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Gourmet purchased the front portion of the land needed for a restaurant he desired to build and operate, but the back portion was the subject of a will dispute between Hope and Faith (two sisters). Hope's attorney advised her that her claim was doubtful. Gourmet, knowing only that the unresolved dispute existed, agreed in a signed writing to pay Hope $6,000, payable $1,000 annually, in exchange for a quitclaim deed (a deed containing no warranties) from Hope, who promptly executed such a deed to Gourmet and received Gourmet's first annual payment. Shortly thereafter, the probate court handed down a decision in Faith's favor, ruling that Hope had no interest in the land. This decision has become final. Gourmet subsequently defaulted when his second annual installment came due. In an action against Gourmet for breach of contract, Hope will probably Answer: win, because Gourmet bargained for and received in exchange a quitclaim deed from Hope. Every day I check my e-mail. Most of the time I am simply doing finger exercises, another form of piano practice without the beautiful tones. Sometimes, however, I receive a gift, reminding me of the gifts in my life. The following passage is one of those gifts. Peter Jones is a 92-year-old, small but proud man. Every morning he is fully dressed by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and his face shaved perfectly, even though he is actually blind. He would move to a nursing home today because his wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the entrance hall of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he moved his walker skillfully to the elevator, the nurse provided a visual description of his tiny room, "I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." Said the nurse. "That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged... it's how I arrange my mind. I have already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice: I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. May each of our days continue to be a gift. How did Mr. Jones feel about his room in the nursing home? Answer: Content You may not be aware, but digital currency is a big part of the Internet world. QQ Coins can buy you accessories for your QQ images. More importantly, a new digital currency, Bitcoin, is bringing the world's commerce online. If you're traveling, you can spend Bitcoins at restaurants and hotels listed at BitcoinTravel.com. In China, Bitcoins can be used to buy goods at about 134 online shops on Taobao. And at a cafe named 2nd Place in Beijing, you can even buy fresh coffee with Bitcoins. So what makes Bitcoin so attractive to investors? First of all, the Bitcoin system is not controlled by anyone. One central authority cannot make policies to change the value of Bitcoins. The fixed amount of Bitcoins also means they cannot lose value through inflation , as all forms of paper money have done over time. In addition, accounts in the Bitcoin system are anonymous and transparent. Users can set up an account easily and track every Bitcoin. All of these features seem to make Bitcoins immune from loss, but that is not entirely true. "The value of Bitcoins can vary wildly as no central government makes the price of them steady. If the value drops suddenly, investors cannot get any compensation ," Zhao Qingming, a senior researcher at China Construction Bank, told China Economic Weekly. And Bitcoins, unlike company shares, are not backed by any tangible funds, which also adds to their risk. While China will not recognize the digital currency anytime soon, Xinhua said, lawmakers and officials at a hearing on Nov. 18 in the US made positive comments about Bitcoin. Ben Bernanke, outgoing chairman of the Federal Reserve, told the Washington Post that "these types of creations, such as Bitcoin... may hold long-term promise, particularly if its system promotes a faster, more secure and more efficient payment system." What is the disadvantage of Bitcoin? Answer: the value of it can rise and fall wildly. Wang Xiaojun is twelve years old.He lives in the country in Hubei.Today is his birthday.His parents prepare a nice dinner for him, but the boy says,"I won't have the dinner , today is over, and my parents are going to Shenzhen tomorrow.I don't want to let them go. Wang Xiaojun has the birthday with his parents for the first time in the past three years.Three years ago, his parents went to Shenzhen to work in 2011.They stayed and worked there for three years.Tomorrow they have to go back to Shenahen. Wang is not the only stay-at-home child .In the country of China ,there are many children staying at home without their parents.Stay-at-home children have a lot of problems.Most of them stay with their grandparents.Some of them don't study well because their parents can't help them with their study. The Chinese government now is trying to solve their problems. Wang Xiaojun won't have the birthday dinner because _ . Answer: his parents are going to Shenzhen tomorrow I am a person who does not like to wait.I don' t like lines, being put on hold when making a phone call, arriving at an appointment to find that my companion will be delayed and of course, I don * t like waiting rooms. However, I realize that my agony will not be good for me, as an increasingly, crowded world can only mean one thing--more waiting. Owing to this, I have taken a measure and decided to turn my disappointment to productive ends.In short, I am looking for what I call "waiting in line books". These are books that contain material designed for being read in shortened words, so there is no extended story line to lose track of.Another requirement is that they be small enough to slip neatly into my back pocket. The other day I went to the supermarket.Convinced that the rain would keep most people away, I was surprised to see that the place was crowded with shoppers.Every checkout was open--and jammed! But I could take out my pocket book and go to work. The more the world demands that I wait, the more I learn from my waiting library.Look at these titles: One Hundred Things Every American Should Know; The Poetry of Robert Frost; Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers; Still More Toasts.I have learned interesting and enriching things and much knowledge from these books. On a recent visit to the general store, I placed my order at the counter along with six or seven other people.The one female employee seemed to have her hands full as she rushed about."Just be patient," she said to me. No problem.I quietly opened my dictionary of prose and poetical quotations. Perhaps the other customers regarded me as a bookish, lonely soul.But little did they realize that I was enjoying the company of Shakespeare, Thoreau, Homer and Ben Johnson. According to the passage, the world _ . Answer: is becoming more and more crowded
Mitsuaki recently arrived in the United States to enter university.He wants to do well in his studies and fit the new culture.But Mitsuaki has a problem.It's not his teachers.It's not even his English ability.His problem is that he doesn't have a car.Mitsuaki has already discovered a basic fact of American culture: Driving is a way of life. There are different transportations in America.Many cities have taxis, buses and subways. But most people find it the easiest to drive, even if they do have to deal with heavy traffic. Nowadays busy families often have more than one vehicle.Many people think their car as a status symbol.But no matter what their social status are, people without wheels feel stressed. When Mitsuaki first arrived, he was amazed at how young many American drivers there were.Young people in America often get their driver's license around age 16 by passing a written test and a driving test.Before they can get their license, they have to take a driver education course, For teenagers, being able to drive is important. It's hard to find an American teenager without one. Mitsuaki finally decides that he needs a car. His host family helps him find a good used car to buy. But before he gets his license and starts driving, he has to understand the American style of driving, He also needs to learn some of the basic rules of the road that good drivers follow. Driving to Americans is what flying to birds.It's almost part of their nature.For many Americans, being behind the wheel is like their natural home.But if they don't drive carefully, they can become an endangered animal. How many tests do teenagers have to pass before they get their license? A One B Two C Three D Four Answer: B Joe Brown had a shop where he sold meat.One day a woman came into the shop at five to one."I'm sorry I'm late."she said, "I need some more meat for my dinner tonight."Joe had only one piece of meat in his shop.He took it out of the fridge and said:"This is $ 6.50." "That piece is too small."the woman said, "haven't you got anything bigger?"Joe went into the room behind his shop,took the meat into the fridge,took it out again and closed the door with a lot of noise.Then he brought the piece of meat to the woman and said:"This piece of meat is bigger and more expensive.It's $ 8.75." "Good." the woman said with a smile, "give me both of them, please?" What was Joe Brown? A A bookseller. B A shopkeeper. C A conductor. D A gateman. Answer: B Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6. In Korea the school day is long--typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. _ leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 p.m. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of selfstudy a night. The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cutthroat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different. However, there are some similarities between Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the 1970s, Finland's education system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation. According to the author, the key to improving education is _ . A the attitude B the schooling time C star pupils D new teaching approach Answer: A A Chinese actor's divorce from his wife has social media buzzing, with posts about the subject gaining over five billion views. WangBaoqiang announced online on Sunday that he was divorcing his wife, Ma Rong. He alleged that his marriage broke down after his wife had an affair with his agent, and that she had also transferred the couple's joint assets. The topic has sparked a debate about relationships and divorce, and it seems Wang's predicament has struck a chord with many -- which could explain the number of views, which are high even by Chinese standards. What exactly are they saying? Chinese netizens seem to have rallied around Wang, with topics like #WangDon'tCry# #WangWeSupportYou#, quickly trending after news of the divorce spread. Statistics by Weibo showed that 87% of netizens' posts condemned Ma for her affair, saying it had shattered her family. Some have even published her home address online. "Wang is a hardworking man from a rural area. She cheated an honest man. I hate these kinds of people,"said one commenter on weibo. But why are they so interested? No other celebrity divorce or marriage has ever caused such a big stir on Chinese social media. On the surface, this might seem like just another Chinese celebrity split. But what is it about this one that's got all of China ruffled up? Some people feel that this divorce seems to fit a certain trope -- of a beautiful but ordinary girl marrying a rich but less good-looking man. It is not uncommon to hear the belief that a couple has to "match" at every level -- be it in status, or physical appearance -- for a relationship to work out. "The concept of being evenly matched is still one that is widely believed in China," Dr Mu Zheng, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore told the BBC's Yvette Tan. It's also making people talk about divorce. A lot of social media discussion has also centred around divorce, and in particular how people can protect themselves. Wang has alleged that his wife transferred and hid some of the couple's assets. They're a wealthy couple -- their assets, according to Chinese media, include nine flats, a BMW car and various luxury goods. As a result, people are debating the importance of protecting individual assets, even after marriage. Attitudes towards divorce are fast changing in China, and divorce rates are on the rise. State newspaperGlobal Timessays a total of 3.84 million couples in China divorced in 2015, an increase of 5.6% from 2014."People are getting much more open to the idea of divorce now, especially as Chinese people become more educated and open-minded towards both marriage and divorce," says Dr Mu. What may be the best title for this news? A Why a Chinese celebrity divorce has social media buzzing B Why WangBaoqiang divorces his wife C Chinese people's attitude towards divorce has changed greatly D Chinese divorce rates are on the rise Answer: A People eat different things in different parts of the world. In some countries, people eat rice every day. Sometimes they eat it two or three times a day for breakfast, lunch and supper. They eat rice with meat, fish and vegetables. Some people do not eat some kinds of meat. Muslims ,for example, do not eat pork. Japanese eat lots of fish. They are near the sea. So it is easy for them to get fish. In some western countries such as Britain, Australia and the USA, the most important food is bread and potatoes. People there can cook potatoes in many different ways. Some people eat only fruit and vegetables. They do not eat meat or fish or anything from animals. They only eat food from plants . Some people say that food from plants is better than meat. These people are called _ Which one of the following sentences is true? A People in different countries eat different food. B If you only eat food from animals, you are a vegetarian. C Food from animals is better than food from plants. D People in some western countries can only cook potatoes in one way. Answer: A
An average 30-year-old person who has eaten three meals a day since birth has eaten more than 30,000 meals to date. Even if you've only eaten half that much, you have to admit this: you've let some of that breakfast, lunch or dinner go to waste. And it turns out that we're all to blame for this shaming fact: 30% of all food produced in the world each year is wasted or lost. That's about 1.3 billion tons, according to a new report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. That's the weight of more than 8.6 million full-grown blue whales, the largest creatures on earth. That's the weight of more than 2.3 million Airbus A380s, the largest planes in existence. That's as if each person in China, the world's most populous country with more than 1.3 billion people, had one ton mass of food they could just throw into the dustbin. It's almost _ ,isn't it? Setting aside that big number, we find the people with the most money are the ones who waste the most. Per capita( ), European and North American countries waste between 95 and 115 kilograms of food. Sub-Saharan African, South Asian and Southeast Asian countries waste much less -- between 6 and 11 kilograms per person. Here's another statistic: all the food that the world's richest countries waste is about equal to all the food that sub-Saharan Africa produces. The numbers: 222 million tons and 230 million tons, respectively( ). Basically, the wasted food of the rich could feed much of the African continent. And these numbers come as we've just been reporting about rising food prices around the world in the past week. And my own personal tip: if I eat at a restaurant and can't finish it all, I ask for a doggie bag. I used to be a waiter years ago and will never forget the amounts of food I saw left on the table after the bill was paid. There's no reason to waste food. It's up to all of us to use our common sense to eat and shop just a bit more wisely. The author gave his personal tip based on the fact that _ . Answer: Thanks to the Web, We're Alone Together and Loving it There's a professor, Barry Wellman, at the University of Toronto in Canada who has come up with a term to describe the way a lot of us North Americans interact these days. And now a big research study confirms it. Barry Wellman's term is "networked individualism." It's not the easiest concept to grasp. In fact, the words seem to contradict each other. How can we be individualistic and networked at the same time? You need other people for networks. Here's what he means. Until the Internet and e-mail came along, our social networks involved flesh-and-blood relatives, friends, neighbors, and colleagues at work. Some of the interaction was by phone, but it was still voice to voice, person to person, in real time. But the latest study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project confirms that for a lot of people, electronic interaction through the computer has replaced a great deal of social interchange. A lot of folks Pew talked with say that's a good thing, because of concerns that the Internet was turning us into hermits who shut out other people in favor of a make-believe world on flickering computer screens. To the contrary, the Pew study discovered the Internet has put us in touch with more real people than we'd have ever imagined. Helpful people, too. We're turning to an ever-growing list of cyber friends for advice on careers, medical crises, child-rearing, and choosing a school or college. About 60 million Americans told the Pew that the Internet plays an important or crucial role in helping them deal with major life decisions. So we networked individuals are pretty tricky: We're keeping more to ourselves, while at the same time reaching out to more people, all with just the click of a computer mouse! The Pew study was conducted in _ . Answer: It must have been around nine o'clock when I drove back home from work because it was already dark. As I came near to the gates I turned off the head lights of the car so as to prevent the beam from swinging through the window and waking Jack, who shared the house with me. But I needn't have done so. I noticed that his light was still on, so he was awake anyway--unless he had fallen asleep while reading. I put the car away and went up the steps. Then I opened the door quietly and went to Jack's room. He was in bed awake, but he didn't even turn towards me. "What's up, Jack?" I asked. "For God's sake, don't make a noise," he said. The way he spoke reminded me of someone in pain who is afraid to talk in case he does himself serious injury. "Take your shoes off, Neville," Jack said. I thought that he must be ill and that I had better give way to him to keep him happy. "There is a snake here," he explained. "It's asleep between the sheets. I was lying on my back reading when I saw it.I knew that moving was _ . I could not have moved even I'd wanted to." I realized that he was serious. "I was depending on you to call a doctor as soon as you came home," Jack went on. "It has not bitten me yet but I dare not do anything to upset it. It might wake up. I'm sick of this," he said."I took it for granted that you would have come home an hour ago." There was no time to argue or apologize for being late.I looked at him as encouraging as I could and went to telephone the doctor. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? Answer: The largest-ever chariot pit of relics with carts and horse bones has been discovered in Henan Province. It may lead to the uncovering of chariot pit groups that could be a key to understanding Chinese civilizations that existed more than 2,000 years ago. Experts said the relics are dated more than 300 years earlier than the famous warriors in Shaanxi Province. What excited the experts were two other projects that located two huge pits with similar features. "It is absolutely a miracle. These relics indicate that there could be a tomb group in this area, which is likely to be important for China's archaeological studies," said Ma Juncai, a leading relic researcher in the province. In ancient China, carts, sheep, spoons and so on were buried to ensure that dead people had a happy afterlife. The number and quality of the sacrifices indicated the social status of the dead. The custom was carried into the Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qinshihuang's tomb, located near Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, is accompanied by thousands of wood or clay figures of warriors and horses. The tomb is probably the most well-known. The discovered pit measures 10.4 meters long, 8.4 meters wide and 5 meters deep. It holds 20 carts in different sizes. The smallest one is 1.05 meters long and 1.3 meters wide. Experts think that 40 horses are likely to be found as well. Careful plans need to be made to deal with the demanding uncovering. "The clay is very weak and a small misstep can destroy the whole project. That's why we need to take every step very carefully to protect these cherished cultural relics," Ma said. According to Ma Juncai, the uncovering of the three pits is a miracle because _ . Answer: Which part of the atom has a negative charge? Answer:
Question: A new plan for getting children to and from school is being started by a local government in Eastern England. This could end the worries of many parents fearful for their children's safety on the roads. Until now the local government have only been prepared to provide bus services for children living more than three miles from their school, or sometimes less if special reasons existed.Now it has been decided that if a group of parents ask for help in organizing transport they will be prepared to go ahead, as long as the arrangement will not lose money and children taking part will be attending their nearest school. The new plan is to be tried out this term for children living at Milton who attend Impington School.The children live just within the three-mile limit and the local government have said in the past that they will not agree to provide free transport to the school.But now they have agreed to offer a sum of money for a bus service from Milton to Impington and back, a plan which has the support of the school's headmaster. Between 50 and 60 parents have said they would like their children to take part.Final calculations have still to be carried out, but a government official has said the cost to parents should be less than PS20 a term. They have been able to arrange the service at a low cost because there is already an agreement with the bus company for a bus to take children who live further away to Impington.The same bus would now just make one more journey to pick up the Milton children.The official said they would get in touch with other groups of parents who in the past had asked if transport could be provided for their children, to see if they would like to take part in the new plan. How can the local government arrange the new bus service at a low cost? A. By letting the bus run in the morning only. B. By limiting the number of the students. C. By obtaining the support from the headmaster. D. By linking the new bus service with the existing one. Answer: D. By linking the new bus service with the existing one. Question: The case for college has been accepted without question for more than a generation. All high school graduates ought to go, because college will help them earn more money, become "better" people, and learn to be more responsible citizens than those who don't go. But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone. And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don't fit the pattern are becoming more and more, and more obvious. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students get in the way of each other's experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the competition for admission to graduate school. Others find no interest in their studies, and drop out -often encouraged by college administrators. Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves--they are spoiled and they are expecting too much. But that is a condemnation of the students as a whole, and does not explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame the state of the world, and they are partly right. We've been told that young people have to go to college because our economy cannot take in an army of untrained 18 year-olds. But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer take in an army of trained 22-year-olds, either. Some adventuresome educators and campus watchers have openly begun to suggest that college may not be the best, the proper, the only place for every young person after the completion of high school. _ Perhaps college does not make people intelligent(clever), ambitious, happy, liberal, or quick to learn things--maybe it is just the other way round, and intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, quick-learning people are only the ones who have been attracted to college in the first place. And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not. This is heresy to those of us who have been brought up to believe that if little schooling is good, more has to be much better. But opposite evidence is beginning to mount up. Which of the following is one of some observers' opinions? A. The students expect so much that they are not satisfied with the hard college life. B. The economic situation is so discouraging that the youth have to attend college. C. College should improve because of so much campus unhappiness. D. Colleges provide more chances of good jobs than anywhere else. Answer: B. The economic situation is so discouraging that the youth have to attend college. Question: There are many differences between British English and American English.I used to teach a course about the differences between the two.We speak English on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean but we have many differences in our common language.We have examples of the same words having very d ifferent meanings,differing spellings of the same words as well as completely different words for the same things.Here are some examples. A cookie in the US is called a biscuit in the UK.A biscuit in the US is a small cake in the UK.Crisps in the UK,are known as chips,but we British people eat a plate of chips that you call fries in the US.In the UK,a pie can be made from either meat or fruit,while in the US pies are normally made from fruit;pot pies are made from meat.Most things are measured in grams and kilograms in the US,not pounds and ounces. One very obvious difference is the side of the road we each choose to drive on.Petrol in the UK is gas in the US.The place where we fill up our cars,in the UK,is a garage;while in the US,it's a gas station.The term garage is also used as a place to store your car next to or close by your house.In the UK we call a lorry what is known as a truck in the US. An elevator in the US is called a lift here,and the first floor in the US,is calle d the ground floor here,so many visitors get off on the wrong floor in British hotels. I could continue with this. There are countless examples of differences within our one shared language.With so many differences,no wonder it's hard to understand each other well. In the author's opinion, _ . A. language differences don't affect understanding B. the same words in the two different types of English may have different spellings C. there will be fewer differences between American and British English in the future D. it is impossible that some Americans get off on the wrong floor in British hotels Answer: B. the same words in the two different types of English may have different spellings Question: Muscle cells have the ability to store and release large amounts of energy. Which body function is best served by this release of energy? A. exchanging gases B. moving body parts C. absorbing nutrients D. sending nerve impulses Answer: B. moving body parts Question: I was on the escalator in a market. There was an old man who was about five or six people in the front of me. People behind him were all in a hurry and saw him as a rock. The old man knew these clearly and tried hard to step aside. I remember...Sometimes when walking or driving behind an older person, I've gotten impatient and upset. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me!" said the old man, "I don't mean to hold you up." He then tried his best to get off the escalator. I suddenly saw this in a whole new light. I felt sick to my stomach. The old man was apologizing to everyone, when we should have helped him to calm his fears. One by one, people went around him quickly. By the time I got to him, I asked, "Sir, can I help you?" The man thought for a while, then said, "Well, yes, thank you!" I placed my hand under his left arm and walked away from the rush of people quickly. "So what are you shopping for, sir?" "Oh, today is Mother's Day. I want to buy something for my neighbor. She's a single mother and she is always so nice to me." he said, stopping suddenly as he searched his pocket. "Oh, it's here! I always carry them with me," he said. Then he took out some business cards and handed me one which read: "John Smith. Friend to all...enemy to no one! I said a prayer today and you were the answer. Thank you!" "That's for you," he said. "Thanks for stopping to help an old man." "My friend, you helped me. I discovered why I was unhappy with the world. Now I know how to solve the problem. No more with me!" The sentence "I said a prayer today and you were the answer" most probably means that _ . A. the old man needed the writer's help then he came B. the writer was always friendly to other people C. the old man believed everyone could be friends D. the old man had lots of friends and no enemies Answer: C. the old man believed everyone could be friends
Rain, who was born on June 2, 1982 in Seoul, South Korea, is a popular singer with a very deep and rich voice. Jung Ji Hoon is his real name, known as the "Michael Jackson of Korea" for his amazing dancing skills. Rain is very modest and friendly, even a little shy. He released his first album Bad Guy in 2002, which caused a sensation. It took him to all the major award ceremonies, and many of them honored him with Best New Award. His following album How to Run from the Sun was successful, and his third album It's Raining topped the charts for weeks. Rain is not only a singer but also an actor, who has given impressive performances in two TV series, Sang Doo! Let's go to school(<<,>> )in 2003 and Full House(<<>> )in 2004. Rain's leading role in Full House made him win Best Actor Award at the KBS Acting Awards and also deeply touched the hearts of many Asian female fans. At the same time it made him become one of the most popular Korean actors in Asia. Now Rain is very popular in China. It's Raining has already sold more than 100,000 copies in China. Rain received the "Korean Artist of the Year" award at the MTV -- CCTV Mandarin Music Honors held on July 24, 2005 at the Workers Stadium in Beijing, China. His recent Beijing concert caused a great hit, creating "Korean Fever" in China. What would be the best title for this passage? A Michael Jackson of Korea --Rain B Jung Ji Hoon's First Album - Bad Guy C Rain, a Singer and a Painter D Korea Fever in China Answer: A. Michael Jackson of Korea --Rain Trip 1 Black Bear Count There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Bookings necessary. Cost: Free When: May 8 Trip 2 Garland Valley Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland hut is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Bookings necessary. Cost: $ 15 When: May 8, May 15 Trip 3 Flashlight Adventure Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip . The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly limited on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours. Cost: $ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May22 Equipment to be needed: * Please bring enough water and food for all walks. * Wear good walking shoes--no high heels. * Wear a hat for day walks. * Dress warmly for night walks. * Children must be with an adult. * Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks. * Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are a dangerous place. Bookings: * Bookings for the above trips can be trade by telephone(893 -- 4847)or on the Internet at On which trip might you see animals that sleep during the day? A Black Bear Count B Garland Valley C Flashlight Adventure D None of the trips Answer: C. Flashlight Adventure Poor Oral Health Leads to Social and Emotional Problems A new report says nearly four-billion people have major tooth decay, or cavities. That number represents more than half of the world's population. Health officials are warning that failure to repair cavities can lead to social and emotional problems. Wagner Marcenes is with the Institute of Dentistry at Queen Mary, University of London. He led a team of researchers as part of the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study. About 500 researchers attempt to collect and examine studies about all major diseases. They used the information to estimate rates of the infection. The report says untreated tooth decay is the most common of all 291 major diseases and injuries. Professor Marcenes says cavities or holes in permanent teeth are also known as caries. "Caries is a chronic disease that shares the same risk factors as cancer, cardiovascular disease. What we're having now is an increase in disease from highly developed countries happening in sub-Saharan Africa and probably it will be in other areas of Africa, too." He says an increase in tooth decay in Africa could be a result of developing countries becoming more like Western nations. "It is likely to be related to a change in diet. Our industrialized diet leads to chronic disease, which includes caries. And that may be the main explanation." Western diets are rich in sugar, a leading cause of health problems in the mouth. Wagner Marcenes says oral health problems can have a major effect on a person's quality of life. First, cavities make eating difficult. Second, people may change what they eat. They may eat softer foods that are not hard to chew. However, softer foods are often fattier foods. But professor Marcenes says the biggest issue in tooth decay is both social and mental. He says the researchers found strong evidence that the mouth has a big influence on socialization. He says many people want to hide bad teeth. They smile less and communicate less. Wagner Marcenes is calling for an "urgent, organized, social response" to the widespread lack of oral health. He believes in a natural method to fight tooth decay by having a healthier diet. He is also calling for the development of new and less costly dental materials and treatments. The writer wrote this passage in order to _ . A arouse people's concern about caries and take measures to deal with it. B tell the result of the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study. C warn people in Africa to adjust their diet to prevent caries. D tell doctors that caries affects a person's quality of life. Answer: A. arouse people's concern about caries and take measures to deal with it. Global warming threatens to hold back human progress, and make unachievable all UN targets to reduce poverty, according to some of the world's leading international development groups. In a report published today, Oxfam, Greenpeace, Christian Aid, Friends of the Earth, WWF and 15 other groups say rich governments must immediately address climate change to avoid even "unbearable levels" of worldwide poverty. "Food production, water supplies, public health and people's living environment are already being damaged," the report says. "The world must meet its promise to achieve poverty reduction and also deal with climate change." The report, which draws on UN predictions of the effects of climate change in poor countries over the next 50 years, says poor countries will experience more flooding, declining food production, more disease and the worsening or disappearing of entire ecosystems on which many of the world's poorest people depend. "Climate change needs to be addressed now. The poor will bear the burden of it. The frontline experience of many of us working in international development indicates that communities are having to fight against more extreme weather conditions." Climate change will play havoc with agriculture and water supplies and will increase diseases. "By 2025 the proportion of the world's population living in countries of great water stress will almost double, to 6 billion people. Tropical and sub-tropical areas will be hardest hit -- those countries already suffering from food shortage". Poor countries mostly do not need high-tech solutions, but would most benefit from education, research and being shown how to farm better. The report says unchecked global warming, more than wars or political confusion, will displace millions of people and destabilize many countries. Which of the following is not true according to the text? A Poverty and climate change are closely linked. B More and more people will suffer from the water stress and food shortage. C What the poor countries need badly is high technology. D International communities have to take steps to resist the bad climate. Answer: C. What the poor countries need badly is high technology. Teacher's Day around the world is not celebrated on the same day. In some countries, Teacher's Day is celebrated on working days. However, in other countries, it is celebrated on holidays. Here we are giving you a list of countries that celebrate Teacher's Day on holidays. China Teacher's Day was proposed at National Central University in 1931. It was adopted by the central government of Republic of China in 1932. In 1939, the day was set on August 27, Confucius's birthday. The government of the People's Republic of China called it off in 1951. It was reestablished in 1985, and the day was changed to September 10. Now more and more people are trying to celebrate Teacher's Day back to Confucius's birthday. India In India, Teacher's Day is celebrated on September 5, in honor of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second President of India,because his birthday was September 5. Russia In Russia, Teacher's Day is on October 5. Before 1994, this day was set on the first Sunday of September. The USA In the United States, Teacher's Day is a holiday on the Tuesday of the first full week of May. Thailand January 16 was adopted as Teacher's Day in Thailand by a resolution of the government on November 21, 1956. The first Teacher's Day was celebrated in 1957. Iran In Iran, Teacher's Day is celebrated on May 2 every year. It is in honor of the famous Iranian professor Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari who died on May 2, 1980. Although different countries celebrate Teacher's Day on different days, the activities people take to celebrate it just stay the same. In which year was Teacher's Day changed from August 27 to September 10 in China? A 1931. B 1939. C 1951. D 1985. Answer: D. 1985.
"It is high time someone explained to you about good manners. Yours are obvious by their absence and I feel sorry for you." These were the words that Carolyn Bourne e-mailed to her son's fiancee , Heidi Withers. The couple had just visited the Bourne family home in England. Within days, the e-mail was all over the Internet, and the subject of manners hit UK national news. Heidi, Mrs Bourne said, stayed in bed too late. She complained when she was hungry and was particular about food. She told rude jokes. Finally, she had never thanked Mrs Bourne for the weekend. But it wasn't just Heidi's behavior that got people talking. Facebook groups started up about the e-mail. The one with the most members was called "Carolyn Bourne needs to learn some manners". People said Mrs Bourne had been too direct. They thought she had been cruel when she told Heidi to go to "finishing school" -- a centre where badly-behaved young women used to be sent. Heidi's father wrote back to Mrs Bourne and called her a "snotty Miss Fancy Pants" -- someone who thinks they are socially better than anyone else. Everyone agreed that there are rules of "good" and "bad" behavior. Everyone agreed that these rules had been broken. However, no one could agree what these rules were -- or whether Heidi or Mrs Bourne was in the wrong. So what does politeness really mean? Is there a secret to social etiquette ? Shirley Schomaker runs a real-life finishing school. She said that both Mrs Bourne and Heidi had been impolite. The true secret, she said in a BBC interview, lies in making everyone feel comfortable. "Social etiquette isn't about being snotty and being in the know ," she said. "It's about making other people feel good. It's about communication. It's about making society get along better." Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? A. Heidi's father was ashamed of his daughter's behaviors. B. Heidi's behavior is quite common among young people in the UK. C. Everyone on Facebook thought Heidi was socially better than Mrs Bourne. D. Mrs Bourne was attacked on the Internet for the cruel and direct words in her e-mail. Answer: D. Mrs Bourne was attacked on the Internet for the cruel and direct words in her e-mail. Young people and older people do not always agree.They sometimes have different ideas about living,working and playing.But in one special programme in New York State,adults and teenagers live together in a friendly way. Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group.Everyone works several hours each day.They do so not just to keep busy but to find meaning and fun in work.Some teenagers work in the forests or on the farms near the village.Some learn to make things like tables and chairs and to build houses.The adults teach them these skills. There are several free hours each day.Weekends are free,too.During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photo-taking or drawing.Others sit around and talk or sing.Each teenager chooses his own way to pass his free time. When people live together,they should have rules.In this programme the teenagers and the adults make the rules together.If someone breaks a rule,the problem goes before the whole group.They talk about it and ask,"Why did it happen?What should we do about it?" One of the teenagers has said something about it,"You have to stop thinking only about yourself.You learn how to think about the group." Living together, . A. the teenagers don't have to obey the rules B. the members have to obey the rules the adults make C. the members have no free time but on weekends D. the members should not break the rules they make together Answer: D. the members should not break the rules they make together When the Spanish first brought chocolate back to Europe,it was still being served as a drink,but soon went through an important change:the chili pepper was replaced by sugar. The new sweetened chocolate drink was so expensive that few could afford,but by the 17th century the drink was common among European noblemen. In England,which was somewhat more equalityfavored than the rest of Europe,chocolate was more widely available. Those who could afford it could enjoy chocolate drinks in the new coffee and chocolate houses of London. As cacao tree became more commonly available,people began experimenting with new ways of using it. Chocolate began to appear in cakes and other foods. But it wasn't until 1828 that the "modern ear" of chocolate making and production began. The introduction of cocoa powder not only made creating chocolate drinks much easier,but also made it possible to combine chocolate with sugar and then remix it with cocoa butter to create a solid. Others began to build on Van Houten's success,experimenting to make new chocolate products. In 1849,English chocolate maker Joseph Storrs Fry produced what was the world's first eating chocolate. Today,the Swiss are famous for their chocolate,and rightly so. In the late 19th century,they developed a number of processes that contributed greatly to creating the solid chocolate candy that we all enjoy today. Two major developments occurred in 1879.First,Daniel Peter,a Swiss chocolate producer,had the idea of using powdered milk (invented by Swiss Chemist Henri Nestle in 1867) to make a new kind of chocolate,milk chocolate. Second,Rudolph Lindt invented a process called "conching",which greatly improved the quality of chocolate candy by making it more mixable. Before being brought into Europe by the Spanish,chocolate was served as _ . A. a sweet candy B. a spicy drink C. a sweet drink D. a spicy candy Answer: B. a spicy drink The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia. When people talk about it, you can hear a word invented in Japan. which means Double Income Kids . In many major Asian cities like Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo, the cost of a ****** is extremely high. A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $3000,000 (though prices have fallen). For a flat with one bedrooms, one dining-room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, the couple will pay about $900 a month. What's more, if they want to have a child, the child's education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5.000 a year. In such a situation, it's difficult to afford children. The number of married women who want to continue working because they enjoy their jobs. However, if they want to have children, they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby, they expect women with babies to give up their jobs. In short, if they want to bring up children properly, both parents have to work, but it is hard for mothers to work. Indeed, women who want to contimue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs. In a word, Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible. The seems to believe that Asian governments should _ . A. let women stay at home and have a baby B. allow one of the parents to go out to work C. care for the growing needs of women for job. D. the companies that permit women to leave. Answer: C. care for the growing needs of women for job. Jack was not a stupid kid,nor was he the shiniest spoon in the drawer. He didn't care for school. With his "I'd rather be fishing" attitude, Jack missed a lot of classes. Knowing that graduating from middle school was not going to be written in his life, Jack became a dropout at the age of fourteen. Jack was sent to live on his uncle's farm in Wisconsin. He happily stayed there until he reached the age of eighteen. He wanted to see more about the United States, so he went to California. He found a good job at an aircraft company. He had to lie about his education. Worrying that his background was found out, Jack was employed there. Two years later, Jack got married. He wanted to better his life, so he signed up for a home study course to get his high school diploma .He chose his elective subject to be automotive technology .Sadly, this was ended when he took his wife and son back to his uncle's farm. Jack found a job as a worker in a wire factory. Seven years later, Jack began dreaming of something better for them all. He wanted to be an automobile engineer, and he knew that it needed education to get into that field. Because of Jack's efforts, he joined a junior college in California. Jack was accepted to go for his Associates in Arts degree in automotive technology. Jack found that for the most parts, the studies covered most of what he had learned in elementary school. He studied hard for two years and passed the final examination. He received his diploma. Jack went on to work as an automotive technician for an excellent company. Within a year he was the engineer. Why did Jack fail to finish his middle school education? A. He was too stupid to learn lessons at school. B. He had little interest in school study. C. His parents wanted him to work at an early age. D. He loved fishing very much and wasted much time. Answer: B. He had little interest in school study.
Question: A supermarket checkout operator was praised for striking a blow for modern manners and a return to the age of politeness after refusing to serve a shopper who was talking on her mobile phone. The supermarket manager was forced to apologize to the customer who complained she was told her goods would not be scanned unless she hung up her phone. Jo Clark, 46, said, "I don't know what she was playing at. I couldn't believe how rude she was. When did she have the right to give me a lecture on checkout manners? I won't be shopping there again!" But users of social media sites and Internet forums were very angry that store gave in and the public appeared to be supporting the angry checkout worker. "Perhaps this is a turning point for mobile phone users everywhere. When chatting, keep your eyes on people around you. That includes people trying to serve you, other road users and especially people behind you in the stairs," said a typical post. "It's time checkout staff fought back against these people constantly chatting on their phones. They can drive anyone crazy. It's rude and annoying. I often want to grab someone's phone and throw it as far as I can, even though I am not a checkout girl, just a passer-by," said another. Siobhan Freegard, founder of parenting site www. Netmums.com said, "While this checkout operator doesn't have the authority to order customers to switch off their phones, you can see clearly how frustrated and angry she felt. No matter how busy you are, life is nicer when you and those around you have good manners." The attitude of Siobhan Freegard towards the checkout operator was _ . A. disapproving B. supportive C. neutral D. indifferent Answer: B Question: I'm Ann. I'm English. I'm twelve. I was born on May 17 , 1991. I learn Chinese at Beijing No.3 Middle School. I have a good friend. Her name is Lucy. She is twelve, too. We are in the same grade. But we are not in the same class. I'm in Class Two, and she is in Class Three. We have the same Chinese teacher . Her name is Zhang Ying. We all like her. Lucy's parents are both English teachers in China. And she has a sister. Her name is Lily. She is only five years old. Zhang Ying is Lucy's _ teacher. A. English B. Chinese C. math D. music Answer: B Question: Which would one most likely run into when crossing a stream? A. a fire B. a piranha C. a painful death D. a scorpion Answer: B Question: Back in 2003 I had a pet rabbit named Alaska.Due to the rules the landlord had set,he had to be kept in the basement .One night I went downstairs to feed him.Keep in mind I've always thought the basement was frightening.As I was facing his cage and putting the bowl of water inside,a big shadow appeared behind me,as if a big,tall man were standing behind me.I turned around and nobody was there,but I got the distinct feeling that I was being watched.I basically dropped the water bowl and ran upstairs shouting for my mom.Ever since then I can't go down there alone. Once I was trying to get to sleep,and I slept with the lights off.All of sudden I wanted to leave the room eagerly,but I couldn't get out of my bed,I was too scared.The feeling of someone looking closely at me was so upset,I was physically afraid to move or breathe.I opened my curtains to let the street light in,thinking the light would help me feel better to move.That did nothing.I must have sat there on my bed for about fifteen minutes before I got up.I didn't sleep in there that night.I've never felt anything so upset! Then there are all the little things,like seeing things in the comer of my eye,hearing doors open or close when I'm home alone,and the feeling of being watched.Once when my sister wasn't home(we share a room)I heard someone breathing from her bed and heard the sheets rustle .Last week,I felt someone patting me in the shoulder when I was alone in my room.Sometimes I'll be looking something and I'll see one or more contorted ,angry faces. I realize that when one is looking for something to happen they can make things happen or imagine it.These are the moments in which I know nothing was imagined,so I wanted to share them and get your opinions.Thanks so much. The writer to the text seems to _ . A. tell us his strange experiences B. tell us what happens in his bedroom C. tell us an interesting story D. tell us what happens in his apartment Answer: A Question: I have a close friend who has a good family tradition, that is, each year after Thanksgiving dinner, all of the people sit around in the living room and each person takes a few minutes and gives thanks for what really matters and what has added value to their life over the last year. This is something I valued and followed. I have thought about a lot in the last year, and I finally came up with two things. The first one is the healthiness of my daughter. She's as healthy as she can be, and her weight and height are in good condition and she has no illnesses or genetic diseases. I am so thankful for having this wonderful baby in my life, and thankful that she has the gift of good health. Secondly, I am thankful for the discovery of the value of writing in my life. A year ago, my website. The simple Dollar was only a few weeks old and was far from popular, but on Thanksgiving Day Last year it had about three score readers who ordered it in advance. The process of writing was bringing me enjoyment, but I hadn't yet realized that I could be successful in it and attract many readers. This past year showed me a lot and I am deeply thankful for it. After thinking for a while, I began to realize that it was a very powerful and wonderful positive exercise. You spend time reflecting deeply on the positive things in your life, and you often realize that even when things are bad, you do have a lot to be thankful for because there is lots of good in your life, and it can shine a bright light even in a dark spot in your life. How many people had ordered The simple Dollar by Thanksgiving Day last year? A. About 30. B. About 20. C. About 60. D. About 40. Answer: C
Question: It was the first mow of winter -- an exciting day for every, child but not for most tether. Up until now, l had been able to dress myself for recess , but today I would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher at Princess Elizabeth School near Hamilton, Ontario, had been through first snow days ,tony times in her long career, but I think struggled still remember this one. I managed to get into my wool snow pants. But I straggled with my jacket because it didn't fit well. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes. At least my hat and matching scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots. In her calm, motherly voice she said, "By the end of winter, you will be able to put on own boots. " I didn't realize at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence. I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected the adult to do an the work. After mush wiggling and pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too. I announced,"They're on the wrong feet."With the grace that only experience can bring,she struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again.Then I said,"These aren't my boots.you know."As she pulled the offending boots from my feet,she still managed to look both helpful and interested.Once they were off.I said,"They are my brother's boots.My mother makes me wear them,and I hate them!" Somehow,from long years of practice,she managed to act as though I wasn't an annoying little girl.She pushed and shoved.less gently this time,and the boots were returned to their proper place on my feet.With a great sigh of relief,seeing the end of her struggle with me,she asked,"Now,where are your gloves?'' I looked into her eyes and said."I didn't want to lose them.so I put them into the toes of my boots." It can be inferred that before the little girl finally went out to enjoy the first snow of winter,the teacher had to help her put on her boots _ . A. once B. twice C. three times D. four times Answer: D. four times Question: Sometime early in the next century, human beings will move to Mars. They will live there for about a year, and then will be replaced with another group of pioneers. Building the base on Mars will advance our knowledge of the solar system and aid in our understanding of the earth. We already know that Mars resembles the earth in many aspects: general size, presence of water, length of day, range of temperatures. These resemblances have caused many people to consider a centuries-long project: to terraform Mars. Terraforming means _ a planet's surface so that Earth's life forms can survive there. This concept, previously found only in science fiction is now being seriously considered by scientists. Terraforming Mars is theoretically simple: add nitrogen and oxygen to the atmosphere; pump water to the surface; and add the earth's plants and animals in the order in which they developed on Earth. But it will take at least 300 years. Some people think that such a project is too huge for humans to undertake, but there are very good reasons to make the attempt. The earth now contains some 6 billion people, and no one has any idea of how many humans the earth can support. Our very existence and numbers are threatening many other species. We also have had some experience with terraforming our own planet: altering the landscape, the atmosphere and the climate. Currently terraforming earth has become a wiser activity as we try to control global warming, air and water pollution, and preserve some natural living places. While the possibility of such a project is small, it is not impossible .Even if earth -bound societies come and go in the next 300 years, the project can continue through the work of the Mars settlers without the need for constant backing from the earth. The future existence of all the people in our world may very well depend upon our ability to terraform Mars. The main reason for causing many people to consider terraforming Mars is that _ . A. there are some resemblances between Earth and Mars. B. terraforming Mars is theoretically simple C. we have had some experience with terraforming our own planet: Earth D. the development of science and technology is very rapid Answer: A. there are some resemblances between Earth and Mars. Question: Rico is a dog who lives in Germany . His owners trained him from a young age to find his toys. When they say the name of a certain toy, Rico can find it. In fact, he seems to know the names of 200 toys! Some researchers in Germany wanted to test Rico. They put his toys in a room and then told him to go in the room and find a certain toy. Since nobody was in the room with Rico, he had no help from anyone finding the right toy. The researchers did this test forty times. Rico found the right toy thirty-seven times! Then the researchers tried something else. They put seven of Rico's toys in the room together with one new toy that Rico had never seen before. Then they told Rico to go into the room and get the new toy. This new toy had a name Rico had never heard before. Rico found the right toy seven out of ten times! Researchers cannot really say that Rico knows words or language. However, these tests seem to show that Rico can think about what he hears and think about what he knows. In fact, Rico seems to think and remember things as well as a three-year-old child. From these tests, animal researchers know one thing for sure. Rico has given them a lot to think about. Rico went into the room _ times to find a new toy he did not know. A. seven B. thirty-seven C. ten D. forty Answer: C. ten Question: Tug-of-war is not only popular in China, but in many other countries. Their tug-of-war match is a little different from ours. They have eight players for each team, while we may have the match between two sides with equal men or women players. Of course, they are usually tall, strong and heavy. For a tug-of-war match, we need a long thick rope. Each team stands at one end of the rope, holding it. Then they try to pull the center of the rope, marked in the ground towards each of their own sides. The team which succeeds in pulling the center of the rope away through a certain distance is the winner. Many foreign sport experts think we don't have to be tall, heavy and strong to play tug-of-war. We needn't have endless energy, for a match lasts only a few minutes. The secret is good hands. The players must have big, strong and hard hands. Before they start the match, they put a mixture of oil and petrol on their hands so they can hold the rope better. Many foreign experts say the best hands for tug-of-war belong to the sons of farmers. This is because they have to work hard when they are still very young. Farming is a good practice for this sport! In our country tug-of-war _ . A. is not very popular B. is not so popular as that in foreign countries C. is only a men's game D. is not only played by men but also by women Answer: D. is not only played by men but also by women Question: Beach volleyball is one of those sports that can be an exciting game to play and watch. It's really easy, and all you need is sand, a net and a group of people, of any age or fitness level, who want to have fun. Beach volleyball can be played with as few as two people in each team, making a total of four people. However, if you are less skilled and experienced in the game, it will be easier to play with a larger team. The more players you have, the less ground each person will be responsible for covering and the more time they will have to recover between shots. If you only have a few players, each of you will get a lot of running for the ball after each volley . If you are looking for a relaxing, fun, low-key experience, choose larger teams. Beach volleyball is similar to regular volleyball in its rules. However, even experienced volleyball players do not realize how much more difficult it is to run and jump on sand. Since it is harder to move quickly on sand than a hard surface, play will be much slower than regular volleyball on a court. When an athlete trains for beach volleyball, he will focus on building lower body strength as well as upper body strength. Strengthening his legs is extremely important. This improves the player's ability to move quickly and accurately on sand despite the resistance. The ability to jump high and land without injury is necessary for beach volleyball players. Whether you are in it for the competition, or just to have a great time with your friends, beach volleyball can be extremely exciting and fun. You may start out with friends and may soon fall in love with the sport. The passage mainly tell us _ A. the game of beach volleyball B. how to become a good beach volleyball player C. why beach volleyball is one of the exciting sports D. what should be paid attention to when playing beach volleyball Answer: B. how to become a good beach volleyball player
My parents divorced when I was 8 years old. Their marriage was a mistake of World War II. And about 50 years ago, I was the only child I knew who didn't have a father at home on Father's Day. Divorce was very uncommon back then. So when my friends were in town shopping for presents for their fathers, I decided since my mother was both Mother and Father, no one else was like her, who better deserved(be worth) a present on Father's Day than her? I bought her a little set of tools, just a few things, hammer, pliers and screwdriver and a box to put all these things in. I got some ideas from my grandfather and named it Mother's Tool Box. She was excited, more at the thought of being cared for on Father's Day than of the present. She always said she liked her Father's Day memories better than the Mother's Day ones. It made her feel special -- and she was. I have noticed in the past few years, greeting cards are even made for "Mother on Father's Day". Ever since then, my mother has got cards on Father's Day. By the way, she knew just how to use those tools and others she had ever used over the years. What did the writer decide to do when he saw friends shopping for Father's Day presents? Answer: A hug is a wonderful thing and it is a great gift to share with people. For some people, a hug is considered to be a great way to say "I care." A hug communicates support, affection , unity and belonging. A hug shows a strong feeling of sympathy. A hug brings happiness. A hug also touches the soul. Hugs are healthy. Hugs can ease pain, reduce stress, cure depression and refresh the heart, yet they have no side effects...No wonder, it is a true miracle medicine. A hug can say "I love you"...A hug can say "I hate to see you go". A hug can say " It's good to have you back". A hug can say "It's great to see you'. A hug can say "I feel your pain". A hug can also say "Let me share your burden". No matter whether you're the giver or the receiver, hugs touch the inner being. From friends, to families, to loved ones, to those in need, a hug warms the heart. A hug is truly amazing. It brings generosity to the giver and happiness to the receiver. It brings blessings to those who give and joy to those who receive. Hugs are one of the reasons why God gave us arms. So, stretch out your arms to someone today. Reach out to those you love. It will warm the heart of the giver and give light to the soul of the receiver. Reach out to your neighbor. It will show that you care. Reach out to one in need. It will show that you are responsible. Reach out to the world. It will show God that you care for his creation. What is the best title of the passage? Answer: One day a rich boy bought a magic mirror . When he got home, he looked in the mirror. His face looked sad. He tried to smile and make funny faces, his face looked still sad. Then he did many happy things, but his face always looked sad. "Oh, what a terrible mirror! It doesn't work! " he said angrily. The next day on his way to buy some chocolate, he saw a little girl crying sadly. The rich boy went up to her and asked what happened. The little girl said she couldn't find her parents. "Don't worry. I'll help you," the rich boy said. So they went to look for them together. Finally they found her parents. They were so thankful for his help. After the rich boy arrived home, he looked in the mirror as usual. To his surprise, his face looked very happy. The boy understood the magic of the mirror. The mirror could show the true feelings of its owner. This was true--the rich boy helped that little girl, so he felt really happy. , . What did the rich boy buy one day? Answer: Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time :if corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those Around him use. Bit by bit .he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people's. In the same way, children learn to do all the other things: they should learn to do without being taught, such as to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle--compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them for himself. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to .Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not. If it is a matter of right answer, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routine work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can't find the way to get the right answer .Let the children learn what all educated persons must some day learn ,how to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know. According to the passage ,the best way for children to learn things is by _ Answer: When I first saw the bookAlice in Lace, I thought I was going to like it. And as it turned out, I love it! I love books about life and being a kid. And Alice in Laceis just that kind. It's a humorous book about being thirteen and the problems kids might face. Alice and her friends get a strange assignment from their totally cool teacher, Mr. Everett. It was like playing the game of "Life," but you had to act it out. So Pamela is pregnant, Elizabeth buys a car and Alice gets married. Well, of course, Pamela wasn't really pregnant, but she walked around with a pillow under her shirt to get people's reactions. Elizabeth didn't really buy a car, but she went to the car lot and made the sales guy think she was. The whole class got assignments like these! I would love to do something like that for school. In the book Alice has a lot to think about. "Getting married is hard!" Alice says. She has to plan the ceremony, the honeymoon, find a place to live, pay for furniture and two months' rent and food. Maybe she and her "husband" could work it out -- if they were getting on fine! Although this book was funny, it really made me think about how problems like these could really mess up your life. Take teenage pregnancy for example. How could you have a baby and stay in school? You couldn't find a babysitter every day to stay with your kid. A child really consumes your life. I understand what the teacher was trying to do. He was trying to discourage the class from getting into these problems by giving them a glimpse of life. As someone about to become a teenager myself, I can say sometimes a story makes you think about what's up ahead. Overall, I would say this book is wonderful. My favorite part of the book is discovering that if I like it, there are seven other Alice books I can check out at my local library. I love this book, and I hope you will too. The author writes the passage mainly to _ . Answer:
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the nine o'clock Mystery Hour. Today we'll show you two British stories. We hope you'll enjoy them. About 900 years ago two green children arrived in a small village in south England. Their eyes and skin were green and they spoke a strange language. They were very tired and weak, so the people of the village looked after them. The boy died a year later, but the girl grew strong and lived the rest of her life there. And her skin color turned back to normal day by day. Scientists say that sometimes of people don't have enough food to eat for a long time, their skin goes very pale and can turn green. Loch Ness is the largest lake in Scotland. It's a very deep and cold lake. For hundreds of years, people have talked about a monster called Nessie which lives in the lake. About seventy years ago, two people saw something moving in the lake. They said that the animal was playing and rolling around in the water. Since then many people say they have seen the monster. Their descriptions are always the same. It looks like a dinosaur, with a very long neck and a small head. It has a big bump on its back. People have tried to photograph the animal, but the pictures have not been very clear. Scientists don't know whether there is a monster or not. Some say it may be a whale or a very large fish. Some think it's a snake. Others say there's nothing at all-- nothing but people's imagination. Maybe we'll never know what's in Loch Ness. What kind of story is talked about in this program? A Romantic stories. B Mysteries. C Horror stories. D Comedies. Answer: B For hundreds of years, Japan has been hit, from time to time, by enormous tsunamis. These awful sudden risings of the sea are caused by earthquakes or underwater volcanic action. The story of the boy Yuuki is the story of such a disaster. Yuuki lived with his family in a sea-side village, below a small mountain. One day, as he played on top of the mountain, he felt an earthquake beneath his feet. It was not strong enough to frighten anybody and passed quickly. Soon after, however, Yuuki noticed the sea darken and begin running away from the shore very fast, leaving behind wide stretches of beach that had never been exposed before. With a gasp, Yuuki remembered reading that just before a terrible tsunami, the sea suddenly and quickly rolls backward. He ran to the beach, warning the villagers who had gathered to admire the huge new stretch of beach. "Get back!" shouted the boy. "There is terrible danger!" But no one listened. They laughed at him and continued playing in the new sand and watching the sea roll backward even more. Desperate, Yuuki could think of only one thing to do. He lit a tree branch, raced to the rice fields and began burning the stacks of harvested rice. Then he called out, "Fire! Fire! Everyone run to the mountain! Now!" When everyone reached the mountain-top, a villager cried out, "Yuuki is mad! I saw him set the fire." Yuuki hung his head in shame, but said nothing as the villagers cursed him. Just then, someone cried, "Look!" In the distance what seemed to be a huge dark line was speeding towards the shore. As it got nearer the people realized the long thin line of darkness was the returning sea, towering like a mountain. The villagers watched in terror as the water struck the shore, smashing over their homes then tearing out the land as it receded. On the mountain everyone stared speechlessly at the destruction below. "I'm sorry I burned the fields," said Yuuki, his voice trembling. "Yuuki," village-chief answered. "You saved us all." The villagers cheered and raised Yuuki into the air. "We were going to celebrate our rice harvest tonight," said one, "but now we'll celebrate that we're all still alive!" ,(A, B, CD),. Where was Yuuki when the earthquake struck? A On the beach B On the mountain. C In the rice fields. D At his family home. Answer: B Should we be afraid of sharks ? Maybe not. New research into the reasons for shark attacks suggests that sharks don't like the way humans taste! In fact, most people who are attacked by the shark are still alive after receiving only one bite . Why is this? There are many opinions to explain why sharks sometimes attack people. One opinion is that sharks are just curious . We know that sharks are the strongest animals in their environment, so they are not afraid of anything. Naturally, that means they are curious when they meet something unusual. Because they don't have hands or feet., the only way they can find out an object is to bite it! It is thought that sharks sometimes bite humans for this reason, and then swim away. Scientists also say that sharks would not waste energy trying to eat a human, as we have a lot of bones . It is hard for a shark to eat us because sharks don't have hands, and they can't pull the meat off our bones. Maybe that's why they only bite us once. Unluckily, one bite from a large shark is serious enough to hurt people greatly! Another opinion is that sharks attack humans by mistake. Some sharks may sometimes mistake humans for a seal. An example of this is when a shark attacks a surfer. A surfer lying on a surfboard looks like a seal when seen from below. Sharks like seals because they have thick fat. Whatever the reason for shark attacks on humans, sharks should be afraid of us. Sadly, we kill almost 40 million of them each year. Which sentence about sharks is true? A Sharks pull meat off bones when they eat. B Sharks might mistake humans for seals. C Sharks like to attack surfers because of their thick fat. D One bite from a shark is nothing serious. Answer: B Brave Frenchman Found Half-way Around the World (NEW YORK) A French tourist highly praised for rescuing a two-year-old girl in Manhattan said he didn't think twice before diving into the freezing East River. Tuesday's Daily News said 29-year who left the spot quickly after the rescue last Saturday. He lifted the little girl out of the water after she fell off the bank at the South Street Scaport museum. He handed the girl to her father, David Anderson, who had dived in after him. "I didn't think at all," Duret told the Daily News. "It happened very fast. I reacted very fast. " Duret, an engineer on vacation ,was walking with his girlfriend along the pier when he saw something falling into the water . He thought it was a doll, but realized it was a child when he approached the river. In an instant ,he took off his coat and jumped into the water. When he reached the girl, she appeared lifeless, he said . Fortunately, when she was out of the water, she opened her eyes. Anderson said his daughter slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera. An ambulance came later for her, said Duret, who was handed dry clothes from cookers. Duret caught a train with his girlfriend shortly after. The rescue happened on the day before he left for France. Duret said he didn't realize his tale of heroism until he was leaving the next morning . "I don't really think I'm a hero," said Duret. "Anyone would do the same ting. " When was duet most probably found to be the very hero? A The day when he was leaving for home. B A couple of days after the girl was rescued C The first day when he was in New York D The same day when he was interviewed. Answer: B Here are three students' stories about studying in another country. Mariko Okada - Tokyo My year in the USA was full of fun. I like speaking to others, so I got lots of speaking practice. I also learned lots of interesting things about America. When I got home, my friends said I was better! I hope to go back to America again in the future. Carla Fonseca - Rio de Janeiro I spent last year studying English in London. There were so many people to talk to there, but I always felt bad about my English. I missed my family very much. I think it was great to study in London, but I'm glad to be at home! Alvin Chen - Hong Kong Studying in New Zealand was lots of hard work! I had English classes six hours a day, five days a week. I also kept a diary. I like writing, and I wrote about many things in my diary every day. On Saturdays, my homestay family took me to lots of interesting places and showed me so many wonderful things. I was really glad to stay there for a year! Which of the following is NOT true? A All of the three students spent one year in another country. B Carla Fonseca didn't feel good about her English. C Alvin Chen wrote a lot in his diary. D Alvin Chen stayed in a hotel when he was in New Zealand. Answer: D
The riches in the world are not found in the famous gold and diamond mines,where many men and women are digging for them.Most riches in the world are found in the cemeteries and grave yards,buried with people's dreams,aspirations,and unfulfilled potential.Why is it so? Countless men and women died without ever having the courage to follow their own paths.Maybe because they were afraid to violate some kinds of social norms, maybe because they were afraid to be alone,or maybe simply because they preferred to settle for the familiar.They went to the graves,with a song that would never be heard,a piece of poetry never be written, a dance step never be initiated and a heart full of dreams and aspirations,leaving behind a life full of potential yet no legacy. Michael Jordan,one of the greatest athletes once said,''I can fail,but I cannot afford not to try." Life remains a beautiful journey if we learn to take that step and to work that path.Every challenge and defeat in the process becomes a light post that sharpens the vision and shapes the direction forward. "In my world nothing goes wrong,"said the great Indian sage Nmaja Dhahta Majraj.We must learn to trust the greatness within all of us and know that each of as is here to bring our unique contribution to the universal monument.If each of us learns to dance to the music we only can hear, society as a whole will evolve naturally and spiritually toward love,peace and happiness,and will be void of jealousy,envy and discrimination. And Henry David Thoreau would say, "If a man does not keep pace with his companions,that is because he hears a difierent drum.''And one truly believes that the path to success and happiness passes through the dancing to such a unique drumbeat.Therefore,do not die with the music still playing inside you. Which word can best describe Nihaja Dhahta Majraj according to the passage? Three wishes A man and his wife were very poor. They kept hoping for new clothes and good food. The man enjoyed eating, and he especially liked cakes. One night an old woman came to their house and told them she would let them have three wishes. They could wish for anything they wanted. The man had just finished eating a piece of bread for his dinner, but he was still hungry. He said, "I wish I had a big cake!" Suddenly a cake appeared on his plate. "You fool!" His wife cried. "You could have wished for a house full of wonderful food, but you wished for a cake. I wish that cake was on the end of your foolish nose! " Immediately the cake stuck to the end of his nose. Then the man and his wife started blaming each other. "It's your fault!" the man cried. "No, it's your fault!" she answered. What could they do? The cake was still stuck to the husband's nose. "Oh!" the wife cried. "I wish none of this had ever happened!" Immediately the cake was gone, and the man was saying, "I'm still hungry. How I wish I had some cakes! " But of course nothing happened. Why did the old woman not satisfy the man's wish when he said he was still hungry and wanted some cakes? An argument is appearing in Los Angeles over whether a newspaper should publish teachers' names along with an analysis of how well they do in raising their students' standardized test scores. Some people argue that transparency should exist at all costs, but others hold that it's unfair to label individual teachers using possibly flawed statistics. Some worry that anger over the forthcoming Los Angeles Timesarticle will make people oppose so-called "value added" analysis of teacher performance, which is the method the Times uses. "This incident with the L.A. Times is where the advocates for value-added are getting a bit ahead of themselves," says Douglas Harris, an education professor. " _ the gun on this kind of thing." "Value-added data" is the latest trend in teacher responsibility: the idea that a student's gain from the previous year's test -- as opposed to his or her overall performance -- can be measured and tied to the latest teacher. "There are too many variables in the testing process," says A.J. Duffy. But he says he opposes using value-added data in evaluations at all, although he acknowledges it could be a useful tool to give teachers feedback. "I believe in a system that emphasizes the whole student, not just standardized tests," he says. Proponents of value-added say that's a valid criticism, agreeing that no one should expect that student gains on a standardized test could capture the creativity or broader enrichment that goes on in many teachers' classrooms. The District of Columbia which attracted argument for its decision to fire teachers based in part on value-added data, uses that data for 50 percent of the evaluation, relying on other measures such as classroom observation for the rest. "No one is suggesting using _ as a single measure of performance," says Paige Kowalski. Barnett Berry, a professor, is even more critical of it. Value-added data can be useful, he and others say, but it's important to acknowledge its limitations. It doesn't take into account, for instance, constant student absence and learning gains due to summer school, after-school programs, or supplemental teachers, such as reading specialists. What's the passage mainly about? A mansion may symbolize the American dream. But the fact is, for most immigrants, the closest one they ever get to is the neighboring bushes. Such is the case with 63-year-old Catalino Tabia, Calif. He's a gardener with a 6'h grade education. He came to America to make his dreams come true, but ended up fulfilling everyone else's."I always wanted to be somebody," Tabia said."But now I just want the opportunity to help others." That is why, not long ago, Tabia started the Bay Area Gardeners Foundation. It's a charity aiming at helping smart kids like Noel Chavez, whose dream was to become the first in his family to graduate from college.Unfortunately, since Noel is still waiting for his citizenship, he's not qualified for financial aid.And after just a few months of going to school full-time and working full-time, he was ready to give in. "I'm working too much. I'm not going to do it. It's impossible. But then you get some help, and that's my break. " The break was a $ 1,500 scholarship from the Gardeners Foundation. In the last two years, the foundation has awarded 13 such prizes to low-income kids, regardless of citizenship. And Tabia plans to give out hundreds more. How does a gardener come up with that kind of cash? "I was thinking and thinking and suddenly, the clients V " he said."That's where the money is coming from. We work for clients with a lot of money. " Tabia and his gardener friends just started knocking on those mansion doors-and the checks have been rolling in ever since. "There might be some gardeners at your graduation," someone said to Noel."I'm sure there will and I'm going to invite them," he replied. Tabia is now hoping this idea catches on with the gardeners around the country. And whether that happens or not, and whether he realizes it or not, Tabia has already finished what he came to America to do-become somebody. The Bay Area Gardeners Foundation is an organization which_. In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people. I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth depended on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs . The development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten. However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the common players, they are strongly against competition. Most of them are young people who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these youngsters, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to find failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: " I may have lost, but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try." What is not usually accepted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one's self-worth depends on how well one performs in the competition. Both are afraid of not being valued. We can discover a new meaning in competition only as this kind of fear begins to disappear. Which point of view may the author agree to?
It's Sunday today. Students are having good time in the park. Look, there is a table under a big tree, three students are sitting there. Lucy is reading a book, she looks very happy. Next to her is another girl, she's Mary. She is eating apples with her friend Jean. They think the apples are very delicious. Other girls are drawing pictures there.In the middle of the park, there is a playground. There are four boys, they are playing basketball. Lisa is watching them, and singing beautiful songs. Near the lake, Mr. Li is telling interesting stories for other students, they are so happy and relaxing. Which of the following is NOT TRUE? Answer: Mary is playing basketball with boys. Dear Mary, I must go to see your grandparents now.I prepare these things for you.Your dictionary is in the bookcase.Your schoolbag is on the sofa.Your pencil box,notebooks and your school card are in the schoolbag.Your jacket is on the chair.Don't _ your watch.It's on the desk. Love you. Mom Who writes the note ? Answer: Mary's mother A few minutes before six o'clock, Mr. Smith decided to leave. He was about to start the car when a gunman jumped up from the back seat. He held a gun to Mr. Smith's head. "Drive me to Paris!" he shouted. "All right", Mr. Smith answered. He started the engine, pulled away from the side of the street and drove down. Being eighty-one years old, he knew he could not fight the gunman. He knew he needed help. Where were the police? As he drove through a crossing, he looked up and down the side streets, hoping to meet a police car. But he could see nothing. "Just my luck," he thought, "If I was driving too fast, there would be a police car on every corner." Suddenly he pushed his foot down on the accelerator , and the car ran much faster. "What are you doing?" shouted the gunman. "Keeping off the police," Mr. Smith answered. "I thought I saw a police car back there." He ran lights, drove the wrong way on one-way streets. On two-way streets he drove on the wrong side of the road. Not one policeman saw him. Again Mr. Smith's plan was not working. He had to try a new plan. He turned a corner and saw the police station in front. Then he drove his car as fast as he could towards the police gate. The car hit a police motorbike down and stopped. Mr. Smith shouted, "Help! Help!" Then he reached back to grab the man's gun. At the same time the policeman heard the noise and quickly caught the gunman. Which of the following is not TRUE? Answer: Mr. Smith knew he didn't need any help. Mr Baker worked in a big factory. He was busy all the time and had little time to rest. One summer, he decided to go to the sea to spend his holidays. One afternoon, it was very hot. Mr Baker came into a restaurant, sat at a table and wanted to drink. Just then, an old man came up to him and said, "How do you do, sir?" "How do you do?" Mr Baker asked the old man to sit next to him. "Have you been here before?" "No, I haven't." "You look lonely, don't you?" said the old man. "Let's have a bet, shall we?" It interested Mr Baker, "But what shall we bet on?" "I can bite my left eyeball," said the old man, "I can bet you five dollars." Mr Baker didn't believe and passed $5 on the table. The old man took out his glass eyeball, put it into his mouth and bite it. Mr Baker had to give his money. "It doesn't matter young man," the old man said. "I'll give you a chance to win the money back. I can also bite my right eye. I'll bet you $10." "I'm sure he's able to see. And I must win his money," he thought. So he took out ten dollars from his wallet. But he was very surprised, the old man took out his false teeth and bit his right eye with it. Then he put the money into his pocket and went away quickly. After the old man knew _ , he began to make a bet with the young man. Answer: Mr Baker was there for the first time Human beings have a natural desire to explore the unknown. People with a strong interest in space like to say it is the last place left to explore. But scientists are warning that space exploration for long periods is not going to be easy. They say the human body is not designed to stay in space over an extended period. The New York Times recently published a report about scientists who are preparing astronauts for a trip to the Moon. The newspaper said the scientists want to make sure that their crews return home in good health. But there are many problems to be solved before people are ready for long trips to the Moon, an asteroid or even the planet Mars. Humans developed on a planet with a surface that is more than 70 percent water. Our bodies are also about 70 percent water. When there is no gravity that water moves up toward the head, raising pressure in the skull. Arms and legs grow weaker at what is called zero gravity because they no longer need to push against the force of gravity. Five years ago, astronauts who spent weeks in space reported a change in their eyesight. These astronauts were members of the crew on the International Space Station. Research showed a change in the shape of their eyes. Normally-round eyeballs had become flat during time in space. The research also showed that the right eye was affected more than the left, and that men were more affected than women. Scientists could not find an explanation for the differences. Bone loss was one of the problems first reported by astronauts returning to Earth after longer stays in space. So scientists designed exercise machines to use on the space station. Tests showed that the exercise equipment helped space travelers keep their bones almost as strong as when they left Earth. There are other health issues for astronauts who spend a long time in space. They may have problems eating and sleeping. But the biggest health issue is exposure to radiation. On Earth, human beings are protected by the atmosphere and the planet's magnetic field. In outer space, there is no such protection. The following are problems mentioned in the passage Except _ . Answer: loss of water
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the story of the detective Sherlock Holmes, was having a trip in Europe. One day he got out of the railway station and climbed into a taxi. Before he could say a word, the driver turned to him and asked, "Where can I take you, Mr. Doyle?" Doyle was rather surprised. He asked the driver if he had ever seen him before. "No, sir," the driver replied, "I have never seen you before." Then he explained, "This morning's newspaper had a story about your being on vacation in Marseilles. This is the taxi stop where people who return from Marseilles always come. Your skin color tells me you have been on vacation. The ink spot on your right fingers suggests to me that you are a writer. Your clothes are very English, not French. Adding up all those pieces of information, I conclude that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle." "This is truly surprising!" the writer cried out. "You are a real-life copy to my fictional story, Sherlock Holmes!" "And there is one other thing," the driver added, with a smile on his face. "What's that?" "Your name is on the front of your suitcase." The driver knew the writer's name because _ . A. Doyle told the driver himself B. it was on the front of his suitcase C. the morning's newspaper had said that D. the detective let out the information Answer: B. it was on the front of his suitcase What does the digestive system break down into simple substances? A. metals B. stones C. plastic food D. nutriment Answer: D. nutriment _ (from How Do Animals Move?) Many animals scurry up tree trunks to escape enemies or find food. Some live in the treetops. Many of these animals are not only expert climbers, but they also have found interesting ways to get from tree to tree. How Do Animals Adapt?andHow Do Animals Move? are comprehensive explorations of animal adaptations and movement for young readers. Both are part of a 21 book series,The Science of Living Things. InHow Do Animals Adapt?readers learn how animals adapt to survive with respect not only to climate, darkness, food and defenses but also to offspring and people. These adaptations are well explained in double page spreads with examples clearly depicted in photographs and diagrams and developed through their accompanying captions . As the title suggests, movement is the focus ofHow Do Animals Move?Beginning with a description of the explanation of movement, the reader is exposed to the many different ways of animals movement in the air, on land, under ground and in the water. Several unconventional variations (e.g. looping of inchworms, the rectilinear motion of snakes) are included. Once again, the photographs and diagrams plainly support the double page spread discussions of animal movement. The language of both titles is simple enough for young readers without talking down to them. In both books, terminology is featured in . Some of these words are explained in the basic glossary while the majority are explained clearly in the text. Many of these terms provide readers with some fascinating, uncommon words (e.g. brachiation, potassium, skein, and estimate). As do many of Kalman's book, both of these titles have a table of contents, glossary and index which are all enough to introduce young readers to the nature of these tools. Both titles would make excellent additions to any science collection for young readers. What's "excerpt" at the beginning of the passage? A. An introduction to some games. B. Readers' comment on the books. C. Advice on how to read the books. D. A short piece of writing from the books. Answer: D. A short piece of writing from the books. You may know about " junk food" like French fries. But do you know about "junk sleep"? Recently, a British survey found that electronic products in teenagers bedrooms are affecting their sleep. The survey was done among 1,000 British kids from 12 to 16. It found that thirty percent of them got just 4 to 7 hours sleep every day. But doctors say they need 8 to 9 hours. Almost a quarter of the kids said they fell asleep more than once a week while watching TV, listening to music or using other electronic products. "This is very worrying." Said Dr Chris Idzikowski, a British expert, "We call it 'junk sleep', It means you don't get enough sleep and the quality of the sleep is bad, too. If you don't get good rest, you don't perform well in school the next day." The survey found that 40 percent of the kids felt tired each day, with girls between 13 and 16 feeling the worst. Nearly all the teenagers have a phone, Mp4 or TV IN THEIR BEDROOM. And many of them have all three. This passage is mainly about _ . A. junk food B. junk sleep C. electronic products D. the importance of sleep Answer: B. junk sleep My husband and children think they are very lucky that they are living and that it's Christmas again. We live on a dirty street in a dirty house among people who aren't much good. But Johnny and children can't see this,never can they see! What a pity it is that our neighbors have to make happiness out of all this dirt. I decided that my children must get out of this. The money that we've saved isn't nearly enough. The McGaritys have money but they are so proud. They look down upon the poor. The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of candy while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts; and when she couldn't eat any more she threw the rest down the sewer . Why, is it only because they have money? There is more to happiness than money in the world, isn't there? Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn't rich, but she knows things. She understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. She can read your mind. I'd like to see the children be like Miss Jackson when they grow up. What do you think of McGarity girl? A. She is proud and hungry. B. She is selfish and cruel. C. She is lonely and friendless. D. She is unhappy and misunderstood. Answer: B. She is selfish and cruel.
