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In the Pacific Northwest there is a kind of owl that serves as a unique piece to the Northwest habitat -- the northern spotted owl. Northern spotted owls are known to be curious. When seeing you, these owls will come down close and check you out. The northern spotted owl has been a savior of old-growth forests. Old-growth forests are forests that have been around for a long time without significant disturbances. One way the spotted owl has become a protector of old-growth forests is simply by being there. The northern spotted owl has become endangered, and so to protect them from dying out, the government has to protect their habitat. So now any destruction of old-growth forests is illegal. Another way the owls help their habitat is by eating small animals. This helps create a balance in the forest. So, if the northern spotted owl is in a habitat that is protected by laws, why are they still endangered? Unfortunately, a cousin of the northern spotted owl has moved into its neighborhood. The bigger, more aggressive "barred owl" has grown in population and due to loss of the forests they lived in on the East Coast of the United States, they have begun to move to the west coast. These owls are taking the food source and pushing northern spotted owls out of their own home. Although the barred owl is able to live in different habitats, the northern spotted owl can only live in old-growth forests. Many government officials have been at a loss to find an answer to the difficult question, "What do we do with the non-native barred owls?" Some methods include shooting them. It is a difficult problem to deal with. Can you think of any possible solutions? The northern spotted owl _ . Answer: Most people know precious gemstones by their appearances. An emerald flashes deep green, a ruby seems to hold a red fire inside, and a diamond shines like a star. It's more difficult to tell where the gem was mined, since a diamond from Australia or Arkansas may appear the same to one from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, recently, a team of scientists has found a way to identify a gemstone's origin. Beneath the surface of a gemstone, on the tiny level of atoms and molecules , lie clues to its origin. At this year's meeting of the Geological Society of America in Minneapolis, Catherine McManus reported on a technique that uses lasers to clarify these clues and identify a stone's homeland. McManus directs scientific research at Materialytics, in Killeen, Texas. The company is developing the technique. "With enough data, we could identify which country, which mining place, even the individual mine a gemstone comes from," McManus told Science News. Some gemstones, including many diamonds, come from war-torn countries. Sales of those "blood minerals" may encourage violent civil wars where innocent people are injured or killed. In an effort to reduce the trade in blood minerals, the U.S. government passed law in July 2010 that requires companies that sell gemstones to determine the origins of their stones. To figure out where gemstones come from, McManus and her team focus a powerful laser on a small sample of the gemstone. The technique is called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. Just as heat can turn ice into water or water into steam, energy from the laser changes the state of matter of the stone. The laser changes a miniscule part of the gemstone into plasma, a gas state of matter in which tiny particles called electrons separate from atoms. The plasma, which is superhot, produces a light pattern. (The science of analyzing this kind of light pattern is called spectroscopy.) Different elements produce different patterns, but McManus and her team say that gemstones from the same area produce similar patterns. Materialytics has already collected patterns from thousands of gemstones, including more than 200 from diamonds. They can compare the light pattern from an unknown gemstone to patterns they do know and look for a match. The light pattern acts like a signature, telling the researchers the origin of the gemstone. In a small test, the laser technique correctly identified the origins of 95 out of every 100 diamonds. For gemstones like emeralds and rubies, the technique proved successful for 98 out of every 100 stones. The scientists need to collect and analyze more samples, including those from war-torn countries, before the tool is ready for commercial use. Scientists like Barbara Dutrow, a mineralogist from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, find the technique exciting. "This is a basic new tool that could provide a better fingerprint of a material from a particular locality," she told Science News. The author wrote this passage mainly to _ . Answer: Earth's core is primarily composed of which of the following materials? Answer: One day while driving from my home to work. I noticed a car in front of me had a wobbly wheel. It was clear that the wheel had been changed recently and had not been fixed correctly. On a slow road this would not show much of a problem but I knew a highway was coming soon. There the traffic would move much faster and the driver would be in danger as the wheel could come off at that speed. I was driving a large jeep at the time and the car in front was a small one driven by a young lady on her own. So as I tried to flash my lights and wave her to pull over, I was worried that she wouldn' t pull over on the road side when she found in her mirror a single man chasing her down in a jeep and waving for her to pull over. Thankfully. she trusted more in the good nature of people and pulled over where I could explain the problem. She said the wheel was changed only the night before and that she would pull into the nearest garage where the repairman had tools to fix the wheel correctly. My belief is that the act of kindness was hers and not mine. How so? Well, it was she who chose to believe in the possibility that people are good over the belief that bad things would come from being waved over to the side of the road by strangers. I am glad I was able to wave her down in time and so a serious accident might have been avoided. But I am even happier that she believed in a stranger. What would be the best title for the passage? Answer: This is the legal part of the show. It's just so everybody knows the rules for Nickelodeon on the Web. Be sure to get your parents to review and discuss these rules with you: 1.All the toys and games here are just for you to play with. You can't sell them,give them to anyone,or pretend you made them. You can't do anything EXCEPT play with them,unless you ask us first and we say it's OK. 2.If you see something you don't like,remember that all the stuff on the message boards ,chat rooms and "Write to Nick"comes straight from other kids,not from someone at nick.com. Nick.com wouldn't tell kids what to say,because kids have minds of their own!But if someone sends ugly messages,we'll do our best to take care of it. We all want nick.com to be a good,clean place to hang out. 3.If you write something that catches our eye in "Write to Nick"on a message board or in a chat room,we might want to use it on the site. By sending in your thoughts and hanging out in the chat rooms,and getting your parent's permission to do so,you and your parents are telling us it's OK to repeat what you say. It's even OK to put it in an advertisement. It means we can use it in any way we want,anywhere,until the end of time. Remember to ALWAYS check with your parents before you send anything to us. And of course,the folks in the legal office upstairs have their own code for saying all that. Please read these terms and conditions carefully before using this website. This site at nick.com is fully controlled and operated by Nickelodeon Online,a business unit of MTV Networks. Children can do many things on the web EXCEPT _ . Answer:
What needs measurements taken in the morning and evening? A. coastal range B. tidal range C. wave length D. apex Answer: B Onions can reproduce from bulbs. One parent bulb generates daughter bulbs with duplicate genetic information. Which is the most likely advantage of this kind of reproduction? A. Population size remains constant. B. Beneficial mutations are inevitable. C. Genetic variation is maximized. D. Large quantities of individuals can be produced rapidly. Answer: D The United States Department of Energy regularly transports nuclear materials through Centerville on the way to a nuclear weapons processing plant it operates in a nearby state. The city of Centerville recently adopted an ordinance prohibiting the transportation of any nuclear materials in or through the city. The ordinance declares that its purpose is to protect the health and safety of the residents of that city. May the Department of Energy continue to transport these nuclear materials through the city of Centerville? A. No, because the ordinance is rationally related to the public health and safety of Centerville residents. B. No, because the Tenth Amendment reserves to the states certain unenumerated sovereign powers. C. Yes, because the Department of Energy is a federal agency engaged in a lawful federal function and, therefore, its activities may not be regulated by a local government without the consent of Congress. D. Yes, because the ordinance enacted by Centerville is invalid because it denies persons transporting such materials the equal protection of the laws. Answer: C Amy had three sons, Dave, Bill and Bob. Every year her sons sent her expensive gifts on her birthday. The eldest son Dave had a lot of money and he wanted his mother to have the most expensive gifts, but he didn't know what to buy. So he put an ad in the newspaper. " Wanted ---- the greatest gift for my mother." About a week before his mother's birthday, a man came to his office. He brought a big bird. This bird can speak six languages and sing eight songs," the man said." ".Really? I'd like to listen to it, " Dave said. The man made the bird talk in French and tell a joke in Japanese. Then the bird sang a beautiful song. Dave was very happy and paid eight thousands dollars for the bird. The next day Dave sent the bird his mother with a birthday card. The day after his mother's birthday he called his mother, " Well, mother," he asked, " What do you think of the bird?" " Oh, it's very delicious, dear," said his mother. How many songs could the bird sing? A. Five B. Six C. Seven D. Eight Answer: D Dogs can be worried and pessimistic just like people, researchers report in a new study in Current Biology. And they aren't talking about basset hounds : those dogs just look as if they expect the worst. What the scientists say is that dogs that exhibit anxiety when left home alone by their owners may have bigger problems -- they may be in a permanent bad mood. This pessimistic outlook may not otherwise be easily apparent in a dog's other characteristics, like running speed or learning ability, the study reports. Dogs are similar to humans in the role that emotional state plays in decision making, said Michael Mendel, a veterinary scientist at the University of Bristol and the study's lead author. The study's researchers looked at 24 dogs in shelters in Britain. They placed the dogs in isolated settings and observed their reactions -- many barked, jumped on furniture and scratched at the door. Then they placed bowls in two rooms. One bowl contained food, while another was empty. After training the dogs to understand that bowls can sometimes be empty, and sometimes full, they began to place bowls in ambiguous locations. Dogs that quickly raced to the locations were more optimistic, and in search of food. Those that did not were deemed pessimistic. The more separation anxiety a dog expressed while in isolation, the more likely the dog was to have a pessimistic reaction, the researchers found. The study carries an important message for dog owners, Dr. Mendel said. Dogs that express serious anxiety when alone may need treatment, as it could be a sign of unhappiness and instability. This passage can be classified as _ . A. an advertisement B. a feature story C. a news report D. a book review Answer: C
A higher reading rate, with no loss of comprehension, will help you in other subjects as well as in English, and the general principles apply to any language. Naturally, you will not read every book at the same speed .You would expect to read a newspaper, for example, much more rapidly than a physics or economics textbook -but you can raise your average reading speed over the whole range of materials you wish to cover so that the percentage gained will be the same whatever kind of reading you are concerned with. The reading passages which follow are all of an average level of difficulty for your stage of instruction. They are all about five hundred words long .They are about topics of general interest which do not require a great deal of specialized knowledge. Thus fall between the kind of reading you might find in your textbooks and the much less demanding kind you will find in a newspaper or light novel .If you read this kind of English, with understanding at four hundred words per minute, you might skim through a newspaper at perhaps 650--700 ,while with a difficult textbook you might drop to two hundred or two hundred and fifty. ks5u Perhaps you would like to know what reading speeds are common among native English-speaking university students and how those speeds can be improved .Tests in Minnesota, U.S.A., for example ,have shown that students without special training can read English of average difficulty ,for example, Tolstoy's War and Peace in translation ,at speeds of between 240--250 words per minute with about seventy percent comprehension .Students in Minnesota claim that after twelve half-hour lessons ,once a week, the reading speed can be increased ,with no loss of comprehension ,to around five hundred words per minute. The average speed of untrained native speakers in the University of Minnesota is _ . Brothers Ishmael and Isadore were complete opposites. People who knew them both could hardly believe they were from the same planet, let alone the same family. The boys were not unkind toward one another, but their personalities were so different that it was difficult for them to reach a decision they both liked. Their mother frequently played the judge in their disagreement. Ishmael, the older brother,was athletic. He played baseball, football, and basketball.Isadore, the younger brother, hated sports. He was quieter and less active than his brother. He preferred spending his time on the computer, making short videos and writing short articles. Ishmael loved classic rock. He listened to bands like the Beatles. Isadore didn't care much for those bands. He preferred music from Central Africa. Luckily for their parents, both boys enjoyed listening to music through headphones. One other thing the brothers did agree on was that they wanted a pet. Mom had _ getting one, but after both brothers had begged, she finally agreed."We can get a pet, as long as you two take care of it," she said.That means you do the feeding, you do the training, and if it needs to be walked, you do the walking. "No problem, Mom,"Ishmael and Isadore said together. "Good, we all agree," Mom said. "Now, what kind of pet are we going to get?" Which of the following is the best title for the passage? Please excuse me if I'm a little quiet today. Mark is leaving, and I'm kind of sad. You probably don't know Mark, but you might know someone like him. He has been the heart and soul of the office for years. He has never been interested in getting praise for the wonderful work he does. He just does his job - very well. We're pleased that he is moving on to new, better things. But this doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye. Life has a way of throwing curve balls at us. Just when we start to get comfortable with a person, a place or a situation, something comes along to change things. A nice neighbor moves away. Someone in the family graduates. A child finds new love through marriage. Our ability to deal with change and disruption decides to a great degree, our peace, happiness and satisfaction in life. But how do we do that? Chris the California surfer, once told me that the answer to life's problems can be summed up in four words: "Go with the flow." "It's like surfing," Chris explained. "You can't organize the ocean. Waves just happen. You ride them where they take you, then you paddle back out there and catch the next one. You're always hoping for the perfect wave where you can get it. But mostly you just take them the way they come." I think Chris was saying that life is a series of events -- both good and bad. There will always be things over which you have no control. The truly successful person expects the unexpected and is prepared to make adjustments . Don't stop trying to make all your dreams come true. But when things come up that aren't exactly in your plan, work around them -- and then move on. We're going to miss Mark. But rather than dwell on the sadness of our parting , we'll focus on our hopes for a brighter future -- for him, and for us. We'll go out and do everything that we can to make that future happen. Which of the following attitudes does the author probably support? All of the following might be found on the natural satellite orbiting our planet excluding what? Which would a scientist use in trying to model the cause of planetary years?
Hi, Peter. Thank you for your telephone call. I'm happy to tell you that we have a double room for you now. It's on the fifth floor. It faces the West Lake, so you can see it well. The price for each room is $150 per night. Every morning from 7:00 to 9:30, there is a free breakfast, but you have to pay if you have lunch and supper in the hotel. Remember to bring your ID card with you. If you have any more questions, please let us know and we will be pleased to help you. We _ you to come to the hotel on August 16. We hope you will enjoy your stay with us. Thanks again for choosing our hotel. Where is the room? A. on the fifth floor B. on the first floor C. on the fifveth floor D. on the five floor. Answer: A. on the fifth floor If the days are more chilled than before, and yet still avoid freezing degrees, a likely assumption is that A. daylight lasts longer B. daylight has lessened C. daylight is brighter D. nights are shorter Answer: B. daylight has lessened Jenny is a nice girl. She likes to playing soccer. And she watches soccer games on TV every day. But she doesn't like playing baseball. She has some friends in her class. They are Tom, Mary, Susan and Linda. Tom likes playing ping - pong. He has some nice ping - pong bats, He usually plays ping - pong with his friends after school. Mary likes playing volleyball. She is in a volleyball club .But she doesn't like playing basketball. Susan likes singing. She has many CDs. They are in her desk. Linda is ten years old. She doesn't like doing any sports, but she likes making model planes. Where are Susan's CDs? A. In the drawer. B. On the bed. C. In the desk. D. On the bookcase. Answer: C. In the desk. Industrial pollution is not only a problem for the countries of Europe and North America but also an extremely serious problem in some developing countries. For these countries, economic growth is a very important aim. They want to introduce industries, and so they put few controls on the industries which cause pollution. Cubatao, an industrial town of 85 000 people in Brazil, is an example of the connection between industrial development and pollution. In 1954, Cubatao had no industry. Today it has more than twenty large factories, which produce many pollutants . The people of the town are suffering from the poisonous matter in their environment and the bad effects can be clearly seen. Birth shortcomings are extremely common. Among children and adults, lung problems are sometimes twelve times more common in Cubatao than in other places. It is true that Brazil, like many other countries, has laws against pollution, but these laws are not enforced strictly enough. It is cheaper for companies to take no notice of the laws and pay the fines than to buy the expensive equipment that will reduce the pollution. It is clear, therefore, that economic growth is more important to the government than to the health of the workers. However, the responsibility does not completely lie with the Brazilian government. The example of Cubatao shows that international companies are not acting in a responsible way either. A number of the factories in the town are owned by large companies from France, Italy, and the U. S. They are doing things in Brazil that they would not be able to do at home. If they caused the same amount of pollution at home, they would be severely punished or even put out of business. Why do some foreign companies like to set up their plants in Brazil? A. The investment environment in Brazil is suitable for them. B. They will not be severely punished if they cause pollution in Brazil. C. They can make much money because they do not have to pay Brazilian workers much. D. They can act in an irresponsible way in Brazil because there are no pollution laws there. Answer: B. They will not be severely punished if they cause pollution in Brazil. Britain's longterm unemployed could be forced to carry out manual work or risk losing their welfare benefits under plans being put forward by the government. The U.S.style scheme would see the longterm jobless ordered to take up fourweek placements in order to get them used to having a fulltime job. The idea is part of major reforms, due to be unveiled this week, to make cuts to Britain's huge welfare bill, reduce dependency on benefits and weed out those earning money but not declaring it, papers said. "What we are talking about here is people who have not been used to working having both the opportunity and perhaps a bit more of a push as well, to experience the workplace from time to time. The vast majority of people in Britain will think that is the right thing to do." Foreign Secretary William Hague told BBC TV. Shortly after the ConservativeLiberal Democrat Union took power in May, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith unveiled plans to simplify the complex web of benefits available to reduce errors and inefficiencies. Duncan Smith said the system had become regressive and was not giving people the right encouragement to work as many were financially better off unemployed. Under his plans separate benefits for items such as housing, income support or disability will be replaced by a "universal credit" system whereby individual households would get a single welfare payment to ensure those in work would be better off. The Observer newspaper said that in return, longterm unemployed would be told to take up work placements of at least 30 hours a week for a fourweek period. If they refuse or fail to complete the programme, their jobseekers' allowance, worth 64.30 pounds a week for those over 25, could be stopped for at least three months. What will most British people think of the new reform according to William Hague? A. They are against it since the unemployed are poor. B. They are for it since the unemployed should keep fit. C. They are for it since it's unfair for the employed and unemployed. D. They don't care as there're a few unemployed people having welfare benefit. Answer: C. They are for it since it's unfair for the employed and unemployed.
Have you ever wished that you could make your little sister's teddy bear talk to her? Or have you ever wanted to bring a puppet to life? If so, you may be interested in learning the art of ventriloquism . A ventriloquist can make an ordinary object seem to be alive by giving it a personality, movement, and speech. Your object can be a puppet, or a doll. Give your new "friend" a name, and then decide on the personality that he will have. The next step is to give your friend movements that agree with the personality you have chosen. Now you can learn to make your "friend" talk. A ventriloquist will control his mouth and lips so that it will appear that his voice is coming from the object he is using. This will take practice, but you can do it. First, decide on a voice that is different from your own. It could be higher or lower than yours, or could even have a special accent. Then, find a clean teaspoon and hold the handle between your front teeth. Now, using the voice you created for your friend and holding the handle of the teaspoon tightly between your teeth, look into a mirror and talk. Practicing with the spoon in your mouth will help you learn to keep your mouth from moving. Now try telling a joke in your normal voice and have your friend speak in his voice. Practice those words until you can say them without your lips moving at all. Ventriloquism is fun. It also requires hard work to become good at it. The most important thing to do is practice. But if you are willing to take the time to give your friend an interesting personality, to practice lively movements, and to work on good mouth control, then you will be well on your way to becoming a ventriloquist! According to the text, a ventriloquist _ . A is a person who can make puppets B needs to work with another person C can speak without using his mouth D can make an object seem to speak Answer: D Kingsley was prosecuted for selling cocaine to an undercover police agent. At his trial, he testified that he only sold the drugs to the agent, whom Kingsley knew as "Speedy," because Speedy had told him that he (Speedy) would be killed by fellow gang members unless he supplied them with cocaine. The prosecution did not cross-examine Kingsley. As rebuttal evidence, however, the prosecutor introduced records, over Kingsley's objection, showing that Kingsley had two prior convictions for narcotics-related offenses. The court instructed the jury concerning the defense of entrapment and added, also over Kingsley's objection but in accord with state law, that it should acquit on the ground of entrapment only if it found that the defendant entrapment only if it found that the defendant had established the elements of the defense by a preponderance of the evidence. Kingsley was convicted. On appeal, Kingsley's conviction should be A reversed, because it was an error for the court to admit the evidence of his prior convictions as substantive evidence. B reversed, because it was a violation of due process to impose on the defense a burden of persuasion concerning entrapment. C reversed, for both of the above reasons. D affirmed, because neither of the above reasons constitutes a ground for reversal. Answer: D Iee Lok Sze was the first woman in Hong Kong to reach both the North and South Poles.In 1992 and1993,she went to Mount Everest and the Taldamkhan Desert in Xin- jiang."I wanted to be an adventurer when l was small.I have loved reading adventure books since I was a child."Since 1970,Miss Lee has always been on trips,travelling to different parts of the world with a backpack and a sleeping bag. She said that these journeys changed her values."After visiting these places,I started to treasure my life much more than before.During this time,I came to realize how small I am in the universe,but nothing in this world is unsolvable. Miss Lee said she had a lot of unforgettable experiences on her journeys.There was one terrible storm at sea when she was returning from the South Pole.The whole team was happy to be returning home after a one-year stay at the South Pole.During the storm, waves reached heights of up to 30 meters.as high as a 10-story building.She stayed calm at the time and took steps to protect their research findings.She hoped the rescuers would find them even if they lost their lives.Part of the ship was destroyed and a lot of water came in.Luckily they all survived,but she came away from the experience with a realiza- tion about the power of nature. Miss Lee is also the founder of the China Polar Museum Foundation.Building a polar museum has always been her dream.According to Miss Lee,the museum will use advanced technology to help develop scientists work in polar areas.Also,it will provide Places for scientists to do research. Which would be the best title for the text? A Fighting Against Nature B Attractions of the Poles C Surviving a Terrible Storm D A Brave and Noble Woman Answer: D There are various reasons why cancers appear to be on the increase. For one thing, though their sufferers are to be found in all age groups, cancers are particularly likely to attack persons in their middle and advanced years. Naturally, since people live longer these years, there are more cancer sufferers than before. Again, with better methods of diagnosis , doctors can more easily recognize cancerous growths that would formerly have passed unnoticed or that would have been wrongly diagnosed. It is also believed that certain habits and conditions of modern living, including heavy smoking and the pollution of the air, may leave people living in more cancer-causing conditions than before. We all look forward to the day when a simple medical test can find cancer while it is still small. Researchers around the world are working on _ . Most of their work deals with the examination of the blood. Researchers in Boston have found something in the blood of cancer patients that does not appear in healthy persons. The test showed which persons had cancer and which did not. It was correct more than 90 percent of the time. The researchers believe the test may be able to show cancer very clearly in its development. Cancers discovered early usually can be treated successfully. The test examines very small bits of fat in the blood called lipids . Cancers seem to change lipids although doctors do not know why. The test showed differences between the lipids of the persons with cancer and the lipids of those without cancer. The researchers say the new test could be a step to develop a simple way to check patients for cancer before the disease shows on an X-ray. What would be the best title for the passage? A A simple way to cancer B Cancers can be cured C How to find cancer D Early discovery of cancer Answer: D Since the beginning of time never has there been another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my ears, my hands, my mouth. None that came before, none that live today, and none that come tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me. I'm a unique creature. Vain attempts to imitate others no longer will I make. Instead will I place my uniqueness on display in the market place. I will begin now to highlight my differences; hide my similarities. I am rare, and therefore I am valuable. I am the end product of thousands of years of evolution; therefore, I am better equipped in both mind and body than all the emperors and wise men before me. But my skills, my mind, my heart, and my body will weaken, rot, and die for fear that I put them to good use. I have unlimited potential. Only a tiny part of my brain do I employ; only a small amount of my muscle do I apply. So never again will I be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments nor will I lose myself, anymore, in self-praise for deeds which in reality are too small to even acknowledge. I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will. I am not on this earth by chance. I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy. I will increase my knowledge of mankind, myself, and the goods I sell. I will practice, and improve, and polish the words I speak to multiply my sales, for this is the foundation on which I will build my career. Also will I seek constantly to improve my manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracteD. I have been given eyes to see and a mind to think and now I know a great secret of life that all my problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise. I am nature's greatest miracle. And nature knows not defeat. Eventually, she achieves victory and so will I, and with each victory the next struggle becomes less difficult. Which of the following can best describe the author's character? A Intelligent, calm and content. B Confident, modest and realistic. C Independent, cold and aggressive. D Ambitious, confident and optimistic. Answer: D
Getting into university is hard enough at the best of times--but when your chosen institution is a work of fiction you're really up against. And that's why this young joker's Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application to Hogwarts University was unsuccessful. But the admissions services' response to the young man is still funny. The unnamed A-Level student wrote a handwritten note to UCAS asking for a place studying ' _ ' at the Harry Potter school. In the application, he was proud of his skills in "wearing a pointy hat" and "Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials". UCAS replied, "We regret to inform you that your application to the stated university cannot be processed at this time for the fact that it does not exist. "After consultation with our mystic advisors we have also determined that even if it did exist, the course 'Wandology' would be highly in demand and thus require at least two As and a B in any of the following subjects: Advanced Spellcrafting Mystimatics Defence Against the Dark Arts History of the Mysticism Shaft Design "Your handwritten grade sheet claiming top marks in 'Waving a stick about', 'Wearing a pointy hat' and 'Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials' sadly is not suitable for admission, however, by applying through clearing you may be suitable for a selection of Liberal Arts courses." "Or, you may wish to resubmit next year by tying your letter to an owl and hoping for the best. "On behalf of UCAS I wish you every success." Where may this passage be found? A. In a magic magazine. B. In a history book. C. In a science fiction. D. In a newspaper. Answer: D. In a newspaper. Because of the change in the American public school system over the last several years, now many parents choose to home-school their children. There are many reasons behind this. Let's take a look at a few of them. For some parents, they have religious reasons for home-schooling. The public school system does not have religious teachings, so these parents want to put religion into the children's daily school activities. This might include teaching religion-based courses rather than coursework that is taught in public schools. For some parents, they do not feel that their local school system offers their children the best learning opportunities. So they want to take matters into their own hands. This may be because the local school has low educational standards or for some other reason the parents think it necessary to take their children out of the system. Sometimes the parents just feel the children will get a better education at home. Some parents may not be rich enough to send their children to a private school, so the next best thing in their eyes is home-schooling. Thus they can teach their children what they like. One should remember that the laws about home-schooling _ from state to state. In some states, the parents are required to hand in monthly attendance records to their local school system. What's more, most states require state testing at certain periods such as the CRCT. How many reasons for home-schooling are mentioned in the passage? A. 2 B. 4 C. 3 D. 5 Answer: C. 3 Many people like animals and raise one or more as pets--dogs, cat or some kinds of birds. I love dogs, too. My aunt gave me a dog on my birthday. We call it Wangwang. It is a little black dog. He is friendly and helpful. Most of the time he likes to run and play with me. Sometimes he follows my father around in the fields. One day, my father took off his grey coat and put it on the ground under a big tree. Wangwang stood watching him. My father said, "Watch over my coat, Wangwant." Wangwant sat down beside the coat. My father went on working. After he finished his work, he forgot all about his coat and went home. Late in the evening I didn't see my dog. I looked everywhere for him calling, "Wangwang, Wangwang!" But Wangwang didn't come back. Soon my father wanted something that was in his coat pocket. Then he remembered what he had done. He went back to the big tree. What do you think he saw? Wangwang was sitting on the coat so that nobody could take it away. What did the writer's father ask Wangwang to do under the tree? A. To watch over the coat. B. To walk around. C. To follow him. D. To play with him. Answer: A. To watch over the coat. Findley Lake, New York is a small beautiful village that sells itself as a holiday place for all seasons. The Findley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce supports a number of events all the year round that begin in March. At Findley Lake during the summer, there is boating, fishing and water sport activities. You can watch a boat parade and a fireworks display at the Findley Lake 4thof July boat parade. The "Harvest Festival" and October's "Autumn at the Lake" show that fall season is coming. In November, Findley Lake's "Christmas through the Village" starts off the holiday shopping season. Shopping at Findley Lake is a wonderful experience. It is easy to walk along Main Street and visit all the shops. There are over twenty shops that sell different kinds of gifts. Some of the special shops are the candle making factory, the year-round Christmas shop, and the Victorian shop. At the center of Findley Lake is the Blue Heron Inn which is a pleasant place to stay in. Breakfasts, lunches and dinners are open to the public and the meals are delicious. Dine outside on the porch looking down the lake or inside the comfortable dining rooms. Take time to shop at their store, Nostalgia, for unique items. As you walk around town, you can see a working waterwheel. If you have an interest in history, stop and visit the World War II Museum as well. The Village of Findley Lake offers something for everyone. It is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. With year-round shopping and delicious dining at the Blue Heron Inn while looking down at the beautiful view of the lake, it is certain to please the visitors to this attractive village. From the passage we know Nostalgia _ . A. is a World War II museum B. sells special goods C. serves delicious local foods D. provides comfortable rooms Answer: B. sells special goods My dad was a plumber for the public works department in our town, so from time to time he came into my school. Can you imagine sitting in class and seeing your dad walk past the door of your classroom and wave his hand at you? In junior high? One girl in our class always made fun of me because my dad was a plumber and hers was a lawyer , and she would say things like, "Ew, that's gross !" I must admit I was sometimes embarrassed by what my dad did, especially in my early teens, when the only thing I really cared about was what the other girls thought. The girl lived a few streets away from us, and one winter day---the day her elder sister was getting married---the toilet in their main upstairs bathroom broke and there was water everywhere. Her father, the lawyer called every plumber in the Yellow Page, but nobody would come and because we were having a major snowstorm. Her daughter told him that my father was a plumber, and he called, and my dad went right over---and took me with him.(Maybe he was hoping that the lawyer's daughter would be nicer to me.) My father fixed the toilet, help them clean up everything, and didn't take much time for his trouble. But as we were leaving, he told the girl, "If I ever need a lawyer, I'll be happy to call your dad." As we walked to our car, he said to me, "Do you believe he didn't know where the main shut-off valve was? What a dumb ass!" From that point on, her dad was known in school as Lawyer Dumb Ass. When my husband and I bought our house, the first thing my dad showed him was the main shut-off valve. I have always been proud to say that I'm a plumber's daughter. The girl's attitude towards the writer can be best described as _ . A. unfriendly B. doubtful C. kind D. gross Answer: A. unfriendly
The BP disaster caused what to go into what? A fuel into Gulf B satellites into space C lightning into forests D lava into park Answer: A. fuel into Gulf There was a big race in town. Stephanie and Sarah were friends. Stephanie was faster than Sarah. On the day of the race, they wished each other good luck. Sarah tripped on a rock during the race. She cried but another one of her friends, Matt, helped her stand up. Stephanie cheered for her to finish after she crossed the line. On the next day Sarah came into school with a bruise on her knee. Jane thought she looked silly. They were in the same class. Jane did not make fun of Sarah. She gave her a bandage instead. It had a cat on it to match Sarah's shirt. Sarah was still unhappy. She would not eat her lunch or play at recess. When Stephanie tried to talk to her she frowned. Then Stephanie gave Sarah a bunny toy that she liked. Sarah smiled. She gave Stephanie a hug. Why was Sarah unhappy? A Stephanie was her friend B She did not win the race C Matt helped her stand up D Jane gave her a bandage Answer: B. She did not win the race The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for the Chinese people. For the Chinese,the New Year comes with the first day of the First Moon,between January 21 and February 19. People get ready for the holiday for fifteen days. Finally,at midnight it is the first day of the First Moon. People close the shops and the streets are empty. Everyone locks the doors and stays at home. It is an important time for the family. The younger people bow to the older people. The Chinese call this Ke Tou. This means "to touch the ground with the forehead ".Then the younger people wish the older people a happy New Year. The older people give children gifts of money inside envelopes . The family then go to sleep. In the morning,people dress in their best clothes. Some people stay at home,others go out to pay a New Year Call. They are very polite and do not use bad words. It's the most important day of the year. It takes about _ to get ready for the Chinese New Year. A a few days B twelve days C half a month D three weeks Answer: C. half a month Grandpa was a carpenter . One day he was making some boxes for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage in Egypt. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. He drove back to the church, but his search turned out to be fruitless. Suddenly, he realized what happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket and fallen into one of the boxes, which he had nailed shut. His new glasses were heading for Africa! Grandpa had six children and he had paid twenty dollars for the glasses that morning. "It's not fair," he told God as he drove home. "I've been very faithful in giving my time and money to YOUR work." Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on holiday in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that helped him in Egypt, so he came to speak on Sunday night at my grandfather's small church in Chicago. "But most of all," he said, "I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, I had just broken my glasses. Then your boxes arrived. To my surprise, I found a pair of glasses in it and it fit me very well!" The people listened, happy for the amazing glasses, but thought that the man must have confused their church with another. There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas. Sitting quietly in the back, with tears in his eyes, Grandpa realized that God had played a big trick on him. Where were Grandpa's glasses lost? A In a church in Egypt. B In the box he made. C On his way home. D At the orphanage. Answer: B. In the box he made. The Linguistic Habits of a New Generation In the year of 1914 a young girl named Monica Baldwin entered a convent ,remaining there until 1941 when she returned to the outer world. During these twenty-eight years wars and revolutions had come and gone in Europe. Her uncle, Stanley Baldwin, had led his country for some time. Technical developments had changed the conditions of everyday life almost beyond recognitions, but all these events had left as a matter of fact untouched the small religious community to which she had belonged. In 1949 Miss Baldwin published her impressions of those bewildering years of her return to a world in which the motorcar had replaced the horse and carriage and where respectable women showed their legs and painted their faces. Yet it was not only these odd sights that surprised her, for she was more puzzled by what she heard. During a railway journey the term "luggage in advance" meant nothing to her, so in desperation she asked the porter to do as he thought best. Reading the newspapers made her feel very stupid, because the writers of reviews and leading articles used words and phrases such as Jazz,prefix = st1 /Hollywood, Cocktail and Isolationism. These and many others were quite incomprehensible to Miss Baldwin, who was really bewildered when friends said: "It's your funeral or Believe it or not." This is a rare and valuable reminder to the rest of us that the English language does not stand still. All language changes over a period of time for reasons which are imperfectly understood. Or rather since speech is really a form of human activity, it is more exact to say that each successive generation behaves linguistically in a slightly different manner from its predecessors(,). In his teens the young man likes to show how up-to-date he is by the use of the latest slang , but as the years go by some of his slang becomes standard usage and in any case he slowly grows less receptive to linguistic novelties(,),so that by the time he reaches his forties he will probably be unware that some of the expressions and pronunciations now being used were frowned upon by his own parents. In this respect language is a little like fashions in people's dress. The informal clothes of one generation become the everyday wear of the next, and just as young doctors and bank clerks nowadays go about their business in sports jackets, they are allowed into their normal vocabulary expressions which were once limited to slang and familiar conversation. Miss Baldwin found the world totally changed because_. A she had worked for a religious community for a long time B she had been cut off from the rest of the world for many years C the community where she lived had been in war for many years D there had been too many technical developments Answer: B. she had been cut off from the rest of the world for many years
Becky was really smart. She knew how to spell really well. She won every spelling prize from her teacher. Her teacher told her that soon the whole school would have a spelling test. Becky wanted to get the highest grade. Her two best friends were going take it too. She dreamed that they would all get prizes. Every day she practiced spelling new words. Her family always laughed. "Is that a spelling word Becky?" they would ask. Then they would all practice it together. Becky walked with her dog to school each day excited. Soon the day of the test arrived. Becky was not nervous. She had eaten a big breakfast. She had worn her lucky socks. She had spelled every single word she knew out loud. When Becky got her test, she picked up her sharpened pencil and happily started writing her name. The spelling test was going to be hard, but she could do it! What did Becky do really well? Answer: John Smith was a very handsome young man but he was lazy. He had finished his education and was happy to sit in his room and listen to the radio all day long. In fact, he had been doing nothing for almost six months, which worried his father a lot. One day Mr. Smith decided that he had to do something. "Johnny, When I was your age I was working and supporting my ten brothers and sisters. I want you to go out and get a job." So that was what he did. In fact, in the next three months, Johnny started ten jobs and was fired from ten jobs. He explained to his father. "They wanted me to be at work at 8:00 a. m. and told me to do all sorts of unpleasant things." "I don't care how you do it," Mr. Smith said. "Either you earn some money or move out of the house. I gave you one week's time." In the next few days Johnny began to change. He still stayed in his room all day, but spent his time writing letters and reading through the newspapers. More and more posts began to arrive for him. He bought a new suit for himself and invited his parents to the theatre and for dinner afterwards at the most expensive restaurant in town. When his proud parents arrived home after their evening hour, a policeman was waiting at the front door. "John Smith," he said as he handed him a piece of paper, "I'll see you in the court tomorrow." When he got outside, Johnny told his parents everything. "When you told me to earn some money, I decided to put an advertisement in the newspaper saying, 'New way to money fast! Send me $ 5 and I'll tell you my secret.' When I received the money I wrote back telling people to do as I do." Johnny was fined $250 by the court and was ordered to pay all the people back. As he left the court house feeling very ashamed, a newspaper man came up to him, "Young man, would you like to tell your story to my newspaper for $2,500?" Johnny was fired from the jobs because _ . Answer: Beijing today, first published in May, 2001, is the capital's only English weekly newspaper and is published with the help of the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government and run by Beijing Youth Daily. Its readers include English-speaking foreigners living in Beijing and local Chinese who have great interest in English or take English as a working language. The paper's main content deals with metropolitan life, explaining the differences and similarities between Eastern and Western culture. Its culture and lifestyle part is regarded as a guide to metropolitan life in Beijing. The paper has 24 pages in four main sections: NEWS: Select stories that discuss cultural differences. COMMUNITY: Reports on developments related to foreigners in the city and a platform by which they can communicate with a bigger audience. CULTURE and LIFESTYLE: Highlights from international lifestyle and fashion trends in Beijing STUDY: Cheerful and humorous pieces to help English-language students improve their skills Beijing Today circulates 50,000 copies published every Friday. It is one of Beijing's most authoritative English media sources, and is sold at post newsstands and distributed in hotels, apartment complexes, etc. Price: 2 yuan per issue Which of the following sections would be the best choice to exchange thoughts with others? Answer: Do you know any people like these? They are part of a new addiction called Internet addiction.Internet addicts spend at least thirty to forty hours online every week.The use of the Internet can be an addiction like drug use.People lose control of the time they spend on the Internet. For example,one college student was missing for several days.His friends were worried,and they called the police.The police found the student in the computer lab, he was surfing the net for several days straight. Studies show that about 6% to 10% of Internet users become addicted.And people worry about the teens because the Internet is changing the playing field for some of them.They spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family. Is "surfing the net'' a hobby or an addiction for you? You may have a problem if you have these symptoms : You do not go to important family activities or you do not do school work because you like to spend hours on the Internet. You can't wait for your next online time. You plan to spend a short time online,but then you spend several hours. You go out with your friends less and less. How does the writer describe the addicts' use of Internet? Answer: A company advertised in the newspaper for a sales position. Details of the prerequisite , salary and benefits were given. It was also clearly stated that applicants needed to take an aptitude test and an interview. However, looking at the whole advertisement, one could not find any contact information of the company. Most interested applicants thought that it was the company's HR department's carelessness or a printing error. They therefore waited patiently for the newspaper to publish an amendment. But instead of waiting for the newspaper to publish the company details, another three applicants took the initiative to find out the company's contact information themselves. Tim did a search on the Internet. By typing the company's name, he easily obtained all the information including its contact number. Lisa called up the local telephone number search service and found out the company's office number. She called up the office and got the required contact information. Donna put in a greater effort in her search. She remembered seeing a poster by the same company in the city so she drove all the way down and made a few rounds to search for it. She finally found it together with the company's contact information. Three days after that advertisement was published in the newspaper, most interested applicants were still waiting eagerly for an amendment. On the other hand, the application letters and resumes of Tim, Lisa and Donna had already reached the hands of the company's HR manager. They were then called up for an interview. During the interview, all went well and immediately they were hired. The three of them were a little surprised at how fast things went on. They were expecting for an aptitude test as stated in the advertisement. The HR director answered them, smiling, "Our test is hidden in the advertisement itself. To be a good salesperson in this age, he or she has to be broad-minded and very importantly, does not follow rigid steps or rules. You are all clever and agile. In a short time, you've managed to find ways of contacting us. It shows clearly that you have passed the test with flying colors!" The fools sit around waiting for their chances whereas the wise actively take actions with great initiative . According to the passage the company wanted to test the applicants' _ . Answer:
I love it at night. It's peaceful. And when it cools down I sometimes do some ironing. I don't really care for it. I work full-time and am too busy for most housework. I remember the old woman who taught me to iron . I was about 15 and somehow got a live-in job taking care of a woman who had been an able-bodied, healthy woman until the accident that caused her to be paralyzed. The woman had an electric wheelchair. She could move her head and arms but not her hands or fingers. She had this clamp attached to her arm and I'd have to open it and put a cup or a pencil in it and then she could move it. She would tell me how to do things. She would instruct me in great detail on the correct way to do things. Her home was perfect and beautiful. She would follow me around in her electric wheelchair to make sure I did everything exactly right. I'm sure she had been a perfect homemaker. She would have me fold everything, including socks and pillow cases. I would complain silently and wish terrible things on her. She taught me the right way to make the bed and tuck the corners. I know sometimes she'd get frustrated and impatient with me. I knew she wanted to grab it and do it herself. But she never yelled or scolded. Only she insisted I do it right. I didn't like it much, but I did it. Today I can iron pretty well. I know where to start on a shirt, the right way to do the collar and sleeves. Now that I think about it, I don't think she is an old lady. I think she might have been about my age now. Anyway, when I iron, I think of her and silently thank her for all the things I learned. From the passage we can infer that the writer of the passage now is _ . a full-time worker In which way are evaporation and condensation similar? Both are caused by changes in heat energy. In this fast-shifting world, there can be no guarantees attached to any particular job. But there is much that you can do to protect yourself from the change of society, by equipping yourself with the skills to manage your career more effectively. You need to be a career activist. If you lost your main source of income tomorrow, could you find a different source to replace it? The most important thing in protecting yourself now and in the future is ensuring that you have choices. Don't let yourself be held back by a lack of skill development, or fear of change. Some people have been good performers in their own organization but discovered that they are stuck. Because they are so closely related to a particular company or industry, their skills are not readily transferred to other jobs. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. If you limit yourself to one particular area or sector, you limit your opportunity, too. In a global market place, many jobs come and go quickly as changes in the stock market. Today's hottest job may not exist tomorrow. If you love computers, then this work represents a great choice. But don't enter a field just because you think that's where the hot jobs are; even if the job is available, it may not match well with your own skills and abilities. Start with entry of your own strengths and interests, then see where you may match up best in the job market. What is the best job for you to choose according to the writer? Something involving your strengths and interests. People began making clocks over 500 years ago. The first clocks had only one hand---the hour hand. At a later time the clocks had the minute hand. The first clocks were big and heavy. Some rich people had servants to carry the clocks when they were out. Time passed and clocks became smaller. Bells became a part of some large clocks in cities and towns. They were for people unable to see the clock. Some clocks were in large towers . Some of them are 400 or 500 years old now. Big Ben in London is a very famous tower clock. Now many people have alarm clocks to wake them up to go to work or go to school. So clocks are the very important part of people's life. Bells were made for _ . the people unable to see the clock American researchers have discovered that human brains and sleep patterns are confused by devices that give out bright lights. Electronics, such as laptops, mislead our minds into thinking that it is still daytime, preventing sleep and increasing the risk of _ . Sleep experts say human's natural body clock begins to rest and relax from the day between 9 and 10 pm but the use of computers confuses it. A person's brain biologically becomes awake when the sun is out because bright light after dark causes the brain to stop producing the hormone called melatonin that makes us sleepy. Researchers say blue light from devices such as iPads, which is expected to become a popular reading tool when it comes out later this month, is particularly disruptive during the night when the brain thinks it should be dark. Experts say a good book is a far better way of resting the brain and ensuring a good night's sleep because the bedside lamp light doesn't affect the brain as it does not look straight into a person's eyes. "Potentially, yes, if you're using an iPad or a laptop close to bedtime... that light can be stimulating to the brain to make it more awake and delay your ability to sleep," Phyllis Zee, a professor at Northwestern University and director of the school's Centre for Sleep & Circadian Biology, told CNN. "And I think more importantly, it could also be enough to affect your circadian rhythm. This is the clock in your brain that determines when you sleep and when you wake up. " Alon Avidan, associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of California Los Angeles, added, "I wish people would just take a boring book -- an oldfashioned book -- and read by a lamp." We can conclude from the passage that _ . one who uses his laptop often before bedtime can have his body clock disturbed
Question: LONDON -- Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent fast-forward. Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough. But Hanger also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club. Often, the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 pm. There is just time for a quick supper before homework. In today's world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line. Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child. "Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress," says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota. Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It's a very serious problem. Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four. "There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child's potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down," says Terry Apter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist . "It isn't entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously seen as strange behaviour is now well accepted." British parents, as the writer described in this passage, _ . A. treat their children as sports players B. pay no attention to their children's lessons C. bring up their children in a simple way D. give their children little time to develop freely Answer: D Question: The Guinness World Records Museum address:329 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205 Open Hours: From September to May :10 am to 7 pm Sunday through Thursday 10 am to 10 pm Friday and Saturday From June to August: 10 am to 10 pm Sunday through Thursday 10 am to Midnight Friday and Saturday Adult single: $ 14.95 for 2 attractions, $18.95 for any 4 attractions, $22.95 for all attractions Child(4~12)Single: $8.95 for 2 attractions ,$11.95 for any 4 attraction, $14.95 for all attractions In the museum you can enter the different exhibition halls you see below. In each of these halls you can see the world records of different kinds . Sometimes you may get a chance to do something so that you can know better how a record was set. On a Sunday in October, you may stay in the museum until _ . A. 9:00 pm B. 8:00 pm C. 7:00 pm D. 10:00 pm Answer: C Question: Contrary to most people' s idea, the air in Coastal cities can be far from fresh and healthful, said a report recently published. University of California Professor Mark Thiemens led the research team. His team. report blames ships that release dirty smoke by burning low-cost, high-sulfur fuel. They directly measured smoke released from a ship. They also tested air at the end of the Scripps Pier .The area is just north of San Diego, which is both a major city and port. The Scripps Pier is also close to waters with heavy shipping traffic and the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles has the third largest port in the world. Primary sulfate is produced when a ship burns fuel called bunker oil. Bunker oil contains a Large amount of sulfur. Most sulfur released by ships burning bunker oil is a gaseous pollutant--sulfur dioxide. After a time, sulfur dioxide becomes sulfate in the atmosphere. The researchers say this primary sulfate may be only a small part of what ships produce. Professor Thiemens said no one had really expected that ships would be responsible for so many , particulates .He said the extremely small particles ( )are especially threatening. They measure only one and one half microns in size., A micron is one millionth of a meter. The researchers say the particulates can travel long distances because they stay in the atmosphere longer than other pollutants. Professor Thiemens noted that the air of Los Angeles influenced air quality in San Die -go. That distance is almost 180 kilometers. , Primary sulfur particulates can also threaten human health. When people breathe, the particulates stay in their lungs. Other scientists have said that up to 60,000 people around the world die each year from dirty ship smoke. Other gaseous pollutants from ships include nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide. Earlier this year, a United Nations' report said gases from ships produce more than one billion tons of carbon dioxide every year. Ships are not governed under the Kyoto Protocol, the agreement that establishes limits for gases linked to climate change. But international rules requiring ship fuels that burn cleanly are to become effective in 2015. What is the main idea of the passage? A. Coastal cities are ideal places to live in. B. The air quality in coastal cities is worrying. C. Cleaner-burning fuels are welcome in ships. D. The world's oceans' ecosystem is far from satisfactory. Answer: B Question: "Wanted by the FBI".To the murderer,or the bank robber,these are the most frightening words in the world.When the criminal hears them,he knows that six thousand trained persons are after him. Why should he be so afraid? There are thousands of cities and villages where he can hide,and forests and deserts,as well.Besides,he's usually rich with stolen money. Money can make it easier to hide.With money,the criminal can even pay a doctor to operate on his face and make him hard to recognize.But the criminals know that as public enemies,they can be found by the FBI,no matter where they hide. They know every trick the criminal knows and many more.If he makes just one mistake,they'll get him.That's why the man who is wanted can't sleep.That's why he becomes nervous,and why he jumps at every sound. The FBI began on May 10th,1924.General Harlan Stone chose Edgar Hoover,a young lawyer,to hold the new agency."What we need is a wholly new kind of police force."he said."Criminals today are smart.They use stolen cars and even planes to make their gateways.They have learned to open any lock,using advanced technology.We can't beat them with old methods.We have to train officers to work scientifically." Edgar Hoover quietly went ahead with his plans.He picked his men carefully.They had to be between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five.He wanted only men with good manners and good character.When working as his officers,they would have to meet all kinds of people.Hoover wanted men who could _ .But the FBI cannot help in every police problem.It can look into only certain crimes against the government.Solving all other crimes is the duty of local police forces. A man who can"handle a teacup as well as a gun"has both _ . A. manners and courage B. strength and kindness C. wisdom and energy D. ability and humor Answer: A Question: A wetland habitat can continue to support the birds and fish that live there if people ___. A. drain the water away B. flood the highest parts of the land C. leave the land alone D. use the land for planting crops Answer: C
What do you think of a " talking kitchen"? A French Digital Kitchen has been developed at Newcastle University in the UK. It teaches students how to cook French food and speak French at the same time. For the first time, students can learn a language by the following cooking steps. All grammar and _ have been carefully chosen to make sure the users can understand French well. After learning for some time, the users can test themselves by doing a short test on the computer. The kitchen project was started by Professor Paul Seedhouse. He became interested in the idea after he visited another kind of talking kitchen. He said, " The purpose of the French Digital Kitchen is to make learning a language more interesting and more educational." How does the kitchen work? There is a computer in the kitchen. With this computer, the users can first choose a French recipe( ) that they want to follow. Using information in the computer, the kitchen starts to guide the users how to make a French dish. If you follow the instructions on the computer, it moves on to the next. If you go wrong, the program goes back and repeats the recipe or information. At any time, the users can also ask the kitchen to repeat the recipe or any information.. The new kitchen can be used in school, universities and even people's homes. The researchers will also be developing the European Digital Kitchen, for the next three years. Which of the following can be properly put in " _ "? vocabulary Education is not an end , but a means to an end . In other words , we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them . Our purpose is to fit them for life . In some modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all whether rich or poor , clever or stupid-one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation . But we can already see that free education for all is not enough ; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degrees , they refuse to do what they think "low" work , and , in fact , work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries . But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor , we can live without education, but we would die if we have no food . If no one cleaned our streets and tooled the rubbish away from our houses , we should get terrible diseases in our towns ... In fact , when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life , it means that we must be educated in such a way that , firstly , each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and , secondly , that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society , and that is very bad to be ashamed of one's work . Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society . The passage tells us about_of education . the value If a person wants to decrease their risk of experiencing flooding they would live on a mountaintop 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! ,. Which of the following statements is TRUE? Every snowflake is different from the other one. There are many differing thoughts on the effectiveness of hypnosis as a kind of treatment. However, scientific studies seem to have concluded that hypnosis is not only a true kind of treatment but also highly effective. There have been a number of controlled studies in recent decades and they all seem to agree hypnosis most definitely does work. Within this essay I will discuss just two of many studies about hypnosis and how they show that hypnosis works. In a study released in the Journal of Clinical Psychology to test the helpfulness of hypnosis in losing weight, 109 volunteers (ranging from the age of 17 to 67) completed a behavioral treatment either with or without the addition of hypnosis. The treatment took nine weeks and during return check-ups both eight months and two years after the treatment the people who used hypnosis showed a continued weight loss rate much higher than the people who didn't. Those who used hypnosis were much better at achieving their ideal weight goals. In 2009, researchers at Hull University found that hypnosis had an influence on brain scans. This shows that hypnosis had an influence on brain activity that can be picked up on brain scans. This shows that hypnosis is not just a placebo treatment as some doubters claim it is. "Our study shows hypnosis is real," said British psychologist Dr. Michael Heap who was involved in the study. This piece of research shows that hypnosis works and also exactly how it works. There are also studies proving that hypnosis works for pain relief, improving skin quality, improving confidence as well as helping with many other problems. If you've ever thought about using hypnosis but were not sure whether it would work for you, you should now have all the proof you need to use hypnosis with confidence. The passage mentions the following possible effects of hypnosis except _ . shaping character
Mrs Smith's husband went off on a business trip to Australia. He wanted to catch the 3:30 plane to Darwin. She was very surprised when he telephoned her at 5 o'clock and said that he was still at the airport. "What happened?" asked Mrs Smith. "Well," said Mr Smith, "everything was going fine. I got my ticket, checked my luggage and waited in line at the gate. I walked across the runway to the airplane and I saw my friend Jack Scott. Jack was an airplane engineer. I shouted to him and a policeman caught me." "Why did he catch you?" "I don't know," said Mr Smith," All I said was 'Hi, Jack! '" The word "hijack" means "to take control of a plane by force". Which of the following is NOT true? A. The police didn't know Mr Smith was Jack Scott's friend. B. Jack Scott worked as an airplane engineer. C. The policeman misunderstood Mr Smith. D. Mr Smith knew why the policeman caught him. Answer: D Everybody loves to play board games sometimes, but it is surprising to know how long this pastime has been in existence. Some of the earliest board games are over 5,000 years old. The oldest is probably Senet, an American Egyptian game which has been found in burials from before 3000 BC. The game involves an element of luck, and so it was thought by the Ancient Egyptians that those who won the game were protected by God. For this reason, games of Senet were often buried alongside the dead body, to be used on the dangerous game board is set out as a grid of three by ten rows, and uses two sets of at least five pawns. The actual rules are unknown, although some historians have proposed rules which were used in the Senet sets available today. The Royal Game of Ur, also known as the Game of Twenty Squares, is another ancient game which dates back to the First Dynasty of Ur, in 2600 BC Mesopotamia. It was played with two sets of seven counters, one black and one white, and three four-sided dice . Although the ancient rules are unknown, a stone tablet has been found which describes a reliable record of how the game was played in 177-176 BC. Both Senet and The Royal Game of Ur probably came into existence long before the game backgammon ,which itself has a long history. The game of Nard, which existed in Iran in around 3000 BC, used two sets of fifteen counters, four dice and same board as the one used in backgammon today, although the initial starting positions and rules are different. Similar games were played in Ancient Rome and India. What can be inferred from the text? A. All the games used the same number of dice. B. The earliest board game was found in Europe. C. There were some similarities between the games. D. We haven't got any record of the board games. Answer: C Did you know that women's brains are smaller than men's? The average women's brain weighs 10% less than men's. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it's what's inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of "grey matter" and "white matter". While men have more of the latter, the amount of "thinking" brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes. It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it's women who come out on top every time. There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. "A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go," says one researcher. That may explain one of life's great mysteries: Why men refuse to ask for directions ... and women often need to! The differences begin when fetuses are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children as young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research. If all this disappoints you, it shouldn't. "The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it," says a biologist. What is the writer's attitude in writing this passage? A. Defensive. B. Persuasive. C. Supportive. D. Objective. Answer: D The first day of the month of May is known as May Day. It is the time of year when warmer weather begins. People celebrate the coming of summer with customs that are expressions of joy and hope after a long winter. Today, May Day activities have been moved to the May Day holiday on the first Monday of the month. It is a public holiday when families take advantage of the time off to visit some of the UK's many attractions, including parks, zoos, historic buildings, ancient towns and villages and beautiful countryside. May Day celebrations have their origins in the Roman festival of Flora, the goddess of fruit and flowers, which marked the beginning of summer. People would decorate their houses and villages with leaves and flowers they picked at daybreak in the belief that the vegetation spirits would bring good luck. In the very early morning, young girls went into the fields and washed their faces with dew . They believed _ made them very beautiful for the following year. May Day was an important day in the Middle Ages and was a favorite holiday of many English villages. People of the time used to cut down young trees and stick them in the ground in the village to mark the arrival of summer. This is the origin of the maypole . People danced around them in celebration of the end of winter. Maypoles were once common all over England and were kept from one year to the next. The tallest maypole is said to have been put up in London on the Strand in 1661. It stood more than 143 feet high and was cut down in 1717, when it was used by Newton to support a new reflecting telescope invented by Dutch scientist Huygens. How do British people celebrate May Day? A. They visit friends and family members. B. They celebrate it on the first Monday of May. C. They spend a lot of time shopping around. D. They show great love for the long winter. Answer: B Mr Brown lives on Green Street now. He wants to send a postcard to his pen pal in Toronto,but he doesn't know where the post office is."Which is the way to the post office?"he asks his new neighbor Joe. "I want to send a postcard to Toronto.""The post office is quite far from here," answers Joe. "If you only want to post some letters or post cards ,you needn't go to the post office. You can put them into a mailbox down the street What does Mr Brown want to do in the post office? A. He wants to go to the mailbox. B. He wants to buy some stamps. C. He wants to send a postcard. D. He wants to know the way to Toronto. Answer: C
Question: Reading Oliver James'Affluenza, I thought about what often happens at home. My 12-year-old daughter is in tears."I have so take a test tomorrow. I don't understand any of it," she cries out. After shouting and shutting her door, she calms down enough to go through her notes. The following dry I ask her how the test went and the just says "OK,I got a nine". "Wow. well done!" I say, before she finishes with "But I never get a ten!" According to James, this _ with getting top marks has been a bad development, which encourages people to think of education in terms of work and money. To test this, I asked my daughter why she was so worried about her tests. She looked at me as if I was thick. "Well, if I don't get good grades, I won't be able to afford nice things like a car and stuff." I was quite surprised, because I don't consider myself a pushy parent. But James suggests and it leaves students feeling failures even if they are very bright. He points to the Danish system of education as a better model. Creating happy citizens who have good social skills is seen as more important than high achievements at school or the needs of business. For me, I cannot remember the last time I had to work out the area of a circle, recite a Shakespeare poem or grammar rules, yet I have lived a happy life. What I really needed to learn at school was how to make polite conversations, or how to avoid getting into debt or how to develop good personality. This is in fact similar to what Oliver James really has in mind. And he is looking for schools where students are encouraged to find and follow their own interests, something more like Tongjon. Tongjon has been developed in some Korean private schools. It is quite different from the more rigid system of learning things by heart that is used in Korea, and indeed in many other school systems around the world. As the Russian poet Pushkin said," Inspiration is needed in geometry just as much as in poetry ",and inspiration does not come from endlessly revising for tests or getting worried about them . The writer wants to tell us that _ . A. learning happily is the key to self-development. B. top marks may be helpful to increase one's interest. C. tests should be improved to give children inspiration. D. education should meet one's needs for word and money. Answer: A. learning happily is the key to self-development. Question: For 13-year-old Brooke Martin, seeing her golden dog Kayla has become much easier, even when she's not at home. Martin made a kind of machine--iCPooch. It allows pet owners to video chat with their pets and sends food from other places.2-1-c-n-j-y When a dog owner puts the iCPooch app on a phone, he or she can connect to the iCPooch machine at home and start talking. The owner's image and voice will be on the screen. When the owner pushes a button on the iCPooch app, the machine will give the dog some food that has been stored inside the box. How could Martin come up with the idea? The idea came to the Washington girl when she took a business class last year. That led her to think about helping her pet Kayla. Kayla always looked sad when she was left alone at home."I wanted to know how you could talk to your dog if you were not at home. And what if you were able to give them a treat while you were away?" Martin explained her idea. Now Martin and her family have set up a company. They've had investments from businessmen and asked a factory to make the product. They expected to sell 8,000 products by the end of 2015. Martin is satisfied with her success. "A year ago, I never thought that I would be able to start a business, or even having an idea for a business," she said. "I've learned that we are supposed to hold on to your dreams." From the passage, we know _ . A. the iCPooch is a kind of phone B. Martin set up her company in 2012 C. Martin will sell 5,000 products by the end of 2014 D. Martin held on to her dreams at last Answer: D. Martin held on to her dreams at last Question: Every Christmas the giant tree inprefix = st1 /RockefellerCentersparkles with thousands of lights. From the beginning, when construction workers raised the first one during the depths of the Depression, it has been a symbol of hope. Diana Abad, like most Americans, loved that tree. In 1999, however, Diana was writing her will. The 33-year-old woman from Staten Island, New York, was diagnosed with leukemia and wanted to put her things in order. Doctors told her she had nine months to live. Her slim chance for survival lay in finding a bone marrow donor. The most likely source for a match is always among s -- but her family was tested and there was none. Then one day in February 2000, she got a call from the hospital saying that out of the four million people _ in the National Marrow Donor Program Registry, there was only one match. The potential donor was thinking about it. In March the donor agreed, and the transplant procedure was scheduled for March 27. On that day, a doctor came in with the marrow in a bag, and Diana remembers him saying:"This is it. If it doesn't graft within four to six hours, nothing will bring you back." Diana asked a priest to give her last rite . Almost immediately after the two-hour procedure, she felt stronger. Doctors told her it looked like the graft had taken. Donors are anonymous, but when she was better, Diana sent a note through the Registry: "You don't know the joy that I am experiencing," she wrote. "I hope that one day we can meet and I can thank you in person." It was several months before the donor replied. At first he didn't even give his name. He was 34-year-old David Mason, and he lived inDedham,Massachusetts. But eventually the two exchanged phone numbers and began to talk. Then unexpectedly and unannounced, he turned up at her door inEnglishtown,New Jersey, on December 23. She says it was love at first sight. He says he didn't feel it until they met the second time. That meeting began a long-distance romance that culminated under the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in December 2004. That's where David proposed to Diana. She, of course, said yes. It can be inferred from the passage that_. A. leukemia is so serious a disease that nobody can survive in America B. patients who suffer from leukemia may feel very weak C. bone marrow transplant is very easy to carry out in America D. the man donor knew Diana would become his wife in advance Answer: B. patients who suffer from leukemia may feel very weak Question: Shower Radio --- Warranty and Directions Introduction Congratulations! You are now the owner of a So Fine Shower Radio! It is sure to provide entertainment for many hours. In addition, the radio features a timer for those days when you are in a hurry. Before using the radio, please read all directions, fill out and mail in the warranty card, and put warranty information in a safe place. Although we do not expect problems with the radio, you may need to refer to the warranty information at a later time. Warranty This radio is warranted for a one-year period that begins on the date of purchase. If it fails to work because of a problem of materials, please return it to the following address: So Fine Radio Corp, 1279 Delta Way, Monga. We will not pay shipping costs for returning the radio to us. We will either repair or replace the radio. Please allow at least four weeks for looking at the problem and repairing the radio. If you have not heard from us within six weeks, call our customer service department at 1-800-123. Radios that are returned to us for problems other than a problem of materials will be subject to service fee as well as the cost of the repairs. Customers will be informed of the charge by postcard. Radios will not be returned to customers until these fees are paid. Directions Please read all directions before using it. Please note that this radio is designed and built to operate well in a damp environment. The self-contained batteries and circuits are contained in the enclosed space that will bear heat and humidity. To Operate the Radio 1. Put two AA batteries in the enclosed space at the back of the radio. Be certain to follow the diagram, or the batteries will not provide electricity. The radio should NOT be adapted in order to be fixed into the wall; this will damage the waterproofing . 2. Turn the POWER dial in a clockwise direction until it clicks. Continue turning the dial until the desired volume is achieved. 3. To find the desired station, press the station selector button. The tuner will automatically go to the next highest signal. The station's call number will be visible in the digital screen. When the station with the highest frequency has been reached, the selector will start again at the lowest frequency. 4. To switch between AM and FM stations, move the sliding AM/FM switch. To Operate the Timer 1. Press the Timer Set button. Each time the button is pressed, five minutes will be put on the timer. The amount of time on the timer will be visible for five seconds on the digital screen. 2. When the time on the timer doesn't work, a beep will sound for ten seconds. The timer may be reset again one minute. Troubleshooting Before returning the radio for service, please check the following items: Problem: Radio cannot be heard. 1. Check batteries to be certain that they still have power and are put in correctly. 2. Check Power/Volume Control. Problem: Timer does not work. 1. Check batteries to be certain that they still have power and are put in correctly. 2. Follow directions above for setting timer. 3. Turn the power control on. The timer will not work when the radio is not on. 4. Adjust the volume control which regulates the volume of the beep as well as the radio volume. The digital screen will show both _ . A. the volume level and the AM/FM indicator B. the AM/FM indicator and the radio station C. the time remaining on the timer and the date D. the call number and time on the timer Answer: D. the call number and time on the timer Question: A federal agency on Tuesday called for a ban on all cellphone use by drivers -- the most far-reaching recommendation up to now -- saying its decision was based on a decade of investigations into distraction-related accidents, as well as growing concerns that powerful mobile devices are giving drivers even more reasons to look away from the road. As part of its recommendation, the National Transportation Safety Board is urging states to ban drivers from using hands-free devices, including wireless headsets. No state now has made laws to ban such activity, but the Board said that drivers faced serious risks from talking on wireless headsets, just as they do by taking a hand off the wheel to hold a phone to their ears. However, the concern was heightened by increasingly powerful phones that people can use to send e-mails, watch movies and play games. "Every year, new devices are being on sale." she said. "People are attracted to update their Facebook page, to play music with cellphone, as if sitting at a desk. But they are driving a car." The agency based its recommendation on evidence from its investigation of numerous crashes in which electronic distraction was a major contributing factor. Ms. Hersman said she understood that this recommendation would be unwelcome in some circles, given the number of drivers who talk and text. But she compared distracted driving to drunken driving and even smoking, which required wholesale cultural shifts to change behavior. "It's going to be very unpopular with some people." she said. "We're not here to win a popularity contest. We're here to do the right thing. This is a difficult recommendation, but it's the right recommendation and it is time." The agency's recommendation is not required for states to adopt such a ban. And it won't likely be agreed upon by state lawmakers who are unwillingly to anger those who have grown accustomed to using their device behind the wheel. The ban also deserves attention because it is the first call by a federal agency to end the practice completely, rather than the partial ban that some lawmakers have put in place by allowing hands-free talking. We can know from the passage that _ . A. electronic distraction resulted in numerous crashes B. numerous crashes were caused by drunk driving C. electronic distraction contributed much to the ban D. the recommendation was based on electronic distraction Answer: A. electronic distraction resulted in numerous crashes
