories called tragedies, like Romeo and Juliet, funny stories or comedies, romantic stories and stories about historical figures such as Julius Caesar. Shakespeare died on his birthday in 1616, almost 400 years ago. But why is his work still popular today? His work looked at common human themes, such as betrayal, murder, lust, power, ambition and love. These themes are as much a part of human nature today as they were all those years ago and are the themes we see in modern soap operas and Hollywood films. Even though his theatre, The Globe, burned down in 1613 it was rebuilt in London in 1997 and you can still see his plays performed there today. Shakespeare's influence on the English language can still be felt today. We talk about "fair play", meaning honest behaviour but this phrase was first used by Shakespeare. He coined the phrase "you can have too much of a good thing". And it was Shakespeare who came up with the expression to disappear "into thin air" which we still use today when we lose something. Shakespeare's work has been translated into every major language in the world. And perhaps we'll still be as fascinated by his work 400 years from now as we've been for the last 400. Why does the passage talk about the phrase "fair play"? A. To tell readers Shakespeare is an honest man. B. To show Shakespeare's influence on English. C. To encourage people to invent more phrases. D. To let readers feel the beauty of Shakespeare. Answer: B. To show Shakespeare's influence on English. As a young woman who was always interested in style, I got lucky in interning with a fashion company in Tokyo, last summer. I worked as an assistant in the Business Planning Department, helping with marketing for the 2007 Spring/Summer collections. Fashion is a beautiful industry. But against my expectation, it also has lots of ordinary work. Every day, I would do sample testing, prepare the brochure for future launches, and meet with customers and visitors. Japanese companies had a traditional work style. We had a meeting every morning at 9 o'clock. Every Monday, all employees, including those in other parts ofprefix = st1 /Japan, would take part in a conference call. Every afternoon, after finishing work, each of us would say goodbye to every manager in the company, which took more than five minutes. All of this kept me fresh. And the strict work atmosphere caused me to work harder. At the end of last August, the company's 2007 Spring/Summer collection started with a big show and was very successful. Lots of customers showed an interest in our products, including a businessman from Hong Kong. He went to our company for more details on the products, but he couldn't speak Japanese and none of the staff spoke good English. Just when the situation seemed helpless, I offered to give it a try. I was a Japanese major, but I had also practiced my English often. My translation job was praised by both the customer and my boss. And the guest made a big purchase. The two-month internship taught me a lot about business. And the pay - 150,000 yen, or over 10,000 yuan a month- was enough to cover my daily living costs inTokyo. Moreover, the experience made me stand out. Every interviewer I've spoken with showed an interest and discussed my internship with me. And thanks to this experience, I've found a good job in one of the Big Four accounting firms and will start working this summer. What would each of the employees in Japanese Companies do every afternoon? A. They do sample testing. B. They meet with customers and visitors. C. They prepare the brochure for future launches. D. They say good bye to every manager. Answer: D. They say good bye to every manager.
"It is obvious that China will climb up university rankings in the years to come."This statement from Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, lines up with China's optimism that it will produce world-class universities. But there are still difficulties to overcome, experts say. Universities from China's mainland slipped in the 2011-2012 Times' global rankings. Peking University dropped 12 places from last year to 49th, and Tsinghua University fell to 71st place. Among Asian universities, Peking is ranked No. 4 and Tsinghua No. 8. A combination of factors determines rankings -- research output, study environment, reputation and international outlook. Due to China's economic development, investment in education and research has increased, but the quality of education and research in Chinese academia seems not to have kept pace. The gauge is the number of papers published in highly respected English-language journals, so while many papers are being produced in China, it appears not all are good enough to attract international attention. Still, higher education in China is developing quickly, thanks in part to huge government investment. China spent an amount equal to 3.69 percent of GDP on education last year, according to Ministry of Finance data. China has the largest and one of the fastest growing higher education systems in the world -- 2,723 schools for 31 million students. Enrollment has increased more than four times from 2001 to 2011. What was Peking University's place in the 2010 Times' global rankings? No. 37. The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even eat it. Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problems was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world. Air pollution is still the most serious. It's bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily. Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollutions. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving there will be less air pollution. The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time. : Hundreds of years ago, life was _ it is today. much harder than China has now mapped out plans for its next four launches in the Shenzhou program on the next flight. But one conclusion seems to have escaped most reports in the aerospace media. The flight of Shenzhou 7 could be timed to coincide with the Beijing Olympics. Plans for the 2008 Summer Olympics call for the events to be held between the 8th and 24th of August. It's reasonable to expect that China will use the event to promote its achievements before the world, and human spaceflight is China's most significant recent breakthrough. Shenzhou 7, China's next manned space mission, was originally advertised for 2007. This fit into the pattern of staging a two-year gap between crewed Shenzhou missions, which have previously launched in 2003 and 2005. But Chinese media statements have recently _ this to 2008. Chinese media have reported that while the overall program is going well, more time is needed to work on the spacesuit that will be used on this flight to stage China's first spacewalk. It's possible that Chinese engineers want to make best preparations for this complex mission. China could intend to carry out the mission of Shenzhou 7 just as media attention is focused on the lead-up to the Olympics. The crew of the flight, and possibly China's other flown astronauts, could then take part in the opening ceremony. China has previously feted her space travellers in great celebrations, such as the Hong Kong event that saw Yang Liwei singing with actor Jacky Chan. China has also suggested that the activity will be carried out by a single astronaut, and has indicated that half an hour is a rough estimate of the planned time for the spacewalk. China is apparently following suit, probably for the same reasons of conservative mission planning and safety. Which one of the following is WRONG according to this passage? Two Chinese astronauts walked in space in 2003. When punctuation began, it was mainly to help people read out loud. Until a few hundred years ago, not many people were taught to read, so there was a lot more reading out loud by the few people who could. To help those reading out loud in the old days, sign known as "points" were added to pages of writing. Punctuation comes from the Latin word punctus, meaning "point". These points told readers when to pause or take a breath, and what to emphasize . In Europe from the early centuries AD, these points were widely used although not everybody used the same points for the same thing. When printing was invented, printers had to be made more clearly about what to put where, so that everyone was doing the same thing. Since that point, all sorts of punctuation rules have been discovered and invented. Speech marks "..." Speech marks or quotation marks are used to show that someone is speaking. The sort we have in English today began to be widely used during the 18th century. Before that readers simply understood from the way a sentence was written that someone was speaking although sometimes spoken words were underlined. Comma , colon: period(full stop). All three of these sorts of punctuation marks were given their Greek names by Aristophanes, a librarian who lived in Byzantium in the 2nd century BC. They were marks on the page, each with a message to the reader. Comma meant a short pause. Colon meant a medium sized pause. Period meant a long pause. Exclamation mark! In the early days of punctuation, if you saw this sign, you were supposed to pause. Some people think the exclamation mark began as what the Greek word IO looked like if it was turned 90 degrees. This word means "Oh, gosh!" With the I on the top and the O under it, the sign as we know it today was developed. Question mark? In the middle age, a squiggle above a full stop was sometimes used to show the sentence was a question and that a person's voice should go up at the end. By the 17th century it had turned into what we call a question mark. The shape may have come from the letter Q short for that Latin quaestio, meaning "question". Writers make choices about punctuation because they think differently about sentences and words. It's part of the personality of their writing. Some writers hate punctuation, but others love punctuation. So whether you love or hate punctuation, the best advice may be to just enjoy it, play with it, think about it and use it. It belongs to the language and it belongs to you. Which of the following is true? The shape of a word makes exclamation mark. Lions are big and strong.They have bright eyes, sharp teeth and black points on their brown bodies.So they look beautiful. Lions can run fast.They are good at catching other animals.Lions like living as a family until baby lions are 2 years old.A lion lives alone during most of its life. Now, many hunters hurt lions for their fur and meat.They sell their meat to people for meals.They use their fur to make clothes and bags.We must stop this.It is wrong for people to kill lions.We can write to newspapers about the danger the lions are facing.We should tell the government and people about the problems.If we do nothing, soon there will be no lions in the world any more! What colour is the lion's points? Black
Made from the hide of bushy-haired animals, fur is known as the first material used for clothing.It was used by early humans like the hominoids to keep warm during the winter season or when they traveled to cooler regions.Traditionally, animals were hunted down to produce fur coats.At present though, some animals like the mink and the fox are bred and farmed for their fur.Now, wearing fur is considered a luxury because of its price and availability. Fur coats are produced and used all over the world especially in cooler countries like Russia and Northern Europe.These are usually made from the fur of bigger animals like bears, wolves and foxes which are hunted down for their meat and hide.Because of this, several of their species have become endangereD.Yet, until now, there has been no law passed to regulate the fur industry.That's why Animal rights groups, including stars, continue to campaign against fur clothing including fur coat manufacturing. Dennis Rodman is the first man, and the first sports star, to do a photo shoot for PETA's "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" series. During the Fashion Week of NYC in 2005, Rodman came not to sit in the front row at a show, but to unveil his provocative (, ) new PETA advertisement.In the very tents where designers were pushing fur.In PETA's advertisement, Rodman appears nude --- except for his tattoos --- alongside the caption ( ), " Think Ink, Not Mink," and urges :" Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs." Rodman watched Pamela Anderson's three-minute video showing how animals live and die before being made into fur coats."If you actually look at the video firsthand, it gives you a different perspective on animals and how they're treateD.It's _ to see what they go through," he saiD. By quoting the example of Dennis Rodman, the author intends to show that _ . Answer: Because of the stress and strains of modern life folks today would rather watch television than get together with neighbors. Their behavior doesn't mirror TV soaps like Coronation Street and East Enders. The Street's Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby know all their neighbors. But the Royal Mail survey shows that real-life under35s wouldn't dream of popping next door for a chat or to borrow a cup of sugar. Three out of ten say they wouldn't know their neighbors if they saw them in the street. The same proportion would only offer to help neighbors if absolutely necessary, while thirty-onepercent don't want to get to know them better. Twenty-six percent rarely or never speak to the person next door. Thirty-five percent only talk to neighbors occasionally, and six percent actively dislike them. The older generation are still sociable, with seventy percent of over55s taking time to chat to people next door. The report says: "In the past, the British tradition of village green gossip between neighbors was celebrated worldwide. But there's been a clear shift away from local links by the young generation." Londoners are least likely to be neighbors, with a third rarely or never chatting over the garden fence. People in the Midlands--where 65 percent often speak to their neighbors are most friendly. Sociologist Jane Blakeman said: "People are working longer hours than ever before, and are traveling further to work. It leaves them far less time at home." It can be inferred that Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby are both _ . Answer: Cyberspace, data superhighway, multimedia, for those who have seen the future, and the linking of computers, televisions and telephones will change our lives for ever. Yet for all the talks of a forthcoming technological utopia, little attention has been given to the implications of these developments for the poor. As for all the new high technology, the West concerns itself with the "how", while the question of "for whom" is put aside once again. Economists are only now realizing the full extent to which the communication revolution has affected the world economy. Information technology allows the extension of trade across geographical and industrial boundaries, and transnational corporations take full advantage of it. Terms of trade and exchange, interest rates and money movements are more important than the production of goods. The electronic economy made by information technology allows the haves to increase their control on global markets -- with a destructive impact on the havenots. For them the result is unstable. Developing countries which rely on the production of a small range of goods for export are made to feel like small parts in the international economic machine. As "futures" are traded on computer screens, developing countries simply have less and less control of their destinies. So what are the options of regaining control?One alternative for developing countries is to buy in the latest computers and telecommunications. Yet this leads to long-term dependency and perhaps permanent constraints ( ,) on developing countries' economies. Communication technology is generally exported from the US, Europe or Japan;the patents, skills and ability remain in the hands of a few industrialized countries. It is also expensive, therefore imported products and services must be bought on credit usually provided by the very countries whose companies stand to gain. Why does the author say that the electronic economy may have a destructive impact on developing countries? Answer: Every year there are changes in climate in different parts of the world.Some of these changes are due to natural causes.However,some climate changes are caused by air pollution and these changes may increase. If the pollution affects the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,the results are likely to be serious.There is only a small part of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.But it has an important function in keeping the balance between radiation from the sun entering the atmosphere and radiation leaving the Earth.Some of the radiation is absorbed by the Earth and some is radiated back into the atmosphere.The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere prevents some of the radiation from leaving the atmosphere.Thus the heat remains in the atmosphere and carbon dioxide helps to prevent the temperature of the Earth from falling. If the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increased as a result of air pollution,the temperature of the atmosphere may rise.This might cause the ice in the North and South to melt.If this happened,the sea level could rise and parts of the Earth would be flooded.This is not quite likely but the possibility exists. There is also a fairly strong possibility that the dust level in the atmosphere will rise as a result of industrial pollution.This dust pollution will reflect sunlight back onto space.If this happens,less sunlight will reach the Earth and the temperature will fall. Another danger comes from the destruction of the Earth's vegetation such as the forest of Brazil,which is being cleared away for farmland and cities.Trees use carbon dioxide and their destruction may upset the balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. From this passage we learn that carbon dioxide _ . Answer: American researchers have developed a technique that may become an important tool in fighting AIDS virus from attacking its target-cells in the body's defense system.When AIDS virus enters the blood,it searches for blood cells called T4 lymphocytes .The virus connects to the outside of T4 lymphocytes.Then it forces its way inside.There it directs the cells' genetic material to produce copies of the AIDS virus.This is how AIDS spreads. Researchers think they may be able to stop AIDS from connecting to T4 ceils.When AIDS virus finds a T4 cell,it actually connects to a part of the cell called CD4 protein. Researchers want to fool the virus by putting copies or clones of the CD4 protein into the blood.This way the AIDS virus will connect to cloned protein instead of the real ones.Scientists use genetic engineering methods to make the clones.Normally a CD4 protein remains on the T4 cell at all times;the AIDS virus must go to it. In a new technique,however,the cloned CD4 protein is not connected to a cell.It floats freely,so a lot more can be put into the blood to keep the AIDS virus away from real CD4 protein on T4 cells.One report says the.AIDS virus connects to cloned protein just as effectively as it connects to real protein.That report was based on tests with blood cells grown in labs.The technique is just now beginning to be tested in animals.If successful,it may be tested in humans within a year. Which of the following statements is NOT true? Answer:
Question: How men first learned to invent words is unknown; in other words, the origin of language is a mystery. All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be combined to represent those sounds, and which could be written down. Those sounds, whether spoken, or written in letters we call words. The power of words, then, lies in their combinations - the things they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increases. Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts, but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and feelings. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style. Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music, and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they will make our speech silly and rude. The author of the passage advises us _ . A. to use words carefully and accurately B. not to use silly and rude words C. to become a slave of words D. to use emotional words Answer: A Question: Peter is a sixth-grader at Woodland Primary School. He is only 12 years old but has been smoking for three years. John, 15, is a Junior 2 student at Woodland Secondary School. He began smoking four years ago. "Smoking is part of my life," John said. Peter and John are not those boys' real names. But their problem, smoking, is a very real problem. In many countries, smoking is becoming a bigger problem for young people. Most smokers start in their teens or earlier. A study of 8,000 London students shows that smoking is a problem for many British kids. More than 21% of middle school students and 6% of primary school pupils said they smoked. "If young people start smoking early, it will be very hard for them to give up later on," said a professor. Every year, about four million people die because of smoking. And if people keep smoking that number will go up to about ten million a year by 2030 the World Health Organization (WTO) says. So we have to learn and tell others about dangers of smoking. ,. The sentence "Smoking is part of my life" probably means " _ " A. I don't smoke very often. B. Smoking is very important to me. C. I don't smoke at all. D. I'm going to give up smoking. Answer: B Question: In high school, all Canadian students take part in a very exciting event. It is "Take Your Children to Work Day". Students will have a chance to work with their parents. My day took place in my mom's work, the York Region Police Department. When I arrived, a coach was teaching the officers basic combat skills. Everyone tried their best to practice. I could see them sweating and panting . The most exciting part of my visit was a stop at the 911 Communication Center. 911 is the same as 110,119 and 120 in China. Every 911 call in the city is answered here. When I entered the center, I stood beside a call dispatcher arid watched him dealing-with the calls. Suddenly, the phone rang, he picked it up and a woman cried for help. There was a robbery in her house. The call dispatcher told her, "Please calm down and move to the safe place quietly. Don't fight with them. Just let them take what they want. Please make sure you are not hurt. We are sending officers there." He followed the call and found the address. The call dispatcher chose the five closest police cars from the satellite map and clicked to send the policemen. I saw the police cars from the satellite map were quickly moving to the woman's house. Five minutes later, they arrived .I asked the call dispatcher why he sent five cars. He said, "There are different levels of emergencies. Robbery is a high priority ,so we have to send five cars." The day was interesting. I leaned how the different departments worked together. The officers were very friendly and admirable. What's the best title for the article? A. An exciting day at a Police Department. B. Robbery is a high priority. C. How the police saved the woman. D. The 911 Communication Center. Answer: A Question: Want to find Bigfoot? Matt Moneymaker, president of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot, says the creatures have been seen in every state but Hawaii. Redwoods State Park, California With its towering redwoods and thick forest, it's hard to beat the atmosphere at this Northern California park.Moneymaker recommends taking a walk along the Smith River on Howland Hill Road."We heard of lots of different sightings and sounds in there,"he says."I've found tracks crossing that road."7074657335. SalmonHuckleberry Wilderness, Oregon You don't have to go far to find Bigfoot.This area 20 miles east of Portland in the Mount Hood National Forest is prime spotting territory.Bigfoot apparently has a sweet tooth and goes ape for huckleberries, which grow in the area.Scores of campers have been scared off by noises and have had rocks thrown at them.5036681700. Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico The high density of deer attracts Bigfoot to this place.The creatures may use the park's mountainous lookouts to watch over deer in spring.Even when there's no wind, dead trees often mysteriously, with their roots above the earth."They let you know that they're there."5056613333. Bird Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Vermont This prominent mountain peak outside the town of Rutland has had its share of activity, including a trailcam picture famous in Bigfoot circles of what appears to be a female one carrying her offspring . Centuries ago,American Indians reported seeing an apelike creature and,more recently, hikers say that they have come upon a Bigfoot.8007568880. Fahnestock State Park, New York There's a long history of Bigfoot in this mountain park a mere 90 minutes from New York City. Moneymaker says investigators have found mysterious markings in the snow.8452257207. Ponca Wilderness Area, Arkansas Moneymaker says he had several good Bigfoot moments on a recent expedition in this area along the Buffalo National River in northern Arkansas.Most of the Bigfoot action centered on the area near Steel Creek Campground.8704392502. If people want to see Bigfoot in Fahnestock State Park,they should phone _ . A. 5036681 700 B. 8452257 207 C. 5056613 333 D. 8007568 880 Answer: B Question: I was feeling a little blue because my mother had been laid off from her job and she had lots of bills to pay. It left me wondering what was going to happen to us now. But it reassured me some when my mother told me she was relieved to be leaving since her boss wasn't the nicest person to be around. I got off the college shuttle bus and started walking. That's when I heard piano music and singing rising above the noise of the people and the traffic. I walked a little slower so I could find out where it was coming from. Through the crowd I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a carriage next to her. She was singing songs about love, keeping on trying, and not underestimating the power within yourself. The way she was singing comforted me a bit. I stood there watching her play for about fifteen minutes, thinking that it must take courage to perform on your own in the middle of a crowded New York ferry terminal. So I stood there listening. She must have felt my presence because she would occasionally look in my direction. By now I was telling myself that if she could perform in front of hundreds of people she didn't know then I could at least tell her how good she sounded. I walked over and put some money in her carriage and she said, "Thank you." Instead of continuing my way home, I said to her, "I have been going through a rough time lately, but you've made me hopeful again." "I'm happy that I could help," she replied. "Why are you so sad?" "Well, my mum told me she had got fired from her job, and that made me sad. I'm not so sure what to do ..." "You see, here's the problem," she explained. "The way you were walking, your head was down. Don't look defeated, because opportunity comes in different ways and if your head is down you might never see it. You should smile more ... lift your head up." I smiled faintly, amazed by how she was encouraging me. So, I asked her, "Why are you playing the piano in the middle of a crowded place? I've seen you do this more than once." She explained to me that she sees a lot of negative people in the world and she tries to alleviate the pain and bring more positivity by sharing motivational music. She told me that when she wasn't making music she studied psychology. So, that was how she knew some of the things she was telling me. I smiled a little wider because I knew that she was doing a good thing. So, after that we parted, my heart touched and lightened by a musical soul! Which do you think is the best title of the passage? A. An Unforgettable Experience B. A Heart Touched By A Musical Soul C. Music Can Do Wonders D. A Good Deed Helped Me Out Answer: B
I'm Marie. I work in a nursing home and my job is to look after the old people. Alice is one of them. She's a very nice old woman. This year, Alice had a difficult time. She went to hospital twice. In November, I finally could get her back to her "home". Alice hoped that her daughter could come to visit her on Christmas Eve because she wanted to be with her family, like the old days. But her daughter was coming after Christmas, so she was very sad. I also felt sad because she would be alone on the holiday! On Christmas Eve, I took her to a candlelight service at church that night. I didn't take her to my church. I took her to the church in her old neighborhood. We got there early and I let her sit near the door, so people could see her when they came in. Soon some of her friends came to the church and they all talked to her and sat with her. Alice got a lot of love from her old and new friends there. She said she loved the gift like this. That night, I thought I got the best gift: the smile on Alice's face. . What can we learn about Alice? Answer: She was unhappy before the Christmas Eve. Doctors' moonlighting is becoming popular in hospitals around China. It has not only raised a lot of heated discussions in the media, but also caught the attention of the central government in Beijing. On December 26, a spokesman of the Ministry of Health stressed that the ministry was firmly against doctors' moonlighting, while strict regulations should be applied to doctors taking part-time jobs, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Last year, the Ministry sent out a notice to a variety of health organizations to speed up the reform of their personnel system. According to the notice, medical organizations can hire medical experts as part-time doctors but such activities should take place under the hospital's management and regulations . As for moonlighting--meaning that the doctor provides medical service without the permission of the original hospital--such activity goes against China's Practicing Doctor Law, Xinhua reported. In China, doctors used to be controlled by hospitals and they could work for only one hospital. However, as China's medical personnel system reform developed, it has been recognized that medical human resources, just like human resources in other areas, should be shared by the whole society. But on the other hand, doctors' taking part-time jobs should follow the relative regulations applied in the medical field. First of all, they should follow relative government laws and regulations. They should also follow the rules and regulations set by the medical organizations they work for. In addition, they should pay taxes for their income from the part-time jobs. What matters most is that they should first finish their regular jobs as required and be responsible for patients to ensure qualified and safe medical treatment. What is the greatest difference between moonlighting and taking part-time jobs? Answer: Taking part-time jobs is permitted by hospitals while moonlighting is-against A little under one-third of U.S. families have no Internet access and do not plan to get it, with most of the holdouts seeing little use for it in their lives, according to a survey released on Friday. Park Associates, a Dallas-based technology market research firm, said 29 percent of U.S. families, or 31 million homes, do not have Internet access and do not intend to subscribe to an Internet service over the next 12 months. The second annual National Technology Scan conducted by Park found that the main reason why potential customers say they do not subscribe to the Internet is because of the low value to their daily lives rather than concerns over cost. Forty-four percent of these families say they are not interested in anything on the Internet, versus just 22 percent who say they cannot afford a computer or the cost of Internet service, the survey showed. The answer "I'm not sure how to use the Internet" came from 17 percent of participants who do not subscribe. The response "I do all my e-commerce shopping and YouTube-watching at work" was cited by 14 percent of Internet-access refuseniks. Three percent said the Internet doesn't reach their homes. The study found U.S. broadband adoption grew to 52 percent over 2006, up from 42 percent in 2005. Roughly half of new subscribers converted from slower-speed, dial-up Internet access while the other half of families had no prior access. "The industry continues to chip away at the core of non-subscribers, but has a long way to go," said John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates. "Entertainment applications will be the key. If anything will pull in the holdouts, it's going to be applications that make the Internet more similar to pay-TV," he predicted. Which is the best title for the passage? Answer: Many Americans see little point to web Every country has its own way of cooking. American people have their way of cooking, don't they? Most people in the United States like fast food, but if you think that American people don't like cooking, you are wrong. It's true that most Americans eat fast food for their breakfast and lunch, but they also think cooking is interesting. Parents see the importance of teaching their children how to cook, and most Americans say that home cooked meals are the best. Americans have their own way of cooking. For example, baking is the most popular way of cooking in America. Most American families have ovens. American cooks pay attention to the balance of food. In planning a big meal, they try to cook meat, a few vegetables, some bread and often some sweet food. They also like to make the meal look beautiful. There are many kinds of food of different colors, so the meal is healthy and looks beautiful, too. Most Americans Answer: eat fast food Which tool is best used to collect information about the weather? Answer: thermometer