Although he died almost 40 years ago,Bruce Lee is still considered the greatest and most influential kung fu performer of the 20th century.His films brought traditional Hong Kong kung fu movies to a new level of popularity,and introduced kung fu to millions of people in the West. Bona in the USA in 1940,Lee returned to his native Hong Kong before his birthday.As a teenager,the highly intelligent boy was accepted into one of Hong Kong's most famous middle schools but he paid little attention to his studies. He was more interested in sport,especially kung fu,and hanging out with his street-gang friends. In 1959,Lee got into trouble with the police for fighting.His mother,fearing he would end up in prison,sent him to the USA. Two years later,he began studying at university there. While still a student,Lee opened his own kung fu school,teaching a new fighting style he had developed.What made Lee's style different was that it used power,strength and,quick--action attacks.It also combined Japanese,Korean and South American fighting styles with traditional stow--moving Chinese kung fu. Among Lee's students were several famous actors who,impressed by his good--looks and fighting skill,encouraged him to start acting.Over the next fire years Lee achieved some Success in America.But his dream of introducing his fighting style into American movies was not accepted by local film makers who thought western audiences were not interested in kung fu. Determined to prove them wrong,Lee returned to Hong Kong in 1970.There he made two films (1971)and (1972),using his kung fu ideas and techniques.The movies were huge hits world--wide,making Lee an international star and symbol of kung fu.These were followed by what is widely considered the greatest kung fu movie of all time, (1973).Tragically however,Lee suddenly and mysteriously died while making his next movie . He was only 33 years old. How was Lee's style of kung fu different from the traditional Chinese style? A It was much faster. B It was easier to Iearn. C It made people more powerful. D It was much more dangerous, Answer: A China is the first developing country to host the Olympic Games in modern Olympic history. It hopes to learn from other countries that have held Olympic Games. As well as new buildings, the government wants more people to work in all the services in Beijing. There are a lot more people in the city, because of all the visitors to the Olympics. The city also need more places to eat and drink, because visitors eat out a lot. The government says the Beijing Olympics are "green", "hi-tech" , and "the People's Olympics". They want everyone to feel part of the Olympics. So the Chinese people have prepared for the Olympics too. Many people learn English to work as guides in 2008. The Beijing organizers make sure everything that is built for the Olympics can be used after the Games are over. So the Chinese people work for the Olympics and they can benefit from the Olympics too. When the Olympics are over, the people of Beijing can use the swimming pools and other Olympics sports centers. Why does the government want more people to work in Beijing? A Because the services in Beijing used to be very poor. B Because many people can't find jobs in their hometown. C Because many visitors will come to Beijing. D Because there are too many buildings Answer: C Bringing a giraffe into the world is _ . A baby giraffe is born 10 feet high and usually lands on its back. Within seconds it rolls over its legs under its body. Then the mother giraffe rudely introduces its children to the reality of life. In his book,A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond describes how a new-born giraffe learns its first lesson. The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she puts herself directly over her child. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She throws her long leg and kicks her baby, so that it's sent sprawling . When it doesn't get up, the process is repeated again and again. The struggle to rise is important. As the baby giraffe grows tired, the mother kicks it again. Finally, it stands for the first time on its shaky legs. Then the mother giraffe kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, a baby giraffe must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with its group, where there's safety. Another writer named Irving Stone understood this. He spent a lifetime studying greatness, writing stories about such men as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin. Stone was once asked if he had found something that runs through the lives of all these great people. He said, "I write about people who sometime in their life have a dream of something. They're beaten over the head, knocked down and for years they get nowhere. But every time they stand up again. And at the end of their lives they've realized some small parts of what they set out to do ." Which of the following statements is True according to the passage? A This passage is a description of giraffes' living habits. B Baby giraffes can't stand up until three months old. C Irving Stone spent a lifetime studying and writing stories about great people. D The great people can't stand up after they're knocked down for years. Answer: C Five years ago, when I taught art at a school in Seattle, I used Tinkertoys as a test at the beginning of a term to find out something about my students. I put a small set of Tinkertoys in front of each student, and said:"Make something out of the Tinkertoys. You have 45 minutes today - and 45minutes each day for the rest of the week." A few students hesitated to start. They waited to see the rest of the class would do. Several others checked the instructions and made something according to one of the model plans provided. Another group built something out of their own imaginations. Once I had a boy who worked experimentally with Tinkertoys in his free time. His constructions filled a shelf in the art classroom and a good part of his bedroom at home. I was delighted at the presence of such a student. Here was an exceptionally creative mind at work. His presence meant that I had an unexpected teaching assistant in class whose creativity would infect other students. Encouraging this kind of thinking has a downside. I ran the risk of losing those students who had a different style of thinking. Without fail one would declare, "But I'm just not creative." "Do you dream at night when you're asleep?" "Oh, sure." "So tell me one of your most interesting dreams." The student would tell something wildly imaginative. Flying in the sky or in a time machine or growing three heads. "That's pretty creative. Who does that for you?" "Nobody. I do it." "Really-at night, when you're asleep?" "Sure." "Try doing it in the daytime, in class, okay?" Why did the teacher ask the students to talk about their dreams? A To help them to see their creativity. B To find out about their sleeping habits. C To help them to improve their memory. D To find out about their ways of thinking. Answer: A Buckingham Palace is the Queen's house in London and one of only a few working royal palaces left in the world. Located in the heart of London and surrounded by 2 royal parks, a trip to Buckingham Palace is a must for any visitor to London during August and September. Ticket Pricing Adult: PS20.50 Over 60/Student (with valid ID): PS18.80 Child (under 17): PS11.80 Child (under 5): Free Opening Time 2015 1st August - 27th September 2015 There are plenty of exciting things to see and do at Buckingham Palace. State Rooms The 19 State Rooms at the palace are regularly used by the Royal family to entertain guests on their State, and official visits to the United Kingdom. During August and September the Queen makes her yearly visit to Scotland allowing the palace to open up these rooms to the public. A Royal Welcome Exhibition This special exhibition at the Palace will provide a unique understanding of what goes into creating an official state visit to Buckingham Palace. What food is cooked in the Royal Kitchen? What porcelain and bed linens are to be used? Every detail is examined carefully and perfected by Royal workers at the Palace during visits by VIP guests. The Garden The finale of a visit is a walk along the south side of the garden with views over the famous lake and over 350 different species of wild flowers. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch. Email Address: info@londonpass.com Please call us on: +44 (0)20 7293 0972 You can write to us at: The Leisure Pass Group Limited 75 Wells Street London W1T 3QH You may have the chance to visit Buckingham Palace, if you go to England _ . A in the summer vacation B in the winter vacation C in the May Day holiday D in the Chinese National Day holiday Answer: A
It is natural that young people are often uncomfortable when they are with their parents. They say that their parents don't understand them. They often think that their parents are out of touch with modern ways: that that they are too serious and too strict with their children; and they seldom give their children a free hand. It is true that parents often find it difficult to win their children's trust and they are easy to forget how they themselves felt when young. For example, young people like to act right away without much thinking. It is one of their ways to show that they have grown up and they can face any difficult situation. Older people worry more easily. Most of them plan things ahead, at least in their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset by something unexpected. When you want your parents to let you do something, you will have better success, if you ask before you really start doing it. Young people often make their parents angry with their choices in clothes, in entertainment and in music. But they do not mean to cause any trouble; it is just that they feel cut off from the older people's world, into which they have not yet been accepted. That's why young people want to make a new culture of their own. And if their parents like their music of entertainment or clothes or their ways of speech, this will make young people especially happy. Sometimes you are so proud of yourself that you do not want your parents to say "yes" to what you do. All you want is to be left alone and do what you like. It is natural enough, after being a child for so many years, when you were completely under your parents' control. If you plan to control your life, you'd better win your parents over and try to get them to understand you. If your parents see that you have a high sense of responsibility, they will certainly give you the right to do what you want to do. According to the text, young people tend to _ . A. ask for advice before they really start to do anything B. doing things without thinking carefully ahead C. be very strict with themselves D. think in the same way as their parents do Answer: B "Are you happy?" The simple question usually makes people confused . Even Mo Yan, who won a Nobel Prize, replied to it by saying, "I don't know." When a migrant worker was asked, "Are you happy? (Ni Xing Fu Ma?)" by a CCTV reporter, he looked confused before replying, "My family name is Zeng. (Wo Xing Zeng.)" This has become a joke. But his answer showed migrant workers and TV reporters live in different worlds and they cannot even communicate with each other. Similarly, when asked, "Are you happy?" a 73-year-old man, collecting used plastic bottles in a street in Zhejiang, said, "The bottles can be sold for 0.1 yuan each." Asked again, he said, "The government is good." The reporter went on, "My question is 'Are you happy?'" The old man answered, "My hearing is not good." The reporter probably tried to reach the same answer that the interviewees including the migrant worker and the old man are "happy". In fact, when the question is asked, we should learn about people's true situation and their true wishes and opinions but their "Yes" or "No". Luckily, the government has paid more attention to the importance. Now there are many TV programs giving common people the chance to give their opinions. "Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily." At last year's National People's Congress , Wen Jiabao said and agreed that increasing happiness would be a top aim for the 12th five-year plan. The government has paid more attention to the importance of _ . A. learning about people's true wishes and opinions B. people's different replies to "Are you happy?" C. improving migrant workers' education D. keeping the old people's health Answer: A Hilary Smith belonged to a good family.But by the age of twenty, he had spent all the money the good old family had.He then had some trouble with the bank and was put in prison.He escaped from the prison and ran to Australia without delay. Hilary did not like Australia. What he could do seemed to be one of two things: die or work.Then he remembered that he was not alone in the world.He had an aunt. She was his father's only sister, but his father used to say she brought no glory to the family.Hilary, of course, tried to discover what she had done.It seemed that she had failed to marry a nobleman.Instead, she had chosen a husband who was connected with "trade".Of course as soon as she became "Mrs Parks" ,her brother considered her dead.Later on, Mr Parks died and left her a lot of money; but that did not bring her back to life in her brother's opinion. Hilary discovered his aunt's address.Fortunately she remained faithful and honest to him even after she fell ill.So Hilary's star shone again, and soon he moved into her house and lived as comfortably as a sailor who had just reached harbour.He had only about a six pence in his pocket. One thing was soon clear: his aunt was seriously ill, and nothing could cure her illness.Hilary was very worried.Fate had found a home for him, and was now going to throw him out of it.There was only one thing that could save him: her will. "Will?" she said, "yes, I have made one.That was when I was a girl and had not much money.I left all my money to some religious people." "Didn't you make another will when you were married?" Hilary asked. His aunt shook her head."No," she said in a low voice, "There was no need.When I finally had a lot of money I found I had no relations." On the next day he went to the public library and examined a book of law.It told him what he already believed.When a woman is married, an earlier will lose its value.A new will must be made.If no new will is made, the money goes to the nearest relation.Hilary knew that he was his aunt's only relation.His future was safe. After a few months had passed, Hilary's problems became serious.He badly needed money.He had expensive tastes, and owed a lot of money to shopkeepers.They trusted him because his aunt was rich; but the debt was terrible. Unfortunately his aunt did not want to discuss money matters at all.In the end they had a quarrel about the small amount of ten pounds.Hilary was not very angry.He began to wonder about a new problem.Was it kind to want his aunt to live.any longer? Was it not better for her to die now? While he was considering what to do, his aunt told him that she was going to send for her lawyer.So she was going to make a new will, Hilary thought.She might leave all her money to someone else.Soon he reached a clear decision. _ One night when the old servant who had been nursing his aunt went off, he doubled the amount of some medicine.The total amount was too great and it could just put her to sleep forever. "Thank you," his aunt took the glass from his hand with a grateful look."I want more than anything to sleep, and never to wake up again.Is that what you wish, Hilary? Don't blame me if I have some doubts about what you intended to do.Sick people get these ideas, you know.One thing I ought to explain to you.Mr Parks never married me.He already had a wife and couldn't marry again.That made your foolish father very angry with me...Well, if I am alive tomorrow I shall make another will in your favour.If I die tonight, you'll get nothing...No, Hilary, don't try to take the glass away.If you do that, I shall know and I don't want to know.Goodnight, Hilary." Then, very carefully, she raised the glass to her mouth and drank. Which of the following is the focus of the story? A. Hilary's aunt's money. B. Hilary Smith's debts. C. The intended murder. D. Hilary's aunt's marriage. Answer: A It's the worst event in human being's nautical history , six times more deadly than the Titanic . When the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff was hit by torpedoes fired from a Russian submarine in the final winter of World War II , more than 10,000 people - mostly women , children and old people fleeing the final Red Army push into Nazi Germany - were packed aboard . An ice storm had turned the decks into frozen sheets that sent hundreds of families sliding into the sea as the ship tilted and began to go down . Others desperately tried to put lifeboats down . Some who succeeded fought off those in the water who had the strength to try to claw their way aboard . Most people froze immediately . " I'll never forget the screams , " says Christa Ntitzmann , 87 , one of the 1,200 survivors . She recalls watching the ship , brightly lit , slipping into its dark grave-and into seeming nothingness , rarely mentioned for more than half a century . Now Germany's Nobel Prize-winning author Gtinter Grass has revived the memory of the 9,000 dead , including more than 4,000 children-with his latest novel Crab Walk , published last month . The book ,which will be out in English next year , doesn't dwell on the sinking : its heroine is a pregnant young woman who survives the catastrophe only to say later : " Nobody wanted to hear about it , not here in the West ( of Germany ) and not at all in the East . " The reason was obvious . As Grass put in a recent interview with the weekly Die Woche : " Because the crimes we Germans are responsible for were and are so dominant , we didn't have the energy left to tell of our own sufferings . " The long silence about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was probably unavoidable - and necessary . By unreservedly owning up to their country's monstrous crimes in the Second World War , Germans have managed to win acceptance abroad , _ the neo-Nazis at home and make peace with their neighbors . Today's unified Germany is more prosperous and stable than at any time in its long , troubled history . For that , a half century of willful forgetting about painful memories like the German Titanic was perhaps a reasonable price to pay . But even the most politically correct Germans believe that they've now earned the right to discuss the full historical record . Not to equate German suffering with that of its victims , but simply to acknowledge a terrible tragedy . Why does the author say the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was the worst event in nautical history ? A. It was attacked by Russian torpedoes . B. Most of its passengers were frozen to death . C. Its victims were mostly women and children . D. It caused the largest number of casualties . Answer: D People use their mouths for many things.They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In English language ,there are many expressions using the word "mouth".Foe example, If you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say " Don't bad mouth me." Sometimes ,people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person's feelings.Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: "I really put my foot in my mouth this time." If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words , he might fell sad for saying the wrong thing. Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something.The other person might protest: "I did not say that .Non't put words in my mouth." Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. Ypu might say such a person, " was born with a silver spoon in his mouth." This rich person is the opposite who lives from hand to mouth. This person is verry poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life ,like food. Parents might sometimes withold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things.For example,if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child.The parents might even tell the child to "stop mouthing off." But enough of all this talk.I have been "running my mouth long enough." By saying, "I have been running my mouth long enough." The speaker means, " _ " A. I have run a long away B. I have been a mouthy person C. I have learned a lot D. I have talked too much. Answer: D
A recent survey in the United States showed that the average family spent more money on its pets than on its children. Although rather shocking, it should not surprise anyone who has seen the doggy parlors where loved pets rest. Are Americans unique in treating their little friends in this way? No, the English, too, pay more attention to their pets. This can clearly be seen when we look at pet foods, which often contain more vitamins than human food. They certainly cost much. Last year the British public spent two hundred million pounds on pet food alone, to say nothing of veterinary bills or animal furniture. It is difficult not to feel angry about this when considering what the same amount could do for victims of starvation and poverty, so it is not unusual for me _ when I read an old man left all his money to his dog instead of his children. There are a variety of reasons why I find pets-raising alarming. They cause physical problems. An example of this is New York where they have great difficulty getting rid of the mess that dogs leave on the streets. Many people find this funny, but in a number of large cities it is a major problem. Animals can cause disease, too. It is the threat of rabies -- a disease with no known cure. Another problem is the carelessness of pet owners. Most little children want a dog or a cat, and they continually push their mothers and fathers until they get one. It is only when the "sweet little thing" has been brought home that the parents realize how much time and money must be spent on "Rover" or "Bonzo". Then they just abandon it. As a result, they are allowed to run free. English farmers lose hundreds of sheep a year, killed by someone's pet and you must have read of children being hurt by some pets of their own. Lastly, I would only suggest that we have got our priorities wrong and that something should be done about it. In my view, it's time we stopped being sentimental about pets. I can see no reason why we should get upset when animals are cut up for medical experiments. This will lead us to discovering cures for serious human diseases, then I say, "keep cutting!" What is author's attitude towards pets-raising? Answer: Opposed. The Chinese put up with a lot living in the world's most populous country: standing on over-crowded trains for 40 hours; sleeping outside hospitals to secure a doctor's appointment; waiting more than a year to earn a driver's license. Add getting a U.S. entry visa to the list. Applicants here have waited as long as 60 days to secure an appointment at one of five U.S. consular locations in China that process visas. There, they're often greeted by long lines, followed by a face-to-face interview that can end badly in a matter of seconds. Now there are only about 100 U.S. visa officers in China, facing considerable challenges during the summer when tourists and students travel the most. "It's not easy work," Charles Bennett, minister-counselor for Consular Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, said to his staff. "You're making, in some cases, life-changing decisions many times a day, and that can cause great tiredness." To adapt, US consular services expanded their hours, took on about a dozen additional staff and hope to have another 20 officers by spring. More facilities are also being expanded. Despite the shocking numbers, the embassy remains troubled by charges that it rejects applicants unreasonably and that the process is unfairly burdensome. "I'm fed up," said Wendy Liu, 24. The single woman from Beijing said she was recently refused a visa and told to re-apply when her personal life and finances were more stable. "I'll go anywhere but the U.S. now," she said. "I thought America was supposed to be a country of freedom." To visit the US, Chinese nationals must prove that they have enough money and family or business ties that make it likely they'll return to China. The Department of Homeland Security said it did not keep records on how many Chinese overstay their visas. Student visas can be refused on grounds of national security. Beijing native Tan Ge, 25, believes he was not accepted after he stated his interests in infrared technology and nanoelectronics on his application. He now studies in Canada after being forced to abandon a full scholarship to Arizona State University. By its very nature, the on-the-spot process at the U.S. Embassy can feel unbearable to Chinese applicants, who are asked to take their bank statements, property deeds , marriage licenses and HUKOU, a Chinese household ID. "It made me feel very uncomfortable," said Xu Yong, 28, a journalist who needed a business visa last month to cover a conference in New York. "They made me feel like someone from a Third World country up to no good." After giving his fingerprints, Xu waited to be called for his interview, sitting in an area that was as quiet as a library. Each passing minute seemed to be as long as a century. After an hour, Xu was called with three other people to a window for their interview. Two were rejected before his turn. Then the American officer, speaking fluent Chinese, reached for Xu's paperwork, asked some simple questions and said, "Congratulations." "I was so nervous. The first thing I did when I got out was to call my mom and tell her I passed," Xu said. "She was the one who warned me it wasn't going to be easy." Beijing native Tan Ge was refused a U.S. visa probably because he _ . Answer: was supposed to be unsafe for the U.S. Pop music is the name for different forms of popular, commercial music. It had its beginning in the USA and spread throughout the whole world during the 1950s and 1960s. It is widely liked by the young people. The best known early form of pop music was "rock-n-roll"; another was "blues". A more recent development is "folk-rock". Pop music has taken the place of native music in many parts of the world; it has caused the number of people for jazz to become much smaller than it was in the 1950s and earlier, and it has now begun to rule musical stage productions. It's a big industry. Much pop music is without artistic value, but the work of some pop singers, e.g. the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the groups like Floyd and Crosby, Stills and Nash, is on a higher musical level. And there is still a great interest in it today. Pop music concerts and festivals are held all over the world. ks5u Which of the following is TRUE? Answer: Not all pop music is without artistic value. This is a picture of Mr. Li's family. The man in the middle is Mr. Li. The woman is Mrs. Li's wife. They have two sons. The child behind Mr. Li is Li Lei. He's thirteen. The boy in front of Mrs. Li is Li Ming. He is seven. Li Lei and Li Ming are in the same school, but not in the same grade. Li Lei is in Grade Two. Li Ming is in Grade One. They are good students. Li Ming is _ brother. Answer: Li Lei's The first day of school always goes wrong. For many students in the United States, however, this year it was even more so. It was all due to one extra school policy - they are now required to follow a new standardized dress code. According to the handbooks of all high schools in Allentown, Pennsylvania, students must wear short- or long-sleeve polo shirts and khaki or black pants. Skinny jeans, leggings and open-toe shoes are not allowed. Allentown schools are not alone. At Edgewater High School in Florida, shirts must have collars or sleeves, and pants must not sag and reach at least mid-thigh . No see-through shirts or T- shirts with references to sex on them are allowed. Overall, more than half of US public schools now enforce dress codes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. About 57 percent of schools now have a "strict dress code", up from more than 47 percent a decade earlier, USA Today said. Among young people, there are mixed emotions. Some don't mind wearing similar clothes every day while others aren't happy. Despite dress codes in many school districts, some students still come to school - even on their first day - in skirts that are too short, necklines that are too low and sagging pants that don't stay up on their hips. But there are punishments. If they are out of dress code, students can be removed from the classroom until they fix the problem. In Florida, wearing sagging pants is illegal for youths according to a state law issued in 2011. Breaking the rule results in not being able to do after-school activities, and even being forbidden to attend class. Some US schools go further and require students to wear uniforms. Many say that they simplify their jobs, saving teachers from having to punish students for wearing skirts or shorts that are too short, for instance. They can also prevent feelings of competition and envy among students. "It takes away the daily fashion show and helps level the playing field a little bit with the haves and have-nots," longtime school safety consultant Ken Trump told USA Today. Critics of uniforms say they rob students of individuality. But for some people, that's a lazy argument. "Clothing isn't the only form of self-expression. Students should know that it's what they do that counts," commented a parent named Beth Kassab in The Orlando Sentinel in Florida. According to the new standardized dress code, students in the US are allowed to wear _ . Answer: knee-length pants
Damini Bansal (14 years old) Freedom is something different in everybody's way of thinking--a student would probably like to raise a revolt against all the obnoxious rules of his or her school and as a grown up one might want to have less responsibilities . Freedom according to me is the power in me to make some of my life's decisions on my own. And this Independence Day will be a lot more different than our first one in 1947 when people actually came to know what it was like to be free, for them it was the dawn of a new day, it was a day when they could do what they felt was right. We have come far from all of this. We now no longer see the Independence Day as a day of very great importance for the students of my class (and most of the children of my age), and the most important value is that it is a holiday. Arihant Jain (12 years old) We can do anything we want like not going to school. Everything should be free. We should not pay money to buy anything. Can go anywhere I want...to the playground when exams are on. Chatting on phone as long as I want. To eat dinner outside everyday. In school being able to play sports and not study. Flying Kites. As a student, Damini Bansal thinks . Answer: Mr. Ellis is very old. He has seen many changes in his home town. He knows that things are different now. But he never forgets the old days. He likes to talk about them. He often talks about his favourite birds, the robins (----). "When I was a boy, these houses were not here. There were wide fields and tall trees. Every spring robins would come. Thousands of them would fly up to the north from the south. They spent the winter in the south. Some would build their nests in the trees near our houses. Then people started to cut down trees, and they built more houses. The robins stopped coming. They couldn't build their nests near our houses because there were no trees." "Now there are too many houses and too many roads. There are no places for the robins. They do come any more ." From the passage we can know that _ . Answer: My mother always told us there is no use crying over spilt milk. That means you should not get angry when something bad happens and cannot be changed. She also told us you have to break some eggs to make an omelet . This means you have to do what is necessary to move forward. My mother believed you are what you eat. A good diet is important for good health. She would always give us healthy food. She liked serving us meat and potatoes for dinner. The meat and potatoes can also mean the most important part of something. It describes someone who likes simple things. People always said my father was the salt of the earth, because he would never pour salt on a wound , or make someone feel worse about something that was already a bad experience. However, sometimes he told us a story that seemed bigger than life. So we had to take it with a grain of salt. That is, we could not believe everything he told us. My manager at work does not always know what is going on in our office. Yet she is right about one thing: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Something may appear to be free, but there may be a hidden cost. When we fail to see problems at work, the manager tells us to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to pay more attention and fix the problem. I once made a big mistake at the office and felt silly. I had egg on my face. Over the weekend, my friend invited me to watch a football game on television. But I do not like football. It is not my cup of tea. I hope I have given you food for thought, that is, something to think about. In people's eyes, the author's father _ . Answer: Once there was a man who had two children, a boy and a girl. The boy was good-looking but the girl was not. One day they found a mirror for the first time and they saw what they looked like. The boy was very pleased and he said to his sister, "How handsome I am! I look much nicer than you!" The girl did not like what her brother said and gave him a hard push. "Go away!" she said. Their father saw what was happening. He went up to them and said to the boy, "You must always BE good as well as LOOK good." Then to the girl he said, "My dear, if you help everyone and do your best to please him, everyone will love you. It does not matter that you are not as good-looking as your brother." What can we learn from this story? Answer: Mr. White is an American. He is 38. He teaches science in a school now. He is always busy. Every day he gets up early and gets home late. He is strict in his work. His favorite sport is soccer. He often plays soccer with his students on Fridays. He wants to be a newspaper reporter because he likes writing stories. He hopes he can come to China next year. ,(10) What does he like doing? Answer:
One summer morning a tiger is walking near a lake. He wants to eat something. He is very hungry. In the lake, a duck is swimming ."That is my breakfast," thinks the tiger. "Good morning, Mr. Duck!" says the tiger. "Go away, you bad tiger!" says the duck. "I want to tell you something about your friend, Miss Chicken. If you don't come, I'll go. Good bye. Mr. Duck." "Wait a minute," says the duck. "Tell me!" The tiger looks around ,"I don't want other animals to know it. Come up to me," says the tiger. Then Mr. Duck swims to the tiger. As soon as(............) he gets to the bank ,the tiger gets it and eats it up. He laughs best that laughs last.. The tiger pretends he is _ to the duck. Answer: friendly The unwanted disturbing of a mobile phone ringing at a critical moment has led to some famously strong reactions British actor Richard Grif-fiths,stopped a performance at the National Theatre and ordered The offending party to leave Judge Robert Restaino went considerably further.He was hearing a session of domestic violence offenders in a court when proceedings were interrupted by rings of a phone. "Everyone is going to jail unless I get that instrument now," he shouted. Over the next two hours,the judge entered a period of "incredible madness".He began by ordering the doors of the court locked,and set the officers to searching for the phone. When that failed to find the offending item he ordered each of the defendants present in the room up to his bench and in turn asked them if they had no idea, he sent each in turn to jail . All 46 of them. When a defendant protested the judge's actions were not fair to those who didn't possess the phone,Restaino replied:"I know it isn't. Judge's actions caused chaos.Extra officers had to be drafted into the court to control the crowd.and booking officers at the city jail were at full stretch." _ ", one said at the time. Fourteen of the defendants were shackled( )in irons and sent to the county jail. The judge cooled off and later that afternoon released all 46. The "two hours of viral lunacy ", has probably cost Restaino his job.The commission ruled that he should be removed from his $14,000 job.Restaino now has 30 days to appeal . His lawyer pointed out that until that moment he had served 11 years as a judge without any disciplinary issues."With the exception of two hours.his record is spotless." Two hours of viral lunacy will _ Answer: most likely make Robert lose his job In America, when people say "man's best friend", they don't mean another person. Instead, they are talking about a lovely animal:A dog! These words show the friendship between people and animals. Dogs and other pets can give happiness to people's lives. Some people think of their pets as their children. A few even leave all their money to their pets when they die! Animals can help people, too. Dogs can be taught to become the "eyes"for a blind person or "ears"for a deaf people. Scientists have found that pets help people live longer! They make people happier, too. Because of that, animals are brought into hospitals for "visit". Americans hold "Be---Kind-to-Animals Week"in the first week of May. Pets shows are held during the week. Even if you don't live in America, you, too, can do this. How? First, think about how animals make your life richer. If you have a pet, take more time this week to play with it. Remember to give it delicious food. Also, be sure to keep your pet from those unwanted babies. If you don't have a pet, be kind to animals around you. For example, if you see a street dog, don't kick it or throw things at it. Instead, just leave it alone, or beter yet, make friends with it. If others around you do bad things to an animal, try to shop them. As people, we must protect animals who can't speak for themselves. What's the most popular activity in the "Be-Kind-to-Animals Week"? Answer: Holding a pet show in the week. Money off your rented textbooks from TextbookRental.ca Offer details Pay online Limit 1 voucher per person, may buy 5 more for others Shipping is extra (average $6, return shipping included) The voucher is valid towards shipping Taxes extra High spots Save up to 75% on every textbook Rent books by the semester Fast shipping Buyback program for your old books Make a great gift Keeping school expenses low is important. Get a better bargain on academic supplies with today's WagJag: for $10, receive $25 towards rental textbooks from TextbookRental.ca. TextbookRental.ca helps students continue with their study while saving precious money for other purposes. The site contains books in all academic fields--arts, sciences, business, education and more. Once you find your desired textbooks, complete the easy checkout process and your course materials will be shipped to your dorm or home. Discounts on each single book vary but can save you up to 75%. After the semester finishes, mail back your books (free of marking, stains or other damage), using the included prepaid return envelope. The site's 15-day return policy lets you send unneeded books back for a refund. Centered in Toronto, TextbookRental.ca has delivery places across the country to make sure students from Victoria to St. John's get their textbooks in a timely fashion. The site also lets students save a little money by buying their previously purchased used textbooks. If you're not happy with your purchase, let us know why and we'll give you a full refund. Seriously, it's that simple! TextbookRental.ca Contact WagJag--WagJag Business Hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. E-mail: info@wagjag.com Phone: 416-687-5848 Toll free :1-855-492-4524 Fax: 1-866-268-4286 What can be learned about the activity of renting textbooks launched by TextbookRental.ca? Answer: It can be enjoyed all over Canada. If you want to cook something quickly, you heat it from both sides. That's what's happening to the West Antarctic ice sheet . A new study reveals that the area under the ice sheet is far hotter than previously thought, fed by an unexpected flow of geothermal energy . While the CO2we send out heats the atmosphere above the continent, earth is melting us ice from below. If you were to drill deep at some place on the continents, you would find that the temperature increases about 25degC for every kilometer deep into the hole on average. Scientists call this the geothermal gradient . Until recently, no one had drilled deeply enough through the West Antarctic ice to determine the geothermal gradient underground. For the new study, researchers drilled all the way through the ice and into the mud. They found that the geothermal gradient was about 200degC, which is several times the global average on continents. Few predicted this result, although it had been showed that the earth below the West Antarctic ice is unusually hot. Even with the new discovery, though, we still don't know exactly where the heat is coming from. One interesting possibility is volcanoes, which are under the ice. As recently as 2013, scientists were still discovering volcanoes under the ice in the area, and there may be many more. Some people say that these volcanoes, rather than manmade climate change, are responsible for melting the area's ice. While it's true that heat coming from within the earth, including heat related to volcanoes, makes the melting faster, it is just one contributor to the loss of the West Antarctic ice sheet---not the main cause. Today's study could help us understand how the whole system, including global warming, is melting the ice. The author would probably agree that _ . Answer: global warming is surely one reason for the melting of the ice
"Good fences make good neighbors", the television commentator said, misquoting Robert Frost for the millionth time in my memory.It made me wonder if the poet was not looking down from Heaven and sadly shaking his head. No line of poetry has ever been more misused in history than that one.It comes from Frost' s great poem Mending Wall.In it he writes of him and his neighbor repairing the broken stone wall that divides their property .Frost questions why they are doing so, because there are no animals that need fencing in.He sees as well that the wall is a symbol of the barriers that people create to separate themselves from each other.He wisely writes that, "Before I built a wall I'd ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offence .'Something there is that doesn't love a wall, that wants it down'." His neighbor, however, who Frost describes as a "stone savage" who "moves in darkness" refuses to part from the ways of his forefathers and goes along foolishly with their belief that "Good fences make good neighbors." I wonder if Mr.Frost would have ever written his poem if he had known that the line he wrote in irony would be used again and again to encourage what he was so against.Perhaps he would have written a different one about tearing down the fences that separate us and breaking apart the walls that hide our hearts from each other.Either way, we should embrace the wisdom he shared with us.Fences and walls separate us from each other.We need to take them down stone by stone, walk through them, and embrace each other in joy.We need to love our neighbors.We need to see that good fences DO NOT make good neighbors.They just make lonely hearts. What can we say about the author from the text? A He thinks highly of Frost' s poems. B He has a low opinion of Frost's neighbor. C He looks down upon the TV commentator. D He is anxious about the misunderstanding of Frost's idea. Answer: D Scientists would like to place a huge mirror in space above the earth. It might be sixty miles wide. It would be used to catch the rays of the sun. It would direct the sun's rays upon the earth as a child might do to make sunlight dance on the wall with a hand mirror. Why do they want to do this? The sun's rays could be helpful in many ways. They could light up cities by night. The warm rays could stop frosts which might come at night and hurt fruit crops. They could melt dangerous icebergs in the ocean. Perhaps they could change cloud movements and bring rain where it is needed. The mirror would be used to _ . A reflect sunlight B absorb sunlight C see what the earth looks like D see how clouds move Answer: A Every day, it is easy to see advertisements all around us. Look around. How many different advertisements can you see? Often products show the names of the companies that made them. This is a popular form of advertising. The special picture or symbol, for example, _ , appears on many different products. When you see a logo, it is hard to forget the product or the company. Many people buy a product because it is made by a certain company. In fact, some people only buy the products of the famous companies. They think it proves that they are fashionable and have a good taste. It is common to find or hear advertisements on TV or on the radio. Most advertisements are very short for people to remember. Nike, for example, has a simple slogan used all around the world:"Just do it." Advertisements often use funny situations as well. It is easy to remember an interesting ad. All advertisements are designed to make people buy the products. An advertisement for a soft drink, for example, might show a group of fashionable young people who are having fun. The young people are all drinking the soft drink. Advertisers are saying to you, "Why don't you buy it like these people? You can be young, modern and fashionable,too." You might think that advertisements do not affect you, but the next time you buy a soft drink, ask yourself: Why am I buying this special product? Why do some people only buy the products of the famous companies? A Because they think that they are fashionable and have a good taste. B Because they think the products are good in quality. C Because they like the products and names of the companies. D Because they think some famous people also buy the products. Answer: A Designed specifically for kids that live online, Discovery announced a new fun and interactive homework tool that uses the power of broadband and media to help achieve academic breakthroughs at home. It's COSMEO. With a click of a mouse, kids have instant access to the only online video destination for homework help, report research and learning games. COSMEO boasts more than 30,000 video clips from the top educational publishers and producers in the world, including Discovery. COSMEO also has 15,000 interactive quizzes and 200 subject-related Brain Games---making homework fun! And most importantly-----all the content is aligned by state curriculum standards and grade level----- COSMEO gives kids the tools they need to succeed and gives parents the reassurance that the content is not only safe, but powerfully engineered to help their kids with academic breakthroughs. COSMEO is built on the proven success of Discovery's in-school video streaming resource, which is available in 70,000 schools and reaches 30 million students in the United States. Students who were exposed to their service in the classroom have been scientifically proven to perform 12 to 15 percent better than those who were not. Now kids can access this proven content in their homes, and COSMEO presents the information in a way that is kid-friendly, interactive, appealing and fun. COSMEO is structured for use by multiple children in the same family. Parents simply select the grade level of the user for access to age-appropriate learning materials. COSMEO can help a third-grader with multiplication tables and an older student with algebra equations . COSMEO uses a multimedia, multi- sensory environment to let kids learn in the way they learn best----- in formats they know, use and, most importantly, enjoy! [ Which of the following statements is true? A Online education is successful in the US. B American kids have a tendency to study at home. C COSMEO has been popular with American families. D COSMEO helps kids to learn in an effective way. Answer: D As the father of a student, I have experienced first hand what a great teacher is. My son was in the 4thgrade last year, and he had a teacher called Miss Green. I believe that when he is an adult he will surely look back on her as the best teacher he has ever had. My son has attention deficit disorder that makes it a little more difficult for him to learn. She was able to change her teaching methods for him so that he could keep up with the rest of the class. As a result, he got straight As on many subjects. She regarded her class as a family and they even had their own class song. She would often have them sing it to encourage them and develop a team spirit for them. When she saw that they were no longer listening carefully to what she was teaching, she would have them close their textbooks, stand up all around the room and throw around a small football. This helped them clear their minds and then _ the lesson again. Besides, she was quick to reply to any phone calls or emails from us and got rid of our worries about children quickly. When my son went to the 5thgrade this year, we happened to pass her classroom. When she saw my son, her face lit up and she came out and hugged him. She generally loves all of the children in her classroom and that love really shows. I can only pray that my son will continue to get teachers just like her for the rest of his school years. We can learn from the text that _ . A Miss Green was the best teacher at the school B all the students in the school liked Miss Green C Miss Green didn't teach the writer's son in the 5 thgrade D the writer's son had many teachers like Miss Green Answer: C
Question: About how many Earth days does it take the Moon to travel around Earth? A. 1 B. 27 C. 180 D. 365 Answer: B Question: Several animal species including gorillas in Rwanda and tigers in Bangladesh could risk extinction if the impact of climate change and extreme weather on their habitats is not addressed, a UN report showed on Sunday. Launched on the sidelines of global climate negotiations in Durban, the report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization shows how higher temperatures, the rise in sea levels, deforestation and excessive land use have damaged the habitats of certain species, especially in Africa. "Many ecosystems have already been stressed by increasing population, historical and recent deforestation, unsustainable management practices and even invasive species," Eduardo Rojas-Briales, assistant director general at the FAO's forestry department, said at the launch of the report. The most affected areas include mountains, isolated islands and coastal areas, which limit the possibilities for animals to migrate elsewhere and create new habitats. "The remaining populations become surrounded in very small ecosystems, they have inbreeding problems ... and at the end these species may disappear," he added. Other examples of affected animals included elephants in Mali, lions in the Serengeti and crocodiles in Malawi. The report said an estimated 20-30 percent of plant and animal species will be at higher risk of extinction due to global warming and a significant proportion of native species may become extinct by 2050 as a consequence. Other consequences could include the spread of invasive species and infectious diseases, it said. The report urges more focus on restoration of damaged ecosystems, especially those key to dealing with climate change such as mangroves , inland waters, forests, savannahs and grasslands. The FAO also called for the creation of migration corridors for animals in areas where their movement was limited. The organization said while more resources were flowing to biodiversity conservation, more action at the government and policy level was needed. It also urged local communities to develop projects that _ the impact of climate change on wildlife, naming eco-tourism activities as an example. To avoid extinction of some animal species, the UNFAO suggested all the following ways EXCEPT _ . A. restoring damaged ecosystems B. limiting world population growth C. creating movement channels for animals D. urging governments and local communities to take action Answer: B Question: Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west coast. Even since she was a young girl, she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn't changed her mind. After she graduated from high school, she went on to college. Four years later, she received her bachelor's degree (BA) in English and her teaching certificate . Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers, Mrs. Blake takes more classes; she hopes to get a master's degree ( MA ). With an MA, she will receive a higher salary and if possible, she hopes to get a doctor's degree as well. The school day at Mrs. Blake's high school, like that in many high schools in the United States, is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period, which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M, Mrs. Blake must meet with parents, make our examinations, check assignments at all, Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon. According to the article, which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university? A. a doctor's degree - a bachelor's degree - a master's degree B. a bachelor's degree - a master's degree - a doctor's degree C. a master's degree - a bachelor's degree - a doctor's degree D. a bachelor's degree - a doctor's degree - a master's degree Answer: B Question: George had stolen some money, but the police had caught him and he had been put in prison. Now his trial was about to begin, and he felt sure that he would be found guilty and sent to prison for a long time. Then he discovered that an old friend of his was one of the members of the jury at his trial. Of course, he did not tell anybody, but he managed to see his friend secretly one day. He said to him, "Jim, I know that the jury will find me guilty of having stolen the money. I cannot hope to be found not guilty of taking it ---- that would be too much to expect. But I should be grateful to you for the rest of my life if you could persuade the other members of the jury to add a strong recommendation for mercy to their statement that they consider me guilty." "Well, George,"answered Jim. "I shall certainly try to do what I can for you as an old friend, but of course I cannot promise anything. The other eleven people on the jury look terribly strong-minded to me." George said that he would quite understand if Jim was not able to do anything for him, and thanked him warmly for agreeing to help. The trial went on, and at last the time came for the jury to decide whether George was guilty or not. It took them five hours, but in the end they found George guilty, with a strong recommendation for mercy. Of course, George was very pleased, but he did not have a chance to see Jim for some time after the trial. At last, however, Jim visited him in prison, and George thanked him warmly and asked him how he had managed to persuade the other members of the jury to recommend mercy. "Well, George," Jim answered, "as I thought, those eleven men were very difficult to persuade, but I managed it in the end by tiring them out. Do you know, those fools had all wanted to find you not guilty!" 56. We are told that George expected Jim to help _ . A. prove him innocent B. him turn over a new leaf C. lighten his punishment D. him escape from prison Answer: C Question: BELJLNG-Eating at a Beijing restaurant is usually an adventure for foreigners, and particularly when they get the chance to order "chicken without sex life" or "red burned lion head". Sometimes excited but mostly confused, embarrassed or even terrified, many foreigners have long complained about mistranslations of Chinese dishes. And their complaints are often valid, but such an experience at Beijing's restaurants will apparently soon be history. Foreign visitors will no longer, hopefully, be confused by oddly worded restaurant menus in the capital if the government's plan to correctly translate 3,000 Chinese dishes is a success and the translations are generally adopted. The municipal office of foreign affairs has published a book to recommend English translations of Chinese dishes, which aims to help restaurants avoid bizarre translations. It provides the names of main dishes of famous Chinese cuisines in plain English, "an official with the city's Foreign Affairs office said ." Restaurants are encouraged to use the proposed translations, but it will not be compulsory ." It's the city's latest effort to bridge the culture gap for foreign travelers in China. Coming up with precise translations is a task, as some Chinese culinary techniques are untranslatable and many Chinese dishes have no English-language equivalent.The translators, after conducting a study of Chinese restaurants in English-speaking countries, divided the dish names into four categories: ingredients, cooking method, taste and name of a person or a place. For some traditional dishes, pinyin, the Chinese phonetic system, is used, such as mapo tofu(previously often literally translated as "beancurd made by woman with freckles"), baozi(steamed stuffed bun ) and jiaozi (dumplings) to "reflect the Chinese cuisine culture," according to the book. "The book is a blessing to tourist guides like me. Having it, I don't have to rack my brains trying to explain Chinese dishes to foreign travellers," said Zheng Xiaodong, a 31- year - old employe with a Beijing- based travel agency. "I will buy the book as I major in English literature and I'd like to introduce Chinese cuisine culture to more foreign friends," said Han Yang, a postgraduate student at the University of International Business and Economics. It is not clear if the book will be introduced to other parts of China. But on Tuesday, this was the most discussed topic on weibo. com, China's most popular microblogging site. chicken without sex life or "red burned lion head" are mentioned in the beginning of the passage to show _ . A. some Chinese dishes are not well received B. some Chinese dishes are hard to translate C. some Chinese dishes are mistranslated D. some Chinese dishes are not acceptable Answer: C
Question: Every morning Amma gets up at ten to seven. She brushes her teeth, takes a shower and gets dressed . Then she goes to the kitchen and makes breakfast. She usually has orange juice and bread for breakfast. After breakfast, she reads the newspaper. At seven forty--five she leaves home and goes to work by subway. She leaves home at _ . A. 7:40 B. 7:45 C. 7:50 D. 7:55 Answer: B. 7:45 Question: One summer I was driving from my hometown of Tahoe City,Calif.,to New Orleans.In the middle of the desert, I came upon a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him.There was a time in the country when you'd be considered a jerk if you passed by somebody in need. Now you are a fool for helping. With gangs, drug addicts, murderers, rapists, thieves lurking everywhere, "I don't want to get involved" has become a national motto. Several states later I was still thinking about the hitchhiker.Leaving him stranded in the desert did not bother me so much.What bothered me was how easily I had reached the decision.I never even lifted my foot off the accelerator. Does anyone stop any more? I wondered.I recalled Blanche DuBois's famous line:"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers". Could anyone rely on the kindness of strangers these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey from coast to coast without any money, relying solely on the goodwill of his fellow Americans.What kind of Americans would he find? Who would feed him, shelter him,carry him down the road? The idea intrigued me. The week I turned 37,I realized that I had never taken a gamble in my life.So I decided to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny.It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar.I would only accept offers of rides, food and a place to rest my head.My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina,a symbol of all the fears I'd have to conquer during the trip. I rose early on September 6, 1994, and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge with a 50pound pack on my back and a sign displaying my destination to passing vehicles:"America". For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles across 14 states.As I traveled, folks were always warning me about someplace else.In Montana they told me to watch out for the cowboys in Wyoming; in Nebraska they said people would not be as nice in Iowa. Yet I was treated with kindness everywhere I went.I was amazed by people's readiness to help a stranger, even when it seemed to run contrary to their own best interests. The following part might probably _ . A. describe how he fooled strangers B. describe how strangers went out of their way to help him C. explain why people refused to help strangers D. explain how he overcame his difficulties on the way Answer: B. describe how strangers went out of their way to help him Question: A full stop is used at the end of an idea or thought, and is an important rule in proper grammar. But text messages are changing the rules, as a new study finds digital messages ending with one aren't sincere. The results suggest skipping punctuation altogether, as it indicates you are answering naturally and heartfelt. Binghamton University's Harpur College observed 126 students, who read a series of messages displayed as texts on a screen or handwritten notes on loose-leaf paper . In the 16 experimental exchanges, the sender's message contained a statement followed by an invitation phrased as a question such as, "Dave gave me his extra ticket. Wanna come?" The receiver then gave a one-word response like "Okay", "Sure", "Yeah" or "Yup". Half of the participants' responses were with a full stop and the other half did not use it. Based on the responses, text messages that ended with a full stop were rated less sincere than those that did not end with one. The students who read the notes on the paper reported that full stop or not, they felt the message was sincere. These results suggest that punctuation can misconstrue or influence the meaning of text messages. The study concludes, " _ " "Texting is lacking many of the social cues used in actual face-to-face conversations", said Celia Klin, associate professor of psychology at Binghamton University's Harpur College. "When speaking, people easily convey social and emotional information with eye gaze, facial expressions, tone of voice, pauses, and so on. People obviously can't use these mechanisms when they are texting. Thus, it makes sense that texters rely on what they have available to them -- emoticons, deliberate misspellings that mimic speech sounds and, according to our data, punctuation. " Recently, Klin's team conducted a follow-up study and found that text response with an exclamation mark is interpreted as more sincere. "That's not surprising, but it broadens our claim,"saidKlin. "Punctuation is used and understood by texters to convey emotions and other social and practical information. Given that people are wonderfully good at communicating complex information in conversations, it's not surprising that as texting evolves, people are finding ways to convey the same types of information in their texts. " Which of the following agrees with Celia Klin's opinion? A. Conversations rely on the same expression way as text messages. B. Texters may find more ways available to convey the same information. C. Text response with an exclamation mark sounds more insincere. D. Punctuation is only used to convey emotions. Answer: B. Texters may find more ways available to convey the same information. Question: SHANGHAI, June 7(AP)--A 16-year-old girl's suicide after she was barred from a key exam draw attention to increasing worries over academic pressures, as millions of Chinese students began annual college entrance tests on Wednesday. The three-day exam, viewed as important to future career and financial success, has a record 9.5 million high school students across prefix = st1 /Chinacompeting for just 2.6 million university places. For kids and parents alike, it's a difficulty that experts say causes extreme emotional distress. "Pressure from study and exams is a top reason for psychological problems among Chinese youth," said Jin Wuguan, director of the Youth Psychological Counseling Center at Shanghai'sRuijinHospital. In China's increasingly success oriented, pressure-cooker cities, academic stress is seen as a rising cause of youth suicides and even murders of parents by children who are driven crazy by intolerable pressure to perform. According to her family and newspaper accounts, 16-year-old Wu Wenwen drowned herself after she was stopped at the exam room door because her hair wasn't tied back as her school required. Returning in tied hair, she was then told the end-of-term exam had already started and she was too late to take it. In tears, Wu called her mother, and then disappeared. Her body was found the same night in a nearby lake. China doesn't keep comprehensive statistics on student suicides, but Jin said health care professionals see the problem worsening, even among elementary students. Most Chinese schools still lack advisers and teachers receive little training in spotting symptoms of emotional distress, Jin said. Parents are little help, often piling on pressure while ignoring their children's emotional development, he said. "It's a basic unwillingness or inability to recognize and deal with with emotional problems," Jin said. Wang Yufeng, of Peking University's Institute of Mental, estimates the rate of emotional disorders such as depression among Chinese students under age 17 at up to 32 percent , a total of 30 million students. Others say that figure may be as high as 50 percent. A survey last year by the government's China Youth and ChildrenResearchCentershowed 57.6 percent of students felt highly distressed by academic pressures. Where will we most probably find the article? A. In a newspaper. B. In a magazine. C. In a text book D. In a survey. Answer: A. In a newspaper. Question: Moving to a new neighborhood,town,state,or even country can be a pretty scary experience. All you know is that things will be different and chances are you won't know the kids at your new school. The experiences that go with moving make many kids feel nervous and worried. This is perfectly normal but don't let these emotions overrun your thoughts! You will soon get used to your surroundings and find new friends at your new school. Leaving old friends and familiar places behind can be difficult. However,as you begin the moving process,keep in mind that saying goodbye to your old house,school,and friends does not mean that you have to forget them or that your farewell is permanent!If you're moving to a new state or even a different country and won't see your friends for a long time,don't despair. Make sure to ask everyone for their address so you can write them letters. Also,thanks to the Internet,it is very easy to stay in touch through email or instant messaging technologies. With your parent's permission,you can even create a blog or web page to chronicle all of your new experiences. Include your thoughts,tales of your new adventures,even pictures of new friends,your new house,and new town. Your old friends will love seeing what you are busy with. Many schools have an orientation program where a student already established at the school shows a new student around for their first week. This can help you to find your way around the school and to make new friends faster. While moving is tough on kids of any age,high school counselor Karen Turner says moves can be particularly difficult for teens ."I think moving during adolescents is an extremely stressful experience,especially if you are into your junior high or senior year. Students tend to have established a very strong peer network during that period in their lives. Often this has more influence on them even than their families in some cases,and when they are torn from that there's often resentment ."However,Turner adds that while moving isn't easy,there are things that your parents and the school can do to help you deal with the change. Who are the intended readers of the passage? A. Education experts. B. School teachers. C. Parents. D. Students. Answer: D. Students.
He is a real turtle . Someone who always moves very slowly. She is such a sheep. A follower; someone who can't think for him or herself. He's being an ostrich . Someone who hides his/her head in the sand and refuses to face problems or reality. He's a lamb. A gentle, patient, understanding person. Nice and considerate. What a crab he is! A grouchy person; someone who is often angry and in a bad mood. In which of the following situations are the people acting like sheep? A young man is driving fast because all his friends do. We all know that it is possible for ordinary people to make their homes on the equator ( ), although often they may feel uncomfortably hot there. Millions do it. But as for the North Pole ---- we know that it is not only a dangerously cold place, but that people like you and we would find it quite impossible to live there. At the present time only the scientists and explorers can do so, and they use special equipment. Men had been traveling across and around the equator on wheels, on their feet or in ships for thousands of years; but only a few men, with great difficulty and in very recent time, have ever crossed the ice to the North Pole. So it may surprise you to learn that, when traveling by air, it is really safer to fly over the North Pole than over the equator. Of course, this is not true about landings in the polar region (which passenger aeroplanes do not make). But the weather, if we are flying at a height of 5,000 meters above the Pole , is a delight. At 4,000 meters and more above the earth you can always be sure that you will not see a cloud in the sky as far as the eye can reach. In the tropics , on the other hand, you are not certain to keep clear of ( ) bad weather even at such heights as 18,000 or 20,000 meters . Aeroplanes can't climb as high or as quickly in cold air as in warm. Nor can clouds. In practice, this is an advantage to the aeroplane, which is already at a good height when it reaches the polar region and so it does not need to climb, while at the same time cold air keeps the clouds down low. Aeroplanes usually do not need to climb quickly or fly high in the polar region because _ . there are no clouds above 5000 meters Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam's story is a tale of two cities -- one during the day and a completely different one at night. During the day, the largest city in the Netherlands sits quietly on the Amstel River.You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi.But when the sun goes down, the partying begins.In the big clubs and in coffee shops, tourists gather to hang out, talk politics and smoke. Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam.And they're all within a short cab ride of each other.For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events.Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there.And there's the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall. But at night party-seekers come to the square.Hip hop or funk music is heard there..So if you come, be ready to dance.The clubs don't shut down until 4 am. And while you're there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city.Don't worry about getting lost.Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions.And you'll notice that half the people in the streets are on bicycles they rent. Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system.For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise the "Venice of the North". The city has a historic past.One impressive place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Streets.It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II.Visitors can view Anne's original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years. What can you learn about by visiting the Anne Frank House? The life of Jewish during World War II. When you have a post-office box, the postman doesn't bring letters to you, but you go to the post-office and get your letters and parcels from your box. The box is locked, only you have the key, so the letters and parcels are safe. One day the headmaster of a school wrote to the post-office and asked for a post-office box for his school. He soon got an answer. It said, "We will give you a post-office box in one month." Three months later, the headmaster wrote to the post-office and said, "Why haven't we got a post-office box yet?" This was the answer from the post-office: "Dear sir, We gave you a post-office box two months and wrote to you then to tell you. Here is the key to your box. You will find our letter to you in it." The headmaster _ . didn't know how a post-office box worked As demand for power and fuel grows steadily in the coming decades, we must consider every possible energy source on hand if we're to meet the world's needs. And because clean natural gas is found in great plenty, there is little doubt that it will play a major role on the world energy stage in this century, much like oil did in the last. But, like oil, gas reserves are concentrated in just a few places in the world, usually far from where they're needed most. And that's only part of the challenge. The world has had well over 100 years to search for oil and to build the necessary facilities to bring it to market; the natural gas facilities, particularly when it comes to liquefied natural gas(LNG), are not nearly as developed. So what needs to be done? On the supply side, producing nations need policies that allow for better development of their natural gas in an open, stable business environment, not _ in which the rules of the game change without warning. The governments of consuming nations, on the other hand, must make policies for sustainable development to ensure they'll have enough supplies in the future. That means building the related facilities, including LNG stations. This, in turn, will require coastal areas to allow these necessary, but not necessarily pretty, facilities to be built in their backyards. And energy companies have a responsibility to be good neighbors in those areas by operating these facilities responsibly and safely. They must also continue to put in the billions of dollars needed to build the complex transport and storage facilities required to bring more gas to market. Expanding and diversifying energy sources by using more natural gas could lead to lower fuel prices and to greater energy security. We've taken some of the steps to get started, but we need your help to get the rest of the way. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Natural gas facilities are far from satisfactory.