Question: A professor told his students to go into the city slum to study the life of 200 boys.He asked them to write reports about each boy's life and future.Every one of the students wrote,"He doesn't have any hope." Twenty-five years later.another professor read about the earlier study.He told his students to find out what had happened to these boys.Of the 200 boys,20 had moved away or died.Nobody knew what had happened to them.They tried very hard and found the other 180 people.Among them 176 had become successful as doctors,teachers and scientists. The professor was very surprised and decided to study it further.Luckily,all the men were living near the place and he was able to ask each one,"What made you successful?" Each one answered with feeling."There was a teacher." The teacher was still living there,so the professor found her and asked the old woman what she had used to pull those out of the slums,and change them into successful people. The teacher's eyes began to shine and she said with a sweet smile,"It's really very easy.I loved those boys." Of the 200 boys,how many were known to be not successful? A. 4 B. 20 C. 24 D. 176 Answer: A. 4 Question: A certain animal has specialized cells that can cause it to change color rapidly. This color change will most likely help the animal A. run quickly. B. digest food rapidly. C. hide from predators. D. retain body heat. Answer: C. hide from predators. Question: One day a man was walking in the street when he met a penguin .It was a handsome and very brave bird. It seemed to take an immediate liking to the man, because it walked up to him and then followed him wherever he went.This was funny for a while but in the end became rather embarrassing . "Go away, you silly bird, ''the man said to the penguin, but the bird ignored him. It simply would not leave him alone.Wherever he went, the bird went too. At last, in desperation the man walked into a police station."Excuse me, officer." he said. "I need some advice. I met this penguin in the street and I don't know what to do with it." A bored policeman looked up from what he was writing and said, "Just take it to the zoo, sir.'' "Oh,all right.''said the man. The next day the man was walking along the street, still accompanied by the penguin, when he met the policeman he'd spoken to the day before.The policeman was not pleased to see them."I thought I advised you to take that animal to the zoo, " he said. "Well, yes, officer, you did.And I did take him to the zoo, " the man explained. "And we had a great time. But we can't go to the zoo every day.I thought today I'd take him to the movies.'' The man went into the police station to _ . A. sell the bird to the police B. get something to feed the bird C. ask for advice about what to do with the penguin D. ask the police to kill the bird Answer: C. ask for advice about what to do with the penguin Question: I paid a visit to Cambridge last January. Though the trip took me 5 hours and it rained the whole day with strong winds there, the town deserved a visit. The bus started at 6:10 a. m. It stopped at 4 airports before we finally arrived,which wasted more time than we expected. Tired with long sitting,one passenger stood up to relax his numbed legs. The driver asked him to sit down but in vain. So he pulled up and said seriously, "Either you get off or sit down." To him, safety is the first policy. Cambridge consists of over thirty colleges. The oldest part of the university was built in the 13th century while the newest was founded in the mid 1960s.The number of the students is so great that many students live in lodgings and move into college for their final year. Cambridge is called a university town because there is no clear separation between the university buildings and the rest of the city. The university is not just one part of the town;it is all over the town. The heart of Cambridge has shops,pubs,and supermarkets,but most of it is university-colleges,departments,libraries,clubs and other places for university staff and students. Students fill the shops,cafes,banks and churches,making these as well part of the university. With over 10,000 undergraduates and postgraduates, the town is a busy place indeed. Students here are not allowed to keep cars. If you happen to be walking in the street during a break,better stop a moment to avoid the boiling sea of bicycles hurrying in all directions,carrying students from one college or lecture room to another. The writer believed that the trip took more time because of _ A. bad weather B. unexpected stops of the bus C. one passenger D. an accident on the way Answer: B. unexpected stops of the bus Question: It is commonly known that Japan went from a 19th century national economy to a 20th century global economy in a time span of 30 years between 1945 and 1975. What is less known is that Japan, understanding that fast, efficient transport was the key to a global economy, was the first country in the world to introduce the "Bullet Train". Kawasaki Heavy Industries was duly appointed the manufacturer and the first high speed train went "on line" in 1964. The Shinkansen, as is known in Japan, made its first journey between her capital and Osaka, a distance of 301 miles, at a speed of 132 mph. The next country to introduce high speed trains was France. SNGF, the public rail system in France, was losing passengers to other forms of transport and introduced the "TGV" (Train a Grande Vitesse) to counteract the trend in 1981. As a result of Opec controlling the oil market in 1974, the train was designed to be powered by gas turbines. It ran on a specially built track between Lyon and Paris. Eight years later another TGV was introduced, this time between the coast and Paris. Soon, France became the most rail efficient country in the world with high speed train connections to Belgium, London, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands. There was another positive element that resulted from the introduction of high speed trains. Between 1964 and 1991, Japan's Shinkansen had transported in excess of three billion passengers without there being a single fatal accident and eleven years after France introduced the TGV, it still had a 100% safety record. This statistic has never been equaled by the traditional slow moving trains in any country. China has become the fourth country to produce such trains, after France, Germany and Japan. China's first domestically produced bullet train with a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour has rolled off the production line. Equipped with highly-efficient power system, the currently fastest train in China is also energy efficient. When the train is running, it can transfer kinetic energy into electricity, so that it can ensure its electricity supply even when it is cut off from the power grids. In all, such trains are expected to be in commercial operation by the end of 2010. France introduced high speed trains to _ . A. increase the number of passengers B. fight against Opec C. develop the finance of France D. connect other cities Answer: A. increase the number of passengers
The world economy has run into a brick wall. Despite countless warnings in recent years about the need to address a looming hunger crisis in poor countries and a looming energy crisis worldwide, world leaders failed to think ahead. The result is a global food crisis. Wheat, corn and rice prices increases combined with soaring energy costs will slow if not stop economic growth in many parts of the world and will even undermine political stability, as evidenced by the protest riots that have erupted in places like Haiti, Bangladesh and Burkina Faso. Practical solutions to these growing woes do exist, but we'll have to start thinking ahead and acting globally. So, what should be done?Here are three steps to ease the current crisis and avert(, ) the potential for a global disaster. The first is to scale-up(,) the dramatic success of Malawi, a famine-prone country in southern Africa, which three years ago established a special fund to help its farmers get fertilizer and high-yield seeds. Malawi's harvest doubled after just one year. An international fund based on the Malawi model would cost a mere $10 per person annually in the rich world, or $10 billion in all. Second, the U.S. and Europe should abandon their policies of subsidizing the conversion of food into biofuels . Third, we urgently need to weatherproof the world's crops as soon and as effectively as possible. For a poor farmer, sometimes something as simple as a farm pond--which collects rainwater to be used for emergency irrigation in a dry spell--can make the difference between a bountiful crop and a famine. The world has already committed to establishing a Climate Adaptation Fund to help poor regions climate-proof vital economic activities such as food production and health care but has not yet acted upon the promise. The food crisis provides not only a warning but also an opportunity. We need to invest vastly more in sustainable development in order to achieve true global security and economic growth. What does the author think of the global food shortage? A people in the world can do nothing. B The global food crisis will continue. C The food crisis provides not only a warning but also an opportunity. D We don' know. Answer: C. The food crisis provides not only a warning but also an opportunity. Most kids go to school during the day and come home to their families or caregivers at night.Sometimes kids can't go home every night so they board or live at school during term-time. Whatever the reason for going to boarding school, living with a group of people is very different from living with your family.You have to learn to get on with others, be responsible for looking after your own stuff and follow the rules that are there to make everyone's life pleasant and safe. The following are some tips from boarders. "Remember that the other new students are probably as shy as you are.If you don't talk first and try to make friends, it may not happen." "Don't hold things back inside you.The more you talk, the easier it gets.You can talk to older boarders as well as adults.They understand what you are feeling--they've been through it too." "Be respectful of others' space and give them privacy.Having people around all the time means you don't get much time to yourself." "Join in sports and other afterschool activities.You'll meet lots of new people who are interested in the same things as you.And keeping busy will help you get over feeling homesick." "If you are a weekly boarder or go home most weekends it can be harder to make friends, so see if you can organize to stay in for a weekend." "Make friends with non-boarders too.It's good to visit someone's home sometimes." "Boarding has its ups and downs, you get homesick and sometimes the food is not that great but most of the time it is like being in one big family.You make friends that you know you'11 keep for the rest of your life." Boarding at school is different from living at home because kids have to _ . A 1earn to stay with their hosts B entertain and protect others C obey the rules of the school D take trips to and from school Answer: C. obey the rules of the school Is a mouse that can speak acceptable? How about a dog with human hands or feet? Scientists, the people with the know-how to make such things happen, are now thinking about whether such experiments are morally right or not. On Nov. 10, Britain's Academy of Medical Sciences launched a study on the use of animals with human materials in scientific research. The work is expected to take at least a year, but its leaders hope it will lead to guidelines for scientists in Britain and around the world on how far _ can go mixing human genes into animals in search of ways to fight human diseases. "Do these constructs challenge our idea of what it is to be human?" asked Martin Bobrow, a professor of medical genetics at Cambridge University and chair of a 14-member group looking into the issue. "It is important that we consider these questions now so that appropriate boundaries are recognized." Using human material in animals is not new. Scientists have already created monkeys that have a human form of the Huntingdon's gene so they can study how the disease develops; and mice with livers made from human cells are being used to study the effects of new drugs. However, scientists say the technology to put ever greater amounts of human genetic material into animals is spreading quickly around the world --- raising the possibility that some scientists in some places may want to go further than is morally acceptable. Last year in Britain there was a lively debate over new laws allowing the creation of human-animal embryos for experiments. On one side of the debate were religious groups, who claimed that such science interferes with nature. Opposing them were scientists who pointed out that such experiments were vital to research cures for diseases. The experts will publish reports after the end of the study, in which they will give definitions for animal embryos with human genes or cells, look at safety and animal welfare issues, and consider the right legal framework to work within. What would be the best title of the passage? A Morally right or not? B A debate about new laws C Cures for diseases D Animal embryos with human genes Answer: A. Morally right or not? It is easy for us to tell our friends from our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who pose a threat and those who do not. In Kenya, researchers found that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men spear animals and thus pose a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants. In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants detected the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they detected the smells of either clothing worn by Kamba men or clothing that had not been worn at all. Clothing color also plays a role, though in a different way. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted aggressively toward the red clothing. The researchers believe that the elephants' emotional reactions are due to their different interpretations of the smells and the sights. Smelling a potential danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive. What is the main idea of this passage? A Elephants use sight and smell to detect danger. B Elephants attack people who wear red clothing. C Scientists are now able to control elephants' emotions. D Some Kenyan tribes understand elephants' emotions very well. Answer: A. Elephants use sight and smell to detect danger. Located in the forests near the village of Harads in northern Sweden, the Treehotel opened its doors in the summer of 2010 and offers six guest rooms.Owners, Britta and Kent Lindvall, invited designers and architects to create a series of unique tree houses that reflect the growing popularity of ecologically-themed holidays. There's the Mirrorcube, a 4x4x4 meter aluminum box in mirrored glass.Accessed via a footbridge, the Cabin is suspended from the surrounding pines on a steep bank, affording views of the Lulea River.Both these rooms sleep two people while the Nest (covered in branches), the Blue Cone (which is actually painted red) and the UFO (a spaceship skewered by pines) all have enough room to sleep a family of four. The Treehotel was built after they saw a 2008 Swedish documentary called "Tradalskaren" (The Tree Lover) that tells the story of three men who build a tree house near Harads in an attempt to rediscover their rural roots after years of living in a city. The Lindvalls, who already owned and ran a nearby guesthouse, saw the chance to create a different kind of holiday experience."When the film was over, interest in the original tree house grew so we decided to build our own, closer to our place," Kent Lindvall said."The plan for next year is five new rooms.We also plan to build a chapel so people can get married up there." Open all year round, the Treehotel might attract only _ during the winter as temperatures typically dip to around minus 15 degrees Celsius.But brave travelers will be rewarded with stunning snowy landscapes as well as a "Three Sauna" and under-floor heating in every room delivered by renewable energy. Britta and Kent Lindvall opened the Treehotel to _ . A protect forests B introduce excellent ideas of designers C provide a peaceful lifestyle for citizens D meet the tourists' demand for getting close to nature Answer: D. meet the tourists' demand for getting close to nature
Question: How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments-mostly for entertainment purposes-is fair and respectful? Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals.How ever, most zoos remain "collections" of interesting "things" rather than protective habitats .Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural bones. Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species , but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals' natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty.Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species' name, diet, and natural range .The animals' normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don't usually take care of the animals' natural needs. The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise.These results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoophobia.A worldwide study of zoos found that zoophobia is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages.Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain. Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered.Captive breeding of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild.Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out.In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers.Haven't we seen enough competitions to name baby animals? Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them.Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals' natural habitats. What does the author try to argue in the passage? A. Zoos are not worth the public support. B. Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals. C. Zoos should treat animals as human beings. D. Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment. Answer: A. Zoos are not worth the public support. Question: Patrick Johnson,an artist for the Washington Post,found some treasure in his new house35,000 dollars in a place where no one could see it. Although he had car and house payments in his head, he still decided to return all of the money to the previous owner of the house,Mr. Williams. Would you have done the same? Just hours after he had bought the house,Patrick came into the small house,where he was planning to lay out his tools and hang things up. He looked up and noticed a little hole in the wall. He didn't know what it was inside, so he walked towards the wall. It was very dark inside,but an old box caught his eye. "I caught the thing,it was heavy. I thought it might be some pieces of wood." he said. Actually it was not. It was filled with lots of dollar bills. But he and his wife knew they had to return the money to Mr. Williams. "I've got two boys and we teach them to be honest and to do what is right. I knew this was a teachable moment that I would never get back again." Patrick said to his wife. "So I thought we would do something honest with it. It's been a great thing for us and our kids." Patrick thought there might be _ in the box when he found it. A. 35,000 dollars B. some pieces of wood C. many famous pictures D. some expensive treasures Answer: B. some pieces of wood Question: The Smiths are going to visit Hong Kong next summer. They will fly there. They will spend about two weeks there. First, they are going to visit all the places of interest in the city and also do some shopping. They can enjoy shopping until ten o'clock at night. Second, they are going to eat delicious food there. There are many Chinese and western restaurants there. They can enjoy many kinds of food, for example, fish, meat and vegetables. Last, they are going to visit Disneyland. There are lots of interesting things to do. They will take lots of photos there. They are looking forward to their summer holidays. Which of the sentence is true? A. It will take the Smiths two weeks to go to Hong Kong. B. There are lots of interesting places in Hong Kong. C. Visitors cannot take photos in Disneyland. D. They aren't going to take photos there. Answer: B. There are lots of interesting places in Hong Kong. Question: San Francisco has long been a favorite place for travelers who are ready to learn languages.The mild year-round climate, shops and restaurants, bars and night-life, and some of the most beautiful scene in the US attract many visitors to this relaxing and welcoming city.Students are sure to find the San Francisco Bay Area an interesting, safe and friendly place in which they can live and study.This is the most important. English School in San Francisco is located in the heart of the city.It is one of the best San Francisco English language schools.You can see views of the city from your classroom! Many buses stop less than a five-minute walk from the school, which is also just a two-minute walk from the famous Union Square, San Francisco Shopping Centre, the Financial District, Yerba Buena gardens and the Museum of Modern Art.The school is minutes away from the cable cars to Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf and a boat ride on the bay. San Francisco is a great place to study English and learn about American culture, offering excellent opportunities in sports, entertainment and arts.The city borders excellent beaches, and you can sail or surf all year round. San Francisco has more restaurants than any other city in the US, and is the home of many theaters, music and dance companies, as well as museums.Just walking through the many areas of San Francisco, you are certain to find something wonderful. It is only a two-minute walk from English School to _ . A. a bus stop B. the beaches C. the Financial District D. Fisherman's Wharf Answer: C. the Financial District Question: If water gets into the crack of a rock and then freezes, the rock will MOST likely A. break apart B. be able to float C. become larger D. change colors Answer: A. break apart
A rich man was riding along the road and saw an old man digging in his garden. On the ground lay a young tree, ready to be planted. The rich man called out to the old man. "What kind of tree are you planting there, my good man?" "This is a fig tree, sir." He said. "A fig tree?" The rich man was very surprised. "Why, how old are you, may I ask?" "I am ninety years old this year." "What ?" cried the man. "You are ninety years old. You are planting a very young tree now and it will take years to give fruit. You certainly don't hope to live long enough to get any fruit from this tree." The old man looked around the garden. Then he said with a smile, "Tell me , sir. Did you eat figs when you were a boy?" "Sure , why do you ask this question?" the man asked. "Then tell me this,"he said. "Who planted the fig tree?" "Why-why? I don't know." "You see, sir. Our forefather planted trees for us to enjoy and I am doing the same for the people after me." The rich man was quiet and said, "You are right, my good man. We should do something for the people after us. Thank you very much." The rich man rode away. The rich man didn't eat figs when he was a boy, did he ? Answer: People in the United States love baseball. The best baseball players are stars. Great players are heroes. They are given a place in the baseball Hall of Fame. Roberto Clemente is in the Baseball Hall of Farm. He belongs there. For eight years in a row his batting average was over 300. He was batting champion four times. He was named most valuable player in 1966. He won the 1971 World Series for his team. His average in that series was 414. But to many people Roberto was a hero not just for his baseball playing, but for his life. He spent it helping others and he died helping others. He was born in Puerto Rico in 1934. His family was large. His parents worked hard to give their children the things they needed. He began to play baseball when he was young. He was so good that he was a star at the age of seventeen. At nineteen he joined a team in the United States. The next year he went to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and played in that team for eighteen years. Roberto took pride in his career. He was not easy to give up. He went on with the game and played his best even when he was hurt and was in pain. He was proud of his game. He used to say: "For me, I am the best baseball player in the world." He meant that he believed in himself. Roberto loved to help others. He found many ways to help people, both in the United States and in Puerto Rico. Later in 1972 there was an earthquake in Nicaragua. Many people were killed and a lot more were hurt. Many were homeless and hungry. Food and clothing were badly needed. Of course Roberto was one of the first to help. He formed a group to get the things that were needed. He was on the plane that was going to deliver them. The plane crashed in the sea near Puerto Rico. Roberto was killed, but his life still shines like a light in people's hearts. The main idea of the story is that Answer: There is a story about a man who lost his legs and left arm in an accident. After the accident, only a finger and thumb on his right hand remained. He was a brilliant, creative, and educated man. He had gained a lot of experience while traveling around the world, so he became very depressed after his accident. He was afraid that he would spend the rest of his life suffering and would no longer be able to spend his life in a meaningful way. Then, he realized that he still had partial function of his right hand and could still write even though it was very difficult. An idea occurred to him. "Why not write to other people who need encouragement?" He wrote to the prison ministry about sending letters to the prisoners. The prison minister replied, "Writing to the prisoners is acceptable, but your letters will not be answered." Filled with excitement, the man knew he could write his letters. He began sending one-way messages of God's love, hope, strength, and encouragement. He wrote twice a week, testing his strength and ability to the limit. He poured his heart and soul into his words and shared his experience, sense of humor, optimism, and faith. It was difficult to write those letters, especially without hope of a reply. One day he received a letter from the prison ministry. It was a short note from the officer who monitored and checked the prison mail. The letter said, "Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from cell to cell until they literally fall to pieces!" No matter what circumstances life may present, we all have unique experiences, abilities, and God-given talents. We can discover ways to reach others who desperately need messages of encouragement and strength. What can be the best title for the passage? Answer: Last week, my granddaughter started kindergarten, and I wished her every success. But part of me didn't. I actually wanted her to fail in some ways because I believe that failure can be good for our learning process. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do, or doing something correctly the first time, which can often be a problematic victory. First-time success is usually a fluke . First-time failure, by contrast, is expected to be the natural order of things. Failure is how we learn. In Africa they describe a good cook as "She who has broken many pots." If you've spent enough time in the kitchen to have broken a lot of pots, probably you know a fair amount about cooking. I once had dinner with a group of cooks, and they spent time comparing knife wounds and burn scars. They knew how much credibility their failures gave them. I earn my living by writing a daily newspaper column. Each week I am aware that one column I write is going to be the worst column. I try my best every day. I have learned to cherish that column. A successful column usually means that I am discussing my familiar topic, writing in a style I am used to or saying the same things as anyone else but in a fancy way. My younger daughter is a trapeze artist. She spent three years putting together a show, and she did it successfully for years. There was no reason for her to change it but she did anyway. She said she was no longer learning anything new and she was bored. And if she was bored, there was no point in subjecting (......) her body to all that stress. She risked failure and great public embarrassment in order to feed her soul. My granddaughter is a perfectionist. She will feel her failures, and I will want to comfort her. But I will also, I hope, remind her of what she learned, and how she can do better next time. I hope I can tell her, though, that it's not the end of the world. Indeed, with luck, it is the beginning. Why did the author want his granddaughter to fail? Answer: You know how much your telephone has changed over the past 10 years? Your car will change even more than that in the next 10 years. One of the biggest changes is that cars will drive themselves. "We certainly have the technology for it now."says Andrew Poliak of automotive technology supplier QNX."We expect self-driving cars to be a mainstream thing between 2020 and 2025." The American company Google has been working on self-driving cars for years. These cars are already on the roads in the United States and are truly self-driving. They have to steering wheels or pedals . Last week, the police ordered one of Google's cars to stop for driving too slowly on a public road. The car was not breaking any law, so no one was punished. Another American company, Tesla, added an "Autopilot" feature to its cars last month. With the Autopilot turned on, the vehicle drives itself. The car will speed up, slow down, _ and drive by itself. You can take over driving any time by turning the steering wheel or touching a pedal. The car uses sensors to know when driveway changing is safe and whether it should speed up or slow down. Tesla Autopilot is made for cross-country driving. It keeps you in the driveway and helps you avoid hitting other cars. It does not work well on local roads, for it will not stop at a red light or stop sign. Reporter Carolyn Nicander Mohr tried the Autopilot feature of a Tesla earlier this month. She had a hard time trusting the car to do what it should do. She thought about disabling the Autopilot feature many times during her trip. She wanted to take control at every bend in the road and hit the brake when the car in front of her slowed down. Yet the car drove perfectly. Other companies are working on self-driving cars, too. Marcedes-Benz, Audi, BMW.Volvo and Toyota all have plans for such vehicles. ,A, B, C, D. From the passage, we can infer that _ . Answer:
An American writer, Mr Green once said, "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." It is true that everybody talks about the weather. Many people begin their talks by saying, "Isn't it a nice day?" "Do you think it will rain?" "I think it's going to snow." Many people think they can tell what the weather is going to be like. But sometimes they don't agree with each other. One man may say, "Do you see how cloudy it is in the east? It's going to rain tomorrow." Another man will say, "No, it's going to be fine tomorrow." People often look for the weather they want. When a farmer needs water, he looks for something to tell him it's going to rain, and he doesn't look for anything else. When friends have a picnic, they hope the weather is going to be fine and they can sit eating their lunch under the blue sky. Almost everyone listens to what the weatherman says. But he doesn't always tell us what we want, and sometimes he makes a mistake. Still, he is right most of the time. What is the best title for the passage? Five Things You Should Know About Adult Asthma About 44 million people in Asia Pacific suffer from asthma. The numbers are on the rise especially in China and India where there is rapid industrialization and urbanization. Dr Mariko Koh, Director of the Pulmonary Function Laboratory and Asthma Programme at Singapore General Hospital, tells us more about adult asthma: 1. Chronic inflammation of the airways When the airways are inflamed, mucus forms, blocking airflow, causing breathlessness, wheezing and tightness in the chest. 2. Common triggers Exposure to allergens such as mites, cockroaches, pets and pollen can trigger asthma. Tobacco smoke, respiratory infections, exercise and some medications like aspirin and beta blockers are also possible triggers. 3. Effective treatment Asthma can be controlled with medication. The main treatment of asthma is inhaled corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and block of the airways. Reliever medications may be used to treat acute symptoms. Take note: it is not too late to take medication after an asthma attack. 4. Take medication daily To ensure good control over asthma, medication must be taken daily on a long term basis to prevent attacks. Also, go to your doctor for regular checkups. 5. Quality of life Asthma sufferers can lead normal active lives as long as the symptoms are well controlled. Taking medication as directed and avoiding triggers can make a big difference to the quality of life. All of the following are possible factors causing asthma except _ . Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. To this end, we walk the dog, play golf, go fishing, sit in the garden, drink outside rather than inside the pub, have a picnic, live in the suburbs, go to the seaside, buy a weekend place in the country. The most popular free time activity in Britain is going for a walk. And when joggers jog, they don't run down the streets. Every one of them automatically heads to the park or the river. It is my firm belief that not only do we all need nature, but we all seek nature, whether we know we are doing so or not. But despite this, our children are growing up nature-deprived . I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found. The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD . Those whose housing had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%. A study in Sweden indicated that kindergarten children who could play in a natural environment had less illness and greater physical ability than children used only to a normal playground. A US study suggested that when a school gave children access to a natural environment, the entire school would do better in studies. Another study found that children play differently in a natural environment. In playgrounds, children create a hierarchy based on physical abilities, with the tough ones taking the lead. But when a grassy area was planted with bushes, the children got much more into fantasy play, and the social hierarchy was now based on imagination and creativity. Most bullying is found in schools where there is a tarmac playground; the least bullying is in a natural area that the children are encouraged to explore. This reminds me unpleasantly of Sunnyhill School, with its hard tarmac, where I used to hang about in corners dreaming about wildlife. But children are frequently discouraged from involvement with natural spaces, for health and safety reasons, for fear that they might get dirty or that they might cause damage. So, instead, the damage is done to the children themselves: not to their bodies but to their souls. One of the great problems of modern childhood is ADHD, now increasingly and expensively treated with drugs. Yet one study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places. The life of old people is much better when they have access to nature. The most important for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality. In wider and more difficult areas of life, there is evidence to indicate that natural surroundings improve all kinds of things. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world. Dr William Bird, researcher from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, states in his study, "A natural environment can reduce violent behaviour because its process helps reduce anger and behavior that people might regret later." Wild places need encouraging for this reason, no matter how small their contribution. We tend to think human beings are doing nature some kind of favour when we are protecting nature. The error here is far too deep: not only do humans need nature for themselves, but the very idea that humanity and the natural world are separable things is damaging. Human beings are a species of animals. For seven million years we lived on the planet as part of nature. So we miss the natural world and long for contact with non-human life. Anyone who has patted a dog, stroked a cat, sat under a tree with a glass of beer, given or received a bunch of flowers or chosen to walk through the park on a nice day, understands that. We need the wild world. It is necessary to our well-being, our health, our happiness. Without other living things around us we are less than human. What is the author's firm belief? When buying from a dealer, the law says that a car must be: As described: This includes the history of the car as well as its specification.For example, if the dealer described the car as previously having "one careful lady owner", it shouldn't turn out to have had several previous "boy racer" owners. Of satisfactory quality: It must meet the standard that a reasonable person would regard as acceptable and be free from any quality problem.Also, bear in mind that a second-hand car will have a slightly different definition of what is considered "satisfactory, because there's certainly an element of wear and tear. Fit for the purpose: It must be reasonable fit for any normal purpose and this includes any purpose that you specify to the seller. If any of the above is violated, then in theory, you may have the right to reject the vehicle and get your money back if you're reasonably quick. Alternatively, the dealer might offer to replace or repair the car; reduce the price of offering a partial refund .Once you've informed the dealer that you wish to reject the car , you must stop using the vehicle. If the rejection is not accepted, then it's up to you to prove your case. You'll need to pay for an independent assessment of the car and sue(,)for damages. If you do choose a repair, insist the dealer provide you with a hire car or pay any reasonable traveling expenses thus produced while your new car is in the garage. *If the car is new, it's likely that the claim will be too high to be fought. Using the small claims procedure to you may have to pay for legal representation. All this can be pretty _ and expensive. You need to weigh up the pros and cons before rejecting a car. Would a repair do just as well? Selecting a dealer who offers a clear exchange policy may help. If the dealer offers to repair the car you have bought, which of the following is acceptable? People who do not get enough vitamin A in their diet may develop night blindness.But in the developing world a lack of vitamin A causes much more serious harm to children.The World Health Organization links the lack of vitamin A to as many as 250.000 child deaths every year. One excellent source of vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes with orange flesh.Orange sweet potatoes contain high levels of beta-carotene ,which our body can change into vitamin A. Experts say orange sweet potatoes specially bred (,) for growing conditions in Africa could help solve the lack of vitamin A there. But, first, more people will need to be persuaded to eat them. Jan Low with the International Potato Center, a research organization says the sweet potato needs a better image in Africa. Jan Low says,... We do have an image problem with sweet potato in general in sub-Saharan Africa. It is seen as a crop of the poor. " Ms Low explains that sweet potatoes are mainly grown by poor women to feed their families in case another crop fails. The sweet potatoes commonly grown if Africa have white or yellow flesh. But, more importantly, they are low in vitamin A. Jan Low took part in a project to study how best to market orange sweet potatoes to Africans.She worked on an information campaign in Mozambique and Uganda.The campaign included radio messages about the nutritional benefits of the orange sweet potato.They advertised its ability to" fight diseases, make you strong, clear your skin and make you look healthy." In areas without radio, the campaigners spread the message through community theater.The performances included singing, dancing and storytelling.And everywhere they went, the campaigners wore orange T-shirts and hats.They even drove orange vehicles.Jan Low says the color1 made it easier to gain public attention. Dan Gustafson heads the Washington office of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. He points to efforts in the past to increase the popularity of other nutritious crops. He says most of these efforts failed because organizers of the campaigns did not consider what people wanted to eat.But Mr.Gustafson sees a better chance for the efforts to increase the popularity of the orange sweet potato in Africa. For one thing, except for the color1, the vegetable is similar to what people already use. Jan Low works for_.
Daffodils are plants that can perform both asexual and sexual reproduction. How does a daffodil population benefit more by reproducing sexually than asexually? Answer: Sharks have been swimming in the ocean for millions of years. They were on Earth even before dinosaurs! At the top of the world's ocean's food chain, sharks help keep the population of other ocean animals in balance. A large drop in the number of sharks can cause serious problems for all ocean animals. Saving sharks makes sense! Many people are afraid of sharks. But most sharks are harmless. Only a small percentage of sharks are known to attack humans. It adapt well to new habitats and eat whatever is available. However, today, sharks are in trouble. Nearly one-third of the 400 shark species are in danger of extinction, largely due to over-fishing. Each year, tens of millions of sharks are caught and killed just for their fins . The fins are used to make shark fin soup. Humane Society International (HSI) joined with the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots and Shoots program and Beijing Zoo to protect sharks. An exhibit at the zoo, "the Price Behind the Taste-----Protect Sharks. Don't Eat Shark Fins", was designed to tell people that shark finning is cruel and unnecessary. It's hoped that the activity will help put an end to _ . Shark fin soup is also eaten in the United States. In fact, the numbers of some shark species in US waters have dropped 90 percent in the last 30 years. To slow the fall, laws against the sale of shark fins have been passed in several states, including Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and California. What do we know from the text? Answer: Since Henry Ford turned it into a mass-market product a century ago, the car has delivered many benefits. It has promoted economic growth, increased social mobility and given people a lot of fun. But the car has also brought many problems. It pollutes the air, creates traffic jams and kills people. An astonishing 1.24 million people die, and as many as 50 million are hurt, in road accidents each year. Drivers and passengers waste around 90 billion hours in traffic jams each year. In some car-choked cities as much as a third of the petrol used is burned by people looking for a space to park. Fortunately, a new technology promises to make motoring safer, less polluting and less tendency to hold-ups. "Connected cars"--which may eventually develop into driverless cars but for the foreseeable future will still have a human at the wheel-can communicate wirelessly with each other and with traffic-management systems, avoid walkers and other vehicles and find open parking spots. Some parts of the transformation are already in place. Many new cars are already being fitted with equipment that lets them keep their distance and stay in a motorway automatically at a range of speeds. Soon, all new cars in Europe will have to be able to warn the emergency services if their on-board sensors discover a crash. Singapore has led the way with using variable tolls to smooth traffic flows during rush-hours; Britain is pioneering "smart motorways", whose speed limits vary constantly to achieve _ . Combined, these new inventions could create a much more highly effective system in which cars and their drivers are constantly warned of dangers and showed the ways, traffic always flows at the proper speed and vehicles can travel closer together, yet with less risk of crashing. In the past, more people driving meant more roads, more jams, more death and more pollution. In future, the connected car could offer mankind the pleasures of the road with rather less of the pain. Which of the following can be the best title of the text? Answer: Peggy Hilt wanted to be a good mother. But day after day, she got out of bed feeling like a failure. No matter what she tried, she couldn't connect with Nina, the 2-year -old girl she'd adopted from Russia as an infant . The preschooler pulled away whenever Hilt tried to hug or kiss her. Nina was physically aggressive with her 4-year-old sister, who had been adopted from Ukraine, and had violent tantrums . Whenever Hilt wasn't watching, she destroyed the family's furniture and possessions. "Every day with Nina had become a struggle," she recalls now. As the girl grew older, things got worse. Hilt fell into a deep depression. She started drinking heavily, something she'd never done before. Ashamed, she hid her problem from everyone, including her husband. On the morning of July 1, 2005, Hilt was packing for a family vocation, all the while swallowing one beer after another and growing increasingly angry and impatient with Nina's deeds. "Everything she did just got to me," Hilt said. When Hilt caught her reaching into her diaper and smearing feces on the walls and furniture, "a year and a half of frustration came to a head," Hilt says. "I snapped . I felt this uncontrollable rage." Then Hilt did something unthinkable. She grabbed Nina around the neck, shook her and then dropped her to the floor, where she kicked her repeatedly before dragging her up to her room, punching her as they went. "I had never hit a child before," she says. "I felt horrible and promised myself that this would never happen again." But _ . Nina woke up with a fever, and then started throwing up. The next day she stopped breathing. By the time the ambulance got the child to the hospital, she was dead. Hilt is now serving a 19-year sentence for second-degree murder in a Virginia prison. She and her husband divorced, and he is raising their other daughter. She realizes the horror of her crime and says she isn't looking for sympathy. "There is no punishment severe enough for what I did," she told NEWSWEEK in an interview at the prison. How did Hilt let out her depression at the beginning? Answer: Hello! I'm Tom. Here is a photo of my friend. His first name is Mark. His last name is Hand. He is English. His school ID card number is 19922.My school ID card number is 12299. That's interesting . Look at the photo! He is in a black and red jacket. His backpack is blue, and his watch is yellow. A baseball is in his hand .His telephone number is 235-3577. The boy in the photo is _ . Answer:
Question: An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old son. Suddenly a crow landed on their window. The father asked his son, "What is that?" The son replied, "That is a crow." After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, "What is this?" The son said, "Father, I told you just now. It's a crow." After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, "What is this?" This time, the son said to his father in a low and cold tone, "It's a crow, a crow." After a moment, the father yet again asked his son for the fourth time, "What is this?" This time his son shouted at his father, "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? I have told you already, 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this?" A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow suddenly landed on the window edge. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I didn't at all feel angry, but instead felt _ for my son. If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but speak to them gently, and be kind to them. From today say this aloud, "I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered me with love. I will take care of my old parents in the best way no matter how they behave." The writer mainly intends to _ . A. tell us the function of a diary B. call on us to love our parents C. teach us what a crow is D. introduce a pair of son and father Answer: B Question: Owner held 500 acres in fee simple absolute. In 1960 Owner platted and obtained all required governmental approvals of two subdivisions of 200 acres each. In 1960 and 1961 commercial buildings and parking facilities were constructed on one subdivision, Royal Center, in accordance with the plans disclosed by the plat for that subdivision. Royal Center continues to be used for commercial purposes. The plat of the other subdivision, Royal Oaks, showed 250 lots, streets, and utility and drainage easements. All of the lots in Royal Oaks were conveyed during 1960 and 1961. The deeds contained provisions, expressly stated to be binding upon the grantee and the grantee's heirs and assigns, requiring the lots to be used only for single-family, residential purposes until 1985. The deeds expressly stated that these provisions were enforceable by the owner of any lot in the Royal Oaks subdivision. At all times since 1949, the 200 acres of Royal Center have been zoned for shopping center use, and the 200 acres in Royal Oaks have been zoned for residential use in a classification which permits both singlefamily and multiple-family use."In an appropriate attack upon the limitation to residential use by single families, if the evidence disclosed no fact in addition to those listed above, the most probable judicial resolution would be that A. there is no enforceable restriction because judicial recognition constitutes state action which is in conflict with the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. B. there is no enforceable restriction because of Owner's conflict of interest in that he did not make the restriction applicable to the 100 acres he retains. C. the restriction in use set forth in the deeds will be enforced at the suit of any present owner of a lot in Royal Oaks residential subdivision. D. any use consistent with zoning will be permitted but that such uses so permitted as are in conflict with the restrictions in the deeds will give rise to a right to damages from Owner or Owner's successor. Answer: C Question: Look, this is the first plane in the world to be created using the new technology of "3D printing". The airplane was built using only a computer--but it can fly at a speed of 100mph and has a two-meter wingspan. It was produced using a special nylon laser printer that builds up something layer-by-layer. The parts were made separately and attached using a "snap fit" technique so the aircraft could be put together without tools in minutes. No fasteners at all were used in the manufacture of the plane. Unmanned and electrically powered, the plane can travel in near silence and is also equipped with a small autopilot system. The special production process used is known as "laser sintering "and allows the designers to create shapes and structures that would normally include costly manufacturing techniques. This technology allows a highly-tailored aircraft to be developed from your own design to first flight in days, while using traditional materials and techniques would take months. And because no tooling is required for manufacture, major changes to the shape and scale of the aircraft can be made with no extra cost. Professor Jim Scanlon, who led the team, said, "The process allows the design team to revisit historical techniques and ideas that would have been too expensive using traditional manufacturing." He added, "This form of structure is very firm and lightweight, but very complex. If it was manufactured traditionally it would require a large number of individually tailored parts that would have to be connected or fastened at great expense." The new printed plane is known as the Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft--or SULSA for short--and is part of a wider project using cutting-edge manufacturing techniques. The University of Southampton has been at the leading position of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle development since the early 1990s. Professor Jim Scanlon believes they can _ with their techniques. A. produce firmer and lighter real planes easily B. connect and fasten tailor parts for real planes C. copy earlier planes to study their techniques D. find differences by studying the traditional ones Answer: A Question: Monarch butterflies from eastern Canada make the most amazing journey in the insect world. Each year, this butterfly travels about 3000miles to its winter home in central Mexico . How can it fly so far? And why does it make this long and dangerous trip? Scientists still don't have an answer. For many years, people in Mexico wondered where the orange-and-black butterflies came from every winter. Then, in 1937, a scientist started to follow and study the butterflies. For the next 20 years, he discovered that one butterfly started its journey in Canada. Four months later, it arrived in Mexico. The length of the butterflies find their way back to the same place? Another amazing thing is that the butterflies always return to the same area in central Mexico. How do the butterflies find their way back to the same place? This is an interesting question because only every fourth generation makes the trip south. In other words, the butterfly that travels to Mexico this year is the great-great-grandchild of the butterfly that traveled there last year. Each year, four generations of a Monarch butterfly family are born. Each generation of the family has a very different life. The first generation is born in the south in late April. It slowly moves north, reproduces , and then dies. On the trip north,two more generations are born, reproduce, and die. Each of these generations of butterflies is born. This generation has a much longer life. It lives for about eight months. This generation of butterflies makes the amazing journey back to the winter home of its great-great-grandparents. The butterflies spend the winter there, and in the spring they reproduce and then die. Their offspring will be the first generation of the next circle of life. Today, people are still studying the Monarch butterfly. But they are not clear about everything. We know that the _ generation of Monarch butterflies travel back to central Mexico. A. first B. second C. third D. fourth Answer: D Question: Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities in Holland . It is the capital of Holland. There are many big squares and nice museums. Hundreds and thousands of people from all over the world visit there every year. Riding bicycles is a fun and easy way to get around Amsterdam. Most students go to school by bicycle. People ride their bicycles to work. Even the policemen work on bicycles. There are many roads and traffic signs for bicycles in Amsterdam. There are also many places for bicycle parking. If you travel in Amsterdam, you don't need to take a bus or a taxi, just ride a bicycle. You can reach more places by bicycle than by any other way. It is also fantastic to go for a ride. There are a lot of bicycle shops in Amsterdam. You can buy yourself a nice bicycle at a good price in the shops. If you don't wants to buy a bicycle, you can go to a bicycle rental . You can find one in almost every place of the city. You'd better find a guide when you are travelling in Amsterdam. Because he would take you to some of the city's most beautiful places. Riding bicycles in Amsterdam is great fun and relaxing. But there is one thing you must keep in mind. You should always follow the traffic rules. This passage may not be from _ . A. Magazine. B. Homepage of Amsterdam. C. Book of travelling. D. Book of science. Answer: D
People are being lured onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service, and don't realize that they're paying for it by giving up loads of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages. Most Facebook users don't realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they're paying for Facebook, because people don't really know what their personal details are worth. The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you could keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook--you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things--your city, your photo, your friends' names--were set, by default , to be shared with everyone on the Internet. According to Facebook's vice president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don't share information, they have a "less satisfying experience." Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they're online connecting with their friends? The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. "I think the senators rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them," Schrage admits. I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it's only the beginning,which is why I'm considering deactivating my account . Facebook is a handy site, but I'm upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don't trust. That is too high a price to pay. Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage? Answer: I remembered that when I was a little child, I used to look for Sunday of the week. Yes, I was so looking forward to an adventure. Now, I still have a strong _ for buses. I used to wonder where those gigantic buses finally stopped. On sunshine Sundays, that's my adventure times. He took me to the bus stop. Time passed, while I was growing impatient, he was smiling, as he always does. It was really not that easy to get on a bus as often as we do today. I was so worried that the bus driver would have missed us. I waved my hands so high with all my strength. I looked hopefully at him. He didn't move at all. He was still standing. It seemed that the late and infrequent coming of the bus wasn't any trouble to him at all. He took my hand. We managed to find seats on the upper deck. I was so excited. Only sitting beside the windows made me happy. Looking at the rewinding buildings, streets and people through windows from a higher ground was so much fun. Then, he was sitting peacefully by me and whispered to me where the bus finally would stop. I was curious about what would be the next stop of our destination as much as what really means something to him. That is me. I know now. I am all he cares. He wants me to be happy, as he always does. That's the strong bond between father and son. Childhood, naive and precious, you showed me the world and the way I look at the world. I am so grateful for your presence in my life. Thanks, you are so wonderful! Where does this text probably come from? Answer: Please excuse me if I'm a little sad today because Mark is leaving.You probably don't know Mark,but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him.He's been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of years combining professional skills with a sweet and gentle nature.He's never been all that interested in getting _ for the terrific work he does.He just wants to do his job,and to do it extremely well. And now he's moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity.It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime,and we're sincerely pleased for him.But that doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague. Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us.Just when we start to get comfortable with a person,a place or a situation,something comes along to change the recipe.A terrific neighbor moves away.Someone in the family graduates.A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage.The family's bread-winner is laid off.Our ability to cope with change and disruption determines our peace,happiness and contentment in life. But how do we do that? According to the author of Ecclesiaste,comfort can be found in remembering that "to everything there is a season,and a time to every purpose under heaven.Let today embrace the past with remembrance,and the future with longing.'' "Change,indeed,is painful,yet ever needful,"said philosopher Thomas Carlyle."And if memory has its force and worth,so also has hope." We're going to miss Mark.But rather than lose ourselves in the sadness of our parting,we'll focus on our hopes for a brighter future----for him,and for us.And then we'll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen.Until our plans change----again. From the passage,we can learn that _ . Answer: Report Card London Woodland School Name: Alan Class: 5 Grade: 8 Grade teacher: Mr Jim Green English: Good work this term. He has a good memory and is good at speaking. A Maths: Good. But sometimes he is careless. B History: He knows a lot about British history, but little about other countries. B Geography: He is a clever student but sometimes doesn't do his best. C Home Economics: Good. He likes it best. He can do things for himself. A Alan does well in _ . . Answer: It was a very foggy day in London. The fog was so thick that it was impossible to see more than a foot or so. Buses, cars and taxis were not able to run and were standing by the side of the road. People were trying to find their way about on foot but were losing their way in the fog. Mr. Smith had a very important meeting at the House of Commons and had to get there but no one could take him. He tried to walk there but found he was quite lost. Suddenly he bumped into a stranger. The stranger asked if he could help him. Mr. Smith said he wanted to get to the Houses of Parliament. The stranger told him he would take him there. Mr. Smith thanked him and they started to walk there. The fog was getting thicker every minute but the stranger had no difficulty in finding the way. He went along one street, turned down another, crossed a square and at last after about half an hour's walk they arrived at the Houses of Parliament. Mr. Smith couldn't understand how the stranger found his way. "It is wonderful," he said. "How do you find the way in the fog?" "It is no trouble at all to me," said the stranger, "I am blind." Why is it no trouble at all to the stranger to find the way in the fog? Answer:
Large wall posters for kids. Your kids will love these cool posters by artist Darla Daly--zebras boarding in the skateboard park, a group of jungle animals playing in the playground and two giraffes taking a drive in the city. Your kids will enjoy decorating their bedroom walls with these posters and their friends will think they are the coolest! Displaying 1 to 4 (of 4 products) The passage is written for _ . You might say that Barack Obama was elected President of the US because he knows how to give a speech. In 2004, the little-known Obama gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention . It was a great speech -- poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time. Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. There are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express complicated ideas in a straightforward, natural way. Before becoming President, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer - his two memoirs have become best sellers. The skills he needed to succeed in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker. As a lawyer, Obama learned how to make strong, convincing arguments. As a professor, he learned how to explain complex subjects in ways that helped students understand without boring them. As a writer, he learned how to use languages to have a powerful influence on his audience. A famous American musician even turned one of Obama's early speeches into a song during the election campaign. Secret weapons of Obama Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. Then listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times. Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently making fun of his guests. His opening lines attract the audience's attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other. Make fun of himself: Obama laughs at his past mistakes and is never afraid of showing them to the public. Obama delivers speeches to audiences large and small. He can make his audiences laugh or cry. His speeches are always thoughtful, well written and just right for each occasion. What do we know about Obama's writing team according to the passage? Yao Beina was not only a popular singer but also an energetic and warm-hearted angel. She donated her corneas to two men after her death. Yao was born in a music family in September 1981 in Wuhan. She started to learn music at the age of 4, and she sang her first song on the stage when she was 9. Yao did quite well in singing, so she took part in the 13th Youth Singing Competition and won the first prize. She became well-known to the pubic after making some songs for the hit TV drama The Legend of Zhenhuan , and the mandarin version of Let It Go from Disney's Frozen . In July 2013, she competed in The Voice of China II and finally got the second place in Na Ying's team. She had won many music prizes. Yao Beina was unlucky to be diagnosed with breast cancer . She had a successful operation in 2011. She has fought against the illness for about four years while keeping singing, but sadly she failed. Although she's gone, her fans will remember her beautiful voice and kindness forever. Which is TRUE about Yao Beina according to the passage? Why are so many people so afraid of failure? Quite simply because no one tells us how to fail so that failure becomes an experience that will lead to growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the right to fail. Most parents work hard at either preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards. A mother describes her child's hurriedly-made table as "perfect"! Even though it couldn't stand on uneven (not same in height) legs. Another way is to shift blame. If John fails in science, his teacher is unfair or stupid. The trouble with failure-prevention methods is that they leave a child unequipped for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, that no one can win all the time and that it's possible to enjoy a game even when you don't win. A child who's not invited to a birthday party, who doesn't make the honor roll or the baseball team feel terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick comfort prize or say "It doesn't matter" because it does. The young should be allowed to experience disappointment and be helped to master it. Failure is never pleasurable. It hurts grown-ups and children exactly alike. But it can make a positive contribution to your life once you learn to use it. Step one is to ask "Why did I fail?" Control the natural impulse to blame someone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong, and how you can improve. If someone else can help, don't be shy about asking them. By "protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed", the writer means that most parents try their best _ . I hated dinner parties. But I decided to give them another _ because I'm in London. And my friend Mallery invited me. And because dinner parties in London are very different from those in New York, "I'm having a dinner party" means: "I'm booking a table for 12 at a restaurant and we'll be sharing the cheque evenly , no matter what you eat." In Manhattan there is always someone who leaves before the bill arrives. They'll throw down cash, half of what they owe, and then people like me, who don't drink, end up paying even more. But if you try to use the same trick, the hostess will shout: "Where are you going ?" And I cannot say I have somewhere to go because everyone knows I have nowhere to go. But in London, dinner parties are in people's homes. Not only that, the guests are an interesting mix. The last time I went to one, the guests were from France, India, Denmark and Nigeria; it was like a gathering at the United Nations. In New York, the mix is less striking. It's like a gathering at Bloomingdatle's, a well-known department store. For New Yorkers, talking about other parts of the world means Brooklyn and Queens in New York. But at Mallery's, when I said that I had been to Myanmar recently, people knew where it was, while In New York people would think it was a usual club. What does the writer dislike most about dinner parties in New York?
My husband and I both work from home.We have four children, so the times when I am alone in the house are few and far between.Like many work-at-home moms, when I do get a chance to be by myself ,I do something, whether it's related to my career or taking care of the household chores . One Thursday,things really came to a head.My husband was heading out to the gym,just thinking that I had nothing to do but watch the twins.My older boys were making plans with their friends without bothering me and they were expecting me to drive them there.The twins,being young,wanted my undivided attention.Even my customers seemed to be demanding that day.They sounded not satisfied with the products and wanted to cut down the prices more.Nobody bothered to ask if I might have plans of my own.But the truth was, I seldom did have any plans for myself, and everyone knew it. I always put their needs before my own.They took advantage of that. The next day,when the kids were at school, I headed for the movie theater--alone.I'd never been to the movies alone before.Would I look pitiful going to the theater by myself? Was I being silly by seeing a movie when so much work awaited me at home? I forced myself to take back these thoughts.And then I walked into the theater with my head held high and enjoyed every minute of the movie.For a couple of hours, I was nobody's wife or mother.I was just myself. From that point on,I decided that Fridays would be mine,at least for a couple of hours.Some Fridays, I head for the beach with a good book.Other Fridays, I go shopping.I really look forward to my Fridays after a long week of caring for my family. By forcing myself to slow down and put the needs of my family out of my mind, I feel closer to myself.I'm not completely responsible for caring for my family.I don't need to do it all myself. I just need to remember to spare some time to be with myself. What is the biggest benefit that the writer got from her decision? A She has her husband share the housework. B She no longer overloads herself too much. C She has the time to develop her own hobbies. D She learns to put her own needs in the first place. Answer: B. She no longer overloads herself too much. The elements sulfur (S) and oxygen (O2) combine to form a substance called sulfur dioxide (SO2). Sulfur dioxide is also formed when coal and oil are burned. Sulfur dioxide can best be described as A a metal B an atom C a compound D a nonreactive gas Answer: C. a compound Everyone knows there are many English expressions about clothes. There is no need to keep it a secret, or to keep it under your hat. In fact, if I keep talking, soon enough you will start to think I am an old hat about this -- a real expert. Do not be fooled, though. My friends sometimes call me a wolf in sheep's clothing. This is someone who acts like a good person, but is really a bad person. I'm not really a bad person. But I do love clothes. It is always fun to get dressed up. I look great in my best clothes. When I put them on, I feel decked out. You might say when I wear my best clothes, I am dressed to the nines or dressed to the teeth. In fact, my husband says I look dressed to kill. Of course, I would never kill anyone. But, there is something special about putting on clothes that are pleasing to the eye. My best clothes are not modern or fashionable. Maybe someday they will come into fashion. But I really do not care. They certainly look better on me than my birthday suit. Did you know that everyone has a birthday suit? You wear it when you are wearing no clothes at all. Babies are born wearing their birthday suits. I am very careful with my clothes. I handle them with kid gloves. I try not to get them dirty or torn. Most of my clothes fit like a glove. They fit perfectly. But when I eat too much, I feel like my clothes might burst at the seams. My clothes feel too restrictive and tight. Some of the clothes I like best are hand-me-downs. My older sister gave them to me when she no longer wanted them. Hand-me-downs are great because clothes often cost too much money. I live on a shoestring. I have a very small budget and little money to spend on clothes. However, my sister has a lot of money to spend on clothes. Maybe someday the shoe will be on the other foot. The opposite will be true. I will have a lot of money to buy clothes and my sister will get hand-me-downs from me. I admit I dream of being rich. I dream that someday I will be able to live like a rich person. I will know what it is like to walk in another person's shoes. Some of my friends got rich by riding someone else's coat tails. They are successful today as a result of someone else being successful. But, I believe you should never criticize others for something you would do yourself. What is said about someone else can also be said about you. Remember, if the shoe fits, wear it. According to the passage, which of the following phrases has the similar meaning with "keep it a secret"? A walk in another person's shoes. B wear a birthday suit. C wolf in sheep's clothing. D keep it under your hat. Answer: D. keep it under your hat. When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn't look like any doctor I'd ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind. When Doctor Gibbs wasn't saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He believed in the principle: "No pain, no gain". He hardly watered his new trees, an attitude which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said you had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water. So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he'd beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree's attention. Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant some 25 years ago. They were tall and strong. I planted a couple of trees myself a few years ago. Two years of attending these trees meant they grew up weak. Whenever a cold wind blew, their branches trembled. _ seemed to benefit Doctor Gibb's trees in ways comfort and ease never could. Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to encounter hardship. There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won't be torn apart. Which prayer does the author wish for his sons? A Have an easy life, without too much to worry about. B Be able to stand the rain and wind in their lives. C Have good luck, encountering less hardship in their life. D Meet people like Dr Gibbs in the future. Answer: B. Be able to stand the rain and wind in their lives. The Internet joins millions of computers all over the world, and it's used by people all over the world. It was invented in the 1960s in the USA. The American government needed a network of computers for its army. Then in the 1970s scientists and businesspeople also wanted to use the Internet to send and receive messages. For some years, they weren't allowed to use US network, and when they were allowed to, the messages were in very simple text without photos. The World Wide Web was invented by a British scientist named Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. He wanted to send documents to other scientists. So he developed the World Wide Web. This allowed him to send and receive scientific documents with text, drawings and photos. In the 1990s, more and more people began to use the Internet and the World Wide Web. So, what's the difference between Internet and the World Wide Web? The Internet is the hardware .It allows us to communicate with other people. The World Wide Web is the software. It allows us to create , see, and read multimedia documents. The web is made up of millions of documents called web pages. These pages are held in computers all over the world. Many people have a favourite website with a number of web pages on the same subject. Email is a way of using your computer to send and receive messages. It's cheaper and quicker to use email than send normal mail. New users call normal mail "snail mail" because it's so slow. It took 50 years for 100 million people to listen to the radio. It took 15 years for 100 million people to watch television. By the year 2000, it had taken only about three years for 100 million people to use the Internet. What will happen next on the Internet? Why is email better than snail mail? A Because email was invented early. B Because email came from America. C Because email is cheaper and quicker. D Because email is fashionable. Answer: C. Because email is cheaper and quicker.
Next autumn, studying for a degree in Britain will become more expensive, and the results are already clear. This week, figures from UCAS(the Universities and College Admissions service)show a 15-percent downturn in applications from this time last year. With fees having reached PS9,000 a year, some students are beginning to consider other ways of getting higher education--including distance learning, which allows them to get a degree while still living, and earning money, at home. That is important, because fees are only part of the picture. The National Union of Students says that UK students pay an average of PS4,900 a year for basics such as rent, food, books, equipment, field trips and the like. If those costs can be reduced, the burden of fees will be lessened. Therefore, many people are thinking not only about what and where to study, but how--that is, whether they have to be on campus to get a degree. Distance learning is best suited to certain subjects and to ultra-motivated student, according to Carrie-Anne Rice of Resource Development International(RDI)."The advantage is that the fee system is more flexible , and you can have full-time work while studying, Rice says.""You graduate three years ahead of possible competitors -- with the same degree, but with three years of work experience and without the debt." "I left school and went straight into work. But at the age of 23, I changed career and soon realized I needed a degree to advance. Because of lack of money ad time, full-time university wasn't a good choice, but I discovered that distance learning was financially flexible and enabled me to work and gain skills from my workplace without affecting the quality of my life," Andy Cain, a distance learning student says. Although distance learning has many advantages, a campus-based university experience remains the dream of most school-leavers. There is no question that "being there" is not only fun, but rich in shared experience, pooled knowledge, and--perhaps most importantly--friendships that will go on long after the degrees have been awarded. Which of the following statements is TRUE? Distance learning doesn't suit all subjects or all students. American scientists are developing an "intelligent" mobile phone capable of blocking incoming calls depending on the owner's mood. Using "context aware" technology, the "Sensay" phone will monitor calls and send back polite messages saying the user may be contacted later. A research team at the Institute for Complex Engineering Systems at Carragie Mellon University in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, are developing body temperature and electrical skin monitors to help the device understand the emotional state of its user. If the phone senses that the user is busy -- for instance, involved in a conversation -- it might block an incoming call and turn it onto voicemail. The phone would send back a text message saying the user is unavailable, but advising that if the matter is urgent the caller can try again in three minutes. If a call from the same person came in again, the phone would put it through. The researchers are interested in four basic different states -- busy and not to be interrupted, physically active, idle, and "normal." Most people are said to change between these states, an average of 6 to 12 times a day. Professor Asim Smailagic, a leading member of the Carnegic Mellon team, told The Engineer magazine, "Today's computers are pretty dumb compared with the device. We got to work at the beginning of May and since then have been improving it. The next stage is to make it smarter, adding various intelligence systems so it can learn about the user. The phone also employs four primary sensors -- two microphones to pick up conversations and monitor local noise, a light detector and an accelerometer .The light sensor shows if the phone is being carried in a bag or pocket, while the accelerometer determines whether the user is walking, running or standing still. In the future, the sensor box, phone and personal organizer will be combined into one device." The best title for this passage is _ . How to Tell a Person's Mood In 2012, the Tower of London welcomed two new inhabitants: a pair of ravens named Jubilee and Grip. Their arrival celebrated the bicentenary of Charles Dickens's birth. This Grip was the third of the Tower ravens to be named after the novelist's own pet birD. One of his predecessors was resident during World War Two; he and his mate Mabel were the only ravens to survive a bombing attack on the Tower. Dickens's Grip, who had an impressive vocabulary, appears as a character in the author's fifth novel, Barnaby Rudge. On 28 January 1841, Dickens wrote to his friend George Cattermole: "my notion is to have [Barnaby] always in company with a pet raven, who is immeasurably more knowing than himself. To this end I have been studying my bird, and think I could make a very distinctive character of him." Unfortunately, just a few weeks after Dickens wrote that letter, Grip died, probably as a result of having stolen and eaten paint some months earlier. The bird had developed a strange habit - tearing sections off painted surfaces (including the family's carriage) and even drinking a quantity of white paint out of a tin. Dickens mourned his loss and wrote a humorous letter to his friend, the illustrator Daniel Maclise, about the raven's death. He related how, when Grip began to show signs of sickness, the vet was called and "administered a powerful dose of castor oil". Initially this seemed to have a positive effect and the author was thrilled to see Grip restored to his usual personality when he bit the coachman (who was used to the raven and took it in good humor). The following morning, Grip was able to eat "some warm porridge", but his recovery was short liveD. As Dickens wrote to Maclise, "On the clock striking twelve he appeared slightly upset, but soon recovered, walking twice or thrice along the coach-house, stopped to bark, exclaimed 'Hello old girl' (his favorite expression) and dieD. He behaved throughout with a decent manner, which cannot be too much admireD. .. The children seem rather glad of it. He bit their ankles. But that was play." Why did Dickens study his bird Grip? Because Dickens wanted to base one character of his novel on him. Many a online shopper stayed up until 2 am on Sunday, looking through the Internet to buy products being sold at half price before they could _ (be bought)by other shoppers. Tens of millions of the Internet users were crazy to take advantage of the halfprice promotion, started by the ecommerce giant Alibaba Group on Sunday, Nov. 11, which is known as Singles' Day in China, and is the Chinese answer to Cyber Monday in the United States. By 7 pm on Sunday, 14.1 billion yuan's worth of sales was made on tmall. com and taobao. com. That could make Singles' Day the biggest ecommerce sales day on record. The research company comScore said US online retailers saw $ 1.25 billion of sales during last year's Cyber Monday, the day after Thanksgiving weekend and the busiest day for online retailers as US shoppers start to prepare for Christmas. Singles' Day originated with university students, and was later adopted by ecommerce companies as a promotional opportunity. Ecommerce companies, including Jingdong Mall and Amazon China, also took part in the promotion." In the past, people only shopped online occasionally, but now, online shopping is a lifestyle accepted by many," said Zhang Yong, Tmall president. Alibaba began to hold Singles' Day promotions in 2009, and last year, its sales totaled 5.2 billion yuan."I don't know whether we would lose money, but I don't think we could earn much on this day by selling goods at half price," said Hao Hongfeng, chairman of Beijing Jiuxian ECommerce, a liquor retailer in Beijing who took part in the event. He said it is a good opportunity for online retailers to get their names known. What's the secret behind the success of this promotion? The favorable price. There are seven days in a week. They are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Most children go toschool from Monday to Friday. Most people don't work on Saturday orSunday and most shops are closed in England on Saturday and Sunday. But in China shops are open every day. Sunday is always a holiday.Some people go to church on that day. The time between Fridayevening and Monday morning is the weekend. It is time for rest. Wedon't work all the time. We have to rest from time to time. We rest overthe weekend. In China shops are open _ . every day
Paper was not made in southern Europe until the year of 1100.Thouth Scandinavia now makes a great deal of the world's paper, it had not begun to make it until 1500. It was a German named Schaeffer who found out that one could make paper from wood. After that, forest countries, such as Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the United States, became important in paper making. Today in Finland, for example, no industry is bigger than the forest industry. And the paper industry is the most important part of it. Modern paper-making machines are very big, and they make paper very fast. The biggest machines can make a piece of paper 750 meters long and six meters wide in one minute. When we think of paper, we think of newspapers, books, letters, envelopes , and writing paper. But there are many other uses. Each year, more and more things are made of paper. We have had paper cups, plates, and dishes for a long time. But now we hear that chairs, a tables and even beds can be made of paper. The newest thing made of paper in the world may be a paper house. It is not a small house for children to play in, but a real, big house for people to live in. it is not expensive. You can put up a paper house yourself in a few hours, and you can use it for about 5 years. ,. How long can the biggest modern paper-making machines make a piece of paper 750 meters long and six meters wide? Answer: In a minute. At 20 year of age F.W. Woolworth found work in exchange for room and board at a local dry goods store , and after his employers held a successful clearance sale he saw the possibilities of a discount store. His key improvements were having the goods on open display instead of behind the counter , and having prices plainly marked instead of bargaining. With borrowed funds he opened his first F.W. Woolworth store in the suburb of Utica, New York in 1879, but the store closed the following year . Deciding that his problem had been a poor location. He opened a new store in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylyania in 1881. Within months he was opening multiple stores in business partnerships with local retailers,and within a few years Woolworth was a millionaire. In 1909 he opened his first store in England, and in 1913 the company opened its new headquarters in New York's Woolworth Building--then the tallest building in the world. Woolworth had a deep fear of dentists , allowing his teeth to rot ,and died of a dental lunch counters in many stores , Woolworth was America's largest restaurant chain through the 1940s. The company peaked as the world's largest department store chain in the late 1970s, with more than 4 . 000 stores. By the late 1990s business was sputtering , and the company closed all of its American department stores,renamed itself Venator, and sold the Woolworth Building . In 2003 Venator renamed itself after the company's most successful division, Foot Locker, Inc . Under separate ownership , Woolworth stores are still operated in Austria , Germany , Mexico, South Africa , and the United Kingdom. The first F. W. Woolworth store failed mainly because _ . Answer: it was located too far away from the city center pushing on the pedals of a bike cause that bike to gain Answer: kinetic motion An Englishman was showing a foreign visitor around London. "What's that strange building?" asked the visitor. "That's the Tower of London." "I see. How long did it take to build it?" "About 500 years." "In my country we can build it in five months," Shortly after that they came to St. Paul's Cathedral . "Very interesting!" said the visitor. "How long did it take to build it ?" "Near forty years." said the Englishman. "In my country we can finish it in forty days at most," said the visitor. This went on all day. They visited most of the best known buildings in the city. Every time they saw a new one, the visitor asked what it was and how long it took to build it. Then he said that they could do the same thing much faster in his country. At last the Englishman got angry with the visitor though he tried not to show it. Several days later they came to the House of Parliament and the visitor asked his usual question, "What is that?" The Englishman answered, " I have no idea. It wasn't there last night." The Englishman's answer to the question of the last place showed _ . Answer: he was angry and didn't want to tell the visitor its name On the first day of school I brought my camera to school. I gave the students a piece of 8 x11 cardboard , and asked them to write their names on both sides. As they finished, I asked them to get into groups of three to four students and took photographs of them holding their name cards. After school, I developed the film and printed two sets of photos. That evening, I started to match the names with the faces. I kept one set of pictures at home for about a week so that I could review their names each night. On the second day of school, I put up the other set of photos as a bulletin board , with a title such as "Presenting Room 108, ..." The kids loved it! After I had learned all of their names I brought the second set back to school and stuck them onto an 8 x11 sheet of paper. I placed it in the classroom for other teachers. The cardboard name cards that were made on the first day were collected and put on a shelf. From time to time, they were given back to the students and placed on their desks so that guests or supply teachers could identify all of the students. I've been doing this with my grade 7 students for the last nine years and they liked it. It's fun to bring the photos out again at the end of the school year to see how much they have all changed in ten months. Why did the writer leave the second set of the photos at home? Answer: To memorize the students' names at home.