Most great singers have had learnt singing lessons since childhood. Occasionally, though, a great voice comes through untrained, a voice that is unbelievably, naturally beautiful. Mahalia Jackson had such a voice. Without having had a lesson, she was able to attract listeners with her magnificent voice that never seemed forced or pretended. Mahalia Jackson was a gospel singer. She preferred to sing the soul music or folk songs rather than popular songs or rocks. Since financial rewards didn't concern her, she refused many opportunities to become wealthy. She sang for the simple country people and also for the rich, sometimes. But she never changed her style or her point of view. At one point, after some discussions, her husband advised her to try out for a regular stage role. Then, she reluctantly paid 2. 5 dollars for a song sheet and went to the interview. All the judges agreed to offer her the part, for they were highly impressed. At this point, however ,her husband got a job ,and she turned down the offer. She wanted to go on singing at concerts. Mahalia Jackson was a down-to-earth person, showing no self-pride. She considered her singing talent a gift from God and accepted it humbly. She would help box-office clerks and would even help sell tickets out front, if necessary. Therefore ,she was loved by people around her. Perhaps Mahalia Jackson's greatest moment was singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at President John F. Kennedy's inauguration The national anthem may never have been sung better. After all her success, Mahalia Jackson always remained _ Answer: Cambridge University Botanic Garden We run a lively programme of family events, life-long learning courses and much more throughout the year. Improve your Digital Photography This course led by award-winning photographer, Pete Murray, will show you how to take control of your camera. Using a proven "step by step approach" you will gain confidence in using your camera. Date:29/09 Time:10 am--4 pm Price:PS60 Event Category: Garden Photography 'Handbag' Baskets New to the Botanic Garden, this course will give you the opportunity to make your very own beautiful 'handbag basket'from a design that local basketry maker, Debbie Hall, developed herself. They have proved very popular since she started teaching the technique. Date: 07/10 Time: 10 am --4:30 pm Price: PS120 Event Category: Weaving & Basketry Trees and Shrubs for Autumn Color Join Mark Crouch, a specialist in the care of trees, for this course on choosing trees and shrubs to create beautiful autumn displays for your garden. The day will include a talk in our classroom and a tour of the Botanic Garden to look at autumn color and interest across our tree and shrub collection. Date: 17/10 Time: 10 am --4 pm Price: PS50 Event Category: Gardens and Plants Introduction to Botanical Subjects in Colored Pencil If you are interested in beginning to use colored pencils to draw botanical subjects, then this is the course for you. Janie Pirie is one of the country's leading pencil artists and on this one-day course she will show you the basic techniques used when working with colored pencils. Date: 16/10 Time: 10 am --4 pm Price: PS40 Event Category: Botanical Art How much would you pay if you wanted to learn to take better pictures? Answer: Speed-reading is an indispensable skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles, e-mails and tweets to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. Bombarded with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line. But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly, listing benefits beyond intellectual stimulation. A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smart phones. They sink into cozy chairs and read in silence for an hour. Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the Slow Reading Club isn't exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment. According to the Journal, the Wellington book club is just one example of a movement initiated by book lovers who miss the old-fashioned way of reading before the Internet and smart phones. Slow readers, such as The Atlantic's Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to empathize. Some of these benefits have been backed up by science. For example, a study of 300 elderly people published by the journal Neurology last year showed that regular engagement in intellectually strenuous activities like reading slowed the rate of memory loss later in life. Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted pattern in a quiet environment free of distractions. "Aim for 30 minutes a day," advises Kelly from The Atlantic. "You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments - whenever you find yourself automatically firing up your laptop to check your favorite site, or scanning Twitter for something to pass the time - you pick up a meaningful work of literature," Kelly said. "Reach for your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy, not less substantive , and also ensure you'll never lose your place." What can be the best title of the passage? Answer: Quick and Quack were two brave little ducks who lived with their mother. Both were really fast and were always competing against each other. One day, after visiting their uncle Ducklass, Quack shouted, "Last one home is a goose!" and both ducks swam quickly down the river. They both knew the way well, but Quack had been preparing a trick for some time. He had realized that the current in the middle of the river was stronger, and would help him. So, even though Mother Duck had told them never to swim in the middle of the river, Quack paddled over to it. "I'm old enough now to swim here," he thought to himself. It wasn't long before he realized his mother had been right. He was going much faster than Quick, and was developing a big lead. Quick was not amused. He never disobeyed his mother, and now he was going to lose the race! As they went on, the current got stronger. Quack proudly crossed the finishing line, without realizing he headed straight for a big whirlpool in the middle of the river. Before he could react, he was turning around in it, unable to escape. No duck was strong enough to swim in those waters, and poor Quack kept swallowing water. The fact that he was struggling hard didn't help matters much either. Fortunately, a cow from a nearby farm came by, and seeing Quack, he jumped in and rescued him. When he was on dry ground, he remained uncomfortable for quite some time. That provided quite a laugh for different animals that had been watching. Quick didn't swim in the middle of the river because _ . Answer: Angela wants to report daily weather conditions. In which unit should Angela record the air temperature? Answer:
A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking care of a patient suffering from an incurable disease with days numbered. The girl was assigned to look after an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad. Their living conditions were not satisfactory while the old man had a lot of savings. She was expected to comfort him and keep up his spirits. Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him company, telling him stories. When he was having an intravenous drip , she would help massage his arms. The doctor found the patient much improved mentally. The old man began to involve himself actively in the medical treatment and he seldom shouted at others. But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the old man would give her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere , unwilling to offend the old man. A month later the old man showed evident signs of decline after suffering coma a few times. When rescued from the latest coma, the old man told the doctor his last wish, "I have deep sympathy for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her finish her studies?" But the doctor knew that her family was welloff and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father's car. When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man, the doctor told her the bad news. She was very sad and burst into tears. Then she handed $ 500 to the doctor, saying, "The old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of poverty. He gave me money so that I could continue my schooling." Now he got the answer to the puzzle. In the last period of his life, the old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl badly in need. What can we learn from the passage? A. The doctor told the old man the truth. B. The old man's children were wealthy. C. The girl's father encouraged her to accept the money. D. The girl didn't accompany the old man when he died. Answer: D In many businesses, computers have largely replaced paperwork, because they are fast, flexible, and do not make mistakes. As one banker said, "Unlike humans, computers never have a bad day." And they are honest. Many banks advertise that their transactions are "untouched by human hands" and therefore safe from human temptation. Obviously, computers have no reason to steal money. But they also have no conscience, and the growing number of computer crimes shows they can be used to steal. Computer criminals don't use guns. And even they are caught, it is hard to punish them because there are no witnesses and often no evidence. A computer cannot remember who used it: it simply does what it is told. The head teller at a New York City Bank used a computer to steal more than one and a half billion dollars in just four years. No one noticed this theft because he moved the money from one account to another. Each time a customer he had robbed questioned the balance in his account, the teller claimed a computer error, then replaced the missing money from someone else's account. This man was caught only because he was a gambler. When the police broke up an illegal gambling operation, his name was in the records. Some employees use the computer's power to get revenge on employers they consider unfair. Recently, a large insurance company fired its computer-tape librarian for reasons that involved her personal rather than her professional life. She was given thirty days' notice. In those thirty days, she erased all the company's computerized records. Most computer criminals have been minor employees. Now police wonder if this is "the tip of the iceberg". As one official says, "I have the feeling that there is more crime out there than we are catching. What we are seeing now is all so poorly done. I wonder what the real experts are doing--the ones who really know how a computer works." The author uses the case of the head teller to show _ . A. how computer criminals so evil things B. how hard it is to find computer criminals C. computers lack conscience D. computer crime can involve a big sum of money Answer: B Many animals do strange things before an earthquake.This news may be important. Earthquakes can kill people and knock down houses.Animals may help to save lives. Some animals make a lot of noise before an earthquake.Farmers know about this.Dogs that are usually quiet start to bark.Horses on farms run around in circles.Mice leave their holes and run away.Cows give less milk. In a town in Italy, cats raced down the street in a group.That happened only a few hours before an earthquake.In San Francisco.a man kept tiny pet frogs.One Sunday, the frogs jumped around more than ever.They made loud noise.That night, an earthquake struck the city.People want to know when an earthquake is coming.Then they could get away safely.Right now, there is no sure way to know ahead of time.Maybe the best way is to watch the animals. This story is mostly about _ . A. how animals act before an earthquake B. how an earthquake starts C. how mice leave their homes D. when an earthquake begins Answer: A Some countries have a large number of earthquakes. Japan is one of them, while others do not have many, for example, there are few earthquakes in Britain. There is often a great noise during an earthquake. The ground vibrates .Houses fall down. Railways are broken, which causes trains to turn over. Sometimes thousands of people are killed in different ways. About 60,000 were killed in 1783 in the south of Italy. Some people say that earthquakes often happen near volcanoes , but it is not true. The centres of some earthquakes are under the sea. The bottom of the sea suddenly moves. The powerful forces inside the earth break the rocks. The coast is shaken and great waves appear. These waves travel long distances and rush over the land when they reach it, breaking down houses and other buildings. Sometimes they break more buildings than the earthquake itself. A terrible earthquake happened in Assam, India, in 1986.The land near Shillong suddenly moved 1.5 feet to one side, and then back again. It continued to act like this 20 times a minute.Few buildings could stand what was happening and the great stones flew four feet up into the air. What kind of building stays up best in an earthquake? The Americans carefully studied the results of the earthquake at San Francisco(1906) and believed it best for buildings to be made with concrete walls together by steel frames. Such are the buildings that can't burn or fall easily. Which of the following is NOT true? A. Trains' turning over is directly caused by the earthquakes. B. Some earthquakes have their centres under the sea. C. It isn't certain that earthquakes happen near volcanoes. D. Buildings with concrete walls are better against earth quakes. Answer: D A simple machine that helps move a flag up a flagpole is A. a bar magnet B. an inclined plane C. a pulley D. a lever Answer: C
A picture is on my desk. It is a picture of Mary's family. The man is her father Mr. White. He is a doctor. A woman is behind Mary. She is her mother. She's a teacher. A boy is in the picture, too. He is Mary's brother, Sam. Mary and Sam are in the same school. But they aren't in the same grade. They look like their mother. The White family are English. They come from London. What does Mrs. White do? Answer: St James's Palace has announced that while Miss Middleton will wear a wedding ring. Prince William has chosen not to. Rings are typically exchanged by couples during their wedding to represent commitment to each other. Does it matter if husbands don't wear a wedding ring? Prince William's father wears one, his grandfather doesn't and their decisions weren't seen as strange. But reactions to Prince William's decision show that wedding rings for husbands are now the norm. One young man, who spoke to the BBC, thinks William is setting a bad example, saying: "I think it's disgraceful . It's a tradition. You have to wear a ring really. And for someone of the royal family to do that, it's not right. " Broadly speaking, modem husbands tend to wear their wedding rings as a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness. So not wearing one can seem unusual or even dishonest to some, although men haven't always worn them. The wearing of wedding rings has been the done thing for centuries among wives but only became common practice among husbands during World War II. Men fighting overseas usually wore them as a reminder of wives and families back home. Wearing rings is a safety issue for men in certain manual jobs. But how does William explain his decision? A royal officer has said he "isn't one for jewelry". By saying "he isn't one for jewelry", the royal officers meant that _ . Answer: Swee Lin has an interesting hobby . She collects stamps. She spends a lot of time on her stamp collection after school hours. She has collected hundreds of stamps from all over the world. They are all in color. Swee Lin likes stamps with pictures of animals and birds on them. In this way, she learns the names of many animals and birds. She also borrows books on animals and birds from her school library. She learns many things about them. Sometimes Swee Lin has many stamps of the same kind. She gives them to her friends. They give her other stamps in return. Swee Lin writes to her friends in many countries. She sends them stamps of her country. In return, they send her stamps of their countries. Swee Lin's father also gives her stamps. He brings them home from his office for her. Many of Swee Lin's friends collect other things. Some collect coins and others collect matchboxes . But, all of them say that Swee Lin's collection is the most interesting of all. Sometimes Swee Lin has many stamps of the same kind. She _ . Answer: One day the students were having painting lessons. Everyone began to draw pictures .Li Lei did nothing. When the bell rang for the break , Li Lei passed his picture to the teacher . The teacher looked at it and got angry "Why do you give me a piece of paper with nothing on it , Li Lei ?"asked the teacher. "I'm sorry, sir. I drew a dog and some bread on the paper"says Li Lei ."Where is the dog and bread ?"asked the teacher again. I drew some bread first . When I finished drawing the dog , it ate up the bread . When I gave it to you , the dog ran away ."says Li Lei.. The students were busy _ . Answer: A student was taking notes while the teacher was discussing cells. Which of these is a statement that the teacher most likely made? Answer:
Question: When the old man was much younger, he still had A. brown eyes B. baldness C. gray hair D. wrinkled skin Answer: A Question: When you hear the word "farm", chances are you picture rolling hills in the country covered with cows and cornstalks. Some scientists, engineers and city planners say the farms of the future could rise straight into the air---in skyscrapers in the world's most populated cities. It might sound far--fetched, but in fact, some of the technology for growing crops indoors already exists. The scientists at the South Pole research station enjoy fresh salads every day from vegetables they grow in their own greenhouse. And NASA has been experimenting for years with methods for growing fresh fruits on the moon or even on Mars. As is known, traditional farming takes a plot of land as big as the entire state of Virginia just to grow enough food for 8 million people, says ecologist Dichson Despommer. Cities that can't grow their own food are often influenced by disasters such as hurricanes that can make it impossible for trucks to deliver fresh produce to grocery stores. In addition, fruit and vegetables grown outdoors face all kinds of dangers, from flooding to insect pests to weather instability, such as late or early frosts that can damage a crop. "You can control everything indoors. You can't control anything outdoors," Despommier says. To top it off, by the year 2050, the world population will grow by another 3 billion. "Where will we grow the food for all these people?" Vertical farming----growing crops in skyscrapers, tens of stories high----is the answer," says Despommier. Others say _ could provide new uses for hundreds of abandoned buildings in cities around the world. Crop waste, like leaves, would be composted , and the gases given off from composting would be used to heat the building. "I'd say it is going to be tough," says agriculturist Giacomelli. It can be tricky to regulate climate conditions indoors. Plus, plants differ in their weather and lighting requirements. Tomatoes like warm, sunny weather, while greens like lettuce prefer cooler temperatures. And nearly all crop plants require lots of sunlight. From the passage, we can learn that _ . A. scientists haven't developed the technology for vertical farming B. some of the technology for vertical farming has already been mastered C. vertical farming will soon replace traditional framing D. vertical farming is only suitable for big cities Answer: B Question: Singapore is building an airport where indoor trees, waterfalls and a 'rain vortex' sit alongside check-in queues, waiting rooms and baggage carousels . Where once sat a car park, there will soon be thousands of trees and plants across 22,000 sq metres of landscaped indoor parklands. This will be joined by a 40m-high indoor waterfall, expected to be the world's tallest. These are the plans for the new 3.5 hectare 'Jewel' development at Singapore's Changi Airport, scheduled to open in 2018; a five-storey, 134,000 square metre complex, mixing natural outdoor plants with modern airport facilities. "The aim behind the introduction of such lush landscaping is purely to provide all visitors with a memorable experience, one where they are surrounded by nature and greenery,"says Philip Yim, Chief Executive Officer of Jewel Changi Airport Development. Promised sustainability measures include "extensive usage of photovoltaic panels "to produce renewable energy, as well as encouraging the use of natural lighting and a "high efficiency" air-conditioning system. The indoor waterfall, named the "Rain Vortex", will make use of special lighting effects to change at night into what is promised to be a dramatic light and sound show. "The Rain Vortex is one example of how sustainable design plays an important role in the planning of the attraction," says Yim. 'In the event of a rain storm, the power of the rain water will flow naturally through the oculus. The excess rain water collected will be used for irrigation of the landscaping at Jewel.' Yim quotes the popular reputation Singapore enjoys as "the garden city", where greenery is recognised as an essential part of the urban landscape, an attractive image which clearly inspires Jewel's design. However, it remains to be seen whether, beyond the aesthetic appeal, Jewel can add genuine environmental things to something as un-environmental as an international airport. What can we learn about the "jewel" development Singapore's change Airport? A. It is being built on an old car park at present. B. It has been planned and is being built. C. It will be the world's tallest airport. D. Acts of kindness can make a difference. Answer: B Question: Most of the guests who come on our trips have never been to Egypt before .We want to make everyone comfortable and at ease, but we do always get the same questions in advance of trip. So here I will give you some travel tips. What should I wear? If you're lucky enough to visit Egypt between November and February, pack a sweater. You'll need it----the desert gets rather cold at night. During the day, the temperature will be agreeable and comfortable. Any other time, pack as if you're going to Phoenix of Vegas in August. For the ladies, bathing suits are normal if there's a pool where you are going, but leave the string bikini at home -it is a Muslim country, after all. Last, if you are planning on visiting any mosques or certain parts of upper Egypt, ladies will need to plan on bringing something that comes at least to the elbow , and no shorts for men or women in those areas. What special things do I need to pack? One of my favorite things in the world to bring to Egypt is an Evian Mister, a sprayer with a fine mist of Evian water. You may be able to find it in your local drug store. Spray a little on your face or head , and your body temperature will feel like it's dropped 10 or 15 degrees. Other items include your camera, sun block and extra batteries. How do I communicate with home? Internet cafes are plentiful everywhere, especially in Cairo, Luxor, and Alexandria. If you have international calling on you phone, you should be able to use it-AT&T and Sprint both work internationally for sure, but make sure you have the international coverage. A satellite phone is best if you are certain to need coverage in the middle of the country, like while sailing up the Nile , but for most people these days a cell phone is fine. What medical preparation do I need? In a word: none! The one thing you may come down with in Egypt is politely called "Pharoah 's Revenge. " The thing that gets rid of pharoah's Revenge is a regionally produced medicine, and is available at every drugstore for $1 a box . DON'T drink local water. DO drink bottled water, avoid the skins of fresh vegetables, and you'll be fine. What information is provided about distance communication? A. A cell phone is enough for most people. B. AT&T and Sprint offer free service in Egypt. C. A satellite phone doesn't work in Mid-Egypt. D. Internet cafes are only available in big cities. Answer: A Question: A lot of kids have dreams they'll never achieve due to the limitations of their little bodies. They want to fly, or to become a dinosaur, or to learn how to act like Spiderman. Luka Tavcar, 12, has muscular dystrophy and is totally dependent on his wheelchair. Nevertheless, late last year, he had an inspired plan: to be photographed walking around and having fun. He approached Matej Peljhan, an amateur photographer and a psychologist at CIRIUS rehabilitation center near Ljubljana, Slovenia, where Luka is a patient. At first, Peljhan was perplexed. How could he photograph a boy who can not move or act in motion? "Luka wanted to see himself playing and having fun, but it seemed impossible," he says. Then Peljhan had a brainstorm: Luka could lie down on a piece of cloth and, with the help of an assistant, Peljhan would pose the boy as if he were jumping, climbing stairs, moving downhill on a skateboard, and playing basketball. Then Peljhan would shoot these images from above. The photos took about a month to produce; all were shot early this year. Peljhan, who lost his right arm and left eye as a child, says his own disabilities motivated him to make the photographs. "I understand people with limitations," he says. He named the series "The Little Prince" after the French story by Antoine de Saint-Exupery in which a boy teaches a man about trust, hope, and friendship. Luka loves the photos. Matej himself understands what it is like to live with limitations--he lost his right arm and left eye as a child."Luka wants to stay positive and his imagination helps him forget his physical limitation," says Peljhan. "He's fragile, but he can see the world differently." While the pictures were being taken, Luka . A. jumped up and down B. learned to trust people C. lay down on a surface D. experienced a lot of pain Answer: C
The Internet is full of false information. It is important for us all to avoid being fooled by such information. Here are three examples of Internet hoaxes. On his website, a man by the name of Tony has asked for gifts of money to save the life of a pretty little rabbit named Toby that he rescued from under his house. A cat must have attacked the rabbit, the man claimed, so he took it in. he gave Toby loving care and nursed him back to health. There is a very cruel point, however. If the greedy man doesn't receive enough money, he will eat poor little Toby. (Don't worry, though. Remember, it's just a hoax!. While the streets of New Orleans, the USA, were still flooded after a terrible hurricane (., a frightening e-mail was sent around the Internet. It included a photograph of a large crocodile over five meters long. According to the message, it had been swimming around the flooded city eating people. It was later discovered that the photographs of the crocodile were of one that was caught in the Congo (. years before. The following e-mail hoax takes in many people. It claims that a large British company will pay you to send their e-mail to as many people as possible. For every person that you send the e-mail to, it promises you will receive $5.00; for every person that you send it to that sends it to someone else, you'll get $3.00; and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $1.00. To make it even more believable, the sender says that at first he thought it was a hoax, but the company soon sent him $800.00. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: ThecityofNewOrleanswasfloodedbecauseoftheterriblehurricane. Patients and doctors alike have long believed in the healing power of humor.It is claimed that humor not only affects patients' moods, but can actually help them recover faster. Several studies seem to support this.Patients in better spirits are known to have higher immune cell counts.Some have even claimed to have healed themselves of serious illnesses by reading comics and watching comedies. Despite all this, many researchers are not convinced.They point out the fact that many sufferings have been known to disappear naturally, with or without a daily dose of laughter.They also say that while optimism in general does seem to be related to better health, it is hard to tell which comes first. Humor in times of stress, however, clearly makes us feel better.On one level, it takes our minds off our troubles and relaxes us.On another, it releases powerful endorphins, a chemical produced by your body that reduces pain. There are cases where the appreciation of a good joke is indeed directly related to a person's health.It can show, for example, whether a person has suffered damage to one particular area of the brain: the right frontal lobe . Scientists confirmed this by having people read jokes and asking them to choose the funniest endings from a list.Subjects with normal brains usually chose endings that were based on a relatively complex synthesis of ideas.Subjects with specifically located brain damage, however, responded only to slapstick endings, which did not depend on a particular context.When pressed, the brain-damaged subjects saw the logic in the correct endings.They simply did not find them funny. Of course, humor is largely an individual matter.Next time your friend does not get one of your jokes, there is no need to accuse him of being a lamebrain.However, you might suggest that he lighten up--for the health of it. Which would be the best title for the passage? Answer: Humor contributes to good health MSF stands for Medicines Sans Frontiers. It's also known as Doctors Without Borders . Medicines Sans Frontiers is French. This organization was set up by some French doctors in 1971. Since then, MSF has sent trained doctors all over the world to help people who have suffered from disasters, such as wars and illness. Now, about 3,000 doctors and nurses work for MSF. And over 27,000 doctors have volunteered for MSF so far. The organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. All kinds of doctors can volunteer for MSF. They need to be ready to go almost anywhere in the world and, of course, they should face difficulties. Most of MSF's work is in Africa. When MSF chooses doctors for a task, they have to go for at least six months. When doctors have completed a few tasks and become experienced, they might be sent on an emergency task following a disaster, such as an earthquake. But why would doctors leave a comfortable life and a good pay to join MSF? Some of them say the experience they have is a great help in their life. And they say that it's great to give others a helping hand. MSF needs support. They get donations from the government and businesses. But 80% of its donations come from doctors themselves. MSF gets most of its donations from _ . Answer: doctors In 1996, John Tierney suggested in the New York Times Magazine article that "recycling is garbage." He wrote, "The money spent on recycling programs should have been spent on real social and environmental problems. Recycling programs not only increase energy use and pollution, but also cost more money than the disposal of plain old garbage. Recycling may be the most wasteful activity in modern America." Environmental groups were quick to express their disagreement. They wrote reports on how recycling programs in cities can reduce pollution and cost less than regular garbage pickup and disposal. Michael Shapiro, an official of the US Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), said that "recycling can be good value for money, although there's still room for improvements." But in 2002, New York City, a pioneer of recycling, found that its recycling program was losing money, so it stopped glass and plastic recycling. Other major cities watched closely to see how New York was dealing with its remaining program (the city never stopped paper recycling). But then it closed its last landfill , and private companies out of New York raised prices due to the increased workload of carrying away and disposing New York's garbage. As a result, glass and plastic recycling became profitable for the city again, and New York brought the program back. According to Cecil Adams of The Chicago Reader, the lessons learned by New York are relevant everywhere. He believes that, if managed correctly, recycling programs should cost cities less than garbage disposal. Even though the benefits of recycling over disposal are many, keep in mind that it better serves the environment to "reduce and reuse" before recycling is even considered as a choice. Which of the following would the author most probably recommend? Answer: Always bring your own shopping bag when you go shopping. Officials say the islands of Tokelau in the South Pacific Ocean have become the world's first territory totally powered by the sun.The move is expected to save money and ease the environmental burden of depending on imported fossil fuels. Tokelau's three main atolls ,or islands,now have enough solar capacity to meet all of their electricity needs.Until now.Tokelau has been 100%dependent on diesel for producing electricity.That has burdened the country with heavy economic and environmental costs. The three atolls of Tokelau are about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii and are administered by New Zealand. Each atoll received its own solar power grid system.New Zealand officials estimated the cost of the project to build the three solar grids at around seven million dollars.The last of the grids has been completed. It is estimated that oil imports make up to 30%of national income in some parts of the Pacific.The move to solar power could save Tokelau about one million dollars a year.Tokelau will now be able to spend more on social programs to help its citizens. Other South Pacific islands are attempting similar projects.The island nations of Samoa and Tuvalu are aiming to get all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.The Cook Islands plans to start moving to solar panels and wind turbines.And most houses in the South Pacific groups of islands will begin to use solar water heaters. East Timor's government has promised that no households in the capital,Dili,would be using firewood for cooking by 2015.It also says 50%of the country's electricity will come from renewable sources by the end of the decade. New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says the country will hold a Pacific energy summit in March this year.He said the meeting would build on the success of clean and affordable energy solutions for Tokelau,Tonga,and the Cook Islands. We can know Tokelau used to spend about _ dollars on oil imports every year. Answer: one million