I used to live in a small town with trees all around. It is about thirty years since I left my hometown. But I still remember what it was exactly like. And I often "see" it in many of my dreams. My hometown is a beautiful place. It stands beside a wide river and is rich in fish and rice. But in the old days it was a poor and backward little town. Many people had no work. They lived a hard life. There was no tall building and the only street was narrow. But trees and flowers made the town beautiful. Just outside the town, there was a river. You could see different kinds of fish swimming in the clear water. People here lived a simple life. Since a new policy was taken by the government, great changes have taken place there. The streets have been widened. Factories, schools, hospitals, cinemas and theatres have been built one after another. People's life is greatly improved. You can see tall buildings, big department stores and factories everywhere. Different kinds of cars and buses are running in the wide streets. But with the development of the industry , we have fewer trees. Air and water pollution is becoming more and more serious. And there are also other problems. We should try our best to make it richer. At the same time, we must do something to stop pollution and make our town even more beautiful. What is outside the town? Answer: Someone is driving at night. The day was warm, but now the night is cool, and there is a lot of mist that is difficult to see through. The mist is prevalent because Answer: The Five Rules for Keeping Fit Hi, there! I'm Grystal Collins, and I'm very happy to share some time with you. So, you want to keep fit, huh? Well, you surely came to the right place. Together we can keep fit and healthy, and succeed in doing that. It's easy. Everybody can do it, you hear? Just remember the five golden rules. Number one: Always wear comfortable clothes when you are exercising. You need to feel comfortable and relaxed . Number two: You should always do some warming-up exercise first to get your body ready for the real thing. Number three: Never try to do too much exercise too soon. Take it nice and easy now, you hear? There's no rush about this. Number four: Don't forget to relax for about five minutes when you've finished your exercise. You need to rest a little bit after you've been exercising. And here is the golden rule Number five. Stop at once if you feel any pain in your neck, head or any part of your body. Crystal Collins may most probably say this _ . Answer: In Maryland, most bears have thick, dark fur. Which statement best explains how dark fur helps bears survive in the forests of Maryland? Answer: An international panel of experts will re-examine all data gathered in the nearly two-month hunt for the missing Malaysia jet to ensure search crews have been looking in the right place, officials said Monday. Senior officials from Malaysia, Australia and China met in the Australian capital to _ the details of the next steps in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which will center around an expanded patch of seafloor in a remote area of the Indian Ocean off Western Australia.The area became the focus of the hunt after a team of analysts calculated the plane's most likely flight path based on satellite and radar data.Starting Wednesday, that data will be re-analyzed and combined with all information gathered thus far in the search, which hasn't turned up a single piece of debris despite crews searching more than 4.6 million square kilometers of ocean. "We've got to this stage of the process where it's very sensible to go back and have a look at all of the data that has been gathered, all of the analysis that has been done and make sure there's no flaws in it, the assumptions are right, the analysis is right and conclusions are right," Angus Houston, head of the search operation, told reporters in Canberra. Investigators have been confused by a lack of hard data since the plane vanished on March 8 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.A weeks' long search for surface debris was called off last week after officials determined any debris that may have been floating has likely sunk. "Unfortunately, all of that effort has found nothing," Australian Transport Minister Warren Truss said."We've been confident on the basis of the information provided that the search area was the right one, but in practice, that confidence has not been converted into discovering any trace of the aircraft." Houston has warned the underwater search is likely to drag on for up to a year. The main purpose of the passage is to inform us of _ . Answer:
How time flies! One month has passed before I could take any notice of it. This is the start of my freshman year in Fudan University. At the very beginning, everything and everyone was strange to me. But now, I'm getting used to it. I'd like to tell you two important and interesting things in my university life. Freedom is what I am looking forward to since my primary school. Many people said to me, "Study hard, and you will get freedom when in university." But when I really entered university, I find the real situation is different. Freedom costs me a lot. If I refuse to wash my clothes, for example, they will just lie there, unclean. So I have to do everything and take care of myself. Well, I like this life style very much though it is hard at the beginning. It is really a challenge for me. I appreciate a famous saying from Albert Camus, "Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better." That's right. Real freedom comes with responsibility. Some teenagers believe that freedom means doing whatever you like. But I think that is not real freedom at all. One can have his or her own freedom, while at the same time respect others'. It's not easy to think on behalf of others. And now I have the precious chance to practice it. Another thing I want to mention is love. Now, something interesting in Fudan is that love exists everywhere. For instance, the first lesson of my English class is about love. A small play at the Freshmen Welcome Party called "Turn Left and Turn Right" is about students' love in Fudan. Some of my roommates have boyfriends. At night, while lying in bed, we always share their love stories. What's more, even our instructor once said, "In our department, girls are more than boys. So we'll have a party with the Chemistry Department, in which the situation is just the opposite." I was surprised about the attitude towards love here. Is she encouraging us to find someone to fall in love with? I cannot understand it quite well. The above are the two things that impressed me most at the very beginning of my freshmen year, and surely I'll get more out of my university life in the future. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE? A It is nearly a year now since the writer entered Fudan University. B The writer doesn't have a good understanding of freedom. C Three interesting things are mentioned about the writer's life in this passage. D The writer is getting on well with the life in Fudan University. Answer: D. The writer is getting on well with the life in Fudan University. When war broke out between Spain and the United States, it was very necessary to communicate quickly with General Garcia, who was somewhere in the mountains of Cuba -- No one knew where. The President must secure his cooperation, and quickly. What to do! Someone said to the President, "A fellow by the name of Rowan will find Garcia for you, if anybody can." Rowan was sent for and given a letter to be delivered to Garcia. How he took the letter, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle, in three weeks came out on the other side of the Island, and had delivered his letter to Garcia, are things I have no special desire now to tell in detail. The point I wish to make is this: Rowan was given a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, "Where is he?" He was loyal to a trust. He acted quickly and concentrated the energies: do the thing -- "Carry a message to Garcia!" My heart goes out to the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly takes it, without asking any idiotic questions, but delivers it. This man is wanted in every city, town and village -- in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such: he is needed, and needed badly -- the man who can carry a message to Garcia. What is the author's attitude toward Rowan? A He laughed at Rowan. B He praised Rowan's deed. C He blamed Rowan. D He doubted Rowan's ability. Answer: B. He praised Rowan's deed. Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet fighter pilot in Viet Nam. After 75 missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb parachuted down into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. One day, Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant when a man from another table came up and said "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Viet Nam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!" "How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "I packed your parachute," the man replied. "I guess it worked". Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today." Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning. How are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was 'just a sailor'". Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know. Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes. Why didn't Plumb say hello to the sailor each time he passed him on the Kitty Hawk? A He thought the sailor was just an unimportant man. B He didn't like him at that time. C He was very busy then. D He didn't know him well then. Answer: A. He thought the sailor was just an unimportant man. Pocket Tape-Recorders "Family and Home Magazine" test what's on the market now. Pearl corder S702 $64 This simple model at the bottom of the Olympus range scored the most points for its excellent quality of recording. Background noise hardly affects the sound and recording from a pocket is perfectly possible, but it doesn't turn off automatically. Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight : 240 g Sony M9 $49.95 Small and very good looking, Sony's latest offering scored most for appearance. Sounds clear, but there is slight machine noise. The big control buttons are a great improvement on some of the complicated little controls on other tape-recorders. Doesn't switch off automatically but a red light shows if the machine is still running. Tape length : 60 minutes per side. Weight : 195g. Sony M400 $115 Lots of little control buttons that make a noise and are difficult to use. Rcording is good but machine noise loses points. Tape counter and automatic switch-off when tape has finished recording or rewinding are useful. Tape length : 60 minutes per side. Weight : 230g Imperial OEM MC7 $29.95 Cheap and simple compared with the rest, but recording is good as long as there is no background noise. Use only its own make of cassette. No light to show it is on; no fast forward button and the record button makes a loud noise. Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 285g. Philips 585$ 80 Handsome and simple to use, but recording is very poor at more than the recommended distance of 5 cm designed for dictation. No recording light. Tape length : 15 minutes per side. Weight : 220g. What disadvantage does the Imperial OEM MC7 only have? A It picks up background noise B It requires a special cassette C The record button makes a noise D No light shows when it is on Answer: B. It requires a special cassette Drew Gilpin Faust made history in 2007 when she became the first female president of Harvard University, Massachusetts, US. Faust is an excellent historian known especially for her work on the history of the American South. She was a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania for 25 years. In 2001, she became dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard. Born in 1947, Faust grew up in a traditional family. She has often spoken of her "continued confrontations " with her mother "about the requirements of what she usually called femininity ". Her mother used to tell her, "It's a man's world, sweetie. And the sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be." However, the daughter was a rebellious one. For example, Faust would fight with her mother over whether it was suitable for her to drive a car at night, even if one of her three brothers was a passenger. "She was raised to be a rich man's wife," said a friend, Elizabeth Warren. "Instead she becomes the president of the most powerful university in the world." As a girl, Faust rebelled against not only the strict rules of femininity, but also the racial injustice that existed in her native Virginia. At age 9, after a conversation with her family's black handyman and driver, she sent a letter to President Dwight D. Eisenhower decrying racial injustice. When studying in Bryn Mawr, a women's college in Pennsylvania, she was a student activist who would go on to march in the civil rights protests in the 1960s. What would her mother, who never went to college and died in 1966, have to say about her appointment? "I've often thought about that," she said. "I've had dialogues with my dead mother over the 40 years since she died." According to the passage, Faust was born in _ . A Florida B Pennsylvania C Massachusetts D Virginia Answer: D. Virginia
Ask a question! Email it to Letters@Highlights.com. Gift Giving I'm going to China and everyone in my class is asking me to buy them something. What should I do? Reply from the Highlights Editor: Your classmates are probably just excited about your trip. Most likely they don't expect you to buy gifts for everyone. Sending a few postcards to the entire class during your trip would be a wonderful way to share your experiences. The pictures on the cards and your words of description will be the best gift of all. Dog Begging My dog always begs for food at the dinner table. I really want to feed him, but my mom says I can't. I'm afraid he won't like me anymore. What should I do? Reply from the Highlights Editor: Your dog loves you for many more reasons than just for what you feed him. You can show him that you care about him by playing with him, by petting him and speaking kindly to him and by making sure he has fresh water. It might be best if your dog is not near the dinner table while you are eating. You could teach him to stay in another room. Being Bilingual My aunt insists that we speak our language(Tagalog) at home and English outside the house. Do you think she is right? Reply from the Highlights Editor: It is a great gift to have someone in your family who is willing to take the time to teach you another language. It's a good way to keep family traditions alive, and it helps develop your language skills. Your ability to use both English and Tagalog will help you learn a third and fourth language later in life. So it sounds like a great idea! The Highlights editors give the replies to _ . Answer: Daggett was prosecuted for murder of Vales, whose body was found one morning in the street near Daggett's house. The state calls Witt, a neighbor, to testify that during the night before the body was found he heard Daggett's wife scream, "You killed him! You killed him!" Witt's testimony is Answer: Are you a man or a mouse? When people ask this question they want to know if you think you are a brave person or a coward . But you will never really know the answer to that question until you are tested in real life. Some people think they are brave, but when they come face to face with real danger, they act like cowards. Other people think of themselves as cowardly, but when they meet danger, they act like heroes. Lenny Sputnik had always thought of himself as a nervous person. He got worried before examinations. He worried about his job and his health. All he wanted in life was to be safe and healthy. Then, on 15th January 1982, a plane crashed into the Potomac River in Washington. Lenny went to the river to see what was happening. Then he saw a woman in the ice-cold water. Suddenly Lenny did not feel afraid. He kept very calm and did a very courageous thing. He jumped into the Potomac, swam to the woman, and kept her head above the water. Seventy-eight people died that day. Thanks to Lenny Sputnik, it was not seventy-nine. When you are in a very dangerous situation and feel afraid, the body automatically produces a chemical in the blood. This chemical is called adrenalin. With adrenalin in the blood system, you actually feel stronger and are ready to fight or run away. However, when you are completely terrified, the body can produce too much adrenalin. When this happens, the muscles become very hard and you find that you cannot move at all. You are then disabled with fear. That is why, when we are very frightened, we sometimes say that we are 'petrified'. This word comes from the Greek word 'peters' which means 'stone'. We are so frightened we have become like stone. Adrenalin in our body is _ . Answer: Texting long messages can be a pain in the neck. The repetitive action of working your fingers across the keyboard of your cell phone can cause some of the same chronic pain problems previously limited to those who'd spent a lifetime typing. The possible connection is particularly worrying considering how much teens and young adults -- and increasingly those in professional settings -- are texting nowadays, said Judith Gold, who carried out one of the first studies on the potential connection. Text messaging is a fairly new technology, Gold says, so this is a new area of research for those who study ergonomics . But "considering the similarities in body position, findings from research on overuse injuries from computers could be applicable" to texting. "The way the body is positioned for texting - fixed shoulders and back with rapidly moving fingers - is similar to the position for typing on a computer," Gold explained. Previous research has found pain in the elbow connected with too much thumb texting. To look for a broader link between texting and chronic pain, Gold and her colleagues sent a questionnaire to 138 college students, asking them to report the number of text messages they sent per day (in four categories: 0, 1-10, 11-20, 21+ messages) and to point out any discomfort they felt on a body map. The research showed an association between the number of text messages sent per day and shoulder discomfort. The effect seemed to be particularly pronounced in males, though Gold says she doesn't know why that would be. "What we've seen so far is very similar to what we see with office workers who've spent most of their time at a computer," Gold said. However, Gold's study did not take account of the amount of time the people surveyed also spent typing on computers, which could be affecting the results. In which column in the newspaper can you find the passage? Answer: A young boy was sitting in the back seat of the car eating an apple. He asked his father, "Why does my apple turn brown?" his father answered, "When the skin is removed, air reaches the flesh of the apple and causes oxidation. This changes the apple's molecular structure and results in a brownish color." The boy asked, " Daddy, what are you talking about?" I know how that boy feels. Sometimes I want answers to some of those confusing questions that we all meet with, such as how to get through difficult times or what to do in a tough situation. I just want to get it right. The problem is that I don't always have the answer I need. Nobody else seems to have them, either. So I go on making mistakes and think that I'll never get it right. Often I didn't know what to do. I often made poor choices, but I gradually improved. Then I realized that I don't HAVE TO always get it right. I don't have to always know what to do all the time. All I really need to do is try my best, learn from my mistakes and go on. Dr. Leo Buscaglia once said, " No one gets out of this world alive, so the time to live, learn, care, share, celebrate and love is now. That would be pretty hard to do when you're waiting for all the answers first." So you got it wrong. You made a mistake. So what should you do next? Forgive yourself and try again. You may not get out of this world alive, but you can get plenty of life out of this world if you are not too worried about always getting it right. How did the boy feel when he heard his father's explanation? Answer:
Question: Is reading better than watching TV? I believe it is. Is reading better than playing video games? I'm not so sure if it is. If learning is important to you, but not necessary so,and if pleasure is what you want,these activities can be pleasant in their own way. Reading might be better than many activities if you want to educate yourself and improve your chances of succeeding in your work. If you're serious about creating the habit of reading,what's important is finding a time you can read every day--often that's early morning or late at night,or both. For others, it might be during their lunch break. You only need to read for 10 to 20 minutes a day to form the habit. Then, you need to find a place that's comfortable. Make sure it has good lighting, the temperature is nice and you're in a good chair. Or you can find some place that you can relax in without falling asleep, although there's nothing wrong with sleep. Next,be sure to shut off the TV,Internet,cell phone,radio, or other music. Let reading be a quiet time. Mark an "x" on your calendar every day you read, and try to keep your unbroken "x"es going as long as possible. A habit is much easier to form if it's something you enjoy, not something you are made to do. So make the time, you spend reading a joy. I've been a lifelong reader, so the pleasure of a good book is one of my favorite things in the world. I love to lose myself in the world of a book. Reading may become your habit more easily when _ . A. it is something you enjoy B. you don't use Internet or cell phones C. your unbroken"x"es last for a long time D. you spend 10 to 20 minutes reading after lunch Answer: A Question: Which region of the Milky Way contains a population that consists mostly of old stars? A. the halo B. the spiral arms C. the nuclear bulge D. the open clusters Answer: A Question: The protest movement called Occupy Wall Street has struck a nerve.The demonstrators' goals may not be obvious but their complaints are very real. The truth is that millions of Americans lost their jobs, their homes and their life savings because of the greed and illegal behavior of Wall Street.Even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bemanke also said the protesters hold the view that the financial institutions are responsible for "getting the US into this mess", and added, "I can't blame those protesters." Where do we go from this movement? How do we calm the protesters' anger? For starters, we should break up the super financial institutions.Left to their own selfish will.Wall Street bankers will continue to gamble with other people's money.There also is a sound economic argument against too few owning far too much.The idea that six super financial institutions (Bank of America, CitiGroup, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs) can take control over the economy frightens anyone who believes in a competitive free-market system.Good Republican presidents like William Howard Taft and Teddy Roosevelt broke up Standard Oil, the Railroad Trusts .and other huge companies a century ago. Real unemployment is more than 16%.Average family income has declined by $3,600 over the last decade.A record 46 million Americans live in poverty.The gap between the very rich and everyone else, the widest of any major country, is growing wider.Now is the time for us to end the financial oligarchy that has been so harmful to our economy.If a bank is too big, it is too big to exist. Which of the following belongs to the super financial institutions? A. Standard Oil B. Federal Reserve C. JP Morgan Chase D. Teddy Roosevelt Answer: C Question: When I was seven years old my mom was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told us my mom might be saved with surgery. But it could also kill her. She chose to have it. The day before the surgery I was off school, and my mom planned the best day of my life, everything I loved at seven and everything that would put a smile on my face. The day began with her waking me up saying, "Kate, I have a surprise for you. Come and see." The surprise was a doll I had wanted for the longest time. Throughout the day, she told me everything that she thought I would need to know to grow up and be a good person; she told me to be the best I could be and that I would always make her proud. We had a picnic in the park, and it was so cold that we moved to the car. The day was filled with laughter. For the first time in a long time I could see she was really happy. I would never forget her smile, or the way her eyes shone as if we were the same age. It was the best day of my life, and I will never forget the conversations we shared. My mother managed to live through the surgery. Now when I look back, I realize that the best day of my life could be her last and this could be the last day I would remember with her, the last one we shared. I also understand how unselfish a mother is. Why was the writer's mother happy that day? A. Because she left her child a special memory. B. Because she realized her child had grown up. C. Because she was proud of what her child had done. D. Because she expected the surgery to be successful. Answer: A Question: Do you know that man? He is my uncle. His name is David Smith. He is forty-eight this year. He is a worker. He works in a Car Factory. His factory is not near his home. So he gets up early in the morning and takes a bus to work. At about seven thirty, he gets to his factory. He makes the parts of the car. He makes many every day. He works very hard. Everyone likes him and says he is a good worker. He has his lunch in the factory. He often plays basketball after work. In the evening, he learns Chinese at home. His Chinese is good, too. Sometimes he helps me with my Chinese. I like my uncle very much. He goes to work _ . A. by bus B. on foot C. by taxi D. by bike Answer: A
Can you remember any of the bad habits you used to have when you were very young? Perhaps, as a baby, you used to suck your thumb . Of course, you do not do that any more, but you can surely remember your mother's efforts to train you. The good habits you now have in such matters as personal cleanliness were part of this early training. We may not suck our thumbs any more, but as we get older we get other bad habits. We can't give them up easily, either.(Anyone who has tried to give up smoking knows this very well!) Each period brings its own problems. In babyhood, it's thumb-sucking; in childhood, it's nail-biting; in our teens, it's smoking; in middle-age, it's over-eating, and so on. And if anyone tells you that he has no bad habits, you can be sure that he must have the worst habit of all. According to the passage, now we have good habits such as personal cleanliness, for which we benefit from _ . our mothers' early training Lion is a special animal to Chinese people. A couple of stone lions, a male and a female , can often be seen in front of the gates of old buildings. The male lion is on the left with his right paw on a ball, and the female on the right. And her left paw is touching a baby animal. The lion is the king in the animal world because he is powerful. The ball shows the country or the family will be together forever, and the baby animal with the female shows that you will have many children. The stone lions were also used to show the families were powerful. If you had no money or power, you couldn't put the stone lions in front of your houses. It was also popular to make bridges with stone lions. The best known of this is the Lugou Bridge (also as Marco Polo Bridge), built from 1189 to 1192. The stone lions on the bridge are most famous. Maybe there are 485 lions in all, maybe there are 498 or 501. A famous saying is that "the lions on the Lugou Bridge are uncountable ." How many stone lions can often be seen in front of some old houses? 2 A little boy invited his mother to attend his school's first teacher-parent meeting. To the little boy's dismay , his mother said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teachers met his mother and he was _ by her appearance . There was a severe scar that covered nearly the whole right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar. At the meeting, the people were impressed by the kindness of his mother with the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. However, he could hear clearly the conversation between his mother and the teacher. "How did you get the scar on your face?" the teacher asked. The mother replied, "When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, but I went in. As I was running towards his bed, I saw a burning wood falling down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked to be unconscious , but luckily, a fireman came in and saved both of us." She touched the burned side of her face. "This scar will be forever, but until today, I have never regretted doing what I did." When the little boy heard this, he couldn't help running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt his mother was greater than anyone. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day. We know from the passage that the little boy _ . didn't really want his mother to attend the meeting at first Speak, speak, speak! Practise speaking as often as you can. Speaking to yourself is good practice. Try recording yourself whenever you can. Compare your pronunciation with the master version to see how you can do better and _ . If you do this several times, you will find that each time is better than last. Why not learn with someone else? It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or family member to study with you, it will make you keep working. Don't get stuck by a word you don't know. Practise improving ways of getting your meaning across when speaking spontaneously ,even if you don't know the exact words or phrases. Think of things you might want to say whenever you have spare time. Use facial expressions, hand movements, anything to make yourself understood. Language learning is also about intuition . Guesswork is an important way to learn a new language. When listening to recorded material, you aren't expected to understand everything first time round. If you play the same piece several times, you will most probably understand something new each time. Build up your vocabulary. A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don't try to learn too much at once. It's best to study frequently, for short periods of time. Take at most six or seven items of vocabulary and learn them. Put them into sentences to fix them in your mind, and then come back to them later. And above all, have fun! What's the purpose of this passage? To tell us a few tips to help us learn a new language well. I first went to Harrow in the summer term.The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen.It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy, and push him out the pool. I made quite a habit of this with boys of my own size or 1ess. 0ne day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the poo1.He was no bigger than 1 was,so I thought him _ .Coming secretly behind,I pushed him in,holding on to his towel so that it would not get wet.1 was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water, and being of great strength making its way by face strokes to the shore.I fled,but didn't succeed.He overtook me,pulled me hard,and threw me into the deepest part of the poo1.I soon climbed out on the other side,and found myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys."Do you know what you have done? " They said."It's Amery:heis in Grade Six.He is champion at gym.he has won his football award." 1 was frightened and felt ashamed.How could I tell his position when he was wrapped in a bath towel and so small.He didn't seem pleased at all.so I added in a most brilliant word."My father.who is a great man.is also small."At this be laughed,and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had better be careful in the future,expressed all was over. Which of the following is TRUE? Amery forgave the writer for his rude behavior.
"Over the years the unthinkable has become thinkable and today we sense we are close to being able to alter human heredity oe#)." These were the words of David Baltimore of the California Institute of Technology, on December 1st, when he opened a three-day meeting in Washington to discuss the morality and use of human gene editing. Dr Baltimore is an old hand at these sorts of discussions, for he was also a participant in the Asilomar conference, in 1975, which brought scientists together to discuss a safe way of using the then-new tcchnology of recombinant DNA, and whose recommendations influenced a generation of biotechnology researchers. Four decades on, the need for a similar sort of _ has arisen. The International Summit on Human Gene Editing has been held by the national scientific academies of three countries -- America, Britain and China. They are particularly concerned about whether gene editing should be used to make heritable changes to the human germ line, something Dr Baltimore described as a deep and troubling question. Like those of Asilomar, the conclusions of this meeting will not be binding. But the hope is that, again like Asilomar, a mixture of common sense and peer pressure will create a world in which scientists are trusted to regulate themselves, rather than having politicians and civil servants do it for them. The meeting is being held against a backdrop of rapid scientific advance, Since 2012 research into a new, easy-to-use editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9 has blossomed. This technique involves a piece of RNA (a chemical messenger, which can be used to recognise a target section of DNA) and an enzyme called a nuclease that can snip unwanted genes out and paste new ones in. Public interest was aroused in April, when Chinese scientists announced they had edited genes in non-viable ( ) human embryos, and again in November when British researchers said they had successfully treated a one-year-old girl who had leukaemia ( ), using gene-edited T-cells. T-cells are part of the immune system that attack, among other things, tumour cells. The researchers altered T-cells from a healthy donor to encourage them to recognise and kill the patient's cancer, to make them immune to her leukaemia drug, and to ensure they did not attack her healthy cells. In another recent development, a firm called Edit as Medicine, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has said it hopes, in 2017, to start human clinical trials of CRISPR-Cas9 as a treatment for a rare genetic form of blindness known as Leber congenital amaurosis . Though other companies are already testing gene-editing therapies, these employ older, clunkier forms of the technology that seem likely to have less commercial potential. Moreover, researchers at the Broad Institute, also in Cambridge, said this week that they had made changes to CRISPR-Cas9 which greatly reduce the rate of editing errors -- one of the main obstacles to the technique's medical use. On the subject of germ-line editing, Eric Lander, the Broad's head, told the meeting it would be useful only in rare cases and said it might be a good idea to "exercise caution? before making permanent changes to the gene pool. The need for caution is advice that might also be heeded by those pursuing work in animals other than people, and in plants -- subjects not being covered by the summit. What can be inferred from the passage? More research should be made before the technology comes into wide use. For 21 years,Georges Bwelle watched his ill father traveling to hospitals,which could not offer him all necessary help. Jamef Bwelle suffered only a broken arm at first,but it finally developed into a hematoma. That would affect him for the rest of his life. Bwelle spent years taking his father to overcrowded hospitals. It was not easy. They would leave home at 5 a.m. and ran to the hospital to be the first. There were a lot of patients. Some people could die because they were waiting. The situation hasn't changed much since Bwelle's father died in 2002. In Cameroon,there is one doctor for every 5,000 people while in the United States there is one doctor for every 413 people. And even if they could see a doctor,many Cameroonians couldn't afford it. When he saw his father and so many of his countrymen suffer,Bwelle decided to do something about it. He became a doctor himself.And he started an organization,ASCOVIME. It travels into the countryside on weekends to provide free medical care. Since 2008,he and his group of volunteers have helped nearly 32,000 people. Almost every Friday,his team jam into vans and travel to villages in need. In each trip they receive 500 people. Patients come on foot from 60 kilometers around the village for free treatment. The next morning,the team will do simple operations in a schoolhouse,town hall or home,and work into the early hours of Sunday morning. On Sunday,the team heads back to the city,tired but proud of their work. They know that their help can make a world of difference to those they help. For his devotion to his country and people,Georges Bwelle becomes one of the 2013 Heroes voted throughout the world. The passage mainly tells us _ . how Bwelle has become an admired doctor Once upon a time, there was a scholar who wanted to gain more knowledge each day even though he had already gained enough knowledge. One day, he came to visit a saint and wanted to be his student. The saint provided some tea. He slowly filled the scholar's cup: the cup was full, yet he kept pouring and pouring. The scholar burst out, "Stop! You can't add anything to something that's already full!" The saint set down the teapot and replied, "Exactly." Whether it's the silence between notes in music, or some open time in your schedule, you need space to act effectively. Yet most of us, myself included, tend to stuff as much as possible into whatever room is available-closets, schedules, budgets, relationships, and even the mind itself. However, some people know how to avoid overstuffing their life. For example, in Australia, it seemed that most people there operated at about 85% of their capacity ,unlike Americans pushing as close to 100% as possible. So when you run into Australians you know in the street, they have time to hang out and talk with you. Remember the cup: its value is in the space, the emptiness it holds. How to empty your "cup"? Be mindful of the element of space, openness , and emptiness in your life. This includes room in a drawer, the volume of air in a kitchen, and open-mindedness in a friend. Sometimes you're just stuck with a big bucket of tasks yet to do. But at least empty the bucket faster than you fill it with new tasks. Put some space between finishing one thing and staring another. For example, after sending one email, take a breath before replying to another one. Drop the stuff you can no longer afford to _ around. At sea level, you can run with a brick in your backpack, but if you're hiking on a mountain, that brick has got to go. What would be the best title for the passage? Empty your"cup"at times If I wanted to use a tree as inspiration to make a house more sturdy what part would I use? the roots A blocked airway can kill someone in three to four minutes, but it can take more than eight minutes for an ambulance to arrive. So a simple procedure such as opening someone's airway can save their life while they're waiting for emergency medical help. This means you're more likely to give first aid to someone you know than a stranger. There are many misconceptions surrounding first aid. Below are the 'most popular' ones with details of what you should do. You should put butter or cream on a burn. The only thing you should put on a burn is cold water - keep the butter for cooking. Put the affected area under cold running water for at least ten minutes. The best way to treat bleeding is to put the wound under a tap. If you put a bleeding wound under a tap you wash away the body's clotting agents and make it bleed more. Instead put pressure on the wound with whatever is available to stop or slow down the flow of blood. As soon as possible call 999. Keep pressure on the wound until help arrives. Nosebleeds are best treated by putting the head back. If you put the head back during a nosebleed, all the blood goes down the back of the airway. Instead advise them to tilt their head forwards and ask the person to pinch the end of their nose and breathe through their mouth. You need lots of training to do first aid. You don't - what you mostly need is common sense. You can learn enough first aid in a few minutes to save someone's life - whether it's from a book, attending a course or watching videos online. Remember: anyone can save a life If a person is burnt, what you should do immediately is to _ . place the burn under cold running water
Snowflakes! You can catch them on your tongue or use them to make a perfect snowball. But have you ever thought about taking pictures of them? Ken Libbrecht did. He is a physics professor from California. Although the weather in California is usually warm and sunny, Ken's hobby is taking pictures of snowflakes. He travels to cold areas like Alaska and Canada to find snowstorms and take pictures of the snowflakes. "They are often beautiful, and every snowfall brings new surprises," says Ken. Ken takes pictures of snowflakes with a high-quality digital camera. He uses a microscope to make the tiny snowflakes larger. To get the best images, Ken built a special photo-microscope just for snowflakes. He collects flakes by letting them fall onto a piece of foam board . The pictures must be taken outdoors, so Ken wears lots of clothes to stay warm. But his fingers often get cold, because it's difficult for him to take pictures of a tiny snowflake with gloves. Each snowflake has shapes and patterns that make it as unique as a person's fingerprint. The hobby of snowflake photography is also unique. Next time a snowstorm blows through your town, take a closer look at the flakes before you gather them into a snowball. See if you can notice their unique patterns. Millions of snowflakes are waiting for you! ,. What does the passage mainly tell us? Answer: Ken Libbrecht's snowflake photography. Need for closure is a psychological term that describes a person's desire for a firm answer to a question. Our need for closure is our natural preference for definite answers over confusion and uncertainty. Every person has their own baseline level of need for closure. It likely evolved via natural selection. What I find really fascinating is how our need for closure is affected by the situation we're in. Our need for closure rises when we have to act rather than just observe, and it matters much more when we're rushed, or bored, or tired. Any stress can make our discomfort with uncertainty increase, and a high need for closure negatively influences some of our most important decisions: who we decide to trust, whether we admit we're wrong and even how creative we are. In hiring, for instance, a high need for closure leads people to put far too much weight on their first impression. It's called the Urgency Effect. In one experiment, psychologists tried to lower people's need for closure by telling them, right before participants are about to make various judgments of a job candidate, that they'll be responsible in some way for them, or that their judgments have serious consequences. In making any big decision, it's not enough just to know that we should take our time. We all know that important decisions shouldn't be rushed. The problem is that we don't keep that advice in mind when it matters. So, one of the best solutions is to formalize the reminders. Before making important decisions, write down not just advantages and disadvantages but what the consequences could be. Also, think about how much pressure you're under. If your need for closure is particularly high that day, it's even more important to think twice. It can be inferred that a high need for closure _ . Answer: leads to not so good decisions Careerberg.com is the world's fastest growing online recruitment solution. Here jobseekers and employers are growing very fast on the daily basis. The site was successfully launched on January 2008 worldwide. Careerberg.com provides an opportunity to job seekers where they can search jobs in their field of interest. Site contains a complete directory of jobs posted throughout the world. You can find job anywhere in the world from careerberg.com. It provides a complete listing of countries like jobs in UK, jobs in Pakistan and other countries as well. And above all it also provides the choice of advance search through which a user can find more jobs fit for him, even for his city as well. At careerberg.com It is simple to find your ideal career Stay up-to-date with new career opportunities Stay connected with family of Careerberg.com for development of your profession Now it's easier to have and develop career which suits your personality *Guaranteed jobs and secure the future In the previous years it was difficult for job seekers to find a good match of their skills but careerberg.com solve their problem. The site contains a complete list of jobs posted which are categorized on the basis of industries and location as well so that it will be easy for users to find exact industry and locality. Job-seekers must create their account and register them freely with the best online recruitment site worldwide. The site also provides ease for the employers as well, they can post free jobs, filter resumes , download resumes for free. Besides, it is quick, easy and gives you better chance of success. There are lots of multinational companies registered with careerberg.com which provides an opportunity to job seekers to visit and find exact jobs for them. The intended readers of the passage are _ . Answer: both B and C Have you heard of the term "tweenager" ? It's a new word being used in the UK to describe children at about 10-12 years old.Why are the media suddenly referring to kids in this way? Well , more and more companies are beginning to create products and services for tweenagers.The Disney company sells the Hannah Montana television show,music,films and products to tweenagers and their parents.You can get everything from branded lunchboxes and cellphones,to fan magazines and clothing.The High School Musical series of films is also intended for a tweenage audience.So,it's all about sales,which tells us tweenagers must have more money,freedom and influence upon their parents than _ have ever had before. Most children in the UK today get more pocket money than kids did a decade ago.In spite of the credit trouble, parents have more money to give than previously, since parents are having fewer children on average than in the past. addition, divorce rate in the UK is continually rising and In the parents spend less time with their children than they used to.So,many parents are under constant pressure from commercial marketers and the requests of their children. You may wonder how tweenagers have more freedom than previous generations.Well,UK children today are very good at using media and computers.A lot of them have a television,if not a computer,in their bedrooms.They have access to much more information about life and the world.They may have experienced a lot in life as well,since 25% of UK children live in single -parent families.People now say that"kids are getting older younger" .With such sophistication at such a young age,it's no wonder that tweenagers are able to influence their parents. UK tweenagers never used to be worried about spending money on fashionable clothes. That's changed.Now,they are concerned about the fashions and their images.In a world of television programs that promise overnight success and fame at a young age,some people think it' s very important to look fashionable. Such ideas are also promoted by both Hannah Montana story, in which a tweenage girl suddenly becomes a world-famous pop star,and the High School Musical story,in which tweenagers go through various auditions for musicals and talent shows. Compared with previous generations,UK tweenagers today _ . Answer: know more about the world Martin had just finished high school. He would go to college at the far end of the city. He didn't want to live there, and he didn't want to take the bus either. So his father agreed to buy him a car. His father spent all his summer teaching him how to drive, from the ABC to the XYZ. Thinking of the great feeling of driving a new car, Martin learned very quickly, and received his driver's license just before his eighteenth birthday. The second day, all the family, and their dog, went to a car shop. Martin spent almost all the morning going from one car to another. Finally he saw a red Blue Bird. He had a test drive on the open ground, and called out, "This is what I want, Dad!" When everything was done, they were ready to leave. Martin climbed into the front seat. He said excitedly, "It's my first day driving alone. Dad, Mom, and Poo! Enjoy it!" His dad immediately took the back seat, right behind the new driver. Martin wondered why his father chose that seat, for his father always enjoyed looking in front. So he said, smiling, "I'm sure you're back there to have a change after all those weeks of sitting in the front seat teaching me how to drive." "No," Dad replied, "Do you remember what you did to me all those years when I took you to and from school? I am sitting here to hit and kick the back of your seat all the way!" Which of the following is NOT the reason why Martin's father agreed to buy him a car?. Answer: Martin was able to learn how to drive very quickly.
Scientists recently discovered that pictures on cave walls at Creswell Crags are the oldest known in Great Britain. But they didn't find out in the usual way. Archaeologists often date cave art with a process called radiocarbon dating. The technique can measure the age of carbon found in charcoal drawings or painted pictures. Carbon is an element found in many things, including charcoal and even people. But in this case, there was no paint or charcoal to test. People carved the pictures of animals and figures into the rock using stone tools. The scientists had an "aha!" moment when they noticed small rocks stuck to the top of the drawings. The small rocks must have formed after the drawings were made. "It is rare to be able to scientifically date rock art," said Alistair Pike, an archaeological scientist at Britain's University of Bristol. "We were very fortunate that some of the engravings were covered by stalagmites . When a test proved that the stalagmites formed 12,800 years ago, the scientists knew the art underneath them had to be at least that old. And some of the animals shown, like the European bison, are now extinct--another tip-off that the art is quite old. The artists came to Creswell Crags, This place is one of the farthest points north reached by our ancient ancestors during the Ice Age. At that time, much of the North Sea was dry, so people could move about more easily. Some tools and bones found there are 13,000 to 15,000 years old. They show that the travelers hunted horses, reindeer, and arctic hare. Their artwork is similar to art in France and Germany. It tells scientists that the Creswell Crags artists must have had a close connection to peoples several thousand kilometers away-another important clue to understanding how humans spread out across the world. By studying the cave art, scientists know something about _ . how humans spread out across the world What is most like a fish? offspring of frogs Which of these statements is not considered part of the Big Bang Theory? The universe never changes. How much sleep do we need? We are all different. Some people need only three hours of sleep a night. Others need ten hours of sleep a night. Most Americans sleep an average of seven to eight hours a night. After the age of fifty the average sleep time goes down to 6.5 hours a night. Most people have a bad night when they can not sleep. About one in three Americans has a problem with sleep. Many of these people can not fall sleep. This problem is called insomnia. This is not a new problem. Many famous people in history had insomnia. Some of these people had special ideas to another to make them sleep. Benjaming Franklin, the famous stateman and inventor ,had four beds. He moved from one to another to fall asleep. King Lousis XIV of France had 13 beds and hoped that he could fall asleep in one of them. Mark Twain, the famous American writer, had a different way. He lay on his side on the end of the bed! The passage is mainly talking about _ . sleep If you haven't played games with an 80-year-old couple, you're missing out. Each week, my best friend and I hang out with senior citizens. Volunteering at a retirement village provides us with a great opportunity to meet new people and enrich the lives of the people we meet. We have learned so much from talking with senior citizens, and we are blessed to have this opportunity to reach out to those in our community. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing the faces of the elderly light up when we walk into the room. Though my school only requires 10 community service hours, I have continued to volunteer throughout high school. While our 10-hour requirement is a good start, schools should require more volunteer hours. Volunteering offers students an irreplaceable way to help their communities and expand their knowledge of the world. Some believe that forcing students to volunteer is defeating the purpose of volunteering, because it's not volunteering if you are required to do it. However, sometimes students need an extra push to reach out to their communities. It's because some students don't know the benefits of volunteering. After they start volunteering, they'll realize that volunteering can benefit them a lot and they will want to volunteer more. Through volunteering, I've learned many valuable life skills. Besides teaching valuable life skills, volunteering may lead to a part-time job opportunity as well. If students prove their reliability and hard work ethic while volunteering, employers may take that into consideration and offer them a job. My best friend got her summer job after volunteering several summers at the Boy Scout camp. There are various other benefits of volunteering. Besides making a difference in people's lives, students develop communication skills and acceptance of others. What's more, reaching out to others who are less fortunate teaches us to be grateful for what we have. All in all, volunteering is an extremely rewarding activity which should be required. Which of the following statements would the author most probably agree with ? High schools should require more community service hours.
Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it. It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport. The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise with our mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other's minds. This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle it is. Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animal. Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing, Birds can fly thousands miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year. In Nature's talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act. If we reduce it to basic terms, it's an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out. Not that we don't have other powers of communication. Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment. The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad. This is so-called "body language". Bristling fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals. Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering. Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display. Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skill? Biologist can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn't tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history. This passage is mainly about _ . Answer: Many cultures have different ideas about why people catch colds. For example in the United States, some people think that you can catch a cold if your feet get cold. So, mothers tell small children to wear warm boots in the winter. In other places, including parts of the Middle East, some people believe that strong winds cause colds. So, on trains and buses, people usually don't like to sit next to open windows. In parts of Europe, some people think that wearing wet clothes will give you a cold. They say that after you go swimming, you should quickly put on dry clothes. Today, scientists know that colds are caused by a virus . But the old ideas are still very strong, and many _ . In " _ ", what does "them" mean? Answer: Imagine putting a seed in a freezer, waiting 30,000 years, and then taking the seed out and planting it. Do you think a flower would grow? Amazingly, scientists have just managed to do something very similar. They found the fruit of an ancient plant that had been frozen underground in Siberia for about 31,800 years. Using pieces of the fruit, scientists successfully cloned 36 more of the plant and grew them in a lab. The new flowers have beautiful white petals . They are also the oldest flowering plants that researchers have ever revived from a deep freeze. "This is like creating a dinosaur from tissues of an ancient egg," University of California biologist Jane Shen-Miller said. The plant has a long history, back when mammoths ( an animal like an elephant, that lived a long time ago but no longer exist) wandered the land. It was buried in an underground hole. The ground has remained frozen since then. The ice-age plants look similar to a modern called Silence stenophylla. But the ancient flowers are slightly different: their petals are a bit narrower. It's possible that the regrown plants belong to a different species. It's important for scientists to know that plant tissues can still be revived after being frozen for a long time. That's because many researchers are trying to store the seeds of modern plants by freezing them and then storing them in very big lockers at various spots around the globe. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, an underground facility in Norway, stores hundreds of thousands of seeds. If a plant becomes extinct, scientists could revive it by pulling its seeds from Svalbard or other underground rooms. Many researchers are storing the seeds of modern plants _ . Answer: Red Star Restaurant The biggest and busiest restaurant in Jinan is seeking 20 waiters who have relevant experiences in high-grade restaurants. About Y=800--1,500 per month. Red Star Restaurant is located at 66 on Park Street. Our phone number is 0531-8278-4560. 3 People wanted Need 3 people who would like to work 4 evenings per week showing films. Earn $300 per week possibly. Call 469-867-6042. Baby-sitter wanted For a year. 3 days a week. Some flexible hours required. Knowledge: above senior middle school. Call 0431-478-9971. If you want to be a baby-sitter, you can call _ . Answer: Tu Youyou, a scientist at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, has no postgraduate degree. She has never studied or done research abroad. She is neither a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences nor the Chinese Academy of Engineering. However, the 81-year-old pharmacologist has become the first scientist on the Chinese mainland to win a Lasker Award, the medical prize of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. The Lasker Awards have existed since 1945. The winners are always people who have really helped us to understand, recognize, treat, cure and prevent disease. Tu was presented the 2011 Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award on September 23. She discovered a drug called artemisinin . The drug is now widely used against malaria . Tu and her colleagues joined a government project to find a new malaria drug in the late 1960s during the "cultural revolution" (1966~1976). They made 380 herbal extracts from 200 potential recipes. The recipes came from traditional Chinese medical books. The team then tested them on malaria-infected mice. Finally Tu became interested in an extract of the plant qinghao, or sweet wormwood . According to an ancient Chinese medicine book, qinghao was once used to treat malaria. However, the extract they made in the lab didn't work well. Tu thought the effective ingredient in qinghao may be destroyed by high temperatures. Therefore, Tu tried to make the extract with ether which has a much lower boiling point than water. In 1971, after more than 190 failures, Tu finally got an extract that was 100 percent effective against the malaria parasites . The extract was called qinghaosu, later renamed artemisinin. According to a statement on the Lasker Foundation website, during the past four decades, Tu's drug has saved millions of lives. It is especially important for children in the poorest and least developed parts of the world. However, not many people knew of the scientist until she won the Lasker Award this month. Lasker Awards are known as "America's Nobels" for the reason that in the last two decades, 28 Lasker Prize winners have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize, and 80 since 1945, according to Xinhua News Agency. "The discovery of artemisinin is a gift to mankind from traditional Chinese medicine, " Tu said when she received the award. "Continuous exploration and development of traditional medicine will, without doubt, bring more medicines to the world. " According to the article, the Lasker Awards _ . Answer:
An engineer measured the time it takes sound to travel through samples of different materials. All of the samples were identical in shape and size. The measurements were made using ultrasonic waves with a frequency of 5 megahertz. Which question was the engineer most likely trying to answer? A In which material does sound travel fastest? B In which material does sound travel farthest? C Does frequency affect the distance sound travels? D Does the shape of the medium affect the speed of sound? Answer: A In the earliest stages of man's development he had no more need of money than animals have. He was content with very simple forms of shelter, made his own rough tools and weapons and could provide food and clothing for himself and his family from natural materials around him. As he became more civilized, however, he began to want better shelter, more efficient tools and weapons, and more comfortable and more lasting clothing than could be provided by his own neighborhood or by the work of his own unskilled hands. For these things he had to turn to the skilled people such as smiths, leather workers or carpenters. It was then that the question of payment arose. At first he got what he wanted by a simple process of exchange. The smith who had not the time to look after land or cattle was glad to take meat or grain from the farmer in exchange for an axe or a plough . But as more and more goods which had no fixed exchange value came on the market, exchange became too complicated to be satisfactory. Another problem arose when those who made things wanted to get stocks of wood or leather, or iron, but had nothing to offer in exchange until their finished goods were ready. Thus the difficulties of exchange led by degree to the invention of money. In some countries easily handled things like seeds or shells were given a certain value and farmer, instead of paying the smith for a new axe by giving him some meat or grain, gave him so many shells. If the smith had any shells left when he had bought his food, he could get stocks of the raw materials of his trade. In some countries quite large things such as cows or camels or even big flat stones were used for trade. Later, pieces of metal, bearing values according to the rarity of the metal and the size of the pieces, or coins were used. Money as we know it had arrived. As men became more civilized they _ . A all learnt to make by themselves the things needed B had to travel a lot to look for what they wanted C wanted better things than those they themselves could provide D no longer provided food and clothing for themselves Answer: C Feel tired lately? Has a doctor said he can't find anything wrong with you? Perhaps he has sent you to a hospital, but all the advanced equipment there shows that there is nothing wrong with you. Then, consider this: you might be in a state of sub-health. Sub-health, also called the third state or gray state, is explained as a borderline state between health and disease. According to the investigation by the National Health Organization, over 45 percent of sub-healthy people are middle-aged or elderly. The percentage is even higher among people who work in management positions as well as students around exam-week. Symptoms include a lack of energy,depression,slow reactions,insomnia,anger,and poor memory.Other symptoms include shortness of breath,sweating and aching in the waist and legs. The key to preventing and recovering from sub-health,according to some medical experts,is to from good liwing habits,alternate work and rest,exercise regularly,and take park in open air activities. As for meals,people are advised to eat less salt and sugar.They should also eat more fresh vegetables,fruits,fish because they are rich in nutritional elements--vitamins and other elements that are important to the body.Nutrition experts point out that it is not good to eat too much at one meal because it may cause unhealthy changes in the digestive tract. They also say that a balanced diet is very helpful in avoiding sub-health. It may be easy for middle-aged people to get sub-healthy because _ . A they have used up their energy B they have lost their living hopes C they have more pressure in life and work D they begin to get older Answer: C A safari park is a park in which wild animals are kept. They are mainly located in east or central Africa. They often occupy a very wild area, with mountains and rivers. To visit the park and look at the animals, people have to drive around in a car for a few of hours because the park is huge. In south Africa there is a safari park, which contains all sorts of wild animals like lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, zebras, wild pigs, deer and giraffes. There is a wild road leading through the park, but nobody is permitted to walk on the road. Anyone traveling in the park has to go in a car because wild animals may fiercely attack people. From the car he may see almost every types of African wildlife. Some of these are getting rare because people kill them for various reasons. For example, rhinoceroses are killed for their horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicines for colds and headaches. Perhaps they will be seen only in museums and books one day. Travels may purchase food for the animals. They can feed them when they tour the park. Of course, they should not feed them in a close distance because the wild animals may attack people. In addition, they should only give proper food to the animals. A traveler may carry a gun with him in his journey. The gun is given to him by the government. However, it is not used for hunting. In fact, a seal is fixed to it. The traveler may fire at a wild beast to defend himself in case he is attacked. However, he has to prove to the government that he has been attacked and that he has not fired at a harmless animal. The government knows whether the gun is fired by the traveler or not by _ . A checking the seal B hunting the animals C following the traveler D observing the traveler Answer: A My grandfather is 70 years old this year. He is in good condition but he lost his hearing at the age of 65. Then it became difficult for me to communicate with him. My mother bought a hearing aid for him, but he often forgot where he had put it. So my mother advised me to communicate with him by gesture. Good idea! And then I began to use gesture. When I wanted to have an apple, firstly, I pointed to my mouth; later I made my hands form a round shape. Then he gave me an apple. When I was hungry, I pointed to my stomach. He would go into the kitchen and cook for me. When I wanted to use, the computer, I pointed to it. If he nodded , I could play computer games from 8 pm to 10 pm; if he disagreed, he always touched my head and pointed to the desk -- that meant that I should do my homework first. It was an easy way for us to communicate with each other! How long could the writer use the computer if his grandfather nodded? A 2 hours. B 3 hours. C 8 hours. D 10 hours Answer: A
The US company iRobot made a new kind of sub-marine , called the Seaglider, last week. The robotic submarine was developed by researchers at the University of Washington. It is about 1.8 meters long and weighs about 52 kilograms. It moves through water at a speed of up to 20-25 kilometers a day and can stay at sea for up to six months before needing a battery recharged. This special character results from its special propulsion system . Unlike a traditional submarine, the Seaglider does not have a propeller . It has an air tank that is emptied and filled to adjust depth, as well as a pair of wings that help to guide and lead the submarine. A traditional submarine, on the other hand, "puts water inside tanks to make it heavier, or it will expel the water to make it lighter," explained Frederick, a professor at the University of Washington. Each time the Seaglider comes to the surface, it sends the data which it collects to its controllers by satellite. Operators can also send the submarine new information. For example, they can change its course in their office through giving the computer orders. Seagliders are already being used for scientific research, such as environmental studies. iRobot also hopes to sell the submarine to the military . At $100,000 each, the Seaglider is a cheap way to keep an eye on the ocean. "These things can go out there and monitor large areas of ocean because they're very persistent. They can go for thousands of miles on their own. At the same time, you can tell them to stay in one place and they can circle," says Helen Greiner, chairwoman of iRobot. "This is science fiction stuff in many ways, but it's really out there and working." Unlike a traditional submarine, the Seaglider _ . A. is only 1.8 meters long and weighs 52 kilograms B. has an air tank to adjust depth instead of a propeller C. can travel at a speed of 150 kilometers a day D. can be used to do environmental research Answer: B. has an air tank to adjust depth instead of a propeller Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar. In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on January 1st. People may go to parties, dress in formal clothes -- like tuxedos and evening gowns, and drink champagne at midnight. During the first minutes of the New Year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the New Year by waking up early to watch the sun rise. They welcome the New Year with the first light of the sunrise. It is also a common Western custom to make a New Year's promise, called a resolution. New Year's resolutions usually include promises to try something new or change a bad habit in the new year. Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh (again). Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year. Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck is to eat grapes on New Year's Day. The more grapes a person eats , the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas for good luck -- but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them! What is a resolution? A. Something you say. B. Something you eat. C. Something you burn. D. Something you wear. Answer: A. Something you say. What's black and white and read all over? Not newspapers, at least not anymore. In fact, if you're like most young people, you probably don't read the newspaper at all. In one recent survey, just 19 percent of 18 to 34-year-old said they read a newspaper every day, while 37 percent watch local TV news and 44 percent visit Internet news sites daily. As people turn more and more to new technologies, they turn the pages of newspapers less and less. "There's a revolution in the way young people get news," says media consultant Merrill Brown. Just a generation or two ago, the newspaper was the main way that many people got their news. Now, nearly every home has at least one TV set. There's high-speed, wireless Internet both at home and in many public places. You no longer have to wait for a bundle of newsprint to arrive on your doorstep every morning. Thanks to new technology, if you want to know what's going on in the world, you can get breaking news immediately in more ways than one. So newspapers face a very big challenge. Raised on MTV and video games, today's kids and young adults want flashy displays, special effects, quick information, and the chance to interact in real time, even when they're reading about serious problems. If newspapers can't find creative ways to be more than just ink on paper, some experts suggest, they might disappear completely. Traditional newspaper articles are supposed to be read from beginning to end, lack of interaction. With Web pages, on the other hand, there's more freedom. You can look through the things you're interested in, then follow links to other sources. You can join discussion groups, read other people's opinions on a topic, or start a blog to express your own views. From the survey, we can see that _ . A. TV has become the major source of news B. newspapers are no longer the major source of news C. more than half of the 18-to-34-year-old visit news sites daily D. new technologies have replaced the traditional one Answer: B. newspapers are no longer the major source of news The Ministry of Health has called for more awareness from the public on the mental health of the young,as part of efforts to mark World Mental Health Day. More than 15 percent of the Chinese youth have been found with mental problems,and about 30 million young people under 17 are suffering from depression,the Shanghai-based Wenhui Daily reported. The World Health Organization estimated that before 2020,the rate of children with mental problems will increase to 50 percent,and mental problems will become a major factor behind death and illness in the young worldwide. Deng Xiaohong,the spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau,said rapid social change is one of the reasons behind the rising number of youngsters with psychological problems. If these mental diseases are not _ on time,occurrence of crime,drugtaking and other dangerous behavior are expected to rise. Experts said mental disease could be caused by many factors,such as the inability to handle interpersonal relations well,unstable emotions and pressure from the overload of study. A number of experts have also said the one-child policy is another reason leading to poor mental health in the young. Children were said to be too "spoiled" and "selfish" in one-child families. Schools in many cities were reported to roll out measures to help students maintain their mental well-being. Yin Jingmiao,a teacher of the Beijing No. 105 Middle School,told China Daily that the school invites psychologists to provide counseling to students three times a month. "Students can be arranged to have 40-minute counseling sessions," Yin said. The school also gives lectures on mental health to senior grade students before they take the national college entrance exams,to help ease any anxiety arising from the tests. From the passage we can know that the causes of mental problems are mainly the following EXCEPT _ . A. one-child policy B. lack of ability to handle interpersonal relations well C. lack of special training in mental health D. heavy burden from study Answer: C. lack of special training in mental health It is very easy to cook instant noodles in a short time by putting the noodles into the boiling water. However, have you ever thought whether it is the right way of cooking instant noodles? When we first took out the noodles, we can notice that the noodles are joined together nicely as a piece. However, few people know that when the instant noodles are made, wax coating will be put on the noodles. The wax coating on the instant noodles is used to prevent the noodles from sticking together. It makes the noodles look very nice. Researches have shown that the wax coating on the noodles is quite harmful to our health. If you eat the instant noodles today, you'd better wait for several days before you eat instant noodles next time since our bodies need about 3 days to clear the wax coating away from our bodies. Do you know the consequence of having too much wax coating in our bodies? It will lead to cancer if the wax coating is stored in our bodies for a long time. So it is very important to wash away the wax coating on the instant noodles if we don't want our bodies to be in danger. You can do like this: 1. Wash the instant noodles with warm water first, and then pour away the water containing the wax coating. 2. Repeat Step 1 and try to stir the noodles to wash away the wax coating on the noodles before cooking it in a new pot of water. I hope this passage will make those who enjoy eating instant noodles and eat the instant noodles often know about the hidden danger of instant noodles. Although the instant noodles are very easy to cook and help us save a lot of time, I still don't think it healthy to eat them too often or too much. Why not say "No" to instant noodles and have some healthy food? The passage is mainly written for people who _ . A. want to do some research on instant noodles B. make a living by selling instant noodles C. plan to invent a new kind of instant noodles D. like instant noodles and eat them often Answer: D. like instant noodles and eat them often
Which of these is the most likely to result in a trip to the hospital? Answer: 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! If Mr Green and his wife with three children want to stay in the hotel for a night, how much should they pay? Answer: Some teachers are unforgettable. They lead by example and never lose their smile. They change lives. Eileen Madden is one of them. . "It's a joy to get up early every morning to be the first one here," say the 55-year-old Holy Ghost School third grade teacher. Madden arrives shortly after 6 am to prepare her classroom and work on the school breakfast program. "My family all went to St. Teresa's School," she says. "I always said, 'One day, I'm going to come back and get one of those big desks.'" With a watchful eye always on the lookout for "one of those big desks", Madden returned to St. Teresa after graduating from college and taught second grade at the Olneyville neighborhood elementary school until it was burnt in a fire in 1990 and had to be closed. Madden then went to Holy Ghost School where she started as a second-grade teacher and then moved up one grade level. "I take care of setting up and serving breakfast," she says. "In winter it is still dark when I arrive here." Madden praises Holy Ghost School Principal Carol Soltys and the school's workers for their continued support. "It's a family," she said. Her class is small this year with 15 students, including some from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Haiti, Guatemala, Nigeria and Ghana. Madden admits that she's encouraged by her former students, now grown-ups, who want their own children to enjoy a similar experience in a safe, good environment. "They tell others, 'I send my child to Eileen Madden's School, '" she adds. What does Eileen Madden most probably think of the workers of Holy Ghost School? Answer: Anny was a five-year-old girl. One day when she and her mother were in a department store , Anny saw a plastic pearl necklace . What a beautiful necklace! She wanted it very much, so she begged her mother to buy it for her. The mother said, "Well, I can buy you the necklace, but when we get home, we should discuss what you can do to pay for it. Can we do that?" Anny agreed with much happiness, and she got the necklace. How much Anny loved the necklace! She wore it everywhere and every minute. Anny also did part - time jobs to make pocket money. She worked very hard. Soon she succeeded in paying off the price for the necklace. Anny's daddy knew how she tried her best to get the necklace. He also knew how much Anny cared about it. One night, he asked Anny if she loved him. "Sure, Daddy." the little girl said. "Then how about giving me your necklace?" "Oh, no, Daddy! Not my necklace!" Anny cried. "Oh, dear, it's fine." her father gave her a kiss. Several days later, Anny went to her daddy, with her lips trembling . "Here, Daddy. I love you." She held out her hand. Inside it was the plastic pearl necklace that she loved so much. When he saw this, Anny's father smiled with surprise. He then pulled a cute box out of his pocket. Inside the box was a real and colourful pearl necklace, which was waiting for Anny for so long. Why did Anny's mother ask Anny to pay for the necklace herself? Because _ . Answer: Rollerworld is a public skating rink that welcomes everyone from beginners to experts. NOTICE -- under 12's must be taken care of by an adult. -- small cost for adults watching children -- no dirty or dangerous skates -- dress must be neat -- no jackets, hats or open clothing to be worn -- no newspapers, books, magazines, games allowed in Roller Cafe or Roller Bar -- no smoking except in Roller Bar and smoking room of Roller Cafe -- over 18's only in Roller Bar "Roller skating fun for everyone" Which of the following is right? Answer:
If a kitten takes in nutriment A. it will break down B. it will be poisoned C. it will be energized D. it will get sick Answer: C If the hackings taught us anything in 2014, it's actually nothing. Password management firm SplashData released its list of the worst passwords of the year and it's just as terrible as you'd think. The most common leaked password in 2014 was "123456," followed by "password" -- both topped the list the year before, too. While numbers were as popular as ever as passwords, sports terms like "baseball" and "football" were used more often. Birthday years were common too (especially 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992) and names like "Michael", "Jennifer" and "Hunter" are also among the top 100 worst passwords of 2014. Here's a look at the top 10 worst passwords of the year: 1. 123456 (Unchanged from 2013) 6. 234567890 (Unchanged) 2. password (Unchanged) 7. baseball (New) 3. 12345 (Up 17) 8. dragon (New) 4. 12345678 (Down 1) 9. football (New) 5. qwerty (Down 1) 10. monkey (New) This year's worst passwords are painfully weak, but what were once considered clever password strategies -- using symbols, capitalizations, the number 3 in place of the letter "e" -- are old tricks. It's now recommended to pick a different password for each account you use -- you wouldn't use the same key in all of your locks, and the same goes for passwords. Companies like Facebook, Twitter and Apple are now trying to make hacking more difficult on their services by offering two-factor authentication , which is basically like double locking your door at night. Each time you want to log into that account, the company will send a code to your phone -- it changes after each login attempt, so hackers would have to be in physical possession of your smartphone to know the code. How many passwords were ranked lower on 2014's top 10 worst password list? A. One. B. Two. C. Three. D. Four. Answer: B Davison was driving through an apartment building area plagued with an unusually high incidence of burglaries and assaults. Acting pursuant to a police department plan to combat crime by the random stopping of automobiles in the area between midnight and 6 a.m., a police officer stopped Davison and asked him for identification. As Davison handed the officer his license, the officer directed a flashlight into the automobile and saw what appeared to be the barrel of a shotgun protruding from under the front seat on the passenger side of the car. The office ordered Davison from the car, searched him, and discovered marijuana cigarettes and a shotgun. At Davison's trial for unlawful possession of narcotics, his motion to suppress the use of the marijuana as evidence should be A. sustained, because the marijuana was discovered as a result of the unlawful stopping of Davison's automobile. B. sustained, because the use of the flashlight constituted a search of the interior of Davison's automobile without probable cause. C. denied, because the officer's conduct was consistent with the established police plan. D. denied, because the discovery of the gun in plain view created the reasonable suspicion necessary to justify the arrest and search of Daviso Answer: A New labels to show calories The US government ruled that all food establishments should put the calorie information of their foods on their menus. Within a year chain restaurants, like fast food KFC, will have to say clearly on their menus how many calories their fried chicken wings, fries, and other items contain. Amusement parks, movie theaters and supermarkets will also have to follow the rules. The move is designed to fight against the problem of obesity in the US. _ leading to world problem The entire world is facing this problem: antibiotic resistance. And the resistance will lead to the deaths of 10 million people across the world by 2025, predicted a new report released by the UK government. Antibiotics are used to destroy or slow the growth of harmful bacteria in our bodies. But overuse and misuse of them can encourage bacteria to develop new ways of overcoming antibiotics, which makes it increasingly difficult for humans to fight diseases. * _ Australia is the world's most expensive destination for international students, according to a study done by Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC). They have to spend an average of $ 42,000 ( about 258 ,000 yuan) a year to study at Australian universities. Singapore is not far behind, with an average yearly cost of $ 39,229, followed by the US at $ 36,564 and the UK at 35,045. However, Australia's education quality only ranks joint fourth with Canada, well below the US, the UK, and Germany. In addition, international students studying in Germany only have to pay about one-sixth the cost of studying in Australia. * New Games sports may be added The International Olympic Committee has canceled the 28-sportcap for future summer Olympics But each summer Games will still only be allowed 10, 500 athletes and 310 events. Countries that could host the games will discuss plans with the committee during a new invitation stage before bidding. They are also allowed to hold events outside their own countries and get financial support from the committee. No changes will be introduced for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The news brief covers _ . A. medicine, disaster, finance, events B. business, medicine, economy, sports C. service, health, education, events D. health, medicine, education, sports Answer: D People are more likely to wash their hands properly after using the toilet if they are shamed into it or think they are being watched, scientists said on Thursday. Hand-washing is the cheapest way of controlling disease but less than one third of men and two thirds of women wash their hands with soap after going to the toilet, a British study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine showed. But when prompted by an electronic message flashing up on a board asking: "Is the person next to you washing with soap?," around 12 percent more men and 11 percent more women used soap. Health authorities around the world are stepping up efforts to persuade people to be more hygienic and wash their hands properly to help slow the spread of H1N1 swine flu, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in June. "Hand-washing with soap has been ranked the most effective way for the worldwide control of disease," the study's authors wrote. "It could save more than a million lives a year from diarrhoeal diseases, and prevent respiratory infections -- the biggest causes of child mortality in developing countries." In developed nations, hand-washing can help prevent the spread of viral infections like flu and sickness and diarrhea bugs like norovirus and rotavirus, as well as hospital-acquired infections like MRSA and C-difficile, the authors said. The researchers studied the behavior of a quarter of a million people using toilets at motorway service stations in Britain over 32 days.Use of soap was monitored by sensors. The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health to mark Global Hand-washing Day, showed that with no reminders, 32 percent of men and 64 percent of women used soap. What is the biggest cause of child death in developing countries? A. respiratory infections. B. diarrhoeal diseases. C. H1N1 swine flu. D. hospital-acquired infections. Answer: A
For 40 years, the people of London have been happy to discover in their parks a bird that seems to have made its way from the Himalayas to the capital of England. With its shocking green body, red mouth, long tail and noisy screech , the rose-ringed parakeet brought a vivid colour to parks in and around London. However, the parakeets are no longer welcome. The government has suddenly woken up to the fact that there are many more parakeets in and around London making life harder for the local bird population. Government experts put the number of parakeets at around 30,000. They fear that if the number of parakeets keeps rising, these birds will push out local birds like wood-peckers, starlings and nuthatches from trees to build their own nests. Not only that. According to an online report by The Independent, the parakeets will then also get control of most of the food available in the parks -- seeds, berries, fruit and nuts. The local bird population will then have a hard time staying alive. An organization called the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has asked the government to investigate what kind of a threat the parakeet brings to local birds. If the government decides that these birds are indeed a threat to local birds, steps will be taken to control the number of parakeets. The most surprising thing about the case of the rose-ringed parakeet is that no one quite knows how the parakeets came from India and started breeding in areas around London. Parakeets are no longer welcome mainly because _ . A. the local birds are being driven out B. the government doesn't like the birds C. they are a threat to people's health D. people have a great fear of this kind of birds Answer: A at the Oak Park Nature Center Kids! Are you tired of Mom or Dad dragging you to the same old petting zoos, where (if you're lucky) you might get to touch a little rabbit or goat? Mom or Dad! Are you tired of hearing your kids complain about how animals in the same old petting zoos are monotonous? Consider This: The fact is that most mammals are boringly warm, furry, and come in a limited range of dull color1s. Reptiles, on the other hand, are cold-blooded and covered with scale of attractive color1s, from bright green to bright red to dark purple-red. Some, like the chameleon, can even CHANGE color1s. Did you ever see a rabbit with scales and a purple tongue almost as long as its body? NO! In our zoos, you can see pet skink, snakes, bearded dragons, and other fascinating creatures! Learn what these reptiles eat and how they care for their babies, which ones live in the desert and which live in wetlands, which ones are meat-eaters and which are vegetarians, which ones are deadly poisonous and which are not. So Remember: If you're bored with furry animals like rabbits... Then the place for YOU is the Reptile Petting Zoo! Bring the WHOLE family -- Grandpa, Grandma, Cousin Irene, even baby Joe! There's something for EVERYONE! People might like the animals in a reptile petting zoo because they are _ . A. warm and furry B. unusual and interesting C. lovely and friendly D. frightening and dangerous Answer: B My name is Li Li. I'm eleven. I'm from China. My mum and dad work in a big factory. They go to work every day but rest two days. I have a sister. We look like each other very much and we like to help each other. She is a middle school student and comes home in the afternoon. Everyone in my family likes to look after me. My sister and I are in the same school. I'm a good student in my class. There are forty-two students in our class, twenty boys and twenty-two girls. We have our lessons from eight o'clock in the morning to four o'clock in the afternoon. My teacher of English, Miss. Green is from England. She is a good teacher. We go to school from Monday to Friday .We have five English classes a week. Now we can say a hundred words, and play games in English. We like English. We like our English teacher. We have _ a day. A. one English class B. six English classes C. no English class D. five English classes Answer: A Showering typically sends water down the drain, but a new space-age shower could change that. The design, inspired by NASA, saves water and money. Astronauts have no choice but to recycle the water they use in space. _ This futuristic shower comes from Orbital Systems, a Swedish advanced technology company. Its CEO, Mehrdad Mahdjoubi, invented the product. "The shower of the future is a water-recycling shower, thus enabling water savings up to 90 percent, energy savings up to 80 percent, at the same time increasing comfort and hygiene. The water is being collected in the drain, it's being analyzed, purified and then pumped back up to the shower head. So what is so special about the purification technology? Well, it's based on a patented purification capsule system that makes sure that the water is always crystal clear," he explained. Mahdjoubi was inspired by a project between NASA and Sweden's Lund University to come up with designs for a mission to Mars. He adapted the closed-loop system that allows astronauts to re-use shower water again and again. The product already has been tested in Sweden, where it saved up to 100,000 liters of water over four months. Based on those results, Mahdjoubi is confident his company can distribute the shower system worldwide. "Our market is anyone who takes a shower, actually, and the biggest benefit it gives is to the market segment where the water consumption is the highest, such as bathing establishments, gyms, sports centers. Also, private households where the water consumption and the prices are high," said Mahdjoubi. The "out of this world" design has won several business and innovation Why does the author write the passage? A. To introduce a new technology B. To find a way to save energy C. To promote a new product D. To seek for investment Answer: C Mary's mother waited for her in the car. Mary knew that she would be late if she didn't hurry , but she didn't care. It is her birthday today. Ten minutes later, Mary opened the car door. Her mother said, "Don't forget to go home with Cindy today." Mary felt a little disappointed . She really hoped to have a party today, but her mother had to work late tonight. She promised Mary that they could have a party next week. "I won't forget," replied Mary. When she arrived at school, she got out of the car and said goodbye to her mother. It seemed that her mother didn't care. Mary walked into the school. She hoped her friends would remember that she turned eight today. "Hi, Mary. Happy birthday," said Julie. Mary smiled and asked, "Julie, can you come to my party next week?" Julie said, "I am sorry Mary, but I can't." During the day, things didn't go much better. All of her friends said they could not go to her party next week. At the end of the school day, Mary felt very sad. Evening came and Cindy's mother drove Mary home. When Mary opened the door, the house was dark. Her mother didn't even get home yet! She felt very sad. "Surprise!" All the lights in Mary's house came on. Her mother and all of her friends were there! There were many gifts in the living room. Then, she ran into the kitchen. Her mother prepared her favorite meal and a big chocolate cake. "Thank you, Mom!" Mary said, happily. How old is Mary? A. Eight. B. Nine. C. Ten. D. Eleven. Answer: A
As his quitting date comes near, Matt McDonnell, 51, has been thinking about his life as a smoker. "It has such power over me," he admits, "but this is something I don't want to continue doing." Diagnosed with a lung disease two years ago, the private investigator who has smoked 36 years is well aware of the damage cigarettes have done to his health. When his wife Laurel bought him a bagpipe as a birthday gift a few years ago, McDonnell didn't have the lung ability to play the instrument. "I could tell it was smoking-related and I couldn't believe that my health was being stolen away." So he quit... for a while. "In four months, my skin tone improved and I noticed that I wasn't getting chest pains." But after a stressful day, McDonnell went out and bought cigarettes. " _ " Now working with non-smoking coach Angela Forfia, McDonnell says, "I find that it takes the average person seven attempts to actually quit and the big trip wires are emotional. Lesson learned: I will now follow this program-- and it had better work!" When did McDonnell begin to realize that something was wrong with his lung? Answer: When his wife bought him a bagpipe. Where does oxygen-rich blood go after leaving the lungs? Answer: the heart. People call the Winter Olympics the White Olympics. At this time, they publish many stamps to mark the great games. The first stamps came out on January 25th, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on , publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule. During the 4th Winter Olympics, people published a group of stamps in November 1936. They drew five rings of Olympics. It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics. In the 1950s,the stamps of this kind became more colorful. When the White Olympics came, the host countries as well as non-host countries published stamps to mark those games. China also published four stamps in February 1980 when the Chinese sportsmen began to take part in the White Olympics. In Asia, Japan was the only country to hold the White Olympics. They sold 14,500 million stamps during the Olympics. People drew different kinds of sports on these small stamps, and they enjoyed the wonderful sports and some excellent players. Which of the following is TRUE? Answer: All the countries can publish stamps to mark those games. This will make you think twice about dismissing the physical abilities of women. Serena Williams If know Serena Williams, then you know better than to harbor any illusions that you can take on the top female tennis player even on your best day. Nicknamed by the media as the Queen of the Court, she has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles and 13 Grand Slam doubles titles as of May 2015. By the way, she can send the ball hurtling towards your face on the excess of 120 miles per hour on her serve. Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey Former Olympic judo gold medalist Ronda 'Rowdy' Rousey has been dominating women's MMA for the past several years. She earned the nickname "The Arm Collector" for winning the majority of her fights via armbars. As of May 2015, no other female MMA has put up much of a challenge against Rousey, but some think that the next entry on this list just might give her trouble. Cristiane 'Cyborg' Justmo Many believe that Cris Cyborg will give Rousey trouble and may even have an outside chance of beating her. While Rousey is an excellent grappler owing to her judo background, Cyborg is a more well-rounded fighter with excellent standup and groundwork skills. This means that just like Rousey, Cyborg can lay some serious beatdown on you. Missy Franklin So you think you are a good swimmer. Well, no matter how good you think you are, you'll very likely still be eating Missy Franklin's pool dust. Missy is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and has also won a bunch of gold medals in the World Championships. Mirinda Carfae Do you think you can swim 2.4 miles, ride a bike for 115 miles, and still have enough gas to run for 26 miles? Mirinda Carfae certainly can and she proved that she can do it faster than any woman winning the Ironman World Championships women's division in 2010, 2013, an 2014. Rousey earned the nickname "The Arm Collector" because Answer: She defeated most of the fighters with her armbars Students measure the effect of water on the growth of plants for a lab experiment. The students give different amounts of water to three different groups of plants. All plants receive the same amount of light and are planted in the same amount of soil. The students then measure the height of the plants over a period of four weeks. Which variables should be labeled on the axes to graph the data collected in this experiment? Answer: Amount of Water vs. Height of Plants
The Happiest Cities On Earth If you're looking for a cheery destination for your next vacation, consider these four spots and get ready to take notes on how to really live the good life. Singapore With one of the highest population densities in the world and residents known for being workaholics, it's hard to imagine the city-state of Singapore having one of the happiest populations on earth. And yet in a recent survey, 95% of them said they were either very happy or quite happy. They give their city high marks for cleanliness and safety--subways are pristine and unfailingly arrive on time, and police are seen as helpful and good at their jobs. What's more, they feel they can count on their neighbours--all 5.1 million of them. Arhus, Denmark The residents of Arhus cheerfully part with 68% of their income in taxes, knowing that in return they will be guaranteed free healthcare, free daycare, and a top-notch education for their children. An energetic city of 300,000 with a lively cultural scene and a diverse number of religions represented, _ (the range in incomes is narrow), as well as easy access to the nearby sea and surrounding countryside, make Arhus seem more like a small town. San Luis Obispo, CA According to a 2008 Gallup-Healthways study, people who live in San Luis Obispo are more likely than residents of other U.S. cities to smile and experience joy and are less likely to experience pain or depression. About 64,000 of the 260,000 people in the greater metropolitan area , located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, volunteer at over 11,000 non-profit organizations. Few journeys to work are longer than 10 minutes (one reason its members rank in the upper third for job satisfaction), so "it's easy to be involved," resident Pierre Rademaker said. Business signs are unobtrusive by law, fewer than 11% of residents smoke--the lower rate in the U.S.--there are lots of bike lanes, and the city's plaza draws crowds of people for free concerts on summer Fridays. What's not to love? Monterrey, Mexico The people of Monterrey don't enjoy high household incomes or access to good healthcare. Instead, there's a profound sense of gratitude for the new political freedom enjoyed since the oppressive Institutional Revolutionary Party lost power in 2000--the first time in nearly a century--as well as an emphasis on social life over work. Another reason Monterrey residents may be so happy is their faith in God and family, and their ability to tough it out through bad times. "We laugh at sickness, poverty and even death," says Basanez, a political scientist who lives in Monterrey. "We even have a holiday to celebrate death. November 2, the Day of the Dead, is one of the biggest holidays of the year." According to the passage, we can infer that _ . A the people of Singapore expect their neighbours to come to their help when necessary B the people of Monterrey even observe one's death on a special day of a year C the residents of Arhus happily pay 68% of their income for their children's education fee D the people who live in San Luis Obispo have job satisfaction because they can enjoy good working conditions Answer: A Last week the manager of an old jeweler's shop received a letter marked "personal", so of course his secretary gave it to him unopened. As he was very busy, the letter lay on his desk till tea-time. Then he opened it and aPS10 note fell out onto his desk. With the note was a short letter. This is what it said: Dear sir, In 1935 I got engaged. But unfortunately at that time there was a lot of unemployment and I lost my job. I was six months without a job and then I got work again. But of course I was very short of money. I came to your shop to buy a wedding ring. The assistant brought some rings for me to look at, but she was called away for a moment, and I put one of the rings in my pocket. When she came back, I said I did not know the size of my girl-friend's finger. So I left the shop without buying a ring. My wife died a short while ago and the fact that I never paid for her ring has been on my conscience all these years. At the time the ring cost PS2 so I reckon that is about PS10 at today's price. And I am sending you that amount. Yours truly, A customer "Well, well, well," said the manager, "life is full of surprises!" What was true about the assistant? A She lost her job. B She was short of money. C She was called away while serving the customer. D She put one of the rings in her pocket. Answer: C Sonia lives in Sun District with her parents and sister. She loves this district very much. There is a restaurant next to her house. She often has lunch with her family there. A library is across from the restaurant on Sun Street. The street is quiet in the afternoon, but at night it is very crowded and busy. It's open from 9:00am to 4:00pm. She goes to read books with her sister very afternoon. There is a tall mall near the library across from Sonia's house. People can buy lots of delicious foods and some beautiful clothes in the mall. Welcome to Sonia's district. Where does Sonia live? A Sun District B Garden District C Center District D Sunshine District Answer: A Mr. Lewis was a dance teacher. He was a nice man and always had a lot of students. One year he moved to a new town, and was soon teaching many students in the dance school there, but he decided to move again to a big city. He would have more work there. When one of his students heard that he was going to leave, she said to him, "The new teacher won't be as good as you are." Mr. Lewis was happy when he heard this, but he said, "Oh no. I'm sure he'll be as good as I am ---- or even better." The student said, "No. Five teachers have come and gone while I've been here, and each new one was worse than the last." Before Mr. Lewis _ teachers came to the town to teach dancing A three B four C five D six Answer: C TIME IS IT.Over 92% of people who own exercise equipment snd 88% of people who own health club memberships do not exercise.A 4-minute complete workout is no longer hard to believe for all the people who have bought our excellent Range of Motion machine (ROM) since 1990.Over 97% of people who rent our ROM for 30 days end up buying it,due to the health benefits experienced during that tryout and the ROM performance score that tells the story of health and fitness improvement.At under 20 cents per use,the 4-minute ROM exercise is the least expensive full body complete exercise a person can do.How do we know that it is under 20 cents per use?Over 90% of ROM machines go to private homes,but we have a few that are in commercial use for 12 years and they have endured over 80,000 uses each,without need of repair.The ROM 4-minute workout is for people from 10 to over 100 years old and highly trained athletes as well.The ROM balances blood sugar,and repairs bad backs and shoulders.Too good to be ture?Get our free video and see for yourself.The best proof for us is that 97% of rentals become sales.Please visit our websit at www. Fitness.com or call (800)123-6460. Factory Showroom : EOMFAB. 823 Main Street , Batom Ronge , LA70893 Fax(800)123-6461 Email: sakes @fitness. Com How many people bought ROM after trying it out? A 92% B 88% C 97% D 90% Answer: C
When you tidy your messy bedroom,it gets a lot easier to find things.Dreams may work the same way for a messy brain,helping you learn by organizing memories and ideas. To test how much dreams can help learning,Robert Stickgold had some students play a shapefitting game called Tetris for a few hours and then go to sleep.Soon they were dreaming of falling Tetris shapes.Interestingly,the worst Tetris players had the most Tetris dreams and improved their game the most.Similar tests have shown the same results for all kinds of skills. As we dream,many important tasks are getting done.The brain decides what to keep and what to forget.It is connecting new experiences to older learning.In fact,the brain is learning all night long. Another important task of dreams may be to help us deal with emotions .At night,emotions are in the driver's seat.People who have had an upsetting experience often dream about it afterward.Often the dream event changes somehow--another way the brain tries to make the memory less upset.So if your best friend moves away,you might dream that you're the one who's moving.In fact,dreams have a proven power to improve mood,and people who dream about what's bothering them usually feel better sooner than those who don't. Everybody dreams for a couple of hours every night--in the course of your life,you'll spend about 25 years asleep and 6 years dreaming.There's probably no single answer to the question why we dream,but there doesn't have to be.One dream might help you remember your math facts,while another might lead to a new invention,or give you a fun,crazy story to tell your friends.It's all in a night's work for our busy,mysterious brains. Robert Stickgold's test shows that _ . Answer: Once upon a time, there was a farmer called Da Niu. One day he was walking in the forest and found a bird. The bird's was hurt and it cried. Da Niu picked it up and took it home. He looked after it carefully every day. The bird got well soon. One morning Da Niu enjoyed the sunshine next to the wall. The bird took his hat and flew away. Da Niu was very _ and ran after it. He shouted , "What a bad bird you are!" Suddenly he heard a big noise from his back. The wall he sat next to just now. fell down . Why did the bird take Da Niu's hat? Answer: How many things can you see in the night sky? A lot! On a clear night you can see the moon, some planets, and thousands of sparking stars. You can see even more with a telescope. You might see that many stars look larger than others. You might see that some stars that look white are really red or blue. With bigger and bigger telescopes you can see more and more objects in the sky. And you can see those objects in more and more detail. But scientists believe there are some things in the sky that we will never see. We won't see them with the biggest telescope in the world, on the clearest night of the year.That's because they're _ . They're the mysterious dead stars called black holes. You might find it hard to imagine that stars die. After all, our sun is a star. Year after year we see it up in the sky, burning brightly and giving us heat and light. The Sun certainly doesn't seem to be getting old or weak. But stars do burn out and die after billions of years. As a star's gases burn, they give off light and heat. But when the gases run out, the star stops burning and begins to die. So next time you look up at the night sky, remember: there's more in the sky than we can see! Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage? Answer: Their beautiful call suggests the arrival of spring,but the routes taken by cuckoos during their annual migration have remained a mystery.Now,though,scientists from the British Trust for Omithology(BTO)have revealed the details of their remarkable 10,000-mile journey,with the help of tracking devices. Five male birds were caught in Norfolk last May and fitted with satellite-tagged "backpacks'' before being released.The scientists then monitored their progress over 12 months as they flew to Africa in the autumn,and returned in the spring. The project was carried out to discover why every year fewer of the birds return to Britain.Between 1995 and 2010,the population of cuckoos spending sumnler here fell by almost half,and the number is continuing to decline.Previously,the lack of information about the cuckoos'long migration has hamoered the understanding of how to help conserve the birds. Earlier this year,it was reported that cuckoos arrived in the UK much earlier than normal.Their call was recorded by ornithologists as early as February,a month ahead of their usual arrival. Like all migrating animals,cuckoos respond to the changing seasons.They depend on lush plants to provide the fruit and food for insects that they feed on.This reliance on seasonal patternsmeans that a changing climate could make an already challenging journey impossible for them. When do cuckoos usually arrive in Britain? Answer: On very cold winter days , a group of Japanese children travelled a long way and arrived at a small island where nobody lived. After setting up a camp, they caught fish in the sea, and walked on the snow to find firewood , wild fruit and fresh water. Then they made a fire to do some cooking. They were not homeless children or modern Robinson. They were all pupils from a primary school and campers of special " hardship camp". Every year primary and middle schools in Japan organize such camps to train the children's _ of bearing hardship. Such places as thick forests and far-off mountains are chosen as camp places. The Japanese education circles usually think it necessary to give children chances of suffering hardships. Children in Japan now may hardly find times of hardships, because of the rapid growth of national economy and improvement in the people's living conditions. The experts think that such hardship camps can help children learn to live and develop in the struggle against nature in modern society. It's said that such hardship camps are warmly accepted by both Japanese school children and their parents. Children in Japan now hardly find times of hardships because _ . Answer:
Once a great boxer , Tom Brown, went to a restaurant for dinner. He put his bag near the door, but he was afraid that someone would take it away. So he got out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote on it, "The great boxer, Tom Brown, left his bag here and he will be back in a few minutes." He put the paper on his bag and went to have his dinner. When he came back, his bag wasn't there. But he found a piece of paper on the ground. It said, "A great runner took away your bag, and will not be back." Tom Brown went to the restaurant _ . In north America people are always in a hurry.Children have special lessons or sports activities after school.Parents often work late and don't get home until 7 or 8 o'clock at night.More than 50% of women work at full-time jobs,and many people do part-time work.Most North American families don't have time to eat many meals together. When a family takes the time to eat a meal together,often there isn't enough time to prepare the food That is why "fast food "is so popular in North America.People spend about 40% of their dollars on fast food. Fast food is food such as pizza, sandwiches or fried chicken.People usually buy the food from a restaurant chain such as Pizza Hut,McDonald's,or Kentucky Fried Chicken.Fast food saves time,but it is not very nutritious . Fast food is popular in many countries.American fast-food companies now have restaurants all over the world.But not everyone is happy about the spread( of North American fast food.A group of people in Italy want to fight against it.They do not want any more fast-food chains to open restaurants in their country.They also want to fight against the spread of fast food everywhere in the world. Children in North America _ . What is a source of energy for animals? You can't look good if you are not healthy. And one way to be healthy is to do exercise. Football, tennis, volleyball and swimming are all good for you. Muscle exercise is also important. You can exercise at school or at home. Boys can do push-ups and girls can do sit-ups . But there are some don'ts here: First, stay away from weight lifting . It's bad for you, because it gives too much stress to your body and you can't grow tall if you practise often. You should exercise for about an hour a day, and three days a week. On the other days, don't exercise too much. Exercising too much is not a good idea. Don't go running for a long time. Running for a long time makes you tired. Don't want fastresults . Your muscles will grow when you get older. If you want to be healthy and strong, exercise and healthy food are the best way. But don't think you can make it in one day. What's the best title for the article? One day a poor man was cutting a big piece of wood near a river. Suddenly his old axe fell into the water. He felt very sad because he lost his only axe. Then all at once a beautiful fairy came out and asked the man what the was matter. "I have lost my axe." he said, "It fell into the water when I was cutting the wood." The fairy showed him a gold axe and asked, "Is that yours?" "No." said the man. The fairy then showed him a silver axe and asked again, "Is this yours?" "No." again answered the man. Then she showed him the old axe. "Yes, that is mine." called out the happy man. "I know it well enough." said the fairy, "I only wanted to see if you would tell me the truth, and now I'll give you the gold axe and the silver axe besides your own one." ,. The beautiful fairy gave the poor man a gold axe and a silver axe, but he didn't take them. Because he _ .