A student crumples up a sheet of paper. Which property of the paper has changed? A color B mass C state D shape Answer: D Some children want to be writers some day. They mean that they want to write stories or books for people to read. That's good! It's good to write something for people to read! But they should know that they need to be good readers first before they really are good writers. They should read a lot of books, and read for hours and hours every day instead of watching TV and spending a lot of time playing games when they are free. If you are a good reader, it doesn't take you long to do the reading homework. Then you have time to read many other books for fun. Because you read so well, you have more fun in reading and you want to look for more books to read. Before you decide to be a good writer, you'd better say to yourself, "I must read and read and read more and more!" Some children want to be writers _ . A because they want to be good readers B to write stories or books for people to read C to find good work some day D to get more money to keep a family Answer: B Look at the photo. The two girls have big blue eyes and long brown hair. They are ten. They are in the same class. The one in a yellow skirt is Lily. The other one in an orange skirt is Lucy. Bob is their brother . He is in a blue cap. He is a high school student. Their dad is Mr. White. He is in a brown coat. Their mom is Mrs. White. She is in black shoes. Look!Lucy and Lily are in the green car. . Mr. White and Mrs. White have _ . A one son and two daughters B one daughter and two sons C one daughter and one son D two daughters and two sons Answer: A Many families in the prefix = st1 /United Stateshave a larger income now than ever before, but people are finding it difficult to make ends meet anyway. Almost everyone is wondering, "What happens to all my money? I never seem to have anything left to put away." Why isn't a dollar worth as much as it used to be? One dollar is always worth the same amount, that is, 100 cents. But the value of a dollar is how much it can buy. The value of money depends on the cost of living. Economists say that the cost of living is the money that a family must pay for the necessities of life such as food, housing or rent, clothes and medical expenses. For many years now the cost of living has increased greatly, so the value of the dollar has decreased. When a dollar has a low value, you cannot buy as many things with it. No one fully understands why the cost of living keeps increasing, but economists believe that workers and producers can make prices go up. As workers earn more money, they have more money to spend, so they demand more goods. If there is a great demand for certain goods, the prices of these goods go up. At the same time, if there's a shortage of goods, the price also goes up. For example, if everyone wants to buy more and more gas, the price of gas goes up. When companies withhold gas from buyers, they can also make the price of gas go up. Families need to know what happens to their money. They need to make their income meet the cost of living, so many people plan a family budget. A budget is a list of monthly expenses. If your expenses add up to more than your income, you must find ways to save money. Maybe you're spending too much on entertainment. Or if you're spending too much on clothes, you may want to sew your own clothes. Budgeting helps you spend your money wisely as the cost of living increases. Why does the cost of living keep increasing? A There are always shortages of goods. B The workers are getting lower and lower pay. C The government makes no difference. D People demand more and better goods. Answer: D It is not only praise or punishment that determines a child's level of confidence. There are some other important ways we shape our kids--particularly by giving instructions and commands in a negative or positive choice of words. For example, we can say to a child "Don't run into traffic!" or "Stay on the footpath close to me." In using the latter, you will be helping your kids to think and act positively, and to feel competent in a wide range of situations, because they know what to do, and aren't scaring themselves about what not to do. Why does such a small thing make a difference? It is all in the way the human mind works. What we think, we automatically rehearse. For example, if someone offered you a million dollars not to think of a blue monkey for two minutes, you wouldn't be able to do it. When a child is told "Don't fall off the tree," he will think of two things: "don't" and "fall off the tree". That is, he will automatically create the picture of falling off the tree in his mind. A child who is vividly imagining falling off the tree is much more likely to fall off. So it is far better to use "Hold on to the tree carefully." Clear, positive instructions help kids to understand the right way to do things. Kids do not always know how to be safe, or how to react to the warning of the danger in negative words. So parents should make their commands positive. "Sam, hold on firm to the side of the boat" is much more useful than "Don't you dare to fall out of the boat?" or worse still "How do you think I'll feel if you drown?" The changes are small but difference is obvious. Children learn how to guide and organize themselves from the way we guide them with our words, so it pays to be positive. The main idea of the passage is that _ . A praise makes kids confident B right instructions keep kids safe C clear commands make kids different D choice of words can make a difference Answer: D
Question: Do you know how to prepare for and survive a major earthquake? According to Department of Conservation scientists, it is important to have the right answer to that question. How to Be Prepared Electricity, water, gas and telephones may not be working after an earthquake. The police and fire departments are likely to be tied up. You should be prepared to yourself at least three days,preferably for a week. You'll need food, water and so on. It's also a good idea to decide ahead of time how and where your family will reunite if separated during a quake. You might choose an out-of-the-area friend or relative that family members can call to check on you. _ If you're indoors, stay there. Get under a desk or table. The kitchen is a particularly dangerous spot. If you're in an office building, stay away from windows and outside walls and do not use the elevator. If you're outside, get into the open. Stay clear of buildings, power lines or anything else that could fall on you. If you're driving, move the car out of traffic and stop. Avoid parking under or on bridges or overpasses. After an Earthquake Check for fire. If you smell gas, shut off the main gas valve . If there's sign of damage to electricial wiring, shut off the power at the control box. If the phone is working, only use it in case of emergency . Avoid driving if possible to keep the streets clear for emergency vehicles. Be careful that things may fall out of cupboards when the door is opened, and also that chimneys can be weakened and fall with just a touch. Listen to the radio for important information and instructions. Remember that aftershocks, sometimes large enough to cause damage in their own right, generally follow large quakes. If you leave home, leave a message telling your friends and family your location. What will probably happen after a big earthquake? A. The local people's life will return to normal in a week. B. There will be more earthquakes in a short time. C. There won't be any earthquakes in a short time. D. The local people will stay at home waiting for help. Answer: B. There will be more earthquakes in a short time. Question: It was Saturday. As always, it was a busy one, for "Six days shall you labor and all your work" was taken seriously back then. Outside, Father and Mr. Patrick next door were busy chopping firewood. Inside their own houses, Mother and Mrs. Patrick were engaged in spring cleaning. Somehow the boys had slipped away to the back lot with their kites. Now, even at the risk of having brother caught to beat carpets, they had sent him to the kitchen for more string . It seemed there was no limit to the heights to which kites would fly today. My mother looked at the sitting room, its furniture disordered for a thorough sweeping. Again she cast a look toward the window. "Come on, girls! Let's take string to the boys and watch them fly the kites a minute." On the way we met Mrs. Patric, laughing guiltily as if she were doing something wrong, together with her girls. There never was such a day for flying kites! We played all our fresh string into the boys' kites and they went up higher and higher. We could hardly distinguish the orange-colored spots of the kites. Now and then we slowly pulled one kite back, watching it dancing up and down in the wind, and finally bringing it down to earth, just for the joy of sending it up again. Even our fathers dropped their tools and joined us. Our mothers took their turn, laughing like schoolgirls. I think _ . Parents forgot their duty and their dignity; children forgot their everyday fights and little jealousies. "Perhaps it's like this in the kingdom of heaven," I thought confusedly. It was growing dark before we all walked sleepily back to the housed. I suppose we had some sort of supper. I suppose there must have been surface tidying-up, for the house on Sunday looked clean and orderly enough. The strange thing was, we didn't mention that day afterward. I felt a little embarrassed. Surely none of the others had been as excited as I. I locked the memory up in that deepest part of me where we keep "the things that cannot be and yet they are." The years went on, then one day I was hurrying about my kitchen in a city apartment, trying to get some work out of the way while my three-year-old insistently cried her desire to "go park, see duck." "I can't go!" I said. "I have this and this to do, and when I'm through I'll be too tired to walk that far." My mother, who was visiting us, looked up from the peas she was shelling. "It's a wonderful day," she offered, "really warm, yet there's a fine breeze. Do you remember that day we flew kites?" I stopped in my dash between stove and sink. The locked door flew open and with it a rush of memories. "Come on," I told my little girl. "You're right, it's too good a day to miss." Another decade passed. We were in the aftermath of a great war. All evening we had been asking our returned soldier, the youngest Patrick Boy, about his experiences as a prisoner of war. He had talked freely, but now for a long time he had been silent. What was he thinking of --- what dark and horrible things? "Say!" A smile sipped out from his lips. "Do you remember --- no, of course you wouldn't. It probably didn't make the impression on you as it did on me." I hardly dared speak. "Remember what?" "I used to think of that day a lot in POW camp , when things weren't too good. Do you remember the day we flew the kites?" Why did the writer finally agree to take her little girl for an outing? A. She suddenly remembered her duty as a mother. B. She was reminded of the day they flew kites. C. She had finished her work in the kitchen. D. She thought it was a great day to play outside. Answer: B. She was reminded of the day they flew kites. Question: Which of the following converts electrical energy into motion? A. light switch B. electric stove C. light bulb D. electric fan Answer: D. electric fan Question: What will the weather be like in the future? Some people say they can know the weather from animals. If birds are flying high in the sky, there will be a nice day. When they sit in trees or stay close together, bad weather is on the way. Ants often build their homes on the steep side just before the rain comes. Cats like to clean their ears before the rain. Chickens make a loud noise and run here and there when the rain is coming. Frogs will stay in the water and make a lot of noise, too. But on a nice day, they are quiet and jump out of the water. Turtles often look for higher ground and cows like to lie down when the rain is on the way. What do cats like to do before the rain? A. Clean their feet. B. Clean their ears. C. Run everywhere. D. Stay at home. Answer: B. Clean their ears. Question: In Britain today, is it possible to tell a person's class just by looking at him? Physical details alone tell us about health, diet and the type of work a person does. A hundred years ago the working class often looked unhealthy, small and they were either too thin or too fat. The upper classes were often tall, sporting types who were used to a good diet and looked healthy. Today living and working conditions have improved, and such descriptions are no longer true. People are taller now than a hundred years ago. Everyone in Britain today is able to have free medicine, a good diet, acceptable working conditions and enough rest and leisure. WWW.K*S858$$U.COM The clothes people choose to wear, however, do provide information about their backgrounds. Expensive clothes look expensive and show their wearer is rich. Clothes can provide other clues as well. The upper classes appear to be less interested in fashion and wear good quality clothes in non-bright colours, made of natural material like wool, leather and cotton. Lower working-class people often choose clothes in bright colours, made of man-made materials. A sociological explanation for this would be that colour and interest are missing from their lives, and therefore any opportunity to produce this is taken. Clothes are available at a price within most people's reach. New clothes make the wearer feel good and show some degree of wealth to the outside world. Today it is the younger people who spend most money on clothes. Fashion is no longer for the upper classes and the rich. Young people from all social classes spend a lot of money on clothes. Some new fashions are started by working-class people who want to look different and feel important. They want people WWW.K*S858$$U.COMto look at them. A working-class person may start a new fashion because _ . A. she wants to draw the attention of other people B. she wants to look different and healthy C. she wants to show their wealth D. she wants to show their taste Answer: A. she wants to draw the attention of other people
As traditional Chinese art, paper cutting has a long history. The first and earliest paper cutting was found in China 1,500 years ago. But this traditional art is at risk of disappearing now. Luckily, Voyo Woo, a Chinese immigrant in America, is trying to bring this art back to life. One Saturday in 2014, Ms Woo held a paper cutting show at a shopping center near Washington. She got much fun and peace doing it. She hoped more people would enjoy it. Ms Woo began to study the art of paper cutting as a 14-year-old girl in her hometown in China. She said all the students at school had to learn paper cutting. But she had a deep love for it. So her teacher spent more time teaching her after class. Later, she won the second prize in a national painting and art competition. Ms Woo went to America after she finished collage in 2008. Soon after that, she took part in an activity to promote Chinese paper cutting. And then she was invited to show the art in many important activities."It is important to promote this art to Americans or anyone who is interested in it.Maybe it will make this art more popular."Woo said. From the art of paper cutting, people can know about Chinese cultural values, history and stories of people's life. Ms Woo uses the art as a tool to show Chinese culture to people who know little about it. Chinese art is not only for Chinese, but also for people all over the world. Ms Woo began to study the art of paper cutting _ . Answer: when she was fourteen Barack Obama makes his first trip to Asia as president this week, leaving behind a host of domestic problems with the visit that recognizes the region's economic and diplomatic importance. "Obama"s trip includes stops in Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea, and his message will be simple, says Nicolas Lardy at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "Well, I think his broadest aim is to convince Asians that the United States is fully committed to the region that we have an agenda that's much broader than they saw over the past eight years of the very heavy focus on anti-terrorism." Obama's first stop is Japan, where he meets with the new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama who has promised to steer a diplomatic course more independent of Washington. While Japan is seen as a getting-to-know-you stop, when Obama heads to the Singapore for the APEC meeting, he will likely face pressure on trade. "Many Asians are concerned about what US trade policy will be, and they've been somewhat alarmed by the fact that the president really hasn't set out very much revision for what US trade policy is in his administration." But the critical _ of the trip will come in China, his third stop where Obama will have to navigate the complex relationship with the country that is the largest holder of US debt. "As you say, you know, if you owe the bank one dollar, it's your problem, if you owe the bank, you know, 3 million dollars, it's the bank's problem, so it's similar with China. I mean they have no interest in trying to use the influence with us, because eventually, they're the one that they own all those dollars." Also on the table will be North Korea and Iran's nuclear ambitions as well as cooperation on Afghanistan. With Obama enjoying sky high popularity level in the countries he is visiting, detailed results may be beside the point, given that Obama is still in his first year in office, analysts say this trip is mostly about laying the ground work for the future. The author develops the passage mainly _ . Answer: by order in time Father's Day is the third Sunday in June. It is a day to thank fathers. On that day, fathers usually receive greeting gifts and cards. On the cards, children will write, "Thanks, father." "Best wishes for Father's Day" and so on. Father's Day is also a day families get together at home as well as in the restaurants. Where does the idea for the holiday come from? We should thank an American. In 1909 she wrote letters to some important persons. In her letter she advised to make Father's Day on the third Sunday in June. In June in 1910, people celebrated the first Father's Day in Washington. People whose parents are dead often decorated their parents' graves with flowers on these days. These are days of family fun and creating good feelings and memories. Where does the idea for the holiday come from? Answer: America. The Sun appears to move across the sky each day, rising in the east and setting in the west. What causes this apparent motion? Answer: the rotation of Earth on its axis Yang Yunjing is a tour guide volunteer in Tibet. She went there five times as tour guide . Her parents and friends couldn't understand why she chose the hard work. But facing all the confusion( ), Yang just smiled and said, "Tibet is full of charm ." When Yang finished her studies at the university three years ago, she had two choices: being an exchange student in Germany, or volunteering for Tibet. Finally, she chose the latter . Her father said, " I'll support( ) you. But no matter what happens, you have to face it on your own." When Yang went to Tibet for the first time, she got a " gift" -- altitude sickness( ). She had to be in hospital, but she didn't tell her parents about it. During her volunteer work, she did a great job because she worked very hard. One day when she returned to her room at night, she got a call from another tour guide volunteer. She told her that a woman of the group was badly hurt when climbing the mountains. Hearing that, Yang went to the hospital quickly and decided to stay there and look after the woman. Yang learnt a lot from the volunteer experience." As long as I think of the sky there, I can laugh it off, no matter what difficulties I may meet," she said. Which of the following is Not true according to the passage? Answer: Yang Yungjing went to Tibet four times as a tour guide.
Recently, I happened to hear a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter prepared to leave. They hugged and the mother said "I love you and I wish you enough." They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she was going to cry. I tried not to disturb her but she welcomed me by asking "Have you ever said goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes," I replied. "But may I know why this is the final goodbye?" "I am ill and she lives so far away. It's highly possible that the next trip back will be for my funeral " she said. "When you were saying goodbye, I heard you say 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means?" "That's a wish that has been handed down from past generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused for a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we say 'I wish you enough', we want the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to be with them". Then turning to me, she shared the following: "I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. "I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more." What did the mother mean by saying it was a "forever goodbye"? Without going to a movie festival, where can you find famous stars like American actor Johnny Depp and Chinese kung fu star Jachie Chan all in the same place? Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is the place to be. Now you can find all your stars in Beijing! It opened its doors on May31 on Qianmen Street. French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud set up the first Madame Tussauds in London, UK over 200 years ago. It shows waxworks of many famous people.There are 16 Madame Tussauds in many big cities around the world, such as New York, Tokyo and Sydney. The newly opened Beijing museum is the fourth Madame Tussauds in China, following Hong Kong, Shanghai and Wuhan. What's there in Beijing's Madame Tussauds? Let's take a look right now! Visit well-known film scenes Inside Madame Tussauds, you can see scenes of certain films. One of the most popular scenes is one from the 1961 US film Breakfast at Tiffany's (<<>> ). It is about Audrey Hepburn having her breakfast at Tiffany's. You can sit beside her and take a photo with her. Find famous people You can meet famous people from different fields , for example, American singer Michael Jackson, Chinese basketball player Yao Ming and American businessman Steve Jobs. US President Barack Obama is also here to meet you. You can even sit on his chair in his office. Learn about how to make wax figures There is a special area in Madame Tussauds to help you learn more about the life of Marie Tussaud. Also, you can see everything from how to measure a person to finishing a wax figure. It takes nearly four months to finish a figure. In Beijing's Madame Tussauds, you can do many things except _ . Museums Skyscraper Museum Wednesday - Sunday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Adults: $5 305-756-2385 Interested in tall buildings? Design? Then this museum is for you!!! Check the historical buildings and their special design right in lower Manhattan. Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum Sunday - Thursday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM Friday - Saturday: 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM Adults: $29 Students: $13 305-532-9623 The students in Manhattan had an exciting experience at Madame Tussaud's! They met hundreds of famous people at a discounted price! This museum is your chance to meet your idols and have a picture taken with them. Bass Museum of Art Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sunday: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Adults: $8 The old / Students: $6 305-673-7530 http://www.bassmuseum.org Enjoy European paintings, and sculptures. It also includes exhibitions of modern artists from different parts of the world. You will also enjoy visiting its beautiful museum shop and media center. World Art Museum Daily: 11:00 AM - Midnight (including holidays) Cost: $15 305-532-9336 http://www.weam.com Located in the heart of the South Beach Art Deco district, this museum shouldn't be missed! It is currently one of South Florida's hottest new attractions. If your classmate is going to Bass Museum of Art with his grandparents, how much will they pay? I do desire to help my Chinese students to find a better way of learning. I once divided my Chinese MBA students into six groups and set them an assignment: brainstorming on "two-hour business plans", for example: a restaurant chain. Originality would be valued most. As a result, five groups proposed projects for restaurant chains. The sixth showed a catering service. I couldn't help expressing my disappointment, though the time limit had been rather challenging. Those middle managers and financial analysts from state-owned enterprises and global companies were not untalented or without opinions, but they had been accustomed to an educational system that rarely rewarded critical thinking or Originality. Papers were often copied from the Internet and the Harvard Business Review. Students insisted that copying was a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating. In China, you can see almost all kinds of products you can imagine have been made and sold, but so few well developed marketing and management minds have been produced that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand! Partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established so as to solve the problem mentioned above. And there's also the "thousand talent scheme": this new government program is designed to improve technological modernization by inviting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with large sums of money. But there are concerns about China's research environment, which is known for lacking in encouraging independent thinking and inventiveness, and even high salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this. If China wants to become a major world creator, it is no good just seeking partnerships with top Western universities or gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It's time to establish a rich learning environment for young minds. Yes, new way of learning is the key! The author feels disappointed when the students hand in their plans because _ When I was a kid, I was close to my dad, but as I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart. We always had totally different opinions. He thought that college was a waste of time, but for me it was important to finish college. He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field, but I wanted a different life. There was a time when we did not talk with each other. A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health. When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado back to Tennessee to help him, I knew he was seriously ill. I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father's requirement. Two weeks after moving back, we bought a boat and started fishing again. Fishing was one of the few things that we did while I was young and that we both enjoyed. It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us. We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before. Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart It is not important how many fish we catch. It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years. I'm 62 and he is 84. When we are on the lake fishing, it is like two kids enjoying life. It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind. I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years. Now my heart is filled with love. A smile always graces my lips. For the author,fishing with his old father _ .
There's a guy like me in every state and federal prison in America, I guess -- I'm the guy who can get these for you: cigarettes, a bag of cigar, if you want that, a bottle of wine to celebrate yourson or daughter's high school graduation, or almost anything else. . . within reason, that is. It wasn't always that way. I came to Shawshank when I was just twenty, and I am one of the few people in the prison who is willing to admit what he did. I committed murder . I put a large insurance policy on my wife, who was three years older than I was, and then I fixed the brakes of the car her father had given us as a wedding present. It worked out exactly as I had planned, except I hadn't planned on her stopping to pick up the neighbor woman and the woman's son on the way down Castle Hill and into town. The brakes let go and the car crashed through the bushes, gathering speed. Bystanders said it must have been doing fifty or better when it hit the base of the Civil War statue in the town arid burst into flames. I also hadn't planned on getting caught, but I was caught. I got a pass into this place. My state has no death penalty , but I was tried for all three deaths and given three life sentences, to run one after the other. That fixed up any chance of parole I might have, for a long, long time. The judge called what I had done 'an extremely evil crime', and it was, but it is also in the past now. Have I transformed myself, you ask? I don't know what that word means, at least as far as prisons and corrections go. I think it's a politician's word. It may have some other meaning, and it may be that I will have a chance to find out, but that is the future. . . I was young, good-looking, and from the poor side of town. I met a pretty, headstrong girl who lived in one of the fine old houses on Carbine Street. She got pregnant later. Her father was agreeable to the marriage if I would take a job in the company he owned and 'work my way up'. I found out that what he really had in mind was keeping me in his house and under his thumb, like a disagreeable pet that has not quite been housebroken and which may bite. Enough hate eventually piled up to cause me to do what I did. Given a second chance I would not do it again, but I'm not sure whether that means I am transformed. What do we know about the man from the passage? Answer: All students need to have good study habits .When you have good study habits, you learn things quickly. You also remember them easily. Do you like to study in the living room? This is not a good place because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, like your bedroom. A quiet place will help you only think about one thing. When you study, don't think about other things at the same time. Only think about your homework. If you do this, you will do your homework more quickly and you will make fewer mistakes. Good study habits are very important. If you do not have them, try to learn them. If you are already good, try to make them better. How do you learn things when you have good study habits? Answer: A little girl lived in a small, very simple, poor house on a hill and as she grew she would play in the small garden. There, she was able to see over the garden fence and across the valley to a wonderful house high on the hill. This house had golden windows, so golden and shining that the little girl would dream of how magic it would be to grow up and live in a house with golden windows instead of an ordinary house like hers. Although she loved her parents and her family, she yearned to live in such a golden house and dreamed all day about how wonderful and exciting it must feel to live there. When she got to an age when she gained enough skill and sensibility to go outside her garden fence, she asked her mother if she could go for a bike ride outside the gate and down the lane. After pleading with her, her mother finally allowed her to go, insisting that she should keep close to the house and not wander too far. The day was beautiful and the little girl knew exactly where she was heading! Down the lane and across the valley, she rode her bike until she got to the gate of the golden house across on the other hill. As she dismounted her bike and leaned it against the gate post, she focused on the path that led to the house and then on the house itself. She was so disappointed as she realized all the windows were plain and rather dirty, reflecting nothing other than the sad neglect of the house that was derelict. So sad she didn't go any further and turned, and heart broken as she remounted her bike. As she glanced up she saw a sight to amaze her. There across the way on her side of the valley was a little house and its windows glistened golden as the sun shone on her little home. She realized that she had been living in her golden house and all the love and care she found there was what made her home the 'golden house'. Everything she dreamed was right there in front ofher nose! The passage is intended to tell us that _ . Answer: Red roses were her favorites; her name was also Rose. And every year her husband sent them, tied with pretty bows. The year he died, the roses were delivered to her door. The card said, "Be my Valentine " , like all the years before. Each year he sent her roses, and the note would always say, "I love you even more this year, than last year on this day. My love for you will always grow, with every passing year." She knew this was the last time that the roses would appear. She thought, he ordered roses in advance before this day. Her loving husband did not know that he would pass away. He always liked to do things early. Then, if he got too busy, everything would work out fine. She cut away some stems, placed them in a very special vase, and set the vase beside the picture of his smiling face. She would sit for hours in her husband's favorite chair, staring at his photo and the roses sitting there. A year went by, and it was hard to live without her mate. Loneliness and solitude had become her fate. Then, the very hour, as on Valentine's Day before, the doorbell rang, and there were roses, sitting by her door. She brought the roses in, and just looked at them in shock. Then, she went to get the telephone to call the florist shop. The owner answered, and she asked him, if he would explain why someone would do this to her, causing her such pain. "I know your husband passed away, more than a year ago," the owner said, "I knew you'd call, and you would want to know. The flowers you received today were paid for in advance. Your husband always planned ahead. He left nothing to chance." "There is a standing order that I have on file down here. And he has paid, well in advance; you'll get them every year. There is also another thing that I think you should know. He wrote a special little card ... he did this years ago." "Then, should ever, I find out that he's no longer here. That's the card ... that should be sent to you the following year." She thanked him and hung up the phone ,her tears now flowing hard. Her fingers shaking, she slowly reached to get the card. Inside the card, she saw that he had written her a note. Then,as she stared in total silence, this is what he wrote: "Hello my love, I know it's been a year since I was gone. I hope it hasn't been too hard for you to overcome. I know it must be lonely, and the pain is very real. If it was the other way, I know how I would feel. The love we shared made everything so beautiful in life. I loved you more than words can say. You were the perfect wife." "You were my friend and lover; you satisfied my every need. I know it's only been a year, but please try not to grieve. I want you to be happy, even when you shed your tears. That is why the roses will be sent to you for years." "When you get these roses, think of all the happiness that we had together, and how both of us were blessed. I have always loved you and I know I always will. But, my love, you must go on; you have some living still." "Please ... try to find happiness, while living out your days. I know it is not easy, but I hope you find some ways. The roses will come every year, and they will only stop when your door's not answered, when the florist stops to knock. He will come five times that day, in case you have gone out. But after his last visit, he will know without a doubt. To take the roses to the place, where I've instructed him, and place them where we are, together once again." Which of the following is the best title for the passage? Answer: When you are little, it's not hard to believe you can change the world. I remember my enthusiasm when, at the age of 12, I addressed delegates at the Rio Earth Summit. "I am only a child," I told them ."Yet I know that if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding environment answers, what a wonderful place this would be. In school you teach us not to fight with others, to work things out, to respect others, to clean up our mess, not to hurt other creatures, to share, not to be greedy. Then why do you go out and do the thing you tell us not to do ? You grown-ups say you love us, but I challenge you, please, to make your actions reflect your words." I spoke for six minutes and received a standing _ . Some of the delegates even cried. I thought that maybe I had reached some of them, that my speech might actually spur action. Now, a decade from Rio, after I've sat through many more conferences, I'm not sure what has been accomplished. My confidence in the people in power and in the power of an individual's voice to reach them has been deeply shaken. When I was little, the world was simple. But as a young adult, I'm learning that as we have to make choices -- education, career, lifestyle -- life gets more and more complicated. We are beginning to feel pressure to produce and be successful. We are taught that economic growth is in progress, but aren't taught how to pursue a happy, healthy or sustainable way of living. And we are learning that what we wanted for the future when we were 12 was ideal and innocent. Today I'm no longer a child, but I'm worried about what kind of environment my children will grow up in. I know change is possible, because I am changing, still figuring out what I think. I am still deciding how to live my life. The challenges are great, but if we accept individual responsibility and make sustainable choices, we will rise to the challenges, and we will become part of the positive tide of change. It becomes clear that the writer is possibly _ now. Answer:
On a field trip, a student holds a frog and reports that it has slippery skin. This is an example of Answer: French soccer player David Trezeguet holds the record for the fastest shot in a soccer match. It happened during a match between his club Juventus and England's Manchester United in 1998. At that time, he was unknown outside of French soccer. But nine years later, Trezeguet, 29, has become one of the world's most famous strikers . In September, 2007, he scored his 100th goal in the Italian League. "One hundred goals with Juventus, one of the greatest clubs in the world, that is important," he said. Although Trezeguet was born in France, he grew up in Argentina and he says his " _ " helped him become one of the world's best soccer players. "Most people in Argentina have to work hard for everything they want," he explained. "This mentality gave me a hunger and an ambition to become the best." Trezeguet has had a great career. He has won nearly every major competition in soccer - the World Cup, the European Championships, the European Cup, as well as the French and Italian league titles. But Trezeguet knows all about heartache too. In the French World Cup in 1998, after playing every match in the competition, he was not chosen to play in the final when France went on to win. Then in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, his miss in the penalty shoot-out handed victory to Italy. But Trezeguet refuses to let this get him down. "I accept my responsibility. It's part of football," he said. "You just have to move on and start thinking about focusing on the next thing." David Trezeguet was born in _ . Answer: It is not just humans that get stuck in their ways. Scientists have discovered that old bees have trouble finding their way to new hives as their learning behavior becomes increasingly inflexible. Bees are typically impressive navigators, able to wind their way home through complex landscapes after visits to flowers far removed from their nests. But researchers from Arizona State University and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences found that aging damages the bees' ability to extinguish the memory of an unsuitable nest site even after the group has settled in a new home. To test how old bees adapt to a changed home location, researchers trained bees to a new nest box while their former nest was closed off. Groups composed of mature and old bees were given several days in which to learn the new home location and to extinguish the bees' memory of their unusable former nest box. The scientists then tore down the bees' new home and forced groups of mixed-age bees to choose between three alternative nest locations, including the former nest box. Old bees began flying toward the former nest site, despite the experience that should have told them that it was unusable. "Although many old bees fail in learning tasks, we also discovered that a few still perform with excellence," explains Daniel Minch, lead author of the study and a senior life sciences researcher in Norway. The scientists believe that their findings with bees offer a new means to model and understand the variability found in brain function between individuals, where some individuals' memories remain complete, while others' learning behavior becomes inflexible with age. It is concluded from the passage that bees _ Answer: Accidents happen almost every day. Some accidents are not serious and some are. We read about such accidents nearly every day in the newspapers. It is wrong for people to think that accidents take place only on the roads or highways, or even at work places. Home accidents are just as common. Because very few home accidents are reported, people come to think that there are few accidents which happen in homes. There have been many cases where people fall to their deaths from high rise flats. Children often fall over while coming down the stairs. Old people may slip on wet floors if they are not careful. Nowadays there are a lot of modern electrical appliances such as rice cookers which make life easy for the modern house wives. These appliances can kill if they are not used in the proper way. Gas stoves used for cooking are also dangerous if they are not properly used. They may cause burns or, in more serious cases, even fires. But all such accidents can be stopped if we are careful and follow simple rules of safety. For example, it is unwise for people to try repairing their own electrical appliances if they do not know how to. It is safer to get them repaired by an electrician . People are advised _ . Answer: In tests, it shrank breast tumours by 80 percent and researchers believe it could also treat prostate, pancreatic, bowel and ovarian cancers. Even tumours that resist treatment with the best medicines on the market, including the "wonder drug" Herceptin, may surrender to the vaccine. The experiments so far have been on mice - but researchers hope to pilot the drug on people within two years. If all goes well, the vaccine could be on the market by 2020. Rather than attacking cancer cells, like many drugs, the new treatment arouses the power of the immune system to fight tumours. The search for vaccines has been prevented by fears that healthy tissue would be destroyed along with tumours. Researchers from the University of Georgia and the Mayo Clinic in the US focused on a protein called MUC1 that is made in bigger amounts in cancerous cells than in healthy ones.Not only is there more of it, but a sugar that it is "decorated" with has a distinctive shape. The vaccine trains the immune system to recognise the rogue sugar and turn its weapons against the cancer. "Cancer cells have a special way of thwarting the immune system by putting sugars on the surface of tumour cells so they can travel around the body without being detected," researcher Professor Sandra Gendler said. "To enable the immune system to recognise the sugar it took a special vaccine that had three parts to it. "She said it was this that "turned out to be a winning combination". How does the vaccine treat fatal cancers? Answer:
Now more and more people communicate by sending messages with mobile phones, sending e-mails or even chatting on line. How about our pen, pencil or paper? Which one do you think is easier and more convenient, handwriting or texting ? Today, texting is the most common way of communication, even among young students. People don't write letters anymore. They usually send e-mails to their friends. From texting to e-mails, it seems like keyboard are _ the good old pencil and paper. As a result, many students are poor in handwriting. Some even don't know how to write normal words we often use. In order to improve students handwriting skills, the British government recently decided to open handwriting lessons in middle schools. The British government hopes the students will be able to learn how to write business and personal letters properly at any length . The students will also be taught different kinds of writings. They will also learn to use correct spelling, punctuations and grammar. The handwriting lessons will begin in 2014. Why don't you practice handwriting and write letters to your family and friends to surprise them? What did the British government decide to do to improve students' handwriting skills? A To help students write personal letters. B To open handwriting lessons in middle schools. C To send the students abroad to learn handwriting skills. D To ask the students not to send massages with mobile phones. Answer: B I paid a visit to Cambridge last January. Though the trip took me 5 hours and it rained the whole day with strong winds there, the town deserved a visit. The bus started at 6:10 a. m. It stopped at 4 airports before we finally arrived,which wasted more time than we expected. Tired with long sitting,one passenger stood up to relax his numbed legs. The driver asked him to sit down but in vain. So he pulled up and said seriously, "Either you get off or sit down." To him, safety is the first policy. Cambridge consists of over thirty colleges. The oldest part of the university was built in the 13th century while the newest was founded in the mid 1960s.The number of the students is so great that many students live in lodgings and move into college for their final year. Cambridge is called a university town because there is no clear separation between the university buildings and the rest of the city. The university is not just one part of the town;it is all over the town. The heart of Cambridge has shops,pubs,and supermarkets,but most of it is university-colleges,departments,libraries,clubs and other places for university staff and students. Students fill the shops,cafes,banks and churches,making these as well part of the university. With over 10,000 undergraduates and postgraduates, the town is a busy place indeed. Students here are not allowed to keep cars. If you happen to be walking in the street during a break,better stop a moment to avoid the boiling sea of bicycles hurrying in all directions,carrying students from one college or lecture room to another. It can be inferred that most Cambridge students take _ as their first means of transport. A boats B cars C bicycles D buses Answer: C "Tomorrow is another day"---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after _ appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn. The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novelGone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her strength in surviving the war and its hardships. Love story In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that has kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people. With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn." Great epic The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre. When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins. Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact,Gone With the Windnever lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze. Biggest of all time The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940. The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _ . A prove that the background of the movie touched viewers B describe how popular the movie was at that time C point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment D tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then. Answer: A It is not unusual at all for teens to answer their parents with oneword answers."Where are you going?""Places.""When will you be back?""Sometime.""Who will you be with?""People." That means that the days of your children standing in the front door with the details of their day are over.They are breaking away from you so that they'll be able to stand on their own as a young adult. Some parents feel sad about this loss of their children's closeness.Of course you miss those conversations and friendly talks.Once your children move out after high school and establish themselves confidently as a young adult,they'll come back for easy conversations and even ask for advice.But in order to determine who are right now,they need to separate from you. Your job,however,is to keep them safe--and that requires knowing where they are and who they are with.Let them know clearly that it's not because you want to dominate their life and control them;it's because it's a safety issue for family members to keep track of one another. When they're home and sit down to eat a meal,sit down with them.You need to open up to them about your life.Tell them of an interesting incident at the office,let them in on a bit of family gossip ,discuss a piece of news with them.They are glad that you see them as old enough to be in on a few experiences of your life.By letting a teen in on your life,they just may let you in on theirs. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A the generation gap is becoming wider and wider B teens quarrel a lot with their parents C teens don't want to live with other family members D some parents feel distant from their teenage children Answer: A Have you ever been to some big cities in the world? The information below will be helpful to you. Budapest For many centuries, Budapest was two cities, with Buda on the west side of the river Danube and Pest on the east side. Budapest became one city in 1872, and it has been the capital city of Hungary for about eighty years. The population of Budapest is about three million, and the city is a very popular place for tourists. Visitors like to take boat rides along the Danube. Budapest is also known for its exciting nightlife. The best time to visit is summer since Budapest is very cold in winter. Los Angeles Los Angeles was founded in 1781. With 3.5 million people it is now the biggest city in California and the second largest city in the United States. It is famous for its modern highways, its movie stars, and its smog. When the city is really smoggy, you can't see the near-by Mountains. The weather is usually dry and warm. Visitors like to go to the film studios and to drive along Hollywood Street. There are many good beaches near the city, and Los Angeles is also close to Disneyland. Taipei Since the founding of Taipei in the 18th century, the city has grown to a population of 2.3 million. Taipei is an exciting city, but the weather is humid and not always pleasant. It's also a very busy city, and the streets are always full of people. There is an excellent museum that many people visit. Taipei is quite an expensive city, but not more expensive than some neighboring cities such as Hong Kong and Tokyo. So more and more travelers go to Taipei to shop. When we talk about the history of Los Angeles, we know that _ . A it was founded in 1871 B it became one city in 1872 C it became a city in the 18th century D it was founded in the 19th century Answer: C
Which statement best describes why a calcium-fortified juice would advertise that it is good for growing children? A Calcium helps the growth of bones. B Calcium provides energy for growth. C Children need to drink a lot of fluids. D Children need calcium to prevent allergies. Answer: A Nodira, 18, lives in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan. She was born with a rare disease and is now paralyzed from the waist down. Her life is confined to a wheelchair but _ Her hopes for the future include attending university, riding in her father's car and being able to walk like other children. Nodira, which means 'unique' in Uzbek, is one of five children in a poor family. Every morning, after reciting her prayers, Nodira feeds the hens and goats from her wheelchair. The rest of her day is spent knitting for other people and helping her mother with the household chores. Nodira has never been to school because it is too far from her home and inaccessible for her wheelchair. A local teacher used to come and _ her at home and, as a result, she was able to finish third grade. After that, her parents moved to another town and the tutor could not visit as much. Despite the many difficulties in Nodira's life she is lucky to be living with her family. The stigma attached to the children living with disabilities, combined with the lack of wheelchair access in schools and the economic difficulties faced by many Uzbek families, have led many parents to place children with disabilities in special institutions. These days, Nodira does homework exercises at home and reads as much as she can. Still, it is unlikely that she will be able to finish her primary education, much less attend university. While missing out on an education is a great disappointment to Nodira, her greatest wish, for a true friend, can still come true. "What I want more than anything is a friend who also has a disability," she says. "Somebody will not feel sorry for me or make fun of me, and will understand what my life is like." What Nodira wants most is _ . A to go to university B to walk on her own feet C to finish her primary education D to find a true friend Answer: D Fashion isn't very environmentally-friendly because it makes people buy things they don't need, just because they're new. We want to take care of the environment, we don't want to pollute the air and we don't want to waste energy and resources. But we also want to be fashionable. How can we buy fashionable clothes and protect the environment? Old styles are fashionable again, so one way is to buy second-hand clothes -- recycled clothes. Another way is to buy' fair trade clothes. These clothes are either recycled or made in a ' way that protects the environment. They also protect the people who make the clothes. Surprisingly, white cotton is one of the least environmentally-friendly crops of all. To protect the cotton, the growers use chemicals that pollute water, make farm workers ill and kill wildlife. New materials, such as hemp and bamboo, grow quickly and are more environmentally-friendly. These materials are very soft, and look fantastic. The best materials are coloured using natural dyes, made from plants. Environmentally-friendly clothes are practical but until now they were often dull. Now fashion-designers are working with these materials and the clothes are beautiful as well. So now we can buy fashionable clothes that are also environmentally-friendly. Why are environmentally -friendly clothes more fashionable now? Because _ . A people pay more attention to our environment B environmentally-friendly clothes are practical C all old styles become fashionable again D fashion-designers are working to make them beautiful Answer: D Police Officer Tidwell left the station after 8 a.m. on Sunday. He was looking forward to his day of rest. By habit he took a short cut down the path behind prefix = st1 /Digby Hall Road. Suddenly he saw a man climbing down a drain-pipe from an open bedroom window of number 29. Quietly Tidwell walked into the garden. The man had just reached the ground when he felt his arm grasped. "It seems an unlikely adventure. Would you mind explaining? " said the officer. The man was frightened, saying, "I know what's on your mind, officer, but it is a mistake. " "It's part of my job to take an interest in unusual events. I think you've just left this house in a manner other than the customary one. " Tidwell took out his notebook and a pen. "Name, address and your job and then, please, tell me your story." "Charlie Crane, Lorry Driver, from Nottingham, 51 Brecon Street. My story..." "Yes, What were you doing, Mr. Crane?" "Well, I had a breakdown yesterday and had to stay here until it was fixed. Bed and breakfast. The landlady is Mrs. Fern. She gave me breakfast at seven, and I was out here in the right way and down at the lorry park. It was only when I felt for a cigarette that I realised I'd left 80 pounds under the pillow. It's my habit to put my money under the pillow at night." "I see. Have you paid Mrs. Fern?" "I'd paid her last night. So I came back, but it's Sunday, and she'd gone back to bed. Could I wake her? I rang the bell and knocked on the door for ten minutes before I came here and found my bedroom window still open. Up I went, then, up this pipe. The money was still there. I hope you believe it because..." "Mr. Crane, what are you doing here? I thought you'd gone an hour ago." It was Mrs. Fern, speaking from the kitchen window. Why was Tidwell walking along the path behind Digby Hall Road? A He usually discovered something suspicious along that path. B He had an appointment with a man at Digby Hall Road. C He knew he would get home quicker that way. D He chose to go that way by chance. Answer: C One Saturday morning, Apple Inc's iPad table computer went on sale in the United States stores across the country. The iPad can be bought in more than 200 U.S. Apple stores from Apple. Many fans even waited overnight outside some Apple stores, hoping to be the first to get one. Dozens of the people were waiting before the door opened at 9:00 a.m. Hiro Kishimoto, a Japanese computer researcher who had a meeting in San Francisco, came as early as 5:00 a.m. He wanted to read books and magazines with the iPad. " It's much more comfortable than a laptop . Because the laptop is too heavy to carry all the time, when you are in the living rooms, maybe the iPad is the best one to use." He said. The iPad models that hit the U.S. Market on Saturday with price starting from 499 dollars, only have Wi Fi link to the Internet. Apple models that have both Wi Fi and 3G will be on sale in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Swizland and the UK in late April. With a 9.7 -inch touch screen like books and magazines, iPad can let users finish many tasks including making the web, watching videos, playing games and reding e-books. Apple is trying to remake the tablet computer. The iPad doesn't support Adobe's Flash software that is used to watch many of the videos on the web. " It is short of a keyboard, a mouse, USB ports and mwlti-tasking." some researchers said. The iPad models that hit the US market on Saturday with price at least _ . A Y=299 B $299 C Y=499 D $499 Answer: D
can a kid with a new binoculars see a friend standing in a distance better or worse? A visibility will be improved B visibility will be compromised C difference will be lacking D all of these Answer: A You might think that "global warming" means nothing more than a rise in the world's temperature But rising sea levels caused by it have resulted in the first evacuation of an island nation--the citizens of Tuvalu will have to leave their homeland. During the 20th century , sea level rose 8--12 inches. As a result ,Tuvalu has experienced lowland flooding of salt water which has polluted the country's drinking water. Paani Laupepa , a Tuvaluan government official ,reported to the Earth Policy Institute that the nation suffered an unusually high number of fierce storms in the past ten years .Many scientists connect higher surface water temperatures resulting from global warming to greater and more damaging storms. Laupepa expressed dissatisfaction with the United States for refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement calling for industrialized nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions ,which are a main cause of global warming . "By refusing to sign the agreement ,the US has effectively taken away the freedom of future generations of Tuvaluans to live where their forefathers have lived for thousands of years," Laupepa told the BBC. Tuvalu has asked Australia and New Zealand to allow the gradual move of its people to both countries . Tuvalu is not the only country that is vulnerable to rising sea levels .Maumoon Gayoon ,president of the Maldives ,told the United Nations that global warming has made his country of 311,000 an "endangered nation". The text is mainly about _ . A rapid changes in earth's temperature B bad effects of global warming C moving of a country to a new place D reasons for lowland flooding Answer: B International students are allowed to work for the university they study at or for a business at the school. But the business must directly provide a service for students. You could work at the bookstore, for example, but not for a company that is building something at the school. Also, a foreign student cannot take the place of an American in a job. International students can work 20 hours a week while having classes; more during school breaks. You can work until you finish your studies. International students normally cannot take a job that has nothing to do with their school. But the government may give permission if students are suddenly faced with difficulties. Examples include large medical bills, the shortage of financial aid or an unexpected change in the financial support. Students must also meet other conditions . They must have studied at their American school for at least one year. Students must ask for permission again after a year if they want to continue an off-campus job. International students who will be studying at graduate school can apply for some jobs before they come to the United States. A good example is a university job like a teaching or research assistant. Some schools pay their assistants. Others provide free education in return. Many do both. Graduate assistants might teach, give tests, grade work, help with research and clean the offices. Many universities now provide language training for foreign teaching assistants to help them improve their English. Some schools ask foreign students to pass an English speaking test before they are allowed to teach. International student offices at schools have to provide information on students each term for the Department of Homeland Security. Students who _ visa rules -- for example, by working off-campus without permission -- could be sent home. What can we learn according to the passage? A All the international students can work for large companies. B International students are able to work whenever they like. C International students may be allowed to work outside the school when having financial trouble. D International students must have studied at their American school for less than a year to get a job. Answer: C Getting into university is hard enough at the best of times--but when your chosen institution is a work of fiction you're really up against. And that's why this young joker's Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application to Hogwarts University was unsuccessful. But the admissions services' response to the young man is still funny. The unnamed A-Level student wrote a handwritten note to UCAS asking for a place studying ' _ ' at the Harry Potter school. In the application, he was proud of his skills in "wearing a pointy hat" and "Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials". UCAS replied, "We regret to inform you that your application to the stated university cannot be processed at this time for the fact that it does not exist. "After consultation with our mystic advisors we have also determined that even if it did exist, the course 'Wandology' would be highly in demand and thus require at least two As and a B in any of the following subjects: Advanced Spellcrafting Mystimatics Defence Against the Dark Arts History of the Mysticism Shaft Design "Your handwritten grade sheet claiming top marks in 'Waving a stick about', 'Wearing a pointy hat' and 'Watching Paul Daniels TV Specials' sadly is not suitable for admission, however, by applying through clearing you may be suitable for a selection of Liberal Arts courses." "Or, you may wish to resubmit next year by tying your letter to an owl and hoping for the best. "On behalf of UCAS I wish you every success." What can be inferred in the UCAS's reply? A Applying for a university is the hardest thing even in the best times. B The young student will probably start to raise an owl for the next year. C UCAS may approve the young student's application for Liberal Arts courses. D In the end the young student succeeded in applying for Hogwarts University. Answer: C We live in the computer age. People use computers to do much of their work, such as playing games, listening to music, shopping and so on. But few people know how to take care of them. Please remember the following when you use your computer: 1.Keep your computer in a dry cool room. Too much heat is bad for computers. 2. Do not smoke near your computer. Smoking is also bad for them. 3. Do not drink or eat near computers. A little water and pieces of food in the keyboard are also bad for a computer. 4. Keep your screen clean and do not have it too bright. They are bad for your eyes. Make sure the screen is not too far or too near your eyes when you use a computer. Where should computers be put? A Five. B Seven. C Thirty-five. D Forty. Answer: C
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don't know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they will go to their friends for some ideas. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking to them on the phone. This communication is very important in children's growing up, because friends can discuss special things. These things are difficult to say to their family members. However, parents often try to choose friends for their children. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions? Who choose your friends? Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you? Have you got a good friend your parents don't like? Your answers are welcome? Which of the following is the writer's attitude ? A. Parents should choose friends for their children B. Children should choose everything they like C. Parents should understand their children better D. Teenagers should only go to their friends for help Answer: C It is curious that our own faults should seem so much less heinous than the faults of others. I suppose the reason is that we know all the conditions that have caused them and so manage to excuse in ourselves what we can't excuse in others. We turn our attention away from our own mistakes, and when we are forced by unexpected events to consider them, find it easy to accept them. For all I know we are right to do this; They are part of us and we must accept the good and bad in ourselves together. But when we come to judge others, it is not by ourselves as we really are that we judge them, but by an image that we have formed ourselves .To take a little instance: how scornful we are when we catch someone out telling a lie ; but who can say that he has never told not one, but a hundred? There is not much to choose between men .They are all a mix-up of greatness and littleness, of kindness and unkindness, of goodness and badness. Some have more strength of character ,or more opportunity ,and so in one direction or another give their instincts( ) freer play ,but potentially they are the same. For my part, I don't think I am any better or any worse than most people, but I know that if I set down every action in my life and every thought that has crossed my mind, the world would consider me a monster. The knowledge that these thoughts are common to all men should inspire one with tolerance to oneself as well as to others. If they enable us to look upon our fellows, even the most great and respectable, with humor, and if they lead us to take ourselves not too seriously, it is well. What does the writer want to say according to the passage? A. We should consider ourselves and others in the same way. B. It is very necessary to learn his experience about faults. C. Everybody should not forgive our own faults but forgive other's faults. D. Somebody is better than others more or less. Answer: A A dog opens its mouth and lets its tongue hang out. A human's body produces sweat. These are two ways that organisms may adjust to A. cold temperatures B. hot temperatures C. a shortage of food D. a shortage of drinking water Answer: B John and Sam were friends. They opened a small shop in a small village. One day, they sold out of all their wine , so they drove to the city to buy some. On their way home, the wind was strong and it was getting colder and colder. Both John and Sam wanted to drink some wine to keep warm, but they had a rule. They couldn't drink any wine because they had to sell it. According to the rule, if some-body wanted to drink some wine, he had to pay the other twice the price. John was a clever man. He took out ten cents and gave it to Sam. He said, "Here is ten cents. Would you please sell me some of your wine?" Sam was a businessman , so he said, "You give me money, so of course I will sell some to you." Then he passed John a cup of wine. After drinking the wine, John felt warm soon, but Sam was still cold. Then he took out the ten cents that John just gave to him and said to John, "Here is ten cents. Please sell me some of your wine." John agreed. Sam drank some wine and also felt much warmer. But after some time, they both felt cold again, so they kept buying wine from each other with the same ten cents. Soon they drank up all of the wine. "How could so much wine only cost ten cents?" the two friends asked each other. How much did Sam and John spend on all of the wine? A. Five cents. B. Ten cents. C. Fifteen cents. D. Fifty cents. Answer: B Do you like eating chocolate? Companies spend millions of dollars on tools and machines to make chocolate. With a little ingredients, however, you can turn your kitchen into a chocolate factory. Today we will teach the Cocoa Powder Method , it is easier for beginners. Try it and make your own homemade chocolate. Here are the ingredients you need: cocoa powder -- 2 cups (220g) ; butter -- 3/4 cup (170g); sugar -- 3/4 cup (100g); milk -- 2/3 cup (150ml); salt -- a little bit ; water -- 1 cup (235ml). Now, please follow these steps. First, mix the cocoa powder and butter in a bowl until you have a smooth paste . Then , add the cocoa powder mixture to the hot water and stir . Allow the temperature to rise back up. Put the hot mixture into a bowl, stir the sugar mixture into the hot cocoa mix. Add milk, stir until smooth. At last, put the mixture into different containers . The chocolate will take the shape of the container. You can put it in the fridge to harden it. We hope you can enjoy your homemade chocolate. The information above may come from a _ . A. story book B. magazine C. sports newspaper D. travel guide Answer: B