A typical Chinese Internet user is a young male who prefers instant messaging to e-mail,seldom makes online purchases but favors news,music and games sites.According to a study,about two-thirds of survey participants use the Internet for news--often entertainment-related--or for online games.About half download music and movies. They also tend to prefer instant messaging to e-mail,and they are depending on the Internet more frequently than before to communicate with others who have the same professions,hobbies and political interests.Online purchases still remain unpopular in China.Three-quarters of users surveyed have never bought anything over the Internet,and only 10 percent make purchases even once a month.Among those who do buy online,most pay for entertainment while others buy phone cards,or computer hardware or software. "Many people don't trust the quality of goods bought online," Guo said Wednesday."If they buy it in a store and don't like it,they can easily bring it back.'' The survey was done in five major cities:Beijin9,Shanghai,Guangzhou.Chengdu and Changsha.Results do not necessarily project countrywide because Internet use in rural areas is lower than in cities.Guo describes the typical netizen in the five cities surveyed as young,male,richer and more highly educated.Males make up two-thirds of the Internet community,and more than 80 percent of users are under 24.Among people ages 25 to 29,60 percent to 80 percent go online. China has more than 100 million people online,second in the world to the United States. Online purchases still remain unpopular in China mainly because_. Answer: it is more difficult for sales returns Ransom Myers of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia warned, using solid science and careful analysis, of the dangers of overfishing. _ and he wasn't afraid to report bad news. As the Guelph Mercury reported, the 54-year-old biologist, originally from Mississippi, was known for his research and warnings about the extinction of marine life around the world. He developed a passion for marine protection during his days in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, where he worked for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans at a time when the industry was watching the collapse of the cod fishery. He became, says the Guelph Mercury, a lone, unpopular voice in the discussion about the cause of the collapse, insisting overfishing was the main factor. The world was spending its energy fighting over the few fish left instead of cutting catch limits before it was too late. He warned governments, the fishing industry and consumers, that unless commercial fishing was reduced, many large marine species would become extinct, leading to economic disruptions, food shortages, and lasting damage to marine ecosystems. He said his conclusions were shocking because people had lost sight of the true effect of the declines and they did not look back far enough in history. In other words, he said, "We've forgotten how big fish used to be and how many of them once lived in the sea." Which of the following is NOT true about Ransom Myers? Answer: He wrote a book about the history of marine protection. Hi, everyone! I am Paul Hawking, the trip leader for this weekend' s activity. It's that time of the year again when the days are long and it is nice to sit outside and enjoy some oysters . We plan to head out to the Mission Bay this Sunday for a beach picnic. You can buy fresh oysters at the Mission Bay Oyster Company and you just need to pay $6 to $l0 for each dozen, depending on the size. It' s on Sunday, June 30. We will meet at the Student Center at 9:00 a.m. and all go together. The driving time is one and a half to two hours, and the time of return is still uncertain. Come and join us in what must now be the 4th or 5th such trip for the Outing Club. The oyster farm has a small picnic area with chairs and barbecue grills . Bring some briquettes if you would like to grill. Except for oysters, oysters and oysters, little is available there, so please bring your own food and drinks. And of course, if you have any special oyster recipes , bring them make them and share them! The weather forecast says it's going to be sunny and around 26degC this weekend. My telephone number is 408-896-3228. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions. Remember to finish your homework before we leave for the picnic. Which of the following statement is TRUE? Answer: You should finish the homework before leaving for the picnic. The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is a wake-up call. It is a call for every American to pay attention to the destruction we risk by allowing human-induced climate change to continue. It is impossible to prove that Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming, or even that human activities made the storm more severe. However, a paper published in the scholarly journal Nature reports that the force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50% during the last 50 years. It also reports that a global warming-induced rise in temperature near the ocean's surface has probably contributed to this increase in dangerous storms, and thus to property damage and human death. On August 30, the Los Angeles Times summed up the view of many scientists who agree that if the frequency of hurricanes does not decrease in the next few years, then we will be fairly certain that humans, and not natural storm cycle, are at the root of the problem. I believe there is at least a chance that by reducing U.S. reliance on fossil fuels for energy, we can prevent future tragedies like Hurricane Katrina. Let the change begin now. There are many ways to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions. My family drives the most fuel-efficient car we can afford, but I prefer to take public transportation whenever possible. My family buys locally grown food instead of produce that was transported thousands of miles on fuel-burning vehicles. We also replaced our incandescent light bulbs with more energy-efficient compact fluorescents . This might sound like a trivial move, but the Union of Concerned Scientists reports that if every household in the United States replaced one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would have the same effect on U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions as removing 7.5 million cars from the roads. Now think if every household replaced not just one but all of their incandescent bulbs! The United States, with just five percent of the world's population, is responsible for close to one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, yet our country is doing far less than most European nations to fight global warming. We don't have to sacrifice our lifestyles; Europeans enjoy the same standards of living as Americans. So what are we waiting for? It is time to act. Which of the following is a fact? Answer: The force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50 percent during the last 50 years. For the first time in Singapore, it's snowing. Visitors to Singapore will be amazed by the technology that brings winter to you on this tropical island. All visitors can have cool winter fun in Snow City, Singapore's first indoor snow center. Visitors can see and touch snow falling. Of course, it's more than just touching and feeling snow. You can enjoy exciting snow rides or skiing on snowboard. You can also build your own real snowman and have snowball fights filled with fun and learn about life in cold climates. Snow City is about family-based fun and is suitable for all ages. Join us and step into Snow City today. How to get there: 21Jurong Town Hall Road, Snow City Building, Singapore 609433 Tel: 63371511 Bus services: No. 66, No. 178, No.198 Price: Adults: $18; Children: $12 Opening Hours: Tuesday--Sunday: 10:30 am--6:30 pm Notice: No phone booking. For updated information, please visit our website www.snowcity.com.sg. Bob and his 5-year-old daughter want to visit Snow City. They should prepare _ for the tickets. Answer: $30
Question: Robert is a boss who hires me as a helper. He has lost his home and now has to live back at home, with his mother, at 46. We had a job in Fort Bending. Robert bought me breakfast there. As we were leaving ,a man walked to us asking if he could get some work from Roberts' company. Robert explained there was no work for the man and the man started to walk away. As I looked from the leaving man back to Robert, l saw Robert getting Out some money and went after the man to give it to him. I asked Robert, "Why did you do that?" Robert said _ After a very long, hard day, we stopped at a Quick Trip for a soda. I got through the check out ahead of Robert and went back out to the work truck. Beside the truck was a woman in a car. She had 3 kids and asked me if I could help-she had been _ now where to go with her children-they were living in the car. I told her I was also hurting in these times-sorry I could not. Robert came out. opened the work truck and we got in I told him about the lady I didn't even finish the story when Robert was out. his door- around the truck and giving the women money to help her and her kids out. When Robert returned I asked, "Why did you do that, she didn't even ask you". He said "I have an ex-wife and a kid-if they need help and I am not able, someone will help them" Why did the man walk to the writer and Robert? A. To ask for a lift in Robert's truck. B. To look for a job in Robert's company C. To beg for some money to buy a ticket. D. To expect Robert to buy him breakfast. Answer: B. To look for a job in Robert's company Question: Last month I had a health problem and had to see a doctor. After examining me, The doctor said to me, "The result isn't too bad ." But you must excise often and have healthy food every day. In fact, I'm a lazy person. I never get up early to exercise. And I often have junk food because I like it. In order to be healthy, I decided to change my lifestyle. Now I get up at 6:00 am every day. Then I go out to run for about an hour. I go to a gym on Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. And I hardly have junk food. I have healthy food, like milk and fish. I often eat vegetables and I have an apple every day. You know, " An apple a day keeps the doctor away " I also have about eight glasses of water. And I usually go to bed by ten. All these things make me healthy. Why was I ill? A. Because the weather was cold. B. Because I was too hungry. C. Because I didn't do exercise or have healthy food. D. Because I go to bed too late every day. Answer: C. Because I didn't do exercise or have healthy food. Question: Characters in novels don't always do what the writer wants them to do. Sometimes they cause trouble, take on lives of their own, or even work against the writer. It's not just a problem for inexperienced authors: famed children's novelist Roald Dahl said he got the main character in his bookMatildaso "wrong"that when he'd finished his first version, he threw it away and started again. Of course it's not the characters' fault. The problem lies with the author. Take Stephen King, who admitted that writing working-class characters is more difficult nowadays because his own circumstances have changed. "It is definitely harder,"King said."When I wroteCarriemany years ago, I was one step away from physical labour." This is also true for characters' ages, added King."When you have small children, it is easy to write young characters because you observe them and you have them in your life all the time. But your kids grow up, it's been harder for me to write about this little 12-year-old girl in my new book because my models are gone." For other authors, such as Karen Fowler, there's one quality that can stop a character in its tracks: boredom."I had particular problems with the main character in my historical novelSister Noon,"she says."She had attitudes about race and religion that seemed appropriate to me for her time and class, but they were not attitudes I liked. Eventually I grew quite bored with her. You can write a book about a character you dislike or a character you disagree with, but I don't think you can write a book about a character who bores you." According to Neel Mukherjee, it was Adinath, a character inThe Lives of Others, who made him work the hardest."I think I struggled because it's difficult to write a character whose most prominent personal feature is weakness, as Adinath's is, without making that feature define him,"Mukherjee says. But a troublesome character is far from an unwelcome guest, he continues, arguing that "when characters work against the author they come alive and become unpredictable". "That is a fantastic thing to happen,"Mukherjee says."I celebrate it. It is one of the great, lucky gifts given to a writer." What does Neel Mukherjee think of his difficult-to-write characters? A. They are a sign that the story is not realistic. B. They are often the most interesting. C. They should be praised by all authors. D. They need to be researched more thoroughly. Answer: B. They are often the most interesting. Question: Say you're in the wine store and you want to buy something new. You have nothing to go by outside of the label. Will the label tell you anything you should know? Here's some general advice: Vintage. This is the first thing we look for ourselves. You don't need to care whether 2001 or 2002 was a better year in the Sierra Foothills. The vast majority of wines at the store are meant to be drunk right away, so you make sure the wine isn't too old, particularly if you're buying it expecting lively, fresh fruitiness. We often see five-year-old Pinot Grigio and two-year-old Beaujolais Nouveau at stores, for example, so as soon as we see that kind of age on wines like those, we know we can skip them and move on(and possibly not shop there again). Alcohol content. Too many wines have too much alcohol, which leaves them unbalanced. Sure, there are some classic wines with high alcohol levels, but many of today's regular table wines--Merlot, Chardonnay--have levels at 15% or above. Some of those might be terrific, but if we had nothing else to go on, we'd look for alcohol content at about 14% and below. The more specific the better. A wine that says it's from Napa is probably a better bet than a wine that simply says it's from California. Unfortunately, this will also probably be reflected in the price, so this might not tell you much about value, If you care enough to know a few of famous vineyards for producing high-quality grapes, they might help you make an educated guess about quality. Old vines. Theoretically, older vines produce fewer, but more flavorful grapes, but the problem is that no one has defined what an "old vine" is, so anyone can put this on the label. Just ignore it. A phone number. You'd be surprised many small-production wines these days include a phone number on the back and an invitation to call the winerY, which is a sign of a highly personal winerY. We have called those numbers many times over the years and it's amazing how often the winemaker or winerY owner answers the phone. From the passage we Can infer that A. the wine with high alcohol levels is definitely terrific B. most wines at the store are intended to be drunk right away C. older vines have lower production D. some winemakers keep the promise all the time Answer: D. some winemakers keep the promise all the time Question: Dear Alice, I heard from you three days ago. I'm all right. Good news! We moved to a new flat yesterday! There are more rooms here than in our old one. You know, I shared a room with my sister in the old flat. But now I have my own bedroom! It is small but it's my favorite room! I can be alone in it. I can read books, draw pictures, listen to my radio and play CDs. I can also play games on my computer and send e-mails to my friends. I also love the new bigger kitchen. I love helping my mother with our meals. Mom cooks well. She always teaches me how to make different kinds of dishes. She lived in China when she was young, so she can cook Chinese food. It's delicious. Write to me soon and tell me about your home. Please get on the Internet so that we can chat with each other. All good wishes! Lily and her family moved to a new flat _ . A. yesterday B. last week C. last month D. three days ago Answer: A. yesterday
"He who can have patience can have what he wants," said Benjamin Franklin. They say patience is a virtue seldom found in women and never in men. This may or may not be true, but it's fair to say that there is nobody on the earth who couldn't benefit from more patience. Patience is necessary for success. It is said that "all good things come to those who wait". Many of the great scientists have remarked that their scientific discoveries came only through patient perseverance . Edison said, "Genius was 99% perspiration and only 1% inspiration." Patience teaches us to value the effort and not just the success. It is a mistake to think that happiness can only be obtained through achievements. Patience brings peace of mind. When we desire certain outcomes , we'll have no peace of mind. Even if one desire is filled, the nature of desire is that more will appear in its place. There is no end to human desires. Patience means we will work with an attitude of detachment . Patience can transform suffering into joy. Throughout life we suffer injustice; the best healer is patience. Through being patient and accepting our situation, it's quite possible for our suffering to be transformed. Sri Chinmoy said, "If failure has the strength to turn your life into bitterness itself, then patience has the strength to turn your life into the sweetest joy." Whose saying supports the idea that patience makes a person joyful? A. Franklin's B. Edison's C. Chinmoy's D. Einstein's Answer: C. Chinmoy's A lot of small business owners put themselves in _ in their own companies.Consider this scene:the company owner who has thirty individuals working for him in the business does all the work. Stop the actual wrong belief that you're the only one who can do the JOB! You are an individual. _ .The best way to replace yourself is not through someone else,but with a System! A system or program doesn't always make reference to something high-tech.It's more about the actual administration process flow that gets issues running smoothly. Systemizing your business is vitally important for the success of the company.About 80%of what's completed in your business can be systemized.Take a moment to determine all of the routine things that are done in your company.Now record the best way to achieve these duties. However,creating systems isn't enough.You have to ensure that the methods are simple to follow,and easy to complete.If you do not allow it to be easy,it won't be done,or at best it won't be consistent. With systems and processes in position.it's simply using a few people to operate individual systems.A great number of companies that possess established systems have made great achievements through the years.Burger King is a good actual life example. To construct a great business,replace yourself with a good program right now! Which of the following is true about"A system"? A. It can deal with a11 the routines in the business. B. It is simple to follow or complete a system. C. Your company will be successful so long as you have a system. D. It will help a company run smoothly. Answer: D. It will help a company run smoothly. If a person forgets names, places or facts --and has trouble with everyday things like reading or shopping --it may not mean you are getting old. It could be Alzheimer's disease. So it's important to see a doctor as soon as you can. There is no cure for Alzheimer's. But a drug called ARICEPT has been used by millions of people to help their symptoms . In studies, ARICEPT has been proved to work for Alzheimer's . It has helped people improve their memory over time. It has also helped them to keep doing everyday things on their own. Ask your doctor if ARICEPT is right for you or your loved one. It is the Number One drug for Alzheimer's in the world. The sooner you know it's Alzheimer's, the better ARICEPT can help . ARICEPT is good for many but may not be good for everyone. Some people may experience not sleeping well, feeling very tired, or not wanting to eat. In studies, these side effects weren't serious at all and went away over time. Some people taking ARICEPT may feel light-headed. In this case you should tell your doctors because your condition may get worse. If one suffers from Alzheimer's, _ . A. he has trouble with his memory B. he can't do everyday things on his own C. he often forgets things because he is old D. he can't move about Answer: A. he has trouble with his memory Today anyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services. People use money to buy food, furniture, books, bicycles and hundreds of other things we need or want. When they work, they usually get paid in money. Lots of the money today is made of paper. But people used to use all kinds of things as money. One of the first kinds of money was shells. Shells were not the only things used as money. In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Some Africans once used elephant tusks, monkey tails, and salt as money. The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the center. Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money. Later, countries began to make coins of gold and silver. But even gold and silver were inconvenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money. They began to use paper money. The first paper money looked more like a note from one person to another than the paper money used today. Money has had an interesting history, from the days of shell money until today. What was first used as money? _ . A. Elephants tusks B. Cloth C. Salt D. Shells Answer: D. Shells There was great excitement on the planet of Venus . Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since. The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan, named after the great Venusian astronomer Professor. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20000 light years ago. Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to feasibility of a manned flying saucer landing on Earth. A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology. "We have come to the conclusion, based on last week's satellite landing," Prof. Zog said, "that there is no life on Earth." "How do you know this?" the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked. "For one thing, Earth's surface in the area of Manhattan is made up of solid concrete and nothing can grow there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive." "What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?" "We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than originally planned." "Are there any other dangers that you discovered in your studies?" "Take a look at this photo. You see this dark black cloud hovering over the surface of Earth? We don't know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have further tests before we send a Venus Being there." "Over here you will notice what seems to be a river, but the satellite findings indicates it is polluted and the water is unfit to drink. This means we shall have to carry our own water, which will add even greater weight to the saucer." "If all you say is true, won't this set back the flying saucer program several years?" "Yes, but we shall continue as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds ." Profession. Zog replied. Why will the Venusian have to take their own oxygen with them when they carry out their flying saucer program because _ . A. they need it in their way to the planet of Earth B. the Earth's atmosphere is filled with deadly gases C. there is a low level of oxygen for Venusians D. there is no air on the planet of Earth Answer: B. the Earth's atmosphere is filled with deadly gases
Robby was 11 when his mother dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer students begin at an earlier age. Robby insisted that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him in as a student. Robby tried and tried while I listened and encouraged him and gave him more instructions . But he just did not have any inborn ability. I only saw his mother from a distance. She always waved and smiled but never came in. Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but I guessed he had decided to try something else. _ . However, several weeks before the recital of my students, Robby came,telling me that he never stopped practicing and begged me to allow him to take part. I agreed but I made him perform last in the program, so I could always save his poor performance through my "curtain closer". I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen one piece of Mozart's. Never had I heard a piece of Mozart's played so well by someone at his age. When he finished, everyone was cheering. I ran up and put my arms around Robby in joy. "I've never heard you play like that, Robby! How'd you do it?" "Well, Miss Hondorf. Do you remember I told you my mom was sick? Actually she died this morning. She was born deaf so tonight was the first time she could hear me play. I wanted to make it special. I knew I could." That night, Robby was the teacher and I was the student. He taught me so many important things about life. What did the writer learn from Robby? Answer: Every day since March 8, people all over the world keep asking the same question: Where did Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 go? It turns out to be the biggest mystery in modern aviation history. In the early hours of March 8, a Boeing 777 took off from Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur . It was heading to Beijing. But about two hours into the flight, the plane lost contact. There were 239 people on board the Malaysia Airlines flight, including 154 Chinese. About 12 countries, including China, the US and Australia, have joined the search for the missing plane and passengers. The plane's disappearance was a "mystery", said officials. The plane was flying at a height of more than 10,000 meters when it suddenly lost contact. The weather was clear. The pilots didn't make any distress calls . When a plane crashes, broken parts are usually recovered. But up to April 2, officials have not found anything. People are also talking about a possible hijacking. Interpol said that two people on the flight used stolen passports. But that information alone isn't evidence of a hijack. The investigation is still going on. It could take months or even years to find out what happened to the flight. "We are looking at all possibilities," said Malaysian Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein. "The most important thing now is to find the plane." On March 24 came a piece of sad news. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that the plane "ended in the southern Indian Ocean". Everyone on the plane died. But the mystery is still not solved. Nobody is giving up. China has said it will work hard to find out the truth at all costs. From the article above, it is clearly that _ . Answer: Landholder was land-rich by inheritance but money-poor, having suffered severe losses on bad investments, but still owned several thousand acres of unencumbered timberland. He had a large family, and his normal, fixed personal expenses were high. Pressed for cash, he advertised a proposed sale of standing timber on a choice 2,000-acre tract. The only response was an offer by Logger, the owner of a large, integrated construction enterprise, after inspection of the advertised tract. Assume the following facts. Logger offered a fair price for the timber rights in question, and Landholder accepted the offer. The 2,000-acre tract was an abundant wild-game habitat and had been used for many years, with Landholder's permission, by area hunters. Logger's performance of the timber contract would destroy this habitat. Without legal excuse and over Landholder's strong objection, Logger repudiated the contract before commencing performance. Landholder could not afford to hire a lawyer and take legal action, and made no attempt to assign any cause of action he might have had against Logger. If Logger is sued for breach of the contract by Landholder's next-door neighbor, whose view of a nearby lake is obscured by the standing timber, the neighbor will probably Answer: "We do look very different; we're older. Leo's 38, I'm 37. We were 21 and 22 when we made that film. You know, he's fatter now -- I'm thinner.". So says Kate Winslet, who is thrilled at the 3-D re-release ofTitanicto coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ship's demise. " It happens every time I get on any boat of any kind." She recalls. There are all the people who want her to walk to the front of the ship and re-create her famous pose, arms flung wide. Most people remember the tragedy: The British passenger ship -- said to be unsinkable -- hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage from England to New York City. More than 1,500 people died. But little known is what the world learned from the sinking to prevent future incidents. Probably the greatest deficiency of the Titanic was that she was built 40 years before the widespread use of the wonderful invention radar . Her only defense against icebergs and hidden obstacles was to rely on manned lookouts. On that fateful night the eyesight of trained lookouts only provided 37 seconds of warning before the collision. Traveling at nearly 30 miles an hour the Titanic was moving far too fast to avoid the huge iceberg. The warning did prevent a head-on collision as the officer on the bridge managed to turn the ship slightly. The last ship to send a warning was the California. She was within ten miles of the Titanic during the disaster, but her radio operator went to bed at midnight and never received any of the SOS messages from the Titanic. That was one of the important lessons learned from the catastrophe, the need for 24-hour radio operators on all passenger liners. Another lesson learned was the need for more lifeboats. The Titanic remained afloat for almost three hours and most of the passengers could have been saved with enough lifeboats. 1,500 passengers and workers died in the 28 degree waters of the Atlantic. Out of the tragedy, the sinking did produce some important maritime reforms. The winter travel routes were changed to the south and the Coast Guard began to keep an eye on the location of all icebergs. The new rules for lifeboats were obvious to all. There must be enough lifeboats for everybody on board. The most important lesson learned was that no one would ever again consider a ship unsinkable- no matter how large or how well constructed. Never again would sailors place their faith in a ship above the power of the sea. What's the sailors' attitude towards the ships after the tragedy? Answer: The accident at Lake Sherwood was in our backyard. An SUV had gone off the road,down a hill, and collided with a tree. When we heard the wreck, I remembered to say "call 911". My family was the first on the scene. Nick, my son, was on the cell phone with 911. He saw a friend who was a victim in the crash who was a 15 years old girl who was badly disfigured and had died instantly. It was a terrible scene. There had been six people in the truck, all between 15 and 17 years old. My husband and I checked all the victims, and I picked one who was conscious and stayed with him. I talked with him and had him lay on the ground. When I asked him if he was hurt, he said he was sore all over. When help arrived, they asked me to stay and continue working with them. I did as Debbie Romine, .my instructor, said in class, and did what they wanted. They even said thank you before they left. The sheriff deputies came by Saturday night to get our statements and play the 911 tape back, so Nick could identify all the voices in the background. They said over and over that the way he handled the call was the best they had heard in a long time. He was calm and worked with them even when he saw his friend who had died. The Sheriff's Department is sending some people over to help us work through our emotions. The first aid and CPR course I took in January really helped me. I just didn't expect to put it to good use so soon. Pennyd. Miller Kansas State Dept of Education,Topeka According to the passage, in case of an emergence, people should dial _ . Answer:
People taking the stairs instead of lifts at work can expect to live longer, according to a Swiss study . Regularly walking from floor to floor in an office building decreased death risk by 15 percent, said Dr. Philippe Meyer, the main author of the study, which was done at the University Hospital of Geneva. Stopping the use of lifts led to better fitness, less body fat, thinner waistlines and a drop in blood pressure, the study found. "Using the stairs improves fitness, body shape, blood pressure" Meyer said to the fitness website Swissinfo . "The challenge remains to increase the people's awareness," he said. For the study, 77 employees who don't enjoy sports and exercise from prefix = st1 /GenevaUniversitywere asked to take only the stairs over a three-month period, Swissinfo reported. Results showed an increase in a _ in waist , weight, fat , blood pressure and cholesterol . "This suggests that stair climbing can have major public health effects." Meyer said. Professor Adam Timmis, at The London NHS Trust, said: "It's a small study but valuable because it provides a practical way for busy working people to increase their exercise. Although the amount of exercise appears small, the benefits were clear in improving physical fitness and reducing body fat and blood pressure. " Stair climbing can do good to people in the following ways EXCEPT _ Answer: Marco Polo was from Venice, Italy. In 1271, at age 17, Marco went on a trip with his father and uncle to China. Today people often travel to different places around the world. But it was very hard for people from Europe to visit China then. After three and a half years, the Polos reached China on 1275. While he was there, Marco Polo worked for Kublai Khan, the emperor of China. He was able to learn and experience many things that were new to Europeans. In his diary, he wrote, "Kublai Khan's palace is the greatest I've ever seen. The streets of the new capital. Daidu, are so straight and so wide." Paper money also took him by surprise, since it was not yet in use in the West at that time. Homes were heated with "black stones... which burn like wood." These stones were coal, and most of the Europeans knew little about it then. After 17 years in China, Marco and his family finally returned to Venice in 1292. After he returned home, Marco completed a book about his trip, full of facts about his wonderful experiences in China. What would be the best title for the passage? Answer: To get a better night's sleep, get into bed with Zeo Introducing the revolutionary Zeo Personal Sleep Coach The inability to get a good night's sleep is one of the top health issues. A night of poor sleep can affect one's mood, energy level, and performance. Most people have felt powerless to do anything about it -- until now. Introduing Zeo, a revolutionary approach to the problem of poor sleep. A revolution in the science of sleep Designed by leading sleep scientists,the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach is the first consumer product to help you take control of your sleep.Because understanding your sleep is the first step toward mananging it. Wear the light Zeo Headband to bed and Zeo technology tracks and records your personal sleep patterns and wrielessly send them to the Zeo Bedside Display. When you wake up, you simply touch a button to get your sleep data: the time you took to fall asleep, your time in deep sleep and light sleep, and how often you woke up. Seeing how you slept is just the beginning. What you do with that information is what makes Zeo so remarkable. Take control of your sleep Zeo puts the science of sleep at your fingertips. The Zeo Bedside Display stroes your sleep data so you can easily upload it to the Zeo Peasonal Coaching website. Here you 'll find a collection of online tools that help you analyze you sleep and uncover the links between how you live and how your sleep. Zeo's Seven Step Sleep Fintness program assists you in creating a personalized action plan based on your own sleep pattems and goals, and delivers user-tailored coaching emails that help you get the sleep you need. Try Zeo risk free,and enjoy free shipping Order Zeo today and receive the headband, bedside display, full access to our powerful user website and you personalized, multi-week sleep coaching program--plus our satisfaction guarantee and free shipping. ze? The more you know, the better you sleep. 30-DAY money- back guarantee FREE SHIPPING Call NOW to order. Call 888-794-9349 Zeo Personal Sleep Coach is neither a medical device nor a medical program and is notintended for the treatment of sleep disorders. The passage is primarily written to _ . Answer: Cosmo Books Ltd., 14, Woodman Road, Hertford Estate, Two Bridges, Rickmansworth, West Sussex. Middx. 25thFebruary Dear sir, Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set ( eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a 'remarkable' price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare's plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them. Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice. You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds , and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside. I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgement, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me. Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment. Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid. Yours faithfully, SIMON WALKER The tone of the letter is that of _ Answer: A Brown University sleep researcher has some advice for people who run high schools: Don't start classes so early in the morning. It may not be that the students who at their desks are lazy. And it may not be that their parents have failed to enforce bedtime. Instead, it may be that biologically these sleepyhead students aren't used to the early hour. "Maybe these kids are being asked to rise at the wrong time for their bodies," says Mary Carskadon, a professor looking at problem of adolescent sleep at Brown's School of Medicine. Carskadon is trying to understand more about the effects of early school time in adolescents. And, at a more basic level. she and her team are trying to learn more about how the biological changes of adolescence affect sleep needs and patterns. Carskadon says her work suggests that adolescents may need more sleep than they did at childhood, no less, as commonly thought. Sleep patterns change during adolescence, as any parent of an adolescent can prove. Most adolescents prefer to stay up later at nigh and sleep later in the morning. But it's not just a matter of choice -their bodies are going through a change of sleep patterns. All of this makes the transfer from middle school to high school--which may start one hour earlier in the morning ---- all the more difficult , Carskadon says. With their increased need for sleep and their biological clocks set on the "sleep late, rise late" pattern, adolescent are up against difficulties when it comes to trying to be up by 5 or 6 a.m. for a 7:30 a.m. first bell. A short sleep on a desktop may be their body's way of saying. "I need a timeout." What is the test mainly about? Answer:
A month after Hurricane Katrina, I returned home in New Orleans. There lay my house, reduced to waist-high rains, smelly and dirty. Before the trip, I'd had my car fixed. When the office employee of the garage was writing up the bill, she noticed my Louisiana license plate. "You from New Orleans?" she asked. I said I was, "No charge." She said, and firmly shook her head when I reached for my wallet. The next day I went for a haircut, and the same thing happened. As my wife was studying in Florida, we decided to move there and tried to find a rental house that we could afford while also paying off a mortgage on our ruined house. We looked at many places, but none was satisfactory. We'd began to accept that we'd have to live in extremely reduced circumstances for a while, when I got a very curious e-mail from a James Kemmedy in California. He'd read some pieces I'd written about our sufferings for state, the online magazine and wanted to give us ("no conditions attached") a new house across the lake from New Orleans. It sounded a good to her return, but I replied, thinking him for his exceptional generosity, then we to go back. Then the University of Florida offered to let him house to me. While he want to England on his one year, paid leave. The rent was rather reasonable. I mentioned the poet's offer to James Kemdedy, and the next day he sent a check covering our entire rent for eight months. Throughout this painful experience, the kindness of strangers has done much to bring back my faith in humanity. It's almost worth losing you wordy possessions to be reminded that people really when given had a channel. Which would be the best title for the text? A Terrible Hurricane Katrina. B Hurricane Is Heartless While Strangers Are Kind. C Study in Florida. D The Importance of Helping Others. Answer: B I think people everywhere dream about having lots of money. You could win a large amount of money in the United States through lotteries. People pay money for tickets with numbers. If your combination of numbers is chosen, you win a huge amount of money --- often in the millions. A few years ago, my friend Al won the lottery. It changed his life. He did not have a rich family. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Instead, my friend was always hard up for cash. And the money he did earn was chicken feed --- very little. Sometimes Al even had to accept gifts from his family and friends. But do not get me wrong. My friend was not a _ . He was not the kind of person who never paid the money he owed. He was always very careful with the money he spent. In fact, he was often a cheapskate . He did not like to spend money. One day, Al got together a few dollars for a lottery ticket. He thought he would never strike it rich or gain lots of money unexpectedly. But his combination of numbers was chosen and he won the lottery and won a great deal of money. Al was so excited. The first thing he did was to buy a costly new car. Then he started spending money on unnecessary things. He started to waste it. It was like he had money to burn. He had more money than he needed and it was burning a hole in his pocket so he spent it quickly. When we got together for a meal at a restaurant, Al paid every time. He told me the money made him feel like a million dollars. He was very happy. But, Al spent too much money. Soon my friend was down and out again. He had no money left. He had spent his bottom dollar, his very last amount. He did not even build up a nest egg. He had not saved any of the money. Some might say he was penny wise and pound foolish. He was wise about small things, but not about important things. Before winning the lottery, Al _ . A failed to make both ends meet B earned nothing and borrowed money C once had a relatively rich family D didn't know how to save money Answer: A Have you ever wondered how and why a fall leaf changes color? We first have to understand what leaves are and what they do. Plants are the world's food factories. Plants take water from the ground and take CO2from the air. Plants use sunlight to turn water and CO2into glucose . Glucose is a kind of sugar. Using it as food, plants get energy and grow. Plants using sunlight to turn water and CO2into sugar is called photosynthesis . _ helps photosynthesis. It gives plants their green color. As summer ends and autumn comes, the days get shorter and shorter, and trees "know" to begin getting ready for winter. During winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis. Trees rest during this time and live on the food they store during the summer. They begin to shut down their food -- making factories. As the green chlorophyII disappears from the leaves, we begin to see yellow and orange leaves. These colors have been in the leaves all the time. We just can't see them in the summer, because they are covered up by the green chlorophyII. The bright reds and purples we see in leaves are made mostly in autumn. In some trees, glucose is caught in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Sunlight and the cool nights of autumn turn this glucose into a red color. The brown color of trees is made from waste left in the leaves. It is mixture of all these things. It makes the beautiful leaves during autumn. . Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? A Glucose is a kind of sugar and plants use it as food for energy and growing. B Leaves turn red because sunlight and the cool nights of autumn turn glucose into a red color. C We can't see yellow or orange leaves in summer because the two colors are not in leaves. D During winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis. Answer: C Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando in Florida People say that it is the home of the "Harry Potter Theme Park". The Wizarding World is the most popular part of the park. Other popular rides include the Adventures of Spider-Man, Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges and the Jurassic Park River Adventure. It is open from Monday to Saturday. $15.95 for children, 3 to 13 years old; $29.95 for ages 14 and over. PI-O Indoor Theme Park in Longueuil The PI-O Indoor Theme Park features(......) 16 rides, a small sea train, a kid-sized bowling alley , a mirror maze , theme rooms which include the Christmas room on-the-sea, and a private reception room. "I wanted to create a safe environment for kids aged 1 to 10," explains owner Jocelyne Pinard. She noted how many competing amusement parks have sections that can be unsafe for young kids -- such as the "ball rooms" full of loose plastic balls. So this is how it is different from other amusement parks. Open seven days a week. The admission fees are $16.99 for individuals and $64 for families. Legoland Windsor Theme Park in London Legoland Windsor is the best choice for young families. The park is designed for children from 3 to 12. There are over 50 rides as well as live shows, workshops, and other attractions aimed at younger children, and especially those who are already fond of building-block toys. The park is open every single day. Adults: $35; Ages 3-15 and 60+: $26. Buy online and save $3 per person. Wonder La Theme Park in India Wonder La is a world-class amusement park. It's modern, clean and green, and has all kinds of attractions. There are over 50 rides, 12 of which are water based and 9 especially for small children. If you love getting wet, don't miss the Rain Disco -- an indoor dance floor with a rain system that provides showers of warm water to the music. Monday to Friday 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, Holiday and Festival seasons 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Single adult / child -- $13.50; Family ticket (for any four people) -- $50.00; Children 3 and under -- Free. If a couple want to visit Legoland Windsor Theme Park with their 5-year-old son, how much do they need to pay when booking online? A $70. B $87. C $93. D $96. Answer: B Some of my friends are making big decisions in their life: Which universities should they apply to? I also notice that many high school students in China are thinking of studying at universities abroad. Unluckily, from what I've seen, the information given by some websites and other media about studying abroad is very limited and sometimes even wrong. There was once a Chinese girl who hoped that she could go to Columbia University in the US because she wanted to major in journalism. However, they have no journalism program at the undergraduate level! What's more, in both Canada and the US, it's not suggested that students throw themselves into journalism right after high school. School say that students should take in more knowledge about the world and writing before entering that field. The University of Waterloo, a Canadian university famous for its engineering program, is another example. The emphasis of engineering in this school may go beyond your expectations. According to our teachers, this university spent millions of dollars building a library just for engineering students. The school's computer science, mathematics and accounting are also great programs for students. But, to be honest, according to my friends who have visited this university, the campus and the food are not very nice. Maybe this is because the school stresses its academic( )strengths too much, thereby paying little attention to personal comforts. Now you see, choosing a university is really not that easy. We need to do good research and consult as many people as possible before making a decision. For high school students it's very important to _ . A choose a proper university B study at American universities C learn the information about websites D supply the information about studying abroad Answer: A
The New Year holidays bring delicious food, but no one wants a weight problem after they are over. American Food psychologist Brian Wansink has recently published "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think". The book explains why we eat what we eat and how we can control our eating. Most of his suggestions are based on scientific studies he has conducted as director of Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab. Here are 10 of his tips for the holiday season: 1 People tend to eat more when distracted by conversation or a game on TV. Setting your chopsticks down and giving full attention to the conversation will prevent overeating. 2 See it before you eat it. Eating chips from a bowl led one group to consume 134 fewer calories than others who ate straight from the bag. 3 Keep the evidence on the table, such as chicken bones, cake papers, and candy wrappers . Studies have shown that leaving the wrappers and remains of food on the table leads diners to eat less. 4 Budget calories. Do not eat the appetizer if you know you want dessert. It will be easier to count how many calories you consume. 5 Sit next to the slowest eater at the table and try to eat slower than him or her. Always be the last one to start eating, and set your chopsticks down after every bite. 6 Don't avoid the food you really want, but eat it in smaller portions . 7 The more variety, the more people will eat. When there are a smaller number of dishes on the table people eat less. 8 Put foods that are unhealthy in the back of the cupboard , the back of the refrigerator, the back of the freezer. You can also "hide" food that is bad for you. Office workers ate 23 percent less candy when it was in a white, covered candy dish than in a see-through one. 9 Use small bowls. A study found that people serving themselves from smaller bowls ate 59 per cent less. 10 Use tall, narrow glasses for drinks. Even experienced waiters poured more into short, wide glasses than into thin ones. According to the tips, people can control their eating and drinking by _ . Answer: All the 6,000 medals for the 2008 Olympic Games have arrived in the capital from the Shanhai Mint,ready for their debut on August 8.For the,first time in Olympic history,the medals for the Beijing Games mix metal and jade. The technology of inlaying jade into metal can date back to the Han Dynasty almost 2,000 years ago.It is not easy to bond jade perfectly with metal.The key to the process lies in the inner layer of the metal and the groove of the jade ring.A seal ring is put between the inner layer and the groove to join the metal and jade together. Jade rings used for casting Olympic medals have been subjected to strict quality controls,and those not up to the standard have been thrown away. To make use of those jade rings that do meet the quality criteria,metal medals were produced to fit the jade tings,and more than ten different sizes of seal rings were designed. To avoiding any loosening of the jade rings due to aging of the seals,glue has been used in casting the;Olympic medals,which is a painstaking manual process. Experts from the International Olympic Committee(IOC)were concerned about the risk of fragility when the jade ring design was proposed.The IOC required that jade rings should be strong enough to withstand a 2-meter drop test.The Shanghai Mint raised that standard to 3- meters.Medals call survive a 3-meter drop test with only minor cracks on the jade rings. The medals for 2008 Olympic Games are different from those of the past games in which they _ . Answer: It is easy to find your way about in New York. It is _ so regularly. Instead of streets winding and twisting as they do in London, they are all regular and well planned. The streets running north and south are called "avenues" and are numbered, e.g. 1stAvenue, 2ndAvenue, etc. The streets going east and west are called "streets" and are also numbered, e.g. 51stStreet, 63rdStreet. It is all much more logical than London's street names. But I couldn't help thinking how much more interesting than these dull cold numbers are London's illogical but colorful names of streets, e.g. "Bishopgate" (which is not a gate and hasn't a Bishop in it); "Haymarket" or "Corn market" (where you won't see any hey or corn) or "Poultry" (without a living chicken anywhere in sight) or "Thread needle Street" (where you won't find little girls learning to sew). The names of streets both in London and New York _ . Answer: When a dirty and untidy orange cat showed up in the prison yard,I was one of the first to go out there and pet it. I hadn't touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years.I spent at least 20 minutes, knelt down behind the kitchen as the cat rolled around,relaxed.What he was expressing outwardly, I was feeling inwardly.It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and note that I was reaching a life or another creature with something as simple as my care. Over the next few days,there were other prisoners responding to the cat.Every yard period,a group of prisoners gathered there.They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat. These were guys you wouldn't usually find talking to each other.Several times I saw an officer in the group,not chasing people away,but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners. Bowls of milk and water appeared along with bread,wisely placed under the edge of the dustbin to keep the birds from getting it. The cat was obviously homeless and in pretty bad shape .People said that the cat came to the right place.He's getting treated like a king.This was true,but as I watched I was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us.There was a lot of talk about what's wrong with prisons in America.We need more programs.We need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds, Some may even talk about making prisons more kind. But I think what we really need is a chance to practice our own kindness , Not receive it , but give it, After more than two decades here, I know kindness is not a value that's encouraged. It's often seen as a weakness, Instead, the culture encourages keeping your head down, minding your own business, and never letting yourself be weak. The cat did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here, By simply saying ,"I need some help here", he did something important for us, He needed us , And we needed to be needed, I believe we all do. From the passage , we can learn that the author was Answer: Three men were travelling across the desert when their car broke down. There were no other traffics, so their only hope was to walk. Before they set off, they looked around in the car for useful things to take with them. One of the men took a bottle of whisky. Another took an umbrella. The third unscrewed a door from the car and carried that. After they had been walking for almost a day, they came across a camel caravan travelling towards them. "Let's try to join the caravan," one of the men said. "It's going the wrong way but we'll be safer than if we keep on alone across the desert." The other s agreed, so they asked the leader of the caravan for permission to join it. "You can join the caravan only if you answer three questions," he said. He pointed to the first man's bottle. "What is that and why are you carrying it?" he asked. "It's a bottle of whisky. I decided to carry it with me so that if I feel miserable and want to give up, I can get drunk, cheer myself up and then keep on walking." "Very sensible," the leader of the caravan said. Then he pointed to the next man and his umbrella. "It hasn't rained in the desert for many years," he said. "Why are you carrying an umbrella?" "I don't want to get heat exhaustion," he replied. "The umbrella will give me shade from the sun." "Very sensible," the leader of the caravan said. He pointed to the third man and his car door. "And why are you carrying a car door?" he asked him. "I thought that if I got too hot I could open the window and let some air in," he explained. They decided to _ . Answer:
Have you ever walked to the shops, only to find when you get there that you've completely forgotten what you go for? Or have you struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years, we've accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of aging as wrinkles and grey hair. But now a new book suggests we've got _ all wrong. According to The Secret Life Of The Grown-up Brain, by science writer, Barbara Strauch, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues many new studies have found that the brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s --much later than previously thought. Furthermore, not losing many brain cells as we age, we preserve them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years it's been accepted that the brain, much like the body, got worse with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise. This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years. It has found that, on average, they performed better in cognitive tests in their late 40s and 50s than they had in their 20s. Specifically, older people did better in tests of vocabulary, spatial orientation skills, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving. Where they were weaker was in numeracy (how quickly one can multiply, add, subtract and divide) and the speed at which they could move. However, with harder tasks, such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are going to come up with scientific evidence that we do get wiser with age. According to the new research, older people _ . Answer: behave better on tests of vocabulary than in their 20s. I was living a life in my screen and hardly noticed what was around me. So when my friends invited me to go camping for a long weekend without the cell service, I thought this was exactly what I needed. Here's how keeping away from my phone for 48 hours changed me. I realized my bedtime routine was usually centered on one thing: my phone. Right before I went to sleep, I browsed through news websites and checked my emails. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I did the same thing. The problem with this was I felt anxious every night. I felt free without my phone at that weekend camp. I felt asleep listening to the sound of crickets. When I had my phone, I was always checking the time and thinking of future plans. My thought was: "Who's going to text me now? What will I do next?" Without my phone, I truly _ what I was doing in the moment, sitting by the river, riding a bike, or singing the old songs. There was no need to rush through any of it. I listened to what my body wanted instead of what my phone was telling me to do. You know that moment when you're hanging out with a group of people and no one has anything to say? The typical response: Everyone immediately pulls out their phones. So what did we do without a phone to avoid embarrassing silences? We actually talked to each other. Instead of burying our faces in our screens, we looked one another in the eye, had a moment of pure human connection and then continued talking. And you know what? People actually listened. So, now what? Now I'm back to the real world. At that weekend camp, the campers _ . Answer: got into good conversation with each other Showrooming One of the biggest challenges facing brick-and-mortar retailers in recent years has been the "showrooming".Driven by the desire to get the best prices, many shoppers are now visiting brick-and-mortar stores to personally check on products that interest them, only to leave and then buy the items online.The new trend is forcing retailers to find out new ways to keep consumers from leaving their store for cheaper prices online. Recent research found that 40 percent of U.S.shoppers have showroomed previously, with big-box retailers suffering the most.Specifically, the study shows that Best Buy, Walmart and Target are the most likely brick-and-mortar stores to have shoppers test out a product in-store and then purchase it online later, while Amazon is benefiting most from the practice, with nearly 60 percent of shoppers using the online retail giant most often to make their showrooming purchases. Smartphones have pushed showrooming into the front.Shoppers no longer have to wait until they get home to see if they can find a cheaper price for the products they're considering buying.With smartphones, consumers can now compare virtual prices, at both other brick-and-mortar stores and online ones while still inside a retail store.If they can find what they're seeking for less online, the majority will be seeking the first exit.A recent study showed that 45 percent of customers shopping at brick-and-mortar stores walk out and buy their purchase online for a discount of as little as 2.5 percent. This puts pressure on retailers to provide both an in-store experience worth staying for and an online presence that can attract shoppers who are showrooming in other businesses. To cut down on showrooming, many retailers are adopting new methods to keep shoppers in their stores.Among the steps they're taking are price-matching guarantees that allow shoppers to pay a discounted price if they find it cheaper online.This ensures that even a showrooming shopper can make the purchase in the store--regardless of whether they find the cheaper price online. Another popular method to fight against showrooming is to give shoppers the ability to buy something online and pick it up at the store.This reduces shipping costs and gets customers in the store, where they may be encouraged to make an additional purchase. It is also important for businesses to take into consideration what makes shoppers purchase something in-store rather than online, and meet those needs.Research has found that more than 8 in 10 Americans consider being able to take the goods home immediately and the ability to touch and feel them--the most important aspects when deciding to purchase in a store rather than online. What contributes to the growing popularity of showrooming? Answer: The wide use of smartphones. Hacking our senses to boost learning power Some schools are pumping music, noises and pleasant smells into the classroom to see if it improves exam results. Could it work? Why do songs stick in our heads? What does your school smell like? Is it noisy or peaceful? It might not seem important, but a growing body of research suggests that smells and sounds can have an impact on learning, performance and creativity. Indeed, some head teachers have recently taken to broadcasting noises and pumping smells into their schools to see whether it can boost grades. Is there anything in it? And if so, what are the implications for the way we work and study? There is certainly some well-established research to suggest that some noises can have a harmful effect on learning. Numerous studies over the past 15 years have found that children attending schools under the flight paths of large airports fall behind in their exam results. Bridget Shield, a professor of acoustics at London South Bank University, and Julie Dockrell, from the Institute of Education, have been conducting studies on the effects of all sorts of noises, such as traffic and sirens , as well as noise generated by the children themselves. When they recreated those particular sounds in an experimental setting while children completed various learning tasks, they found a significant negative effect on exam scores. "Everything points to a bad impact of the noise on children's performance, in numeracy, in literacy, and in spelling," says Shield. The noise seemed to have an especially harmful effect on children with special needs. Whether background sounds are beneficial or not seems to depend on what kind of noise it is -- and the volume. In a series of studies published last year, Ravi Mehta from the College of Business at Illinois and his colleagues tested people's creativity while exposed to a soundtrack made up of background noises -- such as coffee-shop chatter and construction-site drilling -- at different volumes. They found that people were more creative when the background noises were played at a medium level than when volume was low. Loud background noise, however, damaged their creativity. Many teachers all over the world already play music to students in class. Many are inspired by the belief that hearing music can boost IQ in later tasks, the so-called Mozart effect. While the evidence actually suggests it's hard to say classical music boosts brainpower, researchers do think pleasant sounds before a task can sometimes lift your mood and help you perform well, says Perham, who has done his own studies on the phenomenon. The key appears to be that you enjoy what you're hearing. "If you like the music or you like the sound -- even listening to a Stephen King novel -- then you do better. It doesn't matter about the music," he says. So, it seems that schools that choose to prevent disturbing noises and create positive soundscapes could enhance the learning of their students, so long as they make careful choices. Yet this isn't the only sense being used to affect learning. Special educational needs students at Sydenham high school in London are being encouraged to revise different subjects in the presence of different smells -- grapefruit scents for maths, lavender for French and spearmint for history. Towards the positive impact of appropriate background sound and smell on students' learning and creativity, the author's attitude is _ . Answer: supportive People have talked about whether aliens are real or not for thousands of years.Some ancient drawings over 50,000 years ago are thought to be the first pictures of spacecrafts.Alien spacecrafts are often called flying saucers .The first person to use this name was an Amerlean,Kenneth Arnold.On 24th June,1947,he was flying a small plane in Washington State in the USA when he saw something strange."I was looking out of the window,"Arnold said,"when I saw nine saucer-like things in front of me." Two other Americans,Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker,said that aliens took them into a flying saucer! They were fishing on the Mississippi River in the USA on the night of 11th October,l973.It was a dark night.The two men were sitting in their fishing boat when they saw a bright light.It was hanging in the air over the water and it looked like a flying saucer and brought Hickson and Parker into their spacecraft.In the spacecraft the aliens looked at the two men very carefully and then took them back to their boat."The aliens were in a pale colour and had very small eyes." Hiekson said."But they didn't hurt us." In l983,Pioneer 10,an American spacecraft,went into space.On the outside of the spacecraft are 13 pictures of men and women,and a map of space.If aliens find Pioneer 10,they will know how to get to the Earth! When did Kenneth Arnold see something strange as he was flying? Answer: 24th June,1947