The advantages of Eating Fruits & Vegetables Vegetables and fruit are good for your health because of a lot of vitamins, nutrients and fiber in them. Fruits and vegetables are regarded as a healthy diet without adding chemicals or additives for carrying or storing foods. The United States Department of Agriculture suggests eating plenty of fruits and vegetables every day to get the advantages of eating a healthy diet. Disease Prevention The United States Department of Agriculture tells that eating fruits and vegetables helps fight strokes, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Because of the potassium in fruits and vegetables, they can prevent the risk of developing kidney stones. The fiber in fruits and vegetables helps the body fight against coronary heart disease. Idea Health Since fruits and vegetables add to a balanced and healthy diet, eating these will help you with your idea. The vitamins in fruits and vegetables helps fight depress , according to the Mental Health Foundation. Vitamin B and folic acid found in some vegetables and bananas help you to relax. Eating fruits and vegetables can also help improve memory. Healthy Weight Eating fruits and vegetables helps you have a healthy weight. Fruits and vegetables naturally include less energy than other foods, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The fiber and water in the fruits and vegetables make you feel that you are full, so you will not feel that you have to eat more food. The United States Department of Agriculture suggests that _ . Answer: The oldest forms of medicine are enjoying a comeback. Modern holistic medicine is an approach that treats the whole patient, not just the disease. It is a way to maintain good health rather than cure illness. The most important influences on today's holistic medicine are ancient Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine, both of which promoted the whole body health. Holistic medicine usually combines diet, physical exercise and meditation, together with other alternative techniques such as massage and acupuncture . Herbal treatment ,a practice of treating illness by using plants, is influenced by the writings of Culpeper as well as Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. Homeopathy is one of the forms of holistic medicine which is widely practiced in Europe and the USA. Homeopathy began in Germany in the early 1800s, when Samuel Hahnemann described how very tiny doses of a drug had an effect on his patients. According to Hahnemann, the more the drug was diluted , the stronger its effects. The substance selected would produce similar effects to the disease itself if given in large doses. In the UK homeopathy is regarded as a non-traditional but just about acceptable treatment. Meditation and contemplation have an important role in holistic medicine. They were brought to Europe by Indian teachers who combined Indian Ayurvedic medicine with Western beliefs. Transcendental meditation is one of the best known of these techniques. People repeat words inside their head to reach a state of deep relaxation. The holistic movement has made many doctors look at the whole patient, not just the disease. Life-style, emotional problems and diet are just some of the factors that can affect a person's health. Holistic medicine emphasizes good diet, exercise and fresh air, all of which contribute to health. Some clinics now offer holistic medicine along with traditional treatments, so that their patients can choose a combination of treatments that suits them. One problem with holistic medicine is that it is difficult for people to be sure a doctor is reliable. To solve this, many countries want alternative doctors to form professional bodies. The principle of homeopathy is that _ . Answer: Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road. " Millions of animals die each year on the U. S. roads, " the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots , an endangered wild cat, exist in the U. S. today. The main reason? Roadkill. "Eco-passages" may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. " These ecopassages can be extremely useful,so that wildlife can avoid road accidents ," said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society. But do animals actually use the eco-passages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an eco-passage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage. Builders of eco-passages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses. The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animal over-pass ! From the passage, we know an eco-passage is _ . Answer: Many, many years back, in a place full of magic, there lived a man and a woman who were married. The man and woman did not love one another or anything else. The man was a wood man and often spent days alone in the wood. One day the man spent more time in the wood and he became lost. After days and days he grew hungry and weak. When he thought for sure he was going to die a tall wizard appeared before him. The man did not know the wizard had placed a spell on him, making him get lost, but he did. The wizard smiled at the man in a friendly way and said to him, "I can show you the way out of the woods, if you give me the one thing you love most in the world." Since there was nothing that the man loved, he said yes at once. The Wizard showed the man the way home and then disappeared into the wood. The man and woman lived well for many years and the man never told his meeting to the wizard and after a time, he too forgot about his promise. In time the woman gave birth and the man had a daughter who he loved. One day the wizard came to the door to take the girl, making the man remember his promise. The man was very sad to lose his daughter. But in the end he had to give her over to the wizard. The wizard was bad and locked the girl away in a cave. Every day the girl grew to be prettier and smarter. Every day the Wizard asked if the girl would marry him, but he was mean and she would not marry him. And every time the girl said no, the wizard would find a new way to make her sad. But the girl had found a secret flower that was very beautiful. "If you marry me I can let you out." "There is a lovely bit of sunlight that comes in through the rocks. I am very happy here in my cave." The girl said. The wizard became angry and steam poured from his eyes He blocked out the sun so the girl lived only in darkness. Still the girl said no. The wizard came back again and told the girl, "If you marry me I can let you out." The wizard became angry and steam poured from his mouth "There is a lovely stream of water that comes in through the rocks. I am very happy here in my cave." The girl said. The wizard became angry and steam poured from his ears He blocked out the water so the girl lived only in dry sand. Still the girl said no. The wizard came back again and told the girl, "If you marry me I can let you out." Again, the girl only said "There is a soft wind that comes in through the rocks. I am very happy here in my cave." The wizard became angry and steam poured from his ears and fire came out of his eyes So the Wizard blocked out the wind and left the girl in a hot cave with no air. But the girl would still not marry him. The wizard became so angry he turned to flame and burned up. The girl was free and went down to her flower only to find it was gone. Instead she found a handsome prince. "I thank you my lady," he said, "for saving me from the evil wizard. In return you may come live in my palace with me and be happy." The girl said yes. In time they came to love one another and got married and lived happy together. What did the wizard ask the man to give him? Answer: Daniel comes from Sydney. He is now staying in Beijing with his family. He usually gets up at about 6:30 am and has breakfast at 7:00 am. Then he leaves home at 7:15 am. He gets to school at 7:45 am. His first class begins at 8:00 am. There are four lessons in the morning. Morning classes are over at 11:50 am, and he has lunch 10 minutes later. Afternoon classes begin at 1:30 pm. There are two lessons in the afternoon. They are over at 3:10 pm. Daniel usually stays at school for another hour to play soccer, and then goes home. After school, Daniel usually stays at school for one hour to _ . Answer:
Today's amazing newspaper headline! First family of four to walk to the South Pole wearing Mickey Mouse ears and clown's shoes. No, not really. It isn't true. I invented it. But I wouldn't be surprised to see it one day soon. It seems that every week someone becomes 'the first' or 'the youngest' or 'the oldest' or even 'the first married couple' to do something that doesn't seem to be very useful to the rest of humanity. This year I've seen headlines saying 'The youngest person to sail the Atlantic alone', 'The youngest Briton to climb Mount Everest', and 'The first people to fly around the world in a hot air balloon'. Why do they do it? Don't they have better things to do with their time and money? And why should I be interested anyway? Human beings have already climbed the highest mountains, sailed across the oceans and flown around the world. People have already reached the most remote parts of our planet. Many of these things were done a long, long time ago. There just isn't anything left to explore nowadays. I suppose there's still a lot of the universe left, and the bottom of the oceans is still a bit of a mystery, but you need a lot of technology to explore areas like that. So, those people who feel the need for adventure can only do things that have been done before. So they have to try and do it in a new way, or be 'the fastest' or 'the youngest' or 'the oldest' to do something that isn't really new at all. What is so great about climbing Mount Everest these days anyway? It's become a popular tourist trip. People pay thousands of dollars to be taken up the mountain by the local Sherpas, who lead the way and carry the bags. At any one time there are about a thousand people either climbing up or on their way back down. As a result, Everest is covered with rubbish and the Sherpas have to make special trips up the mountain to pick it up. The climbers are often inexperienced and when they get into trouble other people have to risk their lives to bring them down to safety. Helicopter crews have been killed trying to reach people who were stuck on the mountain. In January 2003 a helicopter carrying two British men crashed into the sea near Antarctica. I'm not quite sure what they were trying to be 'the first' or 'the youngest' to do. The Chilean navy picked them up after a nine-hour rescue mission that cost tens of thousands of pounds, all paid for by the Chilean and British taxpayers. Talking of taxpayers, many Australians are getting a bit fed up with record breakers. A lot of people trying to break sailing or rowing records get into trouble in the seas around Australia, so the Australian navy has to send ships to save them. There have been a lot of difficult, time-consuming rescue missions in recent years costing the Australian government millions of dollars. I suppose we can't just leave them to drown, but personally, I think we should give the bill to the people who are rescued. Perhaps they would think twice about doing it if they had to pay for expensive insurance premiums . Then I wouldn't have to read about them in the newspapers either. The writer's purpose of writing this article is to _ . ks5u Answer: The interview has been going on for about 20 minutes and everything seems to be going well.Then, suddenly, the interviewer asks an unexpected question, "Which is more important, law or love?" Job applicants in the West increasingly find themselves asked strange questions like this.And the signs are that this is beginning to happen in China. Employers want people who are skilled, enthusiastic and devoted.So these are the qualities that any reasonably intelligent job applicant will try to show no matter what his or her actual feelings are.In response, employers are increasingly using the questions which try and show the applicant's true personality. The question in the first paragraph comes from a test called the Kiersey Temperament Sorter.It is an attempt to discover how people solve problems, rather than what they know.This is often called aptitude test. According to Mark Baldwin of Alliance, many job applicants in China are finding this type of questions difficult."When a Chinese fills out an aptitude test, he or she will think there is a right answer but they may fail because they try to guess what the examiner wants to see." This is sometimes called the prisoner's dilemma .Applicants are trying to act cleverly in their own interest, but they fail because they don't understand what the interviewer is looking for.Remember that in an aptitude test, the correct answer is the honest answer. From the passage we know that _ . Answer: Fish contains lost of omega-3 fatty acids.These fatty acids have been shown to help prevent heart disease,lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of strokes.Researchers suggest that these benefits of eating fish far outweigh the risks of getting sick from contaminated fish. Ongoing studies find that omega-3 fatty acids work magic on the brain too.Pregnant? Go out and eat fish! One study tracked a group of expectant women who ate more than 340 grams of fish per week.It turns out they gave birth to children who,years later,scored really high on IQ tests. How can you add fish to your diet? One way to begin is by replacing meat with fish in one meal a week.Instead of frying,which retains more fat,try boiling your fish in an oven or grilling it outdoors.And don't be afraid to spice up your fish.Garlic,herbs other spices can add wonderful flavors to fish. For lighter meals,keep a few cans of tuna or other fish on hand at all times.They're great for making tasty sandwiches or fish burgers.If you get hungry in the middle of the morning or afternoon,try tuna on crackers.It's hard to find a better snack.And parents,be sure to introduce fish to your children.It's important for them to get used to eating it at a young age. Why is grilling better than frying? Answer: Schooling Matters March 25, 2014 Chengdu Michelle Obama You see, the truth is that I grew up like many of you. My mom, my dad, my brother and I, we lived in a tiny apartment in Chicago, which is one of the largest cities in America. My father worked at the local water plant... While we certainly weren't rich, my parents had big dreams for me and my brother. They had only a high school education themselves, but they were determined to send us both to universities. So they poured all of their love and all of their hope into us, and they worked hard. They saved every penny. And I know that wasn't easy for them, especially for my father. You see, my father had serious illness called multiple sclerosis . And as he got sicker, it got harder for him to walk, and it took him longer to get dressed in the morning. But no matter how tired he felt, no matter how much pain he was in, my father hardly ever missed a day of work, because he was determined to give me and my brother a better life. And every day, like so many of you, I felt the weight of my parents' sacrifices on my shoulders. Every day, I wanted to make them proud. So, while most American kids attend public schools near their homes, when it was time for me to attend high school, I took an exam and got into a special public high school where I could get a better education. But the school was very far from my home, so I had to get up early every morning and ride a bus for an hour, sometimes an hour and a half if the weather was bad. And every afternoon, I'd ride that same bus back home and then immediately start my homework, often studying late into the night - and sometimes I would wake up at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning to study even more. And it wasn't easy. But whenever I got tired or discouraged, I would just think about how hard my parents were working for me. And I would remember something my mother always told me - she said, "A good education is something that no one can take away from you." Which of the following is TRUE about Michelle Obama and her family? Answer: Pete Richards was the loneliest man in town on the day that little Jean Grace opened the door of his shop. Pete's grandfather had owned the shop until his death. Then the shop became Pete's. The front window was full of beautiful old things: jewelry of a hundred years ago, gold and silver boxes, carved figures from China and Japan and other nations. On this winter afternoon, a child stood there, her face close to the window. With large and serious eyes, she studied each piece in the window. Then, looking pleased, she stepped back from the window and went into the shop. Pete himself stood behind the counter. His eyes were cold as he looked at the small girl. "Please," she began, "would you let me look at the pretty string of blue beads in the window?" Pete took the string of blue beads from the window. The beads were beautiful against his hand as he held the necklace up for her to see. "They are just right," said the child as though she were alone with the beads. "Will you wrap them up in pretty paper for me, please? I've been looking for a really wonderful Christmas present for my sister." "How much money do you have?" asked Pete. She put a handful of pennies on the counter. "This is all I have," she explained simply. "I've been saving the money for my sister's present." Pete looked at her, his eyes thoughtful. Then he carefully closed his hand over the price mark on the necklace so that she could not see it. How could he tell her the price? The happy look in her big blue eyes struck him like the pain of an old wound. "Just a minute," he said and went to the back of the shop. "What's your name?" he called out. He was very busy about something. "Jean Grace," answered the child. When Pete returned to the front of the shop, he held a package in his hand. It was wrapped in pretty Christmas paper. "There you are," he said. "Don't lose it on the way home." She smiled happily at him as she ran out of the door. Through the window he watched her go. He felt more alone than ever. Something about Jean Grace and her string of beads had made him feel once more the pain of his old grief. The child's hair was as yellow as the sunlight; her eyes were as blue as the sea. Once upon a time, Pete had loved a girl with hair of that same yellow and with eyes just as blue. And the necklace of blue stones had been meant for her. But one rainy night, a car had gone off the road and struck the girl. After she died, Pete felt that he had nothing left in the world except his grief. The blue eyes of Jean Grace brought him out of that world of self-pity and made him remember again all that he had lost. The pain of remembering was so great that Pete wanted to run away from the happy Christmas shoppers who came to look at his beautiful old things during the next ten days. When the last shopper had gone, late on Christmas Eve, the door opened and a young woman came in. Pete could not understand it, but he felt that he had seen her before. Her hair was sunlight yellow and her eyes were sea-blue. Without speaking, she put on the counter a package wrapped in pretty Christmas paper. When Pete opened the package, the string of blue beads lay again before him. "Did this come from your shop?" she asked. Pete looked at her with eyes no longer cold. "Yes, it did," he said. "Are the stones real?" "Yes. They aren't the best turquoise , but they are real." "Can you remember to whom you sold them?" "She was a small girl. Her name was Jean. She wanted them for her sister's Christmas present." "How much were they?" "I can't tell you that," he said. "The seller never tells anyone else what a buyer pays." "But Jean has never had more than a few pennies. How could she pay for them?" " " he said. For a moment there was no sound in the little shop. Then somewhere in the city, church bells began to ring. It was midnight and the beginning of another Christmas Day. "But why did you do it?" the girl asked. Pete put the package into her hands. "There is no one else to whom I can give a Christmas present," he said. "It is already Christmas morning. Will you let me take you to your home? I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas at your door." And so, to the sound of many bells, Pete Richards and a girl whose name he had not yet learned walked out into the hope and happiness of a new Christmas Day. The eyes of Jean Grace brought Pete out of his world of self-pity and he _ . Answer:
It is Sunday today. Ann is shopping with her mother. She wants her mother to buy a new sweater for her. In a clothing shop, she finds an orange one. She tries it on. It's too small. She wants a bigger one, but the bigger ones are not orange. Ann doesn't like other colours. Her mother asks, "Shall we go to another shop to have a look?" So they go out of the shop and go into another one. The second shop is bigger than the first, and in it there are many kinds of sweaters of different sizes and colours. Ann tries on an orange one. It's too big. She tries a smaller one. It's OK. "How much is it?" Ann's mother asks the woman who sells clothes. Then they find it too dear, and they don't have so much money with them. "Would you like a cheaper one?" the woman asks. "No, we shall take this one. My daughter likes it. We shall come back to buy it tomorrow," Ann's mother answers. Ann wants to buy _ . A. an orange B. an orange sweater C. an orange for her mother D. an orange sweater for her mother Answer: B Once upon a time, there was a poor man. One day, after working for hours, he had a rest under a tree in the middle of the field. Just then, he saw a terrible snake coming out of an anthill . The man thought that the snake might be the god of the field. He did not give it anything, so he could not get anything from the field. At once he went to bring a bowl of milk and offered the milk to the snake. "God of the field! I didn't know that you live here. That's why I never gave you anything. Please _ me. " Then he went home. The next day, when the man came, he found a gold coin in the bowl near the anthill. From then on, the man gave milk to the snake and found gold coins. One day the man was so busy that he couldn't send milk to the snake. So he asked his son to take care of the snake. The son brought milk to the anthill and gave it to the snake. The next day, when he came back, he found a gold coin in the bowl. After taking the gold coin, he thought, "This anthill must be full of gold coins. I would kill the snake and take them all." The next day, the son came to the field with milk and a stick. He gave the milk to the snake and hit it with the stick. The snake escaped the stick and bit the boy to death. From the passage we can learn that _ . A. too much greed is harmful B. we should protect the snake C. the snake is terrible D. people can't get coins from the snake Answer: A An early morning winter storm had brought several inches of snow on my small town in the mountains. Schools were canceled, roads were dangerous and all I wanted to do was to stay in bed. Still, I knew I had to get the day started so I put on warm clothes and walked outside. The snow got all over my shoes. The cold wind dried my lips and my eyes. _ Yet, when I looked out on the white blanket that covered the ground, I couldn't help but smile a bit. It was so beautiful. It softened the bare trees and hid the dead grass. In the distance I could hear the sound of the snowplow on the road, the barking of a happy dog and the laughter of children playing outside, enjoying their way off from school. The sweet music of that laughter brought back a hundred memories of winters past. I remembered catching snowflakes on my tongue, building snowmen, making snow angles, running down hills and always losing snowball fights with first my brothers and then my own children. Standing there in that warm coat of memories made the wind a little less cold and my back a little less sore . I turned up my head, stuck out my tongue and for the first time in years caught a snowflake on it. It tasted so fresh and clean. It tasted like youth, like joy and like love. May you always feel young in spirit, no matter how old or achy your body may be. May you always delight in the simple joys of life. May you always share your happiness with the hearts of children. And may you always give your love, your light, your laughter and your warmth to others even on the coldest days. What was the author's first reaction when he knew it snowed heavily? A. He was upset. B. He was happy. C. He was thankful. D. He was moved. Answer: A One day an out of work mimic is visiting the zoo and attempts to earn some money as a street performer. As soon as he starts to draw the crowd,a zoo keeper grabs him and drags him into his office. The zoo keeper explains to the mimic that the zoo's most popular attraction,a gorilla ,has died suddenly and the keeper fears that attendance at the zoo will fall off. He offers the mimic a job to dress up as the gorilla until they can get another one. The mimic accepts. So the next morning the mimic puts on the gorilla suit and enters the cage before the crowd comes. He discovers that it's a great job. He can sleep all he wants,play and make fun of people and he draws bigger crowds than he ever did as a mimic. However,eventually the crowds tire of him and he tires of just swinging on wires. He begins to notice that the people are paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his. Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience,he climbs to the top of his cage,crawls across a partition ,and dangles from the top to the lion's cage. Of course,this makes the lion very angry,but the crowd loves it. At the end of the day the zoo keeper comes and gives the mimic a raise for being such a good attraction. Well,this goes on for some time-the mimic keeps taunting the lion,the crowds grow larger,and his salary keeps going up. Then one terrible day when he is dangling over the angry lion he slips and falls. The mimic is terrified. The lion gathers itself and prepares to attack. The mimic is so scared that he begins to run round and round the cage with the lion close behind. Finally,the mimic starts screaming and yelling,"Help me,help me!"But the lion is quick and attacks. The mimic soon finds himself flat on his back looking up at the angry lion and the lion says,"Shut up,you idiot!Do you want to get us both fired?" The zoo keeper offers the mimic a job to act as the gorilla because _ . A. it is more expensive to hire a real gorilla B. the real gorilla died but the keeper does not want to lose its visitors C. he likes the mimic's performance D. he wants to help the mimic who is out of work Answer: B Green tea is believed to have originated in China thousands of years ago, where it was recognized for its health benefits. And scientists continue to probenew uses for it. Some studies suggest it can help protect against cancer. Thanks to the health food craze, green tea sales are currently rising sharply. The Tea Association of the USA reports that green tea sales jumped more than 60 percent in the last decade. And in Canada, government data shows that profits for green tea imports more than quadrupled . Nowadays, green tea seems to be everywhere. In shops, you can buy green tea leaves prepared in a number of ways: fried, powdered or steamed. Despite green tea's healthy reputation, the drink was once considered dangerous. Where did this silly opinion come from? Blame the Victorians, of course, who lived in a period of English history in the 19th century. That's when some of the silliest theories about green tea arose. One 1882 book described strange experiments to show the harm of green tea. Apply some green tea below a frog's stomach, and you could cause paralysis in its legs, the book claimed. And injecting green tea into a dog would cause it to lose control of its legs and tail. The book went so far as to declare that green tea could kill someone. At that time, a green tea panic was sweeping England. Even Charlotte Bronte, a famous English writer, refused to touch the drink, fearing its terrible effects it would have on her nerves. Some of the fear was well reasonable, though. English consumers preferred brighter leaves, over dull olive- color1ed ones. As a result, tea sellers would dye their products, using anything including poisons like "Prussian blue". Even today, mixing green tea with chemicals remains a problem. But those rare instances aren't stopping Westerners from raising their pinky fingers in salute to green tea and all its nutritional advantages. Bottoms up! Why was green tea once considered dangerous? A. Someone was killed by it. B. Books spread negative opinions. C. Many Victorians suffered from it. D. People witnessed terrible experiments. Answer: B
When I was a child, my parents always told me that I should never talk to strangers. This was part of a whole list of things I should never do: Never accept food or candy from strangers, never get in a car with strangers, and so on. But if we didn't start a conversation with strangers, we'd never make new friends. We'd never get a job. We may miss the joy that comes from talking with strangers. And the more people you know, you more chances you can get. The following passage offers you some advice on how to break the ice. Don't just stare at your shoes. Go and say "Hi" to that new guy. It will be easier to break the ice if you know more about different cultures. British: Beautiful day, isn't it? The weather in Britain is changeable. So, it is one of the topics the British care most about. And there's a simple rule: Say "Yes" whether you agree with the person's idea on the weather or not. That's because the British start a conversation using the weather so that they can continue their talk. French: Where did you go on holiday? To talk with a French person, the safest way is to ask his or her last holiday. French students enjoy a 10-to-15-day holiday every two months. French employees get more than six weeks of holidays per year. American: So, where are you from? The US is so big and people move so often that location is always a source of talk. You can try to find a connection with the place they're from. For example, if someone's from Los Angeles, you could say:"Oh, I have a friend who studied there" According to the passage, the writer thinks _ . Answer: It is necessary to talk with strangers A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane gas from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking. Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas, Martin Orrill, said customers wouldn't notice any difference as the gas is purified to the highest standard and has no smell. The gas is produced at a sewage treatment works plant in Didcot. The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks. The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria digest the sewage, with the aid of enzymes to speed up the process. The digestion process produces methane, which can be burned to drive machines to produce electricity, or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity. Partners in the Didcot project, British Gas, Scotia Gas Networks, and Thames Water, all hope to expand the process to other towns, and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned. One of these projects, in Manchester, could be supplying 500 homes with biomethane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery wastes to around 235 families. The Didcot project cost PS2.5m and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies. An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020. The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually. If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology, they could supply gas for up to 350,000 families. According to British Gas, the biomethane gas had better be used _ . Answer: for the heating and cooking A foot uses force on spheres in Answer: kickball When travelling.you are sure to try some exciting new kinds of food.The Wild Food Festival,in the town of Hokitika,the west of Coast of New Zealand,gives you the chance to try some strange food.It is a celebration of the areas special lifestyle and food.And it celebrates food that most people might not want to eat.It is held in March every year. At the festival you will find huhu grubs and beetles on your plate.The festival also celebrates Maori food. the food of the traditional native people of New Nealand And visitors will eat the wild food with plenty of famous West Coast beer.What's more,there are three stages at the festival,where there is live music and entertainment an day long. If you have the chance to travel to Hokitita during the Wild Food Festival,you should book a hotel before it begins.or you can choose to stay at local schools.A number of local schools become camping grounds over the weekend of the festival.You can also stay in Greymouth,because there are buses from Greymouth to the festival. Which activity can't you do at the festival? Answer: You can make Maori food by yourself. (Reuters)--A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew was presumed to have crashed off the Vietnamese coast on Saturday, and European officials said two people on board were using false identities. There were no reports of bad weather and no sign of why the Boeing 777-200ER would have vanished from radar screens about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. "We are not ruling out any possibilities," Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya told a news conference. By the early hours of Sunday, there were no confirmed signs of the plane or any wreckage, well over 24 hours after it went missing. Operations will continue through the night, officials said. There were no indications of sabotage nor claims of an attack. But the passenger list issued by the airline included the names of two Europeans--Austrian Christian Kozel and Italian Luigi Maraldi--who, according to their foreign ministries, were not in fact on the plane. A foreign ministry spokesman in Vienna said: "Our embassy got the information that there was an Austrian on board. That was the passenger list from Malaysia Airlines. Our system came back with a note that this is a stolen passport." Austrian police had found the man safe at home. The passport was stolen two years ago while he was travelling in Thailand, the spokesman said. The foreign ministry in Rome said no Italian was on the plane either, despite the inclusion of Maraldi's name on the list. His mother, Renata Lucchi, told Reuters his passport was lost, presumed stolen, in Thailand in 2013. U.S. and European security officials said that there was no proof of any terrorist link and there could be other explanations for the use of stolen passports. Who should be responsible for the missing of the plane according to the passage? Answer: We are not sure.
Question: The garden city was largely the invention of Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928). After immigrating from England to the USA, and an unsuccessful attempt to make a living as a farmer, he moved to Chicago, where he saw the reconstruction of the city after the disastrous fire of 1871. In those days, it was nicknamed "the Garden City", almost certainly the source of Howard's name for his later building plan of towns. Returning to London, Howard developed his design in the 1880s and 1890s, _ ideas that were popular at the time, but creating a unique combination of designs. The nineteenth-century poor city was in many ways a terrible place, dirty and crowded; but it offered economic and social opportunities. At the same time, the British countryside was in fact equally unattractive: though it promised fresh air and nature, it suffered from agricultural depression and it offered neither enough work and wages, nor much social life. Howard's idea was to combine the best of town and country in a new kind of settlement, the garden city. Howard's idea was that a group of people should set up a company, borrowing money to establish a garden city in the depressed countryside; far enough from existing cities to make sure that the land was bought at the bottom price. Garden cities would provide a central public open space, radial avenues and connecting industries. They would be surrounded by a much larger area of green belt, also owned by the company, containing not merely farms but also some industrial institutions. As more and more people moved in, the garden city would reach its planned limit-----Howard suggested 32,000 people; then, another would be started a short distance away. Thus, over time, there would develop a vast planned house collection, extending almost without limit; within it, each garden city would offer a wide rang of jobs and services, but each would also be connected to the others by a rapid transportation system, thus giving all the economic and social opportunities of a big city. According to Howard, garden cities should be built _ . A. as far as possible from existing cities B. in the countryside where the land was cheap C. in the countryside where agriculture was developed D. near cities where employment opportunities already existed Answer: B Question: Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his fortune ,largely to the cause of global health,during the course of his lifetime.With an estimated worth of more than $40 billion,according to Forbes,the project will be no small fate for Gates.Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $24 billion to address global health issues,Gates said that finally his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except "a few percent left for the kids". So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest?Gates believes that "the equality of opportunity "in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations,he says,has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially successful."National borders allow inequalities,"said Gates."We all need to take a more global view,rather than just saying my country is doing well.We have to step up these health issues,knowing how few resources are going into them." Gates said that both his parents set up an example for him as a child.His father,William H.Gates,was the head of the local Planned Parenthood,and his mother,Mary,volunteered for the United Way.As he gathered his fortune,Gates knew he would finally want to give back as well,but he didn't expect to devote himself wholeheartedly to one project until he was about 60. However,Gates,47,began to question his ability to wait that long."It seemed there was a real time urgency,"Gates said."I started to think how many lives I could save before then." Bill Gates will give away his vast fortune to _ . A. improve the health of population all over the world B. improve the health of population in America alone C. avoid leaving his children too much money D. spare the American government the burden of health care Answer: A Question: "How about your study now?""Fine. ""Is your grandma OK?""Yes. ""How is everybody in the family?""They are fine. ""Ok, then I'll hang up. " The phone call was made by a peasant worker far away from his hometown to his child. The total call lasted only 30 seconds. However, even this short conversation was a luxury to the family. In prefix = st1 /China, with one or both parents going out to earn money , many children are left in their hometowns in the countryside. These children are called "leftover children". Some people say that the leftover children phenomenon is largely caused by poverty. More and more peasants are moving to big cities and as a result, a large number of leftover children have appeared. Statistics showed that in 2004, China had a total of 22 million leftover children in the countryside. Usually, the children,s grandparents or their parents,friends or s look after these children. To them, making sure that the children are healthy and fed well is the most important task. If the children are safe and sound, they are considered to have done a good job. They seldom care about the children,s study, their psychological needs, or mental demands. Neither do they spend some time teaching kids how to develop good habits. Experts said that children need emotional support. The younger they are , the more emotional support they need. Most of the emotional support comes from their parents. For most of the time, problems of the leftover children largely arise from a lack of emotional care from their parents. If kids can go out with their parents together, many problems will disappear. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? A. Peasant Workers B. A Telephone Call C. Leftover Children D. Family Problems Answer: C Question: One day , a young man goes to an old man. The old man is _ and he knows everything. He looks up into the old man's eyes and says, "I know you're a very wise man. I'd like to know the secret of life." The old man looks at the young man and answers, "I am thinking about that all my life. The secret is four words. The first word is think .Think about what you want to get from life. The second is believe. Believe in yourself, and don't care too much about what other people say. Just do your best. The third is dream. Dream about the things you love. Hold on to your dream, and never give up when you meet difficulties. The last is dare. Dare to make your dream come true. " The young man nods his head and leaves happily. The second word to tell the secret of life is _ . A. think B. dream C. believe D. dare Answer: C Question: 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.) The writer and his parents _ on the first day. A. visited the Stone Forest B. visited Lijiang C. went to the Bird & Flower Market D. went to the shopping center Answer: D
I fell in love with music from a young age and often sat down making a few songs of my own.What would life be like, I wondered, without a beautiful song? In 1992, I made two love songs to my darling wife and watched tears run down her face as I sang."Sam," she said earnestly, "Your songs should be heard by more people." She got my ballads and started bothering various media people about me, her singing barber husband.Two radio stations took an interest and played the songs.After the programme was aired, I became known in our community as the Singing Barber. The biggest surprise, however, was still to come.I received a call from a music promoter who offered me a long-term recording contract.He explained that he would be investing a lot of money to market my songs.I needed to be wholly focused on selling my records all over Australia. But I hesitated. My friends all told me to go for it.And Mary also thought I should do."Go, Sam.I'll manage with the family...it'll be OK." I watched my daughter and son playing in the backyard.Soon they would both be in high school...and where would I be? I was so used to my family turning to me for love and support.If I were to start a singing career, I would not only miss them terribly, I'd also certainly miss out on watching them grow up.Signing this contract would put a huge gap between my family and me...and I couldn't bear it.My family was my life.So I refused the music promoter's offer.I'm still making music, I'm rich in love and I have no regrets. What does the author mainly intend to tell us? Answer: "How can I learn English well?" This is a question many students ask. In my opinion, the most effective way is to learn lessons by heart. If you can recite the text and write it out, you've learned it fairly well. And if you can tell, in your own words, what the lesson says you're a very successful learner indeed. Your English will be quite perfect.This is a difficult task. However, if you try to learn by heart only part of each lesson, you'll find it not half so hard as you might have thought. Learning this way, you will make rapid progress. Of course, writing is also necessary. It helps you a lot on our way to success in English. Equally important is to feel the language. You should be able to laugh at jokes and be shocked at bad news. When using English, try to forget your mother tongue. Instead of helping you, your own language gets in your way. So, never try to see English through translation. In the writer's opinion, the most effective way in learning English is _ . Answer: I work in a small shop. It is near a factory. Every day, workers, old ladies and housewives come to the shop to buy things. I live in a house not very far from the shop. I usually get up at six, have breakfast and then go to work by bike. I take some food along in my lunch box. I get to the shop at about ten to seven. At seven customers begin to arrive. They buy meat, eggs, sugar, soybean, sauce, cooking oil , salt, candies, biscuits and many other things. We don't sell vegetables or fruit. There is a shop for these things nearby. I have my meal at noon from my lunch box. At seven in the evening we close the shop. I tidy things up and then go home for supper. Some people may think my work isn't so interesting. But I do my bit for the modernizations , don't I? The shop is a _ shop. Answer: On the first day of school, Jack found a little old lady with a warm smile."Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I'm 87 years old."she said. "Why are you in university at such a YOUNG age?" Jack asked. "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of kids, and then retired and travel." she answered. Jack knew she's joking but he was surprised what encouraged her to be here at her age. "I always dreamed of having a university education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. We became friends. Every day they would talk after class. Jack always enjoyed listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with him. And Rose easily made friends wherever she went. At the end of the term, Rose was invited to make a little speech. She said, "We don't stop playing because we're old. We grow old because we stop playing. Being happy and achieving success may keep you staying young. If you have a dream, hold on. When you lose your dreams, you die." "Anybody can grow older. _ doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the chance in change..." What does the word that in Para.7 refers to ? Answer: I grew up with a fat dad--450 pounds at his heaviest.Every week he would try a new diet,and my family ended up eating whatever strange food he was trying at that moment. After my thirdgrade year,my dad landed a lifechanging job in Manhattan.My mom,my little sister and I had to move away from our hometown,Chicago,and leave my grandmother and her beautiful food behind. Leaving my grandmother was far more frightening than the move to New York City.There would be no more special weekends at my grandmother's house,the only place I can remember feeling happy,safe and nourished .It was what I desired.In this new city,I felt extremely alone and lost,and I missed my grandmother terribly. My grandmother knew just how I felt--And she knew the _ .Every week,she would send me a card with a $20 bill,a recipe and a list of what to buy at the market.It kept us bonded,and her recipes filled my body and soul. Over the years,I have grown to better understand my father's struggles with weight and the toll it took on him and those who love him.I have come to realize he was driven not by vanity or selfishness as much as by a deep pain.And in spite of growing up in such an unhealthy eating environment (or perhaps because of it),as an adult I found a passion and a career as a nutrition consultant. Today,my father weighs 220 pounds and is a vegan .How he got there is a story I hope to share in the coming weeks.More importantly,food is no longer a barrier that keeps us apart,but a bridge that keep us connected.There is nothing my dad enjoys more than talking with me about dietary theories and his weightloss victories.And now I am the one regularly sending recipe cards to my father's house,just as my grandmother did for me. The author became a nutrition consultant mainly because _ . Answer:
Question: Walt Whitman was born in 1819 in Long Island, New York. Whitman received most of his education outside of the classroom. At the age of eleven, he worked in a law office as an office boy where he became interested in reading. He was soon reading the works of famous authors like William Shakespeare and Homer, and was well on his way to becoming one of America's most well-known poets. By the time Whitman was seventeen years old, he had already worked as a printer's learner, a worker, and a learning games to help his students with spelling and maths. In his early twenties, however, he gave up teaching to pursue a full-time career as a journalist and poet. When Walt Whitman first appeared as a poet, his arrival onto the American literary scene was met with controversy. His first collection of poems, Leaves of Grass, was so unusual that no commercial publisher would print the work. In 1855 Whitman published, at his own expense, the first edition of his collection of twelve poems. Whitman's poetic style was uncommon I the sense that he wrote poems in a form called parallelism , in which his goal was to copy the flow of the sea and the quickly-passing nature of human emotion. A common theme in Whitman's poetry is self-realization. In his work, Whitman moves from conventional patterns of rhyme to create a unique rhythm and a multi-layered, but truly American voice. "Although Whitman was considered a revolutionary by many, there is little doubt he loved his country deeply." In his writing, he used slang and various images, or voices, to create a sense of national unity. For Whitman, the "proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it." Whitman has undoubtedly become a part of the cultural history and image of America. When Whitman first appeared as a poet, _ . A. he received a warm welcome B. his literary road was not easy C. he became famous for his unusual style D. his poetic style was copied by other poets Answer: B Question: Mary Cassatt was born in Pennsylvania in 1844. When she was seven, her family moved to Europe. They wanted their children to understand European ways and the people who lived there. They travelled a lot and she had visited many countries by the time she was 10 years old. After four years they returned to America. In those days, women didn't have professions, and there were very few women artists. Her family did not approve when she decided that she would become an artist. She studied first in Philadelphia. She happened to be in Chicago in 1871 when the huge fire broke out there. She lost many of her paintings in that fire. She went to Paris to study painting. She met Camille Pissarro there. He taught her Impressionism, a method of painting where the artists used small strokes of unmixed color1s to create an image. She once said of Pissarro that " _ " because he was such a good teacher. She spent a lot of time at the Louvre Museum copying paintings of the famous artists. In 1874, her sister, Lydia, came to live with her in Paris. Lydia was her best friend and posed for many of Mary's paintings. Three years later, her parents came to Paris, also to live with them. Lydia became very ill and died from a disease. Mary missed her very much. Her parents became elderly and she cared for them, but she still found time to paint. One of the more interesting works of Mary Cassatt is her painting, Portrait of Mrs. Curry, Sketch of Mr. Cassatt. Though she never had children of her own, she loved children and painted portraits of the children of her friends and family. She became known as the painter of mothers and children. She lost her sight due to cataracts in her eyes in 1914 and was not able to paint during the later years of her life. What is the passage mainly about? A. A brief introduction to Mary Cassatt. B. The main works of Mary Cassatt. C. The influence of Impressionism on Mary Cassatt. D. Mary Cassatt's love for her family. Answer: A Question: Rain and cold weather this summer saw honey yields from hives fall by almost three-quarters, the British Beekeepers Association(BBKA)said today. The average crop per hive was down 72% compared to last year, with just 3.6kg (81b) of honey produced compared to an annual average, the annual honey survey by the BBKA revealed. The survey of 2,712 beekeepers in England, Northern Ireland and Wales found that 88% said this summer's bad weather caused the _ in honey yields. The bad weather made it difficult for bees to excrete ,which led to disease easily, and the bad weather also increased the risk of keeping bees for heavy rain caused the places which bees regularly visited to meet natural disasters. The bad weather also influenced the plants flowering which increased the cost of keeping bees. The BBKA issued a midsummer warning to feed bees if necessary to avoid dying from hunger. But in London, which recorded the worst results with just 2.5kg (5.61b)of honey harvested on average, beekeeping experts said that in addition to the bad weather there was a lack of food for bees in the city. Angela Woods, secretary of the London Beekeepers Association, said, "Rather than putting beehives on office roofs, we encourage companies in London that want to help to look at different ways of supporting bees and beekeepers. We need more food for the bees and better-educated beekeepers." Elsewhere, the weather was the main problem. Peter Hutton, a beekeeper in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said, "It has been the most difficult year I have known in my 53 years of beekeeping. Bad weather in spring prevented bees in many areas from collecting nectar from early-flowering crops such as oilseed rape ,and the rain continued in many places throughout June and July, preventing honeybees from searching for food on later crops." The BBKA warned that as well as reducing the honey harvest, the bad weather is likely to have a longer-term influence as it will have affected the normal process of breeding for the queens, which mate on the wing on fine, still summer days. As a result they may have mated poorly and be unable to produce enough new babies to see groups through the winter. What caused the lack of food? A. The bad weather in both autumn and winter. B. The bad weather in both winter and spring. C. The bad weather in both spring and summer. D. The bad weather in both summer and autumn. Answer: C Question: Are you happy? Do you remember a time when you were happy? Are you seeking happiness today? Many have sought a variety of sources for their feelings of happiness.Some have put their hearts and efforts into their work.Too many have turned to drugs and alcohol.Meanwhile, untold numbers have looked for it in the possession of expensive cars, exotic vacation homes and other popular "toys".Most of their efforts have a root in one common fact: people are looking for a lasting source of happiness. Unfortunately, I believe that happiness escapes from many people because they misunderstand the journey of finding it.I have heard many people say that, "I'll be happy when I get my new promotion." Or "I'll be happy when I lose that extra 20 pounds." It is dangerous because it accepts that happiness is a "response" to having, being or doing something. In life, we all experience stimulus and response.Today, some people think that an expensive car is a stimulus, and happiness is a response; a great paying job is a stimulus, and happiness is a response; a loving relationship is a stimulus, and happiness is a response.This belief leaves us the thinking and feeling: I'll be happy when ... It has been my finding that actually the opposite is true.I believe that happiness is a stimulus and a response is what life brings to those who are truly happy.When we are happy, we tend to have more success in our work.When we are happy, people want to be around us and enjoy loving relationships.When we are happy, we more naturally take better care of our bodies and enjoy good health.Happiness is not a response but a stimulus. Happiness is a conscious choice we make every day of our lives.For unknown reason to me, many choose to be painful, unsuccessful and angry most of the time.Happiness is not something that happens to us after we get something we want--we usually get things we want AFTER we choose to be happy. From the viewpoint of the author, happiness is _ . A. based on our needs B. unconditional C. out of reach D. limited Answer: B Question: Bird Talk includes everything you need to know to help keep your bird healthy and active.Get important information on bird healthcare and nutrition,step-by-step training and caging tips. Readers also enjoy color1ful photos,entertaining stories,and a centerfold poster in each monthly issue. Issues per year:12 Our price:$ 13.99 Cover price:$ 47.88 Art on Paper is a bimonthly art magazine devoted to works on paper. Offering a balanced range of media and historical periods. Art on Paper presents current information about exhibitions and the marketplace. Each issue contains news and announcements,reviews of current and recent museum and gallery exhibitions,as well as limited-edition prints. Issues per year:6 Our price:$ 45.00 Cover price:$ 80.00 Disney Adventuresis for children aged 7 to 14 who are eager to learn.This wacky and. exciting magazine focuses on fun and action-packed adventure covering the world of entertainment, comics, Sports, technology, and weird science. Issues per year:10 Our price:$ 14.95 Cover price:$ 29.90 Mother Earth News is a country lifestyle publication dedicated to helping readers with the how-to information of home building and home improvement.Topics include building, gardening,homesteading, do-it-yourself,kitchen and so on. Issues per year:6 Our price:$ 18.00 Cover price:$ 23.70 The purpose of the passage is mainly _ . A. to compare advantages of four magazines B. to provide readers with more entertainment C. to get readers to buy the magazines D. to introduce four magazines to readers Answer: C
Skin can protect your A. emotions B. anger C. feelings D. squishy bits Answer: D. squishy bits People have wondered for a long time how their personalities and behaviors are formed.It is not easy to explain why one person is intelligent and another is not, or why one is cooperative and another is competitive. Social scientists are, of course, extremely interested in these types of questions.They want to explain why we possess certain characteristics and exhibit certain behaviors.There are no clear answers yet, but two distinct schools of thought on the matter have developed.As one might expect, the two approaches are very different from one another, and there is a great deal of debate between _ of each theory.The controversy(argument) is often referred to as "nature and nurture ". Those who support the "nature" side of the conflict believe that our personalities and behavior patterns are largely determined by biological and genetic factors.That our environment has little, if anything, to do with our abilities, characteristics, and behavior is central to this theory.Taken to an extreme , this theory maintains that our behavior is predetermined to such a degree that we are almost completely governed by our instincts . Proponents of the "nurture" theory, or, as they are often called, behaviorists, claimed that our environment is more important than our biologically based instincts in determining how we will act.A behaviorist, B.F.Skinner, sees humans as beings whose behavior is almost completely shaped by their surroundings.The behaviorists' view of the human being is quite mechanistic ; they maintain that, like machines, humans' respond to environmental stimuli as the basis of their behavior. Socially and politically, the consequences of these two theories are far-reaching.In the US, for example, blacks often score below whites on standardized intelligence tests.This leads some proponents to conclude that blacks are genetically lower in status than whites.Behaviorists, on the contrary, say that the differences in scores are due to the fact that blacks are often robbed of many of the educational and other environmental advantages that whites enjoy, and that, as a result, they do not develop the same responses that whites do. Either of these theories cannot yet fully explain human behavior.In fact, it is quite likely that the key to our behavior lies somewhere between these two extremes. That the controversy will continue for a long time is certain. What's the author's purpose in writing the passage? A. To call our attention to the changes of human behavior. B. To urge scientists to do more research in social science. C. To give us a detailed explanation of human behavior. D. To present an argument in the field of social science. Answer: D. To present an argument in the field of social science. When animals use energy, they produce A. nitrogen B. iron sulfide C. oxygen D. carbon dioxide Answer: D. carbon dioxide "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is one of the most common sayings in the English languages. This is because apples were one of the first foods that medical professionals recognized as healthy---their benefits became obvious when, quite simply, doctors found that people who ate apples were sick less often than those who did not. Today we have a more specific understanding of why apples are so beneficial to overall health. Apples can help keep your levels of bad cholesterol down. The pectin in apples helps you to maintain cardiovascular health and reduce LDL cholesterol(which is the "bad" kind). Apples themselves do not add cholesterol to your diet and are full of water and fiber to help weaken the cholesterol in other foods you might digest. According to Health Diaries, people who eat two apples per day may lower their cholesterol by as much as 16 percent. Apples are naturally low in calories and high in water content. Eating an apple can satisfy your hunger and keep you from reaching for high-sugar, high-calories snacks. By eating apples, you will be more able to maintain a healthy weight because they fill you up, potentially stopping you from eating food that encourages a waistline increase. Apples contain considerable levels of boron , which helps build healthy bones, and can also prevent diseases like arthritis. Apples are rich in vitamin C, which is known to help build immunity. Studies have shown that apples can decrease the risk of breast cancer and liver cancer. One theory is that the apple skins are responsible for this, so be sure not to take apple skins off before you eat them, as you could remove some of the health benefits. By eating apples we can get many benefits EXCEPT _ . A. lowering the cholesterol B. keeping a healthy weight C. building immunity D. preventing heart disease Answer: D. preventing heart disease Low-Cost Gifts for Mother's Day Gift No. I Offer to be your mother's health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor's visits whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say "no need," another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The best part ? This one is free. Gift No. 2 Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. "Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life," Dr. Marie Savard said. Gift No. 3 Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. "Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep," Savard said. "We know that good sleep is very important to our health." Gift No. 4 Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things -many of which are "green" - and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity. Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother's sleep? A. In Gift No. 1. B. In Gift No. 2. C. In Gift No. 3. D. In Gift No. 4. Answer: C. In Gift No. 3.