It seems that many parents have a lot to learn about what their children are doing online. According to a recent survey by the Symantec Corporation, which makes many kinds of security software for home and business computers, there's a "significant digital divide between parents and their kids." Parents of children under the age of 18 were asked to estimate how much time their kids spent online each week. The parents said about three hours a week on average. The kids - ages 8 to 17 - who took the survey said they're spending an average of seven hours online each week. "I really think that's due to the time they spend on their mobile phones and computers, when their parents don't even know they're online," says Symantec's Bill Rosenkrantz. "Remember, cell phones, PDAs and video game machines all make it possible to access the Internet. You don't have to sit in front of a computer screen." And what are the kids doing on the Web? "They're doing things like downloading music, they're going to social networking sites, they're actually shopping online when parents don't think they're doing those kinds of activities," says Rosenkrantz. "They're also, we think, doing some things with research papers and other kinds of activities with homework maybe where they're getting content online and they really shouldn't be." Nearly a quarter of the kids (23 percent) admit to doing things their parents would not approve. So how does a modern parent deal with this type of situation? "The first thing we strongly recommend is that parents spend time with their children online," Rosenkrantz says. "Sit down with them and understand what they're doing. Secondly, have a dialog about it. Have a dialog about what's an acceptable activity, what's an unacceptable activity, and set some ground rules -- time online, things you can and can't do. Really have those conversations. That's the most important." There are a lot of bad people on the Internet. That's why it's so important for parents to know what their kids are doing online. In Rosenkrantz's opinion, the key to the situation is that parents should _ . A shorten their kids' time spent online B know their kids' online activities C use security software in computers D have a talk with their kids Answer: D. have a talk with their kids A man from a big city with a new cart and a beautiful pair of horses was driving along a country road . He did not give much attention to where he was going. Very soon he knew he lost his way, but he kept on driving hoping he would meet someone or find his way back. It was a long way. For many hours he kept on driving. When it was almost dark he saw a farmer who was working in a field. He stopped and shouted, "Hello, farmer!" "Hello, yourself!" the farmer answered, still working. "Where does this road go?" "I have never seen it go anywhere. It always stays where it is." said the farmer, without stopping his work. "How far is it to the next town?" said the stranger, with a little louder voice. "I don't know. I've never measured it ." Answered the farmer. By the time the city man was getting angry. "What do you know? You're the biggest fool I've seen." The farmer stopped and turned and looked for a while at the man. Then he said, "Maybe I do not know much, perhaps I'm a fool. But at least I'm not lost." The city man said "Hello, farmer" because _ . A he was friendly to everyone B he saw an old man in the country C he lost his way and he wished the farmer who would show him the way D he was very happy Answer: C. he lost his way and he wished the farmer who would show him the way World Expo 2010 will be held in Shanghai. It will last from May 1st to October 31st, 2010. The Expo site covers a total area of 5.28 km2. It spans both sides of the Huangpu River, with 3.93 km2in Pudong and 1.35 km2in Puxi. There are five functional zones marked A, B, C, D and E. Each of them has different functions. Zone A will host the national pavilions of Asian countries except southeast Asian ones. Zone B will be home to the China Pavilion and Oceania countries, Pavilions for International Organizations, Theme Pavilions , Expo Centre, and Performance Centre etc. Zone C will host the national pavilions of European, American and African countries. A large public amusement park will be built at the entrance of this zone. Zone D is home to Corporate Pavilions , the land is one of the original places of modern China's national industry. So some of the old industrial buildings will be kept and renovated into Expo pavilions. Zone E will host stand-alone Corporate Pavilions, Urban Civilization Pavilion , and Urban Best Practices Area. Which of the following is not true according to the passage? A The Expo site covers the area of 5.28 km 2. B The Expo site spans both sides of Huangpu River. C There are five functional zones marked A, B, C, D, and E. D All of the five zones have the same functions. Answer: D. All of the five zones have the same functions. It was Jimmy's birthday, and he was five years old. He got quite a lot of nice birthday presents from his family, and one of them was a beautiful big drum . "Who gave him that thing?" Jimmy's father said when he saw it. "His grandfather did," answered Jimmy's mother. "Oh," said his father. Of course , Jimmy liked his drum very much. He made a terrible noise with it, but his father did not mind . His father was working during the day, and Jimmy was in bed when he got home in the evening, so he did not hear the noise. But one of the neighbors did not like the noise at all , so a few days later, she took a sharp knife and went to Jimmy's house while Jimmy was hitting his drum. She said to him, "Hello, Jimmy. Do you know, there's something very nice inside your drum. Here's a knife. Open the drum and let's find it. " What did Jimmy's neighbor really want him to do? To _ . A stop him making noises B make a noise on his drum with a knife C show him how to hit the drum D find something nice in his drum Answer: A. stop him making noises Mrs. Smith liked to deliver her pies with her big hot air balloon. Mrs. Smith like baking pies of all shapes and sizes. She baked for her neighbors of all ages. She would bake them up all on Sunday and pile them high in her balloon. Then she would take off into the sky! Mr. Jones down the street loved strawberry pie. He would stand on his roof and catch the pie as the balloon flew by. Mrs. Kenner liked apple pie. She would run after the balloon and catch her pie in a big basket. Bobby and Sue were brother and sister. They loved chocolate pie. They would ride their bicycles to the top of a hill. Mrs. Smith would hand them their pies as she floated by. Mrs. Smith would throw peach pies down Mr. Tevo's chimney, where they would all land in a big box. Josh had his dog Rex chase after the pies for him. Rex would jump high in the air and catch the pie like frisbee! Everyone would clap as Mrs. Smith rode by and delivered her pies. Then they would eat and be happy. Mrs. Smith loved riding her balloon and making her neighbors so happy! How many times did the balloon land to deliver the pies? A one B three C six D zero Answer: D. zero
The strength of a hurricane increases as moisture and what increase? A. hotness B. animals C. water D. anger Answer: A. hotness What would turkeys do if they could think like us? Maybe the first thing is to run away from our dinner! That's the idea of Reggie and Jake. They are two turkeys in the new movie Free Birds (<<>> ). On Thanksgiving Day, people in the United States eat turkeys. But why? Reggie and Jake want a change. In a time machine, they go back to the first Thanksgiving in 1621. Reggie liked to be alone . But this time, he learns to become part of a team to make a big change. When do the US people usually eat turkey? A. On Thanksgiving Day. B. At Halloween C. Any time D. At Easter Answer: A. On Thanksgiving Day. I was a newcomer of Miss Burn's seventh grade. Past"newcomer"experiences had been difficult, so I was very anxious to fit in. Lunchtime was a pleasant surprise when the girls all crowded around my table. Their chat was friendly, so I began to relax. My new classmates filled me in on the school, the teachers and the other kids. it wasn't long before the class herd was pointed out to me: Mary Lou. Actually she called herself Mary Louise. A formal, overmodest young girl with old-fashioned clothes, she wasn't ugly--not even funny looking. Practical shoes, long wool skirt and a blouse completed the image of a complete herd. The girls' whispers got louder and louder. Mary Lou didn't notice this. After school, the girls invited me to join them in front of the school. Arms wrapped around her backpack, Mary Lou came down the school steps. The _ began--rude, biting comments and disrespectful words from the girls. I paused, then joined right in. My force began to pick up as I approached her, mean remarks falling from my lips. I even pulled the belt of her backpack and then pushed her. The belt broke, Mary Lou fell. Everyone was laughing and patting me. I fit in. But I was not proud. Something inside me hurt. Mary Lou got up, gathered her books and--without a tear shed--off, she went. She held her head high as a small trickle of blood ran down from her injured knee. I turned to leave with my laughing friends and noticed a man standing beside his car. His skin, dark hair and handsome features told me this was her father. Respectful of Mary Lou's proud spirit, he remained still and watched the lonely girl walk toward him. Only his eyes--shining with both grief and pride--followed. As I passed, he looked at me in silence with burning tears that spoke to my shame and scolded my heart. He didn't speak a word. No scolding from a teacher or a parent could linger as much as that hurt in my heart from the day a father's eyes taught me kindness and strength and dignity. I never again joined the cruel herds. I never again hurt someone for my own gain. The writer felt she fit in when _ . A. she relaxed and talked with her new classmate B. she became a leader of a school club C. she picked a wing off a butterfly D. others cheered for her after she treated Mary badly Answer: D. others cheered for her after she treated Mary badly Found: A black pen is in the library. Is it yours? I am Lucy. E-mail me at lucy556@hotmail.com. Lost: I am Anna. I lost my computer game. It is blue. My telephone number is 471-4295. Call me! Thanks! Lisa, Is this your dictionary? Your name is on it. I found it in Classroom 6A. Tom Found: I found a ring. It is nice. Please e-mail me at frank996@gmail.com. Frank Lucy found a _ in the library. A. pen B. computer game C. dictionary D. ring Answer: A. pen The final exam comes with June. When the exam ends , the summer vacation begins. Boys and girls have about two months to relax. The summer vacation is the best part of the year for most children. The weather is usually fine. They can swim, go to summer camp or visit other places with their parents. Of course, the beaches are good places for relaxing. Some children are lucky to live near the sea. They can enjoy the sea anytime . But for the children far from the sea, they go to the beaches for one or two weeks with their parents. Why do children like spending their summer vacations on the beaches? It is because they like the sand , the sun, the cool wind and the sea water. There are lots of new things to see, nice things to eat, and exciting things to do. ,. School children usually have exams _ . A. in June B. after June C. before June D. in May Answer: A. in June
Question: It was raining as I ran out of the church, eager to get home and play with the gifts Father Christmas sent me. Across the street was a gas station, which was closed for Christmas, but I noticed a family standing under the narrow overhang to keep dry. I wondered briefly why they were there but then forgot about them as I couldn't wait to see my gifts. Once I got home, there was hardly any time to enjoy my gifts. My grandparents were still waiting for us to have Christmas dinner together at their house. As we drove down the highway, I noticed that the family was still there. The closer we got to my grandparents' house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned and said, "I can't stand it!" "What?" asked my mother. "It's those people back there at the gas station, standing in the rain." When my father pulled into the station, I saw there were five of them: the parents and three children--two girls and a small boy. Then we learned that the family was waiting for the bus to Birmingham, where the man planned to find a job. "Well, that bus won't come along for several hours. Winborn's just a few miles away, and there is a shed with a cover there," my father advised. "I will run you up there." Then they climbed into our car,. My father looked back and asked the children if Father Christmas had found them. Three sad faces gave him his answer. "Well, Father Christmas said he was having trouble finding you, so he just left your toys at my house this morning. Let's go to get them first," my father said. All at once, the three children's faces lit up. When we arrived at our house, one girl spied a lovely doll, that little boy took a ball, and the other girl picked up something else. That was the Christmas when I learned the joy of making others happy. What would be the best title for the text? A. Father Christmas saved us B. My father never gives up. C. Special Christmas gifts D. A hard-working family Answer: C Question: A young man called Jack has visited many countries. He knows few foreign languages, but he can always find someone who knows enough English to understand what he says. Last summer he went to China. He enjoyed himself in China and liked Chinese food very much. One day he went into a restaurant in a small village. He knew the Chinese word 'rice', so he ordered some rice. The village was famous for its mushrooms, and Jack thought they must be very fresh and delicious. He asked the waiter in English. However, the waiter couldn't understand at all, so he could do nothing for Jack. Jack thought hard. When he saw a piece of paper on the table, he had a good idea. He took out a pencil and drew a picture of a mushroom carefully. The waiter looked at the picture for a long time, then he smiled and left. A few minutes later, he came back with a black umbrella in his hand. At last the waiter came back with an umbrella, because _ . A. it is raining outside B. it is going to rain C. the mushroom Jack drew looked like an umbrella D. Jack was good at drawing Answer: C Question: When my mother was alive, she used to tell me again and again about the value of just being nice. "Never underestimate the power of a smile," she would say. I fear she would be very disappointed looking at the world today. A lot of people don't smile and when it comes to service today, they're just not nice. Now don't give me wrong, not all service workers but a good many. I was on the phone the other day with a computer help desk. First a man, then later a woman, who couldn't have been ruder. And this to a customer, who didn't know his way around a PC. But no matter, I could tell they thought I was a bother, The woman, in fact, seemed to be chewing gum as she unemotionally clicked off a series of commands for me to perform. The next day I heard from a friend of mine who got a performance review without his boss once looking up at him. Not once. You see it everywhere. Gone are the days when people cared about you. It's a sign of the time, I suspect. But that makes me sad -- for them and for us all. People who aren't happy, who don't smile, who don't kid, who don't joke or make light of even bad situations, make for an even worse situation. And it spreads like a cancer. Someone's rude to you, you're rude to them and to the next fellow you meet, and on and on. Smiles are contagious but so annoyances. The boss who can't be bothered with his workers. The celebrity who can't be bothered with her annoying fans. You know, my mom used to judge presidential candidates by how they smiled. I would say, "But mom, you don't know if that smile is real." "Oh, yes I do," she would tell me. "I can feel it." It's in their eyes, she would say. And it's in their smile. The rest just kind of falls into place. What's the best title of the passage? A. The power of a smile B. Don't judge a person by his look C. The effect of rudeness D. Feel a person in his eyes Answer: A Question: Different countries have different customs. When you travel to another countries, please follow their customs, just as the saying goes, " _ ." Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip. It is usual to tip _ who help carry your bags, taxi drivers and waiters. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount. In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It's important to respect lines there. It's a good idea to talk about the weather. It's a favorite subject of conversation with the British. In Spain, it's a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants do not generally open until after 9 pm. In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek. Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same. In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don't put it into your pocket right away. The person expects you to read it. Don't forget to be careful of your body language to express something in conversation. A kind of body language that is acceptable in one culture may be impolite in another. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. In Spain, People usually have dinner very early. B. In England, It's a not polite to talk about the weather. C. In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek. D. In Japan you should not read the business card as soon as you get it. Answer: C Question: There was once a man who couldn't sleep well because he was afraid that there was a stranger under his bed.He thought that as soon as he went to sleep,the stranger would come out from under the bed and rob him.He was worried that the stranger might even kill him! Every night,after he got into bed,the man had to get up again and looked under the bed.There was never anyone there,but as soon as he got back into bed,he had to get up and looked under the bed again.This went on for hours until at last he fell asleep from _ . The time came for the man to get married.He didn't tell his wife about his fears but she soon found out because he kept her awake all night. "You must go to a doctor."she told him."He will cure you of this silly fear." The man did as his wife told him.He told the doctor his problem,and the doctor said,"I can cure you,but it will take about two years.You must come and see me twice a week.The fee for each visit will be $ 75." The next day the man called the doctor and said."I won't need to visit you again.I'm cured." The doctor was surprised."How?"he asked."Who cured you?" "My wife cured me,"the man said."When I told her how much you were going to charge me,she cut the legs off the bed." The man thought _ was under the bed at night. A. a monster B. a person C. his wife D. money Answer: A
I had recently arrived in London and I wanted to see some of the famous places. Should I go to the seaside? Or maybe one of the famous parks? I walked along the street, past a kindergarten playground, and suddenly saw an underground railway station. I was surprised because it was not on my map. I went to buy a ticket. The ticket-seller looked very old. He gave me a ticket, said "Remember it's a return", laughed and walked away without taking my money. Was it special for tourists? A train arrived. I could not see any other passengers. I got on and the doors closed. I suddenly felt I should not have got onto the train. It started to go faster and faster, shooting along the tracks. As it entered the tunnel, everything became as dark as midnight and I do not remember the next few minutes. The train came to a station and I got out. I could see light shining in the distance so I walked towards _ and came to a door. Beyond it there was a busy street. There were lots of English people walking about, and I could see some of the famous buildings of London, but there was something wrong. The people's clothes were strange. There were no cars, no motorbikes--but there were horses everywhere. Was someone making a film? "Excuse me," I said to a man. "Would you mind telling me where I am and what is happening?" "What do you mean? Who are you? Where do you come from? Are you from China? This is London and everyone's going to work. Can't you see that?" he asked. "Thank you, sir. I'm sorry, but could I look at your newspaper?" I asked. "You can have it," he said as he walked off. I looked at it; I saw "New Bicycle Law" and above that "July 5, 1880". Maybe I should have walked around, but I ran back to the door. I waited a long time. I was very afraid. A train came. I got on. It took me back to the first station. As I left, a woman asked, "What were you doing in that abandoned station?" I had no answer, but I still had the newspaper in my hand. Why did the author think he had arrived in a film-making scene? Answer: Teachers' Day is, interestingly, not celebrated on the same day all over the world. In some countries it is marked by a holiday, in others it is a working day. International Teachers' Day is celebrated on October 5. Being held ever since 1994, it is in honor of teachers' organizations worldwide. Its aim is to encourage supports for teachers and to meet the needs of students. China--In 1939, Teachers' Day was set for August 27, Confucius' birthday. In1951, the celebration was stopped. However, it was founded again in 1985, and the day was changed to September 10. India--Teachers' Day is celebrated on September 5 in honour of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second president of India, whose birthday falls on that day. Russia--In Russia, Teachers' Day was celebrated on the first Sunday of October between 1965 and 1994. Since 1994, the day is _ on October 5, just the same day as World Teachers' Day. The US--In the US, Teachers' Day is non-official holiday. It is celebrated on the Tuesday of the first full week of May. A number of activities are organized in schools to honor teachers. The celebrations can continue for the whole week of May. Thailand--In Thailand, National Teachers' Day is celebrated every year on January 16. The first Teachers' Day was held in 1957. The day is a holiday in schools. Which of the following is possibly true? Answer: The great white shark is the largest shark and is probably the most well-known and feared shark. The great white shark is gray or bluish above and white below. The largest Great Whites can reach lengths of 22 feet and weigh up to 5,000 pounds. The Great White has massive teeth, which are positioned in rows. When the Great White attacks, it bites its prey and shakes its head back and forth. The serrated teeth act as a saw and literally tear the victim apart. Actually the Great White Shark often swallows many of its own teeth in an attack. Great Whites employ several hunting skills depending on the prey. Most of the time, the shark will remain still underwater before attacking its prey from underneath. In the case of hunting some kinds of seals, the impact of the shark is so powerful that it knocks both the shark and the seal clear out of the water. With larger prey such as elephant seals, the shark will simply take a huge bite out of it and wait for it to bleed to death. When hunting dolphins, the shark will attack from above, to avoid detection from the dolphin's echolocation. Interestingly, a Great White Shark has never been observed giving birth. However, pregnant females have been caught. The Great White Shark is known to be ovoviviparous. Females give birth to eight or nine pups that are already about five feet in length upon birth, which is different from other egg-laying animals. Despite the fear of Great White Sharks, at least in part generated by Steven Spielberg's 1975 movie, Jaws, Great White Sharks do not target humans as prey. Most attacks are attributed to mistaken identity. Sharks can easily mistake humans for seals. Many human injuries caused by Great White Sharks are cases of test-biting. If a shark is unsure about a floating object, it often gives it test bite to determine what kind of object it is. While such bites do little damage to buoys and other objects, they obviously can cause serious damage on the human body. Which category does the passage most probably belong to? Answer: Bugs are sometimes eaten by Answer: A teenager realized her dream of becoming a professional model three years after a serious car accident. Marita Davies was on her way home from a party when the crash happened. The car that Marita took as a passenger was going the wrong way and crashed into another car driven by a drunken driver named David Hudson, which left her with a broken leg and back. It took the firefighters more than two hours to free the teenager from the damaged car before she was taken to hospital. Marita was in a wheelchair for a year after being bed-ridden for nine months. Marita feared her dream of a modeling career was over. She said, "I was extremely upset and shocked when I knew about my terrible injuries. I thought my dream of becoming a model was over. My leg and back were broken. The crash had broken my confidence and I became quiet and spent less time with other people. I was 16, and at that age all I wanted to do was to go out with my friends." But as her health took a turn for the better, Marita finally came out of the wheelchair and learned to walk. She decided she would still try to follow her dreams, and sent some photos off to some modeling agencies. She did a few unpaid jobs while studying at college. Soon, paid commercial modeling jobs started coming in. Marita was a bit doubtful at first, because the crash had left her with huge scars on her leg and back. She was worried that people wouldn't want her to model for them, but this didn't stop her. Marita had done amazingly well to overcome everything that had been thrown at her in the three years. Finally, Marita became a professional model in 2013. She was signed up for advertising campaigns and appeared in TV ads. How did Marita feel when modeling jobs became available to her? Answer:
Question: American researchers have developed a technique that may become an important tool in fighting AIDS virus from attacking its target-cells in the body's defense system.When AIDS virus enters the blood,it searches for blood cells called T4 lymphocytes .The virus connects to the outside of T4 lymphocytes.Then it forces its way inside.There it directs the cells' genetic material to produce copies of the AIDS virus.This is how AIDS spreads. Researchers think they may be able to stop AIDS from connecting to T4 ceils.When AIDS virus finds a T4 cell,it actually connects to a part of the cell called CD4 protein. Researchers want to fool the virus by putting copies or clones of the CD4 protein into the blood.This way the AIDS virus will connect to cloned protein instead of the real ones.Scientists use genetic engineering methods to make the clones.Normally a CD4 protein remains on the T4 cell at all times;the AIDS virus must go to it. In a new technique,however,the cloned CD4 protein is not connected to a cell.It floats freely,so a lot more can be put into the blood to keep the AIDS virus away from real CD4 protein on T4 cells.One report says the.AIDS virus connects to cloned protein just as effectively as it connects to real protein.That report was based on tests with blood cells grown in labs.The technique is just now beginning to be tested in animals.If successful,it may be tested in humans within a year. The best title for this passage is _ . A. AIDS-a deadly disease B. A new technique in fighting AIDS C. The spread of AIDS virus D. The cloned CD4 protein Answer: B Question: "Father, do you see Mother in your dreams?" the young girl asks. "You know sometimes I do." "Mother comes to see me a lot, you know. We sit and talk." The father smiles. "How is your homework coming along?" "Why do I have to study so hard?" "It is what your mother would have wanted!" She regrets speaking her mind. "I'm sorry, Father, I shouldn't have said that." She looks up and sees his eyes well up with tears. "It's okay, love," he gets up and pours himself a drink. "I'll just sit outside for a while. You finish up your work, okay?" "I'm sorry, Father; Mother did love you very much. She told me all the time." "Homework, first, eh? Then we can chat about your mother." He heads off outside and sits in his usual chair, looking around the courtyard. The whole area relaxes the mind and somehow soothes the soul. "All finished, Father. May I get a drink and sit with you? I have some questions." She comes with two drinks one for him and one for herself. He looks surprised. She never really liked him having a drink. Although he had cut back a lot from before he brought her here, it still seemed strange. "Mother told me all about you. That is before she passed away. We would laugh together at your love stories." He listens without uttering a single sound. "Why didn't you come and take her away with you? She really wanted that. Did you know that?" Her father looks at his daughter lovingly. "Circumstances were difficult back then. It was just the way things were. When it came time to..." He sighs. "To visit her it was too late." The girl smiles. "I hope I will have the same kind of love you and mother had." "Without all the heartache," her father adds. "She always knew you loved her. She told me every day," the child mentions cheerfully. "I saw her crying sometimes when she read your letters." "Did she make you promise to look after me?" She inquires. "She asked me to take care of you." "You promised her, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "It is nice out here, isn't it? Mother would have been very happy here." She talks with some authority. Her father remains silent. A smile comes to his weary brow. He nods his head. "Mother wanted me to give you something. I think now the time is right." She runs to her room. Upon returning she hands her father a book. "It's mother's diary! She wanted me to give it to you." He takes the book and holds it in his trembling hands, "Thank you." "Mother said you would understand things better." "Wise woman, your mother." He places the book on the table as he gets up. The girl gets up and wraps herself around her father. "I love you." she looks up at his face. He picks her up and hugs her. "I love you, too." His voice trembles. "It's okay, Father. We have each other now and mother is in both of us." He kisses her head. "Time you went to bed," her father softly says. He puts her down and she scampers off to get washed and ready for bed. Clearing up everything he checks on his daughter. She is in bed waiting for her good night kiss. He tucks her in and bids her goodnight. Just as he is to leave she tells him. "Mother told me she adopted me when I was a baby." He stands at her bedroom door. Words fail him. Yes, he knew she was adopted. "I am really lucky for being loved by my parents, even if I am not really theirs." " _ ?" he tells her. She giggles, "Goodnight, Father. I love you." "Love you, too." His face lights up as he wipes his dampened eyes. The door closes and the child falls asleep dreaming of her mother. Sitting outside he picks up the diary and opens it and reads the first line: "I love you, my dearest, if only things could have been different..." Which word best describes father's feeling at the end of the story? A. Regretful B. Satisfied C. Confused D. Doubtful Answer: A Question: Sooner or later, most students are to take some form of English examinations. Often the more successful students are better prepared. However, sometimes students who do well have better test taking skills. These abilities really have nothing to do with understanding English better. They are skills that make taking the test easier, and therefore provide better results. Here are some very important--and often ignored--guidelines to taking a test successfully. Do not insist on completing each question before going to the next. This is extremely important. Remember one question may only be worth one point! You will become nervous when you fail to find out its answer, making you lose your concentration and leading to worse results. However, answering the questions you are sure you know results in your being more relaxed and feeling more confident. Go through the test a second time working out the answers to more difficult questions. Sometimes questions asked are answered in later questions asking for different things. Usually(but not always) a strong first impulse means we know the answer and we don't really have to think about it too much. Going back to think about it usually makes you unsure and often causes a mistake. This is very common, so be very careful! If you don't know the answer, write something. If you are answering a 4 possibility multiple choice question you will still have a 25% chance of being correct! Taking a test is as much for you as is for your teacher, so never cheat. If you cheat, you don't help yourself in the long run. What would be the best title of the passage? A. Effective Studying Methods. B. Effective Test Taking Skills. C. Getting Better Exam Results. D. Being Successful Students. Answer: B Question: Phone Soap: Charge and Clean Your Phone You may charge your phone every day, but do you clean your phone as much? Whatever your hands touch, your phones touch. It has been discovered that some phones have 18 times more bacteria and viruses than any surface in a public restroom. So it probably won't surprise you that a 2011 University of London study found that one in six of our phones have bacteria and viruses on them--specifically, the bacteria called E. coli. The research on bacteria and viruses led to the invention of Phone Soap. It is not actually liquid like dishwasher soap. It is a phone charger that uses the electromagnetic radiation used in hospitals to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses, cleaning your phone while it charges. "There are really certain types of bacteria and viruses that we should not be in touch with, and they are really on our phones," says Wes Barnes, the Phone Soap co-founder. It all started while his cousin and co-founder, Dan LaPorte, was in his cancer research lab at college. "He realized he got the idea of getting rid of bacteria and viruses on the phones," said Barnes. "In the lab they used UV-C light for destroying them. He realized this would be the fastest, most powerful way to kill any bacteria and viruses living on electronic machines." Phone Soap looks like a little metal suitcase. Your phone rests in to charge and get cleaned at the same time. Instead of plugging your phone into the wall, you'd plug it into the Phone Soap charger box. The process only takes a few minutes but, Barnes says, "The idea is that you can leave it in there overnight if you want to keep charging. Reflective paint keeps the light completely around the phone so it cleans the phone fully." The co-founders spent 2013 finding the right companies and they started shipping the product in late November. By last week's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Phone Soap was all grown-up. Both co-founders have left their previous jobs and are selling Phone Soap nonstop. "We're shipping almost more than we can handle each day," Barnes says. "It's been a great adventure." According to the passage, Phone Soap _ . A. takes a whole night to kill bacteria B. deals with bacteria with radiation C. is a kind of liquid like dishwasher soap D. has to be plugged into the wall to work Answer: B Question: In the course of working my way through school, I took many jobs I would rather forget. But none of these jobs was as terrible as my job in an apple plant . The work was hard; the pay was poor; and, most of all, the working conditions were terrible. First of all, the job made huge demands on my strength. For ten hours a night, I took boxes that rolled down a metal track and piled them onto a truck. Each box contained twelve heavy bottles of apple juice. I once figured out that I was lifting an average of twelve tons of apple juice every night. I would not have minded the difficulty of the work so much if the pay had not been so poor. I was paid the lowest wage of that time--two dollars an hour. Because of the low pay, I felt eager to get as much as possible. I usually worked twelve hours a night but did not take home much more than $ 100 a week. But even more than the low pay, what made me unhappy were the working conditions. During work I was limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spent outside loading trucks with those heavy boxes in near-zero-degree temperatures. The steel floors of the trucks were like ice, which made my feet feel like stone. And after the production line shut down at night and most people left, I had to spend two hours alone cleaning the floor. I stayed on the job for five months, all the while hating the difficulty of the work, the poor money, and the conditions under which I worked. By the time I left, I was determined never to go back there again. The following facts describe the terrible working conditions of the plant EXCEPT _ . A. loading boxes in the freezing cold B. having limited time for breaks C. getting no pay for lunch time D. working and studying at the same time Answer: D
People all over the world today are beginning to hear and learn more and more about the problem of pollution.Pollution is caused either by man's release of completely new artificial substances into the environment,or by releasing greatly increased amounts of a natural substance,such as oil from oil tankers into the sea. The whole industrial process which makes many of the goods and machines we need and use in our daily lives,is bound to create a number of waste products which upset the environmental balance,or the ecological balance as is also known.Many of these waste products can be prevented or disposed of.But while more and more new and complex goods are produced,there will be new,dangerous waste to be disposed of,for example,the waste products from nuclear power stations.Many people,therefore,see pollution as only part of a larger and more complex problem,that is,the whole process of industrial production and consumption of goods.Others again see the problem mainly in connection with agriculture,where new methods are helping farmers grow more and more on their land to feed our ever-increasing population.However,the land itself is gradually becoming worn out as it is being used,in some cases,too heavily,and artificial fertilizers can not restore the balance. Whatever its underlying reasons are,there is no doubt that much of the pollution caused could be controlled if only companies,individuals and governments would make more efforts.In the home there is an obvious need to control litter and waste.Food comes wrapped up three or four times in packages that all have to be disposed of;drinks are increasingly sold in bottles or tins which can not be reused.This not only causes a litter problem,but also is a great waste of resources,in terms of glass,metals and paper.Advertising has helped this process by persuading many of us not only to buy things we neither want nor need,but also to throw away much of what we do buy.Pollution and waste combine to be a problem everyone can help to solve by cutting out unnecessary buying,excessive consumption and careless disposal of the products we use in our daily lives. People can help solve the problem of pollution by . Answer: 1. Need a room close to the US Embassy for a week in early January I need a room close to the US embassy for a week in early January. My parents are going to the US embassy for visa interview on January 7th. I am looking for a place for them to stay around this date. Hotels are too expensive for them since they have been retired long ago. They speak Chinese only. Rent can be made through Paypal in USD or cash in CNY, if the price is right. Reply to: house-510574487@craigslist.org 2. House wanted May 17-24 Looking for 5 bedrooms from May 17-24. Can be one large apartment or 2 smaller ones, but they must be close to each other. Please email me at jcshap@sina.com if you have a nice place with air conditioning, high speed Internet. 3. Home swap or share I have a beautiful 3-bedroom home with pool and spa in Las Vegas, the USA, 10 minutes from the strip . I am willing to share or swap my house for yours (home or apartment) during the holiday. I need a place for 2 or 3 people in Shanghai from May 19-25. in exchange, you can have my house for any week either during the holiday, or any other time as long as I have a one-month advance notice to set up for you so you can have my house all to yourselves. If interested, please email me at sdiem@cox.net and I will send photos for my home. 4. Apartment or house wanted May 8-28, 2013 My daughter is working in Shanghai and my family wants to be there to stay with her for some time. We are looking for a 2-3 room apartment or house to rent from May 28 in the Pudong District. Need air conditioning. Thanks Reply to: wcondon7@msn.com Which advertisement pays special attention to housing location and price? Answer: The hand, the eyes, and the brain work together to make human beings different from other animals. No other animals have all three parts to work together. No animals can do what human beings can do. Humans can do many things and feel many things with the hand. The hand can hold onto things and make things because the thumb works with the fingers. This fifth finger is strong. Most animals don't have thumbs. The thumb can press against the other fingers. Without a thumb to press against the fingers, it is difficult to hold onto anything. The thumb and fingers can also fit the flat surface of a box and the curved surface of a pencil. We can feel that something is hot or cold, soft or hard, smooth or rough. The hand, with thumb and fingers, is one of the best tools we have. Most animals see a flat picture. Their eyes can only see how high and how wide something is. Some animals see a different picture with each eye. Some don't see in colour. Humans see one picture with both eyes working together. We can see how high and how wide something is. We can also see how far in front of or in back of something a thing is. The brain tells other parts of the body how to work. Some of the things the body does are _ ; that is, we don't have to think about them. For example, we don't have to think to make our heart beat or our stomach work. The brain tells the eyes and hands how to make useful and beautiful things. That is how human beings become tool makers and artists. That is how human can have richer and better lives than other animals. The author tells us that no animals can do what humans can do. He gives quite a few facts to support the idea. One of them is that _ . Answer: Recently, I experienced a wonderful lesson in how little things still mean a lot. My brother, mother and I live in a very rural district on the Big Island of Hawaii. Our farm is at least a dozen miles from the most basic of services. Consequently, we take weekly trips to COSTCO to procure fuel and supplies. About a month ago, we'd finished loading up the SUV and prepared to leave. As I settled into my seat, I glanced down at the roadside, when a piece of paper caught my eye. I picked it up and read it carefully. Instantly, I was grateful I did. The form turned out to be a receipt from the State Motor Vehicle Division, documenting the owners' payment of their Vehicle's Registration fees. Quickly, I put myself in their shoes and figured: no one would throw this out, especially if it was current. I also looked over the form for contact or any personal data, perhaps a license tag or telephone number. But that seemed impractical. Although the form had been born on the wind, where in the busy, crowded parking lot would I find the owners? Had it been lying there for a few minutes or a week? So I checked the date, the fees paid, noted the names of the owners and pocketed the receipt. Recalling the parable of the Good Samaritan, I concluded that the best and easiest step to take was to put the form in an envelope addressed to the couple and send it to them by post. Further, I imagined how crazy I'd be if I had misplaced my receipt. Much easier to attempt returning it than to leave them angry, upset, etc. over the loss. By the end of the week, I received a beautiful thank-you letter from a very grateful and happy couple containing a hand written message and a gift card to use at any Starbuck's. In her note, the wife explained how a gust of wind snatched their receipt from a pocket in her car's passenger door. They had panicked and searched crazily for quite some time before giving up. It felt great to know I'd helped someone avoid a major loss by doing something that at first glance seemed minor or even unimportant. Which would be the best title for this passage? Answer: For a small town, Manhattan, Kansas has some big surprises. And one of them is the Holiday Inn Hotel, with rooms built around a swimming pool and a friendly family atmosphere. The Holiday Inn is where Manhattan people often go for a special party, or a night out. A lot of them choose to eat in the brightly lit restaurant near the pool. And many of them will be served by Ellen Logan, who has worked as a waitress here for more than two years . Ellen, like most of the waitresses, is also a student. She comes from Nebraska, but she's planning one day to be a veterinary surgeon, and to care for small animals. But in order to support herself at college, she works twenty hours a week at the Holiday Inn. Ellen soon learned what every waitress finds out. Your best friend has a good pair of shoes. She paid forty - five dollars for hers, much more than she would usually spend. She's discovered something else too. You don't have to know much about food to be a good waitress, but you do have to know a lot about people. "A lot of business people always stay here when they come to Manhattan, " she explains. "They like you to recognize them and remember their favorite dishes. But some couples come for a night out together. They just want to be left alone. Then there are people who can't make up their minds. They look down the menu and say'What do you suggest?'So I ask them how hungry they are. If they say, 'Not very', I suggest the salad bar, with soup, salad, bread, and a fruit plate. But if they say they're very hungry, I suggest a Kansas Strip Steak, with potatoes or rice. You get salad and bread as well. It's very nice. Real good value." Ellen may get tired feet sometimes, but at least she's learning too much about people . She'll probably make a good animal doctor, but if she find she doesn't like it after all, she can always become a psychiatrist instead." The word"a veterinary surgeon" means _ . Answer:
Any mistake made in the printing of a stamp raises its value to stamp collectors.A mistake on a two-penny stamp has made it worth a million and a half times its face value. Do you think it impossible? Well,it is true.And this is how it happened. The mistake was made more than a hundred years ago in the former British colony of Mauritius,a small island in the Indian Ocean. In l847 all order for stamps was sent to London Mauritius was about to become the fourth country in the world to put out stamps. Before the order was filled and the stamps arrived from England,a big dance was planned by the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces on the island.The dance would be held in his house and letters of invitation would be sent to all the important people in Mauritius.Stamps were badly needed to post the letters.Therefore,an islander,who was a good printer,was told to copy the pattern of the stamps.He carelessly put the words "Post Office" instead of "Post Paid", two words seen on stamps at that time,on the several hundred that he printed. Today, there are only twenty-six of these misprinted stamps left-fourteen One-penny Reds and twelve Two-penny Blues, Because there are so few Two-penny Blues and because of their age, collectors have paid as much as$16,800 for one of them. When was the mistake in printing made? A Not long ago. B In the eighteenth century. C In the nineteenth century. D After some stamps arrived from London. Answer: C Most people are aware of what the adoption process is because it has become rather common in our society. Adoption is where a child is legally placed with guardians or parents (or perhaps a single parent) other than the birth mother or father. Once an adoption is finalized, all parental rights are turned over to the adoptive parents and there is no legal difference between adoptive parents and natural birth parents. There are generally two types of adoption, which are closed adoption and open adoption. When an adopted person has access to his or her adoption file and original records, it is referred to as an open adoption. The term is also used to describe any contact that may be between the adoptive family, the birth parents, and the adopted child. The level of openness can change greatly in such contact depending on each individual relationship. There can be indirect contact between the natural birth parents and the child through the form of letters and photographs, or there can be actual physical contact. A semi-open adoption is where the birth parents may have contact with the adoptive parents before the birth of the child, either once or several times. After the birth there is no more contact. A semi-open adoption may remain as it is or it can become either open or closed. A closed adoption is where only the medical and historical information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive family. Typically, the birth and adoptive parents do not know each other's identities. The record of the birth parents is kept sealed . A closed adoption is usually only effective in the adoption of babies. The adoption of an older child who already knows his or her birth parents cannot be kept closed. How many adoption types are mentioned in the passage? A 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. Answer: A Do you know the open-air art gallery in London's Blackall Street? Probably -not. Not many Londoners know it either, but Henri does and he is willing to show it to you. Henri used to sleep in parks until he met a charity that helps homeless people get back on their feet by becoming tour guides. Rather than show traditional London sights, "Unseen Tours" t _ Henri has been teaching tourists about the history and architecture of Shoreditch, where he slept on public benches for three years. When he felt separated from the society, contact with the volunteer network "The Sock Mob" gave Henri hope. "Not everyone just looked down on me," he said. The tours aren't the only actions trying to help those who have suffered a misfortune to stand tall again. An innovative college for homeless people in London, the first of its kind in the country, is attracting hundreds of students. The Recovery College, set up by St Mungo's charity, is providing courses designed to improve technical skills and life skills. According to Andy Williams, who helps to organize the college, the most popular courses have proved to be about raising self-confidence and developing self-pride. Steve, now in his 50s, told a reporter how much of a difference it makes to "have a bit of confidence". He had difficulty learning to read and had to leave school when he was 12. Because Steve's problem was not recognized at the time, he was "seen to be unable to read or write", and suffered with depression and alcohol addiction. He says the status of "student" is itself important for people who are used to being treated as outcasts Some charities aim not only to help the homeless become independent but also to make them popular. The Homeless World Cup started ten years ago. Today the tournament draws teams from 48 countries made up of players-men and women-who are, or have been, living in the streets. It gives them a chance to become football heroes. How does the Recovery College help the homeless people? A By training them to be guides B By offering them different courses. C By keeping in contact with them. D By asking more students to help them. Answer: B Peter Fern was mad on mountains. Climbing was the love of his life. Church towers, seaside cliffs, rock faces, ice mountains, anything --- "If it's there," he used to say, "then I want to climb it." so the news of his marriage gave me surprise. I'd never known him to take much interest in girls. Well, well, Peter Fern, a married man! I couldn't get over it. I wondered whether his wife would try to stop some of his risky adventures. She was French perhaps --- from that place where he usually spent his holidays. Chamonix, wasn't it? From Chamonix he's climbed Mont. Blanc on his seventeenth birthday, and one of the Aifuilles the day after! That was it, then; she was French, from a family, most of whom liked climbing. No doubt --- No other explanation. A month later I met them both in town. Anna surprised me because she was English. She was a dancer in the theatre. "never climbed more than sixty steps in my life." she told me. "Peter has his interests, and I've got mine. No problem." "None at all, " Peter said, smiling. "Where did you spend your honeymoon?" I asked. "Somewhere far from theater and mountains, was it?" "We had a week's holiday," Anna said, "I flew toprefix = st1 /New Yorkto see the drake Dancers on Broadway. a wonderful show!" Peter said, "Didn't want to miss the good weather. So I went toSwitzerlandand climbed the north face of the Eiger with Allen Dunlop. Great fun, the Eiger. Grand place for a honeymoon! I'll show you the photographs we took one day." Peter's marriage surprised the writer because A Peter didn't like girls B Peter was too absorbed in mountain climbing C Peter was mad D Peter's wife was a dancer Answer: B Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions usually cause the largest, most disastrous debris ( ) flows. A great many victims of the earthquake that struck Wenchuan of Sichuan province last May were killed not by the quake itself but by the sudden large amounts of debris that followed. Most debris flows occur where the soil is composed mainly of sand or colluviums ( ) . Loose soils made up of bits of sand or colluviums fall apart easily and are main material for fast -moving debris flows. Scientists have conducted endless experiments to find out how debris flows work. They have learned that the amount and the timing of water entering the soil are crucial ( ). Typically, that means debris flows often occur when a long rainy period of many weeks is followed by an intense, brief heavy rain. . More often than not, however, debris flows are started by water, in the form of rain, snow, or river flow. In 1998, heavy rains from Hurricane Mitch unleashed about one million tons of mudslides, burying thousands of people, in Central America. Water flows through the soil until it hits a hard layer of bedrock or clay. There the water builds up, filling the tiny spaces between the soil and rock. That buildup reduces the natural friction ( ) that keeps the rock and soil debris lying on the slope. If conditions are approaching dangerous levels, the slope will then fall down. Despite what scientist know about the fact, debris flows are still impossible to predict at present because there are many other uncertains affect the stability of each slope. However, one thing is known: On hillsides where one debris flow has occurred, another will eventually follow. The next debris flow could take days, weeks, or years to happen. Debris flows usually take place _ . A during earthquakes and volcanic eruptions B after a heavy rain or an intense snowstorm C when there is a right amount of water entering the soil D when a long rainy period is followed by a heavy rain Answer: D
18:00 Children's World 19:00 News 19:45 Around the World 20:20 Movie: A Nurse's Day 21:50 Message from the Market 22:20 Modern Arts 23:00 End CCTV4 18:30 Modern English 19:00 Women's Life 19:30 Culture and Life 20:45 Volleyball match: China-America 22:30 English News 22:50 English Movie: Gone with the world 00:30 End NTTV 18:30 NTTV News 19:00 Popular Songs 19:30 Animal World 20:20 American English Today 21:15 Science and Life 22:30 Sports News 23:00 End JSTV 18:40 English for Children 19:00 News fromCCTV-1 19:30 JS News 19:45 Football Match: China-Japan 21:30 TV-play: Story of a Spanish Artist (1) (2) 23:15 End Which TV station has the most English programmes Answer: A San Diego boy Kristoffer Von Hassel has the gaming world' s attention after he exposed a security weakness that let him log into his dad's Xbox Live account, without permission. Kristoffer's father, Robert, noticed soon after Christmas that his son was logging into his account and playing games that weren't appropriate for his age. When he asked how, Kristoffer showed him a hack that seems simple but is fairly impressive considering a 5-year- old found it. Kristoffer would go to his dad's account and type in an incorrect password. That would take him to a password verifications screen, where he would simply tap the space bar repeatedly and then press "enter. " "How awesome is that?" asked Davies, who works in online security himself. "just being 5 years old and being able to find a vulnerability I ty and getting attached to that I thought that was pretty cool." He told KGTV that Kristoffer has figured out three or four other "hacks", including getting past the lock on a smartphone by holding down the "home" key for long enough. Davies reported the vulnerability to Microsoft. And Microsoft acted, issuing a fix for it. "We' re always listening to our customers and thank them for bringing issues to our attention," the company said in a written statement. "We take security seriously at Xbox and fixed the issue as soon as we learned about it. " The company has even included Kristoffer's name on a list of security researchers who have helped make online Microsoft products safer. For his discovery, or more accurately, for reporting it with his father's help, Kristoffer will receive four games. $50 and a year's subseription to Xbox Live from Microsoft. What is Microsoft's attitude to the problem reported by Davies? Answer: One Sunday, I took my daughter to the seaside. On arriving at the beach, I saw JoJo, a wealthy man in hotel business. We sat down to chat in an open air cafe while I watched my daughter enjoy herself on the swings in front of us. Suddenly, our conversation was interrupted by a stranger, who politely asked permission to speak to me privately. People often want to tell me something about my TV show. We stood a bit away from my table. He said, "I'm James, the father of a 7-year-old girl who's very sick. The doctors said that if she was treated in the UK, she would probably survive. But I'm poor, so can you help me, please?" I stared into the man's eyes full of tears and asked how I could help. After I went back, JoJo asked me, "What's wrong?" I told him about it and he was very sorry for that family. All day I thought about James's family. I even thought about making a special TV show to raise money for the sick child. On Monday morning, JoJo walked into my office. Actually, JoJo was very busy, and I never imagined he would have the time to come and see me. "Please, call the man and tell him I'll pay all the expenses for the girl's treatment," JoJo said with a cheque in his hand. "I've been married for 35 years; I wasn't lucky enough to have a child. Sometimes I feel lonely. I want to help this child." I picked up the phone to call James. Now James's daughter is well and JoJo sometimes goes to visit her. I'm so happy that there are so good people on this earth. According to the passage, the writer _ . Answer: Huangshi will have new rules about behaviour standards for middle school students very soon. Middle Schools are going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. The best students won't only have high marks. The new rules will be used first in No. 2 Middle School of Huangshi in September 2015. The following are some of the new rules. Tell the truth Have you ever cheated in an exam, for example, copying answers from a book or looking at other students' answers? Don't do it again! That's not something honest students should do. Do more at school Good students don't only think of themselves, but they also care for other people and the surrounding. Look at the people around you; do they need help? Give a hand to whoever is in need. You are in a big family! Pay attention to the environment. Wherever possible, do something to protect the earth we live on. Be open to new ideas Have you ever thought people may live on the moon or travel in space? Having new ideas means possible inventions and discoveries. Protect yourself Has a thief ever broken into your classroom and taken your money from your schoolbag? Don't let it happen again. And if you have to go back home late, you should let your parents know. Use the Internet carefully The Internet can be very useful for your study. But some things on the Internet aren't good for kids, so try to look at the good Web pages, which you can use for fun or homework. What should top students do in an exam? Answer: Most people think their time problems are outer, and that they are caused by the telephone, meetings, visitors, and delayed information or decisions. Although these problems often have a bad effete on them, as when people call or drop in, we usually contribute to them. We fail to have calls screened by a skillful secretary or assistant, or we leave our door open, actually assuring constant interruptions. In almost all cases, it is possible to influence, if not control, it usually can cause problems, such as, slowness and indecision, lack of self-discipline, the inability to delegate, or the tendency to fight fires, to act without thinking, and to jump from task to task without finishing any of them. Time is constant that cannot be changed. The clock cannot be slowed down or speeded up. Thus we cannot manage time itself. We can only manage our activities with respect to time. The same skills are needed as those used in managing others--the abilities to plan, organize, delegate, direct, and control. Time management is simply self-management. It is impossible to be effective in any position without controlling one's time effectively. Successful time management does not mean working harder, but working smarter. All kinds of management skills must be used in the home and office to get most value from time. You must think ahead about what to do, and timely than others, making it get maximum results in the shortest possible period. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as tile internally generated time wasters? Answer:
New research has shown that loneliness may affect ants to a greater extent than many other living creatures. It has long been known that loneliness can lead to a shorter life. In humans, it has even been found to be a driver of high blood pressure, sleep disorder, and depression that's independent of factors like age, race, gender, weight and economic status. However, loneliness has never been identified as a factor that can cut human lifespan by more than a small part of the average. Ants, on the other hand, appear to be far more sensitive to this stress, with loneliness leading to a surprising 91 percent reduction in lifespan. That's at least according to a study that details how "lonely" ants only live up to six days on average. Ants living in a community, on the other hand, were found to live up to about 66 days. In a series of experiments where ants were picked from their colonies and separated, they were found to continuously walk without rest,consuming far more energy than they could ever. The reason for the behavior is that an isolated ant is simple trying to get back to its colony at all costs, and doesn't know what to do without its nest mates. After all, many entomologists would argue that an ant colony is far more a single living entity than its members. If you were to take a single part from a clock, it would simply move aimlessly as well, running without a purpose. However, while there is a difference between aimlessness and loneliness, the researchers found that the latter affects lonely ants more directly. The study indicated that ants can't even eat alone, as they normally collect some of the food they gather in the field in a specialized organ called a crop.This crop is normally shared with other ants back at a nest,but as for a single ant, it simply just sits there, undigested and useless. What can be learned from the experiments? Internet use appears to cause a decline in psychological well-being , according to research at Carnegie Mellon University. Even people who spent just a few hours a week on the Internet experienced more depression and loneliness than those who logged on less frequently, the two-year study showed. And it wasn't that people who were already feeling bad spent more time on the Internet, but that using the Net actually appeared to cause the bad feeling. Researchers are puzzling over the results, which were completely contrary to their expectations. They expected that the net would prove socially healthier than television, since the Net allows users to choose their information and to communicate with others. The fact that Internet use reduces time available for family and friends may account for the drop in well-being, researchers suggested. Faceless, bodiless "virtual" communication may be less psychologically satisfying than actual conversation, and the relationship formed through it may be shallower. Another possibility is that exposure to the wider world via the Net makes users less satisfied with their lives. "But it's important to remember this is not about the technology _ ; it's about how it is used," says psychologist Christine Riley of Intel, one of the study's sponsors. "It really points to the need for considering social effects in terms of how you design applications and services for technology." What's the tone of the passage? Grandma Mosesisamongthemostfamoustwentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said to herself,"I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." She was born on a farm in New York State. At twelve she left home and was in a service until at twenty-seven, she married Thomas Moses, the tenant of hers. They farmed most of their lives. She had ten children, of whom five survived . Her husband died in 1927. Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery pictures as a hobby. As she became old, she wanted to keep busy and pass the time, so she began to paint again. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Between the 1930's and her death she produced some 2,000 pictures:careful and lively pictures of the country life she had known, with a wonderful sense of color1 and form. Grandma Moses spent most of her life _ . What has a negative impact on photosynthesis? John lived with her mother when he was young. He didn't know who his father was. The woman did some washing for the rich and could buy only some bread for her son. So the boy was short and thin. One cold morning there was much snow in the streets. A car knocked the woman down and the policemen took her to the hospital. She didn't tell John that his father deserted her before he was born until she died. She left her son the name and address of his father. John found his father, Mr. Brown, in another city. He was one of the richest shopkeepers and he had to receive his son. From then on the boy lived a rich life. He ate all kinds of delicious food and wore beautiful clothes. But he didn't go to school and could not read or write. Once his father took him to a party. He saw a newspaper lying on the floor and picked it up while others were talking about a film. He had a look at it and found a car's wheels were upward .He called out," Oh, dear! An accident happened!" All the people were surprised and began to read the newspaper. But soon they all began to laugh. Do you know why? The woman told John who his father was _ .
In the six months that he'd worked at his aunt's shelter, Bryan had never grown close to a dog, but Patch was different. Aunt Kim had warned him, "Bryan, your mom says no dogs." The fact that Patch was deaf did not help. "It's not your fault you're deaf, "Bryan said, "Don't worry, because I've got a plan!" Later, Bryan got ready to leave. Making sure no one was coming; he secretly put the dog into his bag, and waved his aunt goodbye. Two hours after arriving home with Patch, Bryan sat sadly in his room. He had told his mother he would take care of Patch, but Mom didn't agree. Bryan lay awake that night, Patch jumped onto his bed, and soon he fell asleep. Unbearable barks woke Bryan sometime later. Bryan got up to quiet the dog, but he froze when he saw black smoke snaking into his room. He pulled the door open. Red-yellow flames licked greedily at the hallway entrance, blocking the front door. Suddenly, Patch ran down the hall. Bryan followed and found the dog in his sister Sarah's room. Bryan pushed Sarah to the window and shouted, "Jump with Patch!" Racing back into the smoky hallway, Bryan saw his mom. She seemed hardly able to catch her breath. Bryan tried to drag her to the hall window. But he failed. He looked up just in time to hear voices and feel _ pull them both to safety. A neighbor had heard Patch's barks and called 911. The firefighters thought a few candles had caused the fire. "I can't believe I forgot to blow out my candles," Mom said. "Sorry about the house, Mom,"Bryan said quietly. To his surprise, Mom smiled. It's OK. The important thing is that our family is safe. "She patted Patch's head. "Our whole family." What was Bryan's plan according to Para 2? Answer: Stealing Patch from the shelter. As the nights get lounger, those who suffer from the winter blues will be planning ways to escape to the sunshine. But there may be a much simpler way of cheering yourself up... simply shining a bright light into your ear canal. Up to one in four Britons suffer from seasonal affective disorder, with seven per cent of the population having full-blown SAD. It is caused by the brain not receiving enough daylight which is needed to trigger serotonin , a hormone that regulates mood. Symptoms range from mild lethargy to depression and insomnia, but a cure might be in sight. Two clinical trials, run by Valkee - who make a device that can shine light into your ear - and the University of Oulu in Finland, have found that carefully targeted light can help prevent the condition. Juuso Nissila, Valkee's co-founder and chief scientist said: "We presented earlier that the human brain is sensitive to light". "These two clinical trials demonstrate that channeling bright light via ear canal into brain's photosensitive areas effectively prevents and treats seasonal affective disorder." The University of Oulu reported that in their first study, 92 per cent of the patients with seasonal affective disorder achieved full remission after a month of daily eight-to-12 minute doses of light from the Valkee. Time Takala, chief physician at the Oulu Deaconess Institute said: "These two trials show that bright light channeled into the brain via ear canal is an important future method to treat seasonal affective disorder." Valkee launched its bright light headset in August 2010. It is classed as a medical device under EU regulations. The device channels bright light direct to the brain via the ear canal to prevent and cure depression, mood swings and even circadian-rhythm disorders such as jet lag. It costs PS185 and looks like an iPod - only the earphones emit light rather than sound. The bright-light headset is _ . Answer: a medical device to treat seasonal affective disorder Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact with many people from around the world. This meant that lots of new vocabulary entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary came out. Early Modern English and Late Modern English are mostly different in the number of words. Late Modern English has many more words, mainly because of the following two reasons: First, the Industrial Revolution led to the need for new words. Second, the British Empire covered one quarter of the earth's surface, and the English language took in foreign words from many countries. From around 1600, the English colonization of North America led to American English. Some English pronunciations and words " _ " when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that are called "American English" are in fact from British expressions. They were kept in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain. Spanish also had an influence on American English. For example, words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante are from Spanish. They entered English by the people of Spain who settled in the American West. French words and West African words also influenced American English. Today, American English has a greater influence, because of the USA's movies, television, popular music, trade and technology. From the passage, we can learn the word "canyon" is from _ . Answer: Spanish Angry survivors demanded answers on Sunday after a terrible stampede at "Love Parade 2010", a music festival in Germany, killed 19 people and left hundreds hurt. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her shock over Saturday's tragedy in the western city of Duisburg. "This was a very sad day," Merkel said. "We must do everything we can to ensure that something like this never happens again." Witnesses said that people pushed into the narrow tunnel, the only entrance to the Love Parade festival, from both sides until it was dangerously overcrowded. The panic began as festival-goers began to lose consciousness as they were crushed against the walls and each other. The dead included eight foreigners, from Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, China, Bosnia and Spain. More than 340 people were injured. After the panic, a lot of emergency vehicles, including helicopters, could be seen parked on the highway leading to helicopters, could be seen parked on the highway leading to the festival site, carrying away the injured people. The festival itself, however, went on. Police were afraid that ending the music altogether could cause further unrest among the crowd. "The event was a real mess," Patrick Guenter, a 22-year-old baker, said. "Although the festival was full, they kept letting people in." he added. "It seems the organizers didn't plan the route. The road was very narrow, and no one knew what was going on." Said Taggart Bowen-Gaddy,20,an American from Philadelphia. Officials said 4,000 police officers and 1,000 security guards provided security for the event, which attracted up to 1.4 million people. The authorities had only given organizers permission for 250,000 people to attend. "I warned one year ago that Duisburg was not a suitable place for the Love Parade. The city is too small and narrow for such events. It is a pity that..." German police union chief Rainer Wendt told the Bild. The chief organizer, Rainer Schaller, said the popular event would never be held again, "out of respect for the victims and their families". First held in Berlin in 1989 just months before the fall of the Wall, the Love Parade is one of the biggest music festivals in Europe. It left Berlin from 2007 onwards after disagreements with the city authorities over security and has been held in several other German cities in recent years. According to Patrick Gunter and Taggart Bowen-Gaddy, _ . Answer: the organization was very bad My name is Lily. I'm a junior high school student from Guangzhou. Last winter holiday, I visited Hong Kong for the first time with my mother and her workmates. Before we went through the entrance of the Customs and Excise Department (,CED), we had to wait for more than four hours there. All the passengers must show their permits to the workers at the CED one by one. So there were a large number of people waiting in lines at the entrance hall. It took us a long time to walk along the metal pipes which divided the big hall into many different parts. So the entrance hall looked like a huge puzzle. Everyone should finish walking through the puzzle if they wanted to pass the entrance. I waited patiently and walked slowly after others. I just could see the back of their heads. It was difficult for me to breathe because too many people were there. At last I passed it but I was too tired to say a word. Last month I visited Hong Kong again. But this time I didn't spend much time waiting at the entrance of the CED because I got an Electronic Exit Permit with an "Electronic Brain" in it. When I passed the port of Hong Kong, I just needed to use it to touch the button at the entrance. It can save much time for people. I plan to visit Hong Kong again sometime in the future. How long did it take Lily to go through the entrance of the CED for her first visit? Answer: More than four hours.