While assisted living centers have been available in the United States for many years, the growth and availability of assisted living has had a dramatic increase since the early 1990s. An assisted living center is a residential alternative that promotes maximum independence for each resident through a combination of supportive services and assistance. The definition of assisted living from one state to another may vary and so will the cost and types of services. Assisted living centers vary in size, style and the optional services they may offer. Small family style living or the larger complex of units can be found in the United States. Some facilities are operated by nonprofit organizations, while others are _ . In addition, some facilities may be co-located or affiliated with a hospital or nursing facility. An assisted living center is any institution, rest home, boarding home, place, building or agency that is maintained and operated to provide personal care and services which meet some need beyond basic provision of food, shelter and laundry in a free standing, physically separate facility which is not otherwise required to be licensed. In general terms, an assisted living center is required to provide assistance with daily living activities, including eating, bathing, dressing and personal hygiene; three meals a day; supervision (,) of self-administration of medications; laundry service including personal laundry, housekeeping, and 24-hour staffing. What is an assisted living center? A. A hotel that serves meals. B. A place for children to be taken care of. C. An entertainment place for adults. D. A place which gives supportive services and assistance. Answer: D Nowhere else like Alaska can you enjoy a whale exploding out of the water or an eagle pulling a silver fish from the river. Combine these images with high mountains, brilliant icebergs and wonderful meals and you really do have the Best of Alaska! Join us for an unforgettable 7-day holiday to Alaska! You can have fun here: JUNEAU: Juneau, the state capital, is rich in culture and scenic beauty. It is here that we start and end our trip. HAINES: Haines is a small community located along thefjords . The natural beauty and expansive wilderness found here have made Haines an important center for adventure in Alaska. ALASKA INDIAN ARTS: Alaska Indian Arts is a nonprofit corporation devoted to the preservation and continuation of traditional native craft and culture of the Northwest Native Tribes. You can spend a few hours learning carving, playing nativebeading from local artists. SKAGWAY: Skagway is a lively town, which still reflects its gold rush roots and origins. In Skagway, you may stop at the Klondike Gold Rush National Park Visitor's Center and ride the White Pass Yukon Route Railway. GUSTAVUS: Gustavus is the gateway to Glacier Bay National Park. You'll stay at a comfortable house here for two nights. This will be the base for both the whale-watchingexcursion and a full daycruise in Glacier Bay. DATES/ PRICES: May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15. 7 days --- $3,500, including lodging, all meals, excursions, guides, park fees, sales taxes, and transportation between Juneau, Skagway, Haines, and Gustavus. Not included: Alcohol, personal items, airfare to and from Juneau. Contact: E-mail: info@alaskamountainguides.com Call: 1.800.766.3396 Address: Alaska Mountain Guides& Climbing School P.O. Box 1081, Haines AK 99827 Where can you get to know the local history? A. In Skagway. B. In Juneau. C. In Haines. D. In Gustavus. Answer: A One evening as it is getting dark, Alex sits on the front porch and watches the sun slowly disappear behind the neighbor's house across the street. Which explains this observation? A. The sun's light is reflected by the clouds. B. The sun's light is refracted by the atmosphere. C. The sun moves from west to east each day. D. The sun appears to move due to Earth's rotation. Answer: D In my procession as an educator and health care provider, I have worked with numerous children infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The relationships that I have had with these special kids have been gifts in my life. They have taught me so many things, but I have especially learned that great courage can be found in the smallest of packages. Let me tell you about Tyler. Tyler was born infected with HIV: his mother was also infected. From the very beginning of his life, he was dependent on medications to enable him to survive. When he was five, he had a tube surgically inserted in a vein in his chest. This tube was connected to a pump, which he carried in a small backpack on his back. Medications were hooked up to this pump and were continuously supplied through this tube to his bloodstream. At times, he also needed supplemented oxygen to support his breathing. Tyler wasn't willing to give up one single moment of his childhood to this deadly disease. It was not unusual to find him playing and racing around his backyard, wearing his medicine-laden backpack and dragging his tank of oxygen behind him in his little wagon. All of us who knew Tyler marveled at his pure joy in being alive and the energy it gave him. Tyler's mom often teased him by telling him that he moored so fast she needed to dress him in red. That way, when she peered through the window to check on him playing in the yard, she round quickly spot him. This dreaded disease eventually wore down even the likes of a little dynamo like Tyler. He grew quite ill and, unfortunately, so did his HIV-infected mother. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to survive, Tyler's mom talked to him about death. She comforted him by telling Tyler that she was dying too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven. A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, "I might die soon. I'm not scared. When I die, please dress me in red. Mom promised she's coming to heaven, too. I'll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me." What is the boy Tyler's attitude towards death? A. pessimistic. B. optimistic. C. sorrowful. D. fearful. Answer: B Mr. Clark worked in a newspaper, and he did a lot of important and difficult work, but then he began to forget things, and this made his work very difficult. One day he said to himself, "I'm going to go and see Dr. Martin about this." He waited in the doctor's waiting room with the other patients, and then the nurse said to him, "You can go in and see Dr. Martin now". "Oh, doctor," said Mr. Clark, 'it's terrible, I can't remember anything for longer than half a minute, and it's making my work very difficult. What can I do? Can you help me?" The doctor said, "When did this start, Mr. Clark?" "When did what start?" Mr. Clark said. _ made Mr. Clark work very difficult. A. Important work B. Working for a long time C. Forgetting things D. Bad condition Answer: C
Listening to music while you drive can improve your speed and ability to get away from accidents, according to Australian psychologists. But turning your car radio up to full volume could probably make you end up in an accident. The performance of difficult tasks can be influenced if people are subjected to loud noise. The experience of pulling up at traffic lights alongside cars with loud music made some psychologists in the University of Sydney look into whether loud music has something to do with driving. The psychologists invited 60 men and women aged between 20 and 28 as subjects and tested them on almost the same driving tasks under three noise conditions: silence, rock music played at a gentle 55 decibels , and the same music at 85 decibels. For 10 minutes the subjects sat in front of a screen operating a simple machine like a car. They had to track a moving disk on screen, respond to traffic signals changing color1, and brake in response to arrows that appeared without warning. On the tracking task, there was no difference in performance under the three noise conditions. But under both the loud and quiet music conditions, the performers "braked" at a red light about 50 milliseconds sooner than they did when there was no rock music at all. That could mean a reduction in braking distance of a couple of meters actually, the difference between life and death for a pedestrian. When it came to the arrows that appeared across the visual field, the psychologists found that when the music was quiet, people responded faster to objects in their central field of sight by about 50 milliseconds. For the people listening at 85 decibels, response times were dropped by a further 50 milliseconds -- a whole tenth of second faster than those "driving" with no music. "But there's a trade-off," the psychologists told the European Congress of Psychology. "They lose the ability to look around the whole situation effectively." In responding to objects that suddenly appeared, people subjected to 85-decibel rock music were around 100 milliseconds slower than both the other groups. Since some accidents -- such as children running into the road -- take place without any notice, drivers listening to loud music must be less safe as a result. Where did the researchers do the experiment? A. At crossroads. B. At a police traffic station. C. In a crowded street. D. Under the experimental conditions as those of the streets. Answer: D. Under the experimental conditions as those of the streets. Dear Santa Claus, My name is Amy. I am 17 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day when no one laughs at me or makes fun of me. Love, Amy At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Content. When Amy's letter arrived at the radio station, Manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He thought it wound be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special girl and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper. The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the "News Sentinel". The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet remarkable Christmas gift--just one day without teasing. Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy saw a world full of people who truly cared about each other. Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to hold her head high. Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne High School. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel. That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially declared December 21stas Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson. "Everyone," he said, "wants to and should be treated with respect, dignity and warmth." The mayor officially declared Amy Jo Hagadorn Day _ . A. to tell how bad teasing can make others feel B. to encourage people to hold their heads high C. to explain how brave Amy was by making her wish D. to call on the public to treat everyone properly Answer: D. to call on the public to treat everyone properly It's a nightmare for Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST): within a week, two students committed suicide by jumping off dorm buildings. Officials from the university are reluctant to give interviews. "We had a hard time calming down students who were shocked at the suicides," said Zhang Jingyuan, head of HUST's center for research and guidance for students' development. "Media coverage may arouse some students' negative emotions again. Suicide can be contagious ," Zhang said. The university reacted promptly to the first suicide on October 23. Advisors and class leaders conducted dorm-to-dorm checks to find students suffering depression. Then psychologists offered one-on-one counseling to them. Notice boards publicizing tips for identifying peers' mental problems and offering help were set up in front of dorm buildings. Leaflets carrying similar information were handed out to each dorm. However, the second suicide came seven days later. Both students were described as men of few words. Their schoolmates didn't see anything to indicate suicide. Zhang revealed that the two students had been bothered by mental disorders. But the school didn't know this until the students' close friends outside school and their parents unveiled the truth after the suicides. According to Zhang, there are only three full-time counselors working in the university's counseling center for its 60,000 students. He complained: "It's unrealistic to rely only on counselors to detect students' mental problems." Some universities in the US may be able to offer solutions to Zhang's worries. They have established programs to train students to be the bridge between troubled friends and counselors. At Worcester Polytechnic Institute, at Worcester, Massachusetts, US, young people in the Student Support Network role play to learn how to detect SOS signals from their schoolmates. They also practice how to gently persuade emotionally troubled students to go for professional help. To develop such empathy , many universities in China have organized campus events to popularize knowledge about mental health. But these are not that attractive to students. Ke Juanjuan, 24, is pursuing a master's degree in English translation at HUST. Ke has found that few of her peers will pay attention to activities about mental health when they are not troubled by it. Rather than bombard students with the words "mental health", Ke suggested the school organize lectures and workshops concerning study, job-hunting and relationships. She explained: "Students care about these topics. They tend to have problems in these areas and may thus get stuck in depression. "By helping students better deal with these problems, the school can effectively prevent self-inflicted injury and suicide among students." Effective prevention comes from long-term education for life instead of temporary intervention to meet an emergency, said Hu Yi'an. Hu delivers a course of lectures on life and death at Guangzhou University. He worries that universities have paid little attention to education for life. "Education for life helps students respect and love life so they won't resort to ending their lives when they have difficulties," said Hu. According to Hu, the principles can be incorporated into everyday teaching. Which one of the following is NOT one of the reasons why officials from the university are reluctant to give interviews? A. The university reacted promptly to the first suicide on October 23. B. They had a hard time calming down students who were shocked at the suicides. C. Media coverage may arouse some students' negative emotions again. D. Two suicides within a week is really a nightmare for the university. Answer: A. The university reacted promptly to the first suicide on October 23. Taylor Swift has been named Billboard's Woman of the Year 2014, making her the first artist to receive the award twice. The award goes to the female artist who "has shaped and inspired the music industry with her success, leadership and innovation" over the last year. Previous winners include Pink, Beyonce and Katy Perry. Swift will receive the prize at the Billboard Women in Music award ceremony on 12 December in New York. "As one of the most influential artists of her generation, Taylor Swift has seen incredible success on the Billboard charts," said Janice Min, co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media's Entertainment Group, which includes Billboard. "Over the course of her career, she's charted 60 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 - the most of any female artist since her debut in 2006. We are tremendously excited to be honouring her as the 2014 Billboard Woman of the Year for the second time." Taylor Swift is a seven-time Grammy winner and the best-selling digital music artist of all time. Earlier this week it was announced she would be performing on The X Factor results show this weekend. On Thursday she appeared in the performed in the Radio 1 Live Lounge, where she sang her current hit Shake It Off and covered Vance Joy's Riptide. Swift has just featured on the cover of British Vogue and explained what it was like to do high profile interviews. "I don't really have anything to hide at this point," she told Fearne Cotton. "It's sort of understood that anything I do is going to be discussed and dissected and debated and I'm used to that dynamic now." She added: "I'm very proud of the way my life is. I'm 24, I'm single, feeling very independent. A lot of fun things have happened in my life." The Award Ceremony will be held on _ . A. on 12 November in New York B. on 12 December in Washington C. on 12 November in Washington D. on 12 December in New York Answer: D. on 12 December in New York An Englishman was once traveling in Italy. One day he went into a small restaurant to order dinner. He understood very little Italian and couldn't read the menu . He knew the word for eggs, and so he ordered eggs. Italy is famous, however, for its mushrooms with eggs. But he did not know the word for mushrooms. The waiter did not speak a word of English and could not help him. At last, the man took out his pocket a pencil and a piece of paper and very carefully drew a picture of a mushroom on the piece of paper. The waiter looked at the picture of the mushroom for a long while. He did not understand very well, but at last he left. He was gone a long time. After about a half hour he returned. But instead of an order of mushroom, he brought the man a large black umbrella. What's the end of the story? A. The Englishman didn't get what he wanted, but an umbrella. B. The Englishman got mushrooms at last. C. The Englishman left before the waiter came back. D. The Englishman got nothing in the end. Answer: A. The Englishman didn't get what he wanted, but an umbrella.
Researchers have established that when people are mentally engaged, biochemical changes occur in the brain that allow it to act more effectively in cognitive areas such as attention and memory. This is true regardless of age. People will be alert and receptive if they are faced with information that gets them to think about things they are interested in. And someone with a history of doing more rather than less will go into old age more cognitively sound than someone who has not had an active mind. Many experts are so convinced of the benefits of challenging in the brain that they are putting the theory to work in their own lives. "The idea is not necessarily to learn to memorize large amounts of information," says James Fozard, associate director of the National Institute of Ageing. "Most of us don't need that kind of skill. Such specific training is of less interest than being able to maintain mental alertness." Fozard and others say they challenge their brains with different mental skills, both because they enjoy them and because they are sure that their range of activities will help the way their brains work. Gene Cohen, acting director of the same institute, suggests that people in their old age should engage in mental and physical activities individually as well as in groups. Cohen says that we are frequently advised to keep physically active as we age, but older people need to keep mentally active as well. Those who do are more likely to maintain their intellectual abilities and to be generally happier and better adjusted. "The point is, you need to do both," Cohen says. Intellectual activity actually influences brain-cell health and size. According to Fozard's argument, people can make their brains work more efficiently by _ . A. constantly doing memory work B. making frequent adjustments C. going through specific training D. taking part in various mental activities Answer: D. taking part in various mental activities I was driving down the road the other day, listening to sweet music coming out of my car radio. My heart felt peaceful, my mind was clear, and my soul was full of love. Even with all its problem: life seemed good. Then the music stopped and the news came on. There was talk of another famous millionaire in drug rehab after an incident with the police. There was news on the murder of a poor man whose life was supposed to be changed after winning the lottery. There was even a discussion on how much greed and excess had damaged our world. Every story seemed to point once again to the old saying that money can't buy happiness. Hearing them made me think of a movie I saw many years ago on Mother Teresa's home for the dying in India. What struck me most when I watched it wasn't the unbearable poverty there. It wasn't the sickness and suffering that the people there were going through. It was rather the peaceful smiles of love, kindness, and happiness that they shared with the Sisters and with each other.. These people had nothing. Many were struggling at the end of death. Yet, they knew the simple truth that so many of us here are still learning: Joy is Free. We can have joy and spread joy everyday of our life here. Don't love or admire dollar signs and think that money will bring you happiness then. Joy can't be purchased. It can't be owned. It can only be chosen and then given freely to others. In the eyes of eternity money is only worthless paper. The only thing that matters is the love within you and the love that you give to the world. Make that your legacy and your life will forever be rich in joy. Which section of a newspaper is this passage most probably taken from? A. Business. B. Culture. C. Life. D. Entertainment. Answer: C. Life. Libraries give kids a quiet and safe place to read and learn. For over 100 years, libraries have played an important role in Americans' education. But how are these book-filled buildings changing with the times? You may be surprised to find out. Benjamin Franklin famously founded America's first lending library in 1731. But the public library system got its biggest development in the American history in the late 1800's. Businessman Andrew Carnegie donated millions of dollars to help build free public libraries across the country. Between 1886 and 1919, Carnegie's donations helped build 1,679 new libraries. Carnegie believed that libraries could offer the chances to Americans, young and old. He knew that the more libraries there were, the more people would have opportunities to read and use books, speeches and news. If you can easily find a public library in your community , you'll get more chances. After all, the United States has 9,225 public libraries. Today, libraries keep growing. Seven tenths of the libraries have free Internet. It provides much more information and opportunities) to ask for jobs online. Libraries are also teaching kids about the fun of reading. The new program Read! Build! Play! adds reading into playtime. As kids listen to a book that is being read aloud, they use Legos to build images from the story happily. Today's libraries are always looking for creative programs to bring people into the library. Benjamin Franklin once said, "The doors of wisdom are never shut." As long as the doors of public libraries are open, what he said is most certainly correct! The best title for the passage is _ . A. the libraries in the world B. libraries and opportunities C. libraries teach kids to read and learn D. the development of the American libraries Answer: D. the development of the American libraries Computer games are more and more popular with teenagers. Games are fun. After hours of homework it's great to relax by playing a game. But do games ever do kidsany harm? And are there any ways parents can help kids stay away from bad games? US researches are trying to find answers to these questions. One problem found that parents are not taking enough notice of their kids'games -playinghabits. Many games sells output controls on the games to help parents make sure that children don't play things unsuitable for them, said David Walsh, president of the national Institute on media and the Family. Parents need to watch the games kids are playing and how much time they are spending playing them. The study found that playing games too long can affect kids' health as well as their schoolwork. Almost half of all " heavy games" are six to 17 years old. These kids are more likely to have weight and eyesight problems than other kids. Playing too many games also affects(v)how children do in school. Kids can ask their parents to set a time limit for playing games and remind them when the time is up. Don't forget to tell your parents about it. The best title for the passage is _ . A. Games are funny. B. Stay away from bad games. C. Keep it under . D. Don't play games any more. Answer: B. Stay away from bad games. HOUSTON (AP) --- A 10-year-old boy fatally shot his father Friday, striking him several times as he sat in the front seat of a SUV to pick up the boy from his mother's home for a weekend visit. The incident happened about 3pm on a cul-desac in the 1700 block of Cedar Cove Court, said Sgt. Williams of the Harris County Sheriff's Department. An investigation found that Rick James Lohstroh, 41, was shot by his son, who was sitting in the back seat of the man's Toyota 4-Runner, said Sgt. Williams. The shooting took place outside the home of Lohstroh's ex-wife, where the boy lives with his mother and a 7-year-old brother. "We're not certain of anything until we finish our investigation," Williams said. "The information we have at this time is that the 10-year-old did fire the weapon." The mother and the 7-year-old were inside the house when the shooting occurred, said Williams. Williams said the gun belonged to the boy's mother. After firing shots through the back seat, the boy exited the back of the vehicle and continued to fire at the car. The man died on the way to Memorial Herman Hospital. Lohstroh was a doctor at the University of Texas Medical Branch. The man and woman shared custody of the children. Williams said the mother and the boy were still in the home talking to investigators Friday night. Neighbors described the family as being quiet and keeping to themselves. Justin Gray, 17, was walking in the neighborhood when he heard gunshots. "We've had a suicide in this neighborhood once, but never anything like this," Gray said. What can we infer from the text? A. The tragedy happened because the boy had seen too many films showing violence. B. The boy killed his father because he hated it that he deserted his mother. C. Such things often occurred in this neighbourhood. D. The boy's parents got divorced(="separated)." Answer: D. The boy's parents got divorced(="separated)."
Characters in novels don't always do what the writer wants them to do. Sometimes they cause trouble, take on lives of their own, or even work against the writer. It's not just a problem for inexperienced authors: famed children's novelist Roald Dahl said he got the main character in his bookMatildaso "wrong"that when he'd finished his first version, he threw it away and started again. Of course it's not the characters' fault. The problem lies with the author. Take Stephen King, who admitted that writing working-class characters is more difficult nowadays because his own circumstances have changed. "It is definitely harder,"King said."When I wroteCarriemany years ago, I was one step away from physical labour." This is also true for characters' ages, added King."When you have small children, it is easy to write young characters because you observe them and you have them in your life all the time. But your kids grow up, it's been harder for me to write about this little 12-year-old girl in my new book because my models are gone." For other authors, such as Karen Fowler, there's one quality that can stop a character in its tracks: boredom."I had particular problems with the main character in my historical novelSister Noon,"she says."She had attitudes about race and religion that seemed appropriate to me for her time and class, but they were not attitudes I liked. Eventually I grew quite bored with her. You can write a book about a character you dislike or a character you disagree with, but I don't think you can write a book about a character who bores you." According to Neel Mukherjee, it was Adinath, a character inThe Lives of Others, who made him work the hardest."I think I struggled because it's difficult to write a character whose most prominent personal feature is weakness, as Adinath's is, without making that feature define him,"Mukherjee says. But a troublesome character is far from an unwelcome guest, he continues, arguing that "when characters work against the author they come alive and become unpredictable". "That is a fantastic thing to happen,"Mukherjee says."I celebrate it. It is one of the great, lucky gifts given to a writer." Why did Karen Fowler have trouble writing the main character in her novelSister Noon? A. She disagreed with the character's attitudes. B. The age difference between the two was too large. C. She found the character very uninteresting. D. The historical setting made accuracy difficult. Answer: C. She found the character very uninteresting. Nobody wants to be called a helicopter parent,who manages to be responsible for whatever a child does, however small a matter is--but parents want to protect their kids.At least no playing with sticks means no risk of lost eyes. Yet as Gever Tulley points out in Fifty Dangerous Things(You Should Let Your Children Do),children who grow up as safe as possible become adults who aren't adventurous,highly adaptable,or confident.Sometimes you have to fall out of a tree to figure out how to climb one the right way,and learning that you can accomplish such a thing on your own teaches you that you can be self--sufficient. With Fifty Dangerous Things,Gever Tulley,has written a handbook of activities that are,yes,dangerous at some level-like playing with fire,breaking glass,and opening batteries.The book is a blueprint to help parents and children explore the world,and ensure the children grow up,with a little common sense and a lot of curiosity. Both the advice and the warnings are down to earth.Yes,there are risks,but Tulley provides good ways to learn to avoid them through your own skill.It takes work to raise a child who can use a table saw or build a campfire.But with this book in hand,it'll be a satisfying adventure. We see a child climbing a tree and the first thing we think of is how they might fall and be disabled for life.We seldom say,"Look at how well Sarah is climbing that tree!" When we protect children from every possible source of danger,we also prevent them from having the kinds of experiences that develop their sense of self--reliance,their ability to deal with risks,and their sense of accomplishment. According to the author,a helicopter parent_. A. lets his kids do whatever they want to B. allows his kids do what is dangerous C. does whatever he can to protect his kids D. considers whatever a kid does is risky Answer: C. does whatever he can to protect his kids ONE of Britain's favorite pastimes, gardening is to be celebrated during the Olympics. Last week, the Olympics minister Tessa Jowell announced a public competition to design a typically British garden within London's new Olympic park. Jowell said the idea behind the competition was to show off to the world one of the nation's favorite hobbies. It's likely the government also hopes that the competition will inspire more Brits to take an interest in the Olympics. It's a good plan, as the British love gardens almost as much as they love tea. In many ways gardening defines Brits, perhaps because they are some of the world's keenest gardeners. The garden is seen as a private place in the UK. Most Brits would far rather sit in their garden than visit a park. They see their garden as an extension of their house outdoors, which is why so many Brits are as garden-proud as they are house-proud. There also seems to be something about the nourishing act of gardening that appeals to the nation's gentle temperament . Interestingly, gardening has never been as widely enjoyed as it is today in Britain. Its growing popularity is no doubt due to people's increased awareness of the environment and the success of several popular gardening programs. Historically, Brits are also skilful gardeners. As Jowell noted when she made her announcement, if gardening were an Olympic sport then green-fingered Brits "would win gold, silver and bronze." Of course, the irony of Brits' passion for gardening is that their climate is so wet that there are very few months in the year they can sit outside and enjoy their gardens. In fact, it may be the very valuableness of these few warm months that make gardens so prized and valued by Brits. What can we know from the passage? A. Brits love gardening as much as before. B. Brits love their gardens more than they love their houses. C. Brits are known to love gardening as much as they love tea. D. Brits enjoy sitting in their gardens as much as sitting in the park. Answer: C. Brits are known to love gardening as much as they love tea. A recent National Public Radio program examined the disappearance of some of the first words we were probably taught - "please" and "thank you." Other polite phrases are also disappearing. "You're welcome" has been replaced by "sure," "no problem," "you bet" or "enjoy." Are we becoming ruder, or are patterns of speech merely updating for changing times? Peter Post, director of the program, argues about people stopping using "you're welcome". He says, "Thank you" is an expression of appreciation one person offers another. To respond "No problem" is to ignore this acceptance as really being undeserved. By responding with a simple "you're welcome," Post adds, a person admits the thanks and shows appreciation for the person giving it. Whatever polite vocabulary you believe is fading, sociologist Gregory E. Smith says that such fading is a sign that we're becoming ruder as a society. "Saying please and thank you, asking permission, offering help, and following up on solutions to problems are no longer as important," he says. In 2011, 76 percent of people surveyed said Americans are becoming less civil. But could it be that it's simply the words we're using that are changing? Actually, the principles of respect, consideration and honesty are universal and timeless, but manners do change. For example, it's important to greet people when you see them, though the form of greeting has changed over time. "How do you do," for instance, became "Hello, how are you?" which changed into "Hello, how are things," or "How's it going?". As for "no problem", if the appreciation is expressed in a sincere manner, many Americans think they do not see its use as a loss of politeness. From the text we can infer that most Americans _ . A. begin to overlook their polite speech B. are unable to use polite vocabulary C. intend to advocate civilized lifestyle D. are becoming ruder to each other Answer: A. begin to overlook their polite speech There are some strong-minded people that are able to stop smoking today and be free from the addiction the next day. However, some smokers may have to seek help from medication in order to kick the habit. What medication actually does is to reduce the wish to smoke. Some of the medication must be taken with a doctor's guidance. The five most common medications to stop smoking are Bupropion SR, nicotine gum, nicotine inhalers, nicotine nasal spray and nicotine patches. People can buy nicotine gum and nicotine patches in chemists. However, the other medications require a prescription. Zyban tablets have been found to be highly effective in curing people of smoking addiction. The tablet needs to be taken whole, without crushing it, as crushing can lead to side effects. It can be bought on the prescription of a doctor. Nicotine patches are filled with nicotine and they are applied to the skin. The skin takes in the nicotine and carries it to the blood stream. The amount of nicotine in these patches is quite limited, not enough to lead to addiction. But you shouldn't take them for dinner. In fact, millions of people have benefited from these nicotine patches. Nicotine gum is supposed to be a safer choice. It is used in such a way that it comes into contact with the blood vessels in the mouth and then releases the nicotine. The nicotine should not go through the stomach; otherwise, it may cause certain side effects. These different types of medications have to be taken quite carefully. Do ask your doctor before taking any of these. From this passage we can learn that _ . A. a strong-willed smoker must take medication to help stop smoking B. one shouldn't break the Zyban tablet into pieces when taking it C. nicotine patches can be injected into the blood stream D. nicotine gum can be swallowed like food Answer: B. one shouldn't break the Zyban tablet into pieces when taking it