Many people think the search for cleaner energy leads only to renewable resources like sun, wind and water. But it also leads to a fossil fuel. Natural gas is considered the cleanest of the fossil fuels, the fuels created by plant and animal remains over millions of years. Burning it releases fewer pollutants than oil or coal. The gas is mainly methane . It produces half the carbon dioxide of other fossil fuels. So it may help cut the production of carbon gases linked to climate change. Russia is first in what are called "proved reserves" of natural gas. The United States is sixth. Over the years, big oil and gas companies recovered much of the easily reached supplies of gas in America. They drilled straight down into formations where gas collects. As these supplies were used up, big drillers looked for similar formations in other countries. But now the industry is taking a new look. Companies are developing gas supplies trapped in shale rock two to three thousand meters underground. They drill down to the shale , then go sideways and inject high-pressure water, sand or other material into the rock. This causes the rock to break, or fracture, releasing the gas. Huge fields of gas shale are believed to lie under the Appalachian Mountains, Michigan and the south-central states. Gas shale exploration is being done mainly by small to medium sized companies. Eric Potter is a program director in the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. ERIC POTTER: "The types of opportunities that are left for natural gas exploration in the U.S. have changed. So it's a different class of resource -- not as easy to develop, and not even recognized as something worth pursuing, say, twenty years ago." He says more than half the gas in the United States is now coming from these new reserves. But hydraulic fracturing can also produce debate and anger over the risk of groundwater pollution. This method of drilling is not federally supervised under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Some in Congress want to end that exemption from the law. Natural gas provides Americans with about one-fourth of their energy. And, unlike oil, most of it is produced in America. Gas producers invested heavily in reaching new supplies when prices were high. But prices are down sharply now because the recession cut demand for energy. So energy expert Eric Potter says it is too early to know how the new gas shale reserves will affect the market. What does the writer mean by saying "now the industry is taking a new look"? People gain natural gas from shale rock using a method different from the traditional ones. Dr. Wiseman started the "laugh lab" project in September 2001. It is the largest study of humor. Participants are invited to log on the laugh lab website, give a few personal details, tell their favorite jokes and judge the jokes told by other people. Their project will last for a year, and the organizers hope to finally discover the world's funniest joke. But there is also a serious purpose. The researchers want to know what people from different nations and cultures find funny. And they want to find out the differences between male's and female's sense of humor. The idea is that if we want to understand each other, we have to find out what makes us laugh. This is a subject that has long interested psychologists and philosophers . Most of the time, people are not completely honest. We do things that society expects us to and say things that help us get what we want. But laughing cannot be controlled. When we laugh, we tell the truth about ourselves. By December 2001 over 10,000 jokes had been submitted . This gave the scientists enough evidence to make early conclusions. It seems that men and women do have different senses of humor, for example. "Our findings show the major differences in the ways in which males and females use humor," said Dr Wiseman. "Males use humor to appear superior (,) to others, while women are more skilled in languages and prefer word play." Researchers also found that there really is such a thing as a national sense of humor. The British enjoy what is usually called "toilet humor". But the French like their jokes short and sharp, "You're a high priced lawyer. Will you answer two questions for $ 500?" "Yes. What's the second question?" The Germans are famous for not having a sense of humor. But the survey found that German participants were more likely to find submitted jokes funny than any other nationality. Perhaps that proves the point. Is this joke funny? I don't know, but let's say yes, just to be safe. Dr Wiseman and his workmates also submitted jokes created by computer. But none of those who took part in the survey found any of them amusing. Perhaps this is relief . Computers already seem like they can do everything. But at least they should leave the funny things to us. Which statement is true according to the passage? The jokes by computer are less funny than those by humans. Bali Beach Resort has plenty of attractions. It is a holiday paradise . The self-styled 'Ultimate Island' certainly has plenty for everyone. Where in the world ? Bali is located just off the eastern edge of the main Indonesian island of Java. To the east is the neighboring island of Lombok. To the south of Bali lies the expanse of the Indian Ocean, while to the north is the Bali Sea. The most popular resort with holidaymakers is Ubud north of Sanur. When to go? Bali has a tropical climate year round with an average daily temperature of 31degC(87degCF). The wet season is between October and April. The dry season is between May and September, and is the busiest time to visit the island as travelers take advantage of the long hot days and little rain. Beach Bali has a string of beaches, mainly in the south of the island. Head away from Bali's beaches and a totally different world awaits you. Ubud is an easily accessible jungle resort town with a good range of hotels, shops and restaurants. The active volcano of Mount Batur is a highlight and so are the mountain lakes. Family fun All of the resorts have plenty of facilities for families. In Ubud there is a monkey park, where young ones can see monkeys that are not kept in tiny cages and an elephant park where holidaymakers can ride an elephant. Eating out All of Bali's holiday resorts offer international cooking to suit every tourist's taste, with most of the better hotels having excellent restaurants. Indonesian Bintang beer is very popular. Getting around There are a limited number of local buses. The other public transport is to take the local "bemo" minibuses. These colourful little minibuses speed around the winding roads with fares negotiated on board, so it helps to speak a little of the local language. There are also taxis and both electric bikes and cars can be hired. _ to get around Bali Beach Resort. You may take an electric bike A glacier is made from the same stuff as steam Body language is a very powerful tool of communication, not only between people but in the animal world as well. In many instances, we produce idioms (,)which are all understandable by borrowing examples from animal communication. For example, we know that a frightened cat will arch its back high in rigid curve . From this starting-point we might hear the expression, "He gets my back up!" meaning "He makes me angry." In the same manner, we know that many animals, if challenged by attackers, will not turn and run away because this will encourage the attacker to attack them more forcefully. Instead, they will move backwards slowly to get out of harm's way, always still facing their attacker.We call this action " _ " and it can be used just as well with humans as with animals. In the case of humans, however, the back-off may not be physical but oral, as in using a kinder tone of voice and gentler words instead of fighting against the attackers. When a cat arches its back high in a rigid curve, it shows that it is _ . frightened
Qian Xuesen is one of the pioneers of China's space science. As a world-famous expert on aerospace rockets and aerodynamics, he obtained great achievements in the areas of applied mechanics, engineering cybernetics and system engineering and made distinguished contributions to the foundation and development of Chinese aerospace undertaking . He graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1934, and Qian Xuesen went to the United States to study in MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one year later. After receiving master's degree in MIT, he went to study in California Institute of Technology and received PhD degrees in both aerospace and mathematics. In 1955, six years after the founding of People's Republic of China, Qian Xuesen returned to his motherland. His return brought China the hope of developing space science and its own missiles. In 1956, Qian Xuesen put forward "Proposal on the Development of China's Aviation Industry for National Defense". With the support from Zhou Enlai, the premier, and marshal Nie Rongzheng, Qian Xuesen began to prepare for the establishment of China's first missile and rocket research and development structure, the Fifth Research Institute of State Ministry of Defense. Henceforth , he has long been in charge of the chief technological research and development of China's missile, rocket and spacecraft. Due to research and development led by Qian Xuesen, China successfully exploded its first atom bomb in 1964. Later, China launched its first man-made satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, to the earth orbit on April 24, 1970, becoming the fifth country in the world to independently launch satellite following the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the USA, France and Japan. The satellite floated around the earth, blaring the song Dong Fang Hong, which has the same name as the satellite. As a _ leading the development of China's aerospace science and technology, Qian Xuesen also provided chances for young scientists. Wang Yongzhi, former chief designer of China's manned-space project, has benefited a lot from Qian Xuesen. "He suggested that rocket of the second generation should be developed by our second generation scientists. This suggestion gave us chances to be general designers." Recalling the experience working with Qian Xuesen, Sun Jiadong, general designer of China's lunar orbiter project, is very grateful. "He put great expectation on us and trusted us a lot. Whenever we made mistakes, he seldom blamed us, but helped us to find out the reason so we could avoid it in the future." Honored as Father of China's Missile and King of Rockets, Qian Xuesen never stopped his work on scientific research after he retired. He said he had no time to review the past, but looked forward to the future. Which of the following is about the five countries that launched man-made satellite independently before 1970? Answer: Hello, I'm June. Now let me tell you something about my holiday last week. I had a pretty good holiday to Hainan with my family .We have great fun playing in different places.On Monday, the weather was sunny and hot. On Tuesday,it was cloudy and humid .We visited two museums.We saw a lot of old things . On Wednesday and Thursday,it was rainy and windy . We walked in the city . We bought some interesting things and ate some delicious food.On Friday, the weather was cool. We went to the mountains. We were very tired but very happy . I really enjoyed my holiday. What was the weather like on Monday ? Answer: Jesse was a great teacher, tutor, mentor, and family member. He was a dedicated volunteer in the Peace Corps in Guinea, West Africa. He went to a place where he knew he could make a difference and wanted to help teach children who otherwise would not have a teacher. He made friends wherever he went and touched the hearts of many. Jesse was never one to go anywhere without making a good impression on everyone he met. His sudden death in a tragic car accident in Africa brought his family and friends together in a celebration of his life. They came from all over: Africa, Canada, the US. The church was filled with people who knew that Jesse had made a difference in their lives, in the lives of the children, and in the hearts of his loved ones. Jesse volunteered with the Peace Corps to help educate children in Guinea, Africa. Guinea is a very poor and complex country where tribalism is strong. Each tribe that Jesse worked with wanted him to commit to one or the other. Jesse would not surrender to tribalism when he took an African name, and he wanted a tribal last name. Each of the two tribes in which he taught insisted that he choose their name. He would not choose but married the tribes' two names into one. Jesse was a light to all who knew him. We will always remember the joy and love he brought to his work, to his family, his friends. The people who loved Jesse are planning to build a school in Guinea in his honor. So his work continues... The way he dealt with the tribalism was _ . Answer: On September 22, 2007, 108 Chinese cities took part in Car-Free Day, a global event held every year, for the first time. China became the world's second-largest auto market and third-largest car-maker in 2006. It has also become the second-largest greenhouse gas producer in the world, and is rapidly catching up with the United States. In this sense, China's participation will greatly promote the Car-Free Day movement. The number of cars on the road is going up rapidly in China. In Beijing, about 1,000 new cars are added to the streets on an average day. Cars certainly offer people plenty of freedom to move around. But in many Chinese cities, appearance of too many cars has turned into a major problem. Getting stuck in traffic jams is an everyday experience for drivers. Even worse is the environmental impact caused by cars. According to a national report, on a "smog day", 79 percent of the air pollution is caused by cars. The growing number of traffic accidents is another problem. Over 100,000 people die from traffic accidents every year in China, which is by far the highest number of road deaths in the world. 108 cities' participation in Car-Free Day shows growing public concern about the traffic and environmental problems caused by cars. On this day, all cars were banned from running in selected areas of the participating cities. People were encouraged to walk, cycle and use public transport. According to experts, the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere produced by cars was reduced by 3,000 tons on Car-Free Day. With cleaner air and smoother traffic flow on the day, more cities will hopefully want to join the event next year. And more people might share the hope that Car-Free Day is not just on September 22, but a possibility 365 days of the year. From the passage, we can know that China _ . Answer: Mistrust _ Zhengzhou Ride-share Effort More than 300 private car owners from a central Chinese city volunteered to offer free rides to citizens to ease crowded public transportation, but many local people didn't accept the offer for fear of being cheated. The ride-share program was begun in October in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, when Ye Zhantong, a private car driver, started to gather volunteers to offer the free service. The drivers tied a green silk ribbon on the car to differentiate themselves from unlicensed taxi drivers. But the free rides haven't been popular among the public as increasing reports of dishonesty have dried up many local citizens' trust towards strangers. Ye said some of the volunteers have dropped out after they felt their kind intention was being questioned. Passersby walking in heavy rainfall or passengers who missed a bus would remain silent and walk away when the volunteers would stop and offer a ride. "It's so common that people give us the cold shoulder, and sometimes, take our kindness as ill will," said one of Ye's volunteers, identified as Binge. "Many would even say: 'Let's get out of here quickly to avoid being cheated by him.'" Some commenters on Weibo explained why they hesitated to participate in a ride-share program. "Trusting a stranger might bring huge risks. I can't take the risk," one Internet user wrote. Some said Ye's group wasn't authorized, and cheaters pretending to be kind drivers might volunteer. They suggested traffic authorities issue rules to regulate, protect and promote ride-share programs. The ride-share cars were driven by _ drivers. Answer:
Question: Americans All Type: Musical Running Time: 50 Minutes This is a musical play set in a high school classroom that will teach you the importance of staying in school. This fun and entertaining musical experience will appeal to anyone. It has a positive message that will be well received by students as well as their teachers and parents. Almost all of the roles can be played either by males or females. The dialogue teaches values, ethics and how to be the best you can be. The lyrics and music flow non-stop with piano accompaniment . A Mother in My Head Type: Short Play Running Time: 45 Minutes Where does motherly advice and direction begin and where does it end? Or does it ever end? This fast-paced play follows the lives of two young people as they begin their careers, meet, and fall in love, each coached in every step of the way by the "mothers in their heads". The on-stage presence of the mothers provides an interaction between characters that is thoroughly enjoyable. One of Our Clowns Is Missing Type: Short Play Running Time: 30 Minutes Adapted from the full-length play One of Our Clowns Is Missing by Robert Frankel, this play will bring the audience to cheers, tears, and applause. Sandy lacks self-esteem , but after meeting a group of characters that turn her life around, she regains her confidence and makes a new start. My Fed Ex Christmas Request Type: Short Play Running Time: 10 Minutes Nicky is naughty every year so instead of getting toys under his Christmas tree, Santa has been leaving him a lump of coal in his stocking year after year. Well, Nicky has finally had it with being labeled as naughty by Santa and decides to pack himself in a FedEx box and ship it to the North Pole. He's going to defend his case face to face with Santa. This comedy shows us what happens when Nicky decides he's not going to take it anymore! Which of the following can inspire people to gain more self-confidence? A. A Mother in My Head. B. Americans All. C. My FedEx Christmas Request. D. One of Our Clowns Is Missing. Answer: D Question: Many of people like cooking but never have much time for it. Helen Fry's new book Quick Cookinghas been specially written for busy people. It has over 1,000 recipes, from the famous Spanish gazpacho to Swedish smorgasbord. The book is well written and the photographs and drawings are clear. (They are like those in the excellent littleQuick DressmakingandQuick Gardening.) The book has a strong plastic cover. It is easy to find your way around it too. And busy people, notice this, Mrs Fry tells you how much time you need in order to get each dish ready. Quick Cooking has four parts, one for each season. This helps you to use fresh fruit and vegetable when they are cheaper--and, of course, better. There are a lot of exciting ideas from foreign countries, and most of the recipes are easy to follow. You take something simple like a chicken or some cheese, and make an unusual dish out of it. For example, there are no fewer than 40 recipes for eggs! Mrs Fry does not plan complete meals for the "quick book". The beginners will have to find out a lot of things for himself or herself. But this ought to be difficult with such a good book. I wanted to try many of the recipes as soon as I read them. For people with little spare time, Helen Fry's Quick Cooking is excellent value. Helen Fry's book is called Quick Cooking because _ . A. You can cook all the dishes in it quickly B. There is over 1,000 recipes in it C. It is written for people who don't have much time D. It tells you how to cook all kinds of food quickly Answer: C Question: If a thing experiences a burning combustion, then it is A. damaged B. fine C. great D. safe Answer: A Question: Zipped into a bag, it looks like a large umbrella. Unfolded, it goes along the street like any other bicycle. It's the "A-bike", the brainchild of British inventor Sir Clive Sinclair, who made history in the 1970s by developing the world's first pocket calculator. He described his new invention as "the world's smallest, lightest foldable bicycle". "My original thought was that if you could have a bicycle that was dramatically lighter and more firm than the ones that exist today, it would change the way in which bicycles are used,"said Sinclair. The mini-bike, showed in Singapore last week and set to go on sale worldwide in 2005 at a price of nearly US$300, is built for riders as heavy as 112 kilograms and is height-adjustable . It takes about 20 seconds to fold or unfold. Its wheels are a quarter the size of those on a regular bicycle, but Sinclair promises a smooth ride for most cyclists. "You require no extra energy to ride the A-bike and it can go up to 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour)," he said. Constructed mainly of plastic, the 5.5-kilogram bicycle folds into a package of less than 0.03 cubic meters . Sinclair also invented the first pocket TV in 1984 and the futuristic C5 electric tricycle in 1985. He said he hoped the bicycle would attract common citizens, officials, campers or anyone needing transport for a short trip and he said the next step for the A-bike was to add an electric motor in a few years. The wheels of a regular bicycle is _ the size of this kind of bike. A. four times B. three times C. one-fourth D. one-third Answer: A Question: People dumping their trash in the ocean does what to the animals and plant life A. flies B. types C. dirties their habitat D. reads minds Answer: C
My summer holiday began on July 5th. I didn't want to stay at home and did nothing in the hot summer. I called my grandma, and she asked me to go to her village. I was very happy with it. After four hours, I got to my grandma's house by bus. There are many trees around her house. I liked to play games with other children during the day. At night, people in the neighborhood often came and sat together to chat. My grandma liked telling stories. My new friends and I enjoyed her stories very much. There is a pool in the village. My friends and I often went there with some food and _ fish in the pool. Then we cooked the fish and had dinner there. It was not easy to catch fish, but it was interesting and exciting. I stayed there for about a month, and then I went back home. How did the writer go to his grandma's home? Answer: Hi, my name is Millie. I'm from New York but I'm living in a small town in England now. There is one wide road in this town and there is no train. You can see a shop, a restaurant and a pub along the road. There is a church near the shop. We usually go to the church on Sunday mornings. There is a lake to the east of the town. Many people like to have a picnic near the lake. My house is not very big but it is very beautiful. I have a garden in front of my house and I often grow some flowers in it. There is a table and some chairs in the garden, too. I often read books and drink tea there. Sometimes my friends come to visit me and we like to talk in my garden. My life here is comfortable so I am very happy. ,. Millie is _ about her life now. Answer: "I'm seventy years old," says the gray-haired lady proudly to the entertainer at her Community Club dinner. "Did you hear that, everyone?" says the entertainer. "This lovely lady is just seventy years young! And she doesn't look a day over fifty. " He has been careful not to use the word "old". In a society where youth is so admired, old age is often seen as something sad, something to fight against. Americans prefer not to say "old" people. They use the expression "senior citizens". They do not talk about "old people's" homes, but "retirement" homes. In fact, the entertainer is not so wrong. Seventy is not very old these days. People in theprefix = st1 /USare living longer and longer. In1980, 12 percent of Americans were over sixty-five years old. By 2030, 21 percent will be over sixty-five. One reason for this is that families are getting smaller. The average couple now has only 1. 8 children. At the same time, improved medical care means that people are living longer. This change in the age of Americans is going to have serious results. For one thing, medical costs are rising. The government is unable to pay the elderly people's medical bills that have gone up very much. Some old people have to leave hospital "sicker and quicker" than they should, before they are really better. More fortunate senior citizens, though, who still have good health, want new laws to be passed to allow them to stay at work. In the past, the retirement age was sixty-five, but that is changing now. Older people are stronger and more energetic than ever before. Many of them refuse to stop working just because they have reached a certain age. There is a change, too, in the way in which elderly people see themselves. _ are no longer happy to accept the gray hair, bald heads, and boring clothes of their own parents. They like to wear younger-looking clothes and bright makeup . American women spend millions of dollars a year on operations to lift their faces and make those ugly wrinkles disappear. Men are prepared to spend even more on operations to plant new hair on their bald spots. It's worth any money to look younger. Which of the following is not the result of the changing in the age of Americans? Answer: Squirrels often communicate with whistles, chirps and chucks, which sound like the word "chuck". Whistles and chirps are like the sounds that many birds make.Now scientists have translated some of their squirrel-speak. Hare, a professor of zoology at the University of Maniloha in Winnipeg, and his team managed to record squirrels' alarm calls.The researchers studied the sounds and then played them back to 60 wild squirrels, which the scientists approached individually with a video recorder to capture their reponses.Some squirrels lifted their heads up and became.Alert .Creatures that were more frightened simply ran for their lives and dived into caves. "In effect then, whistles that mix with chucks say 'there's an enemy of average threat that's here', and whistles without chucks say 'there's an enemy of seemingly average threat around here somewhere', while pure chirps say, 'I'm hiding here because there's an immediate danger.' " Hare told.Discovery News. Hare and some other researchers believe such sounds arc part of an advanced language that develops just as all other communication systems. Although squirrels risk their lives when they call out to warn others of threats, other squirrels might admire this behaviour, thus increasingly the caller's social status, like humans who look up to heroes. Hare added that other animals, such as birds, probably understand at least some squirrel language, since they also may benefit from the alarm calls. In fact, another Canadian study found that deep-voiced, black-capped chickadees have their own language too.According to certain research, there are a lot of tidings in chickadees' calls, such as directing fellows' activities, keeping in contact between mates, and raising alarms. While chickadees and other birds are often welcomed into gardens by homeowners, squirrels are frequently viewed as pests . Hare wishes a greater understanding of the complex social lives and communication systems of squirrels will provide "hope that humans will gain a greater appreciation and stop doing harm to these animals". If a squirrel is in a very dangerous situation, it would probably make _ . Answer: A mother has lost parts of both of her legs after she saved the lives of her two children by lying on top of them as a deadly tornado swept through their home. Stephanie Decker, 36, lost one leg above the knee and the other above the ankle, yet her son and daughter escaped without a single scratch after the tornado destroyed their Henryville, Indiana home. Henryville was nearly entirely destroyed by a series of tornadoes that hit the South and Midwest, killing 39 and leaving thousands homeless. But while the Decker family lost their dream home to the severe weather, they are celebrating their safety. Mrs. Decker is now in a stable condition; her husband said, "What I told her was, 'you are alive and you get to see your kids grow up.' " Joe Decker told the reporters. Mr. Decker said that he had sent a text message to his wife from his workplace to tell her a tornado was heading for their three-story home. She rushed their eight-year-old son Dominic and five-year-old daughter Reese into the basement, where she tried her best to protect them from the storm. Mrs. Decker typed out what had happened by using an iPad in the hospital. She saw part of the house collapse on her and pulled her daughter out of the way. She doesn't remember anything after that. The home, which was partly built by Mr. Decker and his wife's father, is now completely destroyed, with a bathtub 200 feet away in a filed, the Courier Journal reported. The house took about nine mouths to build and four seconds to fall, Mr. Decker added. CEO Carl J. Tyler praised the Deckers who lost everything and said that the company has set up a trust fund to help pay their medical bills and the losses they suffered. He added, "They are some of the hardest working, giving people you could ever want to meet." When the tornado was about to hit their home, Mr. Decker was _ . Answer:
Question: The owner of a missing cat is asking for help. "My baby has been missing for over a month now, and I want him back so badly," said Mrs. Brown, a 56-year-old woman. Mrs. Brown lives by herself in a trailer park near Clovis. She said that Clyde, her 7-year-old cat, didn't come home for dinner more than a month ago. The next morning he didn't appear for breakfast either. After Clyde missed an extra-special lunch, she called the police. When the policeman asked her to describe Clyde, she told him that Clyde had beautiful green eyes, had all his teeth but was missing half of his left ear, and was seven years old and completely white. She then told the officer that Clyde was about a foot high. A bell went off. "Is Clyde your child or your pet?" the officer suspiciously asked. "Well, he's my cat, of course," Mrs. Brown replied. "Lady, you're supposed to report missing PERSONS, not missing CATS," said the _ policeman. "Well, who can I report this to?" she asked. "You can't. You have to ask around your neighborhood or put up flyers," replied the officer. Mrs. Brown figured that a billboard would work a lot better than an 8"x11" piece of paper on a telephone pole. There was an empty billboard at the end of her street just off the interstate highway. The billboard had a phone number on it. She called that number, and they told her they could blow up a picture of Clyde (from Mrs. Brown's family album) and put it on the billboard for all to see. "But how can people see it when they whiz by on the interstate?" she asked. "Oh, don't worry, ma'am, they only whiz by between 2 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. The rest of the day, the interstate is so full of commuters that no one moves." They told her it would cost only $3,000 a month. So she took most of the money out of her savings account and rented the billboard for a month. The month has passed, but Clyde has not appeared. Because she has almost no money in savings, Mrs. Brown called the local newspaper to see if anyone could help her rent the billboard for just one more month. She is waiting but, so far, no one has stepped forward. How is the old lady like? A. Stupid B. Loving C. Smart D. Decisive Answer: A Question: Scientist Says 'No' to Human Cloning "I've never met a human worth cloning," says cloning expert Mark Westhusin from his lab at Texas A&M University. "It's a stupid endeavor." That's an interesting choice of adjective, coming from a man who has spent millions of dollars trying to clone a 13-year-old dog named Missy. So far, he and his team have not succeeded, though they have cloned two cows and a cat. They just might succeed in cloning Missy soon -- or perhaps not for another five years. Westhusin's experience with cloning animals leaves him upset by all this talk of human cloning. In three years of work on the Missy project, using hundreds upon hundreds of dog's eggs, the A&M team has produced only a dozen or so embryos carrying Missy's DNA. None have survived the transfer to a surrogate mother. The wastage of eggs and the many spontaneously aborted(,) fetuses may be acceptable when you're dealing with cats or bulls, he argues, but not with humans. "Cloning is incredibly inefficient, and also dangerous," he says. Even so, dog cloning is a commercial opportunity, with a nice research payoff. Ever since Dolly the sheep was cloned in 1997, Westhusin's phone has been ringing with people calling in hopes of duplicating their cats and dogs, cattle and horses. "A lot of people want to clone pets, especially if the price is right," says Westhusin. Cost is no obstacle for Missy's mysterious billionaire owner; he's put up $3.7 million so far to fund A&M's research. Contrary to some media reports, Missy is not dead. The owner wants a twin to carry on Missy's fine qualities after she does die. The prototype(;)is, by all accounts, athletic, good-natured and supersmart. Missy's master does not expect an exact copy of her. He knows her clone may not have her temperament(, ). In a statement of purpose, Missy's owner and the A&M team say they are "both looking forward to studying the ways that her clones differ from Missy." Besides cloning a great dog, the project may contribute insight into the old question of nature vs. nurture. It could also lead to the cloning of special rescue dogs and many endangered animals. However, Westhusin is cautious about his work. He knows that even if he gets a dog pregnant, the offspring, should they survive, will face the problems shown at birth by other cloned animals: abnormalities like immature lungs and heart and weight problems~ "Why would you ever want to clone humans," Westhusin asks, "when we're not even close to getting it worked out in animals yet?" By cloning Missy, Mark Westhusin hopes to _ . A. study the possibility of cloning humans B. search for ways to modify its temperament C. find out the differences between Missy and its clones D. examine the reproductive system of the dog species Answer: C Question: Li Ming is staying with the Wang family for the weekend.Today it is warm and fine.The family are having dinner in the garden.They often have dinner in the garden on a warm and fine spring day.Now Mr and Mrs Wang are sitting at the table with Li Ming under a tree. "It's great to have dinner out here on such a lovely day,"Mrs Wang says."What's the weather like in your hometown,Li Ming?"Mr Wang asks."It's not very warm in spring.But I like the spring there best,"Li Ming says."Help yourself to some cakes,Li Ming,"Mrs Wang says."Thanks,"says Li Ming."The cakes are very nice.I enjoy the dinner very much." The family are having their dinner _ . A. in the house B. in the garden C. in the park D. in the hotel Answer: B Question: General Airport Tips Plan to get to the airport at least an hour early,or two during holidays and other busy times;this will reduce the stress of the flight,If all goes well, you will have time to relax,shop for last-minute items,or have a meal before the flight. Flight Delays Find out why your flight is delayed.Gall the free call numbers. Find out if other airlines are experiencing similar delays.If you believe the delay is due to something other than weather or air traffic problems, then mention your suspicion and ask the airline agent to book you on the next available flight,either on the same air-line or a competing one. This is called "Rule 240",and all airlines are required to do it. Use the lingo ;ask,"Can you 240 me?"when speaking with an agent. They will know what you mean. Flight Cancellations If your flight is canceled,then make a reservation on the next flight to your destination .Usually, air-line officials will try to book everyone on their next flight out. Often they will put you on a competitor's next flight only if you request it. If on-time arrival is important to you, when you check flights through our reservation system yon can make your choices based on their on-time arrival records. Be sure to also check the weather conditions,as they often affect flight schedules. Getting bumped To avoid getting bumped, you must be at the loading gate at least 10 minutes ahead of scheduled departure for a U.S. Flight,20 minutes to/from Bahamas,Canada,and Mexico and 30 to/from all other international points. You must be at the loading gate,not the airport entrance. By arriving at the airport earlier. one can _ . A. get on the airplane immediately B. reduce the pressure of the flight C. have a good rest in the airplane D. buy what he wants in the airport Answer: B Question: Dear Dr. White, Welcome to Philadelphia! Welcome to The City of Brotherly Love! We have some amazing historic sites to see during your stay. Do take advantage of them. You may have seen the filmThePhiladelphiaStory. Actually it is a comedy and still popular among the young though it was shot in the 1940s. "The City of Brotherly Love", the favored nickname for Philadelphia, is more popular. The name, Philadelphia, which means"brotherly love", is an ancient name that can be found in the Bible. Late in the 17th century, Philadelphia's founding father, William Penn, borrowed the name because its meaning represented his own beliefs. Our first stop will be the Franklin Institute which is one of the country's best science museums. The scientist and inventor Benjamin Franklin would take pride in the impressive museum named for him and presenting one of the major focuses of his life work -- spreading knowledge of the universe through science. It's the most visited museum and surely the most fun. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Also Franklin was a leading author, printer, politician, scientist, musician, inventor, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He earned the title of"The First American"for his campaigning for colonial unity; as an author and spokesman in London for several colonies, then as the first United States Ambassador to France, he contributed much to the building of the American nation. We won't miss Please Touch Museum too. The straightforward name of this museum is accurate: As the first museum in the nation to target children aged seven and younger, Please Touch Museum encourages children to learn through active touching and doing. It is certainly one of the best places for kids. Philadelphia is also unique in that it has a"State Store"system for non-alcoholic beer sales. Wine and spirits are only sold at stores operated by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. For many years, these stores were called"State Store", which were strictly closed on Sundays to prevent those under 21 from drinking wine and harming others. But I will show you around the stores. You can't imagine how impressive the stores are. Do you know Segway? It is a two-wheeled self-balancing battery-powered electric vehicle which is popular among those who prefer personal and green transportation. The Segway tour is a unique and fun experience to travel in Philadelphia. If you have never experienced a Segway tour before, we expect you to join us. Look forward to your coming! Sincerely, Joy William Penn chose the name of"Philadelphia"as he . A. liked the filmThePhiladelphiaStory B. had been greatly impressed by his own brother C. found the meaning stood for his own faith D. favored its unique meaning represented in the Bible Answer: C
Question: Today, as I was relaxing at the beach, I couldn't help but eavesdrop(,) on a conversation four high school kids were having on the beach blanket next to me. Their conversation was about making a positive difference in the world. And it went something like this... "It's impossible to make a difference unless you're a huge company or someone with lots of money and power," one of them said. "Yeah man," another replied. "My mom keeps telling me to move mountains - to speak up and stand up for what I believe. But what I say and do doesn't even get noticed. I just keep answering to 'the man' and then I get slapped back in place by him when I step out of line." "Repression..." another snickered. I smiled because I knew exactly how they felt. When I was their age, I was certain I was being repressed and couldn't possibly make a difference in this world. And I actually almost got fired from school once because I openly expressed how repressed I felt in the middle of the principals' office. I Have A Dream. Suddenly, one of the kids noticed me eavesdropping and smiling. He sat up, looked at me and said, "What? Do you disagree?" Then as he waited for a response, the other three kids turned around too. Rather than arguing with them, I took an old receipt out of my wallet , tore it into four pieces, and wrote a different word on each piece. Then I crumbled the pieces into little paper balls and handed a different piece to each one of them. "Look at the word on the paper I just gave you and don't show it to anyone else." The kids looked at the single word I had handed each of them and appeared confused. "You have two choices," I told them. "If your word inspired you to make a difference in this world, then hold onto it. If not, give it back to me so I can recycle the paper." They all returned their words. I walked over quickly , sat down on the sand next to their beach blanket and laid out the four words that the students had returned to me so that the words combined to form the simple sentence, "I have a dream." "Dude, that's Martin Luther King Jr.," one of the kids said. "How did you know that?" I asked. "Everyone knows Martin Luther King Jr." the kid snarled. "He has his own national holiday, and we all had to memorize his speech in school a few years ago." "Why do you think your teachers had you memorize his speech?" I asked. "I don't really care!" the kid replied. His three friends shook their heads in agreement. "What does this have to do with us and our situation?" "Your teachers asked you to memorize those words, just like thousands of teachers around the world have asked students to memorize those words, because they have inspired millions of repressed people to dream of a better world and take action to make their dreams come true. Do you see where I'm going with this?" "Man, I know exactly what you're trying to do and it's not going to work, alright?" the fourth kid said, who hadn't spoken a word until now. "We're not going to get all inspired and emotional about something some dude said thirty years ago. Our world is different now. And it's more screwed up than any us can even begin to imagine, and there's little you or I can do about it. We're too small, we're nobody." Together I smiled again because I once believed and used to say similar things. Then after holding the smile for a few seconds I said, "On their own, 'I' or 'have' or 'a' or 'dream' are just words. Not very compelling or inspiring. But when you put them together in a certain order, they create a phrase that has been powerful enough to move millions of people to take action - action that changed laws, perceptions, and lives. You don't need to be inspired or emotional to agree with this, do you?" The four kids shrugged and struggled to appear totally indifferent, but I could tell they were listening intently. "And what's true for words is also true for people," I continued. "One person without help from anyone else can't do much to make a big difference in this crazy world - or to overcome all of the various forms of repression that exist today. But when people get together and unite to form something more powerful and meaningful then themselves, the possibilities are endless. Which of the following sentences is true according to the story. A. The kids and the writer are complaining about their life. B. All of the four kids don't believe they can change the world. C. The word on the paper inspires the four kids. D. The writer's purpose is to tell them to a faith in the life. Answer: D. The writer's purpose is to tell them to a faith in the life. Question: It helps to choose the colors you plan to live with in your home with awareness of how different colors affect your emotional and physical states. Every color has a unique meaning, and this can significantly affect how you feel in a room. A room that is painted red will energize, inspire activity and movement, help passion, and be powerful and stimulating. A red room can also be exhausting and overpowering, and stressful for those who are anxious. Orange rooms encourage happy, joyful, social gatherings. While an orange dining room or family room can stimulate the appetite, it is a great choice for such gathering places. Orange enhances parties, communication, positive feelings, and general good cheer. Yellow rooms inspire intellectual clarity, organization, clear -headed thinking, and happy energy. Yellow is considered a color for the logical left side of the brain. Yellow is also very bright and somewhat energizing. Blue rooms are often chosen for bedrooms and meditation rooms because its cool energy is very calming, restful, peaceful, and spiritual. Blue helps inspire a quiet meditative quality, and color therapy with blue has been found to reduce blood pressure. Blue is also useful to make one to sleep. Green rooms are very restful but combine with an energizing quality. Green is the color of outdoors, calm and active at the same time. Green brings balance and harmony to a room, and can be used as a calming place for people who are troubled or in need of refreshment. What impression can green rooms give to you? A. Passionate and powerful. B. Refreshing and harmonious. C. Cool and calming. D. Inspiring and bright. Answer: B. Refreshing and harmonious. Question: My grandfather is 70 years old this year. He is in good condition but he lost his hearing at the age of 65. Then it became difficult for me to communicate with him. My mother bought a hearing aid for him, but he often forgot where he had put it. So my mother advised me to communicate with him by gesture. Good idea! And then I began to use gesture. When I wanted to have an apple, firstly, I pointed to my mouth; later I made my hands form a round shape. Then he gave me an apple. When I was hungry, I pointed to my stomach. He would go into the kitchen and cook for me. When I wanted to use, the computer, I pointed to it. If he nodded , I could play computer games from 8 pm to 10 pm; if he disagreed, he always touched my head and pointed to the desk -- that meant that I should do my homework first. It was an easy way for us to communicate with each other! How did the writer communicate with his grandfather? A. By talking B. By letter C. By gesture D. on the phone Answer: C. By gesture Question: Dear Bewildered, Table manners are about being kind to and considerate of others.Having proper table manners is one way people judge others,and we don't want people to think that we are rude,do we ? Whether in a restaurant or in a home, here are some basic table manners for kids: 1Eat with a fork unless the food is meant to be eaten with fingers.Only babies eat with fingers. 2Sit up and do not hunch over your plate;wrists or forearms can rest on the table,or hands on lap. 3Chew with your mouth closed,No one wants to see food being chewed up.This includes no talking with your mouth full. 4Don't make any rude comments about any food being served.It will hurt someone's feelings.Always say thank you when you're served something. 5Eat slowly.It takes someone a long time to prepare the food,so enjoy it slowly.Wait about 5 seconds after swallowing to get another forkful . 6 Don't reach over someone's plate for something.Politely ask the dish to be passed to you. 7When eating at someone's home or being a guest of someone at a restaurant,always thank the host and tell him or her how much you enjoy it.At least say that you like the dinner ,for example, the dessert is great. The writer gives _ pieces of advice in all in the passage. A. Four B. five C. six D. seven Answer: D. seven Question: Farmers can produce more by planting several different crops in the same field.But their success depends on which crops they plant together and how they mix them in the filed.In the past, the only way the farmers could learn which crops grow best together is to plant them and wait for the results.Now, however, a computer can give them answers.A new computer program written by Dr John Vanderwell of Michigan University can tell a farmer which plants grow well together and which do not.It can tell him how to plant the different crops; if he should plant each in a separate row, or mix the crops in the same row.It can tell the farmer how changes in planting each of the crops will affect the production of all of them.And it can tell him which plants can help reduce losses from diseases. It seems the new computer program can NOT tell us _ . A. whether we should grow cotton and tomato together B. how we should plant cotton and tomato together C. what will happen if we grow potato, instead of tomato, together with cotton D. how we can grow rice in the tomato field Answer: D. how we can grow rice in the tomato field
Question: Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap heat near Earth's surface. Which of these is a greenhouse gas? A. nitrogen B. argon C. water vapor D. oxygen Answer: C Question: A UN report said that around 60 million people across the world are drinking polluted water. Some 4,500 children die every day because of polluted water. A report showed that environmental problems kill 3 million children under five years old each year, making them one of the key contributors in more than 10 million child deaths each year. Dangerous factors include indoor and outdoor air pollution, water pollution. Another study showed that parents and scientists from seven countries including the United States and India think pollution is the biggest threat to children's living environment. Mrs Green tries to teach her daughter Susan by setting a personal example. She picks out recyclable waste and uses the water from the washing machine to wash the toilet. Chinese children mostly learn about environmental protection in school. Some non-governmental organizations and child centres also teach kids to protect the environment. "More parents have known about it. Family is now playing a more important role," says a Chinese official. Vera Lehmann, a German scientist says many Chinese now think more of pollution. "I was surprised to find many schools in China are willing to educate the children on environment," Lehmann said. "There has been a big change between now and ten years ago when I first travelled here." What's the best title of the article? A. Children today are in poor condition B. Teaching children to stay green C. Children died of environmental pollution D. The biggest problem in the world Answer: B Question: People in cities all over the world shop in supermarkets. When you enter the supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk in the aisles, pushing your shopping cart. You probably hear soft, slow music in the supermarket. This kind of music is playing to relax you and make you walk slowly. Thus, you will probably stay longer and buy more food. Where do you go in the supermarket when you first arrive? Many people go to the meat section first. This area of the store has many different kinds of meat. Some kinds are expensive and others are not. Usually, some kinds of meat are on sale. So it has a special low price. The manager of the store knows where the customers usually enter the meat section. The meat on sale is usually at the other end of the section, away from where the customers enter. If you want to buy this specially priced meat, you have to walk by the more expensive meat first. Maybe you will see something that you want to buy before you reach the cheaper, inexpensive meat. Then you will spend more money in the meat section. The diary section sells milk that is low in fat. Some supermarkets sell three different containers of low-fat milk. Each container looks different, but each contains the same product. One says "1% fat", one says "99% fat free" and one says "low-fat" in big letters and "1%"in very small letters. If you look carefully you can see that all the milk has the same amount of fat, and each container is the same size. The prices of all these three should be the same. However, in many stores these three containers of milk would each have a different price. The store will make more money if a customer chooses the milk that costs the most. Most of the food in supermarkets is very attractive. People often stop to look at the products in attractive containers. But remember, many products will say, "Buy me!". Stop and think which ones are the best value for your money. When you walk by the expensive meat, _ . A. maybe you will buy some B. you will not look at it C. you will buy diary products D. maybe it is on sale Answer: A Question: The University of South Carolina has developed a sociology course dedicated to the life, work and rise to fame of pop star Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga and the Sociology of the Fame is to be taught by Professor Mathieu Deflem, a fan of the singer. The course, which has its own blog, is due to start in spring 2011. The Belgian born sociologist, whose research interests also include counter-terrorism, international policing, crime control and internet technology, says he has seen Lady Gaga in concert 30 times. "We're going to look at Lady Gaga as a social event," Prof Deflem told the USC student newspaper, the Daily Gamecock. "So it's not the person, and it's not the music. It's more this thing out there in society that has 10 million followers on Facebook and six million on Twitter. I mean, that's a social phenomenon.". It will look at business and marketing strategies, the role of old and new media, fans and live concerts, gay culture, religious and political themes, sex and sexuality, and the cities of New York and Hollywood, it says. Prof Deflem said he initially planned to call the course the Sociology of Fame or the Sociology of Celebrity, and to use Lady Gaga as an example. Also a fan of Frank Zappa, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Status Quo and Ritchie Blackmore, Prof Deflem says his interest in Lady Gaga began when he first saw her perform on television on 9 January 2009. "They don't have to be hardcore fans. The better fan will not necessarily be the better student. But you have to have some interest in the topic. So if you really don't like her, you probably shouldn't take the course." Which is NOT true according to the passage? A. Professor Mathieu Deflem is a fan of Lady Gaga. B. Professor Mathieu Deflem treats Lady Gaga as a cultural event. C. Professor Mathieu Deflem will use Lady Gaga as an example. D. Lady Gaga has 10 million followers on Facebook. Answer: B Question: Ole Bull was a very famous violinist from Norway. He really liked to play the violin. But his father thought that playing the violin was not useful. So his father sent him to university to study. However, playing the violin was his dream. He didn't want to give up his dream. So he left university before he finished his studies and spent all his time and energy practicing the violin. Unfortunately, his violin teacher was not very good. So when it was time for him to start his concert tour, he still couldn't play the violin very well. Therefore, a Milan newspaper critic1criticized him and said that he was an untrained violinist. The critic said, " _ 2yet." When facing this kind of problem, some people may become very angry and some people try to learn from it. Fortunately, Ole Bull belonged to the second group. He went to the newspaper office and found the critic. Instead of being angry, he talked about his mistakes with the man and listened to the man's advice. After he met the critic, he gave up the rest of his concerts. Then he went back to practice the violin with the help of good teachers. In the end, he got great success when he was only 26. He also became one of the most famous violinists in the world. What was Ole Bull's attitude towards the critic's article? A. Angry. B. Excited. C. Modest. D. Worried. Answer: C
Do you enjoy seeing the stars twinkling at night ? Or do you love the ocean and sea, diving and racing with lovely dolphins? With heavy burdens on their shoulders, teenagers find it hard to pull out. Even if they are free, they prefer to occupy themselves with computer games or watching TV. How to get children away from screens is a great concern for parents. Now there is some good news for those concerned parents and teachers. A campaign is being launched to encourage children to surrender 30 minutes of screen time a day to head for the great outdoors. The newly formed Wild Network - a collaboration of nearly 400 organizations - is attempting to attract youngsters away from television and computer screen and into fields, woods and parks. Organizers say it is the UK's biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play, and claim it could help improve fitness, mental alertness and general well-being. A documentary film, Project Wild Thing, will herald the launch at more than 50 cinemas across the UK from Friday. It looks at the increasingly fragile link between children and nature. Members of the network include the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS sustainable development unit. Andy Simpson, chairman of the Wild Network, said: "The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation. Time spent outdoors is down, roaming ranges have fallen drastically, activity levels are declining and the ability to identify common species has been lost." Suggestions of how to get more time in nature include collecting conkers , camping or snail racing, and observing autumn colour on trees. From January, the network will aim to make suggestions to politicians on how government can do more _ This is not the first time the message of less screen, more play has been brought up. Children in the 1980s were entreated to do the same by the BBC TV series Why Don't You, which somewhat confusingly called on its viewers to "switch off your TV set, and go do something less boring instead". Which of the following could be the best title for the passage? A A new campaign. B Less screen, more play outdoors. C A newly formed Wild Network. D Children get to know wild things. Answer: B Next time you raise an eyebrow at the views of your partner, friend, sibling or colleague, remember they could be helping to make you smarter. New research shows that intelligence is not fixed but can be boosted throughout adulthood by family members, bright mates and intellectually stretching careers. The study challenges the commonly held belief that intelligence is static by the age of about 18. Current scientific consensus suggests that intelligence is controlled by genes, with environmental factors such as schooling and nutrition playing a partial role up to this age. After this point, IQ scores stabilize . But James Flynn, professor of political studies and psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, argues that people can "upgrade" their own intelligence throughout their lives. He believes intellectual stimulation from others is crucial as the "brain seems to be rather like a muscle - the more you use it, the stronger it gets". However, the opposite is also true - so people sharing a home or workplace with those who are intellectually challenged risk seeing their IQ levels fall as a result. He found the "understanding quality" of a family changes the IQs of all members, especially children. It can "lift" or hold back, depending on the "gap between their brightness and that of their siblings and parents". A bright ten-year-old with brothers and sisters of average intelligence will suffer a five to ten point IQ disadvantage, compared to a similar child with equally bright siblings. However, children with a low IQ could gain six to eight points by having brighter siblings and special educational treatment to help pull them up. Professor Flynn also concluded that although genetics and early life experiences determine about 80 percent of intelligence, the remaining 20 percent is linked to lifestyle. This means that people can raise their IQ, or allow it to fall, by ten points or more. Therefore, the best way to boost IQ level is to mix with bright friends, find an intellectually challenging job and marry someone cleverer. James Flynn holds the belief that _ . A intellectual stimulation from others makes the brain work better B people should avoid working with those intellectually challenged C one's IQ could be held back if he has bright brothers or sisters D the IQ of children is least influenced by the understanding level of a family Answer: A Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road. " Millions of animals die each year on the U. S. roads, " the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots , an endangered wild cat, exist in the U. S. today. The main reason? Roadkill. "Eco-passages" may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. " These ecopassages can be extremely useful,so that wildlife can avoid road accidents ," said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society. But do animals actually use the eco-passages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an eco-passage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage. Builders of eco-passages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses. The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animal over-pass ! When the writer says that animals seem "to be catching on" , he means _ . A animals begin to realize the danger on the road B animals begin to learn to use eco-passages C animals are crossing the road in groups D animals are becoming safer Answer: B Mr. Jackson was a doctor in a small town. He was very absent-minded . One afternoon, he went to visit a friend who lived not far from the town. They had dinner together and then talked and talked, for Mr. Jackson was very fond of talking. It was already midnight, then one o'clock, two o'clock and still Mr. Jackson kept on talking. But this time the friend was feeling very tired and kept looking at the clock on the wall. He didn't want to be impolite , but at last he said, "Charles, my dear friend, I don't want to put you out, but I have to go to work at six tomorrow morning, I must go to bed now. " "Oh, my God!" said Mr. Jackson in surprise. "I thought you were at my house. " Mr Jackson didn't leave his fiend's house because _ . A he didn't want to leave B his friend didn't want him to leave C he thought he was at his own house D he was too tired Answer: C Marie Curie, born in Sklodovka, Poland in 1876, led a hard life as a girl. Her parents, both teachers, had small salaries and were quite poor, especially after her mother stopped teaching to raise five children and take care of her poor health. Marie's mother suffered from tuberculosis and died of it when Marie was ten. When Marie was small, she showed great interest in science. She loved to study and hoped to become a scientist when she grew up. Her parents encouraged her interest in science. Excellent as she was in her studies, she couldn't go on with the advanced education she needed because Poland was then ruled by Russia and women were not permitted to go to college. In order to continue her education, she smoothed away many difficulties and entered Paris University. she lived a simple life and studied hard, so she graduated with the highest grades in her class. After graduation, she was engaged in scientific research in Paris University. There she met Pierre Curie, whom she married later. Pierre joined her in her research into an unknown phenomenon radiation, which a certain scientist had declared the uranium gave off. The Curies spent several years trying their best to find the element that produced radiation. Finally they succeeded in 1902. Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes, one for physics in 1906, together with her husband and another scientist who had also contributed to the research, the other for chemistry herself in 1911.Marie Curie was a scientist of great achievement, and the first woman ever to be honoured in the Nobel Prize history. The best title for the passage is _ . A A Brief Account of Madam Curie B Madam Curie and Radium C Madam Curie's Childhood D Madam Curie's Science Interest Answer: A
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson lived in a big city, and one summer they went to the country for their vacation. They enjoyed it very much, because it was a quiet, clean place. One day they went for a walk early in the morning and saw an old man. He was sitting alone in the warm sun in front of his house. Mr. Wilson asked him, "Do you like living in a quiet place?" The old man said, "Yes, I do." Mr. Wilson said," What are the good things about it?" The old man answered, "Well, everybody knows everybody. People often come and see me, and I often go and see them. And there are lots of children here. "Mr. Wilson said, "That's interesting. And what are the bad things?" The old man thought for a few minutes and said, " Well, the same things, really." Did the old man think the good things and the bad things in the country were the same? It's hard to make friends if you stay at home alone all the time. Be outgoing , get out of the house and do things with other people. It's easier to make friends when you follow these: Show people what you are good at. Talk about the things you like and you do best. People will be interested in you if there is something interesting. Look people in the eye when talking with them. That way, they'll find it easier to talk to you, or people may think you're not interested in them and stop being interested in you. Be a good listener. Let people talk about themselves before talking about yourself. Ask lots of questions. Show an interest in their answers. Make friends with the people you really like, not just with those who are easy to meet. Be friendly to people. That way, you'll have a bigger group of people to choose and more chances for making friends. If you look right and left when people talk to you, they may think you are _ . I just mailed the chicken and the egg, each in its own separate packaging, and kept careful track of when each shipment was sent from a post office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and when it later arrived at its intended destination inprefix = st1 /New York City. In mailing the chicken, I was careful to stick to the restrictions described in the American Postal Service's Domestic Mail Manual 57. This version of the Manual states that: "Adult chickens must be sent by Express Mail. The containers used must pass the standards in International Safe Transit Association Test Procedure 1A; be strong enough to endure normal handling; and the number of birds must not be more than the container's limit." I mailed the chicken in a wooden box got from a colleague who does research with birds, and mailed the egg in standard packaging obtained through an industrial supplier. I posted both the chicken and the egg at 9:40 am, on a Monday morning, from theHarvard Squarepost office, inCambridge,Massachusetts. The staff there told me that this was the first chicken anyone had mailed from there in recent memory, and perhaps ever. The intended destination for both packages was the James A. Farley General Post Office, which is located inManhattanright next to Penn Station. I took the subway from Harvard Square to the Boston train station, and from there boarded a train to New York City, a distance of about 320 kilometres, arriving that afternoon at Penn Station. I immediately went to the post office, to await the arrivals of the chicken and the egg. The James A. Farley General Post Office is open 24 hours a day, so I was able to wait there until both items arrived. That day, Monday, neither the chicken nor the egg arrived. The next day, Tuesday, neither the chicken nor the egg arrived. The chicken arrived at 10:31 am, Wednesday. The staff at the post office told me that this was the first chicken anyone had mailed to the post office in recent memory, and perhaps ever. The egg arrived that same day, at 9:37 pm, 11 hours after the chicken. So, it's now quite clear that the chicken came first, the egg second. The author mailed the chicken and the egg in order to _ . A person wants to discover how much time they've spent on something, so when they think about data, they need to Mary had some troubles, so she went to see the doctor. He was a new doctor, and did not know her. So he first asked her some questions. One of the questions was, "What is your age?" "Well..." Mary answered, "I don't quite remember, doctor, but I will try to think." She thought for a while and then said, "Yes, I remember now, doctor. When I married, I was twenty-two years old, and my husband was thirty then. Now he is sixty, I know, and that is twice thirty. And so I am twice twenty-two. That is forty-four, isn't it?" Mary _ .
Phillip Island Penguins The Little Penguin has called Phillip Island home for untold generations. Get to Phillip Island in plenty of time to watch s summer sunset at Summerland Beach - the stage is attractively set to see the little Penguin leave water and step onto land. Leave Melbourne at 5:30 pm for a direct journey to Phillip Island. See the Gippsland area - Guinness Book of Records place for the world's longest earthworm Journey along the coastal highway around the Bay with French Island and Churchill Island in the distance Cross the bridge at San Remo to enter Phillip Island - natural home for Little Penguins and many animals *Take your place in special viewing stands to watch the daily evening performance of the wild Little Penguins Ultimate Penguins (+U) Join a group of up to 15. This guided tour goes to an attractive, quiet beach to see Little Penguins. You can see penguins at night by wearing a special pair of glasses. Adult $60.00 Child $30.00 Viewing Platform Penguin Plus (+V) More personalized wildlife viewing limited to 130 people providing closer viewing of the penguin arrival than the main viewing stands. Adult $25.00 Child $12.50 Penguin Skybox (+S) Join a group of only 5 in the comfort of a special, higher-up viewing tower. Gain an excellent overview of Summerland Beach. Adult 16yrs What kind of people is the text mainly written for? The Legend of Bruce Lee was a very popular TV play. The surprising life of Brue Lee came to the small screen in the play. The play followed the 32 vears of Bruce Lee's life, from his hard young age to his experience in the U.S.A. and his movie-making life. Lee was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in Hong Kong. He loved his motherland China and Chinese kung fu. His Hong Kong and Hollywood films were quite different from the traditional kung fu films. He started a new kung fu film age. Because of his films, the west began to show great interest in Chinese culture. He affected Chinese kung fu and Chinese kung fu films in Hong Kong and the rest of the world. Lee showed Chinese national pride( )in his movies. Where was Bruce Lee born? MySpace, the social networking website, is different from other websites which only provide stories about other people. MySpace is a place that allows you to broadcast your own stories and personal information to as many people as you like. Started two years ago, it is a big source of information for and about American kids. Teenagers and their parents feel very differently about it. Teens are rushing to join the site, not sharing their parents' worries. It signals yet another generation gap in the digital era. For teenagers, it is reliable network to keep in touch with their friends. They will often list their surnames, birthdays, afterschool jobs, school clubs, hobbies and other personal information. "MySpace is an easy way to reach just about everyone. I don't have all the phone numbers of all my acquaintances . But if I want to get in touch with one of them, I could just leave them a message on MySpace." said Abby Van Wassen. She is a sixteen year old student at Woodland Hills High of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Parents on the other hand are seriously concerned about the security problems of MySpace. "Every time we hold a parents meeting, the first question is always about MySpace," said Kent Gates, who travels the country doing Internet safety seminars .The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has received at least 288 MySpace related complaints, according to Mary Beth Buchanan, a lawyer in Pittsburgh. "Your profile on MySpace shows all your personal information to anyone on the Web. And MySpace even lists this information by birthplace and age. It's like a free checklist for troublemakers and it endangers children," Buchanan said. From the passage we can learn that MySpace _ . (Xinhua)The Expo 2010 Shanghai China formally opened its door to the highly public this morning. Top Chinese political advisor Jia Qinglin and International Exhibitions Bureau President Jean-Pierre Lafon activated the opening device together at a commencement ceremony. The Expo, carrying a theme of "Better City, Better Life", reflects the crystallization of wisdom about urban construction and vision of a better future life, Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said while addressing the ceremony. BIE Secretary Teneral Vicente Gonzalea Loscertales said the Shanghai World Expo would be "the most splendid and unforgettable" and would help the world better understand the present, have a glimpse into the future and strengthen cooperation between countries and organizations. Visitors, from home and abroad, are thronging to the gates of the Expo site, waiting for security checks in long queues.Around 300,000 tickets have been sold or distributed for the opening day, organizers said. The Expo is expected to attract 70 million visitors from China and abroad.The Expo site covers an area of 5.28 square kilometers along both sides of the Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. According to the passage which of the following statements is NOT true? To the untrained eye it might seem like just a bit of a monkey trick. But when Milly the mandrill (, ) covers her face with her hand she is actually sending a serious message to her fellows: "Leave me alone!" Experts believe the 15-year-old mandrill invented the gesture to warn other monkeys at Colchester Zoo to give her some space. And, surprisingly, the signal has been picked by other members of the group, who use it when they too require _ . Biologist Mark Laidre believes the behavior is evidence of social culture among the mandrills. Importantly, the sign language is unlikely to have been influenced by human activities because mandrills do not copy humans. Mr. Laidre expects further research will uncover other monkeys using cultural gestures -- the ability to communicate with the hands in a meaningful way. "By covering their eyes with their hands, possibly conveyed to others that they wanted to be left alone and this message may have been respected as a 'do not disturb' sign," said Mr. Laidre. While the hand is in place, other monkeys are not likely to approach or touch the monkey. Those who rank lower in the social order also use the technique to avoid attacks from more powerful group members. As the discovery appears to be unique to Colchester Zoo, it suggests it is a local phenomenon that arose naturally in the community of 25 mandrills. Curator Sarah Forsyth said: "We believe Milly made up the signal and over the past five years some of the younger mandrills have picked it up. We're not sure why she started doing it but it could be as simple as 'I can't see them, so they can't see me'. It really does show you how intelligent mandrills are." What can be known from the text?
On Nov.18th,1908,three men went up in a balloon .They started early in London. The headman was Auguste Gaudron,and the other two men were Tannar and Maitland. They had a big balloon and they were ready for a long way. Soon they heard the sea. They were carrying the usual rope ,and it was hanging down from the basket of the balloon. At the end of the rope they had tied a metal box. This could hold water, or it could be empty. So they were able to change its weight .It was for use over the sea. They were also carrying some bags of sand. After the sun rose, the balloon went higher. It went up to 3,000 metres, and the air was very cold. The water in the balloon became ice. Snow fell past the men's basket, and they could see more snow on the ground. The men tried to throw out some more sand; but it was hard. They tried to break the icy sand with their knives, but it was not easy. The work was slow and they were still falling, so they had to drop some whole bags of sand. One of them fell on an icy lake and made a black hole in the ice. At last they pulled the box into the basket. It was still snowing; so they climbed to get away from the snow. They rose to 5,100 metres! Everything became icy. They were so cold that they decided to land. They came down in Poland heavily but safely. They had traveled 1,797 kilometers from London! When the balloon went up higher, _ . Answer: the temperature of the balloon began to fall Paris is the capital of the European nation of France. It is also one of the most beautiful and most famous cities in the world. Paris is called the City of Light. It is also an international fashion center. What women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world. Paris is also a famous world center of education. For example, it is where the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The Seine River divides the city into two parts. Thirty-two bridges cross this beautiful river. The oldest and perhaps most well-known is the Pont Neuf, which was built in the sixteenth century. The Sorbonne, a famous university, stands on the left bank of the river. There are many other famous places in Paris, such as the famous museum, the Louvre, as well as the Notre Dame. However, the most famous building in this city is Eiffel Tower. Paris is named after a group of people called the Parisii. They built a small village on an island in the middle of the Seine River about two thousand years ago. This island, called the lie de la Cite, is where Notre Dame lies. Today around eight million people live in the Paris area. Which of the following descriptions of Paris is not true according to the text? Answer: The most famous building in this city is the famous museum, the Louvre. School news (June 8th, Friday) School trip: Students in Junior Two had a great time during the school trip on Children's Day. They went to Ocean Park by bus. The teachers were very happy because the students cleaned the bus after the trip. Japanese visitors: Thirteen visitors from Japan arrived at our school on Monday, June 4th. They visited our school and enjoyed the weekend party with teachers and students. Basketball world: The school basketball match will be held tomorrow. Both Team Five and Team One hope to be the champion . Who do you think will win? Talent show : There will be a talent show in our school on June 15th. Lots of students will show their talents by singing, dancing and playing the instruments at the central hall. On June 9th, the students can have a _ . Answer: basketball match There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite s. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved. I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly _ the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics. It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back. From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time. The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug . I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car. I looked forward to the return journey. Where was the writer going? Answer: Butterworth Long ago ,there lived in Greece a learned man. He was so well known for his good knowledge of almost everything that lots of people from all over the country came to learn from him. The great man taught his students whole-heartedly and answered their questions with great patience. One day a student asked him, " My dear teacher, didn't you say you yourself have many ,many more questions about things than we do? But I think we students have far more than you." With a smile on his face, the teacher drew two circles ,one as large as a big cake, the other smaller. Then he said , "Of course, I have learned much more. But it's wrong to think that a teacher has fewer questions than his students. Now, look at these two circles. The inside of the bigger one is my knowledge of things, and the inside of the smaller one is yours. Out of the circles is what is still unknown to us. Since mine is larger, I have to use the longer line to draw the bigger circle. That means I have more opportunities to face what is still unknown. And that's why I myself have more questions than you do. The more you learn , the more questions you have. You will never learn enough ,you know." The student didn't agree that _ . Answer: the students had fewer questions than the teacher
He could have been president of Israel or played violin at Carnegie Hall, but he was too busy thinking. His thinking on God, love and the meaning of life graces our greeting cards and day-timers. Fifty years after his death, his shock of white hair and hanging moustache still symbolize genius. Einstein remains the foremost scientist of the modern time. Looking back 2,400 years, only Newton ,Galileo and Aristotle were his equals. Around the world , universities and academies are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Einstein's "miracle year" when he published five scientific papers in 1905 that basically changed our grasp of space, time ,light and matter. Only he could top himself about a decade later with his theory of relativity. Born in the age of horse-drawn carriages, his ideas launched a technological revolution that has made more changes in a century than in the previous two thousand years. Computers, satellites, telecommunications, lasers, televisions and nuclear power all owe their invention to ways in which Einstein exposed a stranger and more complicated reality underneath the world. He escaped Hitler's Germany and devoted the rest of his life to human rights and peace with an authority unmatched by any scientist today, or even most politicians and religious leaders. He spoke out against fascism and racial prejudice. His FBI file ran 1,400 pages. His letters expose a disorderly personal life - married twice and indifferent toward his children while absorbed in physics. Yet he charmed lovers and admirers with poetry and sailboat outings. Friends and neighbors fiercely protected his privacy. Why was 1905 called Einstein's "miracle year"? Answer: Because he wrote five important articles to help people understand space, time , light and matter better. Li Qiang and Li Gang are brothers. But their living habits are different. Now let's go to Li Qiang's room. Li Qiang cleans his bedroom every day and puts his things away. Look! There is a computer on the desk. There are two balls under the bed. A guitar and a kite are on the wall. Some books are on the shelf. So he must be a careful boy. Now let's go to Li Gang's room. The room is not clean. Can we see his clothes on the desk? Oh, yes. We can see a football and a knife on the desk, too. Li Gang never does any cleaning on weekends. So his room is in a mess. What do you think of Li Qiang and Li Gang? Li Qiang is a good boy. Li Gang must learn from his brother. ,. Which of the following sentences is NOT true? Answer: Li Gang is a careful boy. Many of us use them several times a day without really noticing.And yet the way we in lifts,or elevators as they are known in the US,reveals a hidden anxiety. Passengers seem to know instinctively how to arrange themselves in an elevator,like the dots on a die.With each additional passenger, the bodies shift,going into the open spaces. On your own,you can do whatever you want--it's your own little box.If there are two of you,you take different corners, creating the greatest distance. When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle .And when there is a square, with someone I every corner.A fifth person is probable going to have to stand in the middle. Why are we so awkward in lifts? "You don't have enough space," says Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin."Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm's length of distance between us. And that's not possible in most elevators, so it's a very unusual setting. It's unnatural." But perhaps there is more to it than just social awkwardness. "In the back of our minds we are a little anxious," says Nick White,an office in New York who was unfortunate enough to be trapped in a lift for41 hours. "We don't like to be locked into a place.We want to get out of the elevator as soon as possible, you know, it's a frightening place to be." During his terrible experience, he began to think of another encloses space-a tomb. Dr.Lee Gray agrees that a sense of disempowerment is the main cause of life anxiety. "You're in a machine that's moving, over which you have no control. You cannot see the elevator engine, you don't know how it's working," he says. Which of the following is true of Nick White? Answer: He was trapped in a lift for 41 hours. Learners of English, especially self-taught learners may have trouble in understanding speeches by native speakers. The following ways might help improve their listening ability. First of all, do things step by step. It is not good to listen to something beyond your level. Better choose a suitable course and start with the first book. Go on to the second book only after you are sure you understand the first one. Secondly, stick to one course of study. Don't change books often. Never let your attention be attracted by another course just because it seems to be more "fashionable". Thirdly, listen to the English news program over the radio from time to time. Better go through the news stories in the Chinese-language newspaper first. That will make it easy for you to understand the English news on the radio. Fourthly, if you have time, listen to some interesting stories in "Special English from the V.O.A. or other listening materials of the same level as that of your textbook". If you want to understand the English news program on the radio, you should _ . Answer: go through the Chinese-language newspaper first Most academics would view a post at an elite university like Oxford or Harvard as the crowning achievement of a career--bringing both honour and access to better wine cellars. But scholars desire such places for reasons beyond glory. They believe perching on one of the topmost branches of the academic tree will also improve the quality of their work, by bringing them together with other geniuses with whom they can collaborate and who may help spark new ideas. This sounds reasonable. Unfortunately,as Albert Laszlo Barabasi of Northeastern University,in Boston (and also, it must be said, of Harvard), shows in a study published in Scientific Reports, it is not true. Dr Barabasi and his team examined the careers of physicists who began publishing between 1950 and 1980 and continued to do so for at least 20 years. They ranked the impact of the institutions these people attended by counting the number of citations each institution's papers received within five years of publication. By tracking the association of individual physicists and counting their citations in a similar way, Dr Barabasi was able to work out whether moving from a low to a high-ranking university improved a physicist's impact. In total, he and his team analysed 2,725 careers. They found that, though an average physicist moved once or twice during his career, moving from a low-rank university to an elite one did not increase his scientific impact. Going in the opposite direction, however, did have a small negative influence. The consequence is that elite university do not,at least as far as physicists are concerned,add value to output. That surprising conclusion is one which the authorities in countries such as Britain, who are seeking to concentrate expensive subjects such as physics in fewer, more elite institutions--partly to save money, but also to create what are seen as centers of excellence--might wish to consider. What is the fundamental reason why scholars want to get a post at an elite university? Answer: Their academic career can benefit from it.
This is John Roberts reporting from Cardiff. The result of the match which finished at four this afternoon between France and Wales was a _ . Neither side scored. The Dutch referee did not allow the one goal which France managed to kick. The reason for this was that a French player was unfortunately off side. So both teams went home disappointed with the game. They particularly admired the French forwards, who were always fast and often threatened the Welsh defense. Once it looked as if the Welsh goalkeeper was in serious trouble. He dived to his right to save a shot from the French centre forward and crashed his head against the goal post. A doctor examined him and he soon began to play again. Of course the large, friendly crowd cheered for him. Wales will certainly welcome another visit from this splendid team. Which of the following sentence is NOT TRUE according to the passage? Answer: May 5 is Japanese Children's Day. In fact, it is usually called Boy's Day because it is mainly celebrated ( ) by boys. The celebration of Boy's Day has a long history. It is said that the festival comes from the Dragon Boat Festival in China. On Boy's Day, Japanese boys eat a special kind of rice cake. It is covered with a leaf and filled with bean paste ( ). Children love to eat it very much. On this day, children don't have to go to school. Each family with a boy hangs up huge carp-shaped flag ( ). The flags are usually three colors: black, red and blue. Black stands for the father, red stands for the mother and blue stands for the son. Japanese parents believe that the flags will bring their boys good luck and give them courage and power. Japanese Boy's Day is probably comes from _ . Answer: Which change will occur in the wire of an electrical circuit that is working properly? Answer: Mr Green is a teacher of English. He comes from America. He teaches English in China. He speaks English quite well. He reads a lot of books and his wife Mrs Green often writes books for the students. He gets up at five in the morning. He leaves home at ten to six. He begins the first lesson at 8:00. He teaches English every day except Sunday. At ten to twelve he finishes his lessons. Ten minutes later he has lunch. In the afternoon he often plays games with his students at about four o'clock. Sometimes he teaches his students in his room. Supper time is at about six. After that he reads newspapers and watches TV. At about ten to eleven he goes to bed. The students go to school every day except _ in a week . Answer: The drug store was closing for the night. Young Alfred Higgins, the shop-assistant, was ready to go home. Mr. Carr, the boss, stared at him and said: "Stop! Alfred. Maybe you'd be good enough to take the things out of your pockets and leave them here before you go." Alfred's face got red. After a little hesitation , he took out what he had stolen. Mr. Carr said, "Maybe I should call you mother and let her know I'm going to have to put you in prison." Alfred thought his mother would come rushing in, eyes burning with anger. But, to his surprise, she arrived wearing a smile. "Hello, I'm Alfred's mother. Is he in trouble?" she said. Mr. Carr was surprised, too. He had expected Alfred's mother to come in nervously, shaking with fear, asking with wet eyes for a mercy for her son. Yet, she was most calm, quiet, and pleasant, which made Mr. Carr feel guilty . Soon Mr. Carr was shaking his head in agreement with what she was saying. "Of course", he said, "I don't want to be cruel. You are right. Sometimes, a little good advice is the best thing for a boy at certain times in his life and it often takes the youth a long time to grow up." And he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins's hand. Back home, without even looking at Alfred, she said, "You are a burden. Your trouble came one after another, always! Why do you stand there so stupidly? Go to bed." In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. Getting to the kitchen, he saw his mother drinking a cup of tea. His mother's face was a frightened, broken one, totally different from the earlier cool, bright face. She lifted the tea cup, her hands shaking, the lips moving nervously. He watched his mother quietly, without making a sound. The picture of his mother nearly made him cry. Realizing all the troubles he brought his mother in her shaking hands and the deep lines of worry in her grey face, he felt he shouldn't have done such a shameful theft to hurt his mother so deeply. He determined to grow up like a true man and protect his mother rather than hurt her again. Why Mrs. Higgins's face became a frightened and broken one? Answer:
People say, you can not change the environment, but can change their own; you can not change the facts, but can change attitudes; you can not change the past, but can be changed now; you can not control other people, but can be masters of our own; you can not do everything well, but can be conscientious in everything; you can not about the weather, but you can change the mood; you can not choose looks, but it can show a smile. Indeed, one key to the success lies in his (her) mind. The difference between successful people and the losers are: winners will be setbacks and difficulties due to personal ability, experience, imperfect, to emphasize the inherent, they are willing to continuously improve and develop the right direction; and the losers will blame on the opportunity, and the environment injustice, emphasizing external and uncontrollable factors that created the position of their life, they always complain, wait and give up! In many cases, is a _ person who is looked down upon his own. Person's appearance, his family, and so a priori condition that can not be changed, but at least inner state, the spirit of the will is entirely their own control. Mentality, the final decision of life high. There is no absolute bad thing, only the mentality of the absolute poor people. If even the state of mind will not adjust, how they deal with things more complicated than the mentality of it! No matter what the situation, a person's attitude is very important. Passion put to work, and numbness sluggish to work completely different. Emerson said: "A move toward their goals is always people who gave him the whole world to give way." On the contrary, failure is not because we do not have the strength, but because we are susceptible to all around us, used to go along with the lack of assertive, attitude unstable, easily frustrated reason. As long as we believe that the strength of mind, change their attitude and courage to face a number of disappointments in life, do not despair, brave go on. I believe the power of mind, mind you're in the height of the final decision. Where can you probably find the text? Answer: All people need to sleep. Sleep is a necessary process that promotes proper body functioning and can improve the quality of your life. Not only is the quantity of sleep important, but also the quality of sleep. Your bedroom should be shaped to your taste and to allow you to sleep in a peaceful environment. One of the biggest mistakes people make in their sleep is to use their bedroom for activities other than sleep. If your bedroom also functions as a command station for your life and work, the likelihood of your sleeping being poor is rather high. Bedrooms should be designed, decorated and used for mainly sleep. TVs, computers and other things should not be in your bedroom if at all possible. Establishing regular sleeping and waking times can help improve the quality of your sleep especially for those suffering from sleeplessness. Avoid hot food, caffeine, sugar and alcohol at least 4 to 6 hours before your sleep time. Develop a regular exercise program. Proper exercise and nutrition will help improve sleeping patterns. However, avoid exercising 2 hours before sleeping, since this may stimulate your body and make sleeping more difficult. Establish a pre-bedtime rule that will help focus you on sleep. You can try meditation ,reading or deep breathing and relaxation. Your bedtime rule should be yours. Do not worry about it fitting into a specific category. Do what is the best for you. Things such as room temperature, noise and light levels and even your bed mattress can have a lot of effect on the quality of sleep that you experience. Block out distracting noises and lights. You are in your bedroom to sleep and not be distracted by environmental interferences . The following sentences are true EXCEPT _ . Answer: James Naismith was a Canadian. He invented basketball in 1891. At that time. He was a P.E. teacher a Springfield College,. In the USA.. He invented an indoor game for his students so that they could play it even in bad weather. Do you know how to score points in the game? Well, just put the ball into the other side's basket. You can throw the ball into the basket from any part if the court. And you can throw it with one hand or both hands. But you must follow the rules. Now, over a century later,. More and more people play basketball ..In the USA. ,the NBA is very popular. People from all over the world like to watch and play basketball. They love this game. ,A, B, C, D,. (10) James Naismith came from _ Answer: One night, the first floor of the house suddenly caught fire. The fire was big, and soon became a sea of fire. On the second floor lived a little girl and her grandmother; the little girl's parents had died, and she lived together with her grandma. In order to rescue the little girl, the grandmother was burned to death, leaving the little girl crying for help loudly. How could people enter the house? At the very moment, a man carrying a ladder rushed to the flames and got into the window. When he appeared again in the eyes of the people, the little girl was in his arms. He gave the child to the crowd, and then disappeared into the night. This little girl had no family. Two months later a meeting was held to find a person to adopt the girl. A teacher was willing to adopt this child, and said she could give her the best education; a farmer wanted to adopt this child, saying that village life would let the child grow up healthily and happily; a rich man said, "I can give the child everything that others can do." A lot of people who wanted to adopt this child said about many benefits of their adopting the child. But the little girl's face had no expression. At this time, a man, through the crowd, walked straight in front of the little girl, and opened his arms for the little girl. People were puzzled, and they found that the man had terrible scars on his arms. The little girl let out a cry, "This is the man who saved me!" She suddenly jumped up, and buried her face in his arms and sobbed. Naturally the man adopted the girl. What can we learn from the passage? Answer: If babies are given more love and feelings by their mothers, they will deal better with stress and anxiety when they grow up , research has shown. The study of eight-month-old children shows even the very earliest life experiences can influence our happiness. Lots of mother love makes children form a safe bond with their mothers , so they are able to feel safe in relationships when they grow up ,and they will have better social skills and deal with life's difficulties. The researchers, led by Dr.Joanna Maselko of Duke University in North Carolina, studied the relationships of 482 eight--month - old babies with their mothers during daily development. They studied how well the mother had dealt with her child's developmental text and how she had responded child's performance.Mental health was then assessed when the babies had grown up - at the average of 34. The more feelings and attention a mother gave to her child, the better her child would be. This kind of child had the lowest levels of anxiety, hostility and general difficulties. Which of the following is right according to text? Answer:
Question: Joe:What do you do on weekends? David:Well, I usually have to study on Saturdays. Joe:And how about Sundays? David:Well, we have lunch together. You know, all of the members of my family. Then after lunch, I go to the park and meet my friends. Joe:Oh? What do you do there? David:We play football. After that I usually go to see a film outside the city. Joe:Do you often go out of the city? David:About once a month. My uncle has a small farm. Joe:It's nice. Do you go alone? David:No, my mum, my two sisters and some of my friends go there, too. Joe:But why do you go there? David:Many things: green trees, clean air, and there are few people. Why do they go to the farm? A. Green trees. B. Clean air. C. Few people. D. A, B and C Answer: D Question: XI'AN - China has introduced various emergency responses and long-term measures against air pollution in the central and eastern regions. The air quality index (AQI) for Xi'an reached 500 on Wednesday afternoon, at the top of the AQI scale, according to the national air quality monitoring website. Xi'an weather forecasters predict the smog will continue for the next week and air pollution may worsen. "I have to keep buying masks for my family," said Liu, buying masks at a pharmacy near her home in downtown Xi'an. "This is the only thing we can do to protect ourselves." On Wednesday, a city government emergency response plan was put into action, _ all construction and taking at least 50 percent of government vehicles off the road. Power plants must limit their output and reduce emissions. Nearly half the country, more than 100 cities in 20 provinces, has suffered from smog since last December. Many have taken action, including experimenting with artificial methods to reduce smog, limiting vehicle use and fining polluters. Assessments based on GDP alone were abandoned last month and more emphasis has been put on public well-being and the environment. Whether the move will be effective in forcing local governments consider environmental issues over economic growth remains to be seen. Environmental protection professionals are doubtful about the immediacy of the effects of these measures. Xiao Hang, an urban researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said it took London 50 years to lose the moniker "foggy London town", and Los Angeles still struggles to control its photochemical smog. "We can't ignore environmental problems during the development process and China has a long way to go," he said. We can infer from the article that _ . A. China is the only country suffering from smog B. environmental professionals believe the air quality will soon be improved with these measures C. assessments based on GDP alone were harmful to environmental protection D. Xi'an was the most polluted city in China Answer: C Question: Ron Meyer is the president and COO of Universal Studios.As one of the most successful business leaders in Hollywood, he heads up Universal Pictures and Universal Parks & Resorts.He's the guy who oversees the production of Multimillion-dollar extravaganzas likeKing KongandCinderella Man. Meyer's story sounds like the plot of one of his motion pictures.He grew up in a modest home where there was little income.It was a big deal to go to a restaurant.At 15, he quit high school and spent his time hanging out with the neighborhood toughs .He was then a kid quick with his fists who seemed to get into fights somewhat regularly.At one point, he was separated from others with an infectious disease, having no TV and nothing to do.His mother sent him two books.One wasThe Amboy Dukes, a novel about kids in street gangs.The other wasThe Flesh Peddlers, about a guy in the talent agency who lived a successful life."I realized," he says, "that I was no longer that silly kid I had been, and I wanted to change my life." Meyer took any job he could get.He worked as a busboy and short-order cook.He cleaned offices and sold shoes.That attitude made an impression on people.One day he received a call from Paul Kohner, a successful agent who represented stars like John Huston, Charles Bronson and Lana Turner.Their messenger and driver had quit, and they knew Ron was willing to take whatever job they offered. He started the job the next day. Meyer was lucky to work with a good boss--and _ .In nearly six years of driving for Kohner, Meyer became his right-hand man and learned a lot.By the 1970s, Meyer had built many relationships in the business.In 1975, the fate presented an opportunity and he started his own operation Creative Artists Agency, which became a huge success, representing Hollywood legends like Barbra Streisand, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise. Twenty years later, Meyer was appointed to run Universal Studios, a position far beyond his youthful dream.But once he saw success was possible, he was driven to achieve it.Today, colleagues regularly owe his success--and theirs--to his humility and perseverance.It's a level of success that takes determination, personality and intelligence, whether it comes from a college education or from the street. What is the main idea of the passage? A. How a bitter childhood contributes to one's success. B. It's important to choose a right career to achieve one's life goal. C. A talent agency helps a person to become famous. D. It's people's determination, intelligence and personality that decide their success. Answer: D Question: Category: Comedy Best known for his role on the Emmy award-winning sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Brad Garrett returns to his Vegas roots with his comedy club at the MGM Grand. It is a good place to check out when you need a break from work. Prices from: $56.40 and up Age restriction: Must be 21 years of age or older Show Length: 115 minutes MAC KING COMEDY MAGIC SHOW Category: Comedy, Magic Mac King Comedy Magic Show is different every afternoon, with lots of audience participation. He is willing to make fun of himself instead of his guests in order to make everyone feel welcome and entertained. The afternoon is kid-friendly from start to finish. Still, whether you're eight or 80, you won't be able to figure out King's secrets. Prices from: $40.90 and up Age restriction: No age restriction Show Length: 90 minutes THE MENTALIST, GERRY MCCAMBRIDGE Category: Comedy, Magic Using his skills as a "mentalist", Gerry McCambridge shocks the crowds as he uses his abilities to predict just what audience members will do next. Anyone who has seen the show has walked away in disbelief, amazed by his unusual power. Prices from: $34.99 and up Age restriction: Under 13 will not be admitted into the theater Show Length: 75 minutes ROCK OF AGES Category: Plays & Musicals The cheerful Rock of Ages brings audiences back to the times of big hair and even bigger bands with 28 popular rock songs from the 80s including "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," "I Wanna Know What Love Is," "Here I Go Again," and more. Rock of Ages has been nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical. It also received a Drama League nomination for Distinguished Production for a Musical. Prices from: $74.00 and up Age restriction: Must be 15 years of age or older Show Length: 125 minutes If someone is interested in musicals, his best choice must be _ . A. ROCK OF AGES B. BRAD GARRETT'S COMEDY CLUB C. MAC KING COMEDY MAGIC SHO D. THE MENTALIST, GERRY MCCAMBRIDGE Answer: A Question: Shanghai Xintiandi Style Mall is filled with a festive mood, featuring large-scale equipment, knit works and various activities, under the theme "kiss". "Kissing is seldom taken as the theme of artworks because in oriental culture, people restrain themselves from expressing their emotions," says Jiang Shan, who is in charge of the exhibition. "Through the exhibition, we hope to encourage people to be confident and brave in expressing their love." Inside the mall, which covers a large area from Zizhong Lu (Road) to Fuxingnan Lu (Road), dozens of color1ful decorations, including balloons, lollipops and lip-shaped decorations are hung on the walls and from the ceiling. Among the decorations, a bright-color1ed wool artwork attracts most eyeballs and brings about a feeling of warmth. The designer, Gu Yeli, says the art piece, Kiss Forest, was inspired by US artist Andy Warhol's 1963 experimental film Kiss, which featured various couples kissing for three and a half minutes each. Gu also organizes a small workshop to teach knitting to children. Artist Wang Xuejun sets up a stainless-steel mirror at the mall's gate leading to Zizhong Lu. Visitors, including men, are invited to put on lipstick and kiss the mirror, thus kissing themselves. The Beast Floral Shop, a flower shop in Shanghai, contributes two walls of flowers that are made into the shape of a book, named Kiss Book. Artifacts of bees and butterflies are fixed among the blossoms, kissing the flowers. The work represents love and harmony in nature. Architect Ma Ke creates a Kiss Bridge with transparent acrylic boards and ceramic fishbowls. Bridges are often spots for dating lovers in traditional Chinese folk stories and the goldfish in the bowls are witnesses of the lovers' kisses. In the south plaza, an18-meter-high interactive tree-shaped light equipment encourages people to kiss. Each kiss turns a certain light on, reminding audiences of their sweet childhood memories of kisses. At the side of the tree is a counter, in which each kiss is counted and represents a donation to charity organizations. The article above probably is taken from a _ . A. text book B. science and technology magazine C. news website D. travel leaflet Answer: C
Look at these two photos. They are John and Ann. They're my good friends. All of us like music and we often sing together . John lives near my house and we are in the same class. John is 15 years old and 1.68 metres tall. He has blond hair and blue eyes. John's English is very good and sometimes he helps me with my homework. He often wears a T-shirt and shorts. But in the photo, he is wearing a yellow shirt and black pants. Ann is in another school. She is short with brown hair and brown eyes. She looks very pretty. She has dance classes every Saturday afternoon and Ann can dance very well. Her favourite clothes are blouses and skirts. In the photo, she is wearing a dress and a hat. How tall is John? A. 1.50 metres tall. B. 1.60 metres tall. C. 1.68 metres tall. D. 1.74 metres tall. Answer: C Earth makes a complete revolution around the Sun about once every A. day B. year C. season D. minute Answer: B Imagine a picnic dinner held at a location only made known hours before the meal, where guests are invited to decorate tables and chairs, bring their favorite dishes and wear white to reflect the simplicity of the event. This was the scene at a PopUp dinner held on June 13 in Brooklyn, New York's Prospect Park. PopUp dinners are popping up nationwide -- not just in Brooklyn. Garrett Sathre and his wife and business partner, Nicole Benjamin-Sathre are the team behind Hand Made Events and the creators and hosts of PopUp dinners. Sathre, a former restaurateur and head chef with Bubba's Diner and Kitchen 39, both located in the Bay Area, came up with the concept of the flash dinner after he was inspired by the annual Diner en Blanc held in Paris. In 2011, Hand Made Events used the power of social media to get the word out and soon, enough interest was attracted. In October 2011, it held its first flash dinner, calling the evening Le Diner a San Francisco at Golden Gate Park's outdoor Music Pavilion. He described it as a picnic dinner for 3,500 people."I thought we would have anywhere between 300-500 people to attend. Two articles ran a week later about my crazy idea and we got 15,000 emails within three days,"Sathre said. After the success of the San Francisco dinner, Sathre decided to expand his"crazy idea"and hold dinners across the country in major markets such as Brooklyn, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Sathre says their Brooklyn PopUp on June 13 sold 5,000 tickets in just four days with 5,000 on the waiting list raising over $160,000 in ticket sales. Those are some big numbers. Hand Made Events partners with the Prospect Park Alliance and gives all of their proceeds to the non-profit group. In total, the Brooklyn PopUp dinner raised over $60,000 for the Prospect Park Alliance. Hand Made Events sees the same interest in their smaller city locations."We have seen a 30 percent increase in our smaller markets -- Minneapolis, San Diego, Charleston, and Miami every year,"Sathre said. Hand Made Events has eight more dinners planned nationwide this year, and six already scheduled for next year. The popularity is not just here in the states. Sathre says he sees photos of other groups holding similar events everywhere through social media. Just last year, Hand Made Events helped a woman in Kenya plan her own flash dinner via Skype."This event crosses and appeals to all cultures. There are not many events, if any, that bring all people together like the PopUp,"he said. What is the main idea of this passage? A. A new kind of cooking culture has spread worldwide on social media. B. PopUp dinners provide diners with unique outdoor experience. C. Flash dinners influence the dining culture in the US. D. Picnic dinners are very popular in the US. Answer: B Harry is eighteen now. He studies in a middle school.His parents like him very much and hope he can become a famous man. So they often tell him to study hard and they do almost everything for him. They wakes him up at six in the morning, after breakfast his father takes him to school in a car and in the afternoon, as soon as the young man comes back, the supper is ready. Of course, he never washes his clothes or goes to buy anything in the shops. Once Harry's father was sent to London on business. He would stay there for half a year. Upon leaving, he told his wife to take good care of their son. The woman had to get up eatlier and did all that her husband did before. And two months later she was so tired that she was ill in bed. Now the young man got into trouble. He couldn't do any housework. He had to do as his mother told him. He didn't even know where to get on the bus! One day Harry's mother found his shoes were worn out and told him to buy a pair in the shop. But he didn't know how to choose The woman had a sigh and give him a shoe patten and told him to buy a pair of.shoes himself. With a policeman's help, Harry found a shop. The shopkeeper was friendly to him. The man brought a lot of shoes and asked him to choose. When he was trying on a pair, suddenly he remembered something and took them off. The man was surprised and asked, "What's the matter, young man?" "I'm sorry. I've left the shoe pattern at home!" Harry had to buy shoes himself because _ . A. his mother didn't know what kind he needed B. his mother was busy with the housework C. something was wrong with his mother D. his mother wanted her son to do something himself Answer: C People often complain they face too many problems. Every day and everywhere there are problems. Many times we find it hard to stay happy. When one problem is solved, another one comes up. People have money problems, work problems, family problems, health problems..... the list goes on. And we usually think that people who are happy and successful are having fewer problems than us. Look at the successful people we often mention. They have money they need, they have jobs they love, they have good friends, they have obedient kids, they have the successful business, they have loving families etc. Everything goes well with them. That is why they are happy and successful. But in fact, the more successful you are, the more problems you have to face. More success means more challenges they have to face, and more success means more risks they have to take. Young and old, rich and poor, successful and unsuccessful, educated and uneducated, all have problems. The difference is that their problems are different from each other. Rich and successful have big problems. Poor and unsuccessful have small problems. Still they all have problems which they can face. Successful people are successful just because they are ready to face challenges larger than ordinary people. Winning the US elections makes Obama very happy. As a new US president, he has to face bigger challenges. He has to be more careful about his work he does, or he will lose his position . Looking at him, we may say he is lucky, happy and successful. But, I think, as the US president, he has more pressure than an ordinary person. The main idea of this article is _ . A. why poor people are always poor B. how many problems people usually have to face C. how lucky and happy President Obama is D. how to deal with problems in life Answer: D
Question: Mr and Mrs Green live in a big city , and one summer they go to the country for their holiday. They enjoy it very much, because it is a quiet , clean place. One day,they are going for a walk in the morning and they meet an old man. He lives on a farm and he is sitting in the warm sun in front of his house. Mr Green asks him, "Do you like to live in this place?" The old man says, "Yes,I do." Mr Green asks again, "What are the good things about it?" The old man answers, "Well,the people here know each other. They often come and visit me,and I often go and visit them. And there are also lots of children here." Mr Green says, "That's very interesting. But what are the bad things?" The old man thinks and thinks and then says, "Well, the same things, really!" The old man thinks _ before he answers the last question. A. quickly B. quietly C. badly D. hard Answer: D Question: They may be small, and unable to have an adult conversation, but babies are proving their collective cleverness. While your baby still might not be able to speak, he or she knows about you're feeling down. Babies as young as 5 months of age can distinguish an exciting tune from a sad one, according to a study published in 2014 in the journalNeuron. Speaking of music, it seems that babies can't resist it. Not only are their ears sensitive to the beats, babies can actually dance in time to them, according to a study published in 2010. To test their dancing ability, the researchers played recordings of classical music and speech to them, and videotaped the results. The babies moved their arms, hands, legs, feet, and heads much more in response to the music than to speech. The findings suggest this dancing ability is innate in humans. Babies can apparently learn even while asleep. As newborn babies spend most of their time sleeping, this newfound ability might be crucial for them to adapt rapidly to the world around them, and help ensure survival, the researchers say. The study was published in the journalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Deciding whether another person is helpful or harmful is crucial in choosing friends -- and that ability starts being visible early. Kiley Hamlin of Yale University showed both 6- and 10-month-olds some anthropomorphized shapes, in which one shape helped another climb a hill, while a third shaped pushed the climber down. The little ones then got to choose which shape they preferred. For both age groups, most babies chose the helper shapes. This character-judging ability could be the first step in the formation of morals, Hamlin says. What can be inferred from the passage? A. Babies can understand emotions. B. Babies value friendship very much. C. It's hard for babies to adapt to the world around them. D. Babies show no reaction to speech. Answer: A Question: Yesterday was my friend Bert's birthday. He invited me to his house for his birthday party. Another friend Guy could take me to the party by car. Well,I was getting dressed when Guy rang and said he was ill. So I decided to go by train. Unluckily, when I was talking on the phone, the cat walked over my shirt. Then I spent a few minutes finding another one and I was late for leaving. As I was walking to the station, it started snowing and I got very cold. I just missed a train and I had to wait for another one. Half an hour later, the train arrived. I was so cold and tired that I fell asleep on the train and missed my station. Well, I got off at the next station, and decided to walk to Bert's house. I walked for 10 minutes but I got lost. Then I took a taxi. When I arrived at Bert's house, the party nearly finished and people were leaving. What a terrible day! _ Invited the writer to his birthday party. A. Guy B. Bert C. Bert's friend D. Guy's brother Answer: B Question: Which diagram best shows how energy flows through a simple food chain? A. Leaves -> Caterpillar -> Bird B. Tree -> Bird -> Caterpillar C. Leaves -> Tree -> Caterpillar D. Caterpillar -> Leaves -> Bird Answer: A Question: After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed. During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy . When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams. I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, "Why me?" He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn't mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me. When we had finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, "You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you." Last summer I received a letter from Matthew's parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before: The boy looked forward to meeting the author because _ . A. he was one of the author's fans B. he wanted to get to the Olympics and win a medal C. he was also good at weight lifting D. he admired the author for his courage very much Answer: A
The octopus's reputation as a human-killer isn't simply an exaggeration --it is a total myth. The octopus can indeed be a deadly hunter, but only of its natural victims. Some shellfish and an occasional sick or incautious fish have reason to be frightened of this multi-armed hunter, but a person is much too large to interest even the biggest octopus. Even the largest among octopi is much smaller than most people imagine. Far from being large enough to swallow a ship, as monster octopi in movies have been known to do, the largest octopus, found on the Pacific coast, weighs around 110 pounds and grows to no more than ten feet in width. The hard, parrot-like beak of an octopus is not used for attacking deep-sea divers, but for cutting open shellfish. Indeed, the octopus possesses such a tiny throat that it cannot swallow large pieces of meat. Instead, it feeds by pouring digestive juices into its victims, and then sucking up the soupy remains. A shellfish that finds itself in the grasp of an octopus has only a short time to live. But human beings are perfectly safe. Still, people rarely care to go close enough to these _ to get a good look at them. This passage is mainly about _ . Answer: octopi and their behavior I can't remember when I fell in love with music. Maybe it happened when I was feeling blue sometime long ago. I can't tell you exactly how music makes me feel better. But while listening to music, especially light music, it makes me feel calm and peaceful. Now I am listening to a song named Moon River. It is really a fantastic song. I didn't like this song at the beginning, but later I found its slow melody and beautiful lyrics deeply touching. "Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker. Wherever you're going I'm going your way. Two drifters are off to see the world. There's such a lot of world to see." Yes. Although there is a long way to go for the drifters and maybe there are many troubles ahead, he seems afraid of nothing. I like music. Music reminds me that human beings have a lot in common even if they come from different countries or backgrounds, because we all have the same feeling or understanding of melodies and words. From the song, we know that the drifters seem afraid of _ . Answer: nothing Faces that activate the same regions of the brain again and again are more likely to be remtembered. Practice makes perfect when it comes to remembering things, but exactly how that works has long been a mystery. A study published in Science recently indicates that reactivating neural patterns over and over again my store items into the memory. People find it easier to recall things if material is presented repeatedly at well-spaced intervals rather than all at once. For example, you're more likely to remember a face that your've seen on some occasions over a few days than one that you've seen once in one long period. One reason that a face linked to many different contexts -such as school, work and home- is easier to recognize than one that is associated with just one setting, such as a party, could be that there are some ways to access the memory. This idea, called the encoding variability hypothesis ,was proposed by psychologists about 40 years ago. Each different context or setting activates a clear set of brain regions; the hypothesis suggests that it is these differing neural responses that improve the memory. But neuroimaging research led by Russell Poldrack, a scientist at the University of Texas. Austin, now suggests that the opposite is true--items are better remembered when they activate the same neural patterns with each exposure. Poldrack's team measured brain activity in 24 people using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The subjects saw 120 unfamiliar faces, and each one repeated four times at varying intervals during the scan. One hour later, they were shown the faces again, mixed with 120 new ones, and asked to rate the familiarity of each. The researchers then looked at the brain responses that had been recorded when the subjects wee first shown the faces, focusing on 20 brain regions associated with visual perception and memory. Face that were later recognized evoked similar activation patterns at each repetition in nine of the regions, particularly those associated with object and face perception; faces that were later forgotten did not produce such pattern to the same extent in people's mind The passage is mainly about _ . Answer: the neuroimaging research Which of the following best describes the purpose of the chromosomes in the nucleus of a cell? Answer: to store the genetic instructions needed to specify traits Education plays a very important role in everybody's life. We go to school because we want to know more about the world around us. The typical classroom used to be the place where teachers and students were working and exploring the wonderful world of knowledge together, but now everything has changed. The Internet is one of those approaches. Learning via the Internet is a new style that seems to become successful than the traditional teaching. The Internet provides schools with a large amount of learning material that is accessible to students online. Owing to the choices of courses online, completing a program becomes much easier. We used to go to the library when we needed information and spend hours searching for the right sources. Today there is a "library" in our house and it is available 24 hours a day. From my personal experience, being a first time mother, I find that using information online is very helpful. While I am at home with my baby, I can still search for the material I need and exchange thoughts and information with my classmates without leaving my house. The Internet is not only a big information provider but also a money and time saver. People predict that education will be much cheaper in the future because of Internet access to information. The cost of land, building and wages for teachers are continuously increasing. In addition, regular courses (offline) depend heavily on books and other paper-based materials, while online education posts lectures, and assignments electronically, which saves thousands of dollars every year. With no physical restrictions, the Internet classes and courses are also very convenient. In classroom-based education there is a limitation on the number of students while Internet education is available to everyone. Students don't have to struggle in order to register for classes they like. Students will have more choices to take their courses and classes online. The Internet offers a wonderful opportunity to obtain knowledge in a more convenient and less expensive way. In my opinion, online life in the future is simply inescapable. Which of the following statements is NOT true? Answer: The traditional classrooms become outdated because of the Internet.