The well - known Rushmore National Monument in the United States is built on the Rush More Peak, 1829 meters above sea level, of the Black Hills in the southwest of South Dakota. It is a group of huge stone statues of four American presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. President Washington is the founding father of the country;the 3rd President Jefferson drafted the U. S. Declaration of Independence;the 16th President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and the26th President Roosevelt protected the average people's right to compete fairly with trusts. All of them,made outstanding achievements for their country. They were pioneers of U. S. history. The stone statues of presidents were built at the suggestion of an historian in the State of Dakota,with a view to carrying forward the U. S. pioneering spirit everlastingly. The statues are 18 meters high. They are the highest and greatest realistic stone statues in the world,taller than a 6-storied building and larger than the Great Sphinx of Egypt. The size of each head is 20sq mt,with a 20-meter- long face,a 7-meter -long nose,a 2.6-meter- wide mouth and two 1.5-meter -wide eyes. Though not facing the same direction,they are all lifelike and look ahead gravely in harmony with fixed gazes. On clear days,one can have a sight of the four presidents with their firm and steady expression at a distance of dozens of kilometers. Since the stone sculpture is unique in style,the Monument is now the U. S. National Art Centre of Popular Education. Groups of people keep streaming everyday to the site for a visit and tourists across the world are also interested in taking a view of this great Monument. Why were those four presidents chosen ?Because the four presidents _ . A were pioneers of US history B made great contributions to their country C played an important role in American history D all of the above Answer: D American Girl It's packed with the things that matter most to girls: party plans, games, crafts and girl-to-girl advice. American Girlis an appealing, age-appropriate teen magazine that allows young girls to be themselves. The magazine features fun contests, puzzles, giggles, and more! Stories, creative games, cool contests and great sports tips for girls aged 7-11 are available in each issue ofAmerican Girl magazine. Issues per year: 6 Cover price: $ 27.95 Sale price: $22.95 Ladybug Beautiful, colorful, and delightful to read, each issue is filled with charming read-aloud stories, games for memory and skill building, songs, poems, and activities for beginning readers. Parents can visit our online Parents Companion that recommends additional activities, crafts, and books. Issues per year: 9 Cover price: $44.50 Sale price: $33.95 Cicada A monthly magazine for teenagers and young adults aged 14 and up. It offers high-quality fiction and poetry dealing with the issue of growing up, leaving the joys and pains of childhood behind, and becoming an adult. Cicadamagazine also encourages its teen readers to submit their own writing for publication. It's so inspiring and humorous that you will not be able to put it down. Issues per year: 6 Cover price: $51.00 Sale price: $33.95 Sorts Illustrated for Kids It covers sports kids like. Featuring interviews with sports heroes, entertaining comics, breathtaking action photos, tips from the pros , news items of recent notes, games, puzzles, cartoons, fiction, advice from athletes, etc.Sports Illustrated for Kidsis a magazine for children aged 8 and up. Issues per year: 12 Cover price: $47.88 Sale price: $ 24.95 American Girl is a magazine different from the others because _ . A it features fun stories and great sports tips B it's written specially for girls C it offers high-quality fiction and poetry D it comes out six times per year Answer: B Do you have to carry a heavy bag to school? Does it make your back hurt? Well, students at a high school in Kansas , America, have a meeting with their city's mayor to complain about their heavy bags. They say their bags are giving them headaches , and making their necks and backs hurt. The mayor says he is very sorry. He says students may do more of their homework on the Internet. The mayor says _ . A he has a headache B he wants the students to do more homework C he is sorry D he has to work hard Answer: C Which sentence best describes the organization of the heart? A The heart is an organ made up of different types of tissues, each of which has different types of cells. B The heart is a tissue made up of different types of organs, each of which has different types of cells. C The heart is a system made up of one type of tissue and identical cells. D The heart is a tissue made up of one type of organ and identical cells. Answer: A One day , there was a blind man called John was on the bench with a hat by his feet and a sign that read , "I am blind . Please help me . A creative publicist named Tom was walking by the blind man and stopped to see that the man only had a few coins in his hat . He put a few of his own coins in the hat . Without asking for permission , he took the sign , turned it around and wrote a new message . Then he put the sign by the feet of the blind man and left. Later that afternoon the publicist returned to the blind man and noticed that his hat was almost full of bills and coins . The blind man recognized his footsteps and asked if it was he who had changed his sign . He also wanted to know what the man wrote on it . The publicist said , "I just wrote the message a little differently ." He smiled and went on his way. The new sign read , "Spring has come , but I can't see anything ." When did the story happen ? _ . A In spring. B In summer. C In autumn D In winter. Answer: A
Mary is four years old. She likes to ask questions. Her questions are often funny. One day Mary goes to see her uncle with her father. Her uncle lives in _ city. The city isn't near their city, so they take a bus to go there. After many hours, they get to Mary's uncle's city. He is very happy to see them. The next morning, Mary's uncle takes her and her father out and shows them around . "Look at that big house," says her uncle. " It's the oldest house in the city." "How old is it?" her father asks. "It is about 2100 years old," her uncle answers."How can that be?" Mary says. "It's only 2015 this year!" ,. How do Mary and her father go to the city? By bus. An increase in phosphate levels in a lake increases the population of algae in the lake. Increased algae blocks sunlight into the lake and results in a decrease in dissolved oxygen in the lake's water. Which of the following should be expected as a result? Fish populations in the lake decline. Ammie was only 18 months old when she had an accident that scarred her for life. While her mother was away for a moment , the curious baby reached up to a hot kettle in the kitchen and poured boiling water all over her body. An ambulance was called and rushed the baby to nearby hospital . About 20 percent of Ammie's body had been burned and all of her burns were third degree. The doctors could tell immediately that Ammie's best chance of survival was specialized burns unit some miles away at Glasgow Royal hospital. There , using tissue taken from unburned areas of Ammie's body, surgeons performed complex skin grafts to close her wounds and control her injuries , an operation that took about six hours. Over the next 16 years, Ammie underwent 12 more operations to repair her body. When she started school at the age of 4 , other pupils made cruel comments or simply wouldn't play with her . "I was the only burned child in the street , the class and the school," she recalls, "Some children refused to become friends with me because of that." Today , age 17 , Ammie can only ever remember being a burned person with scars ; pain is a permanent part of her life, she is still awaiting two further operations. Yet she is a confident, outgoing teenager who offers inspiration and hope to other young burnt victims. Ammie's parents have been a great support to her. "They told me of people had a problem with my burns, the problem with my burns, the problem was theirs not mine," says Ammie. "They taught me to cope with other people's reactions and constantly reminded me I was valued and loved." Ammie's positive attitude to life means she is often contacted by burns charities , helping younger patients build their self-respect to live with permanent scars. Now she is a member the Scottish Burned Children's Club. "Ammie provides so much encouragement for the younger ones. She is optimistic and outgoing and a perfect role model for them , " say Donald Todd, chairman of the club. This month , Ammie will join some younger children on a summer camp. "I'll show them how to _ unkind stares from others , " she says. Ammie loves wearing fashionable sleeveless tops , and she plans to show the children at the summer camp that they can too. "I don't go to great lengths to hide my scars , " she says . "I gave up wondering how other people would react years ago." Ammie was taken to Glasgow Royal hospital because _ . it was a local hospital excellent at treating burns Paris has the Eiffel Tower; New York has the Statue of Liberty; and prefix = st1 /Brussels, the Manneken Piss. Think of the Belgian capital and, if anything, you think of the small peeing boy _ a 60-meter-high bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water to the basin under him. Some might laugh. But for Jacques Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them. "I'm proud of him. People come from all around the world to see him," says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy. As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Piss has a very special place in the heart of Belgians. The original Manneken Piss dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one after the original was destroyed. Many stories go round Manneken Piss. Nobody knows why he was made. One story is that he saved Brusselsby putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed piss. But the most believable story is that the boy, the son of a wealthy man, was kidnapped. The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found-peeing against a tree. Perhaps best-known for his naked beauty, the "peeing boy" has also been clothed in some of the finest clothes money can buy. Stroobants has been changing his clothes for the last 29 years. On average, he has clothes on 300 days a year. And on special days, he pees beer. A few of the ways he's been dressed are; a football player, Mozart and an army general. Now, he has more than 600 pieces of clothes. There is no strict charge for those wishing to provide clothes for the little boy. But certain conditions must be met. "The clothes cannot include either advertising or political message," said Stroobants, because they would cheapen the national treasure. But Manneken Piss is still something local people can make money from _ by selling all kinds of souvenirs. The Manneken Piss has a special place in the heart of Belgians because_. it's a symbol of the city. Watson entered Mr. Smith's office. The Boss was a hard man. He fired people who didn't do well without giving them a second chance. "Watson," said Mr. Smith, "this past year your department hasn't earned money. We're going to _ that department. It's finished. I' m sorry, --but you'll have to go." "But, sir--if I just had a little more time. For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School." "What's that!" said the Boss. "Riverside! I didn't know you had a boy there. That's an expensive school for a man with your salary." "I know, sir. But he likes it there so much! He's a star trackman and the best boxer in the school. The boys call him Champ there." The Boss sat perfectly still for a long time--a faraway look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, he said, "We've got to close your department, Watson. But you'll take over a new job in another department. It means longer hours--maybe more pay. Now get out. You're here for life." Watson got out, with surprise in his face. Then the Boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk. It was Herbie's last letter from Riverside School --written a few days before he died. He had read it over and over again with sick pain. The letter read: I can't say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were. I guess it's the same everywhere when you're a cripple . But don't worry about me, Dad. They've got a good chemistry department here. And there's one boy here who is really great. He's a track star and boxing champ and just tops in chemistry. The boys call him Champ. He made them stop throwing my books around. And he knocked a boy down who hit me. He is the best friend I ever had. Dad, when I grow up, I want to do something for Champ. Something big--that he won't even know about. Your son, Herbie From the text we know that Herbie _ . didn't live to grow up
Question: Once my father asked me to hold his hammer while he repaired something, so we could have some time to talk to each other. For 22 years, after I left home for college, he called me every Sunday at 9 am. He was always interested in my life and how my family was doing, and I never once heard him complain about his own life. Nine years ago when I bought my first house, my father, 67 years old, spent eight hours a day painting it for three days. He would not allow me to pay someone to have it done. All he asked for was a glass of iced tea and for me to hold a paint brush for him and talk to him. But I was too busy. Five years ago, at age 71, my father spent five hours putting together a swingset for my daughter. Again, all he asked was that I get him a glass of iced tea and talk to him. But again, I was too busy. Four years ago, my father drove all the way from Denver to Topeka, with an eight-foot Colorado blue spruce in his trunk, so that my husband and I could have a part of Colorado growing on our land. I was preparing for a trip that weekend and couldn't spend much time with him. Then, one day, my father telephoned me as usual, this time from my sister's home in Florida. We talked about the tree he had brought me, "Fat Albert", but that morning he called it "Fat Oscar", and he seemed to have forgotten some things. I had to get to church, so I cut the conversation short. The call came at 4:40 pm that day: my father was in hospital in Florida with an aneurysm . I got on a plane immediately, and on the way I thought of all the times I had not taken the time to talk to my father. I realized that I had no idea who he was or what his deepest thoughts were. I promised that when I arrived, I would make up for lost time. I arrived in Florida at 1 am. My father had passed away at 9:12 pm. This time it was he who did not have time to talk to me. What's the best title of this passage? A. What a good father! B. How busy I am. C. Time keeps going. D. My father and our family. Answer: C Question: As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week. Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long-hours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and _ is one of them. Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year. One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs , leaving their two children with a nanny . Most evenings Daniel wouldn't get home until eight or nine o'clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by. Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales, "I always wanted to have a farm here," says Daniel, "and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It's taken some getting used to , but it's been worth it . We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it's made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier." Liz, however, is not quite sure. "I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I'm not really a country girl, but I suppose I'm gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do _ at all." Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm _ . . A. was easy to organize B. has improved family life C. was extremely expensive D. have been a total success Answer: B Question: A woman was collecting money for a church charity. The money she collected was going to be given to poor children who had no parents to take care of them. She went from apartment to apartment and from house to house. She knocked on doors and asked for money. She always said the same thing. "Good morning, I'm collecting for a church charity. Please give generously. We need $5,000." Then she held out a collecting box. Most people put a few coins in the box. An artist lived in one of the apartments. He opened the door. "Good morning." she said. "I'm collecting for a church charity. Please give generously. We need $5,000." The artist thought for a moment, then he said, "I'm sorry, but I don't have any money. However, I'll give you a painting. It's worth $ 400." The woman thanked the artist and took the painting away. A week later she called on him again. "I'm sorry to trouble you again," she said, "but we still need more money. I need another $ 100. Can you help?" "Of course," the artist said. "I'll increase the value of my painting to $ 500." How much money does she need? A. $5,000 B. $5,00 C. $4,00 D. We don't know. Answer: A Question: How should one invest a sum of money in these clays of inflation ? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques. I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves ." Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring the time of clay according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout tire time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings. However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past. Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in air antique clock and perhaps make a future profit ? Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time? A. Counting the beating of one's own heart. B. Making use of candles, sand and water. C. Observing shadows cast by the sun. D. Keeping slaves busy day and night. Answer: D Question: Primary schools could be told to remove some traditional subject-based lessons and replace them with "personal development" classes to encourage children to improve their social and practical skill. Parents, teachers and pupils, who took part in the investigation carried out for the biggest ever official review of the primary curriculum, argued that the number of subjects taught to very young people should be reduced. The review, being conducted by the government's school's director Sir Jim Rose, will consider how to redesign the primary school day to handle concerns that too many pupils leave primary school unable to read, write and do maths at the level expected of them. It will also address criticisms that pupils are expected to study so many subjects there is little time for creative learning. The 60 focus groups brought together 1,500 parents, pupils and school staff and is expected to heavily influence the thinking of the Rose review, which the government is promising to back. Instead of a broad range of subjects, pupils should study in-depth literacy and maths lessons alongside a more creative curriculum that encourages pupils to develop personal, learning and thinking skills, they say. Such lessons might include "healthy lifestyles, sex and relationships education, drugs and alcohol education". "Child and personal development as priorities have been shamefully neglected in recent years in the rush to hit targets in the basics." John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, said, "The worst thing would be to evaluate child development through the current high stakes testing system. That would weaken the capacity of teachers to meet children's unique needs." However, the shadow schools minister, Nick Gibb, said, "If lessons on lifestyle are given the same status as traditional subjects, it is the most disadvantaged children who will be worst affected." "Children are not able to personally develop and succeed in the future if they don't have a grasp of basic subjects such as maths and English early on in primary school. Removing high requirement from the primary curriculum would increase the inequality gap between less well-off pupils and the rest." Nick added. A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) said, "This is a summary of stake holder's view, not the views of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority or the DCSF, and has been submitted to Sir Jim Rose's review as evidence to consider." According to Nick Gibb, grasp of basic subjects early on in primary school is important for _ . A. the primary curriculum reform B. children's development in the future C. children's educational equality D. increasing the children's confidence Answer: B
Many of us are used to hearing stories of people being pickpocketed in busy places. But most of us are aware of the dangers, so we are safe - at least, we think we are. According to a BBC report, a growing number of thieves are trying to "hack our mind's weaknesses" to get their hands on our possessions. "In fact, the key requirement for a successful pickpocket isn't having quick fingers," said the report. By using psychology, some pickpockets are taking advantage of the loopholes in our brains. Our lack of ability to multitask is one of the most important loopholes used by pickpockets, the report explains. While this can often be a good trait , allowing us to focus on the most important details in our surroundings, "a good trickster can use it against you, " said neuroscientist Auzana Martinez-Conde. "It's all about directing people's attention toward something else," said James Brown, who studies the tricks of pickpocketing. Confidence, the power of suggestion, and certain hand movements such as moving your hands in an arc are all said to be things that fool us. Groups of pickpockets use a common trick designed to create a scene and confuse victims. The first gang member, a "blocker", walks in front of the victim and suddenly bumps into them. A second member of the gang then bumps into both of them from behind and stages an argument with the "blocker". In the confusion, both men steal what they can and pass it to a third thief who quickly runs off with the stolen goods. Some thieves go even further to exploit our psychology by hanging out near signs reading "beware of pickpockets". Since this is one of the last places people expect to be robbed, many check where their valuables are, giving away their location to thieves. But according to Brown, as long as we don't daydream in public, we shouldn't be worried. "A street thief will avoid like the plague " people who are demonstrating a very open awareness of their environment," he said. When groups of pickpockets use their common trick, _ . Answer: the victim usually gets confused and lets down his or her guard A small man with a fat stomach got on the train at the last station before the frontier . He carried a paper bag. And four feet ducks could be seen under the cover. The man found an empty seat, put the bag in the middle of the floor, took out a newspaper and began to read. Then a policeman came in. Of course he saw the bag with ducks' legs at once and said, "Whose is that bag?" Nobody answered. The policeman repeated the question, and said, "I'll have to take it away from the owner. Food mustn't be taken out of the country." "Well, then," said the small man with a fat stomach. "Hurry up and take it. We want to go home." The policeman took the bag and went on to the next carriage. At the next station, when they were safely across the frontier, the small man got up, smiled at the other passengers and said, "I hope they'll enjoy the ducks' feet. The rest of the bag had nothing but rubbish in it." Then he opened his coat and pointed to another bag he was carrying under it. It was tied tightly over the stomach, which was not really fat. "I have the rest of the two ducks here," he said. With these words, he got off the train. But while he was happily walking to the exit with the bag in his hands, a policeman came up to him, saying, "Hey, man! Foreign food mustn't be brought in." The small man put the bag in the middle of the floor _ . Answer: so that the policeman could find it easily Two of the hardest things to accomplish in this world are to acquire wealth by honest effort and, having gained it, to learn how to use it properly. Recently 1 walked into the locker room of a rather well-known golf club after finishing a round.It was in the late afternoon and most of the members had left for their homes. But a half-dozen or so men past middle age were still seated at tables talking aimlessly and drinking more than was good for them. These same men can be found there day after day.and,strangely enough,each one of these men had been a man of affairs and wealth,successful in business and respected in the community.If material prosperity were the chief necessity for happiness, then each one should have been happy. Yet,it seemed to me,something very important was missing,else there would not have been the constant effort to escape the realities of life through scotch and soda. They knew, each one of them,that their productivity had ceased .When a fruit tree ceases to bear its fruit,it is dying.And it is even so with man. What 1s the answer to a long and happy existence in this world of ours? I think I found it long ago in a passage from the book of Genesis which caught my eye while I was looking through my Bible. The words were few,but they became memorably impressed on my mind:"In the sweat of the face shall you eat the bread." To me,that has been a challenge from my earliest recollections (memories).In fact,the battle of life,of existence,is a challenge to everyone.The immortal words of St.Paul,too,have been and always will be a great inspiration to me.At the end of the road 1 want to be able to feel that I have fought a good fight,I have finished the course,I have kept the faith. The passage above is most probably taken from _ . Answer: an autobiography Can dolphins talk ? Maybe they can't talk with words ,but they can talk with sounds . They show their feelings with sounds . Dolphins travel in group . We call a group of them a "school ". They don't study , but they travel together. Dolphins talk to other dolphins in the school .They give information . They tell other dolphins when they are happy or sad or afraid . They say "welcome "when a dolphin comes back to the school . They talk when they play . They make a few sounds above water . They make many more sounds under water . People can hear these sounds because they are very high . Sometimes people catch dolphins for large aquariums . People can watch the dolphins in a show . Dolphins don't like to be in the aquarium , being away from their school . They are sad and lonely if they do so . There are many stories about dolphins . They help people . Sometimes they save someone's life . Many people believe that dolphins can bring good luck . Many people believe that dolphins can bring _ . Answer: good luck Oprah Winfrey is not just a very successful TV personality in the US, she is also a woman who has encouraged millions. For those people, her life and her success are a good example. She has struggled with many of the challenges that we all face, and she has changed her life. Her message is powerful: I did it, and so can you. Oprah Winfrey is a black woman whose becoming famous is an encouraging story. She was born on January 29, 1954 in a small village in America. Her patents were very poor. For her family, life seemed to hold no promise. But there was nothing that could stop Oprah. She was an extremely bright girl at school. She asked her kindergarten teacher to let her go to school sooner and she also skipped the second grade of primary school . Her life from the age of six till about fourteen was very hard. For many women such difficulty would be too heavy to bear . But not for Oprah. When she was fourteen, Oprah went to live with her father. Her father showed her how hard work and discipline could lead to self-improvement. Oprah listened to her father, and a few years later she won a college scholarship that allowed her to go to university. Two years later, after graduation, she started working for television. For more than ten years she worked for different TV stations across the country. In 1984, she moved to Chicago, where she became the host of a talk show called "AM Chicago". When Oprah started, "AM Chicago" had few listeners. By September of the next year, the show was so successful that it was given a new name: 'The Oprah Winfrey Show". Oprah Winfrey's story encourages many people to believe that success and happiness in life are within reach for everyone. The best title of the passage may be _ . Answer: Oprah Winfrey
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage. "Excuse me",said a young man,standing shyly at the open church door. "I'm here to pick up an Easter basket for my daughter. Am I in the right place?""Well,we have baskets,but they're not Easter baskets for kids;they're food baskets,"I explained. That morning I arrived at St.Michael's Church in Carmichael,California,to help give out the baskets to needy families for Easter. To make sure every family would receive one,we had handed out numbers to them that matched the basket they were supposed to receive. Each one contained a whole ham,potatoes,bread,vegetables,and a pie--enough food to help feed a family for a week. "Why don't you come in?"I said to the man. He looked disappointed. He shook his head and said,"I can't...My daughter is waiting for me over there. I'm grateful for the food,but when I heard you were giving away baskets for Easter...well,I thought they would be Easter baskets for children." He continued,"I promised my daughter one,and I wanted to surprise her." I felt bad,but there was nothing I could do. The man handed me his number,and I walked over to the baskets. A bulge in one of the baskets caught my eye. "What is that?"I wondered. Leaning over and looking more closely,I could see,unmistakably,an Easter basket--filled with candy,chocolate,and Easter eggs. One of the volunteers must have added it by mistake!I thought. Then I looked at the man's number in my hand. Well,he'll be... "Happy Easter,"I said to the man,handing him the only food basket with an Easter basket inside--the very same basket with his number on it. "Someone knew just what you needed." What did the author do at the church? Answer: A student uses a hand lens to observe which of these objects? Answer: Young adult filmmakers all hope to show their works in international festivals like Sundance and Toronto. But what about young filmmakers who aren't in film school yet and aren't, strictly speaking, even adults? They are at the heart of Wingspan Arts Kids Films Festival, tomorrow, in a setting any director might envy: Lincoln Center. Complete with "red carpet" interviews and various awards, the festival has much in common with events for more experienced moviemakers, except for the age of the participants: about 8 to 18. "What's really exciting is that it's film for kids by kids," said Cori Gardner, managing director of Wingspan Arts, a nonprofit organization offering youth arts programs in the New York area. This year the festival will include films not only from Wingspan but also from other city organizations and one from a middle school in Arlington, Virginia. "We want to make this a national event," Ms. Gardner added. The nine to be shown range from a Claymation biography of B.B. King to a science fiction adventure set in the year 3005. "A lot of the material is really mature," Ms. Gardner said, talking about films by the New York City branch of Global Action Project, a media arts and leadership-training group. " is about the history of a family and is about the dangers of secondhand smoke." describes young immigrants' feelings of both belonging and not belonging in their adopted country. The festival will end with an open reception at which other films will be shown. These include a music video and full-length film whose title is . At the end of this film festival, there will be _ . Answer: A hurricane will develop largest nearer a sea because of Answer: A four-wheeled robot,known as Rover,has been tested by a team at Sydney University.It was used to move a herd of cows from a field to a dairy . Researchers were amazed at how easily cows accepted the presence of the robot.They were not disturbed by it and the gathering process was calm and effective.Because the robot moved in a steady manner it allowed cows to move at their own speed,which was important in reducing injuries among cattle,said Dr Kendra Kerrisk,dairy researcher and associate professor. The robot was adapted from one that was already being used to monitor fruit and trees on farms.A team at Sydney University's Centre for Field Robotics improved the robot so that it could be put in a field with cows in order for the researchers to gather data on robot--cow interaction. The robot needs to be operated by a human but it's hoped that in the future a version can be developed that will be fully automated.As well as gathering cows a new version could also collect information useful for farmers. Using robots to get cows to the dairy will be better for their well-being."The research is in its very early stages but robotic technologies certainly have the potential to transform dairy farming,"said Dr.Kerrisk."When we have discussed this concept with farmers they have been extremely excited and we have had a series of calls and emails asking how they can get hold of one,"she added. The robot could also cut down the number of accidents involving humans on farms.Most dairy farmers in Australia use bikes to round up their cattle and they are one of the leading causes of injury.The team hopes that by using the robot to do the job instead,accident rates could fall. Why did the cows,accept the robot easily? Answer:
According to some surveys, there are at least 87 languages that are completely _ now. What's worse, while there are around 6,000 or 7,000 languages spoken around the world today, researchers estimate that fifty percent of those languages will not survive the turn of the century. Google, however, is determined to provide a safe place for some of these dying languages. Recently, the company started the Endangered Languages Project. It is an online archive that will use technology and media to protect endangered languages around the world. Google hopes the archive will allow people to do something for endangered languages by offering tools that will help create high-quality recordings of the last speakers of a language. The site makes it possible for users to share research and video documents that will support endangered languages, as well as connect people who are working to protect specific languages. Languages on the site are put into different types, such as, "at risk", "endangered" and "seriously endangered". Navajo, a language spoken mainly in New Mexico today, is listed as "at risk", with about 120,000 speakers worldwide. If the Endangered Languages Project works, it may not only help protect Navajo, but also help protect hundreds of other languages. And while these languages may never become the language of international business, making sure that they don't disappear is important -- to protect out cultural heritage and to provide us with valuable information that can help us to better understand ourselves. Google started the Endangered Languages Project in order to _ . Count Me Out Call me old-fashioned. Call me old. Call me what you want, but I refuse to become part of this new Internet world. I do not possess a computer at home or at the office. Actually, I stopped going to an office 35 years ago, when all communications were done with a pen, a typewriter, or, if the matter was of world-shaking importance, over the telephone. Likewise, if you like something advertised in a newspaper or magazine, you visited the shop selling it at the given address, or you phoned the number shown. Then you spoke to the fellow and asked for further details. Tell me what you think of the following ad that appeared the other day in the newspaper. It was for a cure for cancer and this is what it said: "Awareness is the key. Visit com at the awareness site." There was no address or telephone number for the site. So what do unfortunate people without a computer do if they are seeking a cure for their illness? There are, I am told, certain advantages in having access to the Internet. You can, for example, send love messages across the world or even get married to someone that you meet online. This bit doesn't interest me; I have been happily married for 60 years. There are, of course, other activities for Internet users besides finding love. They can pay bills, order groceries, or discuss with their doctors. And this is by no means all. More amazing things are yet to come in the near future. I read a newspaper report recently that quoted Stephen Hawking, an important British scientist. "The complexity of a computer as it exists today is probably less than the brain of an earthworm," he said. "But, as technology advances, computers will become more complex, and a time may come when the Internet may develop 'consciousness.' In other words, the Internet will be able to think, have feelings, and may well be able to act on its own." If Professor Hawking is right, I may change my attitude to computers. As I grow older each day, I would like one of those that not only thinks for me but also accepts responsibilities for all my mistakes. According to Paragraph 2, the author thinks computers are _ . Heroes of Our Time A good heart Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa among great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship to study medicine--but Coach John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea.Dikembe became a star in the NBA,and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth,or the duty to share his fortune with others.He built a new hospital in his old hometown in the Congo. A friend has said of this goodhearted man:"Mutombo believes that God has given him this chance to do great things." Success and kindness After her daughter was born, Julie AignerClark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipments, and began filming children's videos in her own house. The Baby Einstein Company was born,and in just five years her business grew to more than $ 20 million in sales.And she is using her success to help others--producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.Julie says of her new programs, "I believe it's the most important thing that I have ever done.I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe." Bravery and courage A few weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls when he saw a man fall into the path of a train.With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails ,and held him as the train passed right above their heads.He insists he's not a hero. He says,"We have got to show each other some love." Mutombo believes that building the new hospital is _ . Doreen Sykora is now a junior at McGill University. She had a difficult time when she first began college. She said, "I was always well prepared for my examinations. But when I go into class to take the exam, I would fall apart. I could just _ because of nervousness and fear." Hitoshi Sakamoto, an anthropology student at Temple University in Tokyo reports similar experiences. These two young students were experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and is stressed about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student cannot write or think clearly because of the severe tension and nervousness. Now there are special university courses to help students. In these courses, advisors and psychologists try to help students by teaching them to manage test anxiety. Such a course helps students learn to live with stress and not fail because of it. First students take a practice test to measure their worry level. If the tests show that their stress level is high, the students can take a short course to manage the fear. These courses teach students how to relax their bodies. They get training to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work more easily. Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test. Doreen Sykora saw immediate results after taking such a course. She now has enthusiasm about the relaxation methods. "Mostly, what I do is imagine myself in a very calm place. Then I imagine myself picking up a pencil. I move slowly and carefully. I breathe easily and let all the tension out. With each breath, more worry leaves me. It really works too. My grades have improved greatly! I'm really doing well at McGill now. This relaxation method works not only on examinations, but it has improved the rest of my life as well." For Hitoshi in Tokyo, the results were much the same. He is enjoying school a lot more and learning more. What's the purpose of some special university student-help courses? Alex Wood began fundraising when he was four years old. He sold lemonade and cookies to raise money for a school in Haiti. Later, Alex sent 15 bags of food he collected from his neighbors to a food store near his home which asked for donations . Alex wanted to help more people. He decided to donate to Heifer International, an organization that gives farm animals and farm training to poor people around the world. His goal: $5,000 for a "gift ark". That amount would mean that 15 pairs of animals would be given to people in need. Those families would agree to give one of their animals' young to other needy families. Alex decided that baking was the best way to raise money. He started a business, named it Clean Hands Bakery, and now sells his baked goods year round. In his family's kitchen, he created all kinds of cookies and cakes. He says his top sellers are lemon pound cakes and chocolate cupcakes. Alex likes the baking as much as the fundraising. "I like it that you can take so many ingredients that don't taste good on their own and come up with something amazing," he says. In September 2011, Alex reached his goal of $5,000 and bought a gift ark. "I feel absolutely overjoyed that I got to my goal," he says. "I can't help everybody by myself, but I can do my part, which I hope will inspire other people to do their part, too." One of the people Alex has already inspired is his younger brother. "He had people donate to me, instead of giving him a birthday present." Alex explains. "In the end he donated $200 toward my goal." So now that he's met his goal of a gift ark, will Alex keep baking and fundraising? He says yes. He wants to end world hunger, one cupcake at a time. What's Alex' younger brother's attitude towards his fundraising idea?
Phyllis investigated what happened when she added some different substances to water. Which substance can combine with water to form a solution? Answer: Do you like to sit in front of the computer and play computer games hour after hour? Have you ever thought of what that may be doing to your health? More and more children are becoming overweight and growing less creative because they spend too much time in front of the computer according to a survey. Last week Child Protective Services in America organized an activity. The aim of the activity was to encourage children to do some outdoor activities instead of playing computer games at home. Many American children spend about 1,000 hours a year playing computer games -- more time than they spend in school. As a result, they are overweight. Some of them have very poor _ , and they can't see clearly. Everyone should pay attention to his health and try to keep healthy. The doctor says that the longer children play computer games, the more overweight they may become. And the junk food children eat while they're playing computer games makes the weight problem more serious. To keep fit, children need to take exercise regularly, play outside with friends, and explore the world around them. Can you spend two weeks without playing computer games? It might be difficult for computer lovers, but why not have a try? American children may spend _ hours in school a year according to the passage. Answer: Which is the most dangerous to trees? Answer: Here are some books published this year. The following introductions of these books may help you choose a book to your own taste. Life Simplified If you are looking for a book that will transform your life for good, Life Simplified is that book. If you are looking for a guide to inspire and lead you back to your inherent self, Life simplified will act as your compass. Life Simplified provides readers with a carefully mapped approach to create life changes. The reader will develop a sense of personal pride in their progress as each chapter is completed, motivating them further. The book is an absolute must read if you would like an uncomplicated method in positively improving your life. Building the Best You How can you become the person you've always dreamed of being? Personal transformation begins when you take stock of where you are and what you are doing right now...and work to change it. All you have to do is to answer some basic questions and take five minutes of "focus time" daily to get there. You are responding to questions like "What am I grateful for today?", "What challenged me?" and "How can I overcome that challenge?" The Gifts of Imperfection In this latest book, the writer Brown emphasizes that above all other ingredients of living an emotionally healthy life is the importance of loving ourselves. The point is to embrace life and oneself with all the imperfections, releasing the stress of overdoing and overworking. Brown offers exercises for readers to understand their own emotions and begin to develop the kind of resilience needed to refuse unrealistic expectations of others and ourselves. The Strengths Book You are remarkable. But do you always realize it? Realize your strengths and you will be realizing the best of you. Do you want to be confident, successful, and sustainably happy? Do you want to achieve your goals and enjoy better relationships? The Strengths Book reveals the sixty strengths that make us who we are. If you are a manager, a parent, a career changer, or even just you, remarkable as you are, The Strengths Book is for you. Discover your strengths--what you do best and love to do--and transform your life by realizing the best of you. Which book doesn't involve the topic of change? Answer: Swaying palm trees,turquoiseblue water and sugarwhite sand make beach lovers sigh with delight.But not all beaches have those ingredients.The most interesting beaches come in different shapes,sizes and colors. Those who want beauty and something unique can go to the Seychells' La Digue Island.Large granite rock formations overlook beautiful,whitesand beaches.The pinkishgrey rocks look like sculptures that have been forgotten on the beach.Tourists traveling to La Digue Island to see the unique rocks will also discover one of the world's most beautiful islands. Hawaii's Big Island has one of the rarest beaches of all--a beach made up entirely of green sand.The sand,which is formed by dark green crystals called olivine ,is deposited by volcanic activity.Green Sand Beach lies on the slopes of the world's largest active volcano,Mauna Loa. One of the world's most unusual beaches lies on the island of Santorini,Greece.The sand on Red Beach gets its reddish color from the red volcanic rocks that make up the cliffs around the beach.Tourists flock to see the red sand,making Red Beach one of Santorini's most popular beach destinations. Black sand makes up the huge beach of Karakare.Through the years,volcanic sand mixed with iron ash to form this black beach on New Zealand's wild,west coast.Many have seen Karekare in the movie The Piano and the TV show Xena:Warrior Princess. With all the beautiful beaches in the world,beach lovers have lots of choices.But for those ready for something different,a unique beach vacation might be just the ticket! What would be the best title of the passage? Answer:
High school graduation -- the bittersweet feelings are as much a part of me now as they were twenty-one years ago. As graduation day came near, excitement increased. Being out of high school meant I finally grew up. Soon I would be on my own, making my own decisions, doing what I was interested in without someone looking over my shoulder . There was never any question in my mind that I would go to college. But which college I would attend seemed like a never-ending list of unknowns: What would college be like? Would I make friends easily? Would I miss my family so much that I wouldn't be able to stand it? What if the college I selected turned out to be a terrible mistake? Then panic set in. My feelings took a 180-degree mm. I really didn't want to leave high school at all. It had been nice being respected as a Senior by the underclass students for the past year; I didn't enjoy the idea of being on the bottom of the ladder again. Despite months of expectation, nothing Could have prepared me for the impact of the actual day. As the familiar tune of "Pomp and Circumstance" echoed in the background, tears welled up uncontrollably in my eyes, and I was consumed by a rush of sadness. I rose from my seat when I heard my name called and slowly crossed the stage to receive my diploma. As I reached out my hand, I knew that I was reaching not just for a piece of paper but for a new life. Exciting as the future of a new life seemed, it wasn't easy to say goodbye to the old _ -- the familiar faces, the' familiar routine. I would even miss that chemistry class I wasn't particularly fond of. That September, I was lucky to attend a wonderful university. I needn't have worried about liking it. My years there turned out to be some of the best years of my life. And as for friends, some of the friendships I formed there I still value today. The author felt excited about graduation because _ . A he could go to college B he could be independent C he was tired of high school life D he won a scholarship to university Answer: B 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. If you are going to hold a family gathering, which color of the room can best enhance your atmosphere? A Red. B Orange. C Blue. D Green. Answer: B Barak Obama(.), a black man, is the president of the United States now. He was born on August 4th, 1961, in Hawaii and has lived in many places. His mother was from Kansas and his father was from Kenya . Obama went to Columbia University in New York and got a law degree at Harvard University in Massachusetts . His wife is Michelle Obama(.). She also worked as a lawyer and later worked for the University of Chicago . They have two young daughters. Obama wrote a book Dreams from My Father. " I always live in the dream of my father and American people, " Obama once said. He was born in a poor family. And his grandparents looked after him very well when Obama was young. He also lived and worked in Africa . Then he got good education in Harvard University. On November 4th, 2008, he became the new president of America for the next four years. ,,. Where was Barack Obama born? A In Kansas. B In Hawaii. C In Kenya. D In Massachusetts. Answer: B As a human being you may have the choice of three basic attitudes towards life. You may treat life with the philosophy of the vegetable, in which case your life will include being born, eating, drinking, sleeping, marrying, growing old and dying. The second basic attitude is to look at life as if it were a business. A great many so-called successful men and women believe that life is a business. If you believe so, your first question of life, naturally, is " What do I get out of it? " " How much is this worth to me?" In a word, based on this attitude, happiness becomes a matter of successful competition. The great majority of human beings today look at life as if it were a business. The third attitude toward life is the way of the artist. Here the basic philosophy is "What can I put into it?". They value cooperation and contribution. This point of view has been proved by history; for history remembers best those who have contributed most richly to the interests of their fellow-men. The more we investigate ,the more we become certain that the artistic attitude is the only one which goes with human happiness. We may infer from this passage that _ . A some people are living only on vegetables B the artistic attitude is accepted by most people C the writer prefers the third life attitude D artists do most for the society in order to be remembered longer than others Answer: C "Am I my brother's keeper?" The question comes from the Bible . In the Bible, Cain kills his brother Abel. When God asks Cain where Abel is, he replies, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?" by which he means, "Am I responsible for my brother--his safety and health?" The answer, of course, is "Yes, you are." This sense of responsibility for others is basic to all good societies. And also it is basic to what we call "civil society". China is now working on building a civil society and the high schools in Shanghai want students to take part in _ through volunteering. They are supposed to do sixty class hours of volunteer work before graduation. This is something new in China, but it is not new in other countries. In the Canadian province of Ontario, high school students are required to do forty hours of volunteering. In some American states, the volunteering requirement is one hundred hours. These students spend about an hour a week during the school year and summer vacations, helping the poor, the sick and the old. They also teach young children to read and help to clean up the environment. And studies have shown that this volunteering experience influences students a lot after graduation. Some of you may be thinking, "Gee, sixty class hours is a lot. How can I find the time?" In fact, if you finish it in three years, you only need to do the work about three class hours a month. And the time is well spent if it helps you realize that "being your brother's keeper" makes you a better person and makes society a better place for everyone. The main purpose of the writing is to _ . A tell students where to do volunteer work B give advice on how to be a good volunteer C encourage students to do more volunteer work D introduce volunteer work in different countries Answer: C
London will stage its biggest political funeral in almost half a century on Wednesday when Britain's governing elite join the Queen and global leaders to bid farewell to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, better known as the " Iron Lady". In an event comparable to that of Winston Churchill's funeral in 1965, Thatcher's coffin will be carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage through streets lined with admirers from parliament to the city's most famous cathedral. The bells of London's symbolic Big Ben clock tower will fall silent for the first time since Churchill's funeral and more than 700 men and women from Britain's armed forces will honor a woman who led them to victory in the 1982 Falklands War as foreign politicians from around 170 nations look on. Surveys have shown that many are unhappy that the estimated l0-million($15 million)pound bill for the funeral is being picked up by the taxpayer, while some left-wing lawmakers say the luxurious funeral is too expensive. But her admirers, of whom there are many in her party and in southern England, argue that her historical profile deserves such a funeral. She was the country's first and only woman premier, was Britain's longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century, and won three general elections. More than 2,300 mourners will attend including 11 serving prime ministers from around the world, the British government's entire cabinet, two heads of state and 17 foreign ministers. But there will be notable absences. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is too ill to attend and Nancy Reagan, the widow of Thatcher's great U*S. ally Ronald Reagan, is also unable to come. Thatcher struck up a close relationship with Reagan during the Cold War, backed the first President George Bush during the 1991 Gulf War, and was among the first to discover that Gorbachev was a man she could "do business with. " Covered in the red, white and blue British flag, Thatcher's coffin lay overnight in a 13th-century church in Britain's parliament, a forum she dominated for years. Who that are still alive will be absent from the funeral? A. Mikhail Gorbachev and Nancy Reagan. B. Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. C. Nancy Reagan and Ronald Reagan. D. George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev. Answer: A Simply, language is what people and animals use to communicate their thoughts, ideas and feelings. Of course, animals communicate with each other differently from humans, and each type of animal communicates differently. For example, a bee uses a dance to tell the rest of the bees in the hive where there is food, while whales communicate through the use of pleasant-sounding sounds. One could say then, that animals use different languages. Like animals, people also use different languages. Each culture has its own words and symbols that are used by people within that culture to communicate with others in the same culture. For example, a person living in Japan will use the Japanese language to communicate with other Japanese. Unlike animals though, some cultures use more than one language. People within these cultures are said to be either bilingual or multilingual . One such place is Canada. It is very likely that a person living in Canada may speak both French and English. Likewise, a person living in Switzerland may speak Italian, German and French. Not only do people use different languages to communicate, but languages also have different dialects. A dialect is a difference of a language which uses words and grammar somewhat differently from the standard form of the same language. For example, people who live in Manchester, England speak a dialect that is a little different from people who live in London, England; however, people in both cities speak English. There are also some people who don't use a spoken language at all. These people use their hands to communicate. This type of language is called sign language and is most commonly used by people who are deaf. Now that we know how people communicate, we are faced with a question. Are we part of a certain culture because of the language we speak, or do we speak a particular language because we are part of that culture? To put it more simply, is a Chinese person Chinese because he speaks Chinese, or does he speak Chinese because he was born in China? What part does language play in the definition of culture? What would be the best title for the passage? A. The culture of different countries B. The language in different cultures C. The development of language D. The meaning of the language Answer: D Mr. Dawson is an old man with a bad temper . Kids were afraid to go into his yard to pick apples. One day, 12-year-old Janet and her friend Amy had to walk past Mr. Dawson' s house. When Janet saw him outside, she suggested they cross the street and walk on the other side. But Amy said they didn't need to. When Mr. Dawson saw Amy, he smiled and said: " Hello, Amy! I see you have a new friend with you today." Amy smiled back. Mr. Dawson was friendly and gave them each a fresh apple. Later, Janet asked Amy: " Everyone says he is the most unwelcoming person in town. Why was he kind to us?" Amy explained that when she first walked past his house, she was also afraid of him. But she pretended there was an invisible smile on his face and started talking to him. At first she only said "hello" but then began talking to him more every time she saw him. "An invisible smile?" Janet was puzzled . "Yes," answered Amy. "My grandma told me to try that. She says smiles can spread. So if we keep trying to smile at someone, sooner or later they will smile back." Amy's grandma realized most people can't refuse to smile at a friendly face. People thought that Mr. Dawson was a(n) _ person. A. honest B. kind C. welcome D. Unfriendly Answer: D Which of the following is a harmful waste material that leaves the blood and travels through the lungs before leaving the body? A. CO2. B. O2. C. H2O. D. NaCl. Answer: A Every morning Tom goes to work by train. He has a long way to go. So he always buys a newspaper. It helps him to spend the time on the train. Tom likes sport very much. One morning on the train he is reading something about the football match. So he forgets to get off the train at his station. He doesn't know it. When he finishes reading, he looks out of the window. It's far from his station. He gets off at the next station. He has to go back by train. Of course, he is late for work. Tom goes to work by _ . A. train B. bike C. car D. bus Answer: A
The Sauna World Championships ended in tragedy at the weekend when one of the two finalists collapsed and died. Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy, a Russian amateur wrestler in his 60s, suffered severe burns in the bizarre annual event in the southern Finnish town of Heinola. He was pronounced dead late on Saturday after he collapsed alongside reigning champion Timo Kaukonen of Finland roughly six minutes into the final round. The "sport" calls on participants to sit in a 230-degree (110 Celsius) room as water was tossed onto a _ stove, officials and witnesses said. Medical workers pulled both men out of the sauna in front of nearly 1,000 horrified spectators. Both were shaking and bleeding from what appeared to be severe burns, said Hakon Eikesdal, a photographer with the Norwegian daily Dagbladet. Kaukonen, about 40, was in hospital in stable condition Sunday, contest spokesman Ossi Arvela said. The event, which had over 130 participants from 15 countries, had been held since 1999. It will never be held again, Arvela said. A pint of water is added to the stove every 30 seconds and the last person to remain at the sauna is the winner. There was no prize other than "some small things" Arvela said. He declined to provide details. Arvela said Kaukonen -- the defending world champion -- had refused to leave the sauna despite getting sick. Sauna bathing is a popular past-time in Finland, which has an estimated 1.6 million saunas for a population of 5 million. Temperatures are normally kept around 158 to 176 degrees (70~80 degrees Celsius). "I know this is very hard to understand to people outside Finland who are not familiar with the sauna habit," Arvela said. "It is not so unusual to have 110 degrees in a sauna. A lot of competitors before have sat in higher temperatures than that." Arvela said all rules in Saturday's competition were followed and the temperatures and times were similar to those in previous years. We can infer from the news that _ . Answer: The Occupy protests in Hong Kong are approaching an end. Traffic on Mong Kok's Argyle Street _ in the late afternoon after the clearance of the barriers and tents by protesters, who remained largely calm, only resisting the clearance at several points. Some 3,000 police officers were deployed in the operation, a much higher number than were used to assist in the clearance of a protest site in Admiralty District on November 18. The operation in Mong Kok comes a week after the partial clearance of another protest site next to the local government headquarters in Admiralty, bringing an end to the months-long protest movement. Some 3,000 police officers also stood guard at the former protest site in Admiralty on Tuesday. Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying expressed on Tuesday his hope that business could resume for shops in the area. He also restated that the protest was an unlawful gathering, and called for the protesters to respect and obey the law. "The common call of Hong Kong people has finally been answered. Now the protest is coming to an end which is necessary and unavoidable. The public has suffered enough," Leticia Lee See-yin told the Global Times. "Many people are living in Mong Kok or operating their businesses in the area. They are all angry at the protest for affecting their business. Two shop owners even shut down their stores because they can no longer afford losses caused by the protest," said Lee. It is believed that the successful clearance of the Mong Kok site has proven that the protests are decreasing as they approach an end. "The authorities met with much less resistance compared to a month ago when protesters reacted violently when police tried to remove barriers in the same area in Mong Kok. Now the public has expressed a stronger desire than ever for the protest to end," Tang Ka-piu, a lawmaker, told the Global Times. How do the Hong Kong public feel about the occupy protests? Answer: Hamsters are lovely small animals which are similar to mice, and some people like to keep them as pets. They need to eat a balanced diet, or they can become very sick. That's why hamsters should be fed healthy foods. Most pet stores sell hamster mix. This is a combination of foods that are just right for hamsters. Some hamsters are picky eaters. They don't eat anything they don't like, so you have to find a hamster mix that your hamster will like. Most hamsters only eat a few tablespoons a day. You should feed them at the same time every day, or you can just keep your hamster's bowl full. Remember to clean the bowl at least once a week. Hamsters also drink a lot of water, so be sure to keep the water supply full and fresh. Just like people, hamsters like treats. Besides the hamster mix, you can sometimes feed your hamster seeds, nuts, and some other people food. You should never feed your hamster anything unless you are sure that it is safe for hamsters. Feed your hamster carefully, and always take good care of your pet! If hamsters don't have a balanced diet, they will _ . Answer: Every year thousands of people get hurt or die when they are crossing the road. Most of these people are old people and children. Old people often get hurt or die because they can't see or hear very well. Children usually meet with accidents because of their carelessness. They forgot to look and listen before they cross the road. How can we lessen traffic accidents? All of us must obey the traffic rules. For the drivers, they shouldn't drive too fast. If they drive too fast, it will be very difficult to stop the cars in a very short time. For the pedestrians , it's very important to be careful when they are walking on the road. Therefore, when we walk across the road, we must try to walk along the pavements. We must stop and look both ways before crossing the road. Look left first, next look right, then look left again. Only when we are sure that the road is clear, we can cross it. The right way to cross the road is to walk quickly. It's not safe to run. If people run across the road, they may fall down. Teenagers should try to help children, old people or blind people to cross the road, and never play in the street. ,,. The best title for this article may be _ Answer: Tiny transmitters fixed on the backs of the blue-green bees have allowed scientists to follow the insects as they fly for miles in search of rare flowers. Working in Panama, scientists caught 17 bees of the common species and fixed a 300 milligram radio light onto the back of each. The signals they sent out were used to follow their movements in and around the forest where they lived. Professor Martin, from Princeton University, US, and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, said, "By following the radio signals, we discovered that male bees spent most of their time in small centre areas, but could take off and visit areas farther away. One male even crossed over the shipping lanes in the Panama Canal, flying at least 5km, and returned a few days later." Researchers have struggled to follow the movements of bees before, following bees marked with paint or using radar which doesn't work well in forests. "Carrying the transmitter could reduce the distance that the bees travel, but even if the flight distances we record are the shortest distances that these bees can fly, they are impressive, long-distance movements," said Dr. Roland Kays, from New York State Museum, a co-author of the research published today in the on-line journal. "This result helps to explain how these bees' pollination can be so rare." Pollination by bees and other insects is the key to the diversity and continued growth of flowers and trees in some forests. The new study is the first to use radio transmitters to follow bees in a forest. Similar research may now be carried in temperate forests, where bees also play a vital role. What was the problem when researchers tried to follow the bees in the past? Answer:
Promised yourself to quit smoking in the new year, but just can't stop lighting up? You're not alone, with an Australian survey showing that only 3 percent of smokers who made such resolutions stuck with them. An online poll of just over 1,000 people, conducted ahead of the launch of a video game designed to help smokers quit, showed one in four Australians made New Year's resolutions to quit ---- but more than half went back on their word within a week.Some 15 percent lit up within hours of making the pledge, the survey showed, The research revealed that seven out of ten smokers have tried to kick the habit at some point. "Our research shows that the majority of smokers in Australia want to quit but are struggling to stick to their resolution.For most people, the desire to stop smoking is not enough, "Edward Fong, general manager of Ubisoft, the videogame manufacturer selling the anti-- smoking software, said in a statement. According to the survey, Australian smokers light up an average of 13.8 cigarettes every day or 5,037 cigarettes a year.There are currently 2.63 million smokers in Australia, which equates to 16 percent of the population over the age of 18, with women on average making more attempts to quit than men.The World Health Organization says smoking kills about 4 million people each year, causing a quarter of deaths related to heart disease.The organization estimates that by 2030, more than 8 million people will die from tobacco - related causes each year, mainly in developing countries. The number of smokers dying from tobacco -- related causes each year by 2030 is _ . A about one million B about two million C more than 4 million D more than 8 million Answer: D. more than 8 million "Would you tell me which way I should go from here?" asked Alice. "That depends a good deal on where you want to get," said the Cat. "I really don't care where" replied Alice. "Then it doesn't much matter which way you go," said the Cat. --- from " Alice in Wonderland " My name is David. And I have a brother called Mike. One day, my brother called me and asked me for some advice. He was trying to decide between two job offers: Job 1 - The first job was your typical 40 hour a week "office" job. Job 2 - The second job was more of a career in the insurance industry , where he would start at the bottom, and after many years and many long hours eventually rise to the top (if he was good). The second job did not pay as well as the first job (at the beginning), but the pay-off of the second job (in the future) was much greater than the first job. So which job should my brother take? Well the answer is...it depends. Just like the Cat was trying to tell Alice, which road you take depends a great deal on where you want to end up. Begin with the End in Mind I asked my brother what was his life's purpose. He said his purpose was to "teach," but he wanted to make a lot of money first. I told my brother to forget about the money, and I advised him to focus on his purpose. I then asked him which job best supported his end result of "teaching." He said the first job best supported his goal because he would only have to work 40 hours a week, which would give him spare time to teach. He continued on to say, "but if I take job number two, I can work hard and make more money, then I can retire early and "teach" later in life." I again advised him to "focus" on his purpose, not money. Things don't end wrong, they begin wrong! You Can't Ride Two Horses Well It would be very difficult to have a successful teaching career while you're working 70-80 hours a week in the insurance business; no one can ride two horses well. As they say, you can do anything, but not everything. I advised him to get started today by choosing the job that best supported that decision. Tomorrow Never Comes My brother was thinking that he could always start teaching later in life, but the reality is, tomorrow never comes. Unless you decide right now to follow your feelings, they will probably never be completed. You only live once, don't go to the end of your life with one regret. The Money Will Come My brother seemed to be overly concerned with making money. I told him not to be anxious about making money. You will always have greater money when you're doing what you love. In a word, whenever you're at a cross-road, be sure to make the decision that best supports the goal of your life. If you do, then you will be well on your way. You Can't Ride Two Horses Well means _ . A you'd better have two horses B you can only ride one horse well C you can do everything well. D you can't do two things well at the same time Answer: D. you can't do two things well at the same time Fishing is a popular activity and every fisherman knows the rule: Keep the big ones, throw the smaller ones back. The idea behind Lt is simple - the larger fish are probably older. If you keep the smaller ones, they won't be able to reproduce, and the fish population is in danger. But fishing out the largest fish from a population has an unwanted effect: Over time, fewer adult fish get really big. If only the smaller fish reproduce , then future generations become smaller. This is an example of evolution in action. One scientist, Dr David Conover has spent the last decade studying the effects of the "keep the big ones" rule and if they can be reversed . To set up his experiment, Conover and his team caught hundreds of silverside fish and divided them into six groups. For two groups, Conover followed the "keep the large ones" rule and took out the biggest fish. For two other groups, he removed only the small fish. For the last two groups, he removed fish at random . After five years, he measured the fish in each group. In the two groups where the largest fish were regularly removed, the average fish size was smaller than the average size in the other groups. Here was evolution in action: If only small fish survive to reproduce, then future generations of fish will also tend to be small. For the second five years of his experiment, Conover changed the rules and took fish randomly from each group. At the end of the experiment, he found that the fish that were in the "keep the large ones" group for the first five years had started to get larger again, although he calculated it would take at least 12 years for the fish in that group to return to their original size. In other words, it takes less time to shrink than it does to recover. Why do many people follow the "keep the big ones, throw the small ones back" rule? A It helps to protect fish numbers. B It helps to protect fish size. C It is the custom in most countries. D They will be punished if they don't. Answer: A. It helps to protect fish numbers. Sometimes people are not clear about what kind of food is healthy, and what kind of food may do harm to our health. The USDA has prepared a food guide to help people learn about which kind of food is the healthiest to eat. The food guide describes six main food groups: meat (like fish and chicken), dairy (like milk and cheese),grains (like bread and rice), fruit and vegetables. The last group is fats and sweets. The USDA also suggests how much of each food group is healthy to eat daily. Though this guide was prepared by the US government, it is very useful for people all over the world. As a _ of years of study, we know that too much animal fat is bad for our health. For example, Americans eat a lot of meat and only a small amount of grains, fruit and vegetables. Because of the way they eat, they have a high rate of cancer and heart disease. In Japan, people eat large amounts of grains and very little meat. The Japanese also have a very low rate of cancer and heart disease. The Japanese live longer than anyone else in the world. However, when Japanese people move to the US, the rate of heart disease and cancer goes up as their eating habit changes. And as hamburgers, ice creams and other high-fat foods become popular in Japan, the rate of heart disease and cancer is going up there as well. People are also eating more meat and dairy food in other countries, in which the disease rate is going up along with the change of the way people eat. Doctors everywhere suggest people eat more grains, fruit and vegetables and less meat and dairy food. Eating healthily is important for children as well as their parents. When parents have poor eating habits, their children usually do, too. After all, children eat in the same way as their parents. When parents eat healthy food, the children will learn to enjoy it, too. Then they will develop good eating habits. Doctors suggest parents give their children healthier food such as fruit, vegetables and juice. Everyone wants to live a long, healthy life. We know that the food we eat affects us in different ways. For example, doctors believe that fruit and vegetables can really protect people from many different diseases. On the other hand, animal fat can cause diseases. We can change our eating habits now and enjoy many years of healthy living. What is the USDA in the passage? A A group of doctors in the US. B An office of the US government. C A report on diseases in the US. D An order given by the US President. Answer: B. An office of the US government. Grace, while baby-sitting one night, noticed that Sam, who lived next door, had left his house but that the door did not close completely behind him. Grace said to Roy, the 11-year-old boy she was baby-sitting with, "Let's play a game. You go next door and see if you can find my portable television set, which I lent to Sam, and bring it over here." Grace knew that Sam had a portable television set and Grace planned to keep the set for herself. Roy thought the set belonged to Grace, went next door, found the television set, and carried it out the front door. At that moment, Sam returned home and discovered Roy in his front yard with the television set. Roy explained the "game" he and Grace were playing. Sam took back his television set and called the police. Grace is A not guilty of larceny or attempted larceny, because Roy did not commit any crime. B not guilty of larceny but guilty of attempted larceny, because she never acquired possession of the television set. C guilty of larceny as an accessory to Roy. D guilty of larceny by the use of an innocent agent. Answer: D. guilty of larceny by the use of an innocent agent.
Jaguar was very rare. It was said that there less than 20 jaguars in the world, one of which was living in the national zoo of Peru. In order to help this jaguar, Peruvians set up a zoo for it, where there were sheep and deer for the jaguar to eat. However, strange enough, no one had ever seen the jaguar hunt the deer and sheep. What they could see was its lying in its cave, sleeping and eating the meat provided by the zoo keepers. At first, people thought that the jaguar felt too lonely, so they found a female tiger to accompany it. However, it did not make too much sense. The jaguar just sometimes went out of its cave with its "girlfriend" for a while before it came back to its house again' It is normal for the jaguar to be lazy here. Tiger is the king of forest but you simply put some small animals around him. That is why the jaguar shows no interest in going out' a visitor said. So people put five wolves into the jaguar's zoo. Since then, the jaguar did not go back to its cave any more . It either stands on top of the hill yelling or runs up and down the hill without sleeping all day long . Actually, one creature without any _ is a lifeless creature. If a man lives without rivals, he is likely to be satisfied with the present and will not fight for the better. He will hold back before all difficulties . Hard environment tends to make successful people . Therefore, we need some rivals to push us to go ahead in all difficulties and competitions in our lives. Due to our rivals, we can bring out our potential to the best. Due to our rivals, we will continuously improve our abilities when competing with them! What happened to the jaguar after it got five wolves around? Bears will always have longer life cycles than a There is a poster below. Read it carefully. VISIT SWANSEA ZOO! Come and see the African elephants and the new tigers from India. The Arctic bears are waiting to meet you, and the monkeys from Zaire are waiting to throw things at you. The hyenas (a _ animal, like a wolf, with a howl that sounds like wild laughter) from Tanzania are waiting to laugh at you, and the giraffes from Zambia are waiting to look down on you. Tickets Adult: $1.20 Children: Over 12: 80 cent Under 12 : Free Opening Time: 9: 00a. m. ~4: 00p. m. Except Fridays: 10: 00a. m. ~3: 00p. m. KEEP THE ZOO CLEAN! DO NOT FEED,TOUCH OR GO NEAR THE ANIMALS! Which of the following is allowed in the Swansea Zoo? I have always really loved receiving my monthly pocket money form my dad. After getting the money I would be very excited and would rush off to my friend's place where after much consideration we would decide what to do with it and where to spend it. Mostly it would go for the ice cream treats(;) or jam sessions with our favorite people around. Girls will manage to find some way of budgeting so the money we save can be used for other purposes. I think that the best way to enjoy your pocket money would be to enjoy those treats that come occasionally. Since just mere pocket money would be not enough, many girls are doing a part time job of some form so that a larger amount of money can be collected. The best use of pocket money is to spend it in such a way that it involves lots of fun with your closest friends. Those treats are no fun if done alone. Company, especially good company can work wonders for providing you the best relaxation that you need. It is also best to spend your pocket money on things that otherwise parents end up refusing. When you use your pocket money to get this sense of achievement you will just feel so crazily happy. I remember the time when a friend and I were just so tired of our everyday _ life that we decided to go out, have some great food and then head out to the beach and have those lovely grape and mango ice-creams. And we did exactly that. That day has just been one of the most refreshing days of my life. I think the true meaning of pocket money is to be able to maximize your fun at a minimal cost! What is the best title of the passage? Anna loved the beach and went as often as she could. She liked the birds and the waves. Jason did not like the beach. He did not like how warm the sand was. He didn't like the salt in the water. Jason wanted to stay home. Jason went to the beach with his mother and father and met Anna. She had a red kite that Jason liked very much. Anna was having trouble getting the kite in the air and was sad. Jason went over to help her and together they got the kite into the air and watched it go higher and higher. Anna let Jason fly the kite for a little bit. After that Jason was hungry. Anna showed him that she had brought a green Picnic basket from her house. Inside the picnic basket there were cakes and sandwiches and salad and some fruit. Jason had brought lemonade in a blue bottle and shared it with Anna. It was the most fun Jason had at the beach. where does the story take place?