To son, Cecil, Just a quick note before I start in earnest. When I wrote this, you were 8, still a little boy. In 2002, I was called to active duty in the Marine Corps in the war on Terrorism . On the 11th of September 2001 when America was attacked, I knew that I would eventually have to go and I was filled with a deep sense of sadness. That night as you and Keiko were asleep, I looked at your little faces and couldn't help but fight the tears. I knew it would be hard for you because I had a similar experience. When I was a little boy aged 6, my dad, your Grandpa Cawley, was sent to Vietnam during the war there. I remember how much I missed him, too. But now unfortunately I have come to realize just how difficult it must have been for Grandpa to be away from his children for a year. Thinking about this, I wanted to put my thoughts and feelings down for you and your sister. I am so sorry that I had to leave for such a long time. There is no place I would rather be than with you and Keiko. You two are the lights of my life. I have known no greater joy than in the few years since you two were born. I hope to have many more years with you. If this doesn't happen, then know that I love you more than words can express. If for some reason I don't make it home, I will need you to take care of your little sister and your Mom. You will be the man of the Cawley family. Be good my son and God will watch over you as he has me. I will be waiting impatiently for the time when we can all be together again. The writer of the letter may be _ . an American soldier in the battle field The highlight of my journey was to be Paris,the city I'd always longed to see.But now I was frightened to travel without a companion.I steeled myself and went anyway.I arrived at the train station in Paris panicked.Pulling my red suitcase behind me,I was pushed by sweaty travelers . On my first Metro ride, I encountered a clumsy pickpocket.I melted him with a look,and he eased his hand from my purse to fade into the crowded car. At my stop,I carried my heavy suitcase up the steep stairs and froze in confusion.Somewhere in this confusing city my hotel was hidden,but suddenly I couldn't read my own directions.I stopped two people.Both greeted me with that Parisian face that said:"Yes, I speak English,but you'll have to struggle with your French if you want to talk to me." When I finally found the hotel,my heart was pounding. Then when I saw my room.I couldn't stay.Could I? The wallpaper looked like it had been through a fire.The bathroom was down the hall,and the window looked out onto the brick wall of another building.Welcome to Paris.It was my third week away from home and my kids,and I had arrived in the most romantic city in the world, alone, lonely and very scared. The most important thing I did in Paris happened at that moment.I knew that if I didn't go out,right then,and find a place to have dinner,I would hide in this place my entire time in Paris. I might never learn to enjoy the world as a single individual.So I went out.Evening in Paris was light and warm.I strolled along a winding path,listening to birds sing,watching children float toy sailboats in a huge fountain.Paris was beautiful.And I was here alone but suddenly not lonely.My sense of accomplishment at overcoming my fear had left me feeling free,not abandoned. During my week's stay in Paris.I did everything there was to do,and it was the greatest week of my European vacation.I returned home a believer in the healing power of solitary travel.Traveling alone makes up for its problems by demanding self-reliance and building the kind of confidence that serves the single life well.Certainly Paris became my metaphor for _ life's challenges on my own.Now when I meet an obstacle I just say to myself: If I can go to Paris,I can go anywhere. Which of the following statements is NOT true ? Her purse was stolen on her first Metro ride. When someone who is in good health dies suddenly ,there is usually an inquest .A coroner will do it.His job is to find out exactly how a person died. If there is nothing suspicious about the death,he will decide that the person died from natural causes or an accident.if, however ,he is suspicious,he may decide that the person's death was caused by a person or persons unknown. One day the coroner was trying to find out exactly what had caused the death of a local businessman,Henry Watson. The man's wife was explaining something.She was very sad and had to stop from time to time.The coroner did not want to make her sadder than necessary ,but he had to find out the truth.There were questions he had to ask. "Mrs.Watson,I know this is painful for you,"he said,"but i want you to think very carefully and then answer my questions.You and your husband were having dinner at home.Is that correct? " "Yes." ''Suddenly he fell to the floor? " "Yes." "You stood up and hurried to him ?You knelt beside him ?His stomach was in great pain? " "Yes." "Did he say anything? " The wife kept her head down. "Please,Mrs.Watson,you must answer the question.What were his last words? " The wife took a deep breath and then spoke."He said,"She replied in a very low voice,"I'm not surprised that seafood we had for dinner cost you only 50 cents," What is the purpose of an inquest when a healthy person dies suddenly? To find out the cause of death. Here's How to Get Your 6 Movies for 1C/Each Just Write in the Numbers of the 6 movies you want for 1C/each, plus shipping. In exchange ,you agree to buy just six more movies in the next three years, at our regular Club prices (which currently start as low as $19.95 plus shipping) -- and you may cancel membership at any time after doing so. What's more, you can get two more movies for the low price of $6.95 each and you will, after that, spend much less on the movies you want. Free Video Magazine sent every four weeks (up to 13 times a year), with our Director's Selection --plus many lower-priced cassettes, down to $14.95. And you may receive Special Selection mailings up to four times a year (a total of up to 17 buying opportunities per year). Buy Only What You Want! If you want the Director's Selection, do nothing -- it will be sent automatically . If you prefer some other selection, or none at all, just mail the answer card always provided by the date specified. And you'll always have 14 days to decide. Instant Bonus Plan. As soon as you become a member, you'll immediately have the right to our money-saving plan! It enables you to enjoy more great savings on the movies you want -- right from the start of your membership! 10-Day Risk-Free Trial. If not satisfied, return everything within 10 days, and then you'll get your money back and there will be no further obligation. You may receive a free Video Magazine _ a year. 13 times At first glance, there is little in Horton to attract people. The other nearby towns have much more to offer: Bradfield has its river and historic buildings, while Newtown has shops and entertainment. The buildings of Horton look dirty and unloved. For shops, there is a small supermarket, a few bargain shops, a bakery which, strangely, does not sell bread and a florist which has one stand of sad-looking flowers. Even so, Horton has several advantages over its neighbouring towns. Firstly, it has a country park. Four thousand years ago, this was an important fort. There are no historic remains here now, but there are wonderful views over the countryside. On sunny weekends you can often see kids out with their parents, kicking balls or flying kites. There aren't many job opportunities in Horton, and the roads to nearby cities aren't really fast, but there are excellent rail links. You can be in London in an hour and a half, and other cities are less than an hour away. That means that parents can earn a good salary and still get home in time to spend the evenings with their families. Houses in Horton aren't pretty, but they're functional and cheap. The streets are quiet and safe, and there are plenty of parks and playgrounds. It has a library, three primary schools and a secondary school, St. Mark's. It is friendly and offers a wide range of subjects and activities to children of all abilities and backgrounds. The town also has a swimming and a sports centre, and the community halls hold regular clubs and events for people of all ages. Which part of Horton does the writer find disappointing? the shops
What do you usually do after school? Playing football? Watching TV? Let's see how kids in foreign countries spend their free time? Mess around with Dress-up Do your parents have any old clothes? See if you can get an old box and start collecting hats, shoes and clothes now! Then, when your friends come over after school,you can play dress-up. See if you can make yourself into a doctor, or a cowboy, or even a spaceman! If you are really clever, you could even put on a show for your family! Let your imagination run wild! Start a Club Want to learn new things after school? Want to make new friends who aren't in your class? You can get both of them in clubs. In other countries' schools,there are usually all kinds of clubs for kids to join. There is a French club,a student government, a theatre,a choir and a photography club. Take a photography club as an example. One may learn all the skills about taking photos. For example,you will learn how to choose a camera,how to use the light and how to develop pictures. One can also make a lot of friends in clubs. It's always good to enjoy your free time with friends, isn't it? How do kids in foreign countries spend their free time? _ . Answer: This year I am very busy doing my Christmas shopping. I really never find what I want, and many things my daughter wants are not in shops or their price is too high. You know children don't think about the price much. So I have to buy some online . I never think about online shopping before now. I have a few friends and they do online present shopping every year. So I ask them for help. First, they tell me to start shopping early. And then you need to be careful with the delivery charge because they can be very different. My friends also tell me that online shopping is easy, but I should get into good _ . And last but important, they tell me that if I feel good about a site, there may be a good reason. So they say I need find the reason before I buy things on it. We can learn _ from the passage. Answer: Some places in the world have strange laws. It's important for you to know about them before going there. Whoever likes to chew gum may have to leave Singapore. The government really wants to keep the city clean and will fine you for chewing gum. Before you leave for the United Arab Emirates you'd better make sure you aren't visiting during Ramadan . During that time you aren't allowed to eat or drink in public. Tourists have been fined up to $275 for drinking in public. Lovers spend so much time kissing each other goodbye at train stations that trains often start late. This law -- no kissing your lover goodbye at train stations - is rather old, and isn't in use today in France. In Thailand it's against the law to drive a car or motorcycle without a shirt on, no matter how hot it is. Punishments are different in different areas and can include warnings and tickets costing about $10. No joke -- the local police will stop you. Studies in Denmark have shown that cars with their headlights on are more noticeable by other drivers than those with their headlights off. Drivers there are required to leave their headlights on even during the day, or they may face a fine up to $100. Do you often buy things using coins? Don't do it in Canada. The Currency Law of 1985 doesn't allow using only coins to buy things. Even the use of the dollar-coin is limited . The shop owner has the right to choose whether to take your coins or not. Make sure you know about these laws before your next trip. Better safe than sorry. If you are driving a car in Thailand, _ . Answer: Until I was twelve years old, I thought everyone in the world knew about the grinnies, if I thought about the term at all -- which is unlikely. After all, everyone in my family used the word quite naturally, and we understood each other. So far as I knew, it was a word like any other word -- like bath, orchocolate, orhomework. But it was my homework which led to my discovery thatgrinnieswas a word not known outside my family. My last report card had said that I was a "C" student in English, and my parents, both teachers, decided that no child of theirs would be just an average student of anything. So nightly I spelled words aloud and answered questions about the fine points of grammar. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote every composition until I convinced my mother that I could make no more improvements. And the hard work paid off. One day the teacher returned compositions, and there it was -- a big fat, bright red "A" on the top of my paper. Naturally, I was delighted, but I didn't know I was attracting attention until the teacher spoke sharply, "Helen, what are you doing?" Called suddenly out of my happy thoughts, I said "Oh, I've got the grinnies!" The teacher and my classmates burst into laughter, and then I understood that grinnies were used inside my family. Other people were not so lucky. And it is really lucky to have the grinnies, an uncontrollable, natural state of great pleasure. Grinnies are shown on the outside by sparkling eyes and a wide, wide smile -- not just any smile, but one that shows the teeth and stretches the mouth to its limits. A person experiencing the grinnies appears to be all mouth. On the inside grinnies are characterized by a feeling of joyful anxiety. Grinnies usually last just a few seconds, but they can come and go. Sometimes, when life seems just perfect, I have occasional attacks of the grinnies for a whole day. The term originated in my mother's family. Her younger sister, Rose, who had deep dimples , often expressed her pleasure with such a grin that the dimples appeared to become permanent. When Rose was about four, she started explaining her funny look by saying, "I have the grinnies". The term caught on, and it has been an important word in our family now for two generations. The occasion doesn't matter. Anything can bring on the grinnies -- just so long as one feels great delight. When my brother finally rode his bicycle -- without training wheels -- from our house to the corner and back, he came home with the grinnies. When I was little, my mother's announcement that we would have homemade ice cream for dessert always gave me the grinnies. My father had the grinnies when I was chosen to make a speech at the end-of-school-year ceremony. Grinnies can be brought on by a good meal, a sense of pride, a new friend, a telephone call from someone special, an achievement. Or sometimes one gets the grinnies for no reason at all: just a sudden sense of happiness can bring on a case. Whatever brings them on, an attack of the grinnies is among life's greatest pleasures. In fact, now that I look back on the experience, I feel sorry for my seventh-grade teacher. I think it's a pity that she didn't know the word grinnies. It's such a useful term for saying, "I'm really, really pleased!" When her English teacher called her name, the writer was _ . Answer: I start to wonder what else had changed since I'd been gone. My parents are in an awkward puzzle, wondering how to treat me now----whether to treat me--still their daughter--as one of them, an adult, or as the child they feel they sent away months earlier. I run into two of my best friends from high school; we stare at each other, expressionless. We ask the simple questions and give simple answers. It's as if we have nothing to say to each other. I wonder how things have changed so much in such a small amount of time. We used to laugh and promise that no matter how far away we were, our love for each other would never change. Their interests don't interest me anymore, and I find myself unable to relate my life to theirs. I had been so excited to come home, but now I just look at it all and wonder: Is it me? Why hadn't the world stood still here while I was gone? My room isn't the same, my friends and I don't share the same promise, and my parents don't know how to treat me--or who I am, for that matter. I get back to school feeling half-satisfied, but not disappointed. I sit up in my bed in my dorm room, surrounded by my pictures, dolls. As I wonder what has happened, I realize that I can't expect the world to stand still and move forward at the same time. I can change and expect that things at home will stay the same. I have to find comfort in what has changed and what is new; keep the memories, but live in the present. A few weeks later, I'm packing again, this time for winter break. My mom meets me at the door. I have come home accepting the changes, not only in my surroundings, but most of all in me. What surprises the writer most? Answer:
My wife passed away seven and a half years ago, and I went through a huge depression , the worst time in my life. I even wanted to end my life. I continued to work as a small-town doctor at my medical clinic in Kilauea, Hawaii. My kids had gone to live on the mainland, and I was alone. On a family trip, we turned on the TV and saw the second plane crash into the World Trade Center. I said to my kids, "I'm going to Afghanistan." International Medical Corps sent me to set up 20 clinics in some provinces where people had no health care. Eventually, the clinics were serving 27,000 patients a month. I had such a sense of accomplishment, a sense of purpose. My depression went completely away. I go wherever disasters strike: Indonesia after the tsunami, Pakistan after the earthquake. I was just in Kenya. After their presidential election, at least a thousand people were killed and hundreds of thousands were forced out. We set up mobile clinics in an area with 19,000 refugees . _ broke out, one of the biggest killers of kids in refugee camps, and it spread like wildfire. Water and medical equipment were also problems. When my wife passed away, I thought my life was done. But really, it was just getting started. At the end of her life, my wife fell into a coma . I held her head in my hands and told her of all the places we would visit, the exciting adventures we would have. I think about this moment many times during my "adventures". I did not know then how prophetic those words would be. She is with me still. The first country where the author provided people with medical care is _ A. Indonesia B. Pakistan C. Kenya D. Afghanistan Answer: D. Afghanistan In the UK, we like a good bargain. People flock to the sales in January, when stores slash their prices to get rid of all their winter stock. But surprisingly, the British hate _ In markets you might see the odd British person battling with a stall owner to bring down the price of a pair of trousers or some furniture. Generally, though, people from the UK are too reserved to haggle. If we think the price of something we want is too high, we'll simply move on and try somewhere else. The act of bargaining with someone is very theatrical, in my opinion. It's a test to see who can stand their ground for the longest. But it is not in British people's nature to "perform" in public, especially around strangers. However, in the US, people are generally more willing to haggle. And if you wander into a market, you're likely to hear a number of phrases that Americans reserve for such occasions. First, " _ " is commonly said by the customer to indicate they think the stall holder is working very hard, probably a little too hard, to get the price he wants. Or you might hear the buyer telling a stall holder that "the kid's gotta have braces", which means they don't have enough spare money lying around to afford the price being offered. If the customer is really shocked at the price suggested by the seller, they also might say "you're killing me" to indicate that they think the price is far too high. In Britain, it's difficult to imagine anyone saying anything along these lines. If I were forced to bargain, I'd probably say, very simply: "I'm going to make you an offer." If that offer were refused, I think I'd just walk away. How does the passage mainly develop? A. By providing examples. B. By making comparision. C. By analyzing causes and effects. D. By following the order of importance. Answer: B. By making comparision. There have been many great inventions that changed the way we live.The first great invention was one that is still very important today--the wheel.This made it easier to carry heavy things and to travel long distances.For hundreds of years after that there were few inventions that had as much effect as the wheel.Then in the early 1800's the world started to change.There was little unknown land left in the world.People did not have to explore much anymore.They began to work instead to make life better.In the second half of the 19th century many great inventions were made.Among them were the camera, the electric light and the radio.These all became a big part of our life today. The first part of the 20th century saw more great inventions.The helicopter in 1909.Movies with sound in 1926.The computer in 1928.And jet planes in 1930.This was also a time when a new material was first made.Nylon came out in 1935.It changed the kind of clothes people wear.The middle part of the 20th century brought new ways to help people get over disease. _ worked very well.They made people healthier and let them live longer lives.By the 1960's most people could expect to live to be at least 60.By this time most people had a very good life. Of course new inventions continued to be made.But man now had a desire to explore again.The world was known to man but the stars were not.Man began looking for ways to go into space.Russia made the first step.Then the United States took a step.Since then other countries, including China and Japan, have made their steps into space.In 1969 man took his biggest step away from the earth.Americans first walked on the moon.This is certainly just a beginning though. New inventions will someday allow us to do things we have never yet dreamed of. The possible title for the passage might be _ . A. Great Inventions of the 20th Century B. How Wheels, Cameras and Computers Were Invented C. People's Attitudes Towards Inventions D. Great Inventions Influence Our Way of Living . Answer: D. Great Inventions Influence Our Way of Living . Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods can often come at the least expected time.Others, such as hurricanes are increasing in severity and destruction.Typically, those poor countries are the worst hit for they have the least resources to deal with the destruction and rebuild their home.This part of the globalissues.org website looks at some of these issues. Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis The earthquake off the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011 was one of the biggest recorded, measuring 9 on the Richter scale . It was the resulting tsunami, however, that caused the most destruction.It _ the northeast of Japan, leaving many thousands dead or missing, and -hundreds of thousands homeless or leaving the area.In addition, various power generators failed.Some older nuclear power stations risked meltdown and suffered explosions and radioactive leaks.Workers battled for weeks to try and bring the situation under control.Radioactive material was detected in various places. It is thought that the cost of the earthquake and tsunami could be over $ 300 billion-the world's most expensive natural disaster on record. Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destroyed category 4 hurricane, the highest category, that hit the Gulf of Mexico and various Southern regions of the United States at the end of August, 2005, causing the worst damage in that country's history, estimated at $ 100 billion.The famous New Orleans city and surrounding areas were worst hit as much of it sits some 6 feet below sea level.City defenses, such as banks, only designed for categary 3 type hurricanes, gave way, leading to enormous flooding and associated damage, death and displacement of around 100, 000 people who either chose to say the course, or could not afford to flee. In the disaster happening in 2011 in Japan, what caused the most destruction? A. Radioactive material. B. Tsunami. C. Earthquake. D. Power generators' explosion. Answer: B. Tsunami. Baseball Match Mr. Jenkins works in a middle school. There he teaches his students English. He works hard and is very busy. After supper, when his family watch TV, he always reads some newspapers in his room. At times Robert comes in and asks him to tell him a story. He likes his little son and does all what the boy wants. One Sunday Mrs. Jenkins was doing some housework and Mr. Jenkins was reading a newspaper. Robert came in but he didn't say anything. About ten minutes later the boy showed a newspaper to him and called out, "There will be a baseball match tonight, Dad!" Mr. Jenkins was surprised. He said to himself, "The boy is only three years old. How can he read the newspaper?" He held up the newspaper and began to look for the news. But he couldn't find it. At last the boy showed him an exclamation mark on the newspaper. Mr. Jenkins thought _ , so he was surprised. A. there was a baseball match B. his son bought a newspaper for him C. his little son learned to read D. his little son learned to write Answer: C. his little son learned to read
Question: Where can you go to listen to important people talk about important subjects? BigThink.com is a new website that allows Internet users to discuss certain topics with world experts . Subjects discussed on BigThink include the environment, music and questions about happiness and personal identity. The website has been called a YouTube for thinkers. Victoria Brown and Peter Hopkins created BigThink.com. They said that people needed an international place to communicate with each other and discuss the important issues of our times. On the BigThink website, when you click on a subject, you will find a video of a person talking about his or her ideas. For example, you can listen to United States Senator Ted Kennedy talking about education and other things. Besides, you can read the comments and questions written by other visitors to the website. More than one hundred experts have expressed their ideas on the website. BigThink's creators started the website by first getting famous people to agree to be videoed. They began by interviewing several well-known professors from Harvard University. Then they used the names of these professors to gain the trust of others and get them to take part in the project. The website says BigThink belongs to everyone. Its motto is: "We are what you think." So, go online and start thinking big. If you visit BigThink.com, you can _ . A. listen to your favorite music B. chat with thinkers face to face online C. communicate with people worldwide D. get an online education Answer: C Question: On August 15, 2011,the Ministry Publish Security started a campaign to educate drivers about the dangers of driving after drinking. As a part of the campaign, police officers watched bars, restaurants and KTVs in Beijing, Shanghai, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei and Guangdong. It ended up on December 30. But it told the drivers the meaning of the new traffic laws and the dangers of drinking. In Beijing, some restaurants put up notices and told drivers about their responsibility. "Usually if a group of guests come by car, the driver won't drink. If he does, we will remind him," said a waitress from Dongfang Restaurant in Beijing. Fewer drivers are drinking alcohol nowadays, since many know about the campaign. Wang Lankun, a traffic policeman in Beijing said, "Some drivers think a glass of beer is not a problem. But a blood test will show that their blood-alcohol level is more than 20mg for each 100ml of blood, that is enough to affect their driving." During the campaign, drivers who have a blood-alcohol level of over 20mg for each 100ml of blood will get a fine of 500 yuan. Also, they will not be allowed to drive for three months. In fact, there are strict laws to punish drunk driving in many other countries. For example, in the USA, if someone has a blood-alcohol level of over 80mg for each 100ml of blood, he will be sent to prison for one year. But in Britain, he will be fined 5,000 pounds and banned from driving for 12 months, also he will be sent to prison for 6 months. In Germany, if a driver has a blood-alcohol level of over 60mg for each 100ml of blood, he won't be allowed to drive until he passes a new driving test. How long did the campaign last? A. For about half a year. B. For about four and a half months. C. For about 12 months. D. For about three months. Answer: B Question: You've probably heard of a lot about the Internet,but what is it? The Internet is a computer network that uses the telephone system to connect together millions of computers around the world. Maybe that isn't very exciting but once you're connected to the Internet,there are lots of different things you can do.You can send electronic messages or emails to your friends (as long as they're on the Internet,too),or you can sort through all kinds of information on something called the World Wide Web. You don't need to know how the Internet works in order to use it,but if you understand the basics,it may help you work out many technical problems you have--and of course you can help your friends with your Net knowledge! You may think that your telephone is just for talking. But as long as you have the equipment, you can use a telephone line to send computer data as well as sounds. If you connect your computer with the telephone system it can receive information from, and send information to other computers (as long as they are connected with the telephone system,too). Because there is not an organization which operates the Internet,no one exactly knows how many people are connected to it. It's thought that there could be 60 million people on the Net,connected up to over 15 million computers! According to the writer,it's better to _ . A. work out its technical problems besides using the Internet B. use the Internet besides working out its technical problems C. sort through all kinds of information on www D. help your friends with your Net knowledge Answer: A Question: Flight cancellations and loss of luggage can ruin even the best-planned holiday. The key to a stress-free trip is having a backup plan. Fly non-stop. The worst problems involve connections, so it is important to take non-stop flights whenever possible. If you do have to make a connection, try to route through a southern city, where snowstorms and de-icing delays will be less likely. Always allow at least two to three hours for flight connections. Check the weather. Check the weather in your connecting city, not just the arrival and departure city. If your departure flight is cancelled because of weather, you can go home or back to your hotel. Airlines promise to get you on the next available flight, not the next flight. That could be several days later on a sold-out holiday weekend. Go early. The earlier in the day you fly, the better your chance of getting rebooked the same day after a missed connection. It will also put you ahead of stranded passengers who arrive later. Rebook immediately. As soon as your flight is delayed or cancelled, get on the phone and rebook your flight instead of waiting at the ticket counter. If your rebooking is delayed, call or ask your travel agent to find a seat on another carrier, and then ask your original carrier to endorse your ticket to the new airline. Airlines are not required to do this but often do. Learn more at www. dot. gov/ airconsumer/ fly-rights. Ship bags. A few days before your flight, ship suitcases or holiday gifts to your destination by a documented express service. It's preferable to losing bags because of re-routed flights and sometimes cheaper than paying airline overweight bag fees. Know your rights. Airlines are not required to passengers for delayed or cancelled flights, but it never hurts to ask for goodwill vouchers for meals, taxis or a room. When making a flight connection, it's common that you'll _ . A. stop in the south B. choose a good city without snowstorm C. be trapped in the storm D. wait for two or three hours Answer: B Question: Do you ever fight with your little brother or sister? How would you like to travel around the world with them in a musical group? Sisters Johanna and Klara Soderburg are doing just that in their band, First Aid Kit! The two sisters are sweeping the world with a perfect mix of pop and folk music. The Soderburg sisters come from Sweden. Their music sounds like music from the 1960s. They both play several instruments. And, since they are sisters, their voices fit together perfectly! Like many other teen stars before them, the two girls got their start on the website, YouTube. Their singing caught the attention of a Swedish musician. It wasn't long before people all over the world discovered their music! The sisters don't just sing or play instruments; they also write their own music and design all of their album art!They have worked very hard, and they _ four new songs at the beginning of 2011! If you want to hear the songs, check out their music in YouTube for yourself! Listen to see why First Aid Kit is your new favorite band! People got to know Johanna and Klara Soderburg _ . A. in the magazine B. on the radio C. on TV D. on the Internet Answer: D