The change from day to night on Earth can be explained by A. the movement of the Sun. B. the rotation of Earth. C. the movement of the Moon. D. the tilt of Earth. Answer: B. the rotation of Earth. As the light died out of the sky, and I watched the colour of the snow on the mountain tops change, I felt I was waking from my unhappy dream, and I began to understand how much I loved Agnes. She had been the one who had always guided and supported me, and now I realized I needed her love for the rest of my life. Had falling in love with Dora been a mistake? We had both been very young, it is true. I had always called Agnes sister, and now perhaps I no longer had the right to ask whether her love for me was more than sisterly. However, I decided to return, and travelled home to England, after three years of absence. I was delighted to find that Traddles had married his Sophy, and was doing well as a lawyer. My aunt had moved back to her old Dover house, and was living happily there with Mr.Dick and Peggotty. When I visited my aunt, I took the opportunity of asking her about Agnes. "Has she--has she any young man she'd like to marry?" I asked as lightly as possible. My aunt looked carefully at me as she replied, "I suspect she has, David. She's never mentioned it to me, but I think--I feel sure she's going to marry soon." I was firm with myself and did not show my feelings. I borrowed a horse and rode to Canterbury to ask Agnes myself. When I saw that beautiful, gentle face again, I knew I had come home. I knew how dear she was to me, and would always be. "Agnes," I said, "I am so grateful to you, for making me what I am, for helping me to be good! But I think you have a secret. Let me share it, Agnes, as your brother! Tell me whom you love!" Agnes turned away from me and burst into tears. Somehow these tears did not sadden me, but gave me hope. "My dear Agnes! Don't cry!" "David, leave me! I can't talk about it now!" she sobbed. "Agnes, you're dearer to me than anything in the world. Don't think I'll be jealous of any man you choose to marry. I only want you to be happy!" She had stopped crying now and was calmer. "If I have a secret, David, it is--not a new one. It has been my secret--for a long time!" I was wild with hope. "Not a new one!" Did she mean ...? "Dearest Agnes! Dare I hope to call you more than a sister!" She was in my arms and sobbing again, but this time with happiness. "I went away, Agnes, loving you! I returned home, loving you!" We held each other for some time, sure now of each other's love. "There is something I must tell you, David," she said gently, looking calmly into my face. "I have loved you all my life!" She added, "And something else--before our sweet Dora died, she asked me--can you guess--to fill the empty place in your heart." And Agnes laid her head on my shoulder, and cried. And I cried with her, although we were both so happy. The narrator of the passage might be _ . A. Agnes B. David C. Dora D. Traddles Answer: B. David When I was about ten years old, I was walking down the street with my mother. She stopped to speak to Mr. Lee. I knew I could see Mr. Lee any time around the neighborhood, so I didn't pay any attention to him. After we passed Mr. Lee, my mother stopped me and said something that has stuck with me from that day until now. She said seriously, "You let that be the last time you've ever walked by somebody and not opened up your mouth to speak, because even a dog will wag its tail when it passes you on the street." Mother's words sound simple, but it's been a guidepost for me and the foundation of who I am. It's not just something I believe in; it's a way of life. I believe that every person deserves to feel someone acknowledge their presence, no matter how humble they may be. At work, I always said hello to the founder of the company and ask him how our business was doing. But I also spoke to the people who cleaned the buildings and asked how their children were doing. After a few years of greeting the founder, I had the courage to ask him for a meeting. We had a great talk. At a certain point I asked him how far he thought I could go in his company. He said, "If you want to, you can get all the way to this seat." I've become vice president, but it hasn't changed the way I approach people. I still follow my mother's advice. I speak to everyone I see, no matter where I am. I've learned that speaking to people creates a pathway into their world, and it allows them to come into mine, too. What did the author do when he met Mr. Lee? A. He talked with somebody else. B. He was attracted by a dog. C. He greeted him politely. D. He ignored him. Answer: D. He ignored him. Will you be excited when you finally get to relax? Here, three of the studetns tell us what they plan to do after the big exam. Li Junzhe, 15, Huaihua, Hunan Province My friends and I will travel to Beijing right after the exam. We planned to go by ourselves but were turned down by our parents. They said we were too young to travel alone. They said they would go with us. I'm okay with it because I've already traveled by myself. Zhu Hangian, 15, Dexing, Jiangxi Province What am I going to do this summer? Of course I'll go to see the Great Wall! But before that, I will watch movies. Because of the big exam, I haven't seen any movies for a long time. I will watch whatever is in the cinema! As for the Great Wall, I can't wait to see the beautiful views. Dong Xu, 14, Dalian, Liaoning Province I will, no doubt, play computer games for days after the big exam. My mother never let me during the past few years. I can't imagine how exciting it will be. Also my friends and I will go to see the Great Wall. Zhu Hangian will _ before traveling to Beijing. A. watch movies at home B. play computer games C. see films in the cinema D. go to Beijing with his friends Answer: C. see films in the cinema Qian Xuesen is one of the pioneers of China's space science. As a world-famous expert on aerospace rockets and aerodynamics, he obtained great achievements in the areas of applied mechanics, engineering cybernetics and system engineering and made distinguished contributions to the foundation and development of Chinese aerospace undertaking . He graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1934, and Qian Xuesen went to the United States to study in MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one year later. After receiving master's degree in MIT, he went to study in California Institute of Technology and received PhD degrees in both aerospace and mathematics. In 1955, six years after the founding of People's Republic of China, Qian Xuesen returned to his motherland. His return brought China the hope of developing space science and its own missiles. In 1956, Qian Xuesen put forward "Proposal on the Development of China's Aviation Industry for National Defense". With the support from Zhou Enlai, the premier, and marshal Nie Rongzheng, Qian Xuesen began to prepare for the establishment of China's first missile and rocket research and development structure, the Fifth Research Institute of State Ministry of Defense. Henceforth , he has long been in charge of the chief technological research and development of China's missile, rocket and spacecraft. Due to research and development led by Qian Xuesen, China successfully exploded its first atom bomb in 1964. Later, China launched its first man-made satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, to the earth orbit on April 24, 1970, becoming the fifth country in the world to independently launch satellite following the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the USA, France and Japan. The satellite floated around the earth, blaring the song Dong Fang Hong, which has the same name as the satellite. As a _ leading the development of China's aerospace science and technology, Qian Xuesen also provided chances for young scientists. Wang Yongzhi, former chief designer of China's manned-space project, has benefited a lot from Qian Xuesen. "He suggested that rocket of the second generation should be developed by our second generation scientists. This suggestion gave us chances to be general designers." Recalling the experience working with Qian Xuesen, Sun Jiadong, general designer of China's lunar orbiter project, is very grateful. "He put great expectation on us and trusted us a lot. Whenever we made mistakes, he seldom blamed us, but helped us to find out the reason so we could avoid it in the future." Honored as Father of China's Missile and King of Rockets, Qian Xuesen never stopped his work on scientific research after he retired. He said he had no time to review the past, but looked forward to the future. When did Qian xuesen begin to study in Massachusetts Institute of Technology? A. In 1955. B. In 1935. C. In 1936. D. In 1934. Answer: B. In 1935.
For Canadians, backpacking Europe is a special ceremony signifying a new life stage. Unlike package tours, backpacking is a struggle, full of discovery and chance connections. It is about focusing on something different from our own lives and losing ourselves in a new world, if only for a moment. Well, that's what backpacking Europe is supposed to do. That's what it used to do before modern communications, social media, and commercial hostelling . Older Canadians would not recognize the Europe that they backpacked in the 1960s, 1970s and even the 1980s. Far from a rough adventure into foreign cultures, the European experience has been _ in part by today's technology. A few years ago, I took my then 60-year-old father on a backpacking trip across part of Europe and Turkey. As he is an experienced traveler and someone who possesses a strong sense of adventure, I decided that we'd travel on a budget, staying in hostel dorms. For him, backpacking through Europe in 1969 was about independence and struggle. But two things surprised him at the end of our journey. First was how technology-based backpacking had become: Young people were so directly connected to home that they were hardly away in any meaningful sense. Second, the lack of connections we made with locals. Instead of making us feel closer to a place, he found commercial hostelling actually made us more alienated . But there was some room for hope. While technology takes our attention away from the beauty and history before us, there were also ways in which it helped us to connect with our surroundings. Websites like Airbnb have made it easier to stay with enthusiastic locals. Couch Surfing helps organize meet-ups between locals and travelers. The online marketplace Dopios offers a chance to meet locals through enjoyable experiences like a personalized city tour. Backpacking can never be the way it was for our parents' generation. But doing a little study of history and culture before leaving, and bravely getting rid of any electronic devices while traveling, will help give young travelers a taste of the glory days. Which of the following can be used to describe the author's father? A Sensitive. B Adventurous. C Strict. D Generous. Answer: B You had me at "Hello"! It turns out our opening words speak volumes--people take less than a second to form an impression of someone's personality based on their voice alone. We know that our voices can convey information about our sex, age, even body strength and certain personality characteristics, but Phil McAleer at the University of Glasgow and his colleagues wondered whether we make an instant impression. To find out, they recorded 64 volunteers as they read a passage. They then picked the word "hello" and asked 320 listeners to mark the voices for personality characteristics--including trust, dominance and attractiveness. Although it's not clear how accurate such immediate judgements are, what is obvious is that we all make them, and very quickly. "We were surprised by just how similar people's marks were," says McAleer. It makes sense that decisions about personality should happen really fast, says McAleer. The impression that our voices convey appears to be related to several factors, such as sex differences and age groups, especially the pitch of voice on the top. For example, the pitch of a person's voice influenced how reliable they seemed. "A guy who raises his pitch becomes more trustworthy," says McAleer. "Whereas a girl who changes from a high to a low pitch is seen as more trustworthy than a girl whose voice goes up at the end of the word." It is possible to change some of these aspects of your voice, he says. "It has been said that Margaret Thatcher and the Queen were both trained to make their voices appear more dominant." Some aspects, though, can't be changeable. "The methods used in this paper are familiar, but the conclusions are new and very interesting," says Jody Kreiman, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles. The way the study links personality to attractiveness and reproductive fitness makes sense biologically, she says. The team hope that their work can be used to help create artificial voices for people who have lost their own due to a medical condition, as well as creating lovely and charming voices for satnavs , and other robotics. "You might also use this kind of work to find the right person to front a team," says McAleer, "you don't want a really unreliable voice running your call centre." We can learn that . A there were totally 384 people reading a passage in the study B the impressions the 64 volunteers left on the 320 listeners were the same C the 320 listeners marked the personalities of the 64 volunteers quickly D the 320 listeners marked the personalities after a very long time Answer: C A surprising new research suggests it can actually be good to feel bad at work, and that feeling good in the workplace can lead to negative outcomes. The study of emotions in the workplace, edited by University of Liverpool researchers Dr. Lindebaum and Peter Jordan, is the topic of a Special Issue of the journal 'Human Relations'. They found that the common belief that being positive in the workplace produces positive outcomes, while negative emotions lead to negative outcomes, may be in need for reconsideration. This is partly due to this belief failing to take into account the differences in working environment which affect outcomes. For instance, anger does not always lead to negative outcomes and in some cases, anger can be considered a force for good through acting upon injustices. An employee, for example, could express anger constructively after a manager has treated a fellow worker unfairly. In such cases, anger can be useful. _ , being too positive in the workplace, rather than resulting in greater performance and productivity, can lead to self-satisfaction and being too shallow in one's personality. One article within the issue also finds that, within team work situation, negativity can have a good effect, leading to fewer consensuses but a further discussion or debate on an important issue among workers, which improve team effect. Lindebaum said, "The findings of the study published in this Special Issue challenge the common belief that in the workplace positive emotions bring about a positive outcome, and vice versa ." He added, "This Special Issue adds to our knowledge and understanding of how the positive and negative dynamics affect the working environment and is certain to have practical application in the workplace for the years to come." Why did researchers of the study of emotions find that the common belief needs to be considered again? A Because different people hold different attitudes towards it. B Because it doesn't consider the differences in real working environment. C Because it has been proved to be totally wrong in real working environment. D Because it doesn't tell the truth. Answer: B Bringing a giraffe into the world is a tall order. A baby giraffe is born 10 feet high and usually lands on its back. Within seconds it rolls over its legs under its body. Then the mother giraffe rudely introduces its children to the reality of life. In his book, A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond describes how a new-born giraffe learns its first lesson. The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she puts herself directly over her child. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She throws her long leg and kicks her baby, so that it's sent sprawling . When it doesn't get up, the process is repeated again and again. The struggle to rise is important. As the baby giraffe grows tired, the mother kicks it again. Finally, it stands for the first time on its shaky legs. Then the mother giraffe kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, a baby giraffe must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with its group, where there's safety. Another writer named Irving Stone understood this. He spent a lifetime studying greatness, writing stories about such men as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin. Stone was once asked if he had found something that runs through the lives of all these great people. He said, "I write about people who sometime in their life have a dream of something. They're beaten over the head, knocked down and for years they get nowhere. But every time they stand up again. And at the end of their lives they've realized some small parts of what they set out to do ." Which of the following statements is True according to the passage? A This passage is a description of giraffes' living habits. B Baby giraffes can't stand up until three months old. C Irving Stone spent a lifetime studying and writing stories about great people. D The great people can't stand up after they're knocked down for years. Answer: C Which of the following statements best explains why earthquakes occur more frequently in California than in Massachusetts? A The rock found in California is igneous, but the rock found in Massachusetts is sedimentary. B California is located on the boundary of two crustal plates, but Massachusetts is not. C The rock under California is soft, but the rock under Massachusetts is hard. D California is located on a continental plate, but Massachusetts is not. Answer: B
I once was walking in the woods with my friends. The day was very nice, there were a lot of trees. The walk was part of a week long trip I took with Boy Scouts. This day was day number three of our trip. There was four of us walking. We were walking down a path when all of the sudden we came across a bear. This scared us. Bears can be dangerous. A few seconds later we saw another bear, there was not only one. This bear was a baby bear. A leader told us that a bear with a baby can be much more dangerous. We had to remember what to do when you come across a bear. The leader told us not to walk towards the bear. You also can not make any quick motions. The leader said we needed to start talking to make noise and to start to walk away from the bears. After a little bit of time we were away from the bears and we were safe. How many people were walking in the woods? A. three B. four C. one D. two Answer: B. four A well-dressed man entered a famous jewelry shop. He explained that he wished to buy a pearl for his wife' s birthday. The price didn't matter, since business had been very good for him that year. After examining a nice black one that costs $5, 000, he paid for the pearl in cash, shook hands with the jeweler, and left. A few days later the man returned and said that his wife liked the pearl so much that she wanted another one just like it. It had to be exactly the same size and quality as she wanted a pair of earrings made. "Can you give me any advice on how to get such a pearl?" said the man. The jeweler regretfully replied, "I would say it's exactly impossible to find one exactly like that pearl." The rich man insisted that the jeweler advertise in the newspapers, offering $25,000 for the matching pearl. Many people answered the advertisement but nobody had a pearl that was just right. Just when the jeweler had given up hope, a little old lady came into his store. To his great surprise, she pulled the perfect pearl from her purse." I don't like to part with it." she said sadly, I got it from my mother, and ,my mother got it from hers. But I really need the money. The jeweler was quickly to pay her before she changed her mind .Then he called the rich man's hotel to tell him the good news .The man, however, was nowhere to be found. Many people answer the advertisement because they wanted _ . A. to see the perfect pearl B. to buy some beautiful pearl too C. to get in touch with the rich man D. to sell their own pearl at a high price Answer: D. to sell their own pearl at a high price A food additive is any substance that is added to food. Many people are put off by the idea of "chemicals in food." The truth is that all food is made up of chemicals. Natural substances like milk, as well as man-made ones like drinks on sale in the market, can be described by chemical formulas. Some chemical substances are indeed harmful, but a person who refused to consume any chemicals would find nothing to eat. The things we eat can be divided into natural and man-made substances. Some people feel that only natural foods are healthy and that all man-made ingredients are to be avoided. But many natural chemicals, found in plants and animals, are harmful when eaten, and some laboratory-made substances increase the nutritional value of food. Other chemicals have natural and man-made forms that are exactly alike: vitamin C is vitamin C, whether it comes from a test tube or from an orange. Like "chemical", "man-made" doesn't necessarily mean "not fit to eat". Food additives are used for many reasons. We add sugar and salt and other things to foods we prepare at home to make them taste better. Food producers have developed a range of additives that stabilize, thicken, harden, keep wet, keep firm, or improve the appearance of their products. Additives can make food more convenient or nutritious, give it a longer shelf life, and make it more attractive to the consumer, thus increasing the sales and profits of the producers. Food additives are presently the centre of a storm of serious argument. Food producers have been known to use additives that have not been proved safe; some substances in common use have been proved unsafe and have been taken off the market. Many people feel there's a risk of eating food to which anything has been added. But food additives are now regulated by the FDA of the federal government, and new additives will go through strict testing before they can be placed on the market. For most people, the chances of developing serious side effects from the long-term use of presently approved food additives are very small. From the passage we can learn that _ . A. natural foods are much safer than man-made ones B. it is right to refuse chemicals in food C. food additives are harmful to our health D. all foods have chemical substances Answer: D. all foods have chemical substances Many smokers aren't finding the cost of cigarettes a laughing matter. The federal tax on a pack jumped Wednesday -- April Fools' Day -- from 39 cents to $1.01. The tax increase is so big, it's being called "historic."Higher federal taxes apply to other tobacco products, so even those smokers who have taken to rolling their own to save money can't escape them. The tax is expected to cause about 1 million smokers to quit. New York leads the pack, so to speak, with a combined $3.76. Any smokers planning to visit New York City should bring cigarettes from home. A pack there now costs more than $9. Some tobacco companies raised their prices several weeks ago. For example, the price of a pack of _ jumped 71 cents. Where the price settles depends on the company. Some may absorb part of the tax and others will make smokers carry the entire weightand more. However, some people think the tax unfair. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one in five Americans smokes, and over half of all smokers are low income, and one of four is officially classified as poor. What do you think? Is the tax unfair? We think cancer sticks should have been taxed into disappearance years ago, combined with a very strong public and private effort to help smokers quit. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage? A. The Federal Tax B. New Cigarette Tax Is No April Fools' joke C. Stop Smoking Immediately! D. Unfair Tax on Tobacco Answer: B. New Cigarette Tax Is No April Fools' joke Is there a connection between a nation's contributions to international aid programs and the happiness of its citizens? According to a study of nine European donor countries, there is a direct relationship between the level of foreign aid and level of happiness in the UK and France but for other European countries there seems to be no link. Full details of the analysis and its conclusions are published this month in the journal Global Business and Economics Review. Mark Arvin and Byron Lew of Department of Economics, Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, have investigated the old proverb that it's better to give than receive. Previous research has suggested that for individuals giving money to worthy causes brings more happiness than spending it oneself. Elizabeth Dunn and colleagues at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, found that people said they were much happier if they were spending money "pro-socially" -- that is on gifts for others or on charitable donations -- rather than spending it on themselves. Whether this proposal translates to the national level is open to question, but Arvin and Lew hoped to confirm that it is indeed the case by looking at the foreign aid disbursements of nine donor countries in Europe and using general measures of happiness among a nation's citizens. Their statistical analysis hoped to reveal whether happiness levels could predict levels of aid offered. "Our results reveal that for two important European donors, France and the UK, the aid-happiness link is a positive causal relationship from happiness to aid," the team says. "In addition, for France, there is also a positive causal connection from aid to happiness. This leads us to suspect that aid and happiness are likely both naturally born -- at least for some countries." The researchers point out that it is not surprising that there is a different effect in countries other than the UK and France because there are different attitudes towards foreign aid. Some nations have smaller public parts others donate at the institutional level and through private channels. Nevertheless, public giving seems to bring greater happiness to a nation as a whole as well as assisting those less fortunate. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A. any country can get greater happiness from giving at any time B. there is a negative connection from aid to happiness for European countries C. giving money brings more happiness than spending it on himself or herself D. the same effect exists in countries other than the UK and France Answer: C. giving money brings more happiness than spending it on himself or herself
Dexter was tried for the homicide of a girl whose strangled body was found beside a remote logging road with her hands taped together. After Dexter offered evidence of alibi, the state calls Wilma to testify that Dexter had taped her hands and tried to strangle her in the same location two days before the homicide but that she escaped. The evidence is A. admissible, as tending to show Dexter is the killer. B. admissible, as tending to show Dexter's violent nature. C. inadmissible, because it is improper character evidence. D. inadmissible, because it is unfairly prejudicial. Answer: A. admissible, as tending to show Dexter is the killer. In Britain in the 1890s there was a postcard "craze ". People formed clubs and collected and exchanged postcards. Even Queen Victoria had her own private collection. When Edward was the king, the British had a cheap and good postal system. If anyone wanted to tell a friend that they were coming for tea in the afternoon, they would send a postcard in the morning. "Drop me a card" was as common then as "give me a ring" as now. In 1902 an important step was taken. The government said that half of the side that was used for the address on the postcard could be used for messages, and the whole of the other side could be used for a picture. It was then that the simple postcard, as we know now, was created. Which statement is TRUE? A. Postcards were not used in the 19th century. B. It was not until 1902 that the simple postcard as we know was created. C. Postcards were used only for collection in the 1890s. D. There was no message on the old postcard. Answer: B. It was not until 1902 that the simple postcard as we know was created. There's no danger of 88-year-old Harry Ward forgetting his wife Doris's Valentine's Day card - the couple still use the same one he bought her 70 years ago. When 17-year-old Harry Ward presented Doris with a Valentine's Day card as he boarded a train to join the wartime effort on February 14, 1941, he must have been fairly confident about his affections . After all the couple had been dating since they met in a cafe three months earlier. But little can he have imagined that 70 years on, not only would he still be happy about having married Doris, but that every year she would present him with the very same card he gave her that Valentine's Day. "I bring it out of the cupboard and put it on our mantelpiece every Valentine's Day," she said. "It's a special to me now as it was 70 years ago. Harry has never bought me one since, because I have this one every year." They first met in a cafe. "Harry was in the cafe drinking and he said hello. He asked me my name and we got talking happily. He offered to walk me to the bus stop but when we got outside, a bombing raid had started and we had to run to a nearby air-raid shelter ," Doris said. Mr. Ward said,"I knew Doris was the one for me the moment I met her. I gave her the Valentine's card then and she is still my Valentine now." Mrs. Ward's card is not the only thing that has endured the passing of time. "Harry is quite romantic and we are as still in love as the day he first gave me this card,"Dorris said. By saying "Mrs. Ward's card is not the only thing that has endured the passing of time.", the author means _ . A. The card records their romance B. The card will still be used in future C. They both treasure the very card D. Their affections are still strong Answer: D. Their affections are still strong A microscope is useful for looking at A. giraffes B. trees C. butterflies D. sea life Answer: D. sea life Once upon a time there were three rabbits, named Winston, Chester, and Francis. Chester was a brown rabbit with large eyes. Francis was grey and white and had messy fur. Winston was black and very fat. They were very happy rabbits who loved to eat. Every day they would leave their home, cross a road, and go through a small forest to get to a meadow of grass. They loved to eat that grass. One day, Chester thought he smelled something interesting. At first he thought it might be dirt. Then he thought maybe some sort of flower. So, he asked a nearby squirrel. The squirrel's name was Acorn. Acorn said that he thought it was mushrooms. However, Francis, the smartest rabbit, went to go look, and he learned that it was actually a garden of carrots. The rabbits were all excited. They all loved carrots! They ate all the carrots. Where did the rabbits go to eat everyday? A. The meadow B. A forest C. Their home D. A road Answer: A. The meadow
The Federal Family Film Enhancement Act 100. assesses an excise tax of 10% on the price of admission to public movie theaters when they show films that contain actual or simulated scenes of human sexual intercourse. Which of the following is the strongest argument against the constitutionality of this federal act? A. The act imposes a prior restraint on the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment. B. The act is not rationally related to any legitimate national interest. C. The act violates the equal protection concepts embodied in the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment because it imposes a tax on the price of admission to view certain films and not on the price of admission to view comparable live performances. D. The act imposes a tax solely on the basis of the content of speech without adequate justification and, therefore, it is prohibited by the freedom of speech clause of the First Amendment. Answer: D Some people don't mind being fat. Other people can keep slim without any effort. But a lot of people do put on too much weight and don't like it. The question is, what can they do about it? Some believe exercise can be helpful. But the trouble is that it only makes you want to eat more. You might sweat out a couple of pounds playing tennis or climbing a mountain, but you put it all back on again with a big steak or bread and jam. A helpful way is food choosing. But what sort of food should you choose? Some believe that the less they eat, the slimmer they will be. They don't eat anything until they become weak with hunger. Some stick to milk and bananas. You'll find you need a lot of bananas, and unless you live where they grow, they aren't cheap. Others say that if you eat things like hard-boiled eggs, and apples with their skins on which are hard for your stomach to digest, the more you eat, the thinner you get. This is because you use up the fat in your body to get the energy to digest the food. For most of us these methods are too extreme. The simplest way is just to cut down on the carbohydrates that means not eating bread, potatoes, cakes, sugar, rice, and so on and eating anything else you like. It's straight forward and often quite effective. Which of the following do you think is the best title for the passage? A. Don't Eat Too Much B. Various Ways of Losing Weight C. Ways to Keep Fit D. Food and Health Answer: D No one doubts that students should study languages, maths and science in high school, but some may be against the idea that they should study art and music as well. To them, these subjects are useless for students' future and are not worth the time and effort. In my opinion, however, it is necessary for middle school students to study art and music. Art and music are a valuable culture legacy , which bring us pleasure and enjoyment. Have you ever been deeply moved by Beethoven's famous Fifth Symphony? Have you ever been shocked by the colorful starry night produced by Vincent van Gogh in his paint? Have you ever longed for the moving love between the Butterfly Lovers when you hear this well-known Chinese melody ? Art and music are not only images and sounds, but something beyond them. They are the products of passion and human wisdom. Art and music help make students more creative. Artists and musicians are considered the most creative people in the world. It is because art and music sharpen their senses and provide a different perspective for them to see the world. Many great scientists benefited from art and music. Einstein, the greatest physicist in the 20th century, as well as an excellent violin player, is a good example. Enjoying art and music is also a good way to relax ourselves. Middle school students, who typically carry heavy burdens of study, will definitely benefit from it. In a word, art and music should absolutely be included in the middle school courses, for they can bring students pleasure,creativity and relaxation. According to the author, people who think art and music are useless for middle school students _ . A. don't realize the value of art and music B. don't know the history of art and music at all C. never benefit from artists and musicians D. know little about the future education Answer: A I'm a travel lover. I think it is very exciting to go to new places, experience different situations and see new things. Here's what I have come up with about why my travel is so interesting. To start with, whether we know it or not, every day is filled with anxiety about things that we don't need to worry about in the first place. Going to new places is a good chance to escape from our everyday worries. For example, after a whole day at work, I'm often physically and mentally tired and start to worry about things. However, the moment I get on the train or bus to my next destination I forget all my tiredness and worries. Next is one of the most important things in travel: movement. I always take along books to read on my train trips, but in the end, only about five pages or so ever get read, because I just look at things out of the window. Just the ability to move is very enjoyable. Movement also means that we are going to new places and seeing new things. But why is that important? Because experiencing new situations, people and ideas can help us to learn about new things and grow. I have never gone on a trip and come back as the same person; I have always changed and grown through travel. So take every type of trip you can, at every chance you get, and you will not only experience more of the world, but will become a happier person with rich experiences. The passage is mainly about _ . A. how to have a comfortable life B. how to prepare for a trip C. why travel is so exciting D. why some people are tired of travelling Answer: C Summer School for Effective Leadership 2014 The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) partners with 2 world-class universities, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) to offer you the best international summer schools in town! This year the Summer School for Effective Leadership (SSEL) is divided into the HKU Chapter--An Overture to Global Leadership, and HKUST Chapter--The Art of Public Speaking. Please find out more from the introduction below: HKU Chapter--An Overture to Global Leadership An Overture to Global Leadership, now in its seventh year, is cooperation between the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and the University of Hong Kong with the aims: 1. To nurture youth leaders with solid fundamental knowledge and intensive leadership skills; 2. To strengthen their critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills and problem solving abilities; 3. To reinforce their willingness to serve the community; 4. To further develop global perspective and promote intercultural awareness amongst participants. Date Between 18 July 2014 (Friday) and 26 July 2014 (Saturday). Full attendance is _ for the 9-day-8-night programme. Shared-room accommodation in the University dormitory is required. Application Deadline Non-residents of Hong Kong: 6:00 p.m., Friday, 16 May 2014 (Hong Kong Time) Non-residents of Hong Kong may need to apply for a student visa, please visit the website: http://l21.hkfyg.org.hk/ssel/hku/overview.html for further details. For application, please visit: http://l21.hkfyg.org.hk/ssel/hku/application.php HKUST Chapter--The Art of Public Speaking The Art of Public Speaking is a new collaboration between the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology with the aims: 1. To enhance the leadership skills and public speaking skills of participants; 2. To allow youth leaders and speakers to learn from one another, and encourage cultural exchanges; 3. To demonstrate how public speaking skills can be used by leaders to communicate to the public; 4. To allow outstanding student leaders to serve and understand the local community. Date Between 14 July 2014 (Monday) and 19 July 2014 (Saturday) Full attendance is mandatory for the 6-day-5-night programme. Shared-room accommodation in the University dormitory is required. Application Deadline Non-residents of Hong Kong: 6:00p.m., Friday, 9 May 2014 (Hong Kong Time). Non-residents of Hong Kong may need to apply for a student visa, please visit the website: http://l21.hkfyg.org.hk/ssel/hkust/overview.html for further details. For application, please visit: http://l21.hkfyg.org.hk/ssel/hkust/application.php Which is the common aim between an Overture to Global Leadership and the Art of Public Speaking? A. Strengthening critical thinking. B. Promoting intercultural awareness. C. Improving public speaking. D. Developing problem solving ability. Answer: B
Uncle Li and Uncle Wang are good friends. They live next to each other and their farms are both at the foot of the mountain. So they can help each other. But neither of them likes to use his head. They work hard but they are both poor. Most villagers have built new houses, but they still live in the low and broken houses. They never find out why. Once Uncle Li went to town to buy some medicine for his wife. In the town he heard the apples in a city were expensive. He told Uncle Wang about it as soon as he went back. They decided to carry some apples to the city. They borrowed some money from their friends and bought nearly 1,000 kilograms of apples in the villages and carried them to the city on a tractor . Bad luck! A lot of apples were in the city when they arrived. A few days later they had to sell them at a low price. They felt unhappy and returned to their village. "I can't understand why we sustained losses in business while others always profit " Uncle Li asked one day. "The tractor was too small" Uncle Wang said without thinking. "We'll carry more apples on a truck next time!" "I agree!" said Uncle Li. "How foolish we were!" The two farmers had to sell their apples at a low price because _ . Answer: a lot of apples were in the city High in the sky, a group of birds fly past. The 5-foot-tall creatures are whooping cranes, the tallest birds in North America noted for its loud call. The wild animals appear to be following much larger birds. But those aren't birds at all. They are three-wheeled aircraft called trikes , and the pilots flying them are wearing white helmets and white gowns. That plan might sound like a stupid idea, but it's not. The pilots are from an organization called Operation Migration. They are helping the whooping cranes learn to migrate, or move from one area to another when the seasons change. The cranes are endangered. In 1941,the species had dwindled to roughly 20 birds because of hunting and habitat loss. US wildlife officials counted 149 whooping cranes in November 1995,the most since the American government began taking censuses in the 1930s.Today,about 380 remain. In the fall, whooping cranes are supposed to migrate south. However, many of them don't know how. "With so few birds left, young whooping cranes typically don't have parents around to teach them," explains pilot Joe Duff. That's where the trikes come in. Each October, pilots dress up as whooping cranes and take to the skies in Wisconsin. The young birds follow them because they think the trikes are big whooping cranes. It takes about three months to reach south--with plenty of rest stops on the way. The pilots lead the cranes to refuges, or protected areas, in Florida. This spring, the birds will migrate north by themselves--no trikes needed! "It's nice because you know the birds are going to make it," Duff told WR News. We can learn from the passage that whooping cranes . Answer: are increasing in the past 15 years Everyone must go to bed early and get up early, or we won't be healthy and clever.Is this true? Maybe it is.The body must have enough sleep.Children of your age need ten hours'sleep every day.If you don't go to bed early, you won't have enough sleep .Then you can't think properly and can't do your work properly.You will not be clever.Some people go to bed late and get up late.This is not good for them.We must go to bed at night when it is dark.The dark helps us to sleep soundly.When the daytime comes, we must get up.This is the time for exercise.If you lack exercise, you will become weak.Exercise keeps a strong body.Exercise helps the blood flow around inside the body.This is very important.Blood takes food to all parts of our body.The brain also needs blood, we think with our blood.If we keep our body healthy and take exercise, we can think better. If we want to be healthy and clever, we must go to bed _ . Answer: early and get up early One day when I opened my email, a beautiful woman named Rachel appeared on my computer screen. She greeted me by name and started talking with great enthusiasm. Every now and then she stopped to smile at me or blow a kiss. It was pretty cool. Rachel was there thanks to Facemail. Facemail lets you send email that gets read to the receiver by an attractive male or female form. The free software can be downloaded at www.facemail.com, and you can choose different faces. The basic idea is pretty clever. The Facemail people have taken biologically based imaging and used it to create lifelike digital faces. The voice reading the email is standard. And Facemail will get more interesting. Soon you can have your own voice read the email you send. The company has signed a deal with Kodak and next year you can submit your photo and your own face will be the one reading your email. LifeFX, the company that produces Facemail, says that one reason e-commerce is struggling is that buying over the Internet lacks the human touch. But what if you went to the Nike website and Michael Jordan greeted you by name and waited on you? The company will also use Facemail to make greeting cards and living wedding albums. Personally, I'm a fan of Facemail. But Facemail should be used carefully. If you select an angry face, put a few harsh words and add some angry emotions, you've got Psycho-mail. From this text, we can infer that Facemail _ . Answer: can also be used in other ways in everyday life Ever since man began to use the telephone, there have been new problems arising from the carrying of messages. At first, each message was carried by a pair of overhead wires. As a result, telephone exchanges were soon surrounded by thousands of wires. The wires were then replaced by cables ,each containing many pairs of wires. Each cable is capable of carrying many messages. These cables, laid underground, replaced the overhead wires. The more _ telephone services have become, the more demand for these services has increased, particularly the demand for long-distance services. In China, for example, this growth is now over 30% every year. Long-distance telephone exchanges are usually in crowded cities, where is not easy to lay new labels for expanding services. The use of radio to send telephone message and to link all telephone exchanges makes it possible to get rid of overhead wires and some underground cables. Now man has invented the microwave system ( ). In a microwave system messages from various places can be brought together, and then they are sent out and received by radio. After that, the messages are split into their original form. Finally, they are sent to the places where they are going to be sent. A cable is different from an overhead wire, because it _ . Answer: carries more messages
Once a small boy lived on a farm which seemed so far away from everywhere. He needed to get up before the sun rose every morning to help his father on the farm. After an hour he could take a break for a while. Then he climbed up on the walls along the side of the farm. He could see a house with gold windows. "If they could afford gold windows, then there must be other nice things inside the house." He imagined how great it would be to live there. Then he promised himself, "Some day I will go there and see this wonderful place." One morning, his father would go to the town and told him to stay at home for a rest. Knowing that this was his chance, he took a sandwich and went across the field towards the house with the gold windows. As the afternoon went on, he began to realize how wrong he was. The house was much farther than he had expected. As he went near the house, he saw no gold windows but instead a place in need of painting. A small girl very close to his age came out of the poor house and stood there. He asked her if she had seen the house with the gold windows. The girl said, "Sure, I know." and invited him to sit on the porch . As he sat there, he looked back from where he just came. There he saw the sunset turned the windows of his house to gold! Now he understood that everyone had his own house with gold windows. During his break every morning, the small boy would _ . A. fix the bike B. climb up on the walls C. eat sandwiches D. walk around the farm Answer: B Greg Heffely is 11 years old. He is a student. In his class, some students get to school on foot.. Some get to school by bus. He lives far from school. He always gets to school by car. He is clever and naughty He always has a lot of ideas .He likes writing diaries. In his diary, he often writes many interesting stories about his life. He also draws pictures in his diary. He has a lot of problems in school. And he makes a lot of trouble ,too. He runs away from a school basketball game. He often plays tricks on others. But he always makes a fool of himself. He is not good at making friends. But he wants to be the most popular in his school. He also has some problems at home. Sometimes he pulls the cat's tail and knock at others' door then run away. Greg is not a good model. We shouldn't do things like Greg. But US children like reading his diaries. Do you want to read about him ? Go and read the book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid(<<>> ). It is very popular in the US. Greg Heffley always gets to school _ . A. on foot B. by car C. by bike D. by train Answer: B We all know that Paris is a popular travel destination, which has much more to offer than just seeing the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower that are well-known. Experience this amazing city through some of its secret places. River Boats Tour the heart of Paris by boat along the Seine River! Boats offer 8 must-see tourist stops along their boat tour route. The cost is 13 Euros for a whole day of river boating with stops for tourists to walk through the Parisian sites. There is a 15-minute interval between two boats. Boating along the Seine is a good way to drink in the unique atmosphere of Paris! Children's Science Museum If you are travelling to Paris with kids, the Children's Science Museum is the perfect place to visit. The Children's Science Museum has many exhibits for children. Some exhibits exercise a child's cognitive skills. The cost is low by European standards at only 8 Euros per adult and 4.50 Euros per child. Medieval Tavern In Paris , tourists can enjoy the night at Medieval Tavern every Thursday night from 8PM--2AM. This tavern opens its doors to the people of Paris and invites them to experience a life from long ago. The menu includes foods that were enjoyed in old days. The entire experience can be enjoyed for only 15 Euros per person! Luxembourg Garden The garden is the second largest public park in Paris. Whether you are interested in a walk through the flowers or a pleasant ride on the old carousel , this park is a good choice. Children like playing in the theater while adults enjoy free musical performances. Welcome to Paris and enjoy these attractions. Which of the following statements about River Boats is TRUE ? A. Boats come every fifteen minutes. B. In the boat the tourists can enjoy drinking. C. Tourists have to spend a day on the boat enjoying scenes. D. Tourists can only see eight tourist sites along their boat tour route. Answer: A Scientists in Argentina have created the world's first cow to own two human genes that will enable it to produce human-like milk, which is matchless up to now. It is a breakthrough in the area of clone. Genetic engineering was used to introduce the "mothers' milk" genes into the animal before birth, according to the National Institute of Agribusiness Technology in Buenos Aires. As an adult, the cloned cow "will produce milk that is similar to humans" in what will prove "a development of great importance for the nutrition of infants", it said in a statement. "The cloned cow, named Rosita ISA, is the first one born in the world that owns two human genes that contain the proteins present in human milk," the statement said. In April, scientists in China published details of research showing that they had created GM Holstein dairy cows which produced milk containing proteins found in human breast milk. But the Argentine team says the Chinese only introduced one human gene, whereas their research involved two genes meaning the milk will more closely resemble that of humans. Rosita ISA was born on April 6 and was delivered by Caesarean section because she weighed around 100 pounds, roughly twice the normal weight of Jersey cows. Adrian Mutto, from the National University of San Martin said "Our goal was to raise nutritional value of cows' milk by adding two human genes, the protein lactoferrin and lysozyme, which can provide newly-born babies with anti-bacterial and anti-viral protection." Cristina Kirchner, President of Argentina, said that the scientific institute "makes all proud." She also revealed that she had rejected the "honor" of having the cow named after her. "They came to tell me that the name is Cristina, but what woman would like to have a cow named after her? It appeared to me to be more appropriate to call it Rosita." What would be the best title of the passage? A. Scientists in Argentina could produce human milk B. The cloned cow would bring about benefits C. Scientists create cow that produces "human" milk D. How was the cloned cow born? Answer: C 2014 is the year of horse in China. Do you know anything about the horse? The horse is strong and runs very fast. He's a useful and hard-working animal. The horse learns to know his master soon. He loves his master, even after his master has died. Here's a story about such a horse. In a war, the master was killed, and fell from his horse. When his body was found some days later, the horse was still standing beside it. During that long time, the horse didn't leave the body of his master, without food or water, in the coldest weather, driving away the birds that might eat it. Wasn't he a great animal? When the body of the master was found, the horse was _ . A. going away B. eating grass beside it C. drinking water D. still standing beside it Answer: D
Clothes can make phone calls, play music, dial your pal's number, keep you warm during cold weather and operate your computer? This is not a fantasy. A British company, called Electrotextiles, has created a wide range of clothes -- clothes that have minds of their own! Scientists, working for the company, have invented a kind of fabric that can be blended with flexible electronic materials to create intelligent clothing. The result are electronic garments. If you think the wearer has to be wired to different devices, think again. These designer clothes are wire-free, soft to touch and washable!! Like any electronic device, these high-tech clothes have to be powered. Currently, a tiny nine-volt battery serves the purpose. But the researchers hope that in the near future the clothes will generate electricity by using body heat. These clothes are 100 percent shock proof, they say. The Electrotextiles team has also created the world's first cloth keyboard. This keyboard can be sewn into your trousers or skirt. To use this device, you will have to sit down and tap on your lap! These 'lap- tap' gadgets are all set to take over laptop computers! Another useful garment is the shirt-cum-mobile phone. This handy invention enables drivers to chat comfortably with others at the wheel! Other popular electronic wear include the denim jacket with flexible earphones sewn into the hood and the electronic ski jacket with a built-in heater. The ski jacket is also programmed to send signals to a satellite. This technology is known as global positioning system and can be used to track lost skiers and wandering kids. Having completed the cloth keyboard, scientists have already started to work on a new project--a necktie that can be used as a computer mouse. What is the next? Do you have any idea? . How will researchers improve these high-tech clothes? Answer: Body heat will be used as power. Recently,I came across an interesting article on the differences between British English and American English. I had a lot of fun reading it and thinking of as many differences as I could as an American. Their cars have "bonnets ", while ourselves have "hoods". They park their cars in a "car park" while we leave ours in a "parking lot". Our "cookies" are their "biscuits", while their "rubbers" are our "erasers". Then there are the food words. Would you want to eat something called "Toad in the Hole" or "Bangers and Mash" or "Spotted Dick"? I'm here to report they are all very tasty. There are American equivalents ,of course. We've got "Shoofly Pie", "Chicken Fried Steak" and "Mississippi Mud Pie". What they call "crisps" is what we call "potato chips" and when we ask for "chips" in England we will get what we know at home in America as "French fries". They find it _ that we call the "toilet" the "bathroom" and they really double over with laughter when we ask for the "restroom". American ladies in England who ask for the "little girl's room" or the "powder room" will be met with blank stares. A "fag" is a "cigarette" in the UK, which can lead to endless confusion for British visitors looking for a cigarette in America. Americans on the other hand are endlessly confused by English signs put up over doorways saying "Way Out". We Americans walk on the sidewalk not the pavement. "Pavement" in America is the actual cement the sidewalk is made of. What is the passage mainly about? Answer: Some differences between American English and British English. Mr. Baker lived in an old and low house. His wife was blind in both eyes and the two children were very young. All his family often went hungry(.) He had nothing but a small piece of field. One autumn he grew some wheat in his field. He hoped it would do well because all family would depend on it. The whole winter it often snowed. And the next spring the wheat was doing well. Mr. Baker was happy. One day Mr. Baker went to watch his wheat. To his surprise, a lot of crops were eaten up by a horse. He became angry but could not find out whose horse had eaten them. He thought the horse would go there again. So he decided to stay in his field and tried to catch the horse. A few days later a yellow horse came in his field again and began to eat the wheat. Mr. Baker ran after it quickly, with a stick in his hand. But the beast ran much faster than he. He tried his best, but could not catch up with it. The next morning, when Mr. Baker was working in his field, he saw the yellow horse pulling carriage on the road. He picked up a stick at once, ran closer to the horse and began to beat it up. The driver was surprised and stopped him. He asked, "Why are you beating my horse?" "It has nothing to do with you, " Mr. Baker said angrily. "The beast knows why I'm beating him!" Why was Mr. Baker happy at first? Answer: Because wheat was doing well. As is known, healthy foods can help save your life.Now, here is a list of healthy foods that can save your memory.It is best that every person knows what he eats, as he takes in, can make or break himself, in terms of health. Fish is helpful in regaining back the kind of memory that a person once has.Eating fish can help you save the trouble of forgetfulness.Vegetables rich in fiber and other dark and green leafy kinds are very suitable for people who want to avoid mental blocks.These foods contain high units of vitamin E. Another food that is considered having different effects on preventing this brain deficiency is avocado , which is also rich in vitamins E and C.It is really good to know these healthy foods that can save your memory are always at hand so as to help you in your fight against diseases.Sunflower seeds are regarded as Vitamin C-powered seeds and also give you enough energy. As for red wine, do not over consume it, as it is said to have to be taken in moderate amounts in order to help the body.Over-drinking can cause illness and like anything else.This is considered as one of the healthy foods that can save your memory; alcohol can otherwise lose it. It is better to consume color1ed bread, rice and whole grains for you t o get the best out of fiber.These foods can lower the body' s risk of being infected with Alzheimer' s disease. Knowing the healthy foods that can save your memory is living the life that you have longed and desired.Among the others, the best, of course, is exercise.Taking in different kind of exercises, physical activities or sports can keep both your body and mind healthy To discourage mental disease from happening,_. Answer: it is best to eat vegetables high in fiber Recently a friend of mine wrote to me about her experience in Holland: A very old man asked me to come to his apartment, and he would donate a bike to the project. I went over to get it, and it was half a bike, which was locked to a pole and had obviously been there for years. The temperature was well below zero. It became clear that he was in fact super-lonely, and torn between usual Dutch distrust of strangers and desperation for human contact. He finally begged me to come up to his apartment (where he obviously lived alone). You may know that Dutch people are the tallest in the world, reflecting a very high standard of living. But -- if this old man is not unusual -- reducing the loneliness of old people isn't part of the Dutch social contact, admirable as _ may be. I recently watched the Frontline program Sick Around the World. It suggested that the old man isn't unusual. In England, where doctor visits are free, a doctor said he has several patients who come weekly, purely because they're lonely. In Japan, some patients have their blood pressure measured very often -- most probably for the same reason. In Taiwan, if you see a doctor 20 times in one month, someone from the government will come to talk to you. Not about loneliness -- about overuse of medical care. The Frontline program made nothing of any of these facts, which were included to show that access was easy. Really the idea that everyone needs human contact isn't mysterious or controversial. My explanation is there's a double blow: Not only do lonely old people have little power, it's also clear that their problem (loneliness) isn't caused by a "chemical imbalance". So no drugs can be sold to treat it. And there's no diagnostic category. When these lonely old people use what little power they have by visiting their doctor, the doctor -- I'm assuming -- doesn't do anything to get rid of the loneliness. Even if you visit 20 times in a month. The writer mentioned England, Japan and Taiwan to show that _ . Answer: it is universal that everyone needs human contact
Question: People are more likely to lie or cheat during the afternoon because self control reduces during the day, according to researchers. Volunteers taking part in two experiments where they could benefit by cheating were more likely to do so if the tests took place after midday, researchers found. The findings back up previous studies which have shown that our capacity for self-control declines during the day, due to tiredness and repeatedly making decisions. Psychologists from Harvard University first showed a group of volunteers various patterns of dots on a computer screen, asking them to decide whether there were more dots on the left or the right hand side. Instead of being rewarded for getting the answer right, the participants were paid based on which side they chose, earning ten times as much for choosing the right hand side as the left. People who were tested after midday were significantly more likely to select the right hand side, even if there were clearly more dots on the left, than those who took part during the morning. In a second test, participants were shown a series of word fragments , such as "--ral" and "e--c--" and asked which words they associated with them. In morning experiments, participants were more likely to form the words "moral" and "ethical" while during the afternoon the words "coral" and "effects" were most common. Further tests conducted online showed that people were more likely to send dishonest messages or claim to have solved an unsolvable problem in the afternoon than in the morning. Writing the Psychological Science journal, the researchers said the difference was particularly _ in people with higher ethical standards, who always behaved morally during the morning but slipped during the afternoon. In contrast, those who were able to "morally disengage", or behave unethically without feeling guilty, tended to cheat whatever the time of day. Dr. Maryam Kouchaki, one of the lead authors, said "Unfortunately, the most honest people, such as those less likely to morally disengage, may be the most susceptible to the negative consequences associated with the morning morality effect." The findings could be relevant to organizations that should be more alert about the behavior of customers and employees during the afternoon, she added. "Our findings suggest that mere time of day can lead to a systematic failure of good people to act morally." Why are participants less likely to form words like "ethical", "moral" in the afternoon? A. Because their vocabulary becomes smaller. B. Because they are unwilling to tell the truth. C. Because the words are the voice of their heart. D. Because self control declines after midday. Answer: D. Because self control declines after midday. Question: When people think of Hollywood, they think of the city where dreams come true. This did not apply to F. Scott Fitzgerald, a screenwriter who had his share of ups and downs in this land. Fitzgerald was not a successful Hollywood writer because he was not good at the career path he chose. He was an amazing novelist, but his efforts of turning them into screenplays ended in disappointment and confusion. It was because of a lack of potential for screenwriting as well as his addiction and desire to be famous. Growing up as a boy, Fitzgerald went to movies a lot. He wanted to write stories that would eventually turn into movies. The problem was: just because Fitzgerald wanted to do something didn't necessarily mean that he was good at it. He made his attempts, but most of these efforts ended in disappointment because he thought about the change from script to screen too much. His plot was too detailed and complicated; his tone was too serious or his dialogue too sentimental . Fitzgerald's quick rise to fame also led to his fall. In life, things are not meant to happen all at once, all that the same time but it did for Fitzgerald. At his best time, three of his early stories were made into short films, including The Great Gatsby and Babylon Revisited. As the twenties approached, he was gradually forgotten by the reading public. He became drunk and constantly took pills both to sleep and wake up. His marriage was destroyed and his wife broke down mentally. He seemed unsure about his life. Fitzgerald had another chance at success when many opportunities came his way, including revisions of Emlyn William's play The Light of Heart and production of one of his own scripts, Cosmopolitan. However, these were all put aside and he was right back where he started, left behind and called a "ruined man". Fitzgerald simply wanted too much in his life. He wanted "to be both a great novelist and a Hollywood success, to write songs like Cole Porter and poetry like John Keats". His addiction to fame held him back and led to his failure as a Hollywood writer. Which is a reason that Fitzgerald failed in screenwriting? A. He was not talented in screenwriting. B. He had a miserable family life. C. He spent too much time watching movies. D. He was greedy for money in his life. Answer: A. He was not talented in screenwriting. Question: We all know that every class has its own rules, like "No smoking!", "No eating!" and "No sleeping!". Our class used to be noisy, because some students were talking when a student was answering the teacher's questions. So our head teacher made some class rules. In class, we should observe the rules. Now, I list some rules in our class: 1. No talking when Someone is speaking. 2. No sleeping in class. 3. No eating in class. 4. Students can't arrive late for school. Be always on time. 5. No playing in class. 6. No laughing when someone makes a mistake. 7. No smoking or drinking. 8. Students can't dye hair. Boys can't let their hair grow too long. 9. In the schoolyard , students can't ride bikes. 10. Students can't fight with each other. Maybe some students don't obey some of the rules. They may smoke, fight and dye hair. But most students think the rules are fine and say they will obey the rules. I think because our class has such rules, we will study better and better. _ mentions that the students can't smoke or drink. A. The second rule B. The fourth rule C. The seventh rule D. The tenth rule Answer: C. The seventh rule Question: Chimpanzees, long considered reluctant to share, apparently can display selfless tendencies, revealing one more key way our closest living relatives are like humans, scientists find. These findings could shed light on the evolution of _ in humans. Previously, a belief was widely held that human altruism evolved only after humans split from their ape cousins about 6 million years ago. In recent years, however, research has revealed just how much chimpanzees have in common with us. They can hunt with spears, play with dolls and mourn their partners' death. "Most of the earlier studies had presented the apes with a complex implement that helped them deliver food to themselves or others, often so complicated that the experiments tested tool skills rather than social tendencies," De Waal told Live Science. "Ours is the first study that uses no such implement at all." In addition to using complex food-delivery systems, past experiments often placed the chimpanzees so far apart that they might not have realized how their actions benefited others. In these new, simplified experiments, two apes were housed next to each other with a screen through which they could see each other. Then, one chimpanzee had to choose between two differently colored tokens from a bin, one of which represented a pro-social option, the other a selfish option. The pro-social option would cause both chimpanzees to receive a piece of banana wrapped in paper. The selfish option only rewarded the ape who made the choice. In a study with seven adult female chimps placed into various pairs, the scientists found all the apes showed a definite preference for the pro-social option. "For me, the most important finding is that like us, chimpanzees take into account the needs and wishes of others," researcher Victoria Horner, said. The chimpanzees behaved especially altruistically toward partners who either patiently waited or gently reminded them that they were there by drawing attention to themselves. They were less likely to reward partners who pressured through making a fuss, begging persistently or spitting water at them. This is opposite to a long-standing view that the chimpanzees only share food under pressure. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage? A. Evolution History of Altruism in Humans B. Similarities between Chimps and Mankind C. Chimps Do Show Selfless Behavior D. Chimps Only Share Food under Pressure Answer: C. Chimps Do Show Selfless Behavior Question: What is an example of endangered? A. deer are hunted to keep population levels in check B. birds fly south for the winter C. deer relocate in order to find better food D. hawks hunt all of the mice from a field Answer: D. hawks hunt all of the mice from a field
Argentina's Lionel Messi has won the Golden Ball awarded to the European Footballer of the Year, becoming the sixth Barcelona player to take the award and the first since Brazilian Ronaldinho in 2005. Messi beat last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo into second place while Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez finished third in the poll results released by France Football magazine early Tuesday. Praised by Argentina great Diego Maradona as his successor, Messi won an unprecedented treble in Spain last season with Barcelona as the Catalan side swept the Champions League, the Spanish title and the Copa del Rey. The 22-year-old Messi, the first Argentine to win the world-famous award, was the top scorer in last year's Champions League with nine goals, including his superb header in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the final. Messi, who scored 473 of a possible 480 points, largely controlled the voting and won with a record-margin of 240 points. Real Madrid winger Ronaldo had 233 and Xavi had 170. "Honestly, I knew that I was among the favorites because Barcelona had a fruitful year in 2009," Messi was quoted as saying by the magazine. " _ The Golden Ball is very important to me. All the players who won it were great players, and some great players never won it." Barcelona had three players in the Top 5 with Andres Iniesta taking fourth ahead of former Barca player Samuel Eto'o. In an outstanding season, Messi netted(...) 38 goals in 51 games in all competitions, often leaving defenders in his wake(...) with a combination of speed, extraordinary abilities and his effective left-footed strike. Messi, who led Argentina to next year's World Cup in South Africa, recently signed a new contract with Barcelona through 2016. Messi had a good start to this season - already scoring nine goals - and put on a great display to help his club defeat archrival Real Madrid 1-0 last Sunday. "It won't be easy to confirm after a year like the one we just went through," Messi said. "I hope the next one will reach the same standards. But to win the Golden Ball two years in a row is not an easy thing." (Read by Guanny Liu. Guanny Liu is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.) By saying "But I didn't expect to win with such a margin.", Messi means _ . A he didn't think he won unexpectedly B he didn't want to win at all C he didn't expect he won extraordinarily D he couldn't wait to win Answer: C. he didn't expect he won extraordinarily Zheng He was an amazing man. He was born in 1371. Eleven years later, he was caught by the army of a rich young man called Zhu Di and made to work for him. Over time the rich man saw that Zheng He was very clever and strong and they became close friends. In 1403 Zhu Di was made the King of China and he asked Zheng He to join his government. The King wanted to learn more about the world and show other countries his power. He ordered many new ships to be built and made Zheng He their leader. between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He led seven sea trips to different parts of the world. He certainly travelled to India, Africa and the Middle East. A few people think his ships have even reached South America and Australia. Each trip lasted between two and four years and it is believed he sailed more than 50,000 kms during the years of his travels.Zheng He led a fleet with 28,000 men and over 300 ships, such as boats for food, water and even soldiers' horses. On these trips he brought with him many Chinese goods like silk and medicine to give to foreign kings or to sell for local goods. He returned from each trip with boats filled with expensive things such as gold and treasures, foreign guests and strange animals like a giraffe. It is a pity that we may never learn everything about Zheng He' s travels. The Columbus of the east, Zheng He, died in 1433. After that, the new king, had these trips stopped and he burned almost all the books about Zheng He's travels, because he believed the trips were unlucky and too expensive. It is only in the last 50 years that historians have begun to carefully study the adventures of great Zheng He. What's the best title of this passage? A The King's Seven Sea Trips B Zheng He's Travels to Western Countries C Zheng He, the Columbus of the East D Zhu Di, the Great King Answer: C. Zheng He, the Columbus of the East My trip with my sister and my daughter to Manhattan wedding gown(,) shop, cannot be understood without further focusing on Marina, my 14-year-old daughter Ive asked to try on dresses. This was the girl I took to Kleinfeld, the fancy store featured on the television program Say Yes to the Dress. As the trip approached, I asked Marina if she was excited. Sure, Mom. shed say, shrugging. Marina was more excited about getting a tattoo on her ankle to represent my fight with ALS than trying on $ 10,000 wedding gowns. My sister, Stephanie, had arranged for a car with a wheelchair lift to drive us from the hotel to Kleinfeld. The car driver wheeled me in. At Kleinfeld with flower arrangements ten feet high, I felt like rolling into a dream. "Wow!" I said. I was wearing a new black outfit. Marina wore jean shorts, a sleeveless shirt, and sneakers. _ . The kind Kleinfeld ladies pointed out rooms like tour guides, naming the designers one by one on display: Alita Grham, Pnina Tornai... With Marina walking beside me, Stephanie pushed my chair up and down rows and rows of dresses that made Princess Diana's dress look modest. Marina didn't say a word. We turned a corner into the storage room, where hundreds of dresses hung in plastic protector sleeves. Marina and I were overwhelmed. "Want to try one on ?" I said, touching Marina's hand. "OK," Marina said in her sharp, unsure voice. "Tell them the style you'd like." Marina stood silent. I felt bad for bringing her, for forcing such an adult experience on a child. Marina picked an A-line dress. Or, more precisely, the ladies of Kleinfeld picked it for her. Marina was too shocked to do more than nod. As she took the gown into the dressing room, I tried not to think of my little girl on her wedding day or of her as a baby in my arms. I tried not to think of her with her own baby in her arms one day. I tried not to think of Marina right now, embarrassed by her mother's plans, by things she could not and should not yet understand. I am leaving money in my will for Marina's wedding dress. Stephanie has promised to bring her back to Kleinfeld to purchase it. "No pure white!" I said to Stephanie. "Ivory. Not too much tulle . Think lace." "Think royalty when picking a dress," I advised Steph as we waited outside the dressing room. "Think Princes Kate. Elegant. Think long sleeves. They make dresses more formal." Marina came out, sleeveless, flared . She looked like a 14-year-old girl in the middle of a giant cupcake. "I don't like the loose gown." she said. That's my girl! "How about trying on one with long sleeves?" I asked her. The ladies brought out a dress with long lace sleeves, an Empire collar, a ruched fitted waist, and a long, smooth silk skirt. Marina disappeared into the dressing room. When the door opened, she looked a foot taller and a decade older. I could clearly see the beautiful woman she will be one day. I simply stared. What do you do when you glimpse a moment you will not live to see? I dipped my head. Breathe, I told myself. I looked up. I smiled. Marina smiled back. I worked my tongue into position to speak. "I like it," I said. In that dress, Marina stood straight, shining brightly, and tall. "You are beautiful," I whispered, my tongue barely cooperating. I don't know if she heard me. We took some photos. And moved on. A memory made. By saying "I tried not to think of my little girl on her wedding day or ...", the author probably felt _ . A heartbroken B disappointed C embarrassed D ashamed Answer: A. heartbroken Many people say dolphins are very intelligent. They seem to be able think, understand, and learn things quickly. But they are smart like humans or more like cats or dogs? Dolphins use their brains differently from people. But scientists say dolphin intelligence and human intelligence are alike in some ways. How? FACT 1: Talk to Me Like humans, every dolphin has its own "name". The name is a special whistle . Each dolphin chooses a specific whistle for itself, usually by its first birthday. Actually, scientists think dolphins, like people, "talk" to each other about a lot of things, such as their age, their feelings, or finding food. And, like humans dolphins use a system of sounds and body language to communicate. But understanding their conversations is not easy for humans. No one "speaks dolphin" yet, but some scientists are trying to learn. FACT 2: Let's Play Dolphins are also social animals. They live in groups called pods, and they often join others from different pods to play games and have fun ---just like people. In fact, playing together is something only intelligent animals do. FACT 3: Fishermen's Helpers Dolphins and humans are similar in another way: both make plans to get something they want. In the sea of southern Brazil, for example, dolphins use a interesting strategy to get food. When fish are near a boat, dolphins signal to the fishermen to put their nets in the water. Using this method, the men can catch a lot of fish. What is the advantage for the dolphins? Why do they assist the men? The dolphins get to eat some of the fish. What can we learn about dolphins according to the text? A A dolphin gets its food from its mother. B Dolphins communicate a lot with one another. C Dolphin conversations are easy to understand for men. D Dolphins communicate by whistling instead of using body language. Answer: B. Dolphins communicate a lot with one another. The quality of patience goes a long way toward your goal of creating a more peaceful and loving self. The more patient you are, the more accepting you will be of what life is, rather than insisting that life be exactly as you would like it to be. Without patience, life is extremely frustrating. You are easily annoyed, bothered, and irritated. Patience adds a dimension of ease and acceptance to your life. It's essential for inner peace. Becoming more patient involves opening your heart to the present moment, even if you don't like it. If you are stuck in a traffic jam, late for an appointment, being patient would mean keeping yourself from building a mental snowball before your thinking get out of hand and gently reminding yourself to relax. It might also be a good time to breathe as well as an opportunity to remind yourself that, in the bigger scheme of things, being late is "small stuff". Patience is a quality of heart that can be greatly enhanced with deliberate practice. An effective way that I have found to deepen my own patience is to create actual practice periods--periods of time that I set up in my mind to practice the art of patience. Life itself becomes a classroom, and the curriculum is patience. You can start with as little as five minutes and build up your capacity for patience over time. What you'll discover is truly amazing. Your intention to be patient, especially if you know it's only for a short while, immediately strengthens your capacity for patience. Patience is one of those special qualities where success feeds on itself. Once you reach little milestone --five minutes of successful patience--you'll begin to see that you do indeed have the capacity to be patient, even for longer periods of time. Over time, you may even become a patient person. Being patient will help you to keep your perspective. You'll see even a difficult situation, say your present challenge, isn't "life or death" but simply a minor obstacle that must be dealt with. Without patience, the same scenario can become a major emergency complete with yelling, frustration, hurt feelings, and high blood pressure. The purpose of this passage is to _ A persuade people to be more patient B tell how to practice patience C list the advantages of patience D state the importance of patience Answer: A. persuade people to be more patient