There are only 24 hours in a day,but people can use the time wisely. In other words,effective time management is important if you want to succeed. Knowing the importance of daily matters is the first step towards good time management. Write down the things that you want to do and organize them according to their level of importance. The important thing should be done first. If there are too many things that have to be done in one day, then you have to give up doing something that is less important on your list. Besides this,you need to spend a specific amount of time doing all the activities you have written down and make sure you finish them on time. People often slow down in their work even though they know that time will never wait for them. Make sure you keep to your plan and finish the tasks one by one. Do not try to do too many things at once. Also,you can group similar activities together and do them one by one. For example, you can group all the tasks you need to do in the office together and do them while you're in office. Do all the tasks that have to be done in one place first, and then move to the next place to do the other tasks. "The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you're the pilot, "said Michael Althsuler. Your future is in your hands,so remember to invest your time wisely from today on. The author quoted the words by Althsuler to say that _ . Answer: you can manage your time wisely There was once a rabbit who thought the more friends she had, the better. So she made many friends. She even thought she was the most popular animal in the world. One day the rabbit heard hounds baying not far from her. Usually, she hurried away at the first sound of a baying dog. But this time she didn't want to run for her life as before. "I have so many friends, and they could help me," she thought. She decided to ask one of them to carry her to safety. The rabbit asked the horse, "Please, dear friend, will you carry me away from the hounds?" The horse answered, "I wish I could help you, but I have work to do for my owner." Then the rabbit asked the cow for help. The cow answered, "I wish I could help you, but it's almost milking time." The goat had something important to do, too. So were the sheep and the pig. Every animal the rabbit asked for help seemed to be _ . Even the calf had no time for her. Each of her friends said, "I wish I could help you." But all of them had some excuse that prevented them from helping her. Sadly, the rabbit said to herself, "I have so many friends in the world, but why don't they help me when I'm in danger?" By this time, the hounds were getting closer. The rabbit didn't have any time to think. She was forced to run for her life. She quickly took off and, luckily, escaped just in time. What is the best title for the passage? Answer: The rabbit with many friends Come and see the Indian elephants and new tigers from America. The bears are waiting to meet you, and the monkeys from china are waiting to throw things at you. The lovely dogs from Australia are waiting to laugh at you. The giraffes from Zambia are waiting to look down on you. Tickets Adults :$2.00 Children : Over 12: $1.00 Under12: Free Opening time 9:00 am- 4:00pm(from Saturday to Thursday) 10:00am-3:00pm (Friday) Keep the zoo clean! Don`t touch , give food or go near the animals. Which of the following is the visiting time? Answer: 3:00 pm, Sunday Early to bed, early to rise , makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. This is an old English saying. Have you heard it before? It means that we must go to bed early in the evening and get up early in the morning. If we do, we shall be healthy. We shall also be rich (wealthy) and clever (wise). Is this true? Perhaps it is. The body must have enough sleep. Children need ten hours' sleep every night. If you do not go to bed early, you cannot have enough sleep. Then you cannot think properly and you cannot do your work properly. You will not be wise and you may not become wealthy! Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is not good for them. We must sleep at night when it is dark. The dark helps us to sleep properly, When the daylight comes, we must get up. This is the time for exercise. Exercise means doing things with the body. Walking, running, jumping, swimming, and playing games are all exercise. If the body is not used, it becomes weak. Exercise keeps it strong. Exercise helps the blood to move around inside the body. This is very important. The brains in our heads also need blood. We think with our brains. If we keep our bodies healthy, and take exercise, we can think better. Our bodies also need air to breathe. Without air we die. We must have a lot of clean, fresh air to breathe if we want to be healthy. Children need _ . Answer: ten hours' sleep Chilean miner Edison Pena plans to run the New York City Marathon on Sunday, less than a month after he was rescued from a collapsed mine that trapped him for 69 days. Pena ran 10 km daily through the mine's tunnels to beat the anxiety, wearing cut-down boots until rescuers sent him a pair of sports shoes through a narrow hole that served as the miners' "lifeline" to the surface. "When I ran in the darkness, I was running for life," Pena told a news conference in New York. "I was running to show that I wasn't just waiting around. I also wanted God to see that I really wanted to live." The New York Road Runners, which organizes the marathon, had invited Pena to be a guest at Sunday's race, but he said last week he did not want to watch, he wanted to run. "I was very eager to take on this big challenge," he said. "I wanted to show the world I could run." He hoped to run the 26.2-mile race in about six hours. "I have a knee injury, but I am eager to cross the finish line," he said. Last year, Meb Keflezighi won the men's marathon in two hours, nine minutes and 15 seconds. An Elvis Presley fan who asked rescuers to send the singer's music down into the mine, Pena broke into song at the news conference with the Presley hit Return to Sender. The miners werediscovered alive on August 22--17 days after the mine collapsed, but it took two months for rescuers to dig a hole big enough to bring them out. According to the passage, Pena _ . Answer: was not expected to run the marathon at first
Around the world, people have different traditional foods to celebrate different festivals. Traditional foods also show a new year of good luck and good health: An English Christmas dinner has a meal of turkey, and it also includes pies and plum puddings . In Germany, Christmas is celebrated with bread, cookies and cakes, which are made like Christmas trees. In France, Christmas dessert is a cake filled with butter cream. In southern parts of India, there is a three-day festival in mid-January called Pongal. It includes rice and a dish of rice cooked with sugar that is shared with families and friends. Japan celebrates New Year with a seven-day festival. It begins from January 1st. Food is prepared before the festival so people don't need to cook during the festival. On New Year's Day, _ dishes called Osechi ryori are served--each dish is a wish for the New Year. In most Asian countries, the New Year begins with the first full moon of the first Chinese Lunar month. Each place has its special food to welcome the coming year: People in China prepare their food ahead of time to avoid the _ that using a knife during New Year's time might "cut luck". Foods with lucky names are popular, such as fish, which sounds like "surplus ". What do you learn from the passage? Answer: If you go to Egypt, you'll see a lot of pyramids. The biggest of all is the Great Pyramid. It is about 137 meters high and made of 2,300,000 big stones. Each stone weighs about two and a half tons .The biggest ones even weigh fifteen tons. It took more than 100,000 men twenty years to build it. Nobody can tell just how the men cut, carried and lifted the huge stones without our modern machines . The Egyptian kings told the people to build the pyramids for themselves. They thought they had tombs strong enough to keep their bodies well until they came back to life. But they never thought that about 5,000 years later their bodies would be on show in museums. The Great Pyramid is in _ . Answer: "Gold Rush Alaska" has given America gold fever. A lot of young men put everything at risk to find gold in Alaska. They face problems with their machines and the Alaska wild animals. They're just ordinary people out trying to realize a dream. Todd Dorsey is one of them. He spent $100,000 on it and prepared for a year before going to Alaska. He brought his family and friends to help him out. He must get them mining and a place to stay. He also had to keep their spirits up and kept everyone working as a team. They had to run off bears sometimes from their camp. They had to face the fact that their lead mechanic's health was not good. They called him Harness, and he was on medication that was hard for him to take, because out in Alaska it was not easy to get to the hospital and so he didn't enjoy good health. He was the only one who could keep things running the way they were supposed to. There was one guy that didn't seem to get along with anyone. But didn't there always have to be someone that didn't get along and messed things up? They got excited when they found a few small pieces of gold, but they needed a lot more to cover the cost of mining every day. It cost Todd $1,000 a day to run everything they needed to mine. They had to make money before the Alaska summer came to an end or they would go broke . We learn from the text that the young men joining the gold rush _ . Answer: Offspring receive genes from their parents via what? Answer: If you are ever lucky to be invited to a formal dinner party in Paris,remember that the French have their own way of doing things, and that even your finest manners may not be "correct" by French custom.For example,if you think showing up promptly at the time given on the invitation,armed with gifts of wine and roses,complimenting your hostess on her cooking,laughing heartily at the host's jokes and then leaping up to help the hostess will make you the perfect guest,think again. Here Madame Nora Chabal,the marketing director of the Ritz Hotel in Paris,explained how it works. The first duty of the guest is to respond to the invitation within 48 hours.And,the guest may not ask to bring a guest because the hostess has chosen her own. Flowers sent ahead of schedule are the preferred gift.They may also be sent afterwards with a thank-you note.It is considered a very bad form to arrive with a gift of flowers vase when she is too busy to do with that. See,that's the logic!The type of flowers sent has a code of its own,too.One must never send chrysanthemums because they are considered too humble for occasion.Carnations are considered bad luck,and calla are too reminiscent of funerals .A bouquet of red roses is a declaration of romantic intent.Don't send those unless you mean it,and never to a married hostess.And though the French love wine,you must never bring a bottle to a dinner party.Why?It's as if you feared your hosts would not have enough wine on hand,and that's an insult .You may,however,offer a box of chocolates which the hostess will pass after dinner with coffee. If an invitation is for eight o'clock,the considerate guest arrives at a quarter past eight.Guests who arrive exactly on time or early are mere thoughtless ones who are not giving the hostess those last few minutes she needs to deal with details and crises. Which of the following is right about sending gifts? Answer:
When my parents reproduce they pass on genes like A Cats B Dating C Candy D A mole Answer: D Dear Alice You really have two different questions here, so we'll discuss them one at a time. Your problems at school may be a result of a number of things. You don't say much about how these classmates get along with each other. It's possible that all the students are feeling a little cautious in the first term. It's also possible that the others are unkind. If this is not so, you have to find out why you are the class "outsider".In your letter you say you often offer to help others with their work. Is it possible that your classmates don't understand your offers? Could it seem that you were trying to "buy" friends with these offers, Is it possible that you took no notice of your classmates when you had your good friend near you? They may have felt hurt at that time. It may take a time for them to believe in you if so. Try to ask one classmate directly what the problem is. If you hear a negative answer, at least you'll know what to do Yours truly Shelia Which of the following is NOT true according to the letter? A Alice felt her classmates weren't kind to her. B Alice was very warm-hearted to help her classmates. C Alice didn't want to get along well with her classmates. D The girl asked two questions in her letter. Answer: C An 80-year-old couple was having problems remembering things, so they decided to go to their doctor to get checked out to make sure nothing was wrong with them. When they arrived at the doctor's, they explained to the doctor about the problems they were having with their memory. After checking the couple out, the doctor told them that they were physically okay but might want to start writing things down and make notes to help them remember things. The couple thanked the doctor and left. Later that night, while watching TV, the man got up from his chair and his wife asked, "Where are you going?" He replied, "To the kitchen." She asked, "Will you get me a cup of ice cream?" He replied, "Sure." She then asked him, "Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?" He said, "No, I can remember that." She then said, "Well, I would also like some strawberries on top. You had better write that down because I know you'll forget that." He said, "I can remember that. You want a cup of ice cream with strawberries." She replied, "Well, I also would like some whipped cream on top. I know you will forget that so you'd better write it down." With anger in his voice, he said, "I don't need to write that down! I can remember that." He then went into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes he returned from the kitchen and handed her a plate of bacon and eggs. She stared at the plate for a moment and said angrily, "I told you to write it down! You forgot my bread!" After seeing the doctor, the couple _ . A changed their life totally B followed the doctor's advice C did anything as before D found the way of taking notes helpful Answer: C Thanks to science, industry and moral philosophy, mankind's steps were at last guided up the right path in the past century. The 19th century of steam was about to give way to the 20th century of oil and electricity. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, only 41 years old in 1900, provided a scientific basis for the idea that progress was not to be stopped, determined by natural law. And almost everybody thought that the development would continue to be as slow as that in the 19th century. Inventions like the railroad or the telegraph or the typewriter enabled people to live their everyday lives a little more conveniently. No one could have guessed that new ideas would storm the world with a force and frequency at an amazing pace. This high-speed attack of new ideas and technologies seemed to make people believe in the old dreams of a perfect life on earth, of a safe world in which natural disasters would be controlled. But the fast progress was accompanied by something against mankind's will. Murders in Sarajevo in 1914 led to the Great War, which did more than destroy a generation of Europeans. The Great War was most commonly called so until the beginning of World War II when it was renamed World War I. Hitler rose to power in the 1930's. It was this very man who ordered the attack of prefix = st1 /Poland, only to meet with his failure whenGreat BritainandFrancemade war onGermany. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed the American naval base at Pearl harbor. Americans decided to enter the war, and World War II was now truly a world war. But civilization was not crushed by the two great wars, and from the ruins people built a way of life again. The citizens of the 20th century felt free to reinvent themselves. In that task they were aided by two far-reaching developments-Psychoanalysis and the Bomb. Which happening is not mentioned in this passage before World War II? A Hitler came into power B Japan attached Pearl Harbor. C Poland was attacked by Germany. D USA had not planned to go into the war Answer: D A 13-year-old American has made a cheap machine that can help blind people read. The blind can read by using _ - a system of small bumps that the blind touch to read the letters. The machine that makes these small bumps usually costs at least $2,000. It is called Braille writer. The American schoolboy, Shubham Banerjee, made a new Braille writer from a Lego tool that lets people create robots. Banerjee has called his new machine the Braigo - a combination of the words Braille and Lego. It costs just $ 350. It works by changing electronic text into Braille and then printing it using a computer or mobile machine. Banerjee designed his Braigo last year for a school science exhibition. Since then, he has caught the interest of Silicon Valley in the USA. The big technology company Intel spent money on Banerjee's machine last November, but they did not say how much money they put in. Banerjee also got $35, 000 from his father to help him start the project. His father works as a computer engineer at Intel. He spoke about why he gave so much money to his son, saying:"We as parents started to be interested more, thinking that he's on to something and this invention has to continue." Banerjee told the AP News: "My dream would probably be having most of the blind people...using my Braigo." Why did Banerjee design his invention? A He did it as a hobby. B Intel told him to do it. C He did it for a school science project. D He wanted to get money from his father. Answer: C
Question: Are you reading this while sitting in an office cubicle ? If so, please take a moment and glance around you. Are there photos of your last vacation hung on the wall? One of your kid's drawings? A yellowed print of a favorite cartoon? If so, you are doing something good for both yourself and your organization. Newly published research suggests working in an environment that offers little privacy can lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout . But personalizing one's workplace is an effective protection against such unwanted outcomes. "Individuals may take comfort from the items with which they surround themselves at work, and these items may help employees to keep emotional energy high in the face of stresses that come from their work," writes a research team led by Gregory Laurence of the University of Michigan-Flint, Michigan, in north central U.S. In the Journal of Environmental Psychology, Laurence and his colleagues describe a study featuring 87 white-collar employees at a large, urban university in the Midwestern United States. Research assistants noted whether they worked in a private office (with a door that can be closed) or a cubicle. They also counted the number of items each worker had brought from home to decorate his or her workspace - a list that included photographs, posters, artworks. Not surprisingly, Laurence and his colleagues found a connection between the amount of privacy an employee enjoys and his or her rate of burnout. "High privacy conditions tend to serve as strong protectors against unwelcome interferences and distractions ," they noted, "contributing to a work environment supporting reduced emotional exhaustion." But this link disappeared when those employees had personalized their cubicles. Employees who had turned their workspaces into areas that reflect their interests and personalities reported the same (relatively low) level of emotional exhaustion, no matter whether they worked in an office or a cubicle. The research confirms "the calming effect" of having your own stuff around you. So if you're feeling exhausted at work, relief could be as simple as hanging a few of your kindergartener's colorful creations on your cubicle wall. For employees, decorating cubicles with their own items _ . A. offers them little privacy B. may help improve their work efficiency C. will sometimes cause burnout D. serve as interferences and distractions Answer: B. may help improve their work efficiency Question: Now people who are in different parts of the world communicate easier than before. But it is a little hard to understand each other well. Some of them may not understand others' words, so it's easy to make a few mistakes. For example, an important question about eating out, is who pays for the meal. If a friend of yours suggests you have lunch with him, you might simply say something like this, "I'm afraid it will have to be some place inexpensive, as I have very little money." The other person might say, "OK. I will meet you at McDonald's." This means it is agreed that the two will go Dutch, that is, each person pays for himself. He might also say, "Oh, no. I want to take you to lunch at Johnson's", or " I want you to try the steak there. It is great." This means that the person intends to pay the bill for both of you. If you feel friendly towards this person, there is no reason why you shouldn't accept this invitation. You might simply say, "Thank you. That would be very nice." ,. By reading the text, how do you feel about the communication of the world today? A. People who are in different parts can understand each other easier. B. People who are in different parts can understand each other harder. C. It gets harder . D. It gets easier. Answer: D. It gets easier. Question: Sometime in the next century, the familiar early-newspaper on the front porch will disappear. And instead of reading your newspaper, it will read to you. You'll get up and turn on the computer newspaper just like switching on the TV An electronic voice will distribute stories about the latest events, guided by a program that selects the type of news you want. You'll even get to choose the kind of voice you want to hear. Want more information on this brief story? A simple touch makes the entire text appear. Save it in your own personal computer if you like. These are among the predictions from communication experts working on the newspapers of the future. Pictured as part of broader home-based media and entertainment systems, computer newspapers will unite print and broadcast reporting, and offer news and analysis with video images of news events. Most of the technology is available now, but convincing more people that they don't need to read a newspaper is the next step. But resistance to computer newspapers may be stronger from within journalism. Since it is such a cultural change, it may be that the present generation of journalists and publishers will have to die off before the next generation realizes that the newspaper industry is no longer a newspaper industry. Technology is making the end of ' traditional newspapers unavoidable. Despite technological advances, it could take decades to replace newsprint with computer screens. It might take 30 t0 40 years to complete the changeover because people need to buy computers and because newspapers have established financial interests in the paper industry. We can infer from the passage that A. all technological changes are good B. new technologies don't always replace old ones C. new technologies will eventually replace old ones D. traditional newspapers are here to stay for another century Answer: C. new technologies will eventually replace old ones Question: Peter: Paul, what are you going to do this afternoon? Paul: I plan to climb a hill. Would you like to go with me? Peter: Thank you. But I don't want to be tired. I want to sleep at home. Have a good time! Paul: I'm sure I will. But now I don't know what to wear. Peter: What about your new trousers? Paul:My new trousers are made of wool. I don't think they can make me comfortable. Peter: You're right. Wool clothes are not fit for a trip. How about your blue jeans? What are they made of? Paul: Cotton. They are good for trips. And shall I wear my leather shoes? Peter: No. They will make your feet hot. You know, it is hot these days. And they are also too heavy for a trip. Try your trainers. Paul: OK. And trainers go well with my jeans. Peter: And why not wear your cap? It looks cool on you. Paul: Thank you. I will wear it. Paul is going to _ today. A. climb a hill B. visit his friends C. go to the park D. sleep at home Answer: A. climb a hill Question: Long ago, poems were recited out loud instead of being written down. When the Greeks first started the Olympics, they held poetry contests as well as athletic competitions. Now, poetry competitions have been revived .This year 120,000 high school students competed in the first Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, performing poems from memory for $100,000 in prizes. The first competitions were held in classrooms. The winners went on to school-wide contests, and then they competed in city and state competitions. Finally, the 50 state champions, along with the District of Columbia champion came to Washington, D.C. last week for the last show down. After the 51 champions competed against one another, 12 went on to the finals. Then the field was narrowed to five. The final five had one last chance to "perform" a poem. The overall champ, Jackson Hille, a high school senior from Ohio, won a $20,000 scholarship. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation started Poetry Out Loud because they realized that hearing a poem performed is a different experience from reading it on a page. It's not just a matter of saying the words in the right order. It's the tone of voice, the pauses, the gestures, and the attitude of the person performing that bring the words to life. "Each time we hear somebody recite a poem, we find something fresh and interesting about it, " says National Public Radio Broadcaster Scott Simon, master of ceremonies for the finals. Hearing it in a new voice offers something new to the listener. Not only do the people hearing poems have a new experience, memorizing and presenting poems helps the participants understand those poems in a new way. Another benefit of a competition such as Poetry Out Loud is that the participants learn public -speaking skills that can help them for life. One benefit the participants get from poem recitation competitions is that they can _ . A. become skilled in speaking in public B. write good poems themselves C. change their attitudes towards life D. make friends with many great poets Answer: A. become skilled in speaking in public
Fabien Cousteau is a French ocean explorer and documentary filmmaker.who spent his early years aboard his grandfather's ships.Today, Fabien continues to protect the planet's endangered ocean life and tries to strike a balance between environmental problems and market economies. Fabien is well known for his study of sharks.During 2000--2002,he created a TV program aiming to change public ideas about sharks called"Attack of the Mystery Shark" based on the shark attacks that occurred along the New Jersey shoreline in the summer of 1916.Then during 2003--2006,with the help of a large crew,Fabien created a lifelike shark submarine ,providing people with a rare view of the mysterious and often misunderstood creatures. For the next four years(2006--2010),Fabien was part of a series called"Ocean Adventures",which provided viewers with a chance to look into some of the most fantastic ocean species and environments on the planet. In 2010,Fabien started Plant A Fish,a nonprofit project for children to help rebuild local water ecosystems through the healthy"replanting"of key ocean species.Its final goal is to plant l billion"fish"worldwide in 10 years. In June 2014,Fabien and his team _ Mission Mission 31,the longest underwater science research,the world's only underwater laboratory located nine miles off the coast ot the Florida Keys,and 63 feet beneath the sea.Fabien's Mission 31 broke new ground in ocean exploration,while broadcasting each moment live exposing the world to the adventure and mystique of what lies beneath. Fabien is currently working on a feature documentary film about the adventures of Mission 31,as well as building all Ocean Learning Center to afford children around the world the opportunity to learn about oceans and connect with ocean explorers directly through social media. For what purpose did Fabien explore the sea and created documentary films? Answer: During which phase of the Moon could a solar eclipse take place? Answer: At the age of 11, Peter Lynch started caddying at Brae Burn Country Club in Newton, Mass. "It was better than a newspaper carrier, and much more profitable," the Fidelity vice chairman recalls. He kept it up during the summers for almost a decade. "You get to know the course and can give the golf players advice about how to approach various holes," he says. "Where else, at age 15 or 16, can you serve as a trusted adviser to high-powered people?" One of those people was George Sullivan, then president of Fidelity's funds, who was so impressed with Lynch's smarts that he hired him in 1966. "There were about 75 applicants for 3 job openings," Lynch says now. "But I was the only one who had caddied for the president for 10 years." In between caddying and managing money, Lynch went to Boston College on a scholarship from a program called the Francis Ouimet Fund. Named after the 1913 winner of the U.S. Open, the fund launched in 1949 which is open to Massachusetts kids only. Ouimet executive director Robert Donovan says, "Help with college is a logical extension of friendly relation between golfers and their favorite caddies, because there is a close tie to train up them to be excellent that happens between the players and the kids who carry their golf poles. And for the teens, caddying is all about being around successful role models." It is obvious that caddies who are finally successful include all kinds of outstanding personnel, from actor Bill Murray, to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, to former GE chairman and CEO Jack Welch. Of course, the great number of financial giants who caddied in their youth might be coincidence, but Dick Connolly thinks not. "Caddying life teaches you a lot about business, and about life," he says. "You learn to show up early and look people in the eye when you shake their hand, and you learn how to read people -- including who's likely to cheat and who isn't." Connolly is a longtime investment advisor at Morgan Stanley's Boston office, a former Ouimet scholarship student and, along with Peter Lynch and Roger Altman, one of the program's biggest supporters. He wants to share the most important lesson he learned on the links, so he says: "One golfer I caddied for told me that if you want to succeed in any field -- golf or business -- you have to spend a lot of lonely hours, either practicing or working, when you'd rather be partying with your friends. That's true, and it stuck with me." Why was the Francis Ouimet Fund set up to support Massachusetts kids only? Answer: Despite the burning heat, the summer holidays are drawing to a close. After a period of pleasant relaxation, spending time with friends and family, our thoughts now turn towards the new school term. This can be an exciting time, filled with new opportunities, ambitions and challenges. Such new challenges can be frightening as we face unfamiliar situations, people and places. Many of you will be facing a new term in a higher grade. This may well mean a greater workload and more exam pressure. Maybe you are starting a new school and are worried about how to make new friends. Whichever new situation you face, there is no shame in admitting you are worried or concerned. The fact that you are older and are facing more challenges does not mean that you have to deal with your problems alone. No matter how old we are, all of us need help sometimes, and admitting to weakness can be one of our greatest strengths. How else can we get the help we need to face our problems with confidence? Also, this can be a good way to connect with new people in a similar situation. On the first day of a new term or at a new school, everyone will be nervous and uncertain. Admitting to _ makes us seem much more human. After all, would you really want to be friends with someone who believes that they know everything and claims to never be afraid? Whatever your new situation is at the beginning of this new term, relax, and remember that every student you come across is just as nervous as you are. Share what you believe to be your weaknesses and see just how strong you really are. This passage may be _ . Answer: Every culture in the world has marriage and wedding ceremonies . Usually marriages are between one woman(the bride) and one man ( the groom). However, in other parts of the world a man may have several wives, or, as in some areas of India, a wife may have more than one husband.. There are also many different kinds of wedding ceremonies practiced around the world. These ceremonies can be very short and simple, or very long and complicated. One of the largest and most expensive wedding ceremonies in recent times was held in Dubai in 1981. The couple tying the knot at this wedding were the son of Sheik ( a male Arab ruler) Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum and Princess Salama. The wedding ceremony took seven days and cost $44 million. It was held in a large building which was specially built for the ceremony and looked like a stadium. The bride and groom needed a large place for their wedding because more than 20,000 guests were invited. The reasons why a man and woman get married also vary. Sometimes they marry because they are in love, sometimes they marry because someone they meet through a matchmaker, and sometimes they marry because their parents tell them that they must marry. One unusual example of an arranged marrige took place in Bangladesh in 1986. The groom was an eleven-month-old boy and the bride was a three-month-old girl. They were the youngest married couple ever. The parents of the bride and groom arranged the marriage as a way of ending a fight between the two families who had been arguing over a farm for twenty years. Both families thought they owned the farm, but no one knew exactly . The fight ended for good when the young boy married the young girl. By arranging this marriage, neither famlily was forced to lose face. The two families agreed to give the farm to the young people. What is the best title for this passage? Answer:
Question: Harry Houdini was a man who astonished and attracted many people during his life. Whether he was escaping from a locked box or making things disappear and reappear, he surely was entertaining. People thought that he must truly have some supernatural powers, but in fact, what Harry really had was drive. Harry was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1874. His real name was Ehrich Weiss, the third of five children. His family moved to Wisconsin not long after his birth and when he was nine, he was tying ropes all over his backyard and learning amazing tricks to show his friends and neighbors. He visited the local locksmith, and when he had reached his teens he could pick almost any lock that was made. He also learned how to do card tricks. He and his brother, Theo, would often entertain at local parties and clubs for extra money. When Ehrich was 16, he came across a book that would actually change his life: the biography of France's greatest magician, Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. It showed Ehrich that his hobby of magic and tricks could also be a career. Immediately, he changed his name to Harry Houdini. He and Theo headed out to make a living as magicians. In 1893, they performed at the Chicago World's Fair, and after that they traveled around giving magic shows for anyone willing to listen and pay. Theo grew restless, however, as the jobs became scarce, so he left. His timing was perfect since Harry had just fallen in love with a lovely woman named Bess who was just the right size for slipping in and out of the trunk they used in their magic tricks. They married immediately and then off they went, traveling with circuses and other road shows. Harry learned more and more tricks and spent much of his time reading and studying all kinds of locks, especially handcuffs. However, no matter what tricks they did or how hard they tried, Bess and Harry were not doing well. They tried to sell their shows for seven years and finally, in desperation, they went to Europe. It was the right move. Harry's persistence and constant practice were about to pay off. To get people's attention, he walked into police stations and offered to be handcuffed by all the policemen. They were shocked when he was loose only seconds later. Soon, everyone in Europe was talking about Houdini's astounding skills. He was in high demand and found himself doing more and more dangerous acts. He escaped from a straitjacket hanging upside down over the street; he escaped from locked boxes of all kinds; and, of course, he got out of any kind of handcuffs put on him. After several years in Europe, Bess and Harry returned to the United States in victory. Harry was doing such amazing tricks that people felt he must have special powers. However, few realized how much time he spent practicing and studying. He would do special exercises to keep his body strong, and he would do tricks with his fingers to keep them flexible. He would spend large amounts of time tying and untying knots -- with his toes! For his underwater tricks, he would get in the bathtub and practice holding his breath for longer and longer times. Since many of his tricks involved being deep in icy water, he would pour buckets of ice in the tub to get accustomed to working in the cold. The reason that Harry Houdini was such a success was that he practiced and prepared for whatever might happen. When a college student punched him in the abdomen in 1926, however, he wasn't prepared. The punch did internal damage that not even this magician could get out of. Harry died in 1926 at 52 years of age -- a master of his trade and a true legend. Which of the is true according to this passage? A. His brother left him because he was doubtful of the future. B. He went to Europe after an argument with his brother. C. Bess was a great help in his career before they were married. D. He succeeded because he had special powers. Answer: A. His brother left him because he was doubtful of the future. Question: OLYMPIA, March 24--Luo Xuejuan, a swimming gold medalist at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, became the first Chinese person to relay the Olympic Flame in Greece on Monday, receiving the flame from the first Olympic torchbearer , Greek Alexandros Nikolaidis. Despite her previous experience as a torchbearer in the Beijing leg of the Athens 2004 torch relay, Luo felt honored and proud of being chosen as the first Chinese torchbearer, the Xihua News Agency reported Luo as saying in an interview. She talked about the great responsibility that she felt, as she believed she was representing every Chinese athlete and even Chinese person by running her _ of the relay. Regarding missing the torch lighting ceremony because she had to be in an assigned location to wait for the flame, Luo felt no regret. "Even though I couldn't see it, I was able to feel the flame light and knew that it was happening at a place nearby," she said. Luo expressed her belief that even if people couldn't communicate with words, the Olympic Flame enables the transmission of the Olympic spirit and brings smiles wherever it might go. In Luo's mind, the Olympic spirit represents purity, competition, friendship, enthusiasm, peace and harmony. What's the best title of the passage? A. Luo Xuejuan: A Swimming Gold Medalist. B. The Torch Lighting Ceremony C. The Torch Relay Had Begun D. Luo Xuejuan: the First Chinese Torchbearer of Athens Torch Relay Answer: D. Luo Xuejuan: the First Chinese Torchbearer of Athens Torch Relay Question: Jack is an English boy. He is a good student. He is eleven. Now he is in a blue coat. Linda is Jack's sister. She is a nice girl. She is fourteen. Now she is in a green dress. Lucy and Lily are from the USA. They are students, too. They are in yellow coats. They look the same. Jack, Linda, Lucy and Lily are good friends. Jack, Lucy and Lily are in the same school. But Linda is not in the school. They all like China. ,. Lucy and Lily are _ . A. in the same school B. in the same class C. in different schools D. in different colors Answer: A. in the same school Question: There once was a beautiful princess named Lizzie who lived in a castle in the woods. One day she went for a walk to see if any of the spring flowers had started to bloom. Her mother's birthday was the next day. If there were flowers blooming she would pick some for her mother. Her mother's name was Queen Alice. As she got deeper into the woods she came to a place that had a lot of flowers. There were beautiful lilies growing around the edge of a pond. There were some deer drinking water from the pond. She picked some lilies for her mother, the queen. The lilies were white and yellow and red. She picked 12 lilies for her mother. Lizzie also saw mushrooms growing in the woods. There were birds building a nest in the bushes. Under the bush she saw a paper cup that someone had left. There were beautiful butterflies on the bush, too. The sun was warm so she lay down to rest under the shade of a tree. She fell asleep and as she was sleeping she had a bad dream. She dreamed that as she was walking through the woods. In her dream she tripped over a log and hurt her ankle. She started to cry because she was afraid that nobody would miss her and she would have to sleep in the woods. She heard someone calling her name and was very happy to see her father standing near her. When she opened her eyes she also could see her brother Henry standing near her. She could hear their dog, Daisy, rushing to meet them, too. What was Lizzie's dog's name? A. Alice B. Lizzie C. Daisy D. Henry Answer: C. Daisy Question: What is the most sensible reason why a stove is often just white? A. it scatters all photons away from it without absorbing any B. a chef specified white makes food cook better C. it was black until someone scrubbed all the blood off it and it turned white D. confining a stove to any specific color is color-shaming and indicates white privilege Answer: A. it scatters all photons away from it without absorbing any
,. Three-year-old Teddy Lasry was sleeping in his cowboy outfit yesterday at his family's Fifth Ave.apartment when he shot up in bed screaming.A 3-foot-long black-and-white snake twisted around his left arm and had just bitten his little finger. "The babysitter (a person taking care of children while their parents are away for a short time) was frightened to death," said Teddy's father, David Lasry, who, along with his wife, Evelyn, was at work when the snake appeared about 4:00 pm. The horrified babysitter called 911 and the building's doorman.The doorman and two cable TV workers helped take the snake off the boy's arm and put it in a garbage bag.Police rushed Teddy to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he spent two hours attached to a heart monitor as a precaution in case the snake was poisonous.It wasn't.Experts at the snakebite treatment center at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where policemen took the snake, found out it was a non-poisonous California king snake. But how did it end up in Teddy's bed? A little detective work determined that the snake had escaped two weeks ago from its cage in the apartment of a doctor whose family lives four floors below the Lasrys.The apologetic owner said his son's pet snake likely traveled up the water pipes and into his neighbor's apartment."It's a very gentle, very harmless snake," he said."It's handled by our family all the time." David Lasry believed the pet was simply hungry after two weeks of wandering.Evelyn said her son seems to have overcome his fright by thinking of himself as a hero cowboy as he rode in the back of the police car to the hospital. "I told Teddy he's a pretty snake, a nice pet snake who got out of his cage," Evelyn said."But he asked, 'Why did he bite my finger, Mamma?' And I said, 'Because he saw that you are a big boy, Teddy, in your cowboy outfit and he got scared.'" Teddy probably believed he was attacked because _ . Answer: Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self- respect? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized as "honor" help you create this life of good feelings. Here's an example to show how honorable actions create happiness. Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item. If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk's mistake, we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement. Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune. On the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item, the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty. We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul. Then, what is it to do with our sense of happiness? In the first case, where we don't tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen. Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief. In the process, we would lose some peace of mind and self-respect. We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted, since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends. We damage our own reputations by telling others. In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk's attention causes different things to happen. Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable. Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect is increased. Whenever we take honorable action we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility. There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions. Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions. Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence. And it's easy to think and act honorably again when we're happy. While the positive cycle can be difficult to start, once it's started, it's easy to continue. Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which is important for our happiness. How will we feel if we let the clerk know her mistake? Answer: A person, like a commodity, needs packaging. But going too far is absolutely undesirable. A little exaggeration will do no harm when it shows the person's unique qualities to their advantages. To show personal attractiveness in a casual and natural way, it is important for one to have a clear knowledge of oneself. A skilled packager knows how to add art to nature without any signs of _ so that the person so packaged is not a commodity, but a human being, lively and lovely. A young person, especially a female, shining with beauty and full of life, has all the favor granted. Youth however, comes and goes in a flash. Packaging for the middle-aged is primarily to hide the marks made by years. If you still enjoy life enough to keep self-confidence and work at pioneering work, you are unique in your natural qualities, and your attractiveness and grace will remain. Elderly people are beautiful if their river of life has been, through plains, mountains and jungles, running its course as it should. You have really lived your life, which now arrives at a self - satisfied stage of quietness and calmness with no interest in fame or wealth. There is no need to make use of hair dyeing. The snow-capped mountain itself is a beautiful scene of fairyland. Let your looks change from young to old in step with the natural ageing process so as to keep in harmony with nature, for harmony itself is beauty, while the other way round will only end in unpleasantness. _ As long as one finds where one stands, one knows how to package oneself, just as a commodity sets up its brand by the right packaging. According to the author, if you want to keep in harmony with nature, you should _ . Answer: Most kids go to school during the day and come home to their families or caregivers at night.Sometimes kids can't go home every night so they board or live at school during term-time. Whatever the reason for going to boarding school, living with a group of people is very different from living with your family.You have to learn to get on with others, be responsible for looking after your own stuff and follow the rules that are there to make everyone's life pleasant and safe. The following are some tips from boarders. "Remember that the other new students are probably as shy as you are.If you don't talk first and try to make friends, it may not happen." "Don't hold things back inside you.The more you talk, the easier it gets.You can talk to older boarders as well as adults.They understand what you are feeling--they've been through it too." "Be respectful of others' space and give them privacy.Having people around all the time means you don't get much time to yourself." "Join in sports and other afterschool activities.You'll meet lots of new people who are interested in the same things as you.And keeping busy will help you get over feeling homesick." "If you are a weekly boarder or go home most weekends it can be harder to make friends, so see if you can organize to stay in for a weekend." "Make friends with non-boarders too.It's good to visit someone's home sometimes." "Boarding has its ups and downs, you get homesick and sometimes the food is not that great but most of the time it is like being in one big family.You make friends that you know you'11 keep for the rest of your life." Which of the following might be the best title for the text? Answer: Fort Scott High School English teacher Emily Rountree has been working this semester to raise money for Charity Water, a nonprofit organization , which uses 100 percent of public donations to help fund water projects in places without access to clean drinking water. Her goal was to motivate her students to use their writing in class to make a real world difference. Twelve students got top grades on the project and their articles will be published in the Tribune and online. The money from their writing is of great help. "Did you know that there are many countries around the world that don't have access to safe drinking water? Just think, that could be your someone in your family. in my English three classes, we are trying to .raise money for Charity Water. Charity 'Water is 3n organization that helps people get water in countries where there is no safe drinking water" , said Tanner Johnson, a student attending Fort Scott High School. clean drinking water. In Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hour every year just walking for water .Women and children are the ones that mainly do the walking. They could he attacked, or get hurt. Whenever they get home the water that they have brought home is unsafe water that. 'has been in swamps, ponds, or rivers .if they had safe drinking water they wouldn't have that to worry about and they wouldn't be wasting hours of their day. Unsafe drinking water causes many different kinds of diseases that could lead to death. You could help save someone's life by donating $ 20 so you could help get them some safe drinking water. You can easily donate online at, mycharitywater. org/fshsenglish, or you can send a check payable to Fort Scott High School to Emily Rountree .if you don't help these people then who will? How can the students bring differences to the world? Answer:
Several years ago, I read a book Your Money or Your Life, written by Joe Domingguez and Vicki Robin. The major theme of the book is the idea that if you want to cut your spending, you'll have to begin by stopping trying to impress other people. The authors divide people into two groups : people whose opinions you care about, and people whose opinions you don't care about one way or another. It's easy to stop caring about people whose opinions you don't care about. Who cares what they think ? As long as you're not doing something truly immoral ---- something that might potentially create a negative reputation for you ---- it doesn't matter what they think. But shouldn't you impress other people whose opinions you do care about ? Anyway, they are people you want to meet : customers, friends and family. The answer is that you don't need to impress those people with expensive, shiny things. The relationship you've built with them ---- or you're going to build with them ---- is based on you, not on the material items. They'll either like you for you or they won't. To put it simply, take care of the basics. Keep yourself clean. Keep your weight under control. Wear reasonable clothing. Work on your communication skills. If you have them covered, you don't need to invest time and money in impressing other people. Coming to this realization is incredibly valuable. It drops your clothing budget. It drops your automobile budget. It drops your electronics budget. It drops your housing budget. You don't need a shiny car, an iPhone, or a $50 haircut. Yes , you may actually still want one or two of these things, but the impetus comes from what your personal values are, not what other people around you seem to value or what marketing messages you receive. For some people, it seems impossible. Their social cues come from advertising-laden media and from friends who also get their cues from advertising-laden media.They believe they need a slick cellphone and $100 casual clothes. Their self-worth revolves around that little burst they get from impressing others. People should learn to break through that situation. In short, don't play socially by the tiring old rules that revolve around needing to impress people. Instead, spend your time on things that bring real value to you and give real value to others. What is the best title for the passage ? A Whose opinions do you care about ? B Two different groups of people. C My favorite book : Your Money or Your Life D Stop trying to impress other people. Answer: D. Stop trying to impress other people. We spend hours, days and years of our lives in school. Imagine you could design your dream school, what would it be like? What would you be doing? We wanted to find out what teenagers around the world thought. Here is what they said: Richard from the USA: My dream school would have a big swimming pool and two soccer fields. It would also have a cinema, a gym and a shopping center. My school has none of these, and I think there should be more pleasant things for students to do while they are studying. Sonia from Italy: I'd like a room where we can relax and play computer games. I'd also like to have a music room. I think there should be a place for everyone to go and relax after class. Wu from Beijing: I think it would be great to have another day off every week, besides the weekend. If that day was a Friday or a Monday, we would have a long weekend every week. What fun! I also think school should start later, at about 10 o'clock, and finish earlier. Hannah from Australia: In my dream school, I think the teachers should give us more freedom and choice about how we study and what we study. I also think it's not necessary for us to wear school uniforms every day. I really don't like wearing it. How many days off does Wu want to have in a week? A Two. B Three. C Four. D Five. Answer: B. Three. When I was three, my parents took me to have an operation in India, which stopped my eyesight from deteriorating . Several years later we moved to Pakistan, where I received 12 operations within one year and went completely blind. Later, I realized that the doctors used me as an experiment. I met my husband when he came over from India to study. I wanted to go to India to marry him, but it was almost impossible to emigrate. I made a crazy plan to cross the borders of several countries to get to India. I was arrested in the first country I escaped to. Back in Pakistan, I lost my job and was asked to sign a "never-to-escape" promise. Instead, when I got home, I made a cup of coffee and decided to make a formal application for emigration. _ , and people who applied to go to India found it hard to find a job in Pakistan while they were waiting. In the end, my husband managed to smooth the way for my emigration. We got married and had children. But after nine years, he died of brain cancer. I was helpless for a while, and then I learned to face reality optimistically. He taught us happiness came from inside us. Six years ago, I brought home a dog called Moritz from the seeing-eye dog centre. He was short with long ears. No one liked him because of his pathetic appearance. We were almost always together. Moritz could not leave me for even one minute. Now when I walk down the street, not like before, people will come up and say, "What a good seeing-eye dog!", and have a little chat with me as a normal creature. I'm now working for the Association of the Blind and I have many good friends, and a special friend in Hamburg. It is a wonderful feeling to speak freely with someone I can't see, to trust one another. The author went blind just because _ . A she was born completely blind B she received an operation in India C her parents didn't pay attention to her illness D she was unluckily put to the test Answer: D. she was unluckily put to the test A man wakes up with a big hangover the morning after attending his company's annual Summer Party. He can't even remember how he got home from the party, let alone how he got so drunk and is deathly afraid of what he may have done or said the night before to make his wife angry. The man forces his eyes open and the first things he sees are two headache tablets next to a glass of water on his table, and, next to them, a single red rose! He sits up with difficulty and sees his clothing hung on the back of his chair all clean and pressed and the rest of the house all in perfect order. Incredulous , the man takes the tablets and sees a black eye looking back at him from the bathroom mirror. Then he finds a note next to the red rose on the table, "Sweetie, breakfast is waiting for you on the stove. I left early to buy the cooking materials to make your favorite dinner tonight. I love you, darling! " The note was signed, "Your loving wife." The man then walks into the kitchen. His daughter Jessie is at the table, eating. "Jessie...what happened last night?" The man asks, with great fear. "Well, you came home around four o'clock in the morning, drunk and out of your mind. You tripped and fell onto the coffee table and broke it, and got this black eye when you crashed into the table's edge." Puzzled, the man asks Jessie, "Then why is there a rose on my table and breakfast on the stove waiting for me?" "Oh that," Jessie replies, "well, Mom pulled you into your bedroom, and when she tried to undress you, you yelled, 'Leave me alone; I'm married and I love my wife!'" The wife did so much for her husband that morning probably because _ . A she took it for granted B her husband got drunk C she was moved by his words D she wanted to give her husband a surprise Answer: C. she was moved by his words What does the earth orbit that makes the seasons to change? A pluto B plasma star C venus D mercury Answer: B. plasma star
When syrup is added to vodka, the flammable portion of the mixture will A raise B fall C sink D settle Answer: A. raise Every year,there have been the Christmas specials for almost every sitcom and cartoon,which nod in sincerity towards the holiday season.Since Charles Schultz,the American cartoonist who created Charlie Brown and Snoopy,first got his hit on the holiday with A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965.characters from television and comic books have tried on the Christmas clothes. This year,Fox has brought out its new"lce Age":A Mammoth Christmas,which was first shown on Thanksgiving day.The "Ice Age"films,which began in 2002,with a fourth feature for 2012,have been successful.one thing many fans would love the film is that they can have a chance to spend more time with the memorable animal characters from the series:Manny,Diego,and Sid.The film.tells the story of the birth of the Christmas tree,Santa'S deer,his sleigh and other things. It is also a"Christmas Must Be Saved" story and a"You Must Believe"story.Like the other"Ice Age" films,it involves a dangerous journey and time is found to cause sufferings to the poor little squirrel,Scrat. Christmas has been tied on to"Ice Age"like antlers on to a dog.In fact,the film-makers behind A Mammoth Christmas have spent most of their time working on the film itself rath--er than its Christmas special.It feels as if someone had merely made a list of tllings associated with the holiday. However,Sid,the series'most likable character,is a high point of the film.In the film,he's still got his silliness,enthusiasm and useful amusing shape.Whatever else is happening,the filmmakers make Sid reliably funny. From the text,we know A Mammoth christmas _ . A tells the story of the first Christmas B started to be made in 2002 C is the fourth of its series D will be shown on Christmas Answer: C. is the fourth of its series "Who has more questions, a teacher or a student?"About this question a great learned man told his students that nobody does but a teacher. The students got puzzled. With a smile, the teacher drew the circles."Within the larger one is my knowledge of things and within the smaller one is yours. Out of the circles is still unknown to both of us. Since mine is larger, as you can see, the line that marks out the circle is longer. That makes it clear that who has more chances to face something still unknown." Which of the following titles is NOT suitable for the story? A You will Never Learn English B A Teacher and His Student C There Is No Limit to Knowledge D One Is Never Too Old to Learn Answer: B. A Teacher and His Student When thirty-two-year-old tennis player Andre Agassi made to the final of the U.S. Clay Court Championship in April 2003, he set a new world record: he became the oldest player ever to be number one in the world's tennis rankings. It was one of the greatest achievements in Agassi's long and successful career. Andre Agassi turned professional in 1986 at the age of sixteen. His career soon took off, and in 1990, Agassi was famous around the world, though never having won an important tennis championship. Many people thought he was famous more for his long blond hair and colorful tennis shirts than for his tennis skills. They wondered if he could really win an important tournament. In 1992, Agassi proved _ wrong by winning one of the greatest prizes in world tennis--the Wimbledon singles final. His first attempt to win this tournament had been in 1987, but he lost his opening game. He then refused to take part in Wimbledon for the next three years. He said his reason for not playing was that the officials refused to allow him to wear his colorful shirts, but some people said it was because he was afraid to lose. After several more championship victories, Agassi's luck began to run out. By 1997, the year of his marriage to a movie actress--- Brooke Shields, Agassi's ranking had dropped to 141stin the world. Many people thought his career was over. Agassi and Shields divorced two years later, and Agassi made a comeback with a new trainer, a new hairstyle, and new determination. In 1999, he won both the French Open and the U.S. Open and ended the year back as the world's number one. By 2003, he had earned more than $27 million in prize money, making him one of the most successful tennis players of all times. Which statement is right about Agassi? A He was always lucky to win the championship. B He was the youngest player ever to be number one in the world's tennis rankings. C He took part in Wimbledon in 1987. D His wife is a dancer. Answer: C. He took part in Wimbledon in 1987. Here I'd like to tell you something about my aunt Mary. She is thirty years old. She has a lot of hobbies. She usually gets up early in the morning. And then she walks her dog near the river. She sometimes likes to chat with others near her home after work. She often goes fishing on Saturdays. She loves music. She always goes to the Singing Club on Sundays. She also likes going shopping. Every time she goes to the parks on fine days. She doesn't like watching TV. She is a happy woman. Which of the following doesn't Mary like doing? A Going shopping. B Going to the parks. C Going fishing. D Watching TV. Answer: D. Watching TV.
The message was short. I read it three times: "Hey, Mom, can I come to see you?" I wrote back: "Yes!" He said he hoped to make it in time for dinner. I made a quick run to the market, put sheets on the guest bed and set the TV to record the Warriors' game, so if traffic was awful, he wouldn't have to miss the first half. Then I began cooking, cleaning, watching the clock and listening for his footsteps coming up the walk. It's called waiting. I'm good at it. When he was a newborn, I'd wait for him to go to sleep. Soon then I'd stand by his bed waiting for him to wake up. I waited, as he learned to do things like walking, talking and feeding himself; throwing a ball, riding a bike and reading a book. I waited for him to start preschool, primary school, middle school and college. I waited with dread for him to start driving. And I waited up every time he came home late. I wait for my son to grow up, but that doesn't mean the waiting game is over. It never really ends. Mothers wait for all kinds of reasons--good news or bad, happiness or heartache. But the waiting is soon forgotten, usually, the minute a long awaited child walks through the door. My boy will be here soon. But if he's late, I can wait. I'm good at it. And he's worth it. I will always leave a light on for him. Which of the following about the writer is TRUE according to the article? A. Luckily, her son never makes her wait long. B. She has experienced all kinds of feelings while waiting for her son to do things. C. When her son went to college, her waiting ended. D. Waiting for her son is often boring, but once her son arrives she forgets about it. Answer: D. Waiting for her son is often boring, but once her son arrives she forgets about it. Of course,the main difference on the Chinese dinner table is chopsticks instead of knife and fork,but that's only superficial.Besides,in decent restaurants,you can always ask for a pair of knife and fork,if you find the chopsticks not helpful enough.The real difference is that in the West,you have your own plate of food,while in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares.If you are being treated to a formal dinner and particularly if the host thinks you're in the country for the first time,he will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes. The meal usually begins with a set of at least four cold dishes,to be followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes.Soup then will be served (unless in Guangdong style restaurants) to be followed by staple food ranging from rice,noodles to dumplings.If you wish to have your rice to go with other dishes,you should say so in good time,for most of the Chinese choose to have the staple food at last or have none of them at all. Perhaps one of the things that surprises a Western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their guests.In formal dinners,there are always "public" chopsticks and spoons for this purpose,but some hosts may use their own chopsticks.This is a sign of genuine friendship and politeness.It is always polite to eat the food.If you do not eat it,just leave the food in the plate. People in China tend to over-order food,for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed.When you have had enough,just say so.Or you will always overeat! What's the main difference on dinner table between China and West is _ . A. You have your own plate of food in West while in China everyone shares the dishes. B. On Chinese dinner table,chopsticks replace knife and fork. C. You're treated to a formal dinner for the first time. D. The host will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes. Answer: A. You have your own plate of food in West while in China everyone shares the dishes. Eat like a king in the morning, a prince at noon, and a peasant at night. This saying is all about the importance of breakfast. And now scientists can tell us just why it's so important. According to a study carried out at Imperial College London, UK, skipping the first meal of the day not only means you eat more at lunch, but also that your brain wants to find more unhealthy foods. The study suggests that there is a special part of our brain called the orbitofrontal cortex , which plays an important part in making choices about what we eat. It is used for identifying the taste of food, especially when skipping breakfast. It is more likely to target high-calorie foods when you're on an empty stomach. Scientists did an experiment on this. Dr Tony Goldstone from Imperial College London, scanned the brains of 21 men and women, around the age of 25. On the first day, these people skipped breakfast before the scans. On the second day, they had cereal , bread and jam as breakfast. After the scan on both days, they had their lunch. When the volunteers had skipped breakfast, they ate around 20 percent more at lunch, compared with days when they had eaten breakfast.Their brain scans also showed the orbitofrontal cortex was especially responsive to high-calorie foods. "We believe that bit identifies the value of foods - how pleasant, how delicious something is," Goldstone told The Guardian. In the experiment, the volunteers without breakfast ate about 20% _ at lunch. A. of the usual breakfast B. more than the usual breakfast C. of the usual lunch D. more than the usual lunch Answer: D. more than the usual lunch We spend hours, days and years of our lives in school. Imagine you could design your dream school, what would it be like? What would you be doing? We wanted to find out what teenagers around the world thought. Here is what they said: Richard from the USA: My dream school would have a big swimming pool and two soccer fields. It would also have a cinema, a gym and a shopping center. My school has none of these, and I think there should be more pleasant things for students to do while they are studying. Sonia from Italy: I'd like a room where we can relax and play computer games. I'd also like to have a music room. I think there should be a place for everyone to go and relax after class. Wu from Beijing: I think it would be great to have another day off every week, besides the weekend. If that day was a Friday or a Monday, we would have a long weekend every week. What fun! I also think school should start later, at about 10 o'clock, and finish earlier. Hannah from Australia: In my dream school, I think the teachers should give us more freedom and choice about how we study and what we study. I also think it's not necessary for us to wear school uniforms every day. I really don't like wearing it. Which country is NOT mentioned in the passage? A. Italy. B. Japan. C. Australia. D. China. Answer: B. Japan. Writing a long book seemed to be too much for me. So, for a long time, I just wrote short articles. One day, inspiration for an article hit me and, as I started writing, paragraphs began flowing out fast. It turned out to be too long to be an article. I thought it would not hurt to try self-publishing a booklet . The first printing of this 32-page black and white booklet sold out within a week. Here is something that I have learned through my experience. 1.Start small. Don't try to have a 400-page work as your first publication. I suggest you publish a booklet under 50 pages to _ your career as an author. 2.Ask for advice. If you know some people who have published something, ask them for advice and help. You will gain useful information from them and save yourself many problems. 3. _ When you put your heart into something only to hear"We're not interested",you may get hurt. But you must remind yourself that this is quite common. Every"yes"you receive comes after at least five"noes",especially at the beginning. You need to revise your book many times to reduce the chances of being turned down. 4.The more you market, the more you sell. You can publish an excellent book. But if no people know about it, you cannot expect many buyers. Send out an e-mail to friends, family and business partners, telling them your book's publication date. Ask them to help sell your book. Do not be afraid to try novel ideas. About self-publishing a book, the writer would most probably agree that _ . A. one usually makes no money out of self-publishing a book B. one should never self-publish a book longer than 400 C. self-publishing a book is impossible for most people D. asking advice from people who have published a book is helpful Answer: D. asking advice from people who have published a book is helpful
Anchors on China Central Television(CCTV) will need to do some fast talking to replace the popular English acronyms they are now banned from using. Shanghai Dailyreports that "anchors at China Central Television have been banned from saying the English acronyms NBA, CBA, GDP, and the like in their programs." The replacement for those handy acronyms? Chinese presenters must use the full Chinese name, standardized by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. Although CCTV(oops, we mean China Central Television) presenters must already have a score of at least 94 in their government-rated oral mandarin proficiency exam, saying the full name of organizations like the CBA and WTO---10 and 6 characters' long respectively---is sure to challenge even the most skillful anchors. CCTV sports anchor Sun Zhengping tells Shanghai Daily, "A full Chinese explanation of the English initials must be followed if my tongue slips. It is a little troublesome but a necessary one because not every member of the audience can understand the initials." Although the government isn't giving any official explanation for the shift, it is believed to have something to do with a proposal by Huang Youyi, director of the China International Publishing Group, at March's NPC meeting. In his speech, Huang said, "With more and more publications mixing Chinese with English, measures and regulations should be adopted to avoid English invading Chinese. If we don't pay attention and don't take measures to stop the expansion of mixing Chinese with English, Chinese won't be a pure language in a couple of years." Although China is far from the first country to take measures to protect local languages, acronyms are more about saving time than they are about corrupting a language, we would think. Good luck to the CCTV anchors. CCTV anchors have to "do some fast talking" because they can no longer _ . A. speak as slowly as they like B. mix English into Chinese C. use shortened Chinese expressions D. have much time for their programs Answer: B. mix English into Chinese 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. American and British spy agencies were both particularly interested in the information gathered from _ . A. Google Maps B. Twitter C. Angry Birds D. Facebook Answer: A. Google Maps Do you know who is the most popular star on the Internet now? Yes, he is "Brother Coat" Zhu Zhiwen! A few months ago, Zhu Zhiwen was an unknown farmer. A video of his show has been watched by more than millions of people,now his videos are the most popular. Zhu Zhiwen attracts Chinese netizens' hearts. And he is called "Brother Coat" by them. In March 2011, he took part in a program called "I'm a Big Star". He walked out onto the stage in a dark green coat. Then he began to sing the song of the TV drama Romance of Three Kingdoms. When the audiences heard rich and powerful voice,all of them stood up and cheered. After that, he became a well-known person. The judges asked him if he had any professional training. Zhu said no. "When he started, I thought someone played the original tape by mistake. But later on, I got it, " said one of them, "we can't _ ." At last, he won the first prize in the program of "I'm a Big Star". Zhu Zhiwen was born in a village of Shandong in 1969. He liked listening to the radio. When the music played, he sang it along. Every morning, he would get up early and practiced singing near a river. He keeps doing it for nearly 30 years. "When I'm working in the fields, "said Zhu Zhiwen, "I often sing for myself, some villagers even think me crazy,but I really love it. I'm not singing for money, I'm singing for ordinary people in China." Mrs. Sun, a 56-year-old engineer, one of his fans said, "I watched his videos without getting tired of it! It is so amazing, and every time I watch it, I am filled with excitement and his voice is perfect! I am crossing my fingers in hope that he has a bright future." Which of the following is TRUE? A. Zhu Zhiwen is 45 years old now. B. Mrs. Sun enjoys Zhu Zhiwen's songs. C. A famous singer taught Zhu Zhiwen to sing. D. Zhu Zhiwen often sang for his fans when he was young. Answer: B. Mrs. Sun enjoys Zhu Zhiwen's songs. One cold winter morning, an old woman had to go to see her doctor. When she walked into the doctor's office, she told him that her right leg hurt and sometimes she could not walk. She asked him what was wrong. She told him that she had never had such a feeling before. The doctor checked the old woman carefully, then he said, "You're in good health for a woman of your age. I think the trouble in your right leg is just a matter of old age catching up with you. We get all kinds of illness as we get older. The trouble will almost certainly end in spring." "I don't think so, doctor!" she said. "My left leg is well, and it's the same age as my right one." When did this story happen ? A. One cool autumn morning. B. One cold spring morning. C. One cold winter morning. D. One hot summer afternoon. Answer: C. One cold winter morning. Taking away a city's rubbish is a big job. Every day trucks come into a city to collect it. Most rubbish is made up of things we can't eat or use. If we kept these things we would soon have a mountain of rubbish. In some cities the rubbish is collected and taken outside of the city to a dump . Often the city dump is placed where the ground is low or there is a big hole. The kitchen rubbish is broken into small pieces and sent into the sewage system. The _ system takes away the used water from toilets, bathtubs and other places. To keep mice and flies away, some earth is used to cover the newly dumped rubbish. Later, grass may be planted on the rubbish-filled land. Finally, a house or a school may be built there, and then you'd never know that this had once been an old rubbish dump. In other cities the rubbish is burnt in special places. The fire burns everything but the metal. Sometimes the metal can be used again in factories where things are made of metal. The food parts of rubbish are put in special piles where they slowly change into something called humus , which looks like black earth. It is rich with kinds of things that feed plants and help make them grow. You can most probably read the passage in _ . A. a history book B. a TV guide C. a science book D. a telephone book Answer: C. a science book
Forks trace their origins back to the ancient Greeks. Forks at that time were fairly large with two tines that aided in the cutting of meat in the kitchen. The tines prevented meat from twisting or moving during cutting and allowed food to slide off more easily than it would with a knife. By the 7th century A.D., royal courts of the Middle East began to use forks at the table for dining. From the 10th through the 13th centuries, forks were fairly common among the wealthy in Byzantium. In the 11th century, a Byzantine wife brought forks to Italy; however, they were not widely adopted there until the 16th century. Then in 1533, forks were brought from Italy to France. The French were also slow to accept forks, for using them was thought to be awkward. In 1608, forks were brought to England by Thomas Coryate, who saw them during his travels in Italy. The English first ridiculed forks as being unnecessary. "Why should a person need a fork when God had given him hands?" they asked. Slowly, however, forks came to be adopted by the wealthy as a symbol of their social status. They were prized possessions made of expensive materials intended to impress guests. By the mid 1600s, eating with forks was considered fashionable among the wealthy British. Early table forks were modeled after kitchen forks, but small pieces of food often fell through the two tines or slipped off easily. In late 17th century France, larger forks with four curved tines were developed. The additional tines made diners less likely to drop food, and the curved tines served as a scoop so people did not have to constantly switch to a spoon while eating. By the early 19th century, four-tined forks had also been developed in Germany and England and slowly began to spread to America. In which way did the use of forks spread? Answer: GreeceaMiddle EastaItalyaFranceaEngland A2 and AS Level Revision at Easter 2012 Course Dates Courses run from Monday to Friday each week. * One Week Courses Monday 6 April--Friday 10 April Monday 13 April-- Friday 17 April * Two Week Courses Monday 6 April--Friday 17 April Students may arrive a day earlier (Sunday) and/or depart a day later (Saturday) at extra cost. Number of Students per Class The average number of students is usually between 1 and 4 per class. As the numbers increase in a class, the number of "contact hours" is suitably increased to allow extra time. Many students will find themselves in privately tutored classes giving them ultimate flexibility and attention of the Revision Tutor. Fees One Week Boarding Fees: 1,495 GB Sterling (5 days/4 nights) Two Week Boarding Fees: 2,895 GB Sterling (12 days/11 nights) One Week Day Fees: 1,095 GB Sterling (5 days) Two Week Day Fees: 2,165 GB Sterling (10 days) Optional Extra Elements Extra Night's Accommodation : 70 GB Sterling (including meals) Additional Private Tutoring: 60 GB Sterling per hour How to Apply We provide you the majority of A2 and AS subjects. Before you apply, please contact us to tell us which subject areas you would like to cover. We will then be able to check whether a space is available. Once a space has been confirmed as available, you will need to apply online or via the PDF, and also compete the Additional Information PDF. After you apply, we will require you to fill in a detailed form explaining your requirements. If you have any question, don't hesitate to ask us. Before you apply for the course, you must _ . Answer: make sure that they have the area you want One day an ant was drinking at a small stream and fell in. She made desperate efforts to reach the side, but made no progress at all. The poor ant almost exhausted was still bravely doing her best when a dove saw her. Moved with pity, the bird threw her a blade of grass, which supported her like a raft, and thus the ant reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in the grass, she heard a man come near. He was walking along barefooted with a gun in his hand. As soon as he saw the dove, he wished to kill it. He would certainly have done so, but the ant bit him in the foot just as he raised his gun to fire. He stopped to see what had bit him, and the dove immediately flew away. It was an animal much weaker and smaller than herself that had saved her life. Just as the man shot at the dove, _ . Answer: he felt something biting him in the foot Jennifer and Mark prepared a layer cake using oil and water. After the cake baked in the oven, they added frosting. Which property could be measured with a balance? Answer: the mass of the frosting An anxious mother watched as rescuers freed her baby from a muddy well. After being pulled from the well,the baby joyfully ran to its mom as the rescuers took a break. It was a difficult and potentially dangerous rescue: the baby was an 8-month-old elephant, and at first its mother thought the humans were trying to harm it. The baby elephant fell into the five-foot-deep well near Kenya's Amboseli National Park. Local people had dug the well for water. It took 30 minutes to remove the trapped elephant. While Vicki Fishlock of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants made a loud shout to frighten the mother away, two men struggled to get a rope around the baby elephant. Once the rope was in place, Fishlock used her jeep to pull the baby out. Fishlock recognized Zombe, the mother of the trapped baby elephant,from a mark on her ear. She believes that in the end Zombe realized the humans were trying to help. "Rescues where the elephant's family members are around are always stressful, and I'm always happy when everyone is safe," Fishlock said."The reunions always bring tears to my eyes. The depth of their love for each other is one of the things that make elephants so unusual." The very next day, another baby elephant fell into the same well. The 3-month-old's family had been driven away from the area by local people. Once it had been rescued, the Amboseli Trust had to send it to an elephant orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya's capital city. The rescues showed the _ of elephants across Africa. Elephants are fighting to survive, as conflicts between the animals and humans are increasing. Thousands of elephants are also being killed for their tusks. The tusks are sold in Asia, where ivory trinkets are in high demand. The Amboseli Trust has been studying elephants and trying to help them since 1972. Fishlock said, "We hope this rescue persuades people that elephants are special and deserve to be protected and treasured." We can learn from the text that _ . Answer: the mother elephant was unfriendly at first to the rescuers
The latest fashion in Japan is posing for photos with your hand pressed against your cheek as if you have toothache. The "cavity pose" is said to make the model's face appear attractive, slimmer and smaller, which is considered more beautiful in Japan. The craze is sweeping Japanese social media, as well as fashion magazine front covers. Just recently a model of a popular culture magazine, NYLON, did a pose which looked as if she had toothache. Twitter user, Okoge, spotted it among a range of similar magazines, with front cover models all doing the same pose. Okoge posted photos of the front cover models all with the exact same toothache pose, on the social media site, writing, "Does everyone have cavities?" The image has since been re-tweeted more than 35,000 times, but this is anything but an isolated incident . Twitter and Instagram are going crazy for the pose, too. The name, which means cavity pose, is called "mushiba no poozu" or "mushibapoozu" in Japanese. Some people also refer to it as the" mushibagaitaipoozu", the "cavity hurts pose", "mushibamitainapoozu" or "looks like a cavity pose", or even, "mushibaninattapoozu" or "I got a cavity pose". According to the magazine, Kotaku, such photographs first appeared on Twitter last year in Japan. Many Japanese people said they are doing the cavity pose. And in only a few weeks, the trend has spread to art, popular cartoons and even national magazines. There have been more and more photos cropping up online from earlier this year, but whether the trend will stand the test of time remains to be seen. What is the strange thing regarding fashion models in Japan, according to the passage? Answer: They like doing the toothache pose when being photographed. Once architect Frank Lloyd Wright built a house for businessman Hibbard Johnson. One rainy evening Johnson was entertaining guests for dinner when the roof began to leak. The water leaked through directly above Johnson, dropping steadily onto his bald head. Angry, he called Wright."Frank,"he said,"you built this beautiful house for me and we enjoy it very much. But ... the roof leaks, and right now I'm with some distinguished guests and it's leaking right on top of my head."There was a pause on the line, and Frank replied,"Well, why don't you move your chair?" Just when we'd like to have everything perfect in our lives, the roof springs a leak into even the best constructed and waterproof lives. Leaks happen. We have a choice, we can sit under the leak and complain, or we can regain our joy by moving our chair -- changing our perspective. Now, some will point out that the reason they have no joy in their lives is that they don't have a reason to be joyful. They have a lot of leaks in their roof. Life seems like it's fallen apart. They aren't satisfied with their job, if they even have one. Their family has problems. Their health isn't good. Their car is under repair. They just can't see a"reason"for being joyful. It's hard to be joyful when life is going against you. It's hard to be joyful when you're struggling with troubles, or defeated by pain, or unsure of your future. But there's a problem with that approach to life. If we wait till everything turns out the way we want them to in our lives or we're not going to be joyful until all the leaks are repaired in the roof of our lives...THEN we're never going to experience joy. There's an alternative. You don't have to wait until you're happy with your life. Deep spiritual joy in your life will always bring you happiness. But the pursuit of happiness won't always bring you joy. People have a hard time understanding the difference. Worldly happiness almost always relies on some situation or event to make us feel good. If something good happens, we'll feel good, but if something bad happens, we won't. By contrast, spiritual joy doesn't depend on present situation. In fact, spiritual joy can often exist despite our circumstances. Don't let other people steal your joy. If the roof is leaking and you can't get someone to fix it right away, move your chair. Change your perspective. Lay hold of joy and take control of your circumstances, rather than swinging with your emotions and continuing to look for happiness. When we are faced with"leaks", we should try to . Answer: face the trouble with a positive attitude I was born an albino in Pennsylvania in 1945.No one in my family had ever known what an albino was and what it meant to be an albino. My family and friends treated me as everybody else.That was just about the best thing they could have done.It helped me believe in myself, so when troubles came along, I could deal with them. Like most albinos, I had the terrible eyesight, but the fact that I could hardly see didn't bother me that much .Kids would make fun of me, calling me"Whitey". People looked at me when I held the books right at the tip of my nose so that I could see it well enough.Even when I was eight, movie-theater workers started asking me to pay full prices because I"looked older".The worst thing for me was that because my eyesight was so bad, I couldn't play sports very well.I didn't give up trying, though.And I studied harder.Finally, I got better at school and loved it.When I got to university, I was double majoring , going to summer school and busying myself with every activity I could find.I had learned to be proud of being an albino.I did my best to make"albino"a good word.And I decided to make my living with my eyes--and in sports. I couldn't see very well to play sports, but with a good education and a drive to do it, I could make a living in the area I loved.I've done it now for more than thirty years in video, and now in cyberspace .People make jokes about how I'm the only"blind editor"they know, but the jokes are of goodwill and some of them are signs of respect . I was just a proud albino kid from the country of Pennsylvania.I now realize that being born an albino helped me to overcome difficulties, have confidence, and be proud of my personal achievement . What's the main idea of this passage? Answer: To tell us how an albino succeeded The world has indeed become smaller due to the Internet. A freelance writer can easily get a job from the United States, the United Kingdom or even from Japan. He can travel the world in an hour just by surfing the various places in the world for his work using the Internet. Looking at the job offers on the various freelance job boards can be tiring especially if you are a first timer. To do this, you have to use your search engine and type in the terms "freelance work-at-home jobs" or something like that. You will get several sites that offer freelance work-at-home job boards and you should choose the sites that are credible enough. You will know when the site is credible because first of all, they do not ask you to pay them suddenly even before you have found a freelance work-at-home job through their services. Most sites will offer free registration for freelance writers and you can register as long as you have an email address where they can send the confirmation link . Once you have registered successfully then you can start looking for the present freelance work-at-home opportunities and bid on them. But not all freelance work-at-home job boards require bidding. Some job boards will ask you to send your resume and they will contact you if you make the grade. The Internet is a world that is open to a lot of opportunities especially for people who want to work at home. However, the Internet is open to all people who have access to the Internet so you should also be careful in dealing with possible employers who may dupe you into doing something for them without paying you in the end. What does the text mainly tell us? Answer: How to find a freelance work-at-home job. It's Sunday. Children don't go to school on Sundays. But Kate gets up early in the morning. "It's my birthday. I'm eight years old today." she thinks, "Where are Dad and Mum? I want to know what they can give me for my birthday." Her father and mother are not at home. They are going shopping. And now they are talking about what to buy for Kate. ---- Dad: How about the doll? It looks nice. I think Kate would like the doll. ---- Mom: I don't think so. She is not a little girl. I think she likes a new dress. Girls often like new dresses very much. ---Dad: But she has a few new dresses and some new blouses. Oh, I think she must be very happy to have a box of colorful pencils and some picture books. Do you think so? ----- Mom: Yes. Let's go over there and buy them. From the passage, we can know Kate is _ . Answer: a school girl
Have you ever wondered what you will be when you grow up? Perhaps you have thought of becoming an engineer or an environmentalist. Here's good news: you can combine all of these career goals by designing, building and operating a solar-powered house. That is what students from 20 universities did as they competed in the U.S. Department of Energy 2009 Solar Decathlon . Like a game show where teams compete against each other, the Solar Decathlon's student teams competed against each other in ten separate events to see who could build the best solar-powered house. The team from Germany took the top honor. The contest is held on the National Mall in Washington D.C., and is open to the public. In order to win, the Decathlon's teams have to successfully host a dinner party, do the laundry, run the dishwasher, and maintain a comfortable temperature in their solar-powered houses. They also have to make their houses look attractive. Team Germany's winning "Cube House" produced a surplus of power, even during three days of rain. This is the fourth time the Solar Decathlon has been held. The houses keep getting better and better. "The Department of Energy does research on solar and building technologies. In the 1990s, we were seeking expertise to help design houses that would integrate solar systems in a reliable way. I came up with the idea of having a competition to challenge students at architecture and engineering schools to design solar-powered houses from the ground up. I thought that having a competition would motivate these students to be creative. The new generation of our country should be innovative . They may come up with solutions that would help our country," said Richard J. King, the Decathlon's Director. Richard came up with the idea of having a competition mainly to _ . Answer: motivate students to be creative Many people think that listening is a passive business. It is just the opposite. Listening well is an active exercise of our attention and hard work. It is because they do not realize this, or because they are not willing to do the work, that most people do not listen well. Listening well also requires total concentration upon someone else. An essential part of listening well is the rule known as 'bracketing'. Bracketing includes the temporary giving up or setting aside of your own prejudices and desires, to experience as far as possible someone else's world from the inside, _ . Moreover, since listening well involves bracketing, it also involves a temporary acceptance of the other person. Sensing this acceptance, the speaker will seem quite willing to open up the inner part of his or her mind to the listener. True communication is under way and the energy required for listening well is so great that it can be accomplished only by the will to extend oneself for mutual growth. Most of the time we lack this energy. Even though we may feel in our business dealings or social relationships that we are listening well, what we are usually doing is listening selectively. Often we have a prepared list in mind and wonder, as we listen, how we can achieve certain desired results to get the conversation over as quickly as possible or redirected in ways more satisfactory to us. Many of us are far more interested in talking than in listening, or we simply refuse to listen to what we don't want to hear. It wasn't until toward the end of my doctor career that I have found the knowledge that one is being truly listened to is frequently therapeutic In about a quarter of the patients I saw, surprising improvement was shown during the first few months of psychotherapy , before any of the roots of problems had been uncovered or explained. There are several reasons for this phenomenon, but chief among them, I believe, was the patient's sense that he or she was being truly listened to, often for the first time in years, and for some, perhaps for the first time ever. What type of writing the article likely to be? Answer: Popular science When I was young, I liked to play jokes on people I knew, especially on my parents and friends. One day my mother was cooking in the kitchen and my younger brother was playing near the window. I ran to my mother and said,\| " My brother has fallen from the open window!" She was very worried about my brother and then I said, "Don't worry. I'm just joking. " And my mother shouted at me, " If you do it again, I'll punish you. " One day I went swimming with my friends in the sea. I wanted to play a joke on my friends. In the beginning, I went swimming alone, and I called to my friends, " Help me!" All my friends came to help me, only to find out that I was joking. But the next time I wasn't joking. I swam in deep water and I was so careless that I was almost drowned . I tried my best to call my friends for help, but this time nobody came to saved my life. They took me to _ . From then on, I haven't joked on anyone. I think this is the best lesson in my life. When the writer shouted "Help me!" for the first time, his friends _ . Answer: came to help him You Are What You Eat Genetic engineering is the scientific change of the genetic material in a living organism. It allows scientists to identify specific genes, to remove them from an organism's chromosomes , improve them, analyze them, and possibly clone them, and to then reinsert the changed gene into the original organism, or a completely different organism.Unlike traditional breeding , where a desired quality would be bred within the same species, genetic engineering can insert desired ones into organisms of different species.Wow...Did you catch that? Genetic engineering creates many positive contributions to agriculture. For example, by genetically engineered(GE) foods, anti-cancer agents, minerals and vitamins can be increased.Improved taste, shelf life, and better transport are all possible.Also, GE plants can increase pest and bacterial resistance, therefore, making the food safe for consumers. But some argue that the possible negative effects outweigh the positives, and critics are starting to voice their concerns. Unlike Europe, in the United States labeling is not required on genetically engineered foods or on foods that contain genetically engineered products. Most Americans do not realize that they are, in fact, eating GE foods. The public is also concerned about the unknown health risks.With limited understanding of genes, scientists cannot predict possible effects.Because most genes introduced into GE plants come from sources not introduced into the human body, it is impossible to know if they will cause reactions. Moreover, due to _ if allergies develop, it will be extremely difficult to find the origin of them. There is also a major moral question in many minds.For many, the conflict is not if it is safe or not, but it disturbs them because it is unnatural and unnecessary.We are currently producing one and a half times the amount of food needed to feed the world, yet one in seven people are starving.GE food is unnecessary, and fails to address the root of hunger. Many believe that the only people who will benefit are the corporations that produce it. Scientists cannot foresee t.he possible effects of GE foods, yet we eat them every day without even knowing it.We already have enough food, so why create more that could be potentially harmful to us, to the Earth and to all wildlife? I think that the benefits are amazing, but until we know for sure how these foods will affect us, they are not worth the risk. According to the passage, traditional breeding is different from genetic engineering in that _ . Answer: traditional breeding takes place within the same species A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men. A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age. Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, 'Love me, love my dog." But there is more wisdom in this:" Love me, love my book." The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them. A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man's life is, for the most part, the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters. Books possess an essence of _ . They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author's minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive but what is really good. Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see them as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were, in a measure, actors with them in the scenes which they describe. The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which one still listens. How do we get close to the greatest minds through reading? Answer: by sharing their feeling and reading their minds
Which process allows green plants to control the amount of water stored in their leaves? A. photosynthesis B. condensation C. respiration D. transpiration Answer: D. transpiration Vancouver Natural Resources As a major centre for the global forestry industry, Vancouver is host to many international forestry conferences and events, and the natural home of the massive BC forestry business. Companies such as Canfor and West Fraser Timber Co., the second and third largest lumber producers in the world, are headquartered in Vancouver. Vancouver is also a major centre for the mining industry. International trade International trade is a key part for Vancouver's economy. The city has Canada's largest port and is one of North America's major gateways for Pan-Pacific trade. The Port of Vancouver ranks first in North America in total foreign exports and second on the West Coast in total goods volume. Banking and Financial The headquarters for HSBC Canada is located in the Financial District in downtown. Canada's third largest commercial entity , Jim Pattison Group is also based in Vancouver. International relation Vancouver is a major centre for diplomacy and foreign relations. Most countries of the world have consulate or general offices in the Central Business District. In fact, many major diplomatic conferences are hosted by the city - including the world famous G7 summit with President Clinton, APEC, and the World Trade Organization. Greenpeace has its world headquarters in the city. Therefore, Vancouver was among the first North American cities to declare itself a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone. Tourism Tourism is a leading industry to Vancouver. The Whistler-Blackcomb Resort is among the most popular skiing resorts in North America, and will be the site of the downhill events of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Vancouver's beaches, parks, waterfronts, and mountain backdrops and its multi- cultural character attract more and more tourists. Film Vancouver was the source of the sobriquet "Hollywood North", for hosting the production of about ten percent of Hollywood's movies. Many U.S. television and films series are shot exclusively in Vancouver. This has partly been because of the favourable Canadian dollar exchange rate. If you are a graduate from Shanghai Finance and Economics University, what is it that will probably attract you to visit Vancouver? A. Its international trade. B. Its film industry C. HSBC Canada D. Its beautiful natural scenery Answer: C. HSBC Canada French surgeons have performed what they said on Wednesday was the world's first partial face transplant--- giving a new nose, chin and lips to a woman attacked by a dog. Specialists from two French hospitals carried out the operation on a 38-year-old woman on Sunday in the northern city of Amiens by taking the face from a brain-dead woman, who had hanged herself just hours before the operation. Her family agreed on the operation. "The patient is in an excellent state and the transplant looks normal," the hospitals said in a brief statement after waiting three days to announce the pioneering surgery. The woman had been left without a nose and lips after the dog attacked her last May, and was unable to talk or chew properly. Such injuries are "extremely difficult, if not impossible" to repair using normal surgical techniques, the statement said. The statement did not say what the woman would look like when she had fully recovered, but medical experts said she was unlikely to _ the woman who had been the source of her new face. The operation was led by Jean-Michel Dubernard, a specialist from a hospital in Lyon who has also carried out hand transplants, Skin transplants have long been used to treat burns and other injuries, but operations around the mouth and nose have been considered very difficult because of the area's high sensitivity to foreign tissue. Teams in France, the United States and Britain had been developing techniques to make face transplants a reality There was a short-term risk for the patient if blood vessels became blocked, a medium-term danger of her body rejecting the new skin and a long-term possibility that the drugs used could cause cancers. Experts say that although such medical advances should be celebrated, the transplant had thrown up moral and ethical issues. Little is known about the psychological effect of the transplant. Why did the woman need such an operation? A. Her face had been bitten by a dog B. Her face had been burnt in a fire. C. She was born especially ugly D. She wanted to test such an operation. Answer: A. Her face had been bitten by a dog Since my family were not going to be helpful about my taking a cooking job, I decided I would look for one all by myself and not to tell them about it till I'd got a permanent one. I had seen an agency advertised in a local paper, so as soon as there was no one about to say "Where are you going?" I rushed out of the house in search of it. I was wildly excited, and as nervous as if I were going on the stage. Finding the place quite easily, I tore up three flights of stairs, and swung breathlessly through a door which said "Enter without knocking, if you please." The simple atmosphere of the office calmed me, and I sat down on the edge of a chair. The woman at the desk opposite looked carefully at me. Then she questioned me in a low voice. I answered softly and started to feel helpless. She wondered why I was looking for this sort of job, so I felt I had to give her the idea of a widowed mother struggling against poverty. But I felt more helpless when she told me that it would be difficult to get a job without experience or references. Suddenly, the telephone on her desk rang. While having a mysterious conversation, she kept looking at me. Then I heard her say: "In fact, I've got someone here who might suit." She wrote down a number, and my spirits rose as she held out the paper to me, saying: "Ring up this lady. She wants a cook immediately. Cook a dinner for ten people tomorrow. Could you manage that, I wonder?" "Oh, yes," say I--never having cooked for more than four. Then I rushed out and called the lady, Miss Cathy. I said confidently that I was just what she was looking for. "Are you sure?" she kept saying. Anyway she decided to employ me and a permanent position if I carried out the promise of my self-praise. I asked her what tomorrow's menu was to be. "Just a small, simple dinner: lobster cocktail, soup, turbot Mornay, fruit salad and a savory." In a rather shaken voice I promised to turn up in good time tomorrow and rang off. Why didn't the woman give the author the job at first? A. Because the woman found that the author didn't respect her. B. Because the woman realized that the author made up a story. C. Because the author hadn't been a cook before or got a reference. D. Because the woman had already hired a more suitable cook. Answer: C. Because the author hadn't been a cook before or got a reference. Everybody says that youth is the best time for our lives. Being young means romance, love and new discoveries, but it is also the most difficult time, because you have to make some very important decisions, which will influence your future life. Things are not easy nowadays even for adults, but for teenagers, Who have to find their own place in society, it's even difficult. It is necessary not only to adapt to society, but also to be confident of your position in five, ten or even twenty year's time. For the future it is important to have a good nob. In order to get a really good job, you have to be well educated. Emotional problems for young people can be very important, too. The first teenager problem is that "nobody understands me". Some parents often continue to treat their children as little children when they are starting to consider themselves to be adults. There are also some global problems. Young people in all countries are facing these problems. Let's start with smoking. According to studies, at the age of 16, almost 72% of all boys and 37% of all girls in Russia have already tried smoking. Smoking is not a natural need.It's just that teens try it when they want to appear to be more like adults. Drugs are also a serious problem. Students know the names of drugs well enough. 32% say they have tried drugs at least once, mainly because they were having fun, their friends influenced them to, they wanted to relax or they wanted to seem "cool". That's too bad. So, you see, problems do happen and they can't be _ d. We should pay much attention to them. Which of the following is not a reason why many students try drugs? A. They consider it to be a natural need. B. Their friends advise them to do so. C. They wish to be "cool". D. They want to relax themselves. Answer: A. They consider it to be a natural need.