Mom was right!If you say thank you,for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness,you'll feel happy. Gratitude ,says Robert A.Emmons,a professor of psychology at the University of California,is an important element of happiness.In his recent book,Thanks!,Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom's point.In acknowledging and developing this muchignored expression of thankfulness,he explains how people have benefited--even improved their health. As one of the leading scholars of the positive psychology movement,he admits gratitude may be difficult to express.He advises you to begin by admitting that life is good and full of events and elements that make daily existence a wonder.Second,recognize that the source of life's goodness is more than just you.That source may be your mom,a friend,partner,child,colleague at work or play,or any combination of these. Gratitude is always otherdirected,notes Emmons.You can be pleased or angry with yourself and feel guilty about doing something wrong,but you can never be grateful to or for yourself. Expressing gratitude shouldn't be a reaction;it should be a state of mind.To feel grateful when life is a breeze and you have more than you need is easy.To feel grateful in time of crisis--anger,hatred and bitterness--is easier.Also,too many people are aware of life's blessings only after these are lost.The voices expressing gratitude from his studies of individuals are many. It's crisis and chaos--danger,disease,disability and death--that bring many individuals to realize just how dependent they are on others.Yet it's the way each of us begins life and ends it.It's too bad that so many people waste those decades in between labouring under the illusion they are selfsufficient,says Emmons. To enable and embrace gratitude,Emmons encourages the readers of Thanks! to keep a gratitude diary.He even provides easytofollow directions on how to practise and develop gratitude. I'm not a reader or advocate of selfhelp books,but I am thankful for the reference I found in a newspaper article to the research Emmons was conducting on gratitude involving organ donors and recipients .The chance discovery led me to this book. Mom implied that kindness seems to find its way back to the giver because life really is all about giving,receiving and repaying.So I'll pay attention to her professional advice and say:Thank you,professor Emmons. The author mentions Robert A.Emmons'book Thanks! in order to prove that _ . Answer: At the top of a three-story brick building, Sue and Johnsy had their studio. One of the girls was from Maine; the other from California. They had met in an Eighth Street restaurant, and found their tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that the joint studio resulted. That was in May. In November, a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called "pneumonia", stalked about the district, touching one here and there with his icy fingers. Johnsy was among his victims. One morning the busy doctor invited Sue into the hallway with a bushy, gray eyebrow. "She has one chance in ten," he said. "And that chance is for her to want to live. Your little lady has made up her mind that she's not going to get well. Has she anything on her mind?" "She wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day," said Sue. "Paint? Bosh! Has she anything on her mind worth thinking about twice? A man, for instance?" "No, doctor; there is nothing of the kind." "Well," said the doctor. "I will do all that science can accomplish. But whenever my patient begins to count the carriage in her funeral procession , I subtract 50 per cent from the power of medicines." After the doctor had gone, Sue cried. Johnsy lay, scarcely making a movement under the bedclothes, with her face toward the window. She was looking out and counting--counting backward. "Twelve," she said, and a little later "eleven," and then "ten," and "nine," and then "eight,' and "seven," almost together. Sue looked out of the window. What was there to count? There was only a bare, depressing yard to be seen, and an old, old ivy vine climbed half way up the brick wall of the brick house. The cold breath of autumn had blown away its leaves, leaving it almost bare. "Six," said Johnsy, in almost a whisper. "They're falling faster now. Three days ago there were almost a hundred. It made my head ache to count them. But now it's easy. There goes another one. There are only five left now." "Five what, dear?" "Leaves, on the ivy vine . When the last one falls I must go, too. I've known that for three days. Didn't the doctor tell you?" "Oh, I've never heard of such nonsense. Don't be so silly. Why, the doctor told me this morning that your chances for getting well soon were ten to one! Try to take some soup now, and let Sue go and buy pork chops for her sick child." What can we learn from the passage? Answer: Anyone arriving in Shanghai at night from the airport for the first time is immediately attracted by the Oriental Pearl TV Tower , which stands out in the evening sky like an amazing space ship landing. Dramatic lighting effects make this unusual structure attractive. This ultra-modern tower combines ancient concepts such as the spherical pearls, with 21st century technology, commerce, recreation, educational and conference facilities. In 1995 it began broadcasting nine television channels and 10 FM radio channels. The construction began in 1991 and was completed in 1995. This 468-meter-high (1,536 feet) tower is the tallest tower in Asia, and the third tallest tower in the world. The viewing area offers a great view of the most recently developed Special Economic Zone of Pudong . Visitors travel up and down the tower in double-decker elevators that can hold up to fifty people at the rate of seven meters per second. At the base of the tower is Pudong Park, which was designed as a contrast to the massive commercial development of the Special Economic Zone of Pudong. There are wonderful views across the Huang-Pu River from the "New Bund " to the original. The tower has three observatory levels. The highest one (Space Module) is at 350m. The lower ones are at 263m (Sightseeing Floor) and at 90m (Space City). There is a revolving restaurant at the 267m level. The project also contains exhibition facilities, restaurants and a shopping mall. There is also a 20-room hotel called the Space Hotel between the two big balls. What can we infer from the passage? Answer: From furniture to jewelry, from the medical industry to civil engineering,three--dimensional printing can turn all sorts of ideas into objects. "I wanted to print large objects such as buildings,"said Behrokh Khoshnevis,professor of the University of Southern California.He planned to construct a house in 24 hours by applying 3D printing techniques,but he admitted there would be difficulties in meeting his goal. "For example,if you run out of ink while printing on paper,you will throw that paper away.But you cannot throw half completed buildings away if your material gets stuck,"he said.Although the printed house is not available to visit,there is a chance for people in Shanghai to see items printed in 3D. The Belgium-based company Materialize NV is currently holding a 3D printing exhibition in Shanghai that started in late 2012 and will continue until the middle of this year.The company is eager to show Asia what is possible with 3D printing. "All the pieces shown here are what cannot be made through traditional techniques. A good example of this customization is hearing aids More than l0 million people already use 3D printed hearing aids.all made according to the size of their ear."said Wim Michiels, executive vice-president at Materialise NV. "You can produce anything whenever and wherever you like.You don't need to set-up production lines for pieces that only need a limited amount of product.Setting up a production Line is a tot of work, takes a long time and is very expensive for a limited number of pieces" said Michiels. Kim Francois,managing director of Matcrialise China,said their European and American clients have at ready made the next step toward additive manufacturing with small-series production such as hearing aids. According to the text,3D printing is suitable for_. Answer: Are there any foreigners in your city? How do you address them in English when you want to talk to these foreigners? The following may be some simple rules the beginners should follow. 1. When talking to strangers there is often no special form of address in English. In most cases, if you want to catch the attention of a stranger it is necessary to use such phrases as "Excuse me". 2. In British English "Sir" and "Madam" are considered to be too formal for most situations. They are used mostly to customers in shops or restaurants .While in American English "Sir" and "Madam" are not so formal and are commonly used between strangers, especially with older people whose names you don't know. 3. When you talk to some people you know, you can use their names directly. If you are friends, use their first names; if your relationship is more formal, use "Mr.", "Mrs.", "Ms.", etc, before their family names. 4. There are many other forms of address which can be used between friends and strangers. However, many of these are limited in use. For example, "pal" and "mate" can be used between strangers, but are usually only used by men talking to other men. If you meet foreigners, do remember not to address them in wrong ways. What is the title of this passage? Answer:
Time Zones Strange things happen to time when you travel. Because the earth is divided into twenty-four zones one hour apart .You can have days with more or fewer than twenty-four hours, and weeks more or fewer than seven days. If you make a five-day trip across the Atlantic Ocean ,your ship enters a different time zone every day. As you enter each zone, the time changes one hour. Travelling west ,you set your clock back; traveling east , you set it ahead. Each day of your trip has either twenty-five or twenty-three hours. If you travel by ship across the Pacific , you cross the international date line. By agreement, this is the point where a new day begins, when you cross the line, you change your calendar one full time day, backward or forward. Travelling east, today becomes yesterday; traveling west, it is tomorrow. The international date line is the name for _ . A. the beginning of any new time zone B. the point where a new day ends C. the point where a new day begins D. any time zone in the Pacific Ocean Answer: C. the point where a new day begins Let me tell you my pen friend Ivan. He is 12 years old. He likes playing football. He usually plays football with his friends at weekends. Ivan lives with his father and mother in a city in France. They have a home with five rooms, a swimming pool and a garden. They often have a party in the garden at weekends. They like to help their neighbours. His home is not near his school, so Ivan takes a bus for an hour and then walks for 10 minutes to school. There is a Basketball Club near his school. He likes playing basketball in the club. Ivan's father is a worker. He is busy. Ivan's mother is a doctor. She is nice to the patients. Ivan wants to be a teacher when he grows up. I want to be a teacher, too. Every month Ivan writes two letters to me. He'll come to China next year. We'll meet then. Where does Ivan live with his parents? A. America B. China C. France D. Japan Answer: C. France Sensing phantom phone vibrations is a strangely common experience. Around 80% of us have imagined a phone vibrating in our pockets when it's actually completely still. Almost 30% of us have also heard non-existent ringing. Are these signs of madness caused by digital culture? Not at all. In fact, phantom vibrations and ringing indicate a fundamental principle in psychology. Psychologists use a concept called Signal Detection Theory to guide their thinking about the problem of perceptual judgments. Working through the example of phone vibrations, we can see how this theory explains why they are a common and unavoidable part of healthy mental function. When your phone is in your pocket, the world is in one of two possible states: the phone is either ringing or not. You also have two possible states of mind: the judgment that the phone is ringing, or the judgment that it isn't. Obviously you'd like to match these states in the correct way. True vibrations should go with "it's ringing", and no vibrations should go with "it's not ringing". Signal detection theory calls these faithful matches a "hit" and a "correct rejection" But there are two other possible combinations: you could mismatch true vibrations with "it's not ringing" (a "miss"); or mismatch the absence of vibrations with "it's ringing" (a "false alarm"). This second kind of mismatch is what's going on when you imagine a phantom phone vibration. What does that mean in terms of your phone? We can assume that people like to notice when their phone is ringing, and that most people hate missing a call. This means their perceptual systems have adjusted their bias to a level that makes misses unlikely. The unavoidable cost is a raised likelihood of false alarms of phantom phone vibrations. The trade-off between false alarms and misses also explains why we all have to put up with fire alarms going off when there isn't a fire. It isn't that the alarms are badly designed, but rather that they are very sensible to smoke and heat and biased to avoid missing a real fire at all costs. The outcome is a rise in the number of false alarms. These are inconvenient, but nowhere near as inconvenient as burning to death in your bed or office. The alarms are designed to err on the side of caution. When we judge correctly that "it's not ringing", this is called a "_". A. hit B. miss C. false alarm D. correct rejection Answer: D. correct rejection Although they are an inexpensive supplier of vitamins,minerals,and high--quality protein,eggs also contain a high level of blood cholesterol ,one of the major causes of heart disease.One egg yolk,in fact,contains a little more than two--thirds of the suggested daily cholesterol limit. This knowledge has caused egg sales to drop in recent years,which in turn has brought about the development of several alternatives to eating regular eggs.One alternative is to eat substitute eggs. These egg substitutes are not real eggs, but they look somewhat like eggs when they are cooked.They have the advantage of having lower cholesterol rates,and they can be scrambled or used in baking.One disadvantage, however,is that they are not good for frying,poaching,or boiling.A second alternative to regular eggs is a new type of eggs,sometimes called"designer''eggs.These eggs are produced by hens that are fed low-fat diets consisting of ingredients such as canola oil,flax,and rice bran.In spite of their diets,however,these hens produce eggs that contain the same amount of cholesterol as regular eggs.Yet,producers of these eggs claim that eating their eggs will not raise the blood cholesterol in humans. Egg producers claim that their product has been described unfairly.They use scientific studies to back up their claim.And in tact studies on the relationship between eggs and human cholesterol levels have brought mixed results.It may be that it is not the type of egg that is the main determinant of cholesterol but the person who is eating the eggs.Some people may be more sensitive to cholesterol from food than other people.In fact,there is evidence that certain dietary fats stimulate the body's production of blood cholesterol.Consequently,while it still makes sense to limit one's intake of eggs,even designer eggs,it seems that doing this without regulating dietary fat will probably not help reduce the blood cholesterol level. What's the main purpose of this passage? A. To advertise for substitute eggs. B. To warn people of the danger of heart disease by eating eggs. C. To inform people of the relationship between eggs and cholesterol. D. To tell people that fat intake is more dangerous than egg intake. Answer: C. To inform people of the relationship between eggs and cholesterol. For a long time people have believed that high self-esteem is the key to success. However, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases, having high self-esteem can bring bad results if it makes you less likeable or more upset when you fail at something. "Forget about self-esteem," says one of the psychologists involved in the new research. "It's not the most important thing." This idea may sound a bit strange to you because studies also show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be anxious, shy, or lonely than those with low self-esteem. In short, to feel good does you good. But, after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self-esteem, Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University, has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person. He believes that violent and evil people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said, "There's no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school." All types of people have problems. "People with high self-esteem can have big egos that can make them less likeable to their peers," said Kathleen Vohs, a psychology professor at Columbia University. "People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves," Vohs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help. Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail at something, try to learn from the experience. The best therapy , as they suggest, is to recognize your faults, accept yourself, understand your weaknesses and then do something about them. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? A. People used to think that high self-esteem led to success. B. According to the psychologists in the passage, high self-esteem is more negative than positive. C. People with low self-esteem are less likely to depend on their friends. D. People with high self-esteem tend to be prouder. Answer: C. People with low self-esteem are less likely to depend on their friends.
Question: When two English people meet,their first words will be"How do you do?"or"How are you?"After the reply"How do you do?"or"Fine,thank you.How are you?"they often talk about the weather.The reason for this is not simply that their weather is interesting and changeable but that the English people don't like talking about personal matters with people who are not friends.Talking about the weather can be a useful way of starting a conversation with a stranger in public. Why do the English people often talk about the weather? A. Because the weather is interesting. B. Because they don't like talking about personal matters with strangers. C. Because the weather is changeable. D. All of the above. Answer: D. All of the above. Question: The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It's said that it's the day that store ledgers move into the black and companies become profitable. On that day, retailers slash prices to get consumers to buy. It is also a time when many Americans start their Christmas shopping. VOA's Elizabeth Lee tells us how the economy may affect consumers on that bargain day. This day should be a shopper's dream. "It's just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser price," said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it's a nightmare for others. "I think it's crazy. I've done all of my shopping throughout the week so I don't have to go out on Friday," she said. It's called Black Friday, the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Every year it's the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stores open before sunrise and there are deep discounts everywhere you look. Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. "This is a huge time for the retail stores," said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. "This is when they begin making their profits for the year." Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future. With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed. Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning. And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says it's an annual family tradition and well worth it. "I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip," she said. Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully. We can find this passage in _ . A. a science fiction B. a travel brochure C. an economic research report D. a book on psychology Answer: C. an economic research report Question: In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide acts rather like a one-way mirror or the glass in the roof of a greenhouse which allows the sun's rays to enter but prevents the heat from escaping According to a weather expert's prediction , the atmosphere will be 3degC warmer in the year 2050 than it is today, if man continues to burn fuels at the present rate.If this warming up took place.the ice caps in the poles would begin to inch,thus raising sea level several meters and severely flooding coastal cities.Also.the increase in atmospheric temperature would lead to great changes in the climate of the northern hemisphere ,possibly resulting in an alteration of the earth's chief food growing zones. In the past,concern about a man-made warming of the earth has concentrated on the Arctic because the Antarctic is much colder and has a much thicker ice sheet.But the weather experts are now paying more attention to West Antarctic.which may be affected by only a few degrees of warming,in other words,by a warming on the scale that will possibly take place in the next fifty years from the burning of fuels. Satellite pictures show that large areas of Antarctic ice are already disappearing.The evidence available suggests that a warming has taken place.This fits the theory that carbon dioxide warms the earth. However, most of the fuel is burnt in the northern hemisphere,where temperatures seem to be falling.Scientists conclude,therefore ,that up to now natural influences on the weather have gone beyond those caused by man.The question is:Which natural cause has most effect on the weather? One possibility is the variable behavior of the sun.Astronomers at one research station have studied the hot spots and 'cold' spots (that is, the ly less hot spots)on the sun.As the sun rotates ,every 27.5 days,it presents hotter or colder faces to the earth,and different aspects to different parts of the earth.This seems to have a considerable effect on the distribution of the earth atmospheric pressure,and consequently on wind circulation.The sun is also changeable over a long term:its heat output goes up and down in cycles,the latest trend being downward. ' Scientists are now finding shared relations between models of solar weather interactions and the actual climate over many thousands of years,including the last ice Age.The problem is that the models are predicting that the world should be entering a new Ice Age and it is not.One way of solving this theoretical difficulty is to assume a delay of thousands of years while the solar effects overcome the inertia of the earth's climate.If this is right, the warming effect of carbon dioxide might thus be serving as a useful opposed balance to the sun's fading heat. The article was written to explain_. A. the green house effect B. the solar effects on the earth C. the causes affecting weather D. the models of solar weather interactions Answer: C. the causes affecting weather Question: Eric and Doris King Turner are packing their bags for New Zealand.They're busy deciding what to pack and what to leave behind in Britain and are making plans to make their new home in Nelson.Doris is looking forward to getting the garden into shape and Eric has his heart set on a spot of fly fishing.The difference is that Eric is 102 , Doris is 87.Eric thinks he's Britain's oldest _ . In January next year Eric King Turner and his wife will wave goodbye to their neighbors,and set sail from Southampton on the voyage of a lifetime.The ocean liner Saga Rose will take six weeks to get to Auckland and the couple are expecting a redcarpet welcome from family. Doris was born in New Zealand but gave up her homeland when the couple met and married in the 90s.But New Zealand is close to both their hearts and the attraction of family and friends,and the good fishing helped to persuade them to move. Doris,who has five children and nine grandchildren,supported her husband's application to settle in New Zealand . The paperwork took five months.Says Eric,"We not only had to produce a marriage certificate but we had to produce evidence that we were in a long and firm relationship!" Eric says he was not asked about his age but had to show that he could support himself financially in New Zealand. "I like New Zealand.The way of life is very much the same as it is here but it is not so crowded . " His wife has always been "a little bit homesick" but has never complained.Now the couple are in the middle of the task of sorting out possessions and selling their flat . What makes the couple's move to New Zealand special? A. Their age. B. The red carpet. C. The ocean liner Saga Rose. D. Their marriage certificate. Answer: A. Their age. Question: These days, more and more people begin to look after their health by exercising. What sport should we do then? * Ping-pong Wang Bing opened up a ping-pong room. He was very surprised that there were so many people coming on the first day of the new year. He added five more tables, but it still couldn't meet the need. "I am pleased to see so many people like playing ping-pong. It's a very good sport for health, " said Wang Bing. * Basketball Xia Wen works in a bookstore. He often goes to play basketball in the middle school near the bookstore. "Although the students are having their summer holidays, to my surprise, the playground is crowded with people," said Xia Wen. Of course, there are some other sports that people can do to keep healthy. But it's certain that people who often exercise can work better. If people want to do their work better, they should _ . A. play ping-pong often B. play basketball often C. have holidays often D. do exercise often Answer: D. do exercise often
There is much discussion today about whether economic growth is desirable ,At an earlier period our desire for material wealth may have been justified .Now , however ,this desire for more than we need is causing serious problems .Even though we have good intentions ,we may be producing too much ,too fast . w.w.w.k.s.5.u.c.o.m Those who criticize economic growth argue that we must slow down .They believe that society is approaching certain limits on growth ,These include the fixed supply of natural resources ,the possible negative effects of industry on the natural environment ,and the continuing increase in the world's population ,As society reaches these limits ,economic growth can no longer continue ,and the quality of life will decrease . People who want more economic growth ,on the other hand ,argue that even at the present growth rate there are still many poor people in the world ,These _ of economic growth believe that only more growth can create the capital needed to improve the quality of life in the world ,Furthermore ,they argue that only continued growth can provide the financial resources required to protect our natural surroundings from industrialization . This debate over the desirability of continued economic growth is of vital importance to business and industry ,If those who argue against economic growth are correct ,the problem they mention cannot be ignored ,To find a solution ,economists and the business community must pay attention to these problems and continue discussing them with one another . We may infer from the passage that _ A. the author describes the case as it is B. the author is for the economic growth C. the author is against continued economic growth D. the author is very much worried about the problems caused by continued economic growth Answer: A. the author describes the case as it is So you have been called for an interview---well done?Your effort has been paid off? You will feeI better at the interview if you show an understanding of the nature of the organization. Ask someone who already does it,or check it with one of the advisers. Ask a member of your family or a friend to act as the employer and to give you an unreal interview.Be as realistic as possible,answer the questions seriously.Afterwards discuss how it went.Think about how the employer would prefer to see your look.Remember---the majority of employers are over 30. It is not wise to rush out and buy new clothes.which will be worn for the first time at the interview.You'll feel more at ease in a familiar dress. Carelessness in any of these could cost you the job.Arrive at least 15 minutes before time,this will give you a chance to have a look around,read the notice board and get the feel of the place.Being late at the interview produces a bad impression.The first impression that the interviewer gets of you is formed as you walk through the door,so take a couple of deep breaths. Be ready to shake hands if the interviewer offers. Don't take a seat until asked.Then sit comfortably. Make eye contact when you are greeted and again if you shake hands.And during questioning,eye contact is a form of non-verbal greeting. Remember the interviewer's name and use it from time to time. Be ready for the question "Is there anything you want to ask?" Before the interview you should get ready for two or three such questions.Look on these not just as a chance to get information but as a means to give your employer a better impression.Asking can show knowledge but avoid asking about holidays,pensions and so on.It looks as if you are tired even before you begin.You can check on these later,when the hope for job is offered. And if you fail, look upon the interview as an experience in itself.Learn from it.We wish you good luck and good job hunting. What does the phrase"eye contact"means? A. A kind of greeting without words. B. Shaking hands with the interviewer. C. Looking at each other for a long time. D. A way of getting a desirable job. Answer: A. A kind of greeting without words. Today is fine.The sky is blue.Now it'snine o'clock in the morning.There's a sports meeting in the forest on the big mountain. Look,a horse,a panda and a cat are running.Over there a dog and two tigers are jumping.Two monkeys are climbing the trees.Four birds are flying around and singing. There's some other animals there, too.The elephants are standing.A monkey in sitting on an old elephant.The monkey has a flay in his hand.polly is sitting in the tree.A fox, ababy panda and some small animals are sitting under the tree.They are all watching. Which animal are climbing the trees? A. The monkeys B. The panadasand the foxes C. The elephants and the cats D. The hens. Answer: A. The monkeys Long, long ago there was a very foolish thief. Do you know what he did one day? When he wanted to steal the bell on his neighbor's door, he walked up to the door, took hold of the bell and pulled hard. The bell made a very loud noise. The thief was afraid and went home. Then he sat down to think, "I must do something about the noise," he said. He thought and thought. At last he had an idea. "Ah, I'll put some cotton in my ears. Then I won't be able to hear the noise." The next day he went to the door of his neighbor, and took hold of the bell. This time he pulled even harder. The bell rang loudly, but the thief did not hear anything. With another hard pull he got the bell out. Just then the neighbor came running out. "Steal my bell? I'll teach you a lesson ,"the angry man shouted. And he hit the thief on the nose. The foolish thief did not know how the neighbor found out he was stealing the bell. "Why did he come out just then?" he wondered . The thief was trying to get _ . A. his neighbor B. his neighbor's doorbell C. some cotton D. a door with a bell on it Answer: B. his neighbor's doorbell Over thirty thousand years ago,people from northern Asia went to America.Today, we call these people Indians . The Indians went to America because the weather began to change.Northern Asia became very cold. Everything froze. They had to move or die. How did the first Indians go to America? They walked! Later Columbus found the New World in 1492.At first,only a few Europeans followed .They travelled to America in boats. For the next three hundred years, about 500,000 people went there. Then the number grew very quickly. From 1815 to 1915,over thirty-two million Europeans left their countries and went to the United States. The biggest groups were from Germany and Italy .These Europeans spoke many different languages.Most of them took almost no money.They went to America so that they could find a better life. _ went to America first. A. People from northern Asia B. People from Europe C. People from Germany D. Columbus Answer: A. People from northern Asia