Question: On the night of May 9, 2011, musician Gao Xiaosong ran his car into three other cars in Beijing. But it wasn't just a car accident--he was drunk . Now, Gao has to go to prison for six months and pay a 4,000 yuan fine. Gao is the first star to be punished under China's new drunk driving law. From May 1 on, drunk drivers will pay a fine, and be banned from driving for five years or even forever. Drunk driving has become a serious social problem in China.According to the Ministry of Public Security , police caught more than half a million drunk drivers last year, a 68 % increase from 2009. The new law sees drunk driving as a crime. In the West, drunk driving is also a crime. In the US, for example, if the police catch a drunk driver, the driver will pay a fine, lose his or her license and even go to prison. If the driver wants to drive again, he or she must do public service, and take part in educational programs. You may think: drunk driving is a crime? Isn't this law too unkind? But experts say, "Not at all." "It is to protect people's rights to life and health," Li Gang, lawyer in Chengdu, told China Daily. "Drunk driving is very dangerous. No matter what the results are, it should not be allowed." Which of the following sentence is TRUE? A. Li Gang from Chengdu doesn't like the law. B. In the US, drunk drivers will only lose their licenses. C. There were more drunk drivers in 2010 than in 2009. D. The law is to protect drivers' rights to life and health only. Answer: C Question: J.K. Rowling had reused her magic and brought Dumbledore back to life. A spokesperson for the author confirmed Rowling had sent a letter and a package to a Texas teenager who optimistically found strength in the words of a Harry Potter film after witnessing the murder of her family. Fifteen-yiear-old Cassidy Stay lost both parent s and four _ to a gunman in Texas last month. Cassidy was shot in the head and survived the gunshot wound only because she played dead. Authorities had called her survival a miracle. Cassidy had seen the unimaginable tragedy, but was still thinking about happiness. At the memorial( ) for her family, Cassidy gave a speech in front of the media saying she believed her family was "in a much better place." Quoting the words of Dumbledore, the wise headmaster of Hogwarts, she said, "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." The same day Cassidy gave her speech, a Facebook page called "We want J.K. Rowling to meet Cassidy Stay" formed and quickly draw public attention. The creator of the page claimed to know a friend of Cassidy's who "confirmed that J.K. Rowling did write Cassidy a personal letter under the name of 'Dumbledor'. She also sent a wand, an acceptance letter to Hogwarts with a school supply list, along with the 3rdbook with Rowling's autograph." Which of the following statements is true? A. J.K. Rowling brought Dumbledore back to life for a new book. B. There were seven people in Cassidy's family before the tragedy. C. J.K. Rowling met Cassidy when Cassidy gave a speech at the memorial for her family. D. Cassidy survived the gunshot accidentally. Answer: B Question: In 1961 Obama was born in Hawaii, US. His father was an African and his mother was a white American. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii. When Obama was 10 years old, he was one of the only three black students at his school in Hawaii. He felt very different from most other students. White girls wanted to touch his hair. A white boy even asked him what his father was. "I lied to them that my father was a Kenyan prince. But I kept asking myself who I am," said Obama. However, 37 years later, the boy made history. Obama became the first black president in US history. Obama's unusual background made him wonder who he was. He once turned to alcohol to help forget this question. With the help of his friends, Obama finally turned his life around at college. His hard work made him a star at Harvard. Later, he became the third black senator in US history. "Obama's success has made Martin Luther King's dream come true. That is: A man should not be judged by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character," wrote ABC news. Obama became the first black president in US history when he was _ . A. 37 B. 38 C. 47 D. 48 Answer: C Question: Kai-Fu Lee is one of the most successful Chinese professional managers. He worked for big companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Google. Now he works for himself and he also writes some books. Behind each of his choices is his belief that you should "lead your life" rather than "live your life". He made his first big decision in 1990. He was then the youngest associate professor of Carnegie Mellon University. If he had stayed a little longer, he would have become a tenured professor. But he decided to join Apple. There, he led his team to many hi-tech miracles , such as the iPod and iPhone which changed the world using hi-tech. In 1996, he went to work in SGI. In 1998, he joined Microsoft and started up Microsoft Research China which is now called Microsoft Research Asia. Because of his effort, it becomes one of the best labs in the world. In 2005, he moved on again, to Google. In his four years there, Google's market share in China jumped from 16% to 30%. Now, he has started his own company "Innovation Works". He aims to help new Chinese companies in mobile computing and e-commerce and also help China's young people start up their own business. Young people can send their business ideas to the company. If Lee likes an idea he receives, his company will help to turn the idea into a business. Lee has written several books. His Be Your Personal Bestis a bestseller. His autobiographyMaking a World of Difference: the Kai-Fu Lee Storytells the story of Lee's many successes but also setbacks on the way to becoming a technology and business giant. Which of the following statements about Lee is TRUE? A. He left the University because he had to wait long to be a tenured professor. B. He set up an excellent lab in Apple. C. He left Microsoft for Google because he wanted more market share. D. He tries to help young Chinese people build their own business. Answer: D Question: Women turn to online shopping Women have jumped ahead of men for the first time in using the Internet to do their holiday shopping, according to a study published last week in the US. For years men have been more likely to shop on the Internet than women, but during the 2004 holiday season, 58 percent of those making online purchases were women. "It shows how mainstream the Internet is becoming," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project group, which carried out the study. Rainie said it was only a matter of time before women shoppers caught up with men. This is because women traditionally make decisions about spending. Users were more likely to shop online to save time. Internet users between the ages 18 and 29 were responsible for some of the most dramatic increase in the online gift-buying population this time around. However, three- quarters of the US Internet users did not buy holiday gifts online in 2004. They worried about credit card security, or just compared online prices with off-line prices, then dashed off to the shops to get the best deals. " But even if shoppers don't buy online , websites are becoming promotion tools for stores," said Dan Hess, vice president of ComScore Networks Inc. Hess said that actually most stores' websites can make customers fully believe the security of their credit card numbers. And most are able to ensure that gifts arrive on time. " It's all about making the shopping experience more efficient, more reliable and more comfortable." Hess said. Which of the following statements is true? A. There were fewer women online shoppers than men in 2004 B. Most of the Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 are women. C. People in the US were more likely to buy gifts online. D. More women shopped online than men in 2004 Answer: D
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other big cities are great places to live in. There are many interesting things to see and do. You can go to different kinds of museums, see all kinds of plays and films. You can also buy things from all over the world. But there are serious problems in big cities, too. It's expensive to live there, and there are too many people in some places of big cities. Every student can study at good schools and receive good medical care . But sometimes these people can't find work or good places to live in. Also it is hard to keep the cities safe and clean. Some people enjoy living in big cities, others do not. Before they move to a big city, they should think about the problems living there. Which of the following is true? Answer: Big cities are not clean and safe enough. Pat came over from Ireland to England with his wife one year ago to find work. He got quite a good job with a building company, and as he did not drink or smoke, he saved up quite a lot of money. His wife's parents were still in Ireland, and one day she got a telegram saying that her mother was ill, so Pat gave her some money and she went to Ireland to see her mother. After a week, Pat wanted to write a letter to her, but he could not read or write very well, so he went to his priest and asked him to do it for him. Pat told the priest what he wanted to say, and the priest wrote it down. After a few minutes Pat stopped, and the priest said," Do you want to say more?" "Only ," 'Please excuse the bad writing and spelling'," Pat said. Who really made a mistake in the story? Answer: Pat. Dear editor, My English teacher is very strict with us. Several days ago, when we were in class, Tom asked me a question. But my English teacher thought we were speaking in class. She asked us to stand at the back of the classroom for a few minutes. This made me unfair. After that, I feel nervous in her class, so I don't like her class. However, I really want to learn English well. What should I do? Yours, Mike Dear Mike, I am sorry you are having difficulty with your English class. Every teacher wants his or her students to study hard. So I think you should have a talk with your English teacher and tell her what you were doing with Tom that day. If she knows your worries, maybe she will help you with your English. And she will be pleased to hear you want to learn English well. Of course, you should know that what your teacher did was good for you. When you are not trying as hard as you can, she has to stop it and try to help you. Wish you have a better life! Yours, Editor Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: Mike dislikes English classes, but he wants to learn English well. Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth. There are hundreds of kinds of sharks. Most are about two meters long. The dogfish shark, however, is less than twenty centimeters in length. A shark has an extremely good sense of smell. It can find small amounts of matters in water, such as blood, body liquids and chemicals produced by animals. These powerful senses help sharks find their food. Sharks eat fish, other sharks, and plants that live in the ocean. Sharks grow slowly. About forty percent of all sharks lay eggs. The others give birth to live young. Some sharks carry their young inside their bodies as humans do. Some sharks are not able to reproduce until they are twenty years old. Most reproduce only every two years. And they give birth to fewer than ten young sharks. For this reason, over-fishing of sharks is of special danger to the future of the animal. Sharks are important for the world's oceans. They eat injured and diseased fish. Their hunting activities mean that the numbers of other fish in ocean waters do not become too large. This protects the plants and other forms of life that exist in the oceans. People hunt sharks for sport, food, medicine and their skin. Experts say the international market for some kinds of sharks has increased because many parts of a shark are valuable.Collectors pay thousands of dollars for the jaws of a shark. Shark liver oil is a popular source of Vitamin A. The skin of a shark can be used like leather. In Asia, people enjoy a kind of soup made from shark fins. Experts say a fisherman can earn a lot of money for even one kilogram of shark fins. Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth, but some sharks are in danger of disappearing from Earth. If too many sharks in one area are killed, that group of sharks may never return to normal population levels. The author thinks that _ . Answer: measures should be taken to protect sharks Some years ago, Wang Baoqiang was a nobody to most Chinese people. However, he is now a household film star in China. Wang is the youngest child of a poor family in Hebei Province. Dreaming of becoming an actor, he left home at the age of 8 to study kung fu at Shaolin Temple, since kung-fu actors seemed to appear most often on the big screen. At 14, he moved to Beijing for his acting career for the first time, with little money in his pocket. He worked at a construction site for 20 to 25 yuan per day, and spent his free time standing in front of the Beijing Film Studio, eager to be chosen as temporary actors. This was the hardest time for the boy. His opportunity finally came one day after he went for a role in the movie "Blind Shaft" . He was chosen to play a young coal miner. The movie won him three prizes in Thailand, France and Taiwan. But his success didn`t make any difference to his life. That year, he went home for the Spring Festival. He gave his family his earnings from the movie, around $ 250 and then returned to Beijing with 500 yuan, the same amount he had when he first came to the city. His life was as simple as before. Thanks to his natural performance in "Blind Shaft", he was invited by the famous director Feng Xiaogang to act in the film "A World Without Thieves" in 2004, which made him famous immediately. People called him "Shagen", the name of his character in the movie. Wang's work, "Soldiers Sortie" has made him the most popular actor on the Chinese mainland. For the actor, it's a dream coming true. "Dreams come true. I think my life is exactly a course of pursuing dreams. No matter how tough one thing is,I can make it as long as I put great effort into it. "he said. Which of the following films made him win three prizes? Answer: Blind Shaft
There is a growing problem of what to do with electronic waste such as old televisions, computers, radios, cellular telephones and other electronic equipment. Electronic trash, or e-waste, is piling up faster than ever in American homes and businesses. People do not know what to do with old televisions or computers, so they throw them in the trash. National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) state programs director Chaz Miller says the large amount of electronic waste Americans produce is not unexpected. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates more than 400 million consumer electronic items are dumped each year, and there is a push by more states to ban the waste from landfills and create recycling programs. They can be torn apart and sorted for useable parts. Mike Fannon who runs the plant in Baltimore, says, "There are a lot of valuable metals that can be recovered and reused instead of just putting them in the landfill, and in certain components, there are some materials that should not really be in the landfill," Fannon explains. Fannon says nearly 20 percent of electronic waste is recycled nationwide. Thirteen years ago, it was only about 6 percent. Recycling rates continue to rise as more communities have banned electronics from landfills in an effort to keep e-waste poisons like lead and mercury out of garbage dumps. This year, several states like Vermont imposed a ban on electronic waste in landfills. More than 25 other states have also adopted landfill bans, e-waste recycling programs or both. Chaz Miller says more can be done to boost electronic waste recycling. "We can do much better," noted Miller. "I think clearly our goal should be to do as well as we do recycling newspapers." Why is e-waste banned from landfills in many states? A Because it can not be recycled. B Because it might damage the environment. C Because it can be shipped to other countries. D Because the landfills are already full. Answer: B The International Olympic Committee named a short list of five cities as possible hosts for the 2012 Olympics. The five--London, Madrid, Moscow, New York and Paris--became official candidates, beginning a 14-month race that ended with the selection of a winning bid by the IOC's assembly in Singapore in July 2005. Havana, Leipzig, Rio de Janeiro and prefix = st1 /Istanbulwere the victims in 2004, as the field was cut down from nine applicants. Geography would appear to favor a European city after the 2008 Summer Games in Asia--Beijing and the 2010 Winter Games in North America--Vancouver. IOC president Jacques Rogge said the list could be further cut in the next month if any of the bidding cities fall short of IOC expectations. "What we have done today is retain five cities which we believe will deliver, but we will have to check if they do deliver," said Rogge. "I do not like the word 'rejection' and this in no way reflects that we do not trust these countries. " The nine original competitors launched their bids in January, 2004 with the emphasis on agreement and easily accessible venues . Favorites Paris and London promoted the attractions of their landmarks, Madrid promised an environmentally friendly Games while New Yorkcalled itself the "world city". Paris bid organizers said they would stage beach volleyball at the foot of the EiffelTowerand host many of the events at two clusters on the edge of the French capital. "Our experience with previous bids has taught us a great deal about the needs and aspirations of the IOC," Parisbid chief Philippe Baudillon said. "We firmly believe thatPariswill meet those needs." London organizers countered it by promising to hold the beach volleyball competition in Horse Guards Parade. Seventeen sports, including athletics and swimming, would be staged at a new venue in the city's deprived East End. "I am very pleased that Londonhas been named a candidate city for the 2012 Olympic Games. But I am not surprised we have cleared this most important hurdle," British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a statement. Why is the 2012 Olympics likely to be held in a European city? A It's impossible for two successive Olympics to be held on the same continent. B The 2008 Summer and Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing and Vancouverrespectively. C Geographically speaking, it's time to hold the 2012 Games in a non-Asian and non-American country. D European cities turn out to be more suitable to host the 2012 Games. Answer: C More men are finding their calling as nurses. A new study from the United States Census Bureau reports the number of male nurses has doubled since the l970s.Back then,about 2.7 percent of registered nurses were men.The new study,which tracked data through 2011,finds that men now make up 9.6 percent of all employed nurses in the United States about 330,000 men in total.Recent years of shortages have led to increased efforts,according to report,which included recruiting men into the field. Men,in fact,had been largely kept out of nursing in past decades because nursing schools often refused to admit men.The Supreme Court ruled that practice unconstitutional in l981 after a case involving a state nursing school. "The ly high wages and expanding Job opportunities makes this field attractive,offering stability even during recessions ,"wrote the report's author,Liana Christin Landivar of the U.S.Census Bureau,"And because of high demand,nursing has low unemployment rates compared to other fields.'' Men were found to be more likely to become nurse anesthetists ,which is the highest paid nursing occupation,and were found least likely to become licensed practical or licensed vocational nurses,the lowest paid types of nursin9.Nurse anesthetists are required to get graduate education,and are certified to give anesthetists and monitor patients recovering from anesthesia.1Acensed practical and licensed vocational nurses provide patient care and may work under the supervision of a registered nurse.Registered nurses assess patient health problems and needs,develop and carry Out nursing care plans,maintain medical records,and administer care. For all types of nursing,men earned,on average,$60,700 per year,while women earned$51,100 per year."Even among men and women in the same nursing occupations,men outlearn women,"wrote Landivar. According to the text,male nurses are more likely to A become licensed practical nurses B devote themselves to work C graduate from nursing schools D get the highest paid nursing occupation Answer: D There are many commonly held beliefs about eyeglasses and eyesight that are not proved facts. For example, some people believe that wearing glasses too soon weaken the eyes. But there is nothing to show that the structure of eyes is changed by wearing galsses at a young age. Wearing the wrong galsses, however, can prove harmful. Studies show that only children can develop loss of sihgt if they have the wrong glasses. We have all heard some of the common myths about how eyesight get bad. Too little light makes the eyes work harder, so they do get tired and strained . Eyestrain also resulsts from reading a lot, reading in bed, and watching too much television. But, although eyestrain may cause some pain or headaches, it does not harm eyesight all the time. Another myth about eyes is that they can be replaced from one person to another . It is quite difficult to connect aneyeball to a new brain.And it is impossible to replace a whole eyeball to a new person. Only certain parts of the eye can be replaced now. But if we keep clearing up the myths and learning more about the eyes, some day it may be possible to replace a full eyeball. From this passage one can conclude that _ . . A doctors are still learning things about eyesight B headcaches are usually caused by eyestain C people should wear glasses as soon as possible D people only believe things that are proved facts Answer: A Last year I had a wonderful experience. I went on a student exchange to Japan. It was an exciting time of my life and I learned many things about the school system in Japan. I was in Grade 11, which is second year of high school in Japan, but I was younger than most of my classmates. That's because Japanese children enter first year ofelementary school in April following their sixth birthday. I started school when I was still five years old. In Japan, Children attend elementary school for six years, where they study Japanese, arithmetic, science, social studies, music, crafts, physical education, and home economics (simple cooking and sewing skills). During their three years in middle school, English is added to this list. Most schools have access to computers and the Internet. The classes in my school seemed rather big to me, around 30 students in a typical high school class. We ate lunch in the classroom, instead of a cafeteria and enjoyed a healthy, nutritious meal prepared by the school or by a local "school lunch centre" instead of eating the same, dry sandwiches every day. I really like the Japanese interpretation of school lunches. I also enjoyed the field trips and activities. At Japanese schools, there are many school events during the year, such as field day when students compete in tug-of-war, field trips, and arts and cultural festivals. In the writer's country, students probably _ . A have lunch in the classroom B have different lunch every day C have lunch at home D have sandwiches for lunch Answer: D
Roger Conner is a modern-day Horatio Alger hero. Roger started out as an unpaid worker in a small flower shop. He has become the owner of a florist company whose sales are well over $100 000 a year. One day when Roger was only twelve, he stopped at a local flower shop. He asked the owner if he could work for him, without pay, in order to learn the business. Roger started working every day after school and on weekends. After two years on the job, he finally asked for a small salary. The owners told him he "wasn't good enough to be paid." So he quit, and found a paying job at another local flower shop. He worked hard there, but after six months they _ because business was slow. Not discouraged, Roger decided to do it alone and started his own flower store in a basement in his town. He started his business with only sixty-five dollars. He bought old refrigerators at garage sales and knocked the shelves out. This turned them into coolers for his fresh-cut flowers. His business grew rapidly as he built up a reputation for top quality and fine service. In 1977, Roger bought out the flower store where he had worked without pay for over two years. The people who said he "wasn't good enough to be paid" were astonished to find that they were being taken over by a teenager. He had plans to renovate the whole store. One of the reasons the owners sold out to Roger was that the store wasn't doing well. But after Roger took over ownership and redid the store, business started booming. In fact, business was so good that after one year, he celebrated by buying out the other store where he had worked. Roger then combined both stores and moved to a location in the center of his town. The new store has 2 000 square feet and seven employees. And he did it all before he reached the age of twenty. The passage may be a _ . A. newspaper report B. humorous story C. television play D. scientific story Answer: A. newspaper report Every year the Greens go to the beach for a week's vacation. There are many interesting things to do at the beach. The children play games on the sand. Sometimes they build sandcastles . There are saltwater swimming pools. The children can swim safely in these pools and the water is always clean. There is an esplanade . This is a long road by the beach. There are many cafes and restaurants on the esplanade. There is also a park beside (......) the beach. This is a place that many people like to go to. The Greens always stay at the same hotel. They usually have the same rooms. These rooms are at the front of the hotel. There is a good _ of the sea from their windows. The children are a little sad when the vacation is over because they don't want to leave. Which place do many people like to go to? A. The hotel. B. The saltwater swimming pool. C. The esplanade. D. The park beside the beach. Answer: C. The esplanade. Our little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was preparing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on her apron , she read it, and this is what was said: For going to the store for you $2. For cutting the grass in the garden $3. For cleaning up the yard this week $2.5. For cleaning up my room this week $2. For setting the table for meals this week $1. For baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping $1.5. For getting a good school report $5. Total owed: $17. His mother looked at him, who was standing there with expectation. Memories flashed through her mind. Then she picked up a pen, turned over the paper he had written on, and wrote: For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me, No Charge . For all the nights that I've sat up with you and taken care of you, No Charge. For all the problems and troubles that you've caused through the years, there is No Charge. When you add it all up, the cost of my love is No Charge. For all the nights that were filled with fear and for the worries I knew were ahead, No Charge. For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping up your nose? There is No Charge. And when you add it all up, the full cost of real love is, No Charge, Son. Well, friends, when our son finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you.." And then he took the pen and in great letters he wrote, " PAID IN FULL." What might the mother be doing when the boy came into the kitchen? A. Getting the dishes ready. B. Repairing the cooker. C. Washing dirty dishes. D. Laying the table for dinner. Answer: A. Getting the dishes ready. (Reuters)--A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew was presumed to have crashed off the Vietnamese coast on Saturday, and European officials said two people on board were using false identities. There were no reports of bad weather and no sign of why the Boeing 777-200ER would have vanished from radar screens about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. "We are not ruling out any possibilities," Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya told a news conference. By the early hours of Sunday, there were no confirmed signs of the plane or any wreckage, well over 24 hours after it went missing. Operations will continue through the night, officials said. There were no indications of sabotage nor claims of an attack. But the passenger list issued by the airline included the names of two Europeans--Austrian Christian Kozel and Italian Luigi Maraldi--who, according to their foreign ministries, were not in fact on the plane. A foreign ministry spokesman in Vienna said: "Our embassy got the information that there was an Austrian on board. That was the passenger list from Malaysia Airlines. Our system came back with a note that this is a stolen passport." Austrian police had found the man safe at home. The passport was stolen two years ago while he was travelling in Thailand, the spokesman said. The foreign ministry in Rome said no Italian was on the plane either, despite the inclusion of Maraldi's name on the list. His mother, Renata Lucchi, told Reuters his passport was lost, presumed stolen, in Thailand in 2013. U.S. and European security officials said that there was no proof of any terrorist link and there could be other explanations for the use of stolen passports. What was Ahmad Jauhari Yahya's attitude? A. Uncertain. B. Negative. C. Positive. D. Confident. Answer: A. Uncertain. Rabbits are herbivores, meaning they only A. eat metal B. eat people C. consume vegetation D. eat dinosaurs Answer: C. consume vegetation
Although change in multicellular species usually takes thousands of years, some species of bacteria undergo major changes in just a few years. One reason for this difference is that these bacteria A are microscopic B do not contain DNA C reproduce very quickly D cause infectious diseases Answer: C Just like children, baby animals spend countless hours at play. After studying animal play for many years, scientists recognize that young animal play is practice for adult behavior. Today this play is roughly divided into the following groups. Locomotor play refers to the movements animals carry out in their play. Running, leaping, turning, and kicking are some of the most common examples of locomotor play. An adult deer may run, leap, and twist to escape its attackers. Play movements like these surely make young animals _ Someday these skills might help save their lives. Moving forward slowly, attacking suddenly .and biting are examples of predatory play that help young predators prepare for a life of running after and taking hold of other animals. Wild cats, wolves, and bears are predators. It is very common to see these young animals play this kind of games which sharpen their skills and teach them about their strengths and limitations. For children, playing with toys is both fun and educational. It helps improve their hand and eye movements as well as develop hand skills to accomplish tasks. It is the same with animals. Young chimpanzees improve their hand skills while playing with sticks. Birds also play with things in ways that teach. Swallows drop and recover feathers in mid air. Diving suddenly to catch the feathers is good practice for catching flying insects. Social play helps animals learn how to behave when they run into other animals. And it teaches animals about communication. An animal gives signals to let another animal know it wants to play. Many animals give signals by showing a " play face" . In some ways this face is like a human smile; the animal holds its mouth in a relaxed and open manner. During play-fights, some animals may step backwards to signal that they are playing and not acting seriously. Until now, scientists have understood playful acts help prepare animals for their serious adult situations. But the numbers of playful species and examples of animal play are vast. The purpose of animal play may have meanings scientists have not discovered yet. The main purpose of the text is to _ . A ask us to take good care of wild animals B encourage us to learn more about animals C entertain us with interesting animal stories D show us something about animal behavior Answer: D Last Sunday I saw the hardest storm in years. It came suddenly and went on for more than three hours. After lunch, I went into my room to have a rest. The air was hot, and all was quiet. Then the strong wind started blowing into my room. Pieces of paper on my desk flew high into the air and some flew out of the open window. As I ran out to catch them, big drops of rain began to fall. When I came back into the house, it was raining harder. I tried hard to close the window. Then I heard a loudcrashing sound from the back of the house. I ran out of my room to find out what it was--a big tree had fallen down and broken the top of the back room. The storm lasted _ . A more than four hours B more than three hours C from one to six o'clock D from two to five o'clock Answer: B For many years, I was convinced that my suffering was due to my size . I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds , hurts and rejections with it . Many weight-conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved , being special , and being cherished . We fantasize about what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal .We work very hard to realize this dream . Then , at last , we find ourselves there . But we often gain back what we have lost . Even so , we continue to believe that next time it will be different . Next time , we will keep it off . Next time , being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness , self-worth , and , of course , love . It took me a long while to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty . Beauty standards vary with culture . In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds . More importantly , if it's happiness that we want , why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body ? Why not look inside ? Many of us strive hard to change our body , but in vain . We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves . When we change our attitudes toward ourselves , the whole world changes . What can be inferred about the author ? A The author is a Samoan . B The author succeeded in losing weight . C The author probably got wounded in wars or accidents . D The author has been troubled by her/his weight . Answer: D After a busy day of work and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping enables your body to prepare itself for the next day. There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your muscles relax little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other. Although your mind slows down, from time to time you will dream. Scientists who study sleep state that when dreaming occurs, your eyeballs begin to move more quickly (Although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement. If you have trouble falling asleep, some people recommend breathing very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will help make you _ There is also an old suggestion the counting sheep will put you to sleep! The average number of hours of sleep that an adult needs is _ . A approximately six hours B around ten hours C about eight hours D not described here Answer: D
Do you know Shirley Temple? She is an American film and television actress. She was born on April 23, 1928. She is also good at singing and dancing. She becomes a child star in the 1930s. What does she look like? She has a round face with big eyes. Lost of people like her curly blonde hair very much. She is lovely and smart. At the age of 6, she makes her first film. Before she is 12, she plays over 40 films. She is also the first Award Oscar in the history of children. Her mother has no job and her father works in a bank. When she is very young, her mother asks her to learn to sing, dance and act. In September 1931, her mother takes her to Meglin's Dance School in Los Angeles. Shirley Temple passes away on February 10, 2014. President Franklin D. Roosevelt says, "It is a great thing that for just fifteen cents, you can go to the movies and look at the nice face of a girl and forget your problems." When does Shirley Temple make her first film? Answer: In 1934. The NSA and GCHQ are tapping popular smart phone apps such as Angry Birds to gather the enormous amounts of very personal data those bits of software collect--including age, gender, marital status, income, education level and more, according to new reports from the New York Times and The Guardian. Citing secret documents provided by Edward Snowden, former NSA staff, the reports detail efforts to gain data collection from cell phone carriers and smart phones by tapping into "leaky" apps themselves. Both spy agencies showed a particular interest in Google Maps, which is accurate to within a few yards or better in some locations and would clearly pass along data about the area where phone owner is. "It effectively means that anyone using Google Maps on a smartphone is working in support of a GCHQ system," reads a secret 2008 report by the NSA's sister spy agency, according to the New York Times. More surprising is the wide range of apps that the agencies search for data, including innocent-seeming apps such as Angry Birds. One document in particular from GCHQ listed what information can be found from which apps, mentioning Android apps but suggesting the same data was available from the iPhone platform. Angry Birds maker Rovio Entertainment of Finland said it had no knowledge of any NSA or GCHQ programs for tapping into its users' data. "Rovio doesn't have any previous knowledge of this matter, and have not been aware of such activity in 3rd party advertising networks," said Saara Bergstrom. "Nor do we have any involvement with the organizations you mentioned." Mobile photos uploaded to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter appear to be a particularly rich source of information for the spy agencies as well. Metadata in the photos is briefly available. The NSA and GCHQ are able to tap into that metadata to collect a wealth of key data points about a person's life. "NSA does not profile everyday Americans as it carries out its foreign intelligence mission," the agency told the Times in response to questions about the program. During a Monday press conference, White House press secretary Jay Carney stressed that same position. "As the president said in his Jan. 17 speech, to the extent data is collected by the NSA, through whatever means, we are not interested in the communications of people who are not valid foreign intelligence targets and we are not after the information of ordinary Americans," he said. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? Answer: Angry Birds Give You Away Which energy resource is renewable? Answer: wind No one knows yet the _ number of lives which have been lost in this terrible fire .But reports suggest that it is more than one hundred . A wall of flames fifty feet high and at least one hundred and fifty miles wide is now racing towards the forests and rich farmlands of southern Victoria . Towns less than one hundred miles from Melbourne will be in danger unless the wind changes . People are rushing excitedly into the streets . The police have warned them not to see the fire but many people are doing so . The cause of the fire is unknown . No rain has fallen in this part of Australia for three months , and the hot , north-west wind from the great central desert is blowing at more than thirty miles an hour . The firefighters are travelling to the fire by road , rail and air . But it is not easy to get there . Flames and fallen trees have cut off or blocked roads and railway lines . The thick smoke often prevents them from finding the air strips . It is said that the fire has brought the greater danger to the country since the Second World War . The writer wrote this article mainly to tell people _ . Answer: the fire was terrible and dangerous Register in person Register by phone Register by mail 1781 N. Winchester ST. Call 264 8833 Use form given Chicago Basic Photography This is an eight-hour course for beginners who want to learn how to use a 35mm camera. The teacher will cover such areas as kinds of film, light, and lenses . Bring your own 35mm camera to the class. Course Charge: $150 Jan. 10, 12, 17, 19, Tues. & Thurs. 6-8p.m. Marianne Adams is a _ photographer whose photographs appear in many magazines. Understanding Computers This twelve-hour course is for people who don't know very much about computers, but who need to learn about them. You will learn what computers are, what they can and can't do, and how to use them. Course Charge: $75 Equipment Charge: $10 Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28, Sat. 9-12 a.m. Joseph Saimders is a professor of computer science at New Urban University. He has over twelve years of experience in the computer field. Stop Smoking Do you want to stop smoking? Have you already tried to stop and failed? Now it is the time to stop smoking using the latest methods. You can stop smoking, and this twelve-hour course will help you do it. Course Charge: $30 Jan. 4, 11, 18, 25 Mon. 4-7 p.m. Dr. John Goode is a practicing psychologist who has helped hundreds of people stop smoking. Typing This course on weekdays is for those who want to type as well as those who want to improve their typing. You are tested in the first class and practice at one of eight different skill levels. This allows you to learn at your own speed. Each program lasts 20 hours. Bring your own paper. Course Charge: $125 Materials Charge: $25 Two hours each evening for two weeks. This course is taught by a number of business education teachers who have successfully taught typing courses before. A course which can do something good for your health will cost _ . Answer: $30
Brigham Young University students can now receive the unconditional love of dogs without breakingrules prohibiting petsin university housing. Jenna Miller started her company Puppies for Rent this summer in the Provo area as a wayfor studentsand otherstorent puppies by the hour. The pups have been rented for first dates and surprise parties and by mothers rewarding their children. After signing a contract, customers can rent them for $15 an hour, $25 for two hours and $10for each additional hour. Miller offers her seven puppies for playtime rentals, with each dog hand delivered straight tothe customers' door. Her lawyer brother helps her with legal contracts and fees. She now has four employees helpinglook after and deliverthe animal. Carl Arky, spokesman for the Humane Society of Utah said his group is against the business. Puppies need consistency and stability in their lives, he said, and renting them to various peoplemight affect the animals' growth and development. Miller said the animals are treated well and she has a 100 percent success rate so far findingthem a permanent home. Money paid byrenters goes toward adoption fees if they decide to own a puppy. Why is Carl in disagreement withtheservice? Because unstableliving enviroment is not goodfor animal's growth. If we are driving a car or crossing a street, we will stop when the traffic lights turn red. Why do we use red rather than other colors? As we know, scattering happens when light goes through the air. For the same media, if the wavelength is long, the scattering will be short. If the wavelength is short, then the scattering will be long. Of all light we can see red has the longest wavelength, so the scattering is the weakest. That means the red light travels far. In fact, it travels farther on rainy days. Using the red light can help drivers in farther areas see the lights. It helps drivers slow down or stop in time. If drivers don't see the red light until they are close, they may not be able to stop the car in time. An accident may happen. Red can also excite people. We can act more quickly when we see the color red. In a word, red light helps drivers stop in time and help prevent accidents. _ has the longest wavelength of all light we can see. Red It's not often a tomato that is described as so sweet "whenever people see it they just want to hug"-but this was no ordinary piece of fruit. The heart-shaped tomato was grown by the retired worker, Rod Matless, who said he was surprised when he noticed it in his field. Mr. Matless, 69, who had a heart attack a few years ago, was so _ the fruit that he decided to sell it and donate the money to the British Heart Foundation. The 64 g tomato was bought for$16 on eBay by woman from Wales - who said she planned to give it to someone special. Mr. Matless, of Wymondham, near Norwich, said:"I spent a couple of days thinking about what to do with it and I wasn't really sure, but this seems like a good use. I hope it will do someone somewhere a bit of good." He added:"It's very sweet - whenever people see it they just want to hug it." But with the tomato's freshness a key factor, Mr. Matless was up against the clock to send it to its new owner before it went bad. He said:"I didn't want to send someone something horrible. I probably could have raised a bit more money with more time but I was worried about it." "It will certainly make a nice present for a loved one. I hope that they like it and I'm glad I got to help. It's all been very good fun and I've really enjoyed growing this very special tomato." We can learn from the text that the tomato grown by Rod Matless _ . is very special A small boy at summer camp received a bag of cookies in the mail from his mother. He ate a few, and then put the rest under his bed. The next day, after lunch, he went to his tent to get a cookie. The box was gone. That afternoon a camp leader saw another boy sitting behind a tree. He was eating the stolen cookies! "That young man," he said to himself, "must be taught not to steal." He returned to the group and found the boy whose cookies had been stolen. "Billy," he said, "I know who stole your cookies. Will you help me teach him a lesson?" "Well, yes. But aren't you going to punish him?" asked the puzzled boy. "No, that would only make him hate you." the leader explained. "I want you to call your mother. Ask her to send you another box of cookies." The boy did so and soon received another box of cookies. "Now," said the leader, "the boy who stole your cookies is down by the lake. Go and share your cookies with him." "But he's the thief!" "I know, but try it--see what will happen." Half an hour later, the camp leader saw the two come up the hill, hand in hand. The boy who had stolen the cookies was trying to get the other to accept his toy knife. The other boy was just refusing the gift from his new friend. He said that a few cookies weren't that important anyway. When Billy first got cookies from his mother, _ . he ate some of them himself People have been growing chrysanthemums for more than 2,000 years. Mums make bright and colorful gardens. People in China and other Asian cultures make tea with the flowers. One basic kind of mum is the garden mum. The other basic kind is the florist mum. The garden mum is better able to handle different growing conditions. There are many varieties of mums. The decorative mum is often seen in gardens. Another popular type, the quill mum, has long, straight petals like a tube or needle. Chrysanthemum blooms can be white, yellow, gold, red or other colors. The plants often grow one meter high. The soil for chrysanthemums should be kept moist but well drained so it does not get too wet. Newly-planted mums should be watered two or three times a week, depending on conditions. Plants established in the ground may do well just with normal rainfall. Mums grow best in full sunshine. They produce colorful blooms when days get shorter and nights get longer. The life cycle of the plant depends on the amount of daylight. This is why experts advise against placing mums near night lights or street lights. The light may interfere with their normal growth cycle. The plants may develop buds too soon. In climates where temperatures fall below freezing, plant mums at least six weeks before the first frost. That way, the plants will be well established for cold weather. Some gardeners say the most beautiful presentation comes from planting mums close together. But be sure to leave enough space to let air flow between the plants. If not, there may be a greater chance of disease. To get more blooms, gardeners pinch back the branches when new growth has reached fifteen centimeters. Squeeze about five to seven centimeters off each branch. Pinch it again when a branch grows another twelve to fifteen centimeters. Stop the pinching about one hundred days before you want the plants to bloom. Why do gardeners pinch back the branches when new growth reaches certain length? To get more blooms.
Question: While I was on my way to Walmart, I was greeted by an elder woman who was working at the door as a greeter, I had a return to make so she stopped me and asked to tag my bag. Usually I would have gotten annoyed because I know I don't steal, so why does my bag need to be tagged? I'd just witnessed someone ahead of me being not so nice, and treating the lady like she was a nobody. I could see this lady looked to be at retirement age, trying to make ends meet. The look on her face and the energy she gave was that of someone afraid and not knowing where they stood in life. Not to mention the person ahead of me who'd just snatched a bag back from her and stormed off without even saying thank you. I could tell this woman was hurt by that, and no one knows how many people had been treating her that way all day long. What if she was a grandmother who'd recently taken care of her grandchildren for whatever season? What if her husband she had to support recently fell sick and they couldn't afford the medical expenses, so she had to go back to work? What if she just lost everything she had in her retirement and now she had to go back to work? All she wants is to do her job and do it well. All she wants is to serve customers the way she was trained. All she needs is to be appreciated. Can I be that someone she needs, just for the moment? I looked her in her eyes as she scanned my bag, smiled and said, "Your hair is beautiful and fits you well!" Her face lit up and she smiled back and began to tell me how much easier it is to manage. It was salt-and-pepper hair and was cut in the prettiest style. She handed my bag back, smiled and told me the service desk was straight down to my left. I said "Thank you!" Seeing the look of the old woman and the treatment she received, the author _ . A. became annoyed B. showed sympathy C. was puzzled D. turned generous Answer: B Question: My mother fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold him in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was. We often speak of "Mommy's mommy," and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is that I carry a "faulty" gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman. Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much as I could. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex. On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work. But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people's hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find the way out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action. My own process began on February 2. The operation took eight hours. Then I woke up with tubes in my breasts. It did feel like a scene out of a science-fiction film. But days after surgery I can be back to a normal life. There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful. I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a surgery operation was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me. It is a comfort that they see nothing that makes them scared. They can see my small scars and that's it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and I will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options. I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices. I acknowledge that there are many wonderful holistic doctors working on alternatives to surgery. My own regimen will be posted in due course on the Web site of the Pink Lotus Breast Center. I hope that this will be helpful to other women. I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they can take measures. Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of. Why did the writer decide to have an operation on her breasts first? A. Because her breast cancer is more serious. B. Because ovarian cancer is ly easy to treat. C. Because an operation for ovarian cancer costs too much. D. Because her breast have a higher risk of developing cancer. Answer: D Question: The robot moved into the fighting ring with confidence.Then it turned around quickly and knocked itself over. The team of Scouts that built the 8-inch -tall machine immediately realized one arm was too long.They would have to work fast---practice time was over , and the real robot matches were about to begin . "We tried to fix it , but by that time , the other teams had more advanced technology ," says Eagle Scout Matthew Patchen , 16. "They were a couple of steps ahead of us ." In the end , Matthew's team didn't win the robot competition . But they had a great time working on their Robotics merit badges at the 2011 Advance Camp in Antioch , Calif . Advance Camp is held the last Saturday in September at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds in Antioch, Calif.Nearly 1,500 Scouts attended in 2011 and worked on different merit badges .Scouts choose from more than 50 merit -badge classes taught by counselors .They can earn merit badges from Fingerprinting to Nuclear Science to Swimming .Robotics is the most popular class . First , one of the counselors talked to Matthew and the other Scouts in his Robotic class about the many different uses for robots . "I learned how advanced it really is ," Matthew says . "Robots are used in medicine and industry ." After the talk , the Scouts were divided into five-person teams . Each team was required to build a basic robot . The next step was programming the tiny computer in the robot so it would make the right moves once it was in the ring . "We programmed our robot so its arm was moving all the time ," Matthew says . "That way , it would knock the other robot over." . That's when they discovered the arm on their robot was too long . As a result , their robot knocked itself over before it could fight with any other robots . "It was a learning experience ," Matthew says . "You have to think ahead." The author writes this text mainly to _ . A. explain what Scouts do B. introduce an interesting camp C. advertise a robot competition D. encourage Scouts to learn technology Answer: B Question: An old lady in a plane had a blanket over her head and she did not want to take it off. The air hostess spoke to her, but the old lady said, "I have never been in a plane before, and I am frightened. I am going to keep this blanket over my head until we are back on the ground again!" Then the captain came. He said, "Madam, I am the captain of this plane. The weather is fine, there are no clouds in the sky, and everything is going very well." But she continued to hide. So the captain turned and started to go back. Then the old lady looked out from under the blanket with one eye and said, "I am sorry, young man, but I don't like planes and I am never going to fly again. But I'll say one thing," She continued kindly, "You and your wife keep your plane very clean!" ,,. The old lady thought that the air hostess and the captain _ . A. were husband and wife B. were workmates C. were good friends D. were strange people Answer: A Question: Global warming has a great influence on species all over the world. Polar bears are particularly at risk because their habitat is increasingly threatened by global warming. Lots of scientific research has shown that polar bear numbers are on the decline, and that if action is not taken quickly, polar bears may die out from the Earth. Pack ice is decreasing globally. In the wild, polar bears spend much of their lives wandering pack ice in search of food. In 2009, several polar bear deaths by drowning were recorded, which had never been heard of before. The polar bears had been trapped on isolated areas of floating ice, and had tried to swim for land. Due to the shrinkage of the ice, the polar bears tired and drowned before reaching the shore, though they are rapid and aggressive swimmers. This problem will only grow as the pack ice shrinks. The shrinkage of the ice has other consequences for polar bears. They are losing their natural prey , who are also affected by the shrinkage in habitat. Land animals also do not provide the high-fat diet that polar bears need, which will lead to starvation. Starving mothers will not be able to provide their babies with the nutrition they need, which will further contribute to the decline in polar bear numbers. While searching for food and habitat, polar bears have also fought with humans. With the disappearance of the sea ice, polar bears have begun to show up around inhabited areas looking for food and shelter. But they often end up being killed by hunters because they present a threat to human communities. The combination a deadly factors brought about by global warming put polar bears at a very high rate of risk. A global effort is needed to act against global warming before it is too late for polar bears, as well as many other species that call Earth home. This text is mainly developed by _ . A. analyzing causes and effects B. making comparisons C. examining differences D. giving examples Answer: A
Some butterflies live an average of two weeks. This period of time is called a life Answer: New York is the biggest city of the USA. A long time ago, it was called Lenapehoking. In 1626, Dutch people bought the land for only $24! They called it New Amsterdam. Then in 1664, the British took it over and changed the name to New York. New York had an excellent harbour . Many people from all over the world came by sea and landed in New York. These people wanted a better life. New York seemed to give them that. By 1835, New York became the largest city in the United States. New York City used to have five smaller towns but now they are all part of the same city. They are Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. Today, New York is home to millions of people from all over the world. These different cultures make New York an exciting place to visit. There's much to do in New York. You can take a helicopter riding through the city, ride horses in Central Park, see a movie in the afternoon and watch the sunset over the Brooklyn Bridge. Don't worry if you get hungry. Some restaurants are open 24 hours a day! Which of the following is NOT TRUE about New York? Answer: As they migrate , butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind. Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights. To their surprise, though, the insects weren't passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example, most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes. Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn't always go with the flow. If breezes weren't blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions to compensate . Many migrating birds do the same thing. The study also found, butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along. By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide when to spray their crops. What's the main idea of the text? Answer: in order for the body to absorb nutrients, where does the food typically enter from? Answer: There is a Web site called the "World Database of Happiness." It combines and analyzes the results of hundreds of surveys from around the world that have been conducted on life satisfaction. Most of the findings are predictable, but a few are surprising. The database makes it clear that there is not a strong connection between material wealth and general contentment. It is a cliche to say that money can't buy happiness, but the old saying seems to be supported by research. Many people still cling to the belief that gaining riches will be the answer to all their problems, yet they are probably mistaken. Studies have been carried out on people who acquired sudden wealth, such as lottery winners. In most cases, after the initial joy had worn off, people were not left with a sense of lasting happiness. In fact, they tended to revert to the way they felt before they became rich. Previously contented people continue to be contented, while those who were miserable before sink back into misery. If material wealth does not bring happiness, then what does? Perhaps happiness has something to do with where you live. The authorities at the World Database on Happiness have surveyed levels of happiness in different countries. Apparently, people in America, Canada, and Singapore are very happy; people living in India and Russia, not surprisingly, are not happy. Other surveys consistently point to the importance of relationships. Family relationships in particular seem to be the key to long-term contentment. The Web site suggests that falling in love and having children are two of the situations that bring the greatest happiness. Nowadays people look to technology as an alternative source of satisfaction. People increasingly spend more time alone watching TV or surfing the Internet rather than spending time with family. Can technology truly make people happy? It is too difficult to tell, but one thing is sure: If the Web site's research is accurate, time spent with your family is a better investment than time spent making money. Which description is right according to the passage? Answer:
Li Siyi, a student from Jinan Foreign Language School, takes up a new habit. She refuses to believe everything that she reads. "Not everything in books is true," she said. Many other students in her school think the same thing as Li. They learned this through finding a mistake in their Chinese textbook. They learned a Tang poem, Ci Beigu Shanxia, last year. There was a picture that showed a boat in full sail on a river. "But according to the famous line from the poem, feng zheng yifan xuan, the sail shouldn't be spread ," said Zhang Jiayi, Li's classmate. To get the right answer, the students turned to their Chinese teacher, Liu Yan. Liu and the students looked up books, searched on the Internet and made sure that the People's Education Press had really made a mistake about the picture. The students wrote a letter to them about the mistake. "I think my students did a right thing but I never expected a reply," said Liu. "I took it as a way of letting them know the importance of spirit of questioning." To their surprise, one month later, they got the reply from Gu Zhenbiao, the expert of Chinese textbooks in middle schools. Gu said sorry for the mistake and he also said he really thinks the students are very great. When Liu read the letter loudly to all the students, everyone was excited. "We are very happy we have our own ideas!" said Li. Who replied to the students? Answer: What is an example of runoff? Answer: The first ting we do is to put an APB and this goes to all the police stations in the country. Next we telephone the hospitals. Often the person we are looking for has been in an accident. Then we might try parents, friends or relatives they might be with. We try to follow their movements and to find the last person they saw in local or national papers--especially papers they might read. There are other things we can do: put posters in places where they might be, go on television. Here in America there is a magazine in which there are photographs of missing children. This is often the last hope. Of course, with nearly two million missing children every year, we can't do all these things for everyone. We haven't got the time, or the money , or the people who work for it. How many ways to find the missing children are mentioned in the passage? Answer: A successful combination of things is Answer: To help the environment, many Americans have made the change from paper and plastic bags to reusable grocery bags. But a report by a Florida newspaper says that reusable grocery bags sold by some supermarkets contain high levels of lead . Lead is a metal that can be harmful to humans, especially young children. Now, Senator Charles Schumer is asking the US government to investigate the use of lead in reusable shopping bags. "When our families go to the grocery store looking for safe and healthy foods to feed their kids, the last thing they should have to worry about is poisonous bags." Schumer said, "A quick investigation will allow everyone to make informed, timely decisions." Schumer added. Lead in the bags is not likely to rub off on food. But over time, paint on the bags can chip and the bags can wear out. When this happens, lead can be released . The Tampa Tribune newspaper said certain bags sold at Publix and Winn-Dixie supermarkets had lead levels that were a concern to health officials. The affected bags were found in Florida. But Publix has more than 1,000 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Sough Carolina and Tennessee. Publix says that all of its bags are under current laws about lead content, but that they have asked the makers of the bags to reduce the lead levels in the product. The bags with the highest levels of lead had fancy designs and many pictures. Plain reusable bags without decoration were found to contain little lead. Consumers worried about lead levels in reusable bags can change to cloth or string bags. Paper bags are also a good choice, since paper can be recycled . Since 2007, Publix supermarkets have sold more than 13 million reusable bags. The store says because shoppers have made the change to reusable bags, it has saved more than 1 billion paper and plastics bags. From Schumer's words we can learn that _ . Answer:
Fucheng Garden Villas is situated along the North 4th Ring Road,just 2 kilometres east away from the Asian Games Village with easy traffic connection.It is 5 kilometres from the Beijing Lufthansa Centre. Fucheng Garden Villas occupies an area of 34.7 hectares,over 80% of which is covered by trees and green,just like a garden in the city. All the 108 villas were designed by American Company IDI,in American style,luxurious besides comfortable. All materials of the construction and decoration as well as equipment are famous American products. From June 25 to July 31,1997,preferential prices for sale and rent are offered.You can move into Fucheng Garden Villas on signing an agreement. Bank will provide a 50% mortgage for 5 years. Overseas sales License: NO.124. Developer: Beijing Hongda Read Estate Co.Ltd. 60 East,North 4th Ring Road,Chaoyang District,Beijing. Tel:(8610)64967050 64967049 Fax:(8610)64933575 The advertiser is _ . Beijing Hongda Road Estate Co.Ltd. On January 2, Hugh Homey and Sue Structo entered into a written contract in which Structo agreed to build on Homey's lot a new house for Homey, according to plans and specifications furnished by Homey's architect, Barbara Bilevel, at a contract price of $200,000. The contract provided for specified progress payments and a final payment of $40,000 upon Homey's acceptance of the house and issuance of a certificate of final approval by the architect. Further, under a "liquidated damages" clause in the agreement, Structo promised to pay Homey $500 for each day's delay in completing the house after the following October 1. Homey, however, told Structo on January 2, before the contract was signed, that he would be on an around-the-world vacation trip most of the summer and fall and would not return to occupy the house until November 1."For this question only, assume the following facts. Structo completed the house on October 14 and, when Homey returned on November 1, requested the final payment of $40,000 and issuance of a certificate of final approval by the architect, Bilevel. Homey, however, refused to pay any part of the final installment after Bilevel told him, "Structo did a great job and I find no defects worth mentioning; but Structo's contract price was at least $40,000 too high, especially in view of the big drop in housing values within the past 10 months. I will withhold the final certificate, and you just hold on to your money." If Structo sues Homey for the $40,000 final payment after Bilevel's refusal to issue a final certificate, which of the following will the court probably decide? Structo wins, because nonoccurrence of the condition requiring Bilevel's certificate of final approval was excused by Bilevel's bad-faith refusal to issue the certificate. At exactly eleven Sir Percival knocked and entered, with anxiety and worry in every line of his face. This meeting would decide his future life, and he obviously knew it. "You may wonder, Sir Percival," said Laura calmly, "if I am going to ask to be released from ray promise to marry you. I am not going to ask this. I respect my father's wishes too much. " His face relaxed a little, but one of his feet kept beating the carpet. "No, if we are going to withdraw. from our planned marriage, it will be because of your wish, not mine. " "Mine?" he said in great surprise. "What reason could I have for withdrawing?" "A reason that is very hard to tell you," she answered. "There is a change in me. " His face went so pale that even his lips lost their color1. He turned his head to one side. "What change?" he asked, trying to appear calm. " When the promise was made two years ago", she said, " my love did not belong to anyone. Will you forgive me, Sir Percival, if I tell you that it now belongs to another person?" "I wish you to understand", Laura continued, "that I will never see this person again, and that if you leave me, you only allow me to remain a single woman for the rest of my life. All I ask is that you forgive me and keep my secret." "I will do both those things, " he said. Then he looked at Laura, as if he was waiting to hear more. "I think I have said enough to give you reason to withdraw from our marriage,',she added quietly. "No. You have said enough to make it the est wish of my life to marry you, " he said. We can learn from the passage that _ . Laura had once promised to marry Percival Every person leaves a footprint. That's what I learnt when I started to work as a private investigator 10 years ago.People pay restaurant bills with their bank card,check into hotels or travel around. In every case,they leave a trace.And because of this,I'm able to track them down even when they don't want to be found. The first thing I do when I want to find out where someone is staying is to go to the neighbourhood where he used to live.It's human nature to tell stories--which is why neighbours will tell me all they know when I ring at their houses.Sometimes,someone even talks about his friend's dishonesty.Then I produce a pattern of my subject's life:if he likes to have a holiday in Spain or in Italy,if he prefers two- or three- star hotels and where he might hide his assets .When I've got this life pattern,I start my rescarch. Nine times out of l0,I find the people I'm looking for.I once investigated a lorry supplier who owed PS500,000 to a subcontractor .The subcontractor wanted to find out if it was worth bringing charges against the supplier.I found out the supplier had moved assets to his son,who founded a new company offering the same product.It was a11 done within the law.There was no money to be got from that operation. However, I asked the son if I could speak to his father and he told me that his parent was on a long holiday in Spain and wouldn't be back for a while.It didn't take me long to find out that the father wasn't in Spain. I went back to the son and this time he told me that his father might be in Bulgaria,and I found him doing winter sports in a beautiful mountain area.He was 1iving in a big house on a 1arge piece of land he had bought for ie 400,000.This was exactly the kind of asset my customer was loooking for. We learn from the text that a private investigator is one who _ . follows people reports on what they do When talking about humor, people often refer to famous humorists such as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pen-name Mark Twain. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, America's famous writer, journalist and humorist, was born in Florida on November 30, 1835.He was the sixth of the seven children in the family.As a child, Samuel was often kept indoors because of his poor health. When Samuel was 12, his father died of a deadly disease and at the age of 13, Samuel had to leave school to make a living.He became a printer's apprentice .A year later, he became skilled at printing by working and studying hard.Samuel was then employed as a printer with pay.After two years, he became an editorial assistant.It was then that young Samuel became aware of his fondness for writing. When he was 17 years old, Samuel left Hannibal for a printer's job in St.Louis.While staying in St.Louis, Samuel became a river pilot in 1858.His pen-name, Mark Twain, came from his days as a river pilot.It is a river term meaning "safe to sail". Because the river trade was brought to a stop by the Civil War in 1861, Samuel began working as a newspaper reporter for several newspapers all over the United States.Samuel's career took off and he became famous when his story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country appeared in the New York Saturday Press on November 18, 1865.Samuel's first book, The Innocents Abroad was published in 1896.The two novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (in 1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (in 1885) brought him worldwide popularity.He wrote 28 books and numerous humor stories, letters and plays. Mark Twain passed away on April 21, 1910.To remember him, his childhood home was open to the public as a museum in Hannibal. What do we know about Samuel Langhorne Clemens? He was weak when he was young
Miya volunteered abroad in Costa Rica with World Endeavors assisting at an orphanage and teaching English at a school. As a freshman at Yale University, Miya had plans to go to medical school.Knowing that her next two summers would be occupied doing research, Miya decided to go abroad the summer after her freshman year."I wanted to improve my command of the Spanish language and learn about the culture and history of another country," she explained.In the summer of 2014, Miya volunteered for six weeks in the World Endeavors program in Atenas, Costa Rica, working in an orphanage and teaching English to children in grades one through six. "A long time before I left, I had positive expectations for the trip," said Miya.But as the date grew closer she found herself getting more and more nervous."I thought, what if my host family doesn't like me? What if I get sick?" Her fears, as fears often are, turned out to be unfounded."The people were so supportive and loving," said Miya."I felt like I was part of the family." Miya's host family had a large network of cousins who all lived within shouting distance. The family would cook together, and at night would go dancing, talk or eat ice cream.She noted that the World Endeavors staff on location--Diego and Mercedes, and Mercedes' husband and daughter -were particularly helpful, taking her right to her neighborhood from the airport, and checking up periodically to make sure everything was going well. While her nights were spent dancing, cooking, and talking with her host family, Miya's days were occupied with the children of her host city."I would teach in the morning, and work in the orphanage in the afternoon," said Miya, whose placements were within walking distance from her host family.While the children were a lot of work, Miya felt a strong connection to the kids in the orphanage. Miya noted that Costa Rica is one of the more developed countries in Central America. A nearby Internet cafe, for example, helped her to stay in touch with her family while she was away.And now, back in the United States, the Internet helps her keep in touch with her host family.Their correspondence continues in Spanish.And her host parents, Rosario and Jorge, recently sent Miya a Christmas card through the mail. Back at school, Miya continues to pursue her instinct to improve education through volunteering. She participates in a mentoring group and works on a community health education program for high school students.Her time in Costa Rica, she says, "fits right into my interests in global health." Which of the following is correct about Miya? A She taught English in a middle school in Costa Rica. B The orphanage she worked in is very close to her host family. C Her days were occupied with the children of her host family D She did not have much work when she worked in the orphanage. Answer: B Henry is a naughty boy in Bayern, Germany. He has big eyes and a small mouth. One day, Henry is playing in front of a house. A woman comes up. She has small eyes. And she asks Henry, "Little boy, is your mother at home?" "Yes, she is." answers the boy. And Henry goes on playing happily. Then the woman goes over to ring the bell. The bell rings and rings, but no one comes to open the door. The woman gets angry and calls out to him, " You tell me your mother is at home, don't you?" "Yes," the boy answers. "My mother is at home, but this isn't my home." Then the woman stares at Henry. The boy says, "You have big eyes, too!" The woman wants to see _ . A Henry himself B Henry's father C Nobody D Henry's mother Answer: D Every vehicle needs tires, but eventually they wear out. Roads wear out too, and they often need repairing. But new research by a pair of teens suggests the rubber from worn-out tires could lengthen the lifetime of asphalt pavement. Also roads made with this material might need fewer patches . The young researchers presented their findings in May, 2014, as finalists at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The 64th annual Intel ISEF shows some of the best high school science projects from around the globe. Many roads are made with asphalt, which requires much petroleum. But Jordan is a country that has very few oil wells or other sources of petroleum, notes Mohammad Salameh, who is a 10th-grader at the International School in Amman, Jordan. For Jordan, having to import most of the country's petroleum adds greatly to its cost, the teen notes. The extra expense means that there's less money to build and maintain roads. That has resulted in poorer quality roads. As a result, those roads need to be patched almost constantly. Therefore, 16-year-old Mohammad and his research partner, 15-year-old classmate Adam Belaid, came up with the idea of adding rubber to asphalt. But that rubber can come from old tires. Even a worn-out tire contains much rubber, which means the material should be plentiful, says Mohammad. Drivers in Jordan replaced 9 million tons of tires between 2006 and 2010, and only 0.3% of that rubber was recycled. That leaves much rubber that could possibly go into road construction. But first the teens had to show adding rubber to asphalt resulted in better roads. To test their idea, they created several different asphalt-rubber recipes. They also tried out different temperatures at which the mix was heated. And their tests suggested that when the surfacing material includes 8% rubber, it should hold up for 10 to 15 years of traffic instead of the normal 5 years. And their recipe should reduce the need for patching worn areas from once a year, to maybe once every 5~7 years in the future. It can be learnt from the passage that . A roads that contain no rubber tend to be only used for six years B most of the roads in Jordan are made with rubber at present C the International Science and Engineering Fair started in 2014 D only 27,000 tons of tires were recycled in Jordan between 2006 and 2010 Answer: D On May 23,1989, Stefania Follini came out from a cave at Carlsbad, New Mexico. She hadn't seen the sun for eighteen and a half weeks. Stefania was in a research program, and the scientists in the program were studying body rhythms . In this experiment Stefania had spent 130 days in a cave, 30 feet in depth. During her time in the cave, Stefania had been completely alone except for two white mice. Her living place had been very comfortable, but there had been nothing to fell her the time. She'd had no clock or watches, no television or radio. There had been no natural light and the temperature had always been kept at 21degC. The results were very interesting. Stefania had been in the cave for over four months, but she thought she had been there for only two. Her body clock had changed. She hadn't kept to a 24-hour day. She had stayed awake for 20-25 hours and then had slept for 10 hours. She had eaten fewer meals and had lost 17lbs in weight as a result! She had also become rather depressed . How had she spent her time in the cave? As part of the experiment she'd done some physical and mental tests. She'd recorded her daily activities and the results of the tests on a computer. This computer had been specially programmed for the project. Whenever she was free, she'd played cards, read books and listened to music. She'd also learned French from tapes. The experiment showed that our body clocks are affected by light and temperature, For example, the pattern of day and night makes us wake up and go to sleep. However, People are affected in different ways. Some people wake up naturally at 5:00 am, but others don't start to wake up till 9:00 or 10;00 am. This affects the whole daily rhythm. As a result, the early risers are at their best in the late morning. The late risers, on the other hand, are tired during the day and only come to life in the afternoon or evening! What is a cause for the change of Stefania's body clock? A Eating fewer meals. B Having more hours of sleep C Lacking physical exercise. D Getting no natural light. Answer: D The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming. Let's see what my friends are going to do during the three-day holiday. Peter: I'm going to visit my uncle and aunt with my parents during the three days. They live in the countryside. It is far from our city, Beijing. We're going to take the train there. I am going fishing there with my cousin. Eliza: I'm going to visit my grandparents with my parents on the first day. They live in a small town. It is going to take us one hour to get there by car. On the second day, I'm going to have a party with my friends. On the third day, I have to do my homework and study for a math test. Gina: My cousin is visiting us. He lives in Tianjin. He is coming by bus. On the first day, I'm going to play ping-pong with him. On the second day, I'm going to take him to Eliza's party. On the third day, my cousin is going back and I am going to do some shopping with my parents. Who are going to Eliza's party? A Peter and his cousin. B Gina and her cousin. C Peter and Gina. D Peter, Gina and their cousins. Answer: B
Question: One evening Charlie was on his way home from the railway station. When he turned round a corner, he heard footsteps behind him and he thought someone was coming near. He began to walk fast. The footsteps came fast, too. He slowed down. The footsteps also slowed down. Now he was sure that someone must be going after him. He tried to hide. Still the steps followed him. He didn't know how to save himself, so he jumped over some tall grass and hid himself in a cemetery . He threw himself down on one of tombs . The man behind came near. Charlie could hear the man jump over the grass. Thoughts of thieves and robbers filled his mind. Charlie stood up and faced the man. "What do you want? Why are you coming after me?" He asked. "I say," the stranger asked, "do you always go home like this, or are you taking some special exercise tonight? I want to go to Mr. Green's and don't know the way. The station master told me to follow you as you live next door. Excuse me for asking, but is there much farther to go before we get there?" Charlie went into a cemetery because he _ . A. tried to get rid of the stranger B. got tired after a day's walk C. walked too fast and lost D. wanted to hide his things there Answer: A Question: If the world were a village of 1,000 people, it would include: * 584 Asians * 124 Africans * 95 Eastern and Western Europeans * 84 Latin Americans * 55 former Soviets (including Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, and other national groups) * 52 North Americans * 6 Australians and New Zealanders The people of the village would speak: * 165 Mandarin * 86 English * 83 Hindu/Urdu * 64 Spanish * 58 Russian * 37 Arabic The above list covers the mother tongues of only half the village. One-third of the people in the village are children, and only 60 are over the age of 65. Just under half of the married women in the village have access to modem equipments. This year 28 babies will be born. Ten people will die, 3 of them for lack of food, 1 from cancer. Two of the deaths will be of babies born within the year. With the 28 births and 10 deaths, the population of the village next year will be 1,018. In this village of 1,000 persons, 200 people receive 75 percent of the income; another 200 receive only 2 percent of the income. About one-third _ clean, safe drinking water. Of the 670 adults in the village, half can not read nor write. The village has a total yearly budget , public and private, of over $3 million--$ 3 ,000 per person if it is distributed evenly. Of the total $3 million: $ 181,000 goes to weapons and warfare $ 159,000 to education $ 132,000 to health care These weapons are under the control of just 100 of the people. The other 900 are watching them with deep anxiety, wondering whether they can learn to get along together. The last sentence in the text implies that most of the people long for _ . A. a peaceful world B. good education C. better health care D. a life without anxiety Answer: A Question: Bottled water has become the choice for people who are healthy and thirsty. Bottled water is all over the world. But some say the planet's health, and people's health may be suffering from it. The idea that bottled water is safer for humans may not be true. The Natural Resources Defense Council of America said, "There is no promise that because water comes out of a bottle, it is cleaner or safer than water from the tap." Another New York City-based action group added that some bottled water is "really just tap water in a bottle--sometimes more clean, sometimes not." It is not proven that bottled water is better than tap water. Nick Reeves from the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management said, "The high mineral content of some bottled water makes them not good for feeding babies and young children." Also, most bottled water doesn't have fluoride , which can make teeth stronger. Kids are drinking more bottled water and less fluoridated tap water, and some say that's behind the recent rise in bad teeth. Storing is another problem. Placed near heat, the plastic bottles can produce bad chemicals into the water. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used worldwide to bottle water each year. The plastic can take between 400 and 1,000 years to break down. In terms of energy use, plastic bottles are also not cheap. One report said that if water and soft drink bottlers had used 10 percent recycled materials in their plastic bottles, they would have saved about 72 million gallons of gas. So, if you are worried about the effect of bottled water on the Earth, you can take the following steps. Drink from your tap. Unless your government warns against this, it should be fine. Get a container . Carry your tap water in a steel or a lined drinking container, and clean it between uses. Keep it cool. Don't drink from a bottle that has been sitting in the sun, don't store it near chemicals, and don't reuse plastic bottles. Choose glass containers over plastic if possible. When finished, recycle! According to the article, we can know that bottled water is _ . A. no problem for the environment B. more expensive than tap water C. always safer than tap water D. better for babies Answer: B Question: A dog's ears may be as thin as its A. friend's B. neighbor's C. father's D. owner's Answer: C Question: A bass may make its home A. in a liquid B. in a field C. in a tree D. in a cage Answer: A