Chinese high school students have the longest study hours compared to their peers in Japan , the US and South Korea. A survey conducted by the four countries said. The survey, released by the China Youth and Children Research Center on Monday, was jointly conducted with instructions in the four countries in September-October of 2008. It covers nearly 4,000 students in senior schools and vocational high schools in the four countries. About 78.3 percent of Chinese students said they spend more than eight hours at school and 56.7 percent said they study at least two more hours each day at home .by contrast, only 24.7 percent of their peers in the US , 20.5percent in Japan and 15.4 in Korea study more than two hour s after school. Around 60 percent of all students surveyed said their burden for studies was the heaviest. However the Japanese felt their burden was the worst with respondents reaching 79.2 percent Among the five biggest headaches for young people in the four countries were: 0ver-sheduling ranked first, followed by a boring leisure life, unsatisfied appearance, little time for exercise and making friends, and no spare money "Moderate study pressure can better drive students to develop, however, too much will press their development space, and can even cause harm to their physical and psychological health" the survey said "Balancing their studies and all round development is a very important task" it said. What would be the best title for the text? Answer: heavy burdens of high school students When I was about twelve, I headed to a restaurant for dinner with my family. It was winter, and on that particular night, the wind was really blowing. As my mom and I headed towards the restaurant from our car, a girl about my age and her mother came up to us. They asked if we had any spare change. My mom immediately asked where they kept their things. They pointed to an old car in a parking across the street. The girl said there were six of them living in that car, which was the same size as my own family. My mom said she had something to do after handing the people a few dollars. She sent me inside the restaurant with my dad and my three siblings. But she didn't come. Later, I found out she had gone home and practically emptied our cupboards into a few bags. Then, she brought that food over to the car and handed the bags to the family. I wasn't there when that part happened, but I can only imagine the joy it brought to their faces. A few days later, when I actually found out about what she had done, I asked her why she helped those people. She told me that they were not lucky. I remember the face of that girl who had asked us for change, she was the same age as me, yet we looked so different. Here I stood, dressed in almost new clothes, headed to dine in a restaurant and then back home to the bedroom I shared with my younger sister. I remember thinking that the other girl didn't have any food to eat. and she was heading back to a cold car shared with five other people. After painting this picture in my mind, I understood why my mom had done what she did. I will never forget what she did that night, and how she taught me one of the best lessons I ever learned. What is the best title of the passage? Answer: A lesson in kindness from my Mum Mr and Mrs Davies had left their Christmas shopping very late. There were only a few days more before Christmas, and of course the shops and streets were terribly crowded, but they had to get presents for their family and friends, so they started out early one morning for the big city, and spent several tiring hours buying the things they wanted in the big shops. By lunch-time, Mr Davies was carrying parcels of all shaps and sizes. He could hardly see where he was going as he and his wife left the last shop on their way to the railway station and home. Outside the shop they had to cross a busy street, made even busier than usual by the thousands of people who had come by car to do their last-minute Christmas shopping. Mr and Mrs Davies had to wait for the traffic lights to turn green, but as Mr Davies could not see very well in front of him, he gradually moved forward into the road without realizing it. Mrs Davies saw this and became worried. Several times she told her husband to come back off the road, but without success. He could not hear her because of the noise of the traffic. Finally she shouted in a voice that could be heard clearly above all the noise, "Henry! If you want to stand in that dangerous position a moment longer, give me the parcels!" _ were the last to do Christmas shopping. Answer: Mr and Mrs Davies could not find any people who Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature . He is the first Chinese who lives and works in China to win the prize. Mo Yan, the pen-name for Guan Moye, was bom in 1955 and grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern China. His parents were farmers. He left school to work at the age of 12, first on the farm, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the PLA and during this time he began to study literature and writing. His first short story was published in 1981. He has written many famous books about his childhood and his hometown. The novel Honggaoliang jiazu is one of them. It tells five stories that took place in Gaomi during the 1930s and 1940s. The book was published in 1987 and translated into English in 1993. It was made into a popular movie in 1987 by the well-known director Zhang Yimou. Besides his novels, Mo Yan has published many short stories and essays . He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in China. Many of his books have been translated into English, French and many other languages. The Nobel Prizes were set up by Alfred Nobel, a great Swedish inventor, in 1895. The winner will win a medal, a diploma and a cash award of 8 million Swedish Kronor (about 7 million yuan). Which is NOT true about Mo Yan's books? Answer: Most of the stories happened in his hometown. Gao Xiaosong,the 42-year-old singer,music producer and director was three times over the legal alcohol limit when he crashed his Infiniti SUV into a car stopped at a red light in Beijing May 9. A blood test showed Gao had 243.04 milligrams of alcohol for 100 milliliters of blood,well over the 80 milligram limit within a 100 milliliters of blood. On Tuesday afternoon the man known to million for his harsh comments to participants on China's Got Talent had to face the judge himself at Beijing Dongcheng District People's Court under China's newly amended Road Traffic Safety Law. "I've nothing to defend myself only regret," he told the courtroom filled with people. "I always thought alcohol could bring me freedom,but it never occurred to me that drunk driving will rid others of their freedom. l' 11 be responsible for all the loss it has caused. This incident showed my irresponsibility for life. I'm willing to be a volunteer for my life promoting the non-drunk driving." A day earlier at an administrative punishment hearing, wearing an orange detention suit,he was banned from driving for five years and fined 1,000 yuan for having an expired license. On May 10 he was pictured at Beijing's traffic police headquarters where he turned down requests for interviews,but wrote on a piece of paper,"sorry,never drive when drunk." Now he has become the first celebrity to be punished under the tough new rules that came into effect on May 1. Guo Shudong,the first driver sentenced since the new law was introduced,was jailed for four months for being twice over the legal limit on May 9. Gao,famous for campus song "My Deskmate" in the 1990s,was replaced by music producer and composer Antonio Chen during the recording of China's Got Talent on May 10. According to the passage,anyone whose blood test indicates _ milligrams of alcohol for 100 milliliters of blood is not considered to have broken the newly amended Road Traffic Safety Law. Answer: below 80
Question: In most situations, light helps us see. But when it comes to looking at the night sky, light is actually a kind of pollution. It prevents our view of some of life's most striking sights: stars, planets, and even galaxies . "When I was a little boy, I loved the night sky. I remember looking up and the sky was filled with stars. I became an astronomer because I was amazed by their beauty," says Robert Gent, "Now in most big cities kids can't see the stars like I did." Normally, about 2,500 individual stars are visible to the human eyes without using any special equipment. But because of light pollution, you actually see just 200 to 300 and fewer than a dozen from some cities. Only one in three Americans can see our own galaxy with the naked eyes. Those people live far away from the lights of big cities, office buildings, and shopping malls. Fortunately, there's an inexpensive and useful way. If we shine lights down at the ground instead of up into the sky, and use lower brightness levels, we can save big amounts of energy and keep the beauty of the night sky. Many cities and towns have passed laws limiting lights at night, making sure enough shine for safety without creating much light pollution. Light pollution affects more than our view of the heavens and can harm wildlife. Migrating birds sometimes fly over cities and become confused by the brightness, flying in circles until they drop from _ Sea turtles need dark beaches for nesting and won't approach bright lights. Too much light at night may even affect human health. For all these reasons, researchers are working on ways to use lights only when and where they are truly needed. Everyone deserves to look up at the sky. Many cities and towns have passed laws limiting lights at night mainly to _ . A. save the electricity B. make sure of migrating birds' safety C. let you count the number of stars D. avoid much light pollution Answer: D. avoid much light pollution Question: Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs, but the brave 32-year-old man, plays football and golf, swims, and surfs. Nick has a small foot on his left side, which helps him balance and enables him to kick. He uses his one foot to type, write with a pen and pick things up between his toes. "I call it my chicken drumstick ," joked Nick, "I'd be lost without it. When I get in the water I float because 80 per cent of my body is lungs and my drumstick acts as a propeller." When Nick was born his father was so shocked he left the hospital room to vomit. His _ mother couldn't bring herself to hold him until he was four months old. "It was so hard for them, but right from the start they did their best to make me independent. My dad put me in the water at 18 months and gave me the courage to learn how to swim. " said Nick. Throughout his childhood Nick dealt with the typical challenges. At the age of seven, Nick tried out some specially designed electronic arms and legs, in hope that he would be more like the other kids. During the short trial period of the electronic arms and legs, Nick realized that even with them, he was still unlike his peers at school, and they turned out to be much too heavy for Nick to operate, affecting his flexibility quite significantly. "When I was 13 I read a newspaper article about a disabled man who had managed to achieve great things and help others," said Nick, "I realized why God had made us like this - to give hope to others. It was so inspirational to me that I decided to use my life to encourage others and decided to be thankful for what I do have, not get angry about what I don't." "I tell people to keep on getting up when they fall and to always love themselves," he said. "If I can encourage just one person then my job in this life is done." By now, he has visited 35 different countries, touring the world as a motivational speaker. Nick abandoned the electronic arms and legs because _ . A. his family couldn't afford them B. his classmates didn't like them C. they were too heavy to handle D. they affected his appearance Answer: C. they were too heavy to handle Question: It was a Black Day for love in South Korea on Monday with lonely hearts trying to ease their pain by diving head first into bowls of noodles. South Korea celebrates Valentine ' s Day, where local custom dictates women give gifts to men. It has taken on a popular event born in Japan but sweeping Asia known as White Day on March 14 when men return the favor with gifts for women. But Black Day, on April 14, is a South Korean original. It is marked by people who have not found love dressing in dark color1s and commiserating over meals of black food, with the dish of choice being Chinese-style noodles topped with a thick sauce of black bean paste. "I had a miserable time on Valentine ' s Day, felt even lonelier on White Day and now I' m crying over a bowl of' black noodles," said a young woman, "Things better be different next year. At universities across the country on Monday, students without lunch dates ordered black noodles, dined with other lonely hearts and searched for companionship, South Korea marketers have used special days for the 14th of each month to create a calendar full of love. Some days have gained attraction such as Black Day, while others such as Green Day in August, when couples are supposed to drink cheap wine that comes in green bottles and walk in the woods, have yet to attract much of a following. Black Day events have snowballed, with a major matchmaking service this year providing an evening of speed dating where the dish of choice is sushi blackened by squid ink. An on-line company for movie tickets sponsored a speed eating competition of black noodles for those who bought single tickets for the latest films. "It is depressing enough going to the movies by yourself," said Shin Youn-joo of the company called Max Movie. "We just wanted to spread a little joy to the singles ." Which of the following festivals is first started in Japan? A. Black Day B. Valentine ' s Day C. White Day D. Green Day Answer: C. White Day Question: What if it isn't a dog-eat-dog world? What if caring for a dog or for a mom with Alzheimer's makes you stronger and allows you to live longer? Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are challenging our long-held belief that humans are born to be selfish. Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection was misunderstood by his male followers, the researchers say. Rather than "every man for himself", Darwin believed that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our educational, selfless and sympathetic characteristics. Why has it taken so long for Darwin's central revelation to be properly understood? "We've had too many men in social science," Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner told me in an interview. "Female scientists acknowledge that caring for people is part of human nature according to the research, which shows the human ability to care exists in our brains and nerve systems." In my bookPassages in Caregiving, I urge women who take the whole responsibility for taking care of an elderly parent or a sick relative to build a "Circle of Care". Reach out to your brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors and community volunteers to help you care, because no one can perform this overwhelming role alone. You will be as shocked as I to learn how the most selfless caregivers are rewarded with longer life. Sympathy is not a woman's word. In fact it makes all of us stronger under stress and more highly respected by our peers. For so long we have repeated the false saying "Nice guys finish last". But the 40 richest Americans committed to doing good by donating half their fortunes are _ . So here is my new explanation:Nice guys die last. InPassages in Caregiving, women are advised to _ . A. share the responsibility of caring with others B. take good care of themselves C. learn how to live a longer life D. help as many people as possible Answer: A. share the responsibility of caring with others Question: Each year,millions of children around the world are unable to go to school.To draw attention to this widespread problem,the United Nations (UN) is putting education first.Recently,the UN screened a documentary film called Back to School.The film is the second in a series of documentaries for the project Time for School. These films follow seven children from seven different countries.This 12year project began in 2003,when the children first started school."This is something we could do to help the education crisis in the world,"said producer and writer Judy Katz."Documentary filmmakers can get deeply involved in a problem and do something about it." More than 100 million children will never set foot in a school.Sixty percent of those children are girls.Cheryl Faye,head of the UN Girls Education Initiative,spoke about the many factors that prevent girls from getting an education.One problem is the long distance many children must travel to get to school.Also,girls in many cultures are traditionally expected to marry early and work to help their families."We need to make a special effort for girls,"Faye said. As part of the UN's Millennium goals,the organization wants every single child to get at least an elementary education by 2015. Students from Lawrence Middle School in New York were deeply moved after they saw the film.The seventhgrade class is raising money to help build a library on the outskirts of Nairobi,Kenya,where Joab--a child in the documentary--lives.The class teacher,Karen Weiner,and the class are known in their school as the "Kenya crew".All the kids were really happy to support Joab and said they felt great about their fundraising efforts.Like the seventhgraders at Lawrence Middle School,kids can work together to make a difference in places like Nairobi.By raising money for education,kids can help children on the other side of the world have a chance of a better,happier life. What's the purpose of the UN screening the documentary film Back to School? A. To raise awareness of the need for global education. B. To show the achievements which have been made in the past few years. C. To raise funds for global education. D. To encourage all the children to come back to school. Answer: A. To raise awareness of the need for global education.
Look at this photo. 1 _ . He has two sisters. 2 _ . The other one in the yellow dress is his sister, Mary. Rose and Mary have the same age. They look the same. They are 3 _ . John and his sisters are in different schools.4 _ . Their dad and mom are English teachers. They like their students. The family are happy. ,. (10) : They have good friends in the school Answer: They don't have good freinds in the school If you want a little extra security against thieves stealing your bicycle, designer Dennis Siegel has designed a solution. The RFID Bikealarm is attached to the seat on a bicycle and gives off an alarm when it senses movement. "The RFID Bikealarm is meant to be a useful add-on to mechanical bicycle locks because it greatly extends the range of protection with only a few components," Siegel explains on his website. "It is low-cost, durable and easy to use." The Bikealarm was designed as part of Siegel's Bachelor's degree thesis at the University of the Arts Bremen in Germany. The device will scare off any would-be thieves the moment they begin to steal the bicycle to which it is attached. It is able to continuously sense the environment to distinguish between specific events, for instance a passing tram / car and a serious theft. Siegel created a working model of an alarm that would sound when it sensed movement, but wasn't initially sure how it would be best attached to a bicycle. "I decided to mount it to the rails of the seat because it allows for comfortable interaction and the position is less obvious as it looks like a small repair kit," he says. Siegel chose to use RFID technology rather than Bluetooth to keep the costs down. Siegel explains that the most difficult aspect of creating the alarm was to get the electronic circuit down to a small enough size. The device runs off a kind of battery that can be charged by USB within 2 hours and lasts for a few days with normal use. As the Bikealarm is only at development stage, Siegel hasn't signed any agreements to put it on the market. When it senses movement, the RFID Bikealarm will _ . Answer: make a warning sound Hilton Head Island, in South Carolina, is a popular vacation spot on the East Coast of the US. There are 250 restaurants on the island. You can try the following excellent restaurants. Skull Creek Boathouse 397 Squire Pope Road 843-681-3663 It's a good place for seafood lovers. Lunch is served daily from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and weekend lunch is served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu is mostly seafood. Quarterdeck 32 Greenwood Road 1-866-561-8802 The view from this restaurant is wonderful. You have many choices, such as beef, burgers and soups. Open for lunch and dinner, the hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for lunch, and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner. Frankie Bones 1301 Main Street 843-842-4033 They are open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For lunch you can enjoy sandwiches, salads, rice, and pasta dishes. The entree is served with soup or salad. The salad also has cheese, pine nuts and dried berries. Mellow Mushroom 33 Office Park Road 843-686-2474 If you want something different, stop in at the Mellow Mushroom. They have specialty pizzas, salads, and sandwiches. If you enjoy wines, you'll surely find something you like. It is open 7 days a week -- Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. We can learn from the passage that _ . Answer: the mealtimes of the four restaurants are different The use of lotteries to allocate school places is to be reviewed by the British government because more than 20 percent of children are failing to get into their first-choice schools in parts of the country. The struggle for secondary school places has reached record levels this year, increasing anxiety for hundreds of thousands of families. A report from 43 local authorities suggests that in many areas, up to a fifth of children face disappointment. Families in London are the hardest hit. This week is admissions week, when about 570,000 families will receive notice about their child's secondary school acceptance. As the recession forces more parents to consider a state education rather than a private one for their children, more than a third of local authorities have noted rises in the number of applications for secondary school places. This year, just 62 percent of children in Richmond-upon-Thames got into their parents' first-choice school, down from 64 percent last year. The council said this was caused by an increase in applications. In another London authority, Tower Hamlet, 71.1 percent of children were admitted to their parents' first choice school. In Leeds and Warwickshire, 85 percent were successful. In Derby the figure was 81 percent, while in Wiltshire, Stockport and Lincolnshire, the figure was 89 percent. In many authorities, the figures are similar to those of last year. Exceptions include Brighton and Hove, which introduced a lottery system to allocate oversubscribed places last year. This year, it has seen a 3.5 percent increase in the number of children obtaining their first choice, bringing the total to nearly 88 percent. However, more than 5 percent of children in this area have been allocated a place at a school that was not among any of their choices. Lotteries are being used at the government's suggestion by a small number of oversubscribed schools in around twenty-five local authorities. They were meant to prevent middle-class parents from abusing the system by buying or renting homes close to the best schools. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? Answer: Over one in five children fail to get into their first-choice schools in parts of Britain. After numerous warnings over the years, you thought coffee probably had a negative effect on your health. Perhaps the drink is not so bad after all. The new study, conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), has been published and suggests that coffee does not have a harmful effect on your health. Researchers suggest, based on data examined, older adults who drink a lot of coffee, have a lower risk of death when compared to their non-drinking coffee peers. The team of researchers conducting the study analyzed data on 400,000 U. S. men and women,aged 50 to 71 years; the individuals had participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. This study started in 1995-1996 and was tracked until the day a participant passed away, or Dec. 31, 2008. According to a press release on the report, researchers shared that coffee drinkers are "less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections, although the relationship was not seen for cancer." Results indicated participants that drank three or more cups of coffee a day reduced their risk of death by 10 percent. Based on the findings that both caffeinated and non-caffeinated coffee found similar results, researchers are thinking caffeine is not the protective ingredient , although which ingredient in coffee might be, they are not sure. Researchers indicate that despite these observational findings, they caution it is not clear whether or not drinking coffee actually extends life expectancy. "Coffee is one of the most widely drunk drinks in America, but the relationship between coffee consumption and risk of death has been unclear. We found coffee consumption to be associated with lower risk of death overall, and of death from a number of different causes," said Neal Freedman, Ph. D., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI. "Although we cannot infer a relationship between coffee drinking and lower risk of death, we believe these results do provide some comfort that coffee drinking does not adversely affect health," Freedman said. Dr. Cheryl Williams, a registered dietician, told ABC News, "Overall, more research needs to be done to truly understand the ingredients in coffee and their biological activity and effect on health," said Williams. What can we infer from William's words? Answer: People should carry out more related and effective studies.
Mrs. Smith is Jim's mother. She loves her family very much. She goes to the store every day. She often buys food, fruit and clothes for Jim and her husband . Now many clothes are on sale at Renmin Clothes Store. They are very cheap. Mrs. Smith comes to the store and she wants to buy some clothes for her family. There they have sweaters in all colors for Y=15 each and sports shoes for only Y=28. Mrs Smith likes the red sweater and she buys one for herself. She buys a pair of sports shoes for her son. The great T-shirts in the store are just Y=18! She buys a white one for Mr Smith. And that's not all. The socks, in all colors, are Y=2 each. She buys the socks in many colors for her family. She is really a Rood mother and a good wife The clothes at Renmin Clothes Store are _ Answer: One of the reasons some species go extinct is because predators Answer: The French spend more time sleeping and eating than anyone else among the world's rich people, according to a survey. The average French person sleeps almost nine hours every night, more than an hour longer than the average Japanese and Korean, who sleep the least in a survey. And while more and more French people have meals at fast food restaurants, they still spend more than two hours a day eating. That means their meals are twice as long as those of the average Mexican, who spends just over an hour a day on food. The Japanese spend close to two hours a day eating and drinking, placing them third behind New Zealanders. The Japanese like to spend their free time watching television or listening to the radio. This takes up 47 percent of free time in Japan. Turks, on the other hand, spend more than a third of their free time staying with their friends.The survey showed that the difference between work and free time within certain countries is clear. As for Italians, men have nearly 80 minutes a day of free time more than women. Much of the additional work time of Italian women is clearly cleaning the house. How long does a Mexican spend in eating? Answer: Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet, but what is it, do you know? The Internet is a network. It uses the telephone to join millions of computers together around the world. Maybe that doesn't sound very interesting. But when you're joined to the Internet, there are lots and lots of things you can do. You can send E-mails to your friends, and they can get them in a few seconds. You can also do with all kinds of information on the World Wide Web (www). There are many different kinds of computers now. They all can be joined to the Internet. Most of them are small machines sitting on people's desks at home, but there are still many others in schools, offices or large companies. These computers are owned by people and companies, but no one really owns the Internet itself. There are lots of places for you to go into the Internet. For example, your school may have the Internet. You can use it during lessons or free time. Libraries often have computers joined to the Internet. You are welcome to use it at any time. Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. It is possible for you to work at home with a computer in front, getting and sending the information you need. You can buy or sell whatever you want on the Internet. But do you know 98% of the information on the Internet is in English? So what will English be like tomorrow? Who is the owner of the Internet? Answer: City officials in South Jakarta must now cycle when performing their duties.in a move to help _ pollution and global warming."They can own a car and drive to work,but they must cycle when traveling to do their work",South Jakarta city spokesman Ahmad Sotar said,"This is compulsory.Cycling will not only reduce pollution and global warming,but also promote good health."He added,"The official can also get to know their residents better since now they call cycle through the narrow alleyways to reach their home.They can't do so if they drive". South Jakarta, the second--largest of five cities making up greater Jakarta, covers an area of 145 square kilometers and has 2.5 million residents.Over 200 officials in 10 sub.districts and 65 villages have been told about the new rule.Supporting the move,Meruyuny Village chief Selamat Aryadi said cycling would keep officials fit."I don't mind buying a bike.But there must be some exceptions. What will happen if there is a big fire or landslide which I need to attend urgently? I may be late for everything,"he said with a quiet laugh."I think if it,s raining heavily it makes more sense for me to drive.I just hope 1 won't get caught,"he added. Sotar said the officials do not have to cycle to attend to emergency calls."But it is no excuse to say they are too old and sick to cycle.That means they are also too old and sick to perform their duties so they should be replaced,"he said:"We will ask the residents to be our eyes and ears and tell us if the officials cycle or drive."Sotar said. Which of the following is true according to the passage? Answer:
Mary Cassatt is one of the first great women American painters. At first her father did not want her to become an artist. But she followed her dreams and became an artist.She was born on May 22, 1844, and lived in Europe for several years as a child. Her family returned to the United States and, at age 16, Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Four years later she decided she couldn't learn anything fresh and practical in Philadelphia, so she returned to Europe. There she studied the skills of the masters in Rome, Seville, Antwerp, and Paris. Mary received the chance of a lifetime at the age of 33 when the famous French painter, Edgar Degas, asked her to join a group of painters that included now-famous artists like Manet and Renoir. Their style of painting is called Impressionism. They used primary colors and short brush strokes in their work. They recognized Mary 's spirit and powerful talent and invited her to exhibit in the Impressionist art shows. Mary painted what she saw: gardens, and paintings of persons , especially of mothers and children involved in everyday living. One of her paintings, "Young Mother and Two Children," was given to the White House in 1954 where it hangs today. Mary never married and, in 1877, her parents and sister moved to Europe to join her. Mary devoted much of her time to them for the next 18 years to their care. Mary painted until 1914 when her failing eyesight made it impossible to continue. She spent the later years of her life in Paris. She died in 1926 at the age of 82. Unfortunately,all her life, she refused to accept students. Which of the statements about Mary Cassatt is supported by the passage? A Her father had a decisive effect on her painting B Her painting featured scenes of everyday living C She used various colors and long lines in her works D She studied the paintings of the masters in U.S.A Answer: B. Her painting featured scenes of everyday living "Jin's new collection of short stories...shows he could teach some native-born writers a few things about the beauty of spare prose and the power of a few well-chosen words." -- USA Today "Amusing...Realistic...Rarely has China seemed less exotic and more accessible...The stories have the air of fable ." --Los Angeles Times "A vivid picture...of Chinese society in the era just after the Cultural Revolution." -- Chicago Tribune "Brilliant...delightful...Ha Jin's customs, ideas and landscapes might be of an Eastern persuasion, but his writing communicates universally. Without being didactic or condescending, these stories often resemble modern fables..." --Star Tribune (Minneapolis) "Beautifully understated short stories of life in modern China. Some of them are likely to break your heart." --People "A short story collection that offers readers...a dozen ways to enter the changing landscape of modern China...No one has ever captured the collision between the Communist society and the western culture quite like Ha Jin." --Baton Rouge Magazine Los Angeles Times, "USA Today" and "Star Tribune (Minneapolis)" are the names of _ . A newspapers and magazines B different places in America C different organizations that sell books. D book critics. Answer: A. newspapers and magazines A large number of women in Western European countries wish that they were born men. The number is said as high as 60% in West Germany. "Women often wish that they had the same chance as men have, and believe it is still men's world," said Dr James Holden, one of the scientists who did the study. Anne Harper has a very good job for an international oil company. She also believes in "Women's Liberation". "I don't wish that I were a man," she says. "And I don't think many women do. But I do wish that people would stop looking down upon us women. At work, for example, we often do the work that men do but paid less. There are still a lot of jobs that are usually the best ones and open only to men. If you are a man, you have a much better chance of leading an exciting life. How many women pilots are there... or engineers or scientists?" It is still men's world means _ . A there are more men than women in the world B there're more men scientists or engineers than women in the world C women cannot live without men D women have not been given the same chance as men Answer: D. women have not been given the same chance as men 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. According to the writer, the food additive is _ . A worrying B acceptable C poisonous D avoidable Answer: B. acceptable "Josie Metz's father won't live long enough to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.But thanks to photographer Lindsey Villatoro,the 11-year-old girl was able to experience what it might be like anyway. Her father, Jim,62,had already been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when he and his wife.Grace,hired Villatoro--a photographer.Two years ago,Villatoro began offering photography sessions for people with serious illnesses to document their journeys and was hired by the Metz family."I try to really showcase the person for who they are and not the illness,"she told The Huffington Post during a phone conversation Tuesday afternoon. Villatoro went to Jim and Grace's home for a shoot and offered to do one with their young daughter,Josie.After she left,she posted about the family on her website to get gift donations for the girl to help make her last birthday with her father memorable.But she decided to take a step further as a surprise and dreamed up the idea of a wedding for the girl--complete with,flowers,desserts,a promise ring and a dress from L.A.Fashion Week--so that her father could walk her down the aisle." For today,appreciate those you love.Give them lots of hugs and be grateful they are in your life.You never know what can happen.Say more"I Love Yous"and show more appreciation for all of your friends and family.Appreciate the blessings you have.I'm going to hug my husband Rich more today,call my Dad,call my friend in NC,and give lots of kitty hugs to my pets.Hugs to all of you--I appreciate you all so much and am grateful to have you in my life every single Day! Which of the following best describes Villatoro? A Talented and popular B Humorous and friendly C Intelligent and proud D Creative and helpfull Answer: D. Creative and helpfull
Ask anybody out there, what is the most important thing in his life - Fame, Fortune and Money, and there is a chance that he is going to say, money, because with that, fame and fortune comes quite easily. On the other hand, if you add "family" to these three choices given above, there is a chance that 99% of the people are going to put their family first, especially if they happen to be ladies! The main reason is because nature has created a woman to be the cherisher and the nurturer of the family, while the man is the hunter and protector of his little family. That is the natural rule which has come down through thousands of years. Even if a person happens to be a comparatively worldly-wise person and has no idea of taking on the responsibility of a family, he has a picture of a tight little _ in his subconscious . They tell a story about a successful millionaire businessman who died and the whole city came to pay its respects. One of his business competitors, met the son and said, "We are really going to miss your father. You see, I knew your father well." And the son replied, "You happen to be really lucky there, because I never did." So, you might be an extremely successful person in your own right upon Wall Street, but if your little child fails to come running out to welcome his daddy at the end of the day to be swung up in his father's arms and held there lovingly and protectively, you come in the "nothing" category in the business of life. Many people are under the impression that taking on the responsibility of the family is quite tiresome, but they do not know what it takes to be a parent. It is very easy to be a biological father or a biological mother, but the real mother and the real father is that person who stays awake all night when the baby is teething, teaches him right from wrong, is there to hold him when he takes his first steps, and in every way shows that he is there to cherish and protect the little one from harm. There was a man who did not believe in family, because of an unhappy childhood. But he found a faithful woman to love him unconditionally. The moment he picked up his little baby, he said, "Well son, welcome to the world! I am here to teach you what your mama has taught me, and we shall both protect you, when you need our help. I will teach you to be a good, just and fair man." In the writer's view, the millionaire businessman _ . Answer: Once upon a time,there were two good friends.One was called Jack and the other was called James.One day,the two friends were walking through the desert.During the journey they had a quarrel,and Jack couldn't control himself and hit James in the face.James felt hurt,but he didn't say anything.Instead,he wrote in the sand,"Today my best friend Jack hit me in the face." They kept on walking until they found an oasis .They decided to get some water there.Suddenly James had trouble in the water,he fell into the mire and was in danger.Jack saved him at once.When he felt all right,he wrote on a stone,"Today my best friend Jack saved my life."Jack was very surprised and asked James,"After I hurt you,you wrote in the sand and now you write on the stone.Why?"James replied,"When someone hurts us,we should write it down in the sand so that the wind of forgiveness can blow it away.But when someone does anything good for us,we must write it on the stone,so no wind can blow it away." Since then,the two good friends have never quarreled with each other again and they got on better with each other. Hatred can bring you nothing but unhappiness.If you don't forgive others,you are making trouble for yourself Keep a peaceful heart all the time and remember to be always thankful to others! What's the matter with James in the oasis? Answer: Visit the Forest Zoo. Come and see the Indian elephants and the new tigers from Northeast of China. The beautiful birds from England are ready to sing songs for you, and the monkeys from Mount Emei will be happy to talk to you. The lovely dogs from Australia want to laugh at you. Sichuan pandas will play balls for you. The giraffes from Africa are waiting to look down on you. Tickets Opening time Grown-ups: Y=3 9:00a.m.--4:00p.m. Children: Over 1.4m: Y=2 except Friday Under 1.4m: Free 10:00a.m.--3:00p.m. Keep the zoo clean! Do not touch, give food or go near to the animals. From the passage we can infer a giraffe must be a very _ animal. Answer: Fourteen - year - old Richie Hawley had spent five years studying violin at the Community School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles when he took part in a violin contest. Ninety two young people were invited to the contest and Hawley came out first. The contest could have been the perfect setup for fear, worrying about mistakes, and trying to impress the judges.But Hawley says he did pretty well in staying calm. "I couldn't be thinking about how many mistakes I'd make--it would distract me from playing," he says."I didn't even remember trying to impress people while I played. It's almost as if they weren't there. I just wanted to make music." Hawley is a winner. But he didn't become a winner by concentrating on winning. He did it by concentrating on playing well. "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part," said the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin."The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." A characteristic of high performers is their intense, pleasurable concentration on work, rather than on their competitors or future glory or money, says Dr.Charles Garfield, who has studied 1,500 achievers in business, science, sports, the arts, and professions."They are interested in winning, but they're most interested in self-development, testing their limits." One of the most surprising things about top performers is how many losses they've had and how much they've learned from each. "Not one of the 1,500 I studied defined losing as failing," Garfield says."They kept calling their losses 'setbacks'." A healthy attitude toward setbacks is essential to winning, experts agree. "The worst thing you can do if you've had a setback is to let yourself get stuck in a prolonged depression. You should analyze carefully what went wrong, identify specific things you did right and give yourself credit for them." Garfield believes that most people don't give themselves enough praise. He even suggests keeping a diary of all the positive things you've done on the way to a goal. The passage tells us that "praise" in times of trouble _ . Answer: A chocolate printer that allows sweet lovers to create 3D desserts by themselves is to go on sale at a cost of 2,500 pounds. The machine squirts out chocolate and, via computer instructions, allows the user to build any shape they like out of the food. But makers Choc Edge have missed the Easter rush. Even so, they hope the printer will be snapped up by retailers immediately they come to the market. Britain's biggest chocolatiers Thornton's have already said they are interested. Because of the high cost, however, few individuals are likely to buy one. But the devicecould one day allow people to design their own 3D objects after submitting their designs on a website. Dr Hao, founder of Choc Edge came up with a prototype last year and has only just perfected it so that it can now go on sale. "We've improved and simplified the machine, so now it is really easy to use," he told the BBC. "You just need to melt some chocolate, fill a syringe that is stored in the printer, and get creative printing of your chocolate." 3D printing is a technology where a three dimensional object is created by building up successive layers of material. The technology is already used in industry to produce plastic and metal products, but this is the first time the principles have been applied to chocolate. The research has presented many challenges. Chocolate is not an easy material to work with because it requires accurate heating and cooling cycles. Dr Hao said, "What makes this technology special is that users will be able to design and make their own products. From reproducing the shape of a child's favourite toy to a friend's face, the possibilities are endless. It could be developed to help consumers design many products from different materials, but we've started with chocolate as it is easily available, low cost and harmless." "There is also no wastage as any spoilage can be eaten." Dr Hao added, "Eventually we may see many mass-produced products replaced by unique designs created by the customer."[:] EPSRC chief executive Professor Dave Delpy said, "This is a good example of how creative research can be applied to create new manufacturing and retail ideas. By combining developments in engineering with the commercial potential of the digital economy,We can see the new market prospect --creating new jobs and, in this case, the chocolate printer is called sweet business opportunities." Which is the advantage of the chocolate printer? Answer:
The poverty line is the minimum income that people need for an acceptable standard of living. People with incomes below the poverty line are considered poor. Economists study the causes of poverty in order to find solutions to the problem. As the general standard of living in the country rises, the poverty line does, too. Therefore, even with today's ly high standard of living, about 10 percent of the people in the United States are below the poverty line. However, if these people had stable jobs, they could have an acceptable standard of living. Economists suggest several reasons why poor people do not have jobs. For one thing, more than half of the poor people in the United States are not qualified to work. Over 40 percent of the poor people are children. By law, children less than 16 years old cannot work in many industries. A large number of poor people are old. Many companies do not hire people over 65 years old the normal retirement age. Some poor adults do not look for jobs for a variety of personal reasons: they are sick, they do not have any motivation, they have family problems, or they do not believe that they can find a job. Other poor people look for a job but cannot find one. Many poor adults never went to high school. Therefore, when they look for jobs, they have few skills that they can offer. At the present time, the government thinks it can reduce poverty in the country in the following ways. First, if the national economy grows, businesses and industries hire more workers. Some of the poor who are qualified to look for jobs may find employment. Then they will no longer be below the poverty line. Second, if society invests in the poor, the poor will become more productive. If the government spends money on social programs, education, and training for poor people, the poor will have the skills to offer. Then it is more likely that they can find jobs. Finally, if the government distributes society's income differently, it raises some poor people above the poverty line. The government collects taxes from the non-poor and gives money to the poor. These payments to the poor are called welfare. Since 1975 over 18 million people in the United States have received welfare per year. Some economists are looking for better solutions to the poverty problem. However, at the present time, many people depend on welfare for a minimally acceptable standard of living. We may conclude from the passage that _ . A. better solutions to the poverty problem are not yet found B. welfare will enable people to be rich C. poor people will go out of the poverty line if they have chances to do business D. employment is the best solution to the poverty problem Answer: A. better solutions to the poverty problem are not yet found Foggy days are said to be A. good for skin B. high in moister C. extremely dry D. very sunny Answer: B. high in moister Newcastle, one of the fastest developing cities in the United Kingdom, is beginning to draw tourists from all corners of Europe. It's said most visitors come here to see the famous soccer team play. The mood of the locals is often changed by the success or failures of the local team. Newcastle's most popular place is the Gate, which is in the center of the city and has many attractions including bars, restaurants, sports bars, pubs and so on. During a home game it becomes a real home to happiness. Culture and local history lovers can make their dreams come true by taking one of the local city tour buses. _ come and leave every few minutes and stop at all the important historical sites in the city. Also the seats and the environment on the buses are comfortable. It's the best way to see the city without tiring yourself out or getting cold. Places such as the Hancock Museum and Millennium Bridge are must-see attractions. But be careful if you're short of time. Newcastle is a big place, so you should be prepared to kill a few hours on one of these buses. If you want to watch the local team play soccer in the St. James Park, remember to book a ticket as early as possible. The locals are crazy soccer fans, and you'll find it hard to get a ticket if you don't wait in the queue early. As you can see, Newcastle is a fantastic city with so much to be offered and so many things to see. You're sure to have a wonderful time here! If you want to learn about the history and culture of Newcastle, you _ . A. should go to the Gate B. can go on a city tour C. must visit St James Park D. must drive your own car Answer: B. can go on a city tour News Place: playground Time: 5:00pm this Thursday Program : a friendly soccer game between Class 3 and Class 4 Lost Hello, everyone! Do you see a cat in the park? Its name is Molly. It is a black cat. If you see Molly, please call Mary at 820-9291. Wanted Do you play the guitar well? We need a guitar teacher to teach kids between the ages of seven and ten. The work time is from Tuesday to Saturday, 300 yuan for each day. Welcome to join us. Where may you see the first poster ? A. In a school. B. In a bank. C. In a restaurant. D. In a hospital Answer: A. In a school. It is raining money ! Imagine this . A big bag full of money falls from the sky and lands right next to you . What would you do with the money ? This is the question faced by British seven-year-old Damian in the film " Millions ." Damian and his brother moved to a new place with their dad , after their mother passed away . Damian tries to make new friends , but he feels lonely . When Damian is watching some trains one day , a bag full of money falls out of the sky and lands at Damian's feet . The bag has 265,000 pounds in it ! He can't wait to tell his brother , nine-year-old Anthony . But Anthony doesn't want to tell their dad . Soon the money brings trouble . They have different ideas about what to do with it . Damian is kind-hearted . He wants to give money away to the poor . But Anthony wants to use it all to make more money ! As a kid , he also wants to buy a lot of fun toys ! But they have only one week to spend the money before Britain starts using euros ! They also find out where the money came from ! The terrible owner wants it back ! At the same time , their father works hard to give them a bigger house . What will they do with the money ? Watch the film to find out . Together with the two kids , you'll learn that true wealth has nothing to do with money ! What does Damian sometimes do when he feels lonely ? A. Stays at home and watches TV. B. Plays with a lot of friends . C. Goes out and watches trains . D. We don't know . Answer: C. Goes out and watches trains .
David comes from the train station and he doesn't know where to go. This is the first time he comes to this town. He comes to see his good friend, Peter. Peter is a doctor. He works in a hospital. But David doesn't know where the hospital is. He walks in the street. He passes a bank, a post office, a hotel and at last he goes to a school. Some students are coming out, so he asks one of the students, "Excuse me. Which is the way to People's Hospital?" "Well, I know, you can go along this street, take the second turning on the right, and then take the third turning on your left. It's next to a museum." "I'm sorry I can't follow you." "Well, I just live near there, and my mother works in that hospital, too. I'm going home now. Will you go with me? I'll take you there." "That's great! Thank you very much!" "Then, let's go to the bus stop. And we'll take the No.12 bus there." David doesn't know the way to the hospital and asks _ . A. a policeman B. a teacher C. a student D. a doctor Answer: C A lot of kids have dreams they'll never achieve due to the limitations of their little bodies. They want to fly, or to become a dinosaur, or to learn how to act like Spiderman. Luka Tavcar, 12, has muscular dystrophy and is totally dependent on his wheelchair. Nevertheless, late last year, he had an inspired plan: to be photographed walking around and having fun. He approached Matej Peljhan, an amateur photographer and a psychologist at CIRIUS rehabilitation center near Ljubljana, Slovenia, where Luka is a patient. At first, Peljhan was perplexed. How could he photograph a boy who can not move or act in motion? "Luka wanted to see himself playing and having fun, but it seemed impossible," he says. Then Peljhan had a brainstorm: Luka could lie down on a piece of cloth and, with the help of an assistant, Peljhan would pose the boy as if he were jumping, climbing stairs, moving downhill on a skateboard, and playing basketball. Then Peljhan would shoot these images from above. The photos took about a month to produce; all were shot early this year. Peljhan, who lost his right arm and left eye as a child, says his own disabilities motivated him to make the photographs. "I understand people with limitations," he says. He named the series "The Little Prince" after the French story by Antoine de Saint-Exupery in which a boy teaches a man about trust, hope, and friendship. Luka loves the photos. Matej himself understands what it is like to live with limitations--he lost his right arm and left eye as a child."Luka wants to stay positive and his imagination helps him forget his physical limitation," says Peljhan. "He's fragile, but he can see the world differently." According to the passage, those special pictures . A. make Luka feel sad B. make Luka stay positive C. encourage Luka to do exercise D. interest Luka in photographing Answer: B What do we do when we go camping? First, we think of a plan. We take food, clothes, a knife, and things for cooking and eating. We take things to keep us away from insects and the sun. Then we put everything into the car and we drive to the woods. We look for a place for campers and we look for a good place for our tent . The place should have a lot of air. This will keep some insects away. High land with water on both sides of it is good. Then we put up our tent. We put everything into the tent, and we are ready for fun. We can swim in the lake, walk in the woods, climb a mountain, row a boat, or go fishing. In the evening we come back to the tent, we build a big fire because it can keep the insects away. We sit around the fire and talk. We may tell interesting stories or we may sing songs. At night we lie down on the grass. We can look up at the stars. It is a busy day, so we try to go to sleep early. Everything is dark. Everything is quiet. We hope we won't hear music from the radio in the next tent. We hope it won't rain. In the evening we build a fire because _ . A. it is cold at night B. it can keep us warm C. it can keep the insects away D. it is dark and quiet Answer: C "I Went Skydiving at 84!" As a young girl growing up in the 1930s, I always wanted to fly a plane, but back then it was almost unheard of for a woman to do that. I got a taste of that dream in 2001,when my husband arranged for me to ride in a hot air balloon for my birthday. But the experience turned out to be very dull. Around that time, I told my husband that I wanted to skydive. So when our retirement community announced that they were having an essay competition and the topic was an experience of a lifetime that you wanted to have, I decided to write about my dream. In the essay, I wrote about my desire to skydive, stating George Brush Sr. did it at age 80. Why not me? I was just 84 and in pretty good health. A year went by and I heard nothing. But then at a community party in late April 2009, they announced that I was one of the winners. I just couldn't believe it. Inspired by this, I decided to realize my dream, even though some of my family members and my doctor were against it. On June 11, 2009, nearly 40 of my family and friends gathered in the area close to where I would land while I headed up in the airplane. My _ , Jay, guided me through the experience. The plane was the noisiest one I had ever been in, but I wasn't frightened--I was really just looking forward to the experience. When we reached 13,000 feet, Jay instructed me to throw myself out of the plane. When we first hit the air, the wind was so strong that I could hardly breathe. For a second I thought, "What have I gotten myself into?" But then everything got calmer. We were in a free fall for about a minute before Jay opened the parachute , then we just floated downward for about five minutes. Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I have ever felt--much better than the hot air balloon. I was just enjoying it. Skydiving was really one of the greatest experiences of my life. I hope other people will look at me and realize that you don't stop living just because you are 84 years old. If there's something you want to experience, look into it. If it's something that is possible, make it happen. What happened to the author in 2001? A. She flew an airplane B. She entered a competition C. She went on a hot air balloon ride D. She moved into a retirement community Answer: C 1970 was World Conservation Year. The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world was in danger. They hoped something could be done. Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were 1,300 kinds of plants, trees and flowers in Holland ,but now only 866 are left. The others have been destroyed by modern people and their science. We are polluting earth, air, water and everything around us. We can't live without these things. If things go on like this, we shall destroy ourselves. What will happen in the future? Perhaps it's more important to ask "What must we do?" More and more young people have known this. Many of them are helping to save our earth. For example, they plant trees. In a small town in the United States, a large group of girls cleaned the banks of 11 kilometers of their river. Young people may hear about conversation through a song called "No one's going to change our world". It was made by Cliff Gichard and other singers. The money from it will help to conserve tigers, elephants and pandas on the earth. Why aren't there so many plants, trees and flowers in Holland now? Because _ . A. people there didn't need so many plants, trees and flowers. B. people there want to destroy themselves C. little conservation has been done there D. people need more land to live on Answer: C
Which is an example of water condensing? A A puddle disappearing on a hot summer afternoon B Sweat forming on your forehead after you do a lot of exercise C Ice cubes melting when you put them out in the sun D Dew forming on plants during a cold night Answer: D Lillan Hanson, a college junior, expects to graduate in about two years. Mrs Hanson, a rather unusual student, plans to go on to take more courses after she gets her degree. What makes Mrs Hanson different from most of her classmates? What sets Lillian Hanson apart from the college crowd is her age-73 years. She has been going to college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years. When Mrs Hanson graduated from high school, she went to her local bank and asked for a loan for college tuition and fees. The banker gave her no encouragement. He didn't think that country girl should be borrowing money to go to college. He thought she should be home doing work in the house or around the farm. So Mrs Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college. She still lives with her husband on the farm that has been in the family for five generations. Mrs Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education. When her children were grown, she tried again. She finds the hardest part of going back to school at her age is to be sitting in class for long periods of time, because she is not as agile as she used to be. Mrs Hanson often gets up and walks around between classes to keep her joints from getting stiff. At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all gave Mrs Hanson a warm round of applause when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her goals were. We can learn form the passage that Mrs Hanson_. A is troublesome at college because of her old age B often disturbs her teachers' teaching by walking around in class C is popular and well-admired on campus D is good at all her subjects except computer studies Answer: C Every single one of you has something that you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide. And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to train for it and work for it and learn for it. And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you. What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future. You'll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination. You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy. If you quit on school--you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country. I get it. I know what it's like. My wife, our First Lady, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have a lot of money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country. Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you, because you write your own destiny. You make your own future. That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America. That's why today I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education--and do everything you can to meet them. Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. The truth is, being successful is hard. No one's born being good at all things. You become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice. The same principle applies to your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right. You might have to read something a few times before you understand it. You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in. And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don't ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country. Which of the following is mentioned by the speaker? A Enthusiasm and peace. B Devotion and Friendship. C Civilization and effort. D Responsibility and determination. Answer: D You can't always know when there'll be a heavy rain or when to take an umbrella with you. But designer Mikhail Belyaev doesn't think that forgetting to check the weather report before going out should cause you to get wet in the rain. That's why he created the Lampbrella--a lamp post with its own "umbrella". The designer says he came up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. "Once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw people trying to hide from the rain under the street lamps. I thought it would be a good idea to have a Lampbrella built into a street lamp." he said. The Lampbrella is a street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy . It has an inside electric motor which can open or close the umbrella freely. The Lampbrella will offer people cover whenever it starts raining. After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed. According to the designer, the Lampbrella would move at a very low speed in order not to cause harm to people. What's more, it would be grounded to protect from a possible lightning hit. Each Lampbrella would offer enough cover for several people. Being 2 meters off the ground, it would only be a danger for the tallest man. While there are no plans to take the Lampbrella into production , Belyaev says he recently introduced his creation to one Moscow company, and insists his creation could be on any street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide cover. According to the passage, for what purpose did Belyaev create the Lampbrella? A To know when there'll be a heavy rain. B To check the weather report. C To protect people from the rain. D To remind people to take an umbrella. Answer: C Colleges taking another look at value of merit-based aid Good grades and high tests scores still matter--a lot--to many colleges as they award financial aid. But with low-income students projected to make up an ever-larger share of the college-bound population in coming years, some schools are re-examining whether that aid, typically known as "merit aid", is the most effective use of precious institutional dollars. George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for example, said last week that it would cut the value of its average merit scholarships by about one-third and reduce the number of recipients , pouring the savings, about $2.5 million, into need-based aid. Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., made a similar decision three years ago. Now, Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., says it will phase out merit scholarships altogether. No current merit-aid recipients will lose their scholarships, but need-based aid alone will be awarded beginning with students entering in fall 2008. Not all colleges offer merit aid; generally, the more selective a school, the less likely it is to do so. Harvard and Princeton, for example, offer generous need-based packages, but many families who don't meet need eligibility have been willing to pay whatever they must for a big-name school. For small regional colleges that struggle just to fill seats, merit aid can be an important revenue-builder because many recipients still pay enough tuition dollars over and above the scholarship amount to keep the institution running. But for rankings-conscious schools in between, merit aid has served primarily as a tool to recruit top students and to improve their academic profits. "They're trying to buy students," says Skidmore College economist Sandy Baum. Studies show merit aid also tends to benefit disproportionately students who could afford to enroll without it. "As we look to the future, we see a more pressing need to invest in need-based aid," says Monica Inzer, dean of admission and financial aid at Hamilton, which has offered merit scholarships for 10 years. During that time, it rose in US News & World Report's ranking of the best liberal arts colleges, from 25 to 17. Merit aid, which benefited about 75 students a year, or about 4% of its student body, at a cost of about $ 1 million a year, "served us well," Inzer says, but "to be discounting the price for families that don't need financial aid doesn't feel right any more." Need-based aid remains by far the largest share of all student aid, which includes state, federal and institutional grants. But merit aid, offered primarily by schools and states, is growing faster, both overall and at the institutional level. Between 1995-96 and 2003-04, institutional merit aid alone increased 212%, compared with 47% for need-based grants. At least 15 states also offer merit aid, typically in a bid to enroll top students in the state's public institutions. But in recent years, a growing chorus of critics has begun pressuring schools to drop the practice. Recent decisions by Hamilton and others may be "a sign that people are starting to realize that there's this destructive competition going on," says Baum, co-author of a recent College Report that raises concerns about the role of institutional aid not based on need. David Laird, president of the Minnesota Private College Council, says many of his schools would like to reduce their merit aid but fear that in doing so, they would lose top students to their competitors. "No one can take one-sided action," says Laird, who is exploring whether to seek an exemption from federal anti-trust laws so member colleges can discuss how they could jointly reduce merit aid, "This is a merry-go-round that's going very fast, and none of the institutions believe they can sustain the risks of trying to break away by themselves." A complicating factor is that merit aid has become so popular with middle-income families, who don't qualify for need-based aid, that many have come to depend on it. And, as tuitions continue to increase, the line between merit and need blurs. That's one reason Allegheny College doesn't plan to drop merit aid entirely. "We still believe in rewarding superior achievements and know that these top students truly value the scholarship," says Scott Friedhoff, Allegheny's vice president for enrollment. Emory University in Atlanta, which boasts a $4.7 billion endowment , meanwhile, is taking another approach. This year, it announced it would eliminate loans for needy students and cap them for middle-income families. At the same time, it would expand its 28-year-old merit program. "Yeah, we're playing the merit game," acknowledges Tom Lancaster, associate dean for undergraduate education. But it has its strong point, too, he says. "The fact of the matter is, it's not just about the lowest-income people. It's the average American middle-class family who's being priced out of the market." A few words about merit-based aid: Merit-based aid is aid offered to students who achieve excellence in a given area, and is generally known as academic, athletic and artistic merit scholarships. Academic merit scholarships are based on students' grades, GPA and overall academic performance during high school. They are typically meant for students going straight to college right after high school. However, there are scholarships for current college students with exceptional grades as well. These merit scholarships usually help students pay tuition bills, and they can be renewed each year as long as the recipients continue to qualify. In some cases, students may need to be recommended by their school or a teacher as part of the qualification process. Athletic merit scholarships are meant for students that excel in sports of any kind, from football to track and field events. Recommendation for these scholarships is required, since exceptional athletic performance has to be recognized by a coach or a referee . Applicants need to send in a tape containing their best performance. Artistic merit scholarships require that applicants excel in a given artistic area. This generally includes any creative field such as art, design, fashion, music, dance or writing. Applying for artistic merit scholarships usually requires that students submit a portfolio of some sort, whether that includes a collection of artwork, a recording of a musical performance or a video of them dancing. In recent years, merit-based aid has increased much faster than need-based aid due to _ . A more government funding to colleges B fierce competition among institutions C the increasing number of top students D schools' improved financial situations Answer: B
Question: So, let's imagine you are walking down the street drinking a box of tea. You finish drinking the tea. Now, what do you do with the box? Do you drop it on the ground? Or, do you do the right thing and drop it in a trash can? Hopefully, you drop it in the trash can because, besides harming the environment, littering is also very impolite. Recently, a magazine published a list of the most polite cities in the world. They looked three things: did people litter, did shop clerks say thank you and did people hold the door open for the person behind them? The top three politest cities were New York, USA, Zurich, Switzerland, and Toronto, Canada. Hong Kong, China was number 35. Shanghai wasn't even on the list. Does that mean that Shanghai is not a polite city? Well, maybe. There are different ways to judge politeness but the survey was looking at how a visitor to a city would feel when walking around its public places. Visitors don't like to step over empty tea boxes as they walk down the street. They don't like it when they buy something and the shop clerk doesn't say thank you or even give them a smile. They also don't like it when someone lets a door slam into them instead of holding it open. Shanghai is a nice city but it is not always the most polite city. I don't think this is intentional . I think it's just a lack of awareness . China is becoming a popular place for tourists to visit. When they come to Shanghai they will find a friendly city: it would be nice if they also found a polite one. And, remember, being polite makes you feel good, too. It's nice to be nice. The writer mainly wants to tell us _ . A. not to drink tea in the street B. to hold the door open for anybody C. to remember to be polite in public places D. to travel to the most polite cities more often Answer: C. to remember to be polite in public places Question: My favorite month is May, because there are many events in this month. May 1 is Labor Day . We have a three-day holiday . We can have a trip. We have an Art Festival on May 8 in our school. We like it very much,we like to show our pictures. May 12 is my good friend Linda's birthday. We have a big birthday party for her . On May 20 , we have an English party. We often have in the evening. We have a book sale in our classroom on May 28 . It's very interesting. Linda's birthday is _ . A. May 1st B. May 4 C. May 12 D. May 20 Answer: C. May 12 Question: Where does the energy from an earthquake originate? A. from a sudden increase in solar radiation striking Earth B. from the Moon's gravitational pull during a close orbit C. from rocks under stress shifting deep inside Earth D. from the weight of sediments pushing down on bedrock Answer: C. from rocks under stress shifting deep inside Earth Question: The Mississippi is the major river system in the United States. The Yangtze is China's longest river. Although a world apart, the two waterways share conservation concerns that provide a cultural bridge between students in the United States and China, as well as from around the world. The Mississippi flows almost 3,800 kilometers from a small lake in Minnesota, gathering the waters of 250 other rivers and streams before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. In mid-May, as spring flowers began to open, about 41 students from a dozen colleges, mostly in the Midwest, explored a section of the river in Wisconsin and Iowa, to learn about the environment, and each other. The students, from the U.S., China and around the world, came to join the River Spirit Exchange program. The cross-cultural educational experience - set up by the University of Wisconsin, Madison-based Environment and Public Health Network for Chinese Students - focuses on the Mississippi and China's longest river, the Yangtze. This three day get-together featured story-telling, hiking, camping and canoeing, all part of a larger lesson about conservation projects that can be used on both the Yangtze and Mississippi. While the students learned about the problems challenging the Mississippi and Yangtze, Jeb Barzen, a wildlife biologist, explained they should also learn about the importance of bridging each other's culture. The president of the Environment and Public Health Network for Chinese Students, Xiaojun Lu, said the Mississippi and Yangtze Rivers are uniting these students from opposite ends of the earth. Organizers say the success and spirit of this first gathering of students will lead to other trips, including one down the Yangtze. Where is the passage most probably taken from? A. A personal diary B. A news report C. An official document D. An advertisement Answer: B. A news report Question: In Britain,it's bottoms up from the week before Christmas till the last firework explodes in the sky announcing the new year,.The last Friday before Christmas popularly known as'Mad Friday'--is one of the busiest periods for the country's pubs and clubs. But it's not just the bars that get busy.Ambulances and A&E departments around Britain get packed out too.Head injuries,,cuts,falls...it's easy to end up hurting yourself or others when self-control disappear and your head is spinning due to alcoho1.Revelers have been warned by the health authorities about the dangers of deadly drinking but drinking crazily seems to be part of the festivities for some. The charity Alcohol Concern is running a campaign of restriction by encouraging people to have a dry January. Jackie Ballard,the charity's Chief Executive,believes the campaign has been successful in recent years.She says:"More than two-thirds of people even six months later are drinking at reduced levels having had a month off drink.But also a study has shown the impact it has on people's health reducing their blood pressure and blood sugar levels." The study by the University of Sussex followed up nearly 900 participants in Alcohol Concern's Dry January campaign and found out that 72%of them had kept harmful drinking sessions down and 4%were still not drinking. Moderation seems to be the key to everything.The official recommendation for women is not to regularly drink more than 2 to 3 units of alcohol a day.The limit for men is 3 to 4 units of alcohol--no more than a pint of 5.2%ABV lager,beer or cider. What is the official suggestion of drinking alcohol? A. Women shouldn't drink any alcoho1. B. People should stay away from alcoho1. C. Men may drink 3 to 4 units of alcohol at least. D. Moderate alcohol drinking can be accepted. Answer: D. Moderate alcohol drinking can be accepted.