Solar energy for your home is coming. It can help you as a single home owner. It can help the whole country as well. Whether or not solar energy can save your money depends on many things. Where you live is one factor and the type of home you have is another. Things like insulation , present energy costs, and the type of system you buy are added factors. Using solar energy can help save our precious fuel. As you know, our supplies of oil and gas are very limited. There is just not enough on hand to meet all our future energy needs. Sooner or later Mother Nature will say that's all. The only way we can delay hearing those words is by starting to save energy now and by using other sources, like the sun. We won't have to worry about the sun's running out of energy for another several billion years or so. Besides, the sun doesn't offer as many problems as other energy sources. For example, fossil fuel adds to already high pollution levels. With solar energy, we will still need sources of energy, but we won't need as much. That means we can cut down on our pollution problems. With all these good points, why don't we use more solar power? There are many reasons for this. The biggest reason is money. Until now, it was just not practical for a home owner to put in a solar unit. There were cheaper sources of energy. All that is changing now. Solar costs are starting to equal the costs of oil and electricity. Experts say that gas, oil and electricity prices will continue to rise. The demand for electricity is increasing rapidly. But new power plants will use more gas, oil or coal. Already in some places the supply of electricity is being rationed . Solar energy is now in its infancy . It could soon grow to become a major part of our nation's energy supply. Solar energy is now in its infancy, _ . A but in the future it will become an important part of our nation's energy supply B so we will build more power plants C and the supply of electricity will be rationed throughout the country D so we don't need it Answer: A Lucky is the man who has no "skeleton in his closet." When a man has done something in his life that he is ashamed of, that he wants to hide, he is said to have a "skeleton in his closet." Some people may have more than one skeleton. As we have noted many times, it is hard to find out how these expressions begin. Sometimes, we get some hard facts. But more often we have to depend on guesswork. And that is true of this phrase, which came from England. Before 1832, English law did not permit a doctor to cut open a dead human body for scientific examination, unless it was the corpse of an executed criminal. But when it became legal, more and more doctors demanded skeletons for a more scientific study of medicine. It was helping in the advance of modern medicine. The demand had become so strong that men began to rob tombs and sell skeletons to doctors at high prices. We are told that a doctor would usually buy just one skeleton for scientific study. It became very important in his work. But he had to keep it hidden because most people objected to keeping such a thing. As a rule, the doctor keep his skeleton in some dark corner where it could not be seen, or hide it in a closet. After a time, people began to suspect every doctor of hiding a skeleton in the closet. From this suspicion, the phrase"a skeleton in the closet"took on a broader, more general meaning: to describe anything that a man wanted to keep others from discovering. It could be proof of a criminal act, or something much less serious. Well, that is one theory. One writer, however, believes that the phrase might have come from something that really happened. It is his guess that a hidden closet in some old English country home may have turned up a real skeleton, clear proof of some old family shame or crime. Well, one man's guess is as good as another. But this sounds like a story by the great French novelist, Balzac. Balzac tells us of a man who suspected his wife of having a lover. The husband comes home by surprise. But she hears him and quickly hides her lover in the closet of her bedroom. He enters her room and asks her if she is hiding her lover. He says he will not open the door to the closet if she promises him there is no one there; He will believe her. She answers firmly that she is not hiding anyone in the closet. The husband then begins to build a solid brick wall against the closet. His wife watches, knowing that her lover will never come out alive. But she will not change her story and admit her guilt. Which of the following is right according to the text? A In the 19th century, doctors realized the importance of anatomy in the development of medicine. B The doctors of the ancient times liked to collect as many skeletons as possible C The thieves stole skeletons from tombs in order to help the doctors. D It is legal that corpses of anybody are cut open for scientific examination in history. Answer: A In today's world, so many people like traveling around the world. Traveling abroad can be expensive, but there are some ways of visiting Britain cheaply. So we hope we can give you some good ideas. If you don't go there in the busy months--July and August, your visit may be cheaper. There will be fewer visitors. The weather in Britain can be pleasant from April to the end of September. Of course you can go there in winter, but it is often dark by 4 pm. Many places, such as large houses and castles are closed in winter. However, if you are interested in museums, art galleries or theaters, winter may be the good time to visit. If you are a student, it is a good idea to apply for an International Student Identify Card. With the card, you can save a lot of money. You can get the card from your local student travel office, and you can also call (44)08708 413224 to get it. To get the card, you need to show that you are a student, get a passport photo, and pay for a little money. A student without an International Student Identify Card may _ . A get a little money. B watch TV at home. C spend more money. D save a lot of money. Answer: C Dolphins are our friends. They can use tools to solve problems although they don't have hands. For example, scientists have ever found that a dolphin can make a shy eel come out of its hole with a dead fish. Dolphins use different sounds to exchange information with each other. Scientists in Hawaii have developed a sign language to give instructions to dolphins, and the results are amazing. They find that dolphins not only understand the meaning of individual words, but also understand the importance of word order in a sentence. Most animals enjoy playing -- but dolphins seem to like making their games as challenging as possible. On a beautiful day in 1997, scientists at a beach watched a little dog going into the sea and swimming towards the dolphins. To their surprise, the dolphins came up to the dog and then started throwing it into the air. The dog seemed to enjoy the "game" and continued playing with the dolphins for more than an hour. Dolphins live in a very different world from ours, but they are very good at our "IQ tests" . For example, they will jump out of the water when they hear a whistle noise. They do this because they will get a fish as a prize. There is still much to learn about these cute problem-solvers, but it is certain that watching a dolphin show is fun. ,. (5) Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A Dolphins understand many languages. B Dolphins are a kind of clever animals. C Scientists have known dolphins well enough. D Dolphins seem to make their games relaxing. Answer: B Mrs. Green is going to give a birthday party for Mary. Mary is her daughter. She is going to be ten years old. A lot of friends of Mary's are going to come to the party. There are twenty girls of them. Mrs. Green is getting ready for the party. Mrs. White is helping her. "That's a big nice cake," Mrs. White says to Mrs. Green. "Thank you very much." Mrs. Green is going shopping now. She is going to buy fruit for the party. She buys lots of pears, apples, oranges and bananas. Then she goes home. It's five o'clock in the afternoon. Everything is ready. Now the first girl is arriving. The party is going to begin in thirty minutes. When will the party start? A At six o'clock B In thirty minutes C At five o'clock in the afternoon D At half past five in the afternoon Answer: D
Some children wish to be writers when they grow up. They mean that they want to write stories or books. They would be happy if many people read their stories or books some day. But I would like to tell these children that they will need to be good readers and read a lot before they become good writers. Nearly all great writers listened to others tell stories long before they started school. They also kept on reading for hours and hours for years. Even when they have become writers, they spend much of their time reading books instead of watching TV in the evening. If you are a good reader, it won't take you long to do the reading homework your teacher ask you to do. Then you will have time to read other books for fun. You read so well that you always want to look for more books to read. If you want to be a writer, reading is very important. When you decide to become a writer, you had better tell yourself, "I must read more and more if I really want to become a good writer." If you are good at reading, _ . Answer: your reading homework will be easier for you When I was a child, my parents often took me to an old house in a thick forest. No other children ever stayed there. I didn't even have the choice of playing with a brother or sister. I could never understand what the attraction of the house was, even for my parents, who enjoyed nothing better than to sit in silence with a good book. The woman in the house, my father's distant cousin, was a terrible cook and her food was _ . One day, when I was wandering around the garden behind the house, I noticed a wooden house which had clearly been abandoned . As I walked towards it, I heard a noise, like an animal moving hurriedly away. Then I saw a man with a long beard standing at the door. I was greatly surprised. "Please don't tell them you saw me," he said. "They never use this place, and I have nowhere else to live." "Don't worry," I said. "I won't tell anyone. But are you all right out here? I mean--do you have enough to eat?" The old man shook his head. The same evening, I took a small plastic bag into the dining room and, while no one was looking, emptied some of the food into it. Later, I got out of the back door secretly and gave the food to the old man, whose name I had discovered was Taff. I had never seen anything else as lovely as the smile of satisfaction on Taff's face when he ate the food. From then on, my visits to the old house had a purpose, and I enjoyed every minute of the rest of my stay. What can we know about the old man from the passage? Answer: He was poor and hungry. With the possible exception of equal rights, perhaps the most heated argument across the United States today is the death penalty . Many argue that it is an effective deterrent to murder , while others think there is no enough proof that the death penalty reduces the number of murders. The argument advanced by those who are against the death penalty is that it is cruel and inhuman punishment, that it is a mark of a bad society and finally that it is of questionable effectiveness as a deterrent to crime anyway. In our opinion, the death penalty is a necessary action. Throughout recorded history there have always been those peculiar persons in every society who made terrible crimes such as murder. But some are more dangerous than others. For example, it is one thing to take the life of another in time of blind anger, but quite another to coldly plan and carry out the murder of one or more people in the style of a butcher. Thus, murder, like all other crimes, is a matter of different degree. While it could be argued with some reason that the criminal in the first instance should be merely kept from society, such should not be the fate of the latter type murderer. The value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime may be open to discussion. But the majority of people believe that the death penalty protects them. Their belief is proved by the fact that the death penalty prevents murder. For example, from 1954 to 1963, when the death penalty was carried out from time to time in California, the murder rate remained between three and four murders for each 100, 000 population. Since 1964 the death penalty has been done only once, and the murder rate has risen to10.4 murders for each 100, 000 population. The sharp climb in the state's murder rate, which began when killings stopped, does not happen by chance. It certainly shows that the death penalty does stop many murderers. If the law about death penalty is vetoed , some people will be murdered----some whose lives may have been saved if the death penalty were in effect. This is really a life or death matter. The lives of thousands of people must be protected. It can be inferred that the writer thinks that _ . Answer: the second type of murderers (in Paragraph 2) should be sentenced to death Kunming is the capital of Yunnan. It's a city with a long history. Kunming has a population of more than 5,000,000. Though the weather in Yunnan changes from place to place, Kunming is famous for her beautiful weather. It's neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter. That's why more and more people like to travel and even to live there. You can see that great changes have taken place here. A lot of tall buildings, cinemas and hospitals have been put up. You can cross the streets over footbridges in the city. You can buy whatever you want in shops and supermarkets in or around the city. People's lives are becoming better and better. At weekend or on holiday, people like to relax themselves in different places and in different ways. In winter, people especially old people would like to climb the Western Hills. From the top of Hills, you can have a good look at the beautiful scenery of Kunming. Far away from the Hills, you can enjoy the Sleeping Beauty among the Hills. After supper, families take a walk along the bank of Dianchi Lake. The Golden Temple and EXPO Garden are two famous places of interest in the north of the city. EXPO Garden is known to people both at home and abroad. You can spend a whole day visiting the world-famous garden. A little farther away from the southeast of the city, a special forest welcomes you. It is not a tree forest, but a stone forest. So it is called the Stone Forest. People in Kunming are really friendly. They often invite their friends home to try delicious food, like rice or noodles. If you want to know more about Kunming and taste her food, please visit her yourself. The Sleeping Beauty is the name of a _ . Answer: hill Growing your own fruit and vegetables is one of the best things in the world. It is very good for your health and also brings happiness to you. To be a successful fruit-and-vegetable grower, check out these tips: A family affair Get all family members to take part in growing. Children will learn where food comes from, and they may like to have their own little field. Size doesn't matter You can work in any place you like, not just in a common vegetable garden. Grow fruit and vegetables in a window box, or use your flowerbed to grow vegetables and beautiful flowers together. *The natural way If you want to grow foods organically, you can't use sprays that would harm children, pets and wildlife. You should work with nature rather than against it. Growing your own food doesn't take up too much time and costs little. A few seeds and some basic tools will be OK. Second-hand tools can often be both cheap and good to use. The author thinks growing food is _ . Answer: easy and interesting
Jeremy Shu-How Lin, who was born in California, 1988, world-famous now,is the first Chinese-American professional basketball player with the New York Knicks of NBA. It hasn't been an easy road for Lin. After high school, Lin sent his resume and a DVD of highlights to all the Ivy League schools, and his dream schools Stanford and UCLA. Harvard and Brown were the only schools that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball teams, but Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. After graduating from Harvard University, Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft . Lin spent his first season with his hometown the Golden State Warriors. He saw limited minutes with the Warriors, but was cheered in arenas around the country, particularly in cities with large Asian communities, as fans came out in crowds to cheer their homegrown star. In late 2011, Lin spent less than two weeks with the Houston Rockets, moving to the New York Knicks at the very end of the year. He has made several trips to the NBA's Development League, a minor league for players who show promise but need seasoning before they can compete at the highest level. It appears to have paid off. In February 2012, after keying the Knicks victory over New Jersey, Lin was named the starter for the Utah game, a position he appears to have a hold on in the short term, as Baron Davis, who signed in December to play the position, stays on the disabled list. Lin will likely get stronger the more minutes he plays, and even if Davis returns, spelling the older, recovering player could be productive for Lin: a proven good student who can learn a lot from practicing against a veteran. Without the services of All-Stars Carmelo and Amare, Lin led New York to a 4-0 record last week. He became the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starts, which generated a global following known as Linsanity. The Associated Press called Lin "the most Surprising story in the NBA". According to the passage, which statement istrue? A. Harvard offered Lin an athletic scholarship. B. Harvard and Brown make sure of Lin's position on their basketball teams. C. Stanford and Harvard were Lin's dream schools. D. Lin's DVD impressed all the Ivy League schools greatly. Answer: B. Harvard and Brown make sure of Lin's position on their basketball teams. Liu Xiang, a 21-year-old Chinese athlete, got the gold medal of the fascinating men's 110m hurdles before a crowd of 70,000 at the Olympic Stadium in the 28th Olympics in Athens late Friday local time. He clocked an excellent 12.91 seconds to equal the world record set by Britain's Collin Jackson in 1993. It is the first gold Chinese men's athlete has ever won from the track and field in the Olympics history. China has won over 100 gold medals from the summer Olympic Games since 1984 but its male athletes only got one medal from Olympics' most popular sport, the track and field. The Shanghai native, with his father a truck driver and mother an out-of-work housewife, loved sports when he was very little. Liu was selected to the Junior Sports School of Putuo District of Shanghai to practice jumping as a fourth grader in the primary school. But after a bone test showing that he will not be able to become a tall man, Liu was asked to give up sports one year later, although he had won the national champion at that level. In 1998 when he attracted coach Sun Haiping's attention as a 15-year-old jumper, Sun was a well-known hurdle coach and he believed a star was born at the first sight of Liu. He visited Liu's parents several times and finally persuaded them to let Liu transfer to the 110m hurdles. After only three years, Liu launched his career in style in the IAAF Grand Prix in Lausanne in 2001 by breaking the world youth and Asian record with a time of 13.12. But the first warning he sent to the world was his bronze-winning feat at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, England, last year. In 2004, Liu won the silver in the world indoor championships in Budapest in March. Two months later, he proved the winner in a race against American great Allen Johnson in the IAAF Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, where he clocked a new Asian record and world's season best time of 13.06 seconds. He went on to win two Johnson-absent races in Lille, France, on June 26 and Zagreb, Croatia, three days later. He put up an exciting show at the Golden Gala meet in Rome on July 3, when he and Johnson clocked an identical time of 13.11. Race officials had to examine a photo finish to declare Johnson the winner. Liu did a better job of clearing the hurdles than Johnson, but Johnson's stronger start ended up making the difference. The race boosted Liu's optimism for the Olympics, although Johnson bettered his season best time by 0.01 second in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 6. The world has put the Olympics a Johnson-Liu but surprisingly Johnson crashed out of the Games after falling at the ninth hurdle at round 2. Johnson's early exit paved the way for Liu's win. He finally took the gold medal and put a Chinese man's name on the record book. (chinadaily.com.cn /Xinhua) Updated:2004-08-28 02:57 According to Paragraph One, which of the following is TRUE? A. Liu Xiang is the fastest of the mentioned athletes. B. Liu Xiang has set a new world record in the event of the men's 110m hurdles. C. Both Liu Xiang and Jackson got a gold medal at the Athens Olympics. D. In the Olympics history, Liu Xiang is the fastest in this event. Answer: D. In the Olympics history, Liu Xiang is the fastest in this event. Nancy and Sheila are in the same class. They are friends. Nancy wants to invite Sheila to dinner on Sunday. But Sheila doesn't know the way. Now Nancy is telling her. "It's easy. You can take No. 4 bus. After you get off at Red Road. cross it and take the first turning on the left. Walk along the road for about five minutes. and then you'll see a big tree. Go straight on for about a hundred meters. and you will see a big red house. This is not my home. Go past the big house about four hundred meters. and you'll see a small yellow house beside a little tree. Then you can open the door with your foot." "With my foot?" asks Sheila. "Why?" "Well. you won't come to my house empty-handed , will you?" answers Nancy. Where is Nancy's house? A. It's beside a big red house. B. It's beside a little tree. C. It's on the right side of Red Road. D. It's behind a small yellow house. Answer: B. It's beside a little tree. Donna Ashlock, a 14-year-old girl from California, was very sick. She had a bad heart. "Donna needs a new heart," her doctor said, "she must have a new heart, or she will die soon." Felipe Carza, 15, was worried about Donna. Felipe was Donna's friend. He liked Donna very much. He liked her freckles, and he liked her smile. Felipe didn't want Donna to die. Felipe talked to his mother about Donna. "I am going to die," Felipe told his mother, "and I am going to give my heat to Donna." Felipe's mother didn't pay much attention to Felipe. "Felipe is just kidding," she thought, "Felipe is not going to die. He's strong and healthy." But Felipe was not healthy. He had terrible headaches sometimes. "my head hurts," he often told his friends. Felipe never told his parents about his headaches. One morning Felipe woke up with a sharp pain in his head. He was dizzy , and he couldn't breathe. His parents rushed Felipe to the hospital. Doctors at the hospital had terrible news for them. "Felipe' s brain is dead," the doctors said, "we can't save him." The parents were very sad. But they remembered Felipe's words. "Felipe wanted to give his heart to Donna," they told the doctors. The doctors did several tests. Then they told the parents, "we can give Felipe's heart to Donna." The doctors took out Felipe's heart and rushed the heart to Donna. Other doctors took out Donna's heart and put Felipe's heart in her chest. In a short time the heart began to beat. The operation was a success. Felipe's heart was beating in Donna's chest, but Donna didn't know it. Her parents and doctors didn't tell her. They waited until she was stronger; then they told her about Felipe. "I feel very sad," Donna said, "but I am thankful to Felipe." Three months later the operation Donna went back to school. She has to have regular checkups, and she has to take medicine every day. But she is living a normal life. Felipe's brother John says, "Every time we see Donna, we think of Felipe. She has Felipe's heart in her. That gives us great peace." Which of the following may probably be the best title for the passage? A. The Gift B. The Operation C. The Peace D. The Illness Answer: C. The Peace In today's world, so many people like traveling around the world. Traveling abroad can be expensive, but there are some ways of visiting Britain cheaply. So we hope we can give you some good ideas. If you don't go there in the busy months--July and August, your visit may be cheaper. There will be fewer visitors. The weather in Britain can be pleasant from April to the end of September. Of course you can go there in winter, but it is often dark by 4 pm. Many places, such as large houses and castles are closed in winter. However, if you are interested in museums, art galleries or theaters, winter may be the good time to visit. If you are a student, it is a good idea to apply for an International Student Identify Card. With the card, you can save a lot of money. You can get the card from your local student travel office, and you can also call (44)08708 413224 to get it. To get the card, you need to show that you are a student, get a passport photo, and pay for a little money. Which of the following is not true? A. There are many visitors in July in Britain. B. Days are very long in winter in Britain. C. Many museums are not closed in winter. D. Only student can get the International Student Identify Card. Answer: B. Days are very long in winter in Britain.
In England, we look forward to our birthdays for 364 days a year! We invite special people to celebrate it with us. The Presents Presents are opened as soon as the children are awake. They can't wait for the birthday cake later in the day! The Cards Friends and family send birthday cards. Sending birthday cards is a custom that began in England about 100 years ago. The Party The birthday child will have a party to which friends and family are invited. Visitors to the party bring presents for the birthday child. The children play games such as musical chairs and pass the parcel . The Cake The birthday cake is decorated on a theme . A candle for each year is lit and placed on top and the child blows out the candles making a wish. We don't put objects inside the cake as stated on many websites. The Bumps It used to be traditional for the birthday child to have the bumps. Friends would hold the child by the legs and under the arms and lift the child up and down bumping them gently on the ground. The number of bumps given is the age of the child plus one for extra good luck. As this can be dangerous, clapping is often done instead. The Sweets Some children do take sweets to school to share with their classmates on their birthdays. Which of the following facts about birthdays in England is NOT true? A All the children will receive birthday cards on their birthdays. B Clapping is often done for the birthday child. C Objects meaning good luck are usually placed inside the birthday cake. D Nowadays children may share sweets with their classmates on their birthdays. Answer: C This Mother's Day will be the 8thyear I have spent without my own mother. She _ less than a month before Mother's Day in the year 2000. She had been ill for almost two years, and I didn't cry when she died, or at her funeral, but on that first Mother's Day without her. On that day, I realized that this person I loved and depended on was gone forever. She still lives in family memories, in the thoughts of her friends and co-workers, in the values she had instilled in her children, and in the lovely flower gardens that she had so carefully tended. She loved her gladioli and irises. Each fall she would dig the bulbs out of the soil and carefully wrap them in paper. The bulbs would be stored until the following spring when they would be replanted. It seemed like a lot of effort to me, but each year her flower garden was more glorious than the year before. She put the same hard work into caring for her family, instilling in her children a sense of justice and fair play, compassion, and strong moral values so that we blossomed. Share anecdotes about your mother's life at your Mother's Day party. Too often, we avoid speaking of those loved ones who have passed away, fearful that we will unearth sad feelings. It doesn't have to be that way. Sharing fond memories and stories of the life we shared with her can be a healing process that binds the family together. My mother passed away when her oldest grandchild was only eight years old. Children will enjoy sharing pictures and stories of the grandmother they may have never known or have little memory of. Sharing anecdotes to pass on to the next generation will give children a feeling of family history and continuity, and may be one of the best ways to honor our mothers and grandmothers who have gone before us. On the first Mother's Day after mum died the author realized _ . A mum had been dead for a long time B mum had suffered a lot from the illness C it was true that mum had been dead D it was impossible to depend on mum Answer: C Violent winds swept the ocean, and waves thundered to shore, shaking the lookout tower at Pea Island Rescue Station. Surfman Theodore Meekins was on watch that evening of 11 October 1896. A hurricane had struck the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and the tide was so strong that beach patrols had been canceled. Still, Meekins paid close attention to the horizon. This was the type of weather that could blow ships hundreds of miles off course. Offshore, the ship E.S. Newman was caught in the storm. The captain, whose wife and child were on the ship, feared the Newman would soon break up. He made the decision to beach his ship, then fired a signal, praying that someone onshore would see it. Meekins, whose eyes were trained to cut through rain and surf mists, thought he saw the signal, but so much spray covered the lookout windows that he could hardly make sure. Still, he took no chances. After summoning the station keeper, Captain Richard Etheridge, Meekins set off a coston signal, a signal made by using lamps of different colors. Together, the two men searched the darkness for a reply. A few moments later, they saw a flash of light to the south and knew a shop was in distress . Even before the return signal burned out, Etheridge had summoned his men and begun rescue operations. For the lifesavers, the rescue of the Newman was nothing unusual. Over the years, so many ships had off the Outer Banks that sailors called the region the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Noting the dangerous surf and wind conditions, Captain Etheridge quickly decided the surf boats would be impossible to control. Instead, he decided to use another way to help the survivors. The crew set off on the long journey down the beach to the scene of the wreck . Captain Etheridge hoped to fire a line from a gun to the ship's mast . After the ship's crew dragged the line onboard, the surfmen would fire a second line and carry survivors safely to shore. The surfmen crossed three miles of sand to reach the ship Newman. The water was freezing, and the men often sank up to their knees in sand. Captain Etheridge noted in his diary that "the voice of gladdened hearts greeted the arrival of the station crew," but that "it seemed impossible for them to do anything under such circumstances. The work was often stopped by the sweeping current." Even when the rescue equipment proved useless, Etheridge refused to give up. Choosing two of his strongest surfmen, he tied rope lines around their waists and sent them into the water. The two men, holding a line from shore, walked with huge effort as far as they could before diving through the waves. Nearly worn out while swimming against the tide, they finally made it to the shore. The first to be rescued were the captain's wife and child. With the two passengers tied to their backs, the surfmen fought their way back to shore. Taking turns, Etheridge and his crew made ten trips to the Newman, saving every person onboard. It was 1:00 a.m. when the crew and survivors finally made it back to the station. That night, as the exhausted survivors lay sleeping and his lifesaving crew rested, Captain Etheridge picked up his pen, and in the light of an oil lantern, wrote with satisfaction that all the people onboard had been saved and were "sheltered in this station"--words he would remember for many years to come. What was the author's main purpose in writing the passage? A To warn sailors of the dangers of hurricanes. B To create a story describing a rescue at sea. C To inform people about Richard Etheridge. D To record the details about the Newman. Answer: B What would you do if you found a snake in your house? Many people might be afraid or try to kill it. However, if you live in North Carolina in the USA, one thing you can do is to call the Snake Catchers. The Snake Catchers are four men who love snakes, even poisonous ones. Their newspaper advertisement says, "Snake Catchers: free snake removal Please do not kill them -- Call us. " The Snake Catchers, who started their service in 1998, don't charge anything for helping people. "We do this as a hobby," explained Fred Johnson, one of the Snake Catchers. Because of their love of snakes, the Snake Catchers try to keep them alive. "One man asked us to kill a python , so he could make a pair of boots from the skin. We refused, because we like snakes, and we don't want to see them killed, " said Fred. Some of the snakes that they catch are kept as pets; some are given to the North Carolina State University. Most, including the poisonous snakes, are set free in the wild, usually in a national park. Fred suggests that people should treat snakes with care. "Actually snakes are very shy and gentle creatures. They only attack if they are frightened. However, you have to know how to treat a snake properly!" According to one happy family, the Snake Catchers are good. One day, the Greenwood family found a snake skin in the kitchen. They looked very carefully and saw a snake sleeping behind a cupboard. They thought about what to do. Then Steve Greenwood remembered the advertisement for the Snake Catchers. He called them. "The Snake Catchers arrived within an hour and they finished the job quickly too," said Steve Greenwood. "One of them went into the kitchen, found the snake and took it out alive. The Snake Catchers did a very good job." Last year, the Snake Catchers removed more than seventy snakes from houses in North Carolina. According to Fred, _ . A snakes are very dangerous B people should attack snakes C snakes are not usually dangerous D people should run away if they see a snake Answer: C "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" is a popular saying in the United States. Other countries have similar sayings. It is true that all of us need _ We cannot work all the time if we are going to keep good health and enjoy life. Everyone has his own way of relaxing. Perhaps the most popular way is to take part in sports. there are team sports, such as baseball, basketball, and football. There are individual sports, also, such as golf and swimming. In addition hiking, fishing, skiing, and mountain climbing have a great attraction for people who like to be outdoors. Not everyone who enjoys sports events likes to take part in them. Many people prefer to be onlookers, either watching them on television, or listening to them on the radio. When there is an important baseball game or boxing match it is almost impossible to get tickets; everyone wants to attend. Chess, card-playing, and dancing are forms of indoor recreation enjoyed by many people. It doesn't matter whether we play a fast game of ping-pong, concentrate over the bridge table, or go walking through the woods on a brisk autumn afternoon. It is important for every one to relax from time to time and enjoy some form of recreation. according to the passage, perhaps the followings are our ordinary ways of relaxation for common people except _ . A listening to music B playing card C going out for fishing D boxing match Answer: D

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