Celebrations and traditions hold a special place in a country. It is a time when the families come together and celebrate a holiday,for a particular purpose. Besides (he national festivals and celebrations,many places enjoy some whacky celebrations. Henley-on-Todd Regatta If you want something quieter, trip over to Alice Springs in the dry heart of Australia. There you will find the Todd Regatta in a riverbed that normally has no water. "the boats are bottomless and without paddle .The teams run up the riverbed with their feet sticking out of the bottom of their boats. World Black Pudding Throwing Championship In Greater Manchester UK they throw black puddings. The contest dates back to the 1850s, Competitors from across the world come here for the contest. The aim is to knock Yorkshire puddings off a 20-foot shelf by throwing black puddings at them. Sauna Bathing Championships If you prefer it hot, Finland is (he place for you to compete in the Sauna Bathing Championships. Every 30 seconds the heat is turned up, but the contestants must remain seated in an up- right position on the wooden seat. The last person left in the sauna is the winner. The La Tomatlna Festival Every August truckloads of tomatoes an pulled in Bunol each year and damped in the city centre. The people throw tomatoes at each other for the whole day, but the only rule is that the tomato must be flattened in the hand first, before being thrown. Even elderly grandmothers have been known to take part. The Naked Festival Japan hosts the Naked Festival. All male contestants are dressed in oversize diapers and parade through the winter street. Bystanders throw cold water over the contestanta,who drink large amounts of sake in an effort to slop from freezing. The winner of Sauna Bathing Championships is the contestant who _ Answer: An American psychotherapist Glenn Doman wrote a best-selling book calledHow to Teach Your Baby to Readin 1963. Now translated into 17 languages, this book arose from his work with brain-damaged children in Pennsylvania. Doman and his team of specialists had wondered why brain-injured children didn't improve with treatment. Then they realized that orthodox methods of treatment only relieved the symptoms, not the problem, which of course was the brain itself. So they develop a new approach. "All we do for all the children here is to give them visual, auditory and tactile stimulation with increased frequency, intensity and duration, in recognition of the orderly way in which the brain grows," says Doman. "The result was that by 1960 we had hundreds of severely brain-injured two-year-olds who could read and understand." The team had discovered that even children who had half their brains removed could, by stimulation, achieve higher IQs than the average normal child. Then the team began to think if such amazing results could be achieved with brain-damaged children, what would happen if the same treatment were given to normal children? So eight years ago the Better Baby Institute was opened for the benefit of normal children. The same stimulating environment was provided, and by the time the children left, around seven years old, they could generally speak and read three foreign languages, play a musical instrument, read three full-length books a week and do all the other things that a so-called "normal" child could do. In Doman's view, the child's passion to learn during the years up to six must be fed. He believes that, like muscles, the brain develops with use, especially so in those first few years. Nowadays, parents come from all over the world to Pennsylvania to see and learn from the workof Doman and his team; they want to discover how they can fulfill their roles as nature's teachers, by using their love, understanding and instincts for the benefit of the children. For in the words of Doman, "every child born has a greater potential intelligence than Leonardo da Vinci used". Glenn Doman discovered in his research that brain-damaged children improved then they _ . Answer: When a person speaks into a telephone, sound energy is changed mostly into which form of energy? Answer: Learning disabilities are very common. They affect perhaps 10 percent of all children .Four times as many boys as girls have learning disabilities. Since about 1970, new research has helped brain scientists understand these problems better. Scientists now know there are many different kinds of learning disabilities and that they are caused by many different things. There is no longer any question that all learning disabilities result from differences in the way the brain is organized. You cannot look at a child and tell if he or she has a learning disability .There is no outward sign of the disorder .So some researchers began looking at the brain itself to learn what might be wrong. In one study ,researchers examined the brain of the learning-disabled person who had died in an accident .They found two unusual things. One has something to do with cells on the left side of the brain ,which control language. These cells normally are white .In the learning-disabled person, however ,these cells were gray. The researchers also found that many of the nerve cells were not in a line the way they should have been .The nerve cells were mixed together. The study was carried out under the guidance of Norman Geschwind, an early expert on learning disabilities. Doctor Geschwind thought that learning disabilities resulted mainly from problems on the left side of the brain .He believed this side of the brain failed to develop normally .Probably ,he said ,nerve cells there did not connect as they should .So the brain was like an electrical device in which the wires were crossed. Frank Duffy experimented with this technique at Children's Hospital Medical Center inprefix = st1 /Boston. Doctor Duffy found large differences in the brain activity of normal children and those with reading problems. The differences appeared throughout the brain. Doctor Duffy said his research proves that reading disabilities result from damage to a wide area of the brain, not just the left side. According to the passage we can conclude that further researches should be made to_. Answer: Which of the following would likely use a compass to reach their destination? Answer:
Question: On December 26, a ten-year-old British schoolgirl, Tilly Smith, felt that something was wrong while she was on the beach with her family. Her mind kept going back to the geography lesson Mr. Kearney gave just two weeks before she flew to Thailand with her family. "The water was swelling and kept coming in," said Tilly's mother. "There was froth on it like you get on the top of a beer." The Smiths were celebrating Christmas at Maikhao Beach in southern Thailand. Deadly tsunami waves were already on their way. There had been an earthquake not far away earlier that morning. The beach was getting smaller and smaller. Tilly's parents felt strange but they didn't know what was happening. Then Tilly said she'd just studied this at school. She told her parents that a tsunami was coming. In the end she screamed at everyone to get off the beach. Tilly's parents even didn't know what a tsunami was. Seeing their daughter so frightened, they thought that something serious must have been happening. Her parents soon took her and her seven-year-old sister back to the hotel. Many other tourists also left the beach with them. The family stayed on the third floor of their hotel. Fortunately, the hotel wasn't destroyed during the tsunami. Tilly's mother said that if they had stayed on the beach, they wouldn't have survived. After the disaster, the Smiths met people from nearby resorts who had lost their whole families. More than 100 people were saved because of Tilly's warning. How did Tilly know that the tsunami was coming? A. Her mother told her that there was something wrong. B. Mr. Kearney told her in the geography lesson two weeks ago. C. She got the news from other people on the beach. D. She had just studied the knowledge about this at school. Answer: D Question: Jeffrey Bezos, the founder, president and chairman of the board of Amazon. com, was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His mother's ancestors were early settlers in Texas, and over the generations had acquired a 25,000 acre farm at Cotulla. Jeffrey spent most summers of his youth working with his grandfather on their farm. Jeffrey showed intense and varied scientific interests at an early age. He set up an electric alarm to keep his younger sisters and brothers out of his room and changed his parents' garage into a laboratory for his science projects. After he graduated from Princeton University with a degree in computer science and electrical engineering, Jeffrey Bezos found employment on Wall Street, where computer science was increasingly in demand to study market trends. He rose quickly, becoming a senior vice president, and looked forward to a bright career in finance, when he made a discovery that changed his life, and the course of business history. In 1994, there was still no Internet commerce to speak of. One day that spring, Jeffrey Bezos observed that Internet usage was increasing by 2,300 percent a year. He saw an opportunity for a new circle of commerce, and immediately began considering the possibilities. Bezos founded Amazon. com in 1994, setting up the original company in his garage. The company was called Amazon for the seemingly endless South American river with its numberless branches. It started as an online bookstore but soon diversified to all kinds of products. His work with Amazon eventually led him to become one of the most excellent dot-com entrepreneurs. He was named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 1999. In 2008, he was selected by U. S. News & World Report as one of America's Best Leaders. Bezos's Amazon has become "the Earth's biggest anything store". Amazon. com is now called "one of the smartest strategies in business history. Today Jeffrey Bezos lives North of Seattle and is increasingly concerned with charity activities. "Giving away money takes as much attention as building a successful company," he has said. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A. it was Bezos's grandfather on the farm who helped him a lot B. Bezos invented e-commerce to win the world fame overnight C. Bezos is aiming to found "the Earth's biggest bookstore" D. Bezos has a sharp business mind and a kind heart. Answer: D Question: A. You and Me, Baby Reading level: Baby - Grade 1 Hardcover: 40 pages Language: English List Price: $15.95 Price: $12.44 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. You Save: $3.51 (22%) Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available. Only 4 left in stock-order soon(more on the way). Want it delivered Thursday, September 27. B. Ruff! Ruff! Where's Scruff? Reading level: Baby - Preschool Hardcover: 16 pages Language: English Price: $11.16 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Availability: In Stock. Sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available. Want it delivered Thursday, September 2. Book Description: It's bath time for Scruff. But does anyone know where he's hiding? Have the cows seen him? Moo - no !How about the pigs? Oink - no ! Looking for that dog is just too tough! But not for toddlers. If they look carefully, they'll find Scruff hiding on every pop - up page ! C. The Giving Tree Reading level: Ages 4 - 8 Hardcover: 64 pages Language: English Price: $11.55 Availability: Sold all year round and choose One - Day Shipping at checkout. Book Description: Once there was a tree... and she loved a little boy. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her think... and the tree was happy. D. Where the Wild Things Are Reading level: Ages 6 - 10 Hardcover comic: 62 pages Language: English List Price: $16.95 Price: $11.53 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $ 25. You Save: $5.42(32%) Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available. Want it delivered Thursday, September 12. Order it at once, and choose One - Day Shipping at checkout. How much will you pay if you order three books named "Where the Wild Things Are?" A. $16.26 B. $34.59 C. $50.58 D. $75 Answer: B Question: You may have heard the term "the American Dream". In 1848, James W. Marshall found gold in California and people began having golden dreams. That 19th century "American Dream" motivated the Gold Rush and gave California its nickname of the "Golden State". The American Dream drove not only 1800s gold-rush prospectors but also waves of immigrants throughout that century and the next. People from Europe, and a large number of Chinese, arrived in the US in the 19th century hoping that in America they would find gold in the streets. But most, instead, worked as railroad labourers. They created the oldest Chinatown, in San Francisco, and gave the city a Chinese name "the old gold hill". In the 20th century, some critics said that it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work. Unfair education for students from poor families and racial discrimination almost made the American Dream a nightmare. Then, in the 1990s, California saw a new wave of dreamers in Silicon Valley. People poured their energy into the Internet. This new chapter of the American Dream attracted many business people and young talents from China and India to form start-ups and seek fortunes in America. Better pay, a nice house, and a rising standard of living will always be attractive. However, the new American Dream is no longer just about money. It encourages Americans to consume wisely to protect the environment, improve the quality of life, and promote social justice. The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has become the model of the new American Dream. After years of hard work, he grew from a poor young man from Austria into a movie superstar and then governor. Many people hope his story can save the American Dream and give California a brighter future. Why did most of the early immigrants work as railroad laborers? A. Because they could earn more money as railroad laborers. B. Because they had to make a living by working as railroad laborers. C. Because they thought railroad was the first step to find gold. D. Because railroad laborers were greatly honored at that time. Answer: B Question: Mrs. Black and her daughter Jane are in a store. (: Clerk ) Clerk:Can I help you? Mrs. Black: I want a sweater for my daughter. Clerk: What color does she like? Mrs. Black (to Jane): What color do you like, dear? Jane: I like yellow. Clerk: Do you like this one? Jane: Yes, it's really beautiful. How much is it? Clerk: 80 dollars. Mrs. Black: It's too expensive . Clerk: Look at this blue one. It's only 30 dollars. Mrs. Black: I think the blue one is nice , too. Jane: But, Mom, I don't like blue. Mrs. Black: OK, we'll take the yellow one. Jane: Thank you, Mom. Clerk: Here you are. Mrs. Black: Thanks. Clerk: You're welcome. Which of the following is right? (?) A. Jane is Mrs. Black's friend. B. Mrs. Black thinks the blue sweater is nice. C. Jane likes the blue sweater. D. The Clerk likes the yellow sweater. Answer: B
It is that time of year again. _ There is so much to do to get ready for the party. Planning a child's birthday party is necessary. It can be fun, exciting and sometimes busy. When planning a child's birthday party, there are many important details( ) to remember: First, you should decide on a theme. It is very important to plan a successful party. Without a theme there would be no party to plan. If the child is old enough, he can choose what theme he wants to have. He can also choose invitations, decorations, cake design, and even games. Next it is time to decide on a date, a place, and the time to have the party . Most people have the child's party on the weekend for conveniece of the parents' schedule . When you have already decided on a date and time, you need to choose a place to have the party. It should be a place your child will enjoy, such as a favorite park, a nice restaurant or your own home. Another important detail to keep in mind is the guest list. Always be sure to only invite people that your child knows and likes. Let the child help you write out the guest list. This helps avoid unwanted guests. The passage is written to _ . A parents B teachers C children D guests Answer: A With limited pocket money in hand,many Chinese college students are increasingly opting to live life "low cost".One way to save money is teambuying.Online teambuying offers huge discounts and becomes popular on campus. Li Jing,a student at China Youth University for Political Sciences,for example,says she often buys movie tickets on teambuying websites.But while they offer a good opportunity to save money,Li said she would "think twice before buying them from online stores".Because many of them are "a bit chaotic ",and have fake goods mixed among them.Then why don't the students just earn more pocket money by taking up parttime jobs?Guo Na,a teacher at the Communication University of China,said most college students were unlikely to choose workstudy programs to earn pocket money because of their intensive study schedules. A kind of card called "VELO" has become another ideal choice for many money savers.It provides allround discounts while dining out or shopping in general.Cao Zuyang,a student at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China,often searches for sales online and buys things together with friends to cut down on costs.Cao once wanted to buy an electromagnetic oven ,which was on sale at a shopping website.He then asked five dormitory roommates to pitch in for the oven.Each student only paid 25 yuan. Most students find it difficult to deal with the expense of accommodation while traveling.So they choose to travel to cities where they have friends and live in their dorms.For instance,Ge Rui,a student at the Hebei University of Technology,has been to many cities where he has friends."Friends can act as free guides,offer me free accommodation,give me valuable tour information,and broaden my mind at the same time," he said.He also had friends from other cities coming over and living with him when they visited his city. From the passage,we can know that _ . A most students dislike traveling because of the expense B Guo Na is against students taking up parttime jobs C Cao Zuyang succeeds in saving money D students are charged for half price when traveling Answer: C Now many people like fast food. We all know that fast food is notverygood for our health. So more and more fast food restaurants are serving healthier food and you can make healthier choices. Here are some tips for ordering healthy food at fast food restaurants. Don't order the biggest size. The biggest size seems cheaper, but it is not good for your health. The biggest size has the most fat, sugar and so on. A smaller size is probably enough for you. Some drinks are full of sugar. So when you are thirsty, you should choose milk or water. Usually fried food is not the best choice. You should choose baked food. It is healthier. Go for the kids menu, because the sizes of kids food are usually smaller. You can eat less. *Today, more and more fast food restaurants are starting to serve healthier food. You can order the food with words like "healthy'' or" _ "on the menu. By making smart choices, eating at fast food restaurants can be not that bad. ,. Which one is NOT right according to the article? A Fast food is not good for our health. B Too much sugar is not healthy. C Backed food is better choice than fried food. D No matter what you do, eating at fast food restaurant is bad for all of us. Answer: D The airport in Boswell is twenty-one miles from the city. The banks and business offices are in the center of the city. Read these notes from the diary by Mr. Reg Simpson: March 2004 15 MON Group of 35 French students visiting Boswell -- want cheap holiday 16 TUES Mr. and Mrs. J. Grant arriving from Paris -- only stay a night at Boswell -- leaving early on the 18thby air 17 WED Mr. Nagashima, Tokyo, arriving for a two-day business trip 18 THUR 65 Russian students need two days in a cheap hotel 19 FRI have a group meeting about how to attract travelers from Asia 20 SAT Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, from Washington D.C., arriving by air 21 SUN Dinner with Bella at King Garden and watch King Kong at 9:00 p.m. 22 MON Mr. and Mrs. F. Ray, need cheap hotels for two days Who can Bella most probably be ? A Mr. Reg's client . B His mother. C His girlfriend. D A stranger. Answer: C When you're a parent to a young child, you spend a lot of time talking about feelings: about having to share, about being disappointed because you may not have a cookie instead of broccoli , about the great injustice of a parent pressing the elevator button before the child has a chance to. And in a parenting culture that's increasingly concerned with centering children's needs above all else, mothers and fathers have become skillful at talking about their kids' feelings while masking their own. But new research suggests that parents who hide their negative emotions are doing their children, and themselves harm. A study published this month says that when parents put on a faux-happy face for their kids, they do damage to their own sense of wellbeing and authenticity. "For the average parent the findings suggest when they attempt to hide their negative emotion expression and overexpress their positive emotions with their children, it actually comes at a cost: doing so may lead parents to feel worse themselves," researcher Dr Emily Impett, says. It makes sense that parents often fall back on amping up the positivity for the sake of their children--there are a lot of things in the world we want to protect our kids from. But children are often smarter than we expect and are quite in tune with what the people closest to them--their parents--are feeling. There was a time about a year or so ago, for example, when I received some bad news over the phone; I was home with my four-year-old and so I did my best to put on a brave face. She knew immediately something was wrong though, and was confused. When I finally let a few tears out and explained that Mom heard something sad about a friend, she was, of course, just fine. My daughter patted my shoulder, gave me a hug, and went back to playing. She felt better that she was able to help me, and the moment made a lot more sense to her emotionally than a smiling mom holding back sobs. I was glad that I could feel sad momentarily and not have to work hard to hide that. Relaying positive feelings to your children when you don't feel them is a move the researchers called high cost -- that it may seem like the most beneficial to your child at the time but that parents should find other ways of communicating emotions that "allow them to feel true to themselves". But this is also about children seeing the world in a more honest way. While we will want to protect our children from things that aren't age-appropriate or harmful, it's better to raise a generation of kids who understand that moms and dads are people too. What is the typical behavior of parents when they bring up their children? A Allowing their children chances to do things themselves. B Expressing their dissatisfaction with their children. C Hiding their true emotions from their children. D Sharing their favorite food with their children. Answer: C
Winter is a great time to experiment with new sports. The key is to find one that matches your interests and natural abilities. If you like to walk, keep walking -- on snowshoes. If you want to try an endurance sport, go for cross-country skiing. Besides, snowboarding is just great fun. Not satisfied with these? Try downhill skiing, then. Downhill skiing is not as hard as it used to be -- shorter, lightweight, curved skis make any beginner feel like an Olympic winner. These newer skis -- along with another type of equipment called skiboards, which are even shorter than skis -- help you control your speed and body movements. Consider testing the latest high-tech skis or snowboards?Check with your local sports shops or the rental places at the ski mountains about sample programs. You could also try sledding. Use a wood-framed sled with steel runners or a plastic sled to head down a snowy hill. If you prefer ice to snow, think hockey or figure skating. Runners can also train during the winter in spite of wet or slippery roads. One of the easiest sports around, snowshoeing can be excellent cold-weather cross-training for runners and cyclists -- or anyone wanting to take a wintry walk in the woods. Snowshoes are smaller, lighter, and better than ever. If you want to try them out, you may be able to rent a pair for a day at many of the larger outdoor or sporting goods stores. Whatever sport you choose, don't rely on a friend for instruction. You wouldn't let an inexperienced doctor perform a brain operation on you, but why let one teach you to ski or skate? That's what instructors are for -- to help newcomers start out right. Instructors can give you advice about equipment, techniques, safety, and dealing with injuries if they do happen to you. Above all, if you want to progress, invest your time in learning the basic skills thoroughly. Everything else you do as a skier, boarder, or skater will be built on these first skills. Who are the most likely readers of the passage? A High school students. B Physical educators. C Winter sports lovers. D Professional athletes. Answer: C. Winter sports lovers. The Real Chinese Food In China, there're many different kinds of food. Some of them are very popular. Dumplings are the real Chinese food. Now let's talk about them, OK? Everyone in China likes dumplings very much, and there are many different kinds of dumplings. Some have meat and vegetables in them, others have sugar( ), eggs and so on. I like dumplings with vegetables and pork best. Usually people make dumplings at home. If you have no time to make them, you can buy them in any supermarkets. Then you take them home and eat them with _ The Spring Festival is very important in China. When it comes, we make dumplings, usually we put a coin ( ) in a dumpling. If one eats the dumpling with the coin in it, he will be lucky in the year. Now tell me, do you like dumplings? Welcome to China, we'll ask you to eat the real Chinese food: dumplings. What will people feel if they eat the dumplings with coins in them? A They'll feel unhappy. B They'll be angry. C They'll feel lucky. D They'll be sad. Answer: C. They'll feel lucky. There's a "culture of walking and texting" on the Utah Valley University campus, according to conversations with students, but that's not the main reason Matt Bambrough, the creative director at UVU, came up with an idea to paint a "texting lane" on a staircase leading up to the Wellness Center. According to Bambrough, it's first and foremost a design project--the texting lane was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the college-wide epidemic of kids walking around with their faces buried in their iPhones. "You have 18-24-year-olds walking down the hall with smart phones. You're almost bound to run into someone somewhere; it's something we're dealing with in this day and age," Bambrough said. "But preventing collisions isn't the reason we did it--we did it to arouse the students' attention. It's meant to be there for people to look at and enjoy." Still, when talking to Utah Valley students, it sounds like texting and walking can be quite the annoyance. Robbie Poffenberger, an assistant news editor at the UVU Review, said that most collisions he witnesses aren't human-on-human; rather, it's generally human-on-inanimate-object. "They walk into barriers--chairs on the side of the hallway, or railings," Poffenberger said, "I'm sure they're fairly embarrassed." What would most students run into from what Robbie said? A Students in the same direction. B Teachers opposite to them. C Barriers on campus. D Grass on campus. Answer: C. Barriers on campus. At the end of my senior year of high school, I got a job working at a local coffee shop.I thought the job would be easy and stress-free.I pictured myself pouring the best coffees, making delicious doughnuts , and becoming friends with regular customers. I wasn't expecting the people with enormous orders, the women who complained that the coffee was much too creamy , or the men who wanted their iced coffees remade again and again until they reached perfection.I couldn't seem to please anyone. One rainy day, one of my regular customers came in looking upset.He said he felt like getting in bed, pulling the sheets up over his head, and staying there for a few years.I knew exactly how he felt. Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee.He was surprised, since he hadn't ordered anything but coffee.I had given him his favorite type of droughnut. "It's on me," I told him."Have a nice day." He smiled and thanked me before heading back out into the rain. The next day, it was still raining.I spent my afternoon hanging out the window handing people their orders.I was completely wet and freezing cold.Worse, no one was tipping that day.Every time I looked into our empty tip jar, I grew more depressed. In the evening, the customer from the day before drove up to the window.He handed me a pink rose and a note.He said that not many people took time to care about others and he was glad there were still people like me in the world.With a friendly wave, he drove away. I ran to the back of the shop and read the note.It read: Christine, Thanks for being so sweet, kind and thoughtful yesterday.It is so nice to meet someone who's indeed nice.Please don't change your ways! Have a great day! -Hank After that, whenever I felt depressed or sick of coffee, I thought of Hank and his kindness.Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, "How can I help you?" Why wasn't the writer happy with her job at first? A The customers didn't tip her enough B It was difficult to make iced coffee perfect C Everybody had an enormous order D The job didn't turn out as she had expected Answer: D. The job didn't turn out as she had expected There have always been a lot of commonly believed but false ideas about being fat and doing exercise. Some people believe that they can't help putting an weight as they get older, while others hold that if they stop exercising, their muscles will turn into fat. Here are some more myths. I'll never lose weight--I come from a fat family Wrong! While we can't change the body type we are born with, we can't blame our genes for making us fat. There's plenty of evidence that fatness runs in families, and the main reason is that they share the same habit of eating too much and exercise too little. I am fat because I burn calories slowly Wrong! Fatness is not caused by a slow metabolism . In fact, although fat people consume more energy than slim people, they also fail to realize how much they eat. Keeping a diary can help you work out your daily food intake more accurately . Exercise is boring Wrong! Anything will become boring if you do it again and again. The key is to develop a balanced and varied program that's fun as well as progressive . If you enjoy a Sunday walk, take a different mute. If you do yoga , try a tai chi class. No pain, no gain Wrong! Exercise is not meant to hurt. Indeed, pain is your body telling you something's wrong, and continuing to exercise could lead to serious injury . You may experience mild discomfort as you begin to exercise regularly, but this is your body _ the positive changes in your lifestyle and the aches should disappear quickly. If they don't, rest and ask for medical advice. What does the writer think about being fat? A It is the family genes that make people fat. B People are fat because they consume too little energy. C A diary of exercise can prevent people from becoming fat. D It is the result of people's unbalanced lifestyle. Answer: D. It is the result of people's unbalanced lifestyle.
Thousands of years ago, people only ate food that was grown near their homes. Some kinds of food were only grown in one place, so people from other places didn't know about them. When Europeans first traveled to Central and South America in the 1500s, they discovered strange kinds of food that they had never seen before. Today, these are grown in a lot of different countries and they're sold in supermarkets all over the world. They don't seem strange any more! Potatoes were first grown in the Andes in South America. In 1586, they were taken to Europe by explorers . In 1719, they were taken to North America. Before 1719, nobody in North America had ever seen or eaten a potato. Today each American eats more than 60 kilos of potatoes a year. Tomatoes were also first grown by native Americans. When European explorers visited the south of America in 1500, they took tomato seeds back to Europe. Soon, tomatoes were grown in Europe, but people in England didn't eat them. At that time, a lot of English people thought that tomatoes were _ ! Chilies have been eaten in Central and South America for more than 8,000 years! In the 1500s, chilies were taken to Europe by explorers. Today, they are grown in hot countries all over the world. How many kinds of food are mentioned in the passage? Answer: Three. Commencement is a time for idealism. But economic reality is cruel everywhere; especially for new graduate. They have been told repeatedly that a college degree is an open sesame to the global economy. But that's not necessarily so, according to new research by two economists at he Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Frank Levy and Peter Temin. It is true that people with college degrees make more money than people without degrees. The gap has narrowed somewhat in recent years, which is disturbing. But the earning power of college graduates still far outpaces that of less-educated workers. The bad news, though, is that a college degree does not ensure a bigger share of the economics pie for many graduates. In recent decades Mr. Levy and Mr. Temin show, only college-educated women have seen their income grow in line with economy wide gains in productivity. The earnings of male college graduates have failed to keep pace with productivity gains. Instead, a huge share of productivity growth, which expands the nation's income, is going to Americans on the top of the income scale. In 2005, the latest year with available data, the top of 1 percent of Americans---whose average annual income was $ 1.1 million--- took in 21.8 percent of the nation's income, their largest share since 1929. Administration officials, and other politicians and economists, often, believe that income inequality, reflects an education gap. But Mr. Levy and Mr. Temin show that in the case of men, the average bachelor's degree is not enough to catch the rising tide of the global economy. They argue that the real reason that inequality is worsening is the lack of strong policies that broadly distribute economic gains. In the past, for example, a more progressive income tax and unions promote equality. Positive measures have been _ and new ones have not yet emerged, making the income gap even greater. Mr. Levy and Mr. Temin conclude that only a new government policy can restore general prosperity. That's a challenge to the nation's leader and today's graduates. America needs them to contribute to the development of the nation in global economy. The passage is mainly about that _ . Answer: research shows that American government should take measures to ensure income equality for college graduates Every year thousands of young people in England finish school and then take a year off before they start work or go to university. Some young people go to other countries and work as volunteers . Volunteers give their time to help people. For example, they work in schools or hospitals, or they do something helpful for the environment. Pauline Jones, 18, lives in Cardiff, Wales. Next year she is going to university to study Chinese, but now she's living in Belize. Pauline says, "I'm working with other people here to save the coral reefs in the sea near Belize. The reefs here are beautiful, but if the sea water is very polluted, the coral will die. I'm helping to do research on the coral and the fish that live around the reefs. All over the world, coral reefs are dying. We need to do something about the problem before it's too late." "I'm staying with a family here and I help do some housework. I don't get any money, but that's OK. I love my work here, and I'm learning a lot about the people of Belize--and myself! After I finish my work, I want to stay here for another three months. I want to travel around Belize and Central America." From the passage, we know that the coral reefs _ . Answer: will die because of the pollution You went to the butcher's for meat, the pharmacy for aspirin, and the grocery store for food. But when I spent the summer with my Grandmother in Warwick, N.Y., she sent me down to the general store with a list. How could I hope to find anything on the packed, messy shelves around me? I walked up to the counter. Behind it was a lady like no one I'd ever seen. Fake-jewel-encrusted glasses teetered on the tip of her nose, gray hair was piled on her head. "Excuse me," I said. She looked up. "You're that Clements kid," she said. "I'm Miss Bee. Come closer and let me get a look at you." She pushed her glasses up her nose. "I want to be able to describe you to the sheriff if something goes missing from the store." "I'm not a thief!" I was shocked. I was seven years old, too young to be a thief! "From what I can see you're not much of anything. But I can tell you've got potential." She went back to reading her newspaper. "I need to get these." I said, holding up my list. "So? Go get them." Miss Bee pointed to a sign on the screen door. "There's no one here except you and me and I'm not your servant, so I suggest you get yourself a basket from that pile over there and start filling. If you're lucky you'll be home by sundown." Sundown was five hours away. I wasn't sure I would make it. I scanned the nearest shelf for the first item on my list: pork and beans. It took me three wall-to-wall searches before I found a can nestled between boxes of cereal and bread. Next up was toilet paper, found under the daily newspaper. Band-Aids --where had I seen them? Oh, ye next to the face cream. The store was a puzzle, but it held some surprises too. I found a new Superman comic tucked behind the peanut butter. I visited Miss Bee a couple of times a week that summer. Sometimes she short-changed me. Other times she overcharged. Or sold me an old newspaper instead of one that was current. Going to the store was more like going into battle. I left my Grandma's house armed with my list--memorized to the letter--and marched into Miss Bee's like General Patton marching into North Africa. "That can of beans is only twenty-nine cents!" I corrected her one afternoon. I had watched the numbers change on the cash register closely, and Miss Bee had added 35 cents. She didn't seem embarrassed that I had caught her overcharging. She just looked at me over her glasses and fixed the price. Not that she ever let me declare victory. All summer long she found ways to trip me up. No sooner had I learned how to pronounce bicarbonate of soda and memorized its location on the shelf than Miss Bee rearranged the shelves and made me hunt for it all over again. By summer's end the shopping trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes. The morning I was to return to Brooklyn, I stopped in to get a packet of gum. "All right, Miss Potential," she said. "What did you learn this summer?" That you're a meany! I pressed my lips together. To my amazement, Miss Bee laughed. "I know what you think of me," she said. "Well, here's a news flash: I don't care! Each of us is put on this earth for a reason. I believe my job is to teach every child I meet ten life lessons to help them. Think what you will, Miss Potential, but when you get older you'll be glad our paths crossed!" Glad I met Miss Bee? Ha! The idea was absurd. Until one day my daughter came to me with homework troubles. "It's too hard," she said. "Could you finish my math problems for me?" "If I do it for you how will you ever learn to do it yourself?" I said. Suddenly, I was back at that general store where I had learned the hard way to tally up my bill along with the cashier. Had I ever been overcharged since? As my daughter went back to her homework, I wondered: Had Miss Bee really taught me something all those years ago? I took out some scrap paper and started writing. What does Miss Bee mean by saying "when you get older you'll be glad our paths crossed"? Answer: The writer would benefit from the experience there. Which rapid changes can be caused by storms? Answer: landslides and flooding
To learn English well you must learn about yourself. You must discover what your own special needs are in English. You should pick out what makes English different from your own language and concentrate on those parts. And above all, you should pick out your own personal weaknesses in English, pick out your own special problems, find out what mistakes you most often make and make a list of them. It will be best if, in your preparation, you can practise doing all sorts of work that you will be asked to do in examination. You should then make a careful note of any mistakes that you make more than once. Count up how many times you make for each mistake, and the mistake you make most often should be at the top of your list, the next most common in the second place, and so on. For example, if your native language is Japanese, you may find the problem of articles comes at the top of your list. If you speak German, you may find using some of the conjunctions is your biggest problem. If your mother tongue is French, you find you are always having trouble with some of prepositions. And if Italian is your language, you may constantly forget to use a suitable pronoun when you should. But these are only examples of mistakes typical of certain languages. They may or may not be your particular personal mistakes. As I say, these personal ones are the most important of all to discover. .To make a list of personal mistakes _ . A is a must for any English learner B is a time-consuming job C needs careful work D can help your study of prepositions Answer: C The standard Outward Bound course lasts for three or four weeks. During that time the students live in the wilderness and go through many physical activities of ever increasing difficulty. The first few days are given to physical conditioning and to the teaching of basic skills such as first aid, map and compass reading, rope climbing, and other similar activities. During the second part of the course students learn how to climb rocks and cliffs, how to use canoes and rafts in swift water, and in some schools how to sail, ski, climb mountains, and make long-distance hikes. The first two parts of the course are done in groups. Members work together and help each other to overcome the increasing number of challenges. In the third part of the course, students are sent out alone for three days to survive in the wilderness with only a few necessities. Who are the students of Outward Bound? They are both young people and adults, men and women. The minimum age is 16.5 years. There is no maximum age. About one-third of the 6,000 persons completing the course each year are women. Businessmen, housewives, university students, professors, doctors, and lawyers are among those taking part in the course. In recent years special courses for the busy business managers have gained in popularity. These courses last from five to ten days rather than the usual three to four weeks of the normal course. Not all students complete the Outward Bound course. In some cases the individual cannot meet the physical challenges. In its own words Outward Bound literature says: "Make no mistake, Outward Bound is not for everybody. The courses aren't easy and are not meant to be." Most students who finish the course share a common experience. They are surprised at themselves that they finish the course and they feel great pride in doing the impossible! The Outward Bound experience makes them feel that they are better than they know! Where are Outward Bound courses given? A In the classroom. B On the playground. C In the wilderness. D In canoes and rafts. Answer: C We all have fond memories of taking a few lazy months off after the stress of A-levels. So now that summer has arrived, let's take full advantage. It goes without saying that summer vacations are the perfect time to go traveling. Tickets go up greatly when you turn 26, so make the most of cheaper rates while _ . Overseas volunteering won't amaze future employers, but it can be very useful. Finding a reliable company that won't cheat you is important, as is discovering a program that interests you. There are plenty of websites where you can see other people's suggestions. Of course for most of us, money is tight. To avoid overspending you can combine employment and vacation. Hannah Warn, a psychology student at the University of Winchester, is spending her summer at Camp America where students enjoy a good time on a summer camp. "Being thrown into something where I don't really know what to expect is exciting," she says. "It gives me a chance to experience being away from home in a different way." Those with a talent for languages might also consider working abroad as an au pair . The work may be a chance to involve yourself in a new culture while your employer pays most of the bill. If you have an idea of the sort of career you'd like, getting work experience is wise. In many careers, graduating with only your degree to show for your three or four years just won't make it. Send applications off early and to as many places as possible. Make sure you take a well-earned break this summer. Which of the following is TRUE according to the example of Hannah Warn? A Camp America offers jobs to students. B Psychology students are good at saving money. C Students had better choose a camp related to their future job. D A camp is a good place to combine employment and vacation. Answer: A Organisms can be preserved in A Sandstone B Water pipes C Cars. D Trees Answer: A Fri, Jun. l Nightlife Back to the Age of innocence This performance, organized by the group Lifetime Wharf, will celebrate Children's Day and commemorate the lost childhoods of office workers. Five bands will perform: DH & Chinese Hellcats, DUDE, Candy Monster, Residence A and Island Mood. Where: Yugong Yishan Livehouse, 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu. Dongcheng District When: 8 pm Admission: 60 yuan pre-sale; 80 yuan at door Tel:64042711 Sun, Jun.3 Movie Chinese Girl by Guo Xiaolu The indie film Chinese Girl directed by Guo Xiaolu is about the life of a girl who lives in the countryside. The lead actress. Huang Lu, will attend the screening and answer participants' questions afterwards. Where:UCCA, 4Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District When:7 pm Admission:15 yuan(10 yuan for students, free for VIP) Tel:57800200 Mom, Jun. 4 Script Reading Scripts written by students from the 166th Middle School of Beijing will be performed. They include: Love Sleeping Beauty, Lucky Ferris Wheel production, Jane Eyre, Our Self-study Class and Farewell-Bing xin. Where: Penghao Theater, 35 Dongmianhua Hutong, Dongcheng District When: Until Jun. 5, 7:30pm Admission: 80 yuan(40 yuan for students) Tel:64006472 Thu, Jun.7 Movie Invictus This film is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, both of whom were nominated for Academy Awards. Where: China Film Archive, 3 Wenhuiyuan Lu, Haidian District When: Until Jun. 8,7:30-10 pm Admission:120-480 yuan Tel:66550000 It Mary would like to know the content of Jane Eyre, where will she watch the program? A In UCCA, 4Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. B In China Film Archive, 3 Wenhuiyuan Lu, Haidian District. C In Penghao Theater,35 Dongmianhua Hutong, Dongcheng District. D In Yugong Yishan Livehouse, 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu, Dongcheng District. Answer: C
Question: Who says that skirts are only for girls? Men can also wear them. Scotchmen have worn them for many years. They call their skirts kilts. A kilt is a colored skirt. It reaches down to the knee . It has different colored checks on it, like red or blue. Some families in Scotland have their own colors and designs. From the kind of kilt they wear you can tell which group they come from. The kilt goes back to the 1720s. Scottish soldiers used to wear them. Later, many Scottish men wore them. Today the kilt is not much seen in Scotland. However, in some parts of the country you can still see some older men wearing kilts. Most Scotchman see the kilt as formal dress for national celebrations, marriages or big dinners. Even kilt makers have moved with the times. Some modern designs have a pocket for a mobile phone. , . Kilts appeared _ ago. A. nearly three hundred years B. hundreds of years C. thousands of years D. nearly two hundred years Answer: A Question: Starting a bank a child's play? Absolutely, if you ask some enterprising youngsters in India, who have not only managed to establish one, but also, unlike many of the large International banks, run it successfully since 2001. What's even more impressive is that the young bankers and their 90,004---clients are all homeless! The Children's Development Khazana (treasure) opened its first branch in 2001 at a homeless shelter in New Deli as a way to help the street children protect their hard-earned money from thieves. Since then, the idea has caught on like wildfire. Today, Khazana has 12 branches all across New Deli, with a total of Rupees 12lakh (about 22,000USD) in deposits. Not only that, there are now 77 affiliated branches in other parts of Asia, ranging from Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to the island of Sri Lanka, and even Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. While no deposit or balance is too small for the bank, they do have strict regulations about where the money is earned from. Funds obtained by begging or selling drugs are not welcomed at this bank ! Also, unlike the real banks, all employees are volunteers, which means that they go to school or a paying job during the day and work at the bank in the evening. To ensure that everybody gets a chance to participate in running the branch, two volunteer managers are elected from the clients base every six months. Karan, the current manager is just 14-year-old. During the day he earns a living by helping out the cleaning crew at wedding banquets and other big parties. In the evening, he handles the deposits and withdrawals in the bank. After the bank closes, he along with an adult volunteer from the shelter head over to a regular bank and deposit the funds collected into Khazana's interest-bearing bank account and though it started with one single purpose. The Children's Development Khazana is today a well-developed bank, one kids can not only deposit money which earns them 5% interest, but also, request loans for family emergencies, to start a business or even to pay for school. The children's Development Khazana is different from regular banks in that _ . A. all its workers are street children B. it pays its customers no interest C. customers can be made its managers D. it opens in the evening six month a year Answer: C Question: My dream ended when I was born. Although I never knew it then, I just held on to something that would never come to pass. Dreams really do exist. But in the morning when you wake up, they are remembered just as a dream. That is what happened to me. I always had the dream to dance like a beautiful ballerina turning around and around and hearing people applaud for me. When I was young, I would turn around and around in the fields of wildflowers that grew in my backyard. Reality woke me up when I heard someone saying, "I don't know why you bother trying to dance. Ballerinas are pretty and slender girls. Besides, you don't have the talent to even be a ballerina." I remember how those words hurt every feeling in my body. I fell to the ground and wept for hours. I enjoyed hanging out by the water. I would sit there for hours and stare at my reflection . There I was, looking nothing like a pretty ballerina dancer. Reflections don't lie. Once the waves would come, my reflection was washed away just like my dream to dance. www.ks5u.com As I grew older, I began to realize that the reason my dream was even born was because it was something that was inside of me. The dream I had was never nurtured and cared for, so it slowly died. It's not that I wanted it to die, but I allowed it to die the day I started listening to the words, "You can't do it." When I finally woke up from many years of dreaming, I realized that you can't only settle for dancing in the wildflowers, you have to move on to the platform. The author didn't realize her dream of being a ballerina mainly because _ . A. she was bored of dancing and performing B. she had lack of self-respect C. her health conditions allowed her dream to die D. she was deeply affected by others easily Answer: D Question: On a summer day, a dog stuck outside will A. be dripping with sweat B. lick at the window C. appear to be smiling with its mouth open D. curl up somewhere and shiver Answer: C Question: In Alaska, there are fewer hours of daylight in the winter than in the summer. Which statement best explains why this difference occurs? A. The Sun burns hotter in the summer. B. The Sun moves below the horizon in the summer. C. The Northern Hemisphere is closer to the Sun in the winter. D. The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun in the winter. Answer: D
An old man walked slowly with a cane into the restaurant.His old jacket,worn-out shoes and warm personality made him different from the usual crowd. A young waitress watched him move toward a table by the window.She ran over to him,and said:"Here,sir...let me help you with that chair." Without saying a word ,he smiled and nodded a thank you.She pulled the chair away from the table and helped him sit.Then she put his cane against the table. "Thank you.Miss."he said kindly. "You're welcome.sir,"she said. After he had finished his breakfast,the waitress brought him the change from his bill.He left it on the table.She helped him up and walked with him to the front door. When she went to clean his table,she found a business card under his plate and a note on a napkin .Under the napkin was a l00-dollar bill. The note on the napkin read:"Dear miss,I respect you very much and I can see you respect yourself,too. It shows by the way you treat others.You have found the secret of happiness.Your kindness will shine through to all those who meet you." The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant where she worked.This was the first time that she or any of the other workers had ever seen him in person. What's the best title for this passage? A The secret of success B The secret of happiness C A young waitress D An old man in the restaurant Answer: B. The secret of happiness About 1966 or so, a NASA team doing work for the Apollo moon mission took the astronauts near Tuba City. There the land of the Navajo Reservation looks very much like the lunar surface. Among all the trucks and large vehicles were two large figures that were dressed in full lunar space suits. Nearby, a Navajo shepherd and his son were watching the strange creatures walk about, occasionally being watched over by other NASA workers. The two Navajo people were noticed and approached by the NASA people. Since the shepherd and his son did not know English, they asked the NASA people who the strange creatures were. The NASA people told them that they were just men that were getting ready to go to the moon. The shepherd became very excited and asked if he could send a message to the moon with the astronauts. The NASA officials thought this was a great idea so they provided a tape recorder. After the man gave them his message, they asked his son to translate. His son would not. Later, they tried a few more people on the Navajo Reservation to translate and every person they asked would chuckle and then refuse to translate. Finally, with cash in hand someone translated the message, "Watch out for these guys, they have come to take your land!" The son did not translate the words his father said because _ . A he had trouble in understanding his father B the words his father used were too difficult to be translated C his father was sending a warning against the NASA people D he believed that the NASA workers could understand their language Answer: C. his father was sending a warning against the NASA people The Outdoor Centre Opening times Water sports: 10 a.m. -- 6 p.m. Play Park: 10 a.m. -- 5:30 p.m. Windsurfing -- One-day course Beginner windsurfing courses are offered on Saturdays and Sundays when the weather is good enough. Learning to windsurf is a lot of fun. The excitement when you sail across the water for the first time is not easily forgotten. Boards with small sails are available for beginners. Course fee: PS32 for adults; PS16 for children under 16 (this includes all equipment) One-day adventure course This is the opportunity you have been waiting for. Come and try sailing, climbing, surfing and archery . This course is intended to introduce outdoor activities to adults in a fun and leisurely manner. You do not need to be very fit or to have previous experience with the activities. All you need is to be interested. Course fee: PS22.50 Play Park The Play Park is suitable for children from two to ten years of age. It is one of the best of its type in the country. It has sand and water playgrounds, slides, large pool balls, a play castle and much, much more. Next year the center will open Play Palace and Play Ship. Summer adventure holidays Sailing, Climbing, Windsurfing, Fun Games Fee: PS50 for adults; PS30 for children under 16 Statement: Safety is of primary importance at the Outdoor Center. All staff members are fully trained in first aid, and qualified to teach the activities on offer. We also make sure that all children only take part in activities that are suitable for their ages and physical abilities. For this programme children must be able to swim 25 metres and be in good physical health. Of the four programs, which one is open only on weekends? A Windsurfing -- One-day course B One-day adventure course C Play Park D Summer adventure holidays Answer: A. Windsurfing -- One-day course Sarah came running in saying, "Look what l found. " Over the top of the paper I was reading I saw a long object that made me jump. It was a piece of snakeskin that had been shed by one of our garden snakes. 'Isn't it beautiful?" said my wide-eyed 7~year-old daughter. I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really was not that beautiful, but I did not want to disappoint Sarah. Everything children see for the first time is elementary to their sense of beauty and creativity. They see only merit and excellence in the world. "Why does it do this?" Sarah asked. I like to teach my children that there is something else going on besides what they see in front of them. "Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves," I explained. "Why do they need to renew themselves?" Sarah asked. "We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with," I said to my now absorbed daughter. "We outgrow some things and find other stuff unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin. It is probably too old, and the snake probably doesn't think it looks as smart in the skin as it once did. Like buying a new suit. " Of course, I'm sure this explanation won't suit naturalists. But Sarah got the point. As we talked, I knew that she began to understand that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, and rooms and schoolwork and creativity, and she began to see what we need to keep and what need to cast off. I was careful to point out that this is a natural process, not one to be forced. "Snakes don't peel off their skin when they feel like it," I explained. "lt happens as part of their growth. " "I see, Dad. " said Sarah. She then jumped off my lap, grabbed the snakeskin, and ran off. I hoped she would remember this. Often, in order to find our real selves underneath the layers of community and culture we are cloaked in year after year, we need to start examining these layers. We need to gently peel some away, as we recognize them to be worthless, unnecessary, or flawed ; or at best, remember the things we discard to teach us how we can improve. Which of the following would the author agree with? A By reflecting on ourselves, we can better ourselves. B It is necessary to force others to remove some things. C The community and culture force us to change. D It is natural to keep some old clothes. Answer: A. By reflecting on ourselves, we can better ourselves. As a volunteer teacher, I traveled a long way to a small village school in Longzhou, Guangxi. On my way there, I thought about the village, the school and the children there. However, _ when I arrived there. It wasn't what I expected. It didn't look like a school at all! The school had only three rooms, one for Grades 1,2 and 3, and the other for Graeds 4,5 and 6. There was a third one for me. The children welcomed me warmly on my first day. They asked me a lot of questions, and I told them stories about myself and my life in Shanghai. The next day, I gave them a text to find out their level. To my surprise, thought the test was easy, over half of the students failed it, yet they all wanted to learn new things. I knew they needed me. I was busy preparing lessons, reading test papers every night. I enjoyed teaching these lovely and hard-working children, and I could see that they were making progress with my help. I have also learned a lot from them. I understand their lives better, and we are now good friends. I have worked in Longzhou for a year now. I'm very happy, and the experience has been very useful to me. I love the small village and the children. In fact, I would like to continue working here. ,. The writer found there were only _ rooms in that shool. A two B three C four D six Answer: B. three
A new Barbie doll was presented at a toy fair in Germany.It has been modelled after the German Chief Minister Angela Merkel as part of 50th birthday celebrations for the popular toy.It wears a hairstyle and a dark coat like Merkel wears. Lim Ding Wen, a nine-year-old pupil in Singapore, wrote some programs for Apple's popular iPhone.His painting program named "Doodle Kids" has been downloaded over 40,000 times in two weeks. Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama answered questions from some pupils in Washington.During his surprise visit, Obama told the children, "We are just tired of being in the White House" On February 5, China declared a top level emergency in the drought-hit provinces.The drought, which has rarely been seen in prefix = st1 /China's history, has left many people without proper drinking water and is affecting large amounts of crops. Big flames burned entire towns in southeastern Australia and some locals in their cars, making it the country's deadliest fire disaster.Officials believed arson, which means criminal act of setting fire to possessions in order to cause destruction, may be behind some of the fires. At the beginning of February, snow storms paralyzed(...) parts of London, costing businesses millions of pounds.The snow storms are the worst Britainhas seen in 18 years. Angela Merkel is most probably _ . Answer: country leader of Germany Hello, I'm a middle school student from Hainan. My Chinese name is Li Ying. My English name is Alice. I am Chinese. I'm in No. 26 Middle School. I am a good student. Now I am thirteen years old. Our school is very nice. Ms Smart is my English teacher. I like her and she loves us very much. There are three people in my family. This is my father. He is a teacher. This is my mother. Her name is Han Jing. I love them very much. Alice is from _ . Answer: China Charlie works in a post office. His father lost his job five years ago and his mother is often ill. And he has two brothers and a sister. He works hard and tries his best to buy enough food for his family. Last month his family had to move to an old house outside the city. It's farther from the post office and he has to get up early in the morning in order to catch the 6:30 train. The head of his office is strict and everybody has to get there on time. He knows what it'll mean if he's late. A friend of his had pity on him and lent his old car to him. The young man was happy and from then on he could go to work by car. Last Saturday Charlie went to buy some medicine for his mother. Bad luck! When he came out of the shop, he couldn't find the car. He was quite worried and began to look for it in front of the shop but he didn't find it. Suddenly he saw a woman parked a car there and hurried into the shop. Charlie saw the car wasn't locked. He got on it and drove it at once. He was afraid the loser would run after him and drove fast. A truck hit it at a crossing and he lost consciousness. This morning the young man came back to life and saw there were a few policemen standing by his bed. He asked, "Where am I?" "In Room 103." "In hospital or in prison ?" Charlie has to get to his office on time because _ . Answer: he's afraid to be fired The Entropia Universe The Entropia Universe is a virtual world on the Internet, which seems very like our real life.It is set in a distant future and based on a planet called Calypso.Entropia was the brainchild of a group of Swedish computer lovers who decided to see if they could create a three dimensional virtual world that could be placed on the Internet.They did manage after they received the financial backing they needed. The game can be played for free, but nearly all in-game activities require personal resources that you have available to use.Although there are various activities to keep you busy on Calypso, what most people do first is to find themselves a profession, such as hunting the fierce animals on Calypso, mining the precious minerals and making tools.Then they can think about buying their virtual house or paying a visit to a virtual nightclub or doing any of the other activities that make life bearable. Entropia has its very own economy and its own currency, the PED (Project Entropia Dollars).Players move real world money into PED which they then use to pay for their life on Calypso.However, the virtual things inside Entropia do have a real value in the outside world, and careful business deals mean that players can actually make real money there.PED can be changed into dollars any time at a rate of 10PED to 1US$. What's so impressive about The Entropia Universe is the number of players; currently more than 600,000 representing over 220 countries from planet Earth.A number of players insist that it's a good way to make money.However, the reality of Entropia's economic system is that most people end up paying more than they earn and it's not uncommon to find players who are paying up to $200 a month into their PED account.This might not be the most economical way of spending one's free time.However, some people say that for them the fact that they can escape the realities of the earthbound life and become a different person with a completely different life for a few hours every week is worth the use of money, even if they don't get any interest rates on it. What can we learn about The Entropia Universe? Answer: It costs nothing to join. I think it's hard for a teenager to live in the modern society. For example, how to go to school is a problem I often worry about. Every afternoon, my father picks me up at the gate of the school. Many parents pick up their children, too. Most of them drive private cars. Of all the cars, Anna's father's car is the best. Anna seems to have a very rich father. She always has beautiful dresses, shoes and bags. Besides these, she is also very beautiful. But she has no friends in school. When other students are playing, she never joins them. I don't like her because she is too perfect. It makes me uncomfortable to make friends with her. She seems to have everything. One afternoon, when I went to my father's car, I saw a small thing fall out of Anna's bag. So I called her quickly. However, she didn't look back and kept going. I felt very angry with her. During the dinner, my father asked me, "Why do you look unhappy?" "Today I saw something fall out of Anna's bag, so called her. But she didn't answer me. She is _ . " said angrily. "Oh, I know that girl. She has no friends and is unhappy because she was born deaf. I'm sure that she didn't hear you. " What my father said suddenly woke me up. Because she is deaf, she does not talk or play with anyone at school. She seems to have everything, but in fact she doesn't. Not everyone is perfect, even the perfect man has his weakness. Anna didn't look back and kept going because she didn't _ Answer: hear the writer at all
While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution. But things could start to get better soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel vehicles by 40 per cent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them. "We encourage the development of public transportation. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them," said an official. Efforts are being made to improve the capital's environment with tighter controls on emissions . Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed. Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index gave just 100 days as good. "I am glad to see an improvement," said a Senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. "Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate the pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn't see a car only metres away from me in frog." In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French air force was called off. Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city's bad air. Which of the following is not the measure taken or to be taken to improve Beijing's air? A Clean fuel technology will be used in public transportation. B Some factories have been asked to cut production. C Some construction sites have been told to be closed. D A display show of airplanes has been called off. Answer: D. A display show of airplanes has been called off. Get a reward for every bug you bring to live in new science museum exhibit. In a city with trillions of American cockroaches , the Houston Museum of Natural Science has agreed to pay a quarter per bug-up to 1,000-as it seeks to populate a new insect exhibit alongside its Cockrell Butterfly Center. Nancy Greig, the museum's director insists the public payday for roaches isn't just a marketing ploy . "Absolutely, this wasn't devised as a joke," Greig said. "We needed more roaches for the exhibit, so I sent this message out to everyone in the museum asking people to bring them in. Well, someone decided to tell the press, and all hell has broken loose." "But we really do need cockroaches." "One might be forgiven for never considering how to catch a live cockroach. But it's simple enough to fool them," Greig said, "and even easier to catch them." American cockroaches are the most common kind in Texas, measuring up to 2 inches long and invading homes. Despite their less-than-attractive reputation, cockroaches actually aren't that dirty. Greig even went so far as to call them "fastidious" saying they don't enjoy rooting in waste. They're only dirty if, say, they used a sewer line to gain access into a home. The roaches collected by the museum will become part of a display in a new exhibit that showcases insects such as cockroaches, dung beetles and termites. There's more to like about roaches, too. They don't bite, and they don't carry diseases like a mosquito, so they're generally safe to handle. What do we know about American roaches? A It's not easy for people in Houston to collect roaches. B They all measure 2 inches and are often found in homes C They don't bite and they are free of disease. D We have reasons to like them. Answer: D. We have reasons to like them. Television, which made its first serious appearance in 1939, did not become common until the early 1950s. Since then, millions of children have grown up in front of the set, and many people now worry about the effect that TV has on the young, and on society in general. Educators, psychologists, and crime experts wonder if television should be abolished . Many ordinary parents wish it had never been invented. Why are they so afraid? Is television as harmful as they think it is? Like almost anything else, television has its good and its bad sides. One should surely thank its inventors for the joy and interest that they have brought into the lives of the old, the sick, and the lonely -- all those who, without it, would have no pleasure and no window on the world. In truth, television has opened windows in everybody's life. No newspaper has ever reached so many people and shown so clearly what was happening right now in their own country and everywhere else. TV not only gives the news instantly, it also shows it in pictures more powerful than words. It can be said that TV has brought reality to the public. Millions of people now have seen the effects of a battle, a flood, a fire, a crime, disasters of every sort on the screen. Unfortunately, television's influence has been extremely harmful to the young. Children do not have enough experience to realize that TV shows present an unreal world. They want to imitate what they see. They do believe that the violence they see is normal and acceptable. By the time they are out of high school, most young people have watched about 15,000 hours of television, and have seen about 18,000 killings or other acts of violence. All educators and psychologists agree that the "television generations" are more violent than their parents and grandparents, According to the same experts, the young are also less patient. Used to TV shows, where everything is quick and entertaining, they do not have the patience to read an article without pictures; to read a book that requires thinking; to listen to a teacher who doesn't do funny things like the people on children's programs. And they expect all problems to be solved happily in ten, fifteen or thirty minutes. That's the time it takes on the screen. It is certain that television has deeply changed our lives and our society. It is certain that, along with its benefits, it has brought many serious problems. To these problems we must soon find a solution because, whether we like it or not, television is here to stay. We can conclude that 'television generations' are _ . A lonely B more patient C more violent D more gentle Answer: C. more violent Computer programmer David Jones earned PS35,000 a year designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a check card, he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18. He works for a small firm in Liverpool, where most young people of his age are finding jobs. David's biggest headache is what to do with his money. Though he has high payment, he cannot drive a car, or get credit card . David got his job four months ago, a year after leaving school with six O-levels and working for a time in a computer shop. "I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs," he said. "I suppose PS35,000 sounds a lot but I hope it will come to more than that this year." He spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother PS20 a week as he lives with his parents. But most of his spare time is spent working. "Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school, " he said. "But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway. I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear." Why does David think he might retire early? A He thinks computer games might not always sell so well. B He wants to stop working when he is a millionaire. C One has to be young to write computer programs. D He thinks his firm might close down. Answer: A. He thinks computer games might not always sell so well. Beijing opera or Peking opera (Pinyin: Jingju) is a form of Chinese opera which arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century.The form was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China.Major performance troupes (,) are based in Beijing and Tianjin in the north,and Shanghai in the south.The art form is also enjoyed in Taiwan,and has spread to other countries such as the United States and Japan. Beijing opera features four main types of performers.Performing troupes often have several of each variety,as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers.With their elaborate (,) and colorful costumes,performers are the only focal points on Beijing opera's characteristically small stage.They make use of the skills of speech,song,dance,and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive,rather than realistic.Above all else,the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements.Performers also hold a variety of stylistic conventions that help audiences navigate the plot of the production.The layers of meaning within each movement must be expressed in time with music.The music of Beijing opera can be divided into the Xipi and Erhuang styles.Melodies include arias ,fixed-tune melodies,and percussion patterns.The repertoire of Beijing opera includes over 1,400 works,which are based on Chinese history,folklore,and,increasingly,contemporary life. In recent years,Beijing opera has attempted numerous reforms in response to sagging audience numbers.These reforms,which include improving performance quality,adapting new performance elements,and performing new and original plays,have met with mixed success.Some Western works have been adopted as new plays,but a lack of funding and an adverse political climate have left Beijing opera's fate uncertain as the form enters the 21st century. What will be the future of the Beijing Opera? A Very bright. B Certainly good. C Much uncertain. D More popular. Answer: C. Much uncertain.
My name is Cathy. I'm English, but I'm in shandong with my family now. Look! This is a photo of my family. This is my father. He is a manager of a theatre. He likes running. My mother is a nurse. She likes listening to music. The boy is my brother, Sam. His favourite sport is basketball. Who is the girl next to him? It's me. I like table tennis very much. Who likes listening to music? A. Cathy. B. Sam. C. Cathy's father. D. Cathy's mother. Answer: D A potassium (K) atom has 20 neutrons, 19 protons and 19 electrons. What is the atomic mass of potassium? A. 19 B. 20 C. 38 D. 39 Answer: D The phone ID flashed, "Emergency Vet". "Oh no" I whispered. I could not lose Merlin now. Ron and I had tried to have children for a long time with depressing results. I threw myself into my work. Any maternal feelings I had were spent on Merlin. I couldn't wait to get home from work each night. I wanted to pick up that warm bundle of loving fur and nestle him. I wanted to sing "Rock-a-bye Merlin", as I did every night as he would put his paws around my neck. Merlin was my comfort especially at times when I wondered if God was listening. But last night something had changed. Not only did I sing "Rock-a-Bye Merlin", but I asked, "What will I do after you're gone?" Although Merlin was 19 years old, a senior in the age of a cat, he didn't look or act that way. I didn't want to accept the fact that he was nearing the end of his lifetime. My job at the law firm was so demanding and stressful that I couldn't imagine getting through the day without Merlin waiting to greet me at home. I dialed the vet's number. I asked for my husband but he already left. Then I took a breath and asked the question that no one wants to ask, "Is my Merlin still alive?" The nurse said "yes." Ron came home and said that Merlin had almost no red blood cells left. White blood cells were replacing them. Merlin would need expensive transfusions most likely on a monthly basis. We both knew Merlin was running out of time. I asked Ron to drive me to the vet so I could say goodbye to my little boy cat but he was beat tired and it was late. Ron said if Merlin was still alive the next morning then he would take me to the vet. _ Merlin had survived the night. After driving to the vet, I went into the examining room. The nurse brought Merlin and placed him on an examining table on his side. His eyes were tightly shut. I thought he died already. I carefully edged my hand to reach his body. His body felt warm, but when I spoke his name there was no response. No response to his name or that I was there and that I loved him. I was extremely sad. In that examining room I felt helpless. I wondered how many people in an examining room felt as helpless as I did. Feeling driven to prayer I yelled, "God this isn't good enough. I need to see my Merlin the way I remember him, I need a miracle and I need it now!" At that moment, God granted a miracle. Merlin's favorite compliment entered my mind. I said, "Merlin, You are Beautiful and You are Gorgeous, do you hear me?" One eye opened. I said "Gotcha". I kept repeating those words. Merlin opened the other eye and, one limb at a time, got up. He was waiting for that phrase. He wanted to hear that he was beautiful and gorgeous again. Then I experienced another miracle. There was no sound in that examining room until Merlin started walking to me. From out of nowhere, or maybe from heaven, I clearly heard a song we sung in church often: "It Is Well With My Soul." I remembered thinking, "Yes, it is well with my Soul. I got to see my little boy cat one more time." Merlin walked to me. He put his face in mine, which he had never done before. He rubbed a circle around my face twice. Merlin said goodbye with his face and marked me for life. Ron appeared shocked that Merlin was up and had walked to me. I said to Merlin, "Tell God you are a good boy and how much we love you" and then handed him back to the nurse. Tears of gratitude poured forth in memory of a miracle. You see for nineteen years God spoke to me through a special cat named "Merlin." On Merlin's last day, God proved he heard me when he granted a miracle. That miracle gave me time to say goodbye. When Merlin reached the examining room, _ . A. he shut his eyes tightly and was obviously dead B. his body felt warm because the writer rubbed him hard C. the writer chanted prayers to him trying to waking him up D. the writer felt helpless to have no timely surgical operation Answer: C Carrots are grown all over the world. They are easy to plant and easy to _ . They have a good taste. When people think about carrots, they usually think they are a kind of long, thin, orange-colored vegetable. In fact, carrots are in many different sizes and shapes. And not all carrots are orange. Carrots should be grown in a field that does not have water for a long time. The earth also should not be too hard. To prepare your carrot garden, dig up the earth and turn it over . Weather, soil condition , and time affect the taste of carrots. Warm days and cool nights are the best time to grow great delicious carrots. The best way to decide if a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its color. Usually, the brighter the color is, the better the taste is. Most people do not know that carrots can be grown during the winter months. If the winter is not cold enough to freeze the ground, you can grow carrots the same way as you do during the summer months. Carrots are prepared and eaten in many different ways. They are cut into thin pieces and cooked with other vegetables or meat. Or, they are washed, and eaten just as they come out of the ground. _ carrots have a better taste. A. The long B. The orange C. The thin D. The bright Answer: D A mom in Australia was told by a doctor that her newborn son was "dead",but she helped bring him back to life by holding the baby against her body. She used a method known as "kangaroo care ".The child,named Jamie,was born after only 27 weeks with his twin sister,Emily,at a hospital in Sydney.Her birth went well,but his was a different story.The doctor struggled for 20 minutes to save him before declaring him dead. "His little arms and legs were just falling down away from his body," Kate Ogg said."I took my coat off and put him on my chest with his head over my arm." She and her husband,David,spoke to the child as she continued to hold him for nearly two hours.During that time,the twopound baby showed signs of life.She said,"I told my mom,who was there,that he was still alive.Then he held out his hand and grabbed my finger." The doctor at first ignored the baby's movements,but when he put the stethoscope to its chest,his mouth fell wide open and he said,"It's my fault.It's a miracle ." "The care helps the baby keep body warmth," Dr Pinchi Srinivasan said."It also regulates heart and breathing rates and is believed to help weight gain and improve sleeping habits.Fathers can also use 'kangaroo care'.The key to the method is skintoskin contact." The practice began in less developed nations.It has become a recognized practice in helping premature _ babies.The technique is good for babies,and is used in many baby care units. When the baby first showed signs of life,the doctor _ . A. didn't believe a miracle had happened B. was too shocked to do anything C. was cheered and tried to save the baby at once D. was moved by what the mother did to the baby Answer: A

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