My name is Paul Miller. I was too fat before, but now I do not have this problem. My doctor tells me to jog . So early every morning I run for two miles before breakfast. I do not run fast, but I do not stop to rest. People call me a jogger. There are many joggers on my street. We often run together in the park or along the road. Jogging helps to keep us strong and healthy. Jogging is very popular in the United States. People like to feel well and look nice. Some people do not jog, but they do not get fat. They work hard on their jobs and they do not need to run before they go to work. Do you want to jog? Go to your doctor first. Your doctor can tell you something about jogging. My doctor tells me to eat only three meals a day. I feel healthy and my doctor is happy because I jog every day and I do not eat anything before or after meals. Some people don't jog, but they don't get fat because _ . A. they work hard B. they are not ill C. they like eating snacks D. they are doctors Answer: A Dear Zhang Qian, Thanks for your letter. You want to know about my favorite sport and instrument . Now let me tell you. I like swimming very much, and I like volleyball, basketball, and ping-pang, too. Swimming is my favorite sport. I am good at playing the guitar and the violin, too. My favorite instrument is the violin. I often play the violin on weekends. What about you? What's your favorite sport? Do you like to play the violin or the guitar? Please write to me soon. Yours, Li Ping _ is Li Ping's favorite instrument. A. guitar and Piano B. guitar and violin C. piano and violin D. the violin Answer: D In England, afternoon tea is the most informal meal of a day. It is taken between four and five. If you are a friend of the family, you may come for tea at any time. Very often it is not taken at a table. The members of the family and visitors take the tea in the sitting room. Each person has a cup and saucer , a spoon and a small plate for bread and butter and cakes. By the way, do not help yourself to cakes first, bread and butter first, and then cake. Do remember: Though you can eat as much as you want, do not put more than one piece of bread or cake on your plate each time. If you want to have afternoon tea in a friend's home,_. A. you must send a message before you go B. you must take food with you C. you must go only when he asks you to D. you may put only one piece of bread or cake on your plate each time Answer: D Getting sick overseas can be scary. You're in an unfamiliar place and often don't speak the language. Although each trip is different, there are universal things you can do to keep safe. Be prepared. "Schedule a visit with a doctor who specializes in travel or the area you're visiting at least four weeks before your departure," says WHO public health expert Dr. Gilles Poumerol. A travel doctor will be able to give you the required and recommended vaccinations as well as discuss any medical issues you may come across abroad. Get insurance. "In many countries where you have limited access to health care, good health care is only found in the private sector and can be very expensive," Dr. Poumerol says. Plus, in an emergency, returning to the United States can cost more than $50,000. Ask your health insurance company whether your policy applies overseas and whether it will cover trips to a foreign hospital. If not, there are many companies that offer short-term travel health insurance for a reasonable fee. A list can be found on the US State Department's travel website. Ks5u Pack well. Dr. Poumerol also suggests bringing a note from your doctor in English and the language of the country you're visiting. Packing an emergency contact list is important. Contacts should include the local embassy , s who should be informed if you get sick and your health insurance company. Be care. You have to be in charge of your health. If you're being treated abroad, question the medical staff about their sterilization practices; injection equipment should be put in boiling water for at least 30 minutes or used only once. Also be sure that doctors and nurses are wearing gloves to prevent fluid transfer. Limiting your alcohol intake will keep you focused on your safety. If your common sense is perfect, the rest of your body should follow. Dr. Poumerol suggests bringing a note that _ . A. records your life story abroad B. shows all your health and safety requirements C. was written in English and the local language D. was bought in the country you're visiting Answer: C Last week at a friend's birthday party, there was a mooncake eating contest and I persuaded my good friend Jonathan to take part in it. Even though he had just finished a big dinner, he managed to win the contest. Not only did he win a bottle of nice whiskey, but also a big box of expensive Hong Kong mooncakes. A few days later, I was hosting an opening party for my new office. Jonathan showed up with the lovely box of Hong Kong mooncakes he had won the other night. I thought it was a lovely joke, and the mooncakes were delicious. Still, it got me thinking about the concept of regifting in prefix = st1 /China. In the States, we have a tradition around Christmas similar to giving mooncakes, only we call them fruitcakes. Fruitcakes are made from terrible preserved fruit and nobody likes to eat them. You often find your friends giving the fruitcake you gave them to someone else, and so on. But fruitcakes aside, it isn't very often to catch someone regifting something in America, as it's seen to be very cheap and embarrassing . An obvious way to tell if something has been regifted is to check the wrapping . However, many of my friends in Chinawill proudly regift an old gift, especially if it is still wrapped in a pretty box. I find it somewhat uncomfortable to receive a gift that I know wasn't bought for me. But I also understand that the gift is perfectly good, it just lacks the special meaning of being picked out by a friend. There are many occasions in Chinese culture when gifts are necessary. There are traditional items such as tea, cigarettes and liquor which seem fine to regift. These gifts are not personal and have no special meaning. But is it really proper to give someone something that was never bought for them in the first place? This article is written to_. A. praise some customs in China B. question a social practice C. show how to regift D. tell an embarrassing story Answer: B
How to deal successfully with a child who shows outstanding musical ability?It's not always clear how best to develop and encourage his gift.Many parents may even fail to recognise and respond to their children's need until frustration explodes into difficult or uncooperative behaviour.And while most schools are equipped to deal with children who are specially able in academic subjects,the musically gifted require special understanding which may not always be available in an ordinary school--especially one where music is regarded as a secondary activity.Such children may well benefit from the education offered by a specialist music school. The five music schools in Britain are a relatively recent introduction.They aim to provide an environment in which gifted children aged between seven and eighteen can develop their skills to the full under the guidance of professional musicians. Children at specialist music schools spend between one third and one half of an average day on musical activities,for example,individual lessons,orchestras,chamber groups,voice training,conducting and theory.They also spend several hours a day practising in properly equipped private rooms,sometimes with a teacher.The rest of their time is taken up with the subjects:English,maths,basic sciences and languages.All five British specialist schools are independent,classes are small by normal school standards,with a high teacher/pupil ratio .Most children attending specialist schools tend to be boarders,leaving home to live,eat and sleep fulltime at school. What are the disadvantages?An obvious problem is the cost;the fees are high(PS12,000PS17,000 a year for boarders).However,each school will make every effort with scholarships and other forms of financial assistance,to help parents of outstandingly gifted children to find the necessary fees.Secondly,not all parents want to send their children to boarding school,especially at a very early age.Almost all the directors of the specialist schools express doubts about the wisdom of admitting children as young as seven into such an intense and disciplined environment.They stress,however,that their main aim is to turn out "rounded and wellbalanced" individuals. There is little doubt that setting musically gifted children apart from an early age can cause stress.Early signs of musical ability may disappear in their teenage years,while natural competitiveness and the pressure to succeed can lead to a deep sense of failure.But all specialist schools do keep a close watch on the progress of individual pupils,and offer help and advice if needed. What do most school directors see as a possible disadvantage for pupils? A Poor children may not be included. B They may lose their individuality. C There may be a discipline problem. D They may not be mature enough on arrival. Answer: D. They may not be mature enough on arrival. It pays to be smart. We are not all smart in the same way. Youmaybe a talented musician, but you might not be a good reader . Each of us is different . Psychologists have two different views on intelligence .Others believe there are many different intelligence .Some psychologists say there is one type of intelligence that can be measured with IQ tests .These psychologistssupport their view with research that concludes that people who dowell on one kind of test for mental ability do well on other tests .They do well on tests using words , numbers or pictures. They do well on individual orgroup tests , and written or oral tests .Those who do poorly on one test , do the same on all tests . Studies of the brain show that there is a biological basis for general intelligence . The brain waves of people with higher intelligence show a quicker reaction .Some researchers conclude that differences in intelligence resultfrom differences in the speed and effectiveness of information processing by the brain . Howard Gardner , a psychologist at the Harvard School of Education , has four children .He believes that all children are different and shouldn't be tested by one intelligence test .Although Gardner believes general intelligence exists , he doesn't think it tells much about the talents of a person outside of formal schooling .He think that the human mind has different intelligences .These intelligences allow us to solve the kinds ofproblems we are presented with in life .Each of us has different abilities within these intelligences .Gardner believes that the purpose of school should be to encourage development of all of our intelligences . What does the text mainly talk about? A How to understand intelligence . B How to become intelligent . C The importance of intelligence tests . D The causes of different intelligences. Answer: A. How to understand intelligence . There are times when nothing seems to be working in our favor. We may use complaining as a coping mechanism (,) when we are truly unhappy. However, there are many times when we don't try our best and just want things to work our way. We may try to cover our faults by complaining about the unfairness of it all. These are expressive complaints where the complainer just wants to let out his/her anger or frustration, with no real intention of solving the problem. The complainer expects pity and recognition from the listeners although the results often disappoint him/her. Sometimes, we use complaints as a conversation starter. Conversations that start with a complaint often have a domino effect. It may cause the listener to include his/her complaints in the conversation as well, which makes you think that you are not the only one facing problems. However, your good feeling won't last long as long as you are always focusing on the negative. When complaining becomes a habit, you complain to anyone that comes around. Negativity that comes from complaining kills creativity and innovation . Habitual complainers are less likely to come up with new ideas, as they are busy finding faults and discourage others from trying new things by making them feel that they won't work. When you spend time with people who constantly complain, you are likely to view things in a negative light. This will make things worse. This can affect the way you perceive your own situation, and even the people around you. Though expressing your feelings may momentarily improve your state of mind, it could sometimes have a bad effect on the listener's state of mind. A recent study has shown that at social gatherings while people who are unhappy may join you when you play the victim at the beginning, the majority would start avoiding you because of your negativity. What do we know about habitual complainers? A They can hardly influence others in their negative way. B They can get momentary comfort by complaining. C They have a better understanding of their faults. D They are more likely to put forward new ideas. Answer: B. They can get momentary comfort by complaining. Is the world too crowded? Well, that's a hard question to answer. It's all a matter of perspective .In Montana, you might drive for a mile in any direction and not see another human being. In Macao, 60,000 people live in every square mile! What is true is that the world's population doesn't stay the same. It has been increasing at a very fast rate .That's in part because in each generation these are more people who then have children than in the last generation. Five hundred years ago, the population of the world was about 460 million. In 1900,the world's population was under 2 billion .Right now it is doubling every 40 years. That means, if this rate of growth continues, when you are a parent, there will be twice as many people on earth as there are now. Wow! Now that's a whole lot of people! Soon the world's population will probably reach 7 billion. Some people worry about that! But there is a lot of disagreement about just how many people on earth equals too many people. But everyone agrees that the more people there are, the more resources the world needs to feed, house and take care of all of them, and the more need there is to think carefully about how we live and use the earth's resources. What was the world's population 100 years ago? A 450 million. B about 2 billion. C 40 billion. D 7 billion. Answer: B. about 2 billion. In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell. My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to leave college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait. Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic--and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed Son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy. You can imagine how busy I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo--a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each term. The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to give up, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives. In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree! I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you're looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you're in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won't arrive in your life on one day. It's a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams. The author quit school in her second year of college because she _ . A wanted to study by herself B fell in love and got married C suffered from a serious illness D decided to look after her grandma Answer: D. decided to look after her grandma
Watching a 3D movie can more than double the concentration powers and cognitive processing of children, a new research claims. A study made by visual technology firm RealD and led by child psychologist Dr Richard Woolfson suggests that childrenaged between 7 and 14 experienced twice the cognitive processing speed and performed better in testing after watching 20 minutes of a 3D film. This is despite suggestions that attention spans in children have shortened in the last decade due tounlimitedto access to entertainment, including on-demand TV, gaming and social media. A 2015 study claimed that watching 3D content had a similar effect to brain-training exercises. Consumer psychologist Mr Fagan said that the increasedstimulation found in watching something in 3D "exercised" the brain and improved performance in the short term. "3D films can play the role of 'brain-training' games and help to make children 'smarter' in the short term," he said. "The shortening of response times after watching 3D was almost three times as big as that gained from watching 2D; in other words, 3D helps children process aspects of their environment more quickly. This is likely to be because 3D is a mentallystimulatingexperience which 'gets the brain's juices flowing'." The experiment saw children given a range of cognitive tests before watching 20 minutes of a movie in either 2D or 3D and being tested again. The results showed those who saw the 3D content reacted faster and performed bettering the second round of testing. Mental engagement also rose by 13% among 3D watchers. Child psychologist Dr Woolfson added that "supportive parenting" and regularly listening to classical music can also aid a child's memory. The reason why children perform better after watching a 3D movie is that _ . Answer: Mrs Green's telephone number was three-four-six-three, and the number of the cinema near her house was three-four-six-four, so people often made a mistake and telephoned her when they wanted the cinema. One evening the telephone rang and Mrs Green answered it. A tired man said, "At what time does your last film begin?" "I'm sorry", she said Mrs Green, "but you have the wrong number. T his is not the cinema." "Oh, it began twenty minutes ago," said the man." That's too bad. Goodbye." Why was Mrs Green very surprised after she answered the telephone? Answer: In order to make students become more interested in English studies,21 elementary schools in southeastern Korea have started to use robot teachers. The robot teacher is called Engkey. She was developed by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. She is about one meter high and is white,egg-shaped. She takes a display panel as her face. She can move around the classroom while she speaks to students. She can also read books to students and dance to music by moving her head and arms. Now,21 robot teachers have been used to teach English. They are controlled by English teachers in the Philippines. There is a camera in each of the robot teachers. With the help of the cameras,English teachers in the Philippines can see and hear the students. At the same time,the facial expressions of these English teachers. This is very interesting. Besides helping students to become more interested in English,the robot teachers can also help children in poor areas without English teachers. Robot teachers have many good points. For example,they needn't have a rest because they don't get ill. Which of the following is TRUE? Answer: One midnight, a little girl woke up to get water. She got up and down her bed by herself, walked to the bedroom door and opened it. She looked outside and walked back, for it was so dark in the living room that she feared. Her mother told her not to be afraid and take courage. " What is courage? Do you have courage?" She asked, running to her mother's bed. " Courage is the brave breath . I have it." Her mother answered. The girl held out her little hands and asked her mother to give her. After her mother blew out two mouthfuls of breath into her little cold hands, the little girl clenched her fists nervousely, afraid that the "breath of courage" would run away. Then with her fists clenched, she walked out of the bedroom towards the bathroom with nothing to fear. Her mother said to herself, " It'll be nice if someone can blow some kind of breath to me. Then I can hold it in my hands too when I feel terrified or lost. In fact, mostly, what we are terrified of is nothing but the fear in our mind. Who we should deal with is nobody but ourselves. The girl walked back because _ . Answer: When you buy a T-shirt, or a fur coat in a store, it often carries a label telling who made it or from what store it was bought. Instead, some labels show the dress is famous and it is very expensive, so buyers secretly wish they could be carried forever. On the other hand, buyers who deal with the cheapest products would be pleased to be away with labels _ . However, there is another label more important than the one showing from which store the dress was bought. When a person buys a fur coat, or a jacket from a store, a label telling what the product is made of should be carried to it. The label is required by law. Besides telling what the product on show is made of, the label should be in clear English and be where one can find it easily. The information on the label must be true. The reason for this is that most buyers today aren't expert enough to know exactly what kind of fur or material they are buying. The buyers must believe in the store that sells the products or in what the label says. This article mainly tells about _ . Answer:
A student wraps a wire around an iron nail. The student then connects the wire to a battery. The nail attracts another nail and they stick together. What force holds the two nails together? Answer: magnetic force This is Tom's bedroom. It is very nice. A pair of shoes is behind the door. They are black and blue. He likes them very much. His desk is near the bookcase. It is not too big. A red sofa is behind the desk. You can see a clock and some books on the desk. His English books are in his schoolbag. The bag is on the red sofa. It's _ bedroom . Answer: his The Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503. He was working on a special painting for a church at the time, but the church painting was not going well. An Italian businessman asked da Vinci to paint a picture of his second wife. This is the woman who can be seen in the Mona Lisa. All in all, the Mona Lisa is a very good example of da Vinci`s works. Da Vinci used darkness and light in a clever way in the painting. Da Vinci loved science and math. Right away a person can see that there is a lot of geometry in the Mona Lisa. The face of the Mona Lisa is made of many circles and round shapes like balls. Even her smile can be seen as a small part of a large circle. The woman in the painting is sitting on a balcony ,and mountains can be seen behind her. Da Vinci loved to study rocks and mountains, so these can be seen over and over in his other paintings. The woman is sitting with her knees to the side. Her head is turned to look out of the painting. Her hands are held together in front of her. This way of sitting is now used by many artists when they are painting a picture of a man or a woman today. Where is the woman in the painting? Answer: On a balcony Human Capital - How what you know shapes your life Version: Print (Paperback) Publication date: 20 Feb 2007 Language: English ISBN: 9789264029088 Price: C15 I $19 1$10 This book explores the influence of education and learning on our societies and lives and examines what countries are doing to provide education and training to support people throughout their lives. Economic Policy Reforms -- Going/or Growth, 2007 Edition Version: Print (Paperback) Publication date: 15 Feb 2007 Language: English ISBN: 9789264030473 Price: $60\|$75\|$41 Based on a broad set of indicators of structural policies and performance, Going for Grcwth 2007 takes stock of the recent progress made in implementing policy reforms and identifies, for each OECD country, five policy priorities to lift growth. Climate Change in the European Alps -- Adapting Winter Tourism and Natural Hazards Management Version: Print (Paperback) Publication date: 22 Jan 2007 Language: English ISBN: 9789264031685 Price: $24 $32$ 17 The first systematic cross-country analysis of snow-reliability of Alpine ski areas under climate change for five countries in the region: France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Germany. OECD in Figures 2006--2007--Statistics on the Member Countries -- OECD Observer-- Volume 2006 Supplement 1 Version: Print (Paperback) Publication date: 05 Jan 2007 Language: English ISBN: 9789264022638 Price.; $15 \|$20 \|$10 A handy pocket reference containing key data covering the entire range of OECD work including the economy, employment, health, education, migration, the environment, science and technology, public finances, agriculture, trade, and development aid. OECD Economic Outlook -- December No, 80 -- Volume 2006 Issue 2 Version: Print (Paperback) Publication date: 26 Jan 2007 language-English ISBN: 9789264030954 Price: $80 \| $97\|$55 OECD's twice yearly assessment and projections for the economies of the OECD area and selected non-members. This edition also looks at the rise in household debt. Which of the following books was published most lately? Answer: Human Capital. Once upon a time, a man punished his 5-year-old daughter for using up the family' s expensive gold wrapping ( ) paper. Money was always not enough, and he became even more upset when on Christmas Eve, he saw that the child had pasted ( ) the gold paper to decorate a shoebox to put under the Christmas tree. The next morning the little girl, filled with excitement, brought the gift box to her father and said, "This is for you, Daddy!" As he opened the box, the father was sorry for his earlier behavior. But after he opened it, he found it was empty and again he was angry."Don' t you know, young lady, " he said, "when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the package!" The little girl looked up at him with tears running from her eyes and said, "Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was all full." When the father heard this, he fell on his knees and put his arm around his dear little girl. He begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger. An accident took the life of the child only a short time later. It is told that the father kept that little gold box by his bed for all the year of his life. Whenever he was sad or faced difficult problems he would open the box, take out an imaginary kiss, and remember the love of this beautiful child who had put it there. In a very real sense, each of us as human beings have been given an _ golden box filled with love and kisses from our children, family, friends and God. This is the most expensive possession anyone could hold. ,. Why did the man punish his little daughter? Answer: Because his daughter used up their only gold wapping paper.
The Spring Festival is the Chinese New Year's Day. It usually comes in January or February. Everyone in China likes it very much. All the families have a big dinner to celebrate it. Children like the Spring Festival best because they can get presents such as nice food, new clothes and red packets from their grandparents, their parents, their uncles and aunts. People eat dumplings on the Spring Festival. Chinese think eating dumplings can bring them money in the new year. People eat _ in the Spring Festival. Answer: dumplings Over 40 years ago, a country music DJ convention was held every year in Nashville, Tennessee. Many country performers used to attend the convention to give their performances. Fans would go to Nashville hoping to see their favorite performers. In the end, so many fans began showing up in Nashville that a festival named Fan Fair was born. The first Fan Fair was held in April 1972, in Nashville for four days. Some of the country music's biggest stars attented. There were about fifty thousand fans. The first Fan Fair was so successful that planning began almost immediately for 1973. The date was changed to June, when the weather would be better. Over one hundred thousand fans attended the second Fan Fair. Every year brought so many performers and fans to Fan Fair that, in 1982, it was moved to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. Fan Fair stayed at the fairgrounds for another nineteen years. There was always the unexpected during the festival. In 1974, former Beatle Paul McCartney attended. In 1992, more than six hundred reporters cover the appearance of a popular star, Billy ray Cyrus, who had introduced a new country line dance. In 1996, Garth Brooks, who made a surprise appearance, signed autographs for 23 hours. In 2001, Fan Fair returned to downtown Nashville as the world's biggest country music festival. Now, over one hundred and twenty-five thousand country music fans go to Nashville every June. As you can imagine, those who want to attend Fan Fair must plan ahead. For example, they need to buy a ticket several months ahead of time. Of course, there's much more to prepare. According to the text, Fan Fair _ . Answer: Is a time when country music lovers get together On the day Apple debuted the often-delayed white-colored iPhone 4, the company's marketing department gave a nod to the product's troubled history. "Finally." read the big headline Thursday above a picture of the white phone on the homepage of Apple. com. The white model was supposed to ship alongside the black one at the iPhone 4's launch last June. But design and manufacturing complications delayed the process by 10 months, catching Apple off guard, executives say. As CNN reported last month, earlier test models of the white iPhone 4 produced unclear photos, especially when the flash was used. Its whiteness confused the proximity sensor , which detects when the phone is held next to someone's head and turns off the touch screen to save battery life. These problems weren't present in older iPhones that came in white because they didn't have flash photography; the proximity sensor was unaffected because the front side of previous models was black. "We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we weren't," Philip Schiller, Apple's chief marketing executive, said in an interview. "It's not as simple as making something white. There's a lot more that goes into both the material science of it --how it holds up over time...but also in how it all works with the sensors. " Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White predicts that the white model could help drive sales of Apple's phones. He says Apple could sell 1 million to 1. 5 million every three months until the next iPhone model is , which is expected to be this fall. Forty-five people were lined up at Apple's flagship New York store Thursday morning to buy white iPhones, according to a CNN Money report. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE? Answer: Originally designers thought they could solve the problems before iPhone 4 was launched. Two American scientists told the people in industrial nations that they would be much healthier if they ate more of the same kind of foods eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago. The scientists say that the human body has changed very little since human first appeared on the earth,but the way we live has changed greatly. Our body has not been able to deal with these changes in lifestyles and this has led to new kinds of sicknesses. These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times. So they are called "diseases of civilization ".Many cancers and diseases of the blood system,including heart attacks and strokes are examples of such diseases. Scientists noted that early stoneage people used very little alcohol or tobacco ,probably none. Ancient people also got a great deal of physical exercise,but a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and life today. Stoneage people hunted wild animals for their meat ,which had much less fat than farm animals. They also ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables and fruits. They did not use milk and other dairy products ,and they made very little use of grains . But today,we eat a large amount of dairy products and grain foods. We eat six times more salt than stoneage people. We eat more sugar. We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein and much less vitamin C. People today probably do not want to live as people thousands of years ago did,but scientists say that we would be much healthier if we ate as those ancient people did,cutting the amount of fatty,salty and sweet foods. New kinds of sicknesses have been found because _ . Answer: our body can't deal with the changes in lifestyles A young woman went to her mother and told her how hard life was. She was tired of struggling and fighting and wanted to give up. So, her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out, pulled the eggs out and then poured the coffee into three different bowls. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the daughter was asked to drink the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich fragrance. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same disaster but reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, and hard. However, after being subject to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The coffee beans were unique, however; after they had been in the boiling water, they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When misfortune or change knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?" "Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with change and difficulty will you wilt and become soft and lose your strength? Are you the egg that starts with a malleable , heart, but changes with the heat? When faced with a death, a break-up, a financial hardship or other trial, do you become hardened and stiff? The coffee bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour." "If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and provide strength and happiness for those around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, can you improve yourself to another level?" We can learn from the passage that _ . Answer: the coffee bean taught us to convert the bad circumstances and improve ourselves
Michael Jackson was one of the world's best singers. He was born in the middle west of the city of Gary, Indiana,in 1958. He began singing with his four brothers. They called the group, "The Jackson Five". The group became very popular after appearing on a television program. In 1970 the group made their their first record with the name of I Want You Back. It was very popular. One of their hit records was Never Say Goodbye. Michael was good at dancing as well as singing, for example, his dance moves and moon walking. He was asked to act in a film in 1978 for the first time, and in the same year he made a record on his own, which was sold eight million _ all over the world. Michael nearly didn't go out because he was too famous. Once his fans went off in a faint when they saw him at the concert. No one can do it by now. He lived in a large house and kept lots of animals. He never ate meat. He often raised money for charity. This made him win the Guinness world Records in 2006. He died on June 25th, 2009, but he would live in our hearts forever. How many people are there in Michaels's group? Five If God could sing, his name must be Declan Galbraith. The boy was born on December 19, 1991 in the UK. He is an English singer of Scottish and Irish origin. His grandfather, who was in a band and played several instruments, often took Declan to concerts he was participating in. The mix of Scottish and Irish musical traditions inspired Declan and became his early musical influence. k%s5$u Declan's talent was publicly acknowledged for the first time when, at just 7 years old, he insisted on singing at the annual Rochester Dickens Festival, a two-day event where people were invited to dress up in Victorian costumes to celebrate the life and times of the famous novelist Charles Dickens and his links with town. Little Declan, dressed up as a chimney sweep, started singing. Soon after this, he started to enter local talent contests and within a year he had won 15 titles and more than PS1000. His first self-titled album, Declan, with Irish traditional songs and some specially written materials became a big success and charted in the UK and Ireland. Within the year of release , it had 200 000 copies in Germany. Although Declan is a British citizen and singer, Declan is better-known abroad, especially in China where his songs were chosen as part of the Chinese education curriculum for children learning English. In May 2008, Declan undertook a successful tour in China, and the cities included were Beijing and Shenzhen. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE? Declan Galbraith began his success in singing at 7 years old. k%s5$u My kids and I were heading into the supermarket over the weekend. On the way, we spotted a man holding a piece of paper that said, "Lost my job. Family to feed." At this store, a sight like this is not normal. My 10-year-old noticed him and made a comment on how bad it must be to have to stand outside in the cold wind. In the store, I asked each of my kids to pick something they thought our "friend" there would appreciate. They got apples, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Then my 17-year-old suggested giving him a gift card. I thought about _ . We were low on cash ourselves, but ... well, sometimes giving from our need instead of our abundance is just what we need to do! All the kids declared something they could do away with for the week. When we handed him the bag of food, he lit up and thanked us with watery eyes. When I handed him the gift card, saying he could use it for whatever his family might need, he burst into tears. This has been a wonderful experience for our family. For days the kids have been looking for others we can help! Things would have played out so differently if I had simply said, "No, we really don't have money to give more." Stepping out not only helped a brother in need, it also gave my kids the _ taste of helping others. It'll go a long way with them. From the passage, what is TRUE about the writer's family? They helped the poor man at last. Some say college is wasted on the young. So many of us look back at our own college years and realize what we could have done differently to make the most of them. While we can't go back, we certainly can offer our sons and daughters our best advice to help them make the right choices in college. Hopefully, they will have fewer regrets than we do. Following are five guidelines parents can share with their college-bound kids to put the whole experience in perspective. EDUCATION IS YOUR FIRST PRIORITY As soon as you arrive on campus, there will be competing interests. Feel free to check them out but always remember that you are there first and foremost for your education. Go to class prepared and on time. Be engaged during class. Make sure your professor knows you and realizes that you care. BE RESPONSIBLE There are many layers of responsibility. Do what you say you will do and, if you can't, own up to it early and communicate clearly. But being responsible isn't just about meeting your commitments; it is also about taking care of you, your body, and your friends. For example, more than 1800 college students die annually from alcohol-related injuries. Look out for yourself and other people. Make moderate, sensible decisions so you aren't reeling from the consequences later. TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY Incredible opportunities will present themselves: studying abroad, interning at a unique place, trying new things. Don't let fear prevent you from taking advantage of them. There may never be so much time or as many resources devoted to your betterment again in your life. Say yes to opportunities that will help you grow. FIND AND BE A MENTOR Some of the best lessons available to us can come outside of the classroom in the form of a mentor. One of the most powerful growth opportunities is being a mentor. Early on, find someone on campus who you feel can help you grow and develop a relationship with him or her. Also find someone for you to mentor. You will reinforce and enrich your own learning experience by teaching someone else. GET THE JOB DONE It is natural to occasionally feel you want to quit, when it makes more sense to you to go find a full-time job. Resist that urge. As Jocelyn Negron-Rios, a mother of two, who is currently completing her degree, advises, "No matter how difficult it seems, keep at it because however insurmountable it feels now multiply that by 10,000 and that is how it feels when you are in your thirties with a full-time job and a family and are trying to pursue a degree." Which of the following about college life is true? Passing on what you've learned in college can help you enrich your learning experience. These days many people are interested in losing weight. It is very popular among people, especially young people. Everybody hopes to become thin quickly. Some people even take medicine. Do you know how to _ weight? Well... diet and exercise are the right answers. Please read and remember the following tips. Tip 1 You should eat only when you are hungry. Don't eat if you don't feel hungry. Tip 2 You should eat only food that is good for your health. Don't eat junk food such as hamburgers and French fries. Tip 3 It is better to prepare your own food instead of eating out. When you eat out, you may eat too much. That can make you become fatter. Tip 4 Don't forget to think about changing your lifestyle. For example, turn off the TV and the computer and take some exercise every day. Remember not to be too strict with yourself. Give yourself some free time to find the best way to control your weight. Dongdong is a much too fat boy, he needs to _ . turn off the TV and exercise
About this time every year, I get very nostalgic . Walking through my neighborhood on a fall afternoon reminds me of a time not too long ago when sounds of children filled the air, children playing games on a hill, and throwing leaves around in the street below. I was one of those children, carefree and happy. I live on a street that is only one block long. I have lived on the same street for sixteen years. I love my street. One side has six houses on it, and the other has only two houses, with a small hill in the middle and a huge cottonwood tree on one end. When I think of home, I think of my street. Only I see it as it was before. Unfortunately things change. One day, not long ago, I looked around and saw how different everything has become. Life on my street will never be the same because neighbors are quickly grown old, friends are growing up and leaving, and the city is planning to destroy my precious hill and sell the property to contractors. It is hard for me to accept that many of my wonderful neighbors are growing old and won't be around much longer. I have fond memories of the couple across the street, who sat together on their porch swing almost every evening, the widow next door who yelled at my brother and me for being too loud, and the crazy old man in a black suit who drove an old car. In contrast to those people, the people I see today are very old neighbors who have seen better days. The man in the black suit says he wants to die, and another neighbor just sold his house and moved into a nursing home. The lady who used to yell at us is too tired to bother any more, and the couple across the street rarely go out to their front porch these days. It is difficult to watch these precious people as they near the end of their lives because at once I thought they would live forever. The "comings and goings" of the younger generation of my street are now mostly "goings" as friends and peers move on. Once upon a time, my life and the lives of my peers revolved around home. The boundary of our world was the gutter at the end of the street. We got pleasure from playing night games or from a breathtaking ride on a tricycle. Things are different now, as my friends become adults and move on. Children who rode tricycles now drive cars. The kids who once played with me now have new interests and values as they go their separate ways. Some have gone away to college like me, a few got married, two went into the army, and one went to prison. Watching all these people grow up and go away makes me long for the good old days. Perhaps the biggest change on my street is the fact that the city is going to turn my precious hill into several lots for new homes. For sixteen years, the view out of my kitchen window has been a view of that hill. The hill was a fundamental part of my childhood life; it was the hub of social activity for the children of my street. We spent hours there building forts, sledding, and playing tag. The view out of my kitchen window now is very different; it is one of tractors and dump trucks tearing up the hill. When the hill goes, the neighborhood will not be the same. It is a piece of my childhood. It is a visual reminder of being a kid. Without the hill, my street will be just another pea in the pod. There was a time when my street was my world, and I thought my world would never change. But something happened. People grow up, and people grow old. Places changes, and with the change comes the heartache of knowing I can never go back to the times I loved. In a year or so, I will be gone just like many of my neighbors. I will always look back to my years as a child, but the place I remember will not be the silent street whose peace is interrupted by the sounds of construction. It will be the happy, noisy, somewhat strange, but wonderful street I knew as a child. What does the writer mean by saying "my street will be another pea in the pod"? To Whom It May Concern, My husband Jim and I got married in 1965. For the first ten years of our marriage, I was very happy to stay home and raise our three children. Then about four years ago, our youngest child went to school, and I thought I might go back to work. Jim was very supportive and helped me to make my decision. He started to do all the things I used to do around the house, and said he thought I could be a great success in business. After several weeks of job hunting, I found my present job, which is working for a small public relation firm. At first, my husband was proud of me and would tell his friends, "My clever little wife can run that company she's working for." But, as his joking words were becoming reality, Jim stopped talking to me about my job. I have received several promotions and pay increases, and I am now making more money than he is. I can buy my own clothes and a new car. Because of our combined incomes, Jim can do things that we had always dreamed of doing, but we don't do these things because he is unhappy. We fought about little things, and Jim is very critical of me in front of our friends. For the first time in our marriage, I think there is a possibility that our marriage may come to an end. I love Jim very much, and I don't want him to feel inferior , but I also love my job. I think I can be a good wife and a working woman, but I don't know how. Can you give me some advice? Will I have to choose one or the other or can I keep both my husband and my new career? Please help. Yours, Mary What happened as her income increased? In 1966,Allen and Beatrice Garden, two professors at the University of Nevada in Reno, had a bright idea.They were interested in the evolution of language and the language abilities of great apes . Previous attempts to teach chimpanzees to talk had ended in failure and the matter was considered by most people to be closed. But the Gardens realized that speech and the language are not the same thing. Many deaf people, for example, are unable to speak but are perfectly able to communicate by gestures that have all the features of spoken language. The Garders suspected that previous experiments had failed because chimpanzees are physically unable to speak. They therefore decided to try teaching a chimpanzee to sign in the way that deaf people do. And their chosen _ , a female chimpanzee named Washoe after the country in which the university is, proved to be a skillful pupil. Though there is still debate about whether what Washoe learned was really equal to human language, there is no doubt that she learned a lot of words. All of this, however, raises a second question. If Washoe can learn a complex vocabulary of gestures from people, do they have such vocabularies naturally ? To examine that possibility, Amy Pollick and Frans de Waal of Emory University have looked at gestures and expressions in chimpanzees, Signaling by facial and oral expressions is common among primates . Signaling by gestures is limited to great apes. The researchers supposed that the meaning of expressions has been fixed by evolution while the meaning of gestures is learnt. If that were true, particular sorts of facial and oral expressions would occur only in particular circumstances, and this would be the same across groups and even species. The same gestures, on the contrary, would be used in different circumstances. The researchers found exactly what they expected. Expressions almost always occurred in the same circumstances in different groups and different species. Gestures seemed to have completely different meanings. Moreover, even within a single group,the meaning of a gesture could vary with circumstances. It's also worth remembering that gesture is still an essential part of human language, even for those with normal hearing. The old joke that the way to make an Italian speechless is to tie his hands together has much truth in it. Evolution does not come up with complex structures in a single leap. They are built up step by step. This study suggests that the step of speech may have been built on mental features that were acquired millions of years ago when the ancestors of apes and men began to wave meaningfully at each other. What does the research carried out by Amy Pollick and Frans de Waal probably indicate ? Landover, the owner in fee simple of Highacre, an apartment house property, entered into an enforceable written agreement with VanMeer to sell Highacre to VanMeer. The agreement provided that a good and marketable title was to be conveyed free and clear of all encumbrances. However, the agreement was silent as to the risk of fire prior to closing, and there is no applicable statute in the state where the land is located. The premises were not insured. The day before the scheduled closing date, Highacre was wholly destroyed by fire. When VanMeer refused to close, Landover brought an action for specific performance. If Landover prevails, the most likely reason will be that Fashion isn't very environmentally-friendly because it makes people buy things they don't need, just because they're new. We want to take care of the environment, we don't want to pollute the air and we don't want to waste energy and resources. But we also want to be fashionable. How can we buy fashionable clothes and protect the environment? Old styles are fashionable again, so one way is to buy second-hand clothes -- recycled clothes. Another way is to buy' fair trade clothes. These clothes are either recycled or made in a ' way that protects the environment. They also protect the people who make the clothes. Surprisingly, white cotton is one of the least environmentally-friendly crops of all. To protect the cotton, the growers use chemicals that pollute water, make farm workers ill and kill wildlife. New materials, such as hemp and bamboo, grow quickly and are more environmentally-friendly. These materials are very soft, and look fantastic. The best materials are coloured using natural dyes, made from plants. Environmentally-friendly clothes are practical but until now they were often dull. Now fashion-designers are working with these materials and the clothes are beautiful as well. So now we can buy fashionable clothes that are also environmentally-friendly. Why do people often buy things they don't need? Because _ .
The fact that blind people can see things using parts of their bodies apart from their eyes may help us to understand our feelings about color.If they can sense color differences, then perhaps we, too, are affected by color without knowing it.Salesmen have discovered by experience over a long period of time that sugar sells badly in green wrappings, that blue foods are considered not agreeable to the taste, and that cosmetics should never be packed in brown.These discoveries have grown into a whole subject of color psychology. Some of our preferences are clearly psychological.Dark blue is the color of the night sky and therefore connected with calm, while yellow is a day color connected with energy and encouragement.Experiments have shown that colors, partly because they are connected with psychology, also have a direct effect on people's mind.People in bright red surroundings show an increase in breathing speed, heartbeat and blood pressure.Red is exciting.Pure blue has exactly the opposite effect; it is a calming color.Being exciting, red was chosen as the signal for danger, but a closer study shows that a bright yellow can produce a more basic state of alarm, so fire engines in some advanced areas are now rushing around in bright yellow colors that stop buses, trucks and cars. Which of the following do you think is the best title for the passage? Answer: Well, what a bonus! Lots of us are using technology to find rides, and not just to school. It's awkward to call a friend and ask for a ride, and half the time they'll say, "Sorry,my car is full." But with Twitter and Facebook, you just tweet Ashleys Pool Party and look for other people heading the same way. It may sound risky, but many teens stay within their own social circles to find rides, and don't branch out beyond friends of friends when asking on Twitter. For me, I only rideshare with people I know, but to some young people, especially those taking longer trips, stranger danger is less of a concern. The sharing economy got big during the recession . It allows people to access more goods and services using technology, while also allowing them to share cost. And that, technology, for me, is what the car was for my mom, a gateway to more freedom. According to the researchers at the University of Michigan,30 years ago, eight in ten American 18-year-olds had a driver's license. Today it's six in ten. So it's not that surprising that on my 16th birthday I wasn't rushing to get a license. All I wanted was an IPhone, Juliet Schor (Sociology professor at Boston College) knows people of my age love being connected and for young people driving means they have to disconnect from their technology, and that's negative. So if they could sit in the passenger side and still be connected, that's going to be a plus. To me, another plus is ridesharing represents something much bigger than trying to save money. I see it as evidence that people still depend on each other. My generation shares their cars and apartments the way neighbors used to share cups of sugar. For the system to work, we still need our own cars. But until I get my own version of the silver Super Beetle, you can find me on twitter. Which is the best title for the passage? Answer: A university graduate described as a "respectable and intelligent" woman is seeking professional help after being convicted of (......)shoplifting for the second time in six months. Ana Luz, recently studying for her Phd, has been told she could end up behind bars unless she can control the desire to steal from shops . Luz ,who lives with her partner in Fitzwilliam Road ,Cambridge ,admitted stealing clothes worth PS9.95 from John Lewis in Oxford Street ,London ,on March 9. Phillip Lemoyne ,prosecuting ,said Luz selected some clothes from a display and took them to the ladies' toilet in the store .When she came out again she was wearing one of the skirts she had selected ,having taken off the anti-theft security alarms . She was stopped and caught after leaving the store without paying , Mr. Lemoyne said. He added that she was upset on her arrest and apologized for her actions. Luz,28, was said to have been convicted of shoplifting by Cambridge judges last October ,but Morag Duff, defending ,said she had never been in trouble with the police before that . "She is ashamed and embarrassed but doesn't really have any explanation why she did this ," Miss Duff said . "She didn't intend to steal when she went into the store . _ She is otherwise a very respectable and intelligent young lady .She went to her doctor and asked for advice because she wants to know if there is anything in particular that caused her to do this." Judge David Azan fined Luz PS 50, and warned : "You've got a criminal record .If you carry on like this ,you will end up in prison ,which will ruin your bright future you may have." Luz achieved a degree in design at university in her native Spain ,went on to a famous university in Berlin , Germany for her master's degree and is now studying for a PhD at Cambridge University ,UK. Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word "shoplifting" used in the passage? Answer: I have forgotten the name of an old lady who was a customer on my paper route when I was a twelve-year-old boy back in 1954. Yet it seems like just yesterday that she taught me a lesson in forgiveness that I can only hope to pass on to someone else someday. On a Saturday afternoon, a friend and I were throwing rocks onto the roof of the old lady's house. I found a smooth rock and sent it. The stone headed straight for a small window on the old lady's back door. At the sound of broken glass, we took off from the old lady's yard. I was too scared about getting caught that first night. However, a few days later when I was sure that I hadn't been discovered, I started to feel guilty for her misfortune. I decided to save my paper delivery money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I thought would cover the cost of her window. I put the money in an envelope with a note explaining that I was sorry for breaking her window. Then I put the envelope through the letter slot in her door. My soul felt redeemed and I couldn't wait for the freedom of, once again, looking straight into the old lady's eyes. The next day, I. handed the old lady her paper. She thanked me for the paper and said, "Here, I have something for you. " It was a bag of cookies. I thanked her and ate the cookies as I continued my route. After several cookies, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope, I was shocked. Inside was the seven dollars and a short note that said, "I'm proud of you. " What would be the best title for the passage? Answer: Thanksgiving Day is an American national holiday. It usually lasts four days. Americans celebrate it on the fourth Thursday of November each year. It's a time for people to give thanks to God, and it's also a time for family members to get together. Thanksgiving Day is like a warm family meeting. On the Eve of Thanksgiving, members of the family will drive and even fly home. The next day, they sit around the table, enjoying a traditional dinner together. Turkey ,sweet potatoes and a pudding are always ready for the Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving Day is also a day for students to give thanks to parents and teachers who give them help and who love them very much. People have _ on Thanksgiving Day. Answer:
We offer five kinds of courses. Each course has been designed to help students according to their needs. Course 1: General English General English is designed to develop students' basic communication skills in: Speaking and Pronunciation, Reading, Listening, Writing, Grammar and Vocabulary. Tuesday to Friday: 9:00 am to 11:00 am, $288 per week. Course 2: Academic English Academic English is for students who want to take the IELTS exam or for those who need to use English in a professional area. Monday to Friday: 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, $320 per week. Course 3: High School ESL Why not make the most of your time studying in Australia with the help from TIES? We have High School ESL classes each week specifically designed for International Students. Tuesday to Friday: 8:00 am to 11:00 am, $25 per hour. Course 4: Night Classes Do you want to improve your English and get the best results possible in your GRE test? We have two night classes each week designed to meet your needs. Tuesday and Thursday evenings: 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm, $60 per day. Course 5: One on One If you are interested in some One on One lessons with TIES teachers, we can design a curriculum to meet your needs. One on One lessons can improve your English language skills more quickly and help students who want to take TOEFL. Tuesday to Friday: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, $80 per hour. Which course would be helpful for students who want to take the IELTS exam? A. Course 1. B. Course 2. C. Course 3. D. Course 4. Answer: B. Course 2. In today's world many people seem to be hungry for money. Money does have its most useful effect on the poor. But once a person has a rich life, a lot more money doesn`t mean more happiness. If money were everything, all millionaires would have real love, true friendship, good health and a long life. However, this is not always true .But can love be bought ?I`m afraid not . Love means to give , not to take . To every person , health and long life are probably the most precious things . Well , can health and a long life be bought with money ? The answer is "No". Of all the longest living people in the world, few of them are millionaires. True friendship can't be bought, either. In a word, where money is dreamed too much, it can cause brothers to quarrel, marriage to end, lovers to hate, and strangers to fight. No matter how much money you have, it is still not enough to make a happy person if you have no one to laugh with, no one to cry for. ,. In fact , few of millionaires _ A. have much money B. have the longest living C. love their money D. have true love Answer: B. have the longest living The newspaper must provide for the reader the facts, pure, unprejudiced , objectively selected facts. But in these days the complex news it must provide more; it must supply explanation, the meaning of the facts. This is the most important assignment facing American journalism--to make clear to the reader the problems of the day, to make international news understandable as community news, to recognize that there is no longer any such thing(with the possible exception of society news)as "local" news, because any event in the international area has local reaction in the financial market, political circles, indeed, of our very way of life. There is in journalism a widespread view that when you consider giving an explanation, you are entering dangerous water, the swirling tides of opinion. This is nonsense. The opponents of explanation insist that the writer and the editor shall confine himself to the "facts". This insistence raises two questions; What are the facts? And are the bare facts enough? As for the first question, consider how a so-called "factual" story comes about. The reporter collects, say, fifty facts; out of these fifty, his space being necessarily restricted, he selects the ten that he considers most important. This is Judgment Number One. Then he or his editor decides which of these ten facts shall constitute the beginning of the article. (this is an important decision because many readers do not proceed beyond the first paragraph) This is Judgment Number Two. Then. The night editor decides whether the article shall be presented on page one, where it has a large influence, or on page twenty-four, where it has little. Judgment Number Three. Thus in the show of a so-called "factual" of "objective" story, at least three judgments are involved. And they are judgments mot at all unlike those involved in explanation, in which reporter and editor, calling upon their research resources , their general background, and their "news neutralism" , arrive at a conclusion as to the importance of the news. The two areas of judgment, presentation of the news and its explanation, are both objective rather than subjective processes--as objective, that is, as any human being can be. (Note in passing; even though complete objectivity can never be achieved, nevertheless the ideal must always be the light in the murky news channels) If an editor is intern on giving a prejudiced view of the news, he can do it in other ways and more effectively than by explanation. He can do it by the selection of those facts that support his particular viewpoint. Or he can do it by the play he gives a story promoting it to page one or putting it on page thirty. The best title for this passage is . A. Function of the Night Editor B. Explaining the News. C. Subjective versus Objective Processes D. Choosing Facts Answer: B. Explaining the News. Avoiding the use of fossil fuel is an example of A. Liberalism B. Ecosystem Vulnerability C. Conservationism D. Protectionism Answer: C. Conservationism Toyoda said those changes were being made nearly around the clock,but during three hours of often tense questions and answers he repeated that there was no link to the vehicle's electronic systems. Many drivers making complaints against Toyota and the government say their acceleration problems had nothing to do with floor mat interference or sticky gas pedals .Outside experts have suggested electronic problems. House lawmakers expressed serious criticism on Toyoda,the grandson of the company's founder. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)is seeking records on Toyota's recalls and is conducting its own review on whether electronics were behind the car faults.NHTSA also continues to look into steering complaints from drivers of the popular Corolla model. Toyota has recalled 8.5 million cars,more than 6 million of them in the United States. It may be a while before car buyers believe that Toyota really makes safe cars. Toyota's January sales already fell 16 percent even as most other automakers jumped back from last year's bad results.Analyst Koji Endo of Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo said he expects February sales,due out next week,to be down 30 percent to 40. Toyota's sales problem could continue beyond that. It will take some time to feel the full effect of this,he said. The last sentence of this passage indicates _ . A. Analyst Koji Endo is fully confident about Toyota B. Toyota could meet a worse situation C. Toyota would get out of trouble sooner or later D. Toyota would build up a better reputation among its customers Answer: B. Toyota could meet a worse situation
Desks and chairs remained in the classroom, but the lovely children have already left us forever. The handprints left on the walls tell us their fear and despair . Ninety-nine pupils were killed in a flood in Heilongjiang Province on June 10, 2005. They were swept away by violent waters while having class. It was a natural disaster. But the destruction may have been less serious if students had known what to do to save themselves. Some witnesses said most children did nothing but cry when they found no escape route. Under the instruction of teachers, some pupils caught desks and chairs that were floating and survived. But others were so scared that they could not follow what the teachers said. Everyone knows that people should mend the fold before the sheep are lost. Preparation for disasters is very important. Schools should be responsible for teaching students survival skills for times of danger. So survival skills and exercises are as important as textbook knowledge. Japan has set a good example to us. Even though earthquakes and tsunamis often affect the country, there are usually few deaths and injuries. Survival exercises are held in every Japanese school every year. With different kinds of competitions and training, schools help the students be aware and capable of surviving disasters. On June 16, 2005, a public safety museum opened in Beijing. People can experience disaster like fires and earthquakes, and learn survival skills. Some Beijing teenagers are required to visit the museum. If there were more similar activities in China, further tragedies may be avoided. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? A. Ninety-nine pupils were injured in a flood in Heilongjiang Province. B. The pupils were swept away by violent waters while playing with classmates C. Japan is often struck by earthquakes and tornadoes. D. A public safety museum opened in Beijing to help people learn survival skills. Answer: D. A public safety museum opened in Beijing to help people learn survival skills. For a long time, the traditional method of identifying liars was to watch their body language, including facial expressions. What if the person appears to be nervous? Is the person unable to look me in the eye? Is he or she look around the room? What about other nervous movements, such as fidgeting or shifting from side to side? Many people--from parents to police officers and airport security personnel--depend on this method. But does a person's body and face reveal the truth? Not according to a new study. Talking, it seems, is the best way to smoke out a liar. That is what researchers in the United Kingdom found out recently. Their investigation took place at one place where lying can get you into big trouble--an airport. The researchers asked volunteers to pretend they were real passengers and then lie to airport security agents. Some of the agents used spoke conversation-based methods to question these make-believe passengers. Others depended instead on the person's body language, like lack of eye contact and showing signs of nervousness. The agents talking with the passengers were 20 times more likely to catch the liars. The study found that these conversation-based techniques can help you recognize when a person is lying to you. Like many methods, this conversation method has a name. It is called Controlled Cognitive Engagement or CCE, for short. The British government partly financed this study. The American Psychological (APA) published the findings. Body language cannot be trusted. Using body language and facial expressions to catch someone in a lie is really hard. And it only works, seemingly, by chance. Thomas Ormerod is the head of the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex in England. On the APA website, he reported that the "suspicious-signs method"--or using body language--"almost completely fails" in finding lies. What will the author continue to talk about based on the passage? A. Misunderstandings of catching a liar. B. The "suspicious-signs" method. C. How the CCE method works. D. The new concept of CCE. Answer: B. The "suspicious-signs" method. Visiting U.S. President George W. Bush said in Beijing Friday that both China and the United States should encourage bilateral contacts and exchanges to promote mutual understanding. "It's important for our political leaders to come to China," said Bush, who gave a speech Friday morning at Qinghua University, one of the most prestigious universities in China. His working visit to China and discussions with Oinghua students "help promote" Sino-U.S. relations, Bush said in response to a student's question about what he would do to promote Sino-U.S. relations. "Many people in my country are very interested in China," he said, adding that these Americans have learned more about China's culture and the Chinese people. He said that he would keep encouraging such contacts and exchanges between the two countries. Bush said that he would describe back home what he has seen here and that China as a great nation not only has a "great history" but also an "unbelievably exciting future." The president said that the 2008 Olympic Games would make a significant opportunity for the rest of the world to understand China, which enables more people to come to China and feel the modernization taking place, and many more people will see it on the television. Bush arrived in Beijing Thursday for a two-day working visit to China. The narrator of the passage was most probably _ . A. a reporter B. a psychologist C. a politician D. a sociologist Answer: A. a reporter It is a very usual thing for a person to have a good friend. My good friend is Diana. She is a rich and proud girl. She often thinks that she is too good for anyone. One day after school, I was waiting for Diana when Vivien came up to me. She gave me a cake, I got it. We talked and joked. From then on, I began to spend more time with Vivien than Diana. However, I also began to feel a little uneasy. After a few days, I went to see Diana with some snacks and at that time Vivien came and sat with me. She gave me a sandwich. She also gave one to Diana, but Diana didn't get it. She walked away. I was angry with Diana for being so rude. "Never mind," Vivien said , " I'm used to it." After school, I tried to catch up with Diana. When we walked home, I tried to correct her attitude , but she would not listen to me. She said, "Go and join your 'dear' Vivien. I know you make new friends and forget the old ones." For the next few weeks, we did not talk to each other. Then, one day, Diana came to Vivien and me, saying, "I'm really sorry about what I did. I'm a spoiled girl, but I also need good friends just like you. Would you please forgive me? Vivien and I looked at each other and smiled. From then on, Diana, Vivien and I are best friends. The writer was angry with Diana _ . A. because she was too good for anyone B. when Diana didn't get Vivien's sandwich C. though she asked the writer to forgive D. so Diana walked away Answer: B. when Diana didn't get Vivien's sandwich Asia has many wild places. The following national parks are among the most famous in Asia. People come to visit them from near and far in order to appreciate the unique qualities of the land and everything on it. Have you ever visited any of these Asian national parks? Jiuzhai Valley National Park, China The extraordinarily beautiful park is famous for its fascinating blue-green lakes, waterfalls and its unique wildlife. Located in the Minshan Mountain, Sichuan Province, it is a breathtaking park because of its scenery and it is also home to nine Tibetan villages, over 220 bird species as well as a number of endangered animals and plants, such as giant pandas, Sichuan golden monkeys and numerous _ . This park was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. Khao Sok National Park, Thailand This extraordinary park is several miles away from Phuket , yet its remoteness prevents it from being visited. Even so, it is well worth a visit as scientists have noted that is rainforest stretches are not only longer than those of the Amazon, but also more divers . Animals like tigers, Asian elephants, and macaaues make their home here. Everyone who visits the park, however, seems to want to have a look at the amazing Rafflesia, one of the strangest flowering plants on earth; it smells like smelly meat when it blooms. Nikko National Park, Japan It is lovely to visit this park all the year round with its waterfalls and picturesque Lake Chuzenji. And it is especially worth visiting in autumn when the leaves change from green to deep red and orange. Set with UNESCO protected shrines and temples, the park is a unique mixture of natural and man-made attractions. With various routes perfect for adventurous hikers, a visit to the Nikko National Park is not to be missed. If you want to know more information about Asian famous national parks, you can log in http://www.travel.Amerikanki.com. If you want to enjoy all the above, welcome to call 050-24689120, and we can give a reasonable price. Compared with Amazon, Khao Sok National Park has _ . A. stranger flower plants B. More animals C. more varieties of rainforests D. more visitors Answer: C. more varieties of rainforests
Customer, aged 20, went into Store at approximately 6:45 p.m. to look at some suits that were on sale. The clerks were busy, and one of them told Customer that he should wait on himself. Customer selected three suits from a rack and went into the dressing room to try them on. Signs posted on the walls of Store stated that 58 closing time was 9:00 p.m.; however, because of a special awards banquet for employees, Store was closed at 7:00 p.m. on this day. The employees, in a hurry to get to the banquet, did not check the dressing rooms or turn off the lights before leaving. When Customer emerged from the dressing room a few minutes after 7:00 p.m., he was alone and locked in. Customer tried the front door, but it was secured on the outside by a bar and padlock, so he went to the rear door. Customer grabbed the doorknob and vigorously shook the door. It did not open, but the activity set off a mechanism that had been installed because of several recent thefts committed by persons who had hidden in the store until after closing time. The mechanism sprayed a chemical mist in Customer's face, causing him to become temporarily blind. The mechanism also activated an alarm carried by Store's employee, Watchman, who was just coming to work. Watchman unlocked the front door, ran into the store and grabbed Customer. Customer, who was still unable to see, struck out at this person and hit a metal rack, injuring his hand. Watchman then identified himself, and Customer did the same. After assuring himself that Customer was telling the truth, Watchman allowed him to leave. If Customer is to prevail on a claim against Store based on battery from the use of the chemical spray, Customer must establish that Answer: A butcher watching over his shop was really surprised when he saw a dog coming inside the shop. He went over to the dog and noticed it had a note in its mouth. He took the note and it read "Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please. The dog has money in his mouth, as well." The butcher looked carefully and was surprised to find that there was really a ten-dollar note there. So he took the money and put the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog's mouth. The butcher was so impressed, and since it was about closing time, he decided to shut up shop and follow the dog. So off he went. He followed the dog to a bus stop. The dog stopped and started looking at the timetable. The dog checked out the time, and then sat on one of the seats provided. Along came a bus. The dog walked around to the front, looked at the number, and went back to its seat. Another bus came. Again the dog went around to the front, looked at the number and climbed on. The butcher, by now, open-mouthed, followed it onto the bus. The bus traveled through the town and out into the suburbs. Eventually the dog got up, and moved to the front of the bus. It stood on two back paws and pushed the button to stop the bus. Then it got off with groceries still in its mouth. Well, the dog and the butcher were walking along the road, and then the dog turned into a house. It walked up the path, and dropped the groceries on the step. Then it walked back down the path, took a big run, and threw itself against the door. Then again, it threw himself against it. There's no answer at the house. so the dog waited at the door. The butcher watched as a big guy opened the door, and started shouting at it. The butcher ran up, and stopped the guy. "Why do you shout at the dog? It is really a genius." The guy responded, "You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog's forgotten its key." The dog threw itself against the door, because _ . Answer: Hong Kong, a city of seven million--and growing fast. By the year 2050 Hong Kong's population will almost double. Where will these people live? There's only one place to go--up. Fast forward 50 years.This is the tallest man-made structure on the planet. Its name:Millennium Tower. It would stand twice as tall as anything built before. Over 60 thousand people would live or work here. Millennium's designers think it represents the best solution for the coming population explosion. It would cost ten billion dollars and consume more building materials than any single nation could produce. David Nelson, one of Millennium's key designers, said:"It would be a massive project and a world project. But to actually realize it, resources would have to come from all over the globe. The challenge and the motivation for doing it would be to realize one of the world's largest and most complex construction projects." Millennium would be more complex than anything ever built. So its builders won't know for sure the building is safe until it's up, and they can't afford to make an error. Massive earthquakes have brought down entire cities in this part of the world. Can Millennium's designers make it immune to these quakes of the earth? For Millennium, like all the other buildings, safety is just one concern among many. It will need to be a home, one that welcomes people in. Getting people into the building and making sure they have a great experience well be what makes Millennium successful, but how to do it? For the design team, the secret was to bring all the elements of city life within. Cafes and restaurants, theatres and stores would provide entertainment. Health clubs, even schools and medical clinics would also serve the towers' residents. Millennium's designers have proven something. Things that seem impossible today, might just become reality tomorrow. The engineering problems have, for the most part, already been solved. Our achievements are limited only by our imaginations. What is TRUE about the project? Answer: Characters: Evan, Mrs. Bordoni, Mr. Cortez, Rita. Marco. Tom Setting: An elementary school Mrs. Bordoni: (Stands at the school gate) Good morning! You need to go straight to your classrooms, children. (A shy boy walks up, with a red face.) What is your name? Evan: (Looking at the ground) My name is Evan. Mrs. Bordoni: Welcome to Northside. I'm the principal , Mrs. Bordoni. Evan: (Looks surprised) Oh! Good morning. Mrs. Bordoni: I know you are new to our school, but you will like it here. I will take you to your classroom. Evan: I didn't want to move... and leave my friends. Mrs. Bordoni: You will have friends here. You'll see. Mrs. Bordoni: Here's your room, 106. Mr. Cortez: Welcome to our class! I'm Mr. Cortez. Evan: (The class looks at him. He speaks softly.) Hello. Mr. Cortez: We are talking about a story we just read. Who can tell Evan what it was about? Rita: This family moves to a new state. Their story is both funny and sad. Evan: (Cheering up) Did they like the new place? Marco: Not at first. But they made lots of new friends. Mr. Cortez: What happened to make them change their minds? Tom: The girl from next door said she needed help. When they got to her house, a sign said, "Welcome". Marco: It was a surprise party for them. The whole family was laughing. Mr. Cortez: The neighbors made the family feel welcome. Mrs. Bordoni: (Stands in the doorway) Evan, it's time for lunch. (They enter the lunchroom. A sign says, "Welcome Evan".) It is hard to change schools and leave old friends. Now, we are your friends. Evan: (Smiles) I can't believe you did this for me. The words in brackets, such as "(Stands at the school gate)" tell _ . Answer: Mini Hoover Dam Tour ONLY $48 per person LIST PRICE $60 This tour begins with beautiful sights as you travel by coach through famous Las Vegas towards Boulder City, Nevada. As you leave Boulder City on your way to the famous Hoover Dam, you will see in the distance Lake Mead. Created by the Hoover Dam, it is one of the largest and most beautiful man-made lakes in America! When you arrive at Hoover Dam, you can visit the museum, watch a movie on the Dam's construction and see Oskar J.W. Hansen's famous sculptures on the Nevada side. Experience the excitement of this man-made wonder with great views that will create memories of a lifetime! Tour Highlights * Free hotel-to-hotel pick-up and drop-off * Coaches with windows for your viewing pleasure * Beautiful views of man-made Lake Mead * Experience the Hoover Dam from two states * Hoover Dam Discovery Tour * Time for souvenir shopping * Relax and enjoy our return journey by coach to Las Vegas According to the text, the Hoover Dam lies _ . Answer:
It's about the size of a small slim upside down goat, if you can imagine such a thing.The sloth really is not only one of the laziest, but one of the strangest of the strangest of mammals.It spends most of its life asleep.But even when it's awake, it only moves very slowly. There are two main kinds defined by the number of toes that they have on their font legs.It's the three-toed which has really slothful habits, and the one that interests me most.You're not likely to have seen it in zoos, for unlike the two-toed which will rat all kinds of vegetables and fruits,, the three-toed is really picky and will only accept leaves and fruits of a few particular kinds, which few zoos can supply.And in any case, it doesn't make an exactly fascinating exhibit, since it spends most of its tile sleeping. When the skins and skeletons of this extraordinary beast reaches Europe, artists given the task of illustrating the species in natural history books, showed it standing upright on its four thin legs, even though thee hooks on its feet and the fur on its body all pointed very obviously in what you might call the wrong way.After all, the artists must have said to themselves, it would be too ridiculous to show it as animal that spent all its life upside down. Sloths are only capable of a faint wheeze and occasional whistle.These sounds are probably only made to deter a meat-eater like a lion, and certainly not to communicate with one another, for sloths are virtually stone deaf.It's said that an enthusiastic zoologist investigating the hearing ability of sloths fired his gun close to _ .It slowly raised its head, blinked at the scientist, and then went back to sleep again. The underlines word"one"refers to _ . A one o'clock B one gun shot C A sloth D one scientist Answer: C. A sloth Many people influenced various aspects of my life, based on their personal characteristics, accomplishments, and values. I have been fortunate to have had numerous teachers and professors who I respect for their patience and intelligence. There are artists that have inspired me by their natural talents and original creativity. I value many political leaders, who have inspired me by their contributions to society, and their ability to change our futures. But of all the people I have known in my life, the person I admire most is my father. As the youngest girl in my family, I always considered myself to be"Daddy's little girl". While I grew up, it always made me sad to see so many of my friends and neighbors without a father or father-like figure around. This helped me appreciate how my father always takes an interest in his children's lives. In every aspect of my life my father continuously pushes me to _ , so I could accomplish my work outstandingly among my people. Whenever I feel like giving up, or have a question or a concern, I know I can always call on him for advice. _ His strength seems to be unbreakable during hard times, and he is extremely determined to accomplish anything he sets his mind on, no matter how tiny it is. I highly respect him for how he stands up for what he believes in, and will never back down. I have always admired his open mind, compassion for people, and sense of understanding. He is a very reserved man, but to everybody's surprise, he has a great sense of humor, and always knows how to put a smile on the faces of his wife, his children and his friends. Living in his affection and instruction, I am very proud of my father. He also professes how proud he is of his children, and is still there to support us in whatever we are involved in. What is the best title for the passage? A How my father loved me B My father--the person I admire most C I am the apple of my father's eye D My father--the one who influenced me most Answer: B. My father--the person I admire most Which two body systems are directly involved in movement? A muscular and skeletal B digestive and muscular C skeletal and respiratory D respiratory and digestive Answer: A. muscular and skeletal What a great Paralympic Games this has been. An outstanding Opening Ceremony, splendid athletic performances in perfect stadiums, the best-ever Paralympic Villages, amazing high definition television coverage, a never ending and self-generating supply of passion and emotion, superb organization, wonderful volunteers, millions of new Paralympic sports lovers both here in China and around the world. These are the greatest Paralympic Games ever. --Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee It was another spectacular show. Perhaps it's not quite as sublimely beautiful as the opening, but a fitting end to what has been a memorable 12 days in the Chinese capital. The Paralympics were inspiring. Not only the Paralympians themselves, but also the warmth of people in Beijing and the sense of self-respect among the disabled in China that these Games seem to have inspired, as well as a new attitude in general from the government and form Chinese society as a whole. -- Jeff Z. prefix = st1 /Klein,New YorkTimes It doesn't get any better for disabled persons living in Beijingthan September 2008, with increased access for them in public areas. But there are still problems. Some taxi drivers are not willing to pick up wheelchair users. Some companies deliberately break employment laws that ask them to employ a percentage of disabled persons. Many schools haven't opened their door to disabled students. During the past Paralympics, Chinese society has witnessed firsthand the abilities of disabled persons in sporting. And the next step will be for the abilities of disabled people on the Paralympics to be translated into a realization of their abilities to study, work and go about daily life in a barrier-free society. -- Eric Roeder, China Daily During the last Paralympics, Philip Craven has been deeply impressed with all the following except _ . A the shocking athletic performances B the endless food supply C the people's great enthusiasm D the perfect sports facilities Answer: B. the endless food supply What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, and red? If you do, you must be an optimist , a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy and you would rather follow than lead. If you love green, you are strong-minded and determined. You wish to succeed and want other people to see you are successful. At least this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference , and the effect that colors have on human beings. They tell us that we don't choose our favorite color as we grow up. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly. A yellow room makes us feel more cheerful and more comfortable than a dark green one, and a red dress rings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing . Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active. It is a fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or dark gray. Remember, then, that if you feel low, you can always brighten your day or your life with a new shirt or a few colorful things. Remember also that you will know your friends and your enemies better when you find out what colors they like and dislike. And don't forget that anyone can guess a lot about your character when you choose a piece of handkerchief. The writer believes that in realizing the four modernizations of country, we need more people who love _ . A yellow B red C green D black Answer: C. green
An electric signal can trick a monkey's brain into believing the animal's finger has been touched. Touch something, and your brain knows. The hand sends signals to the brain to announce contact was made. But that feeling of touch may not require making actual contact, tests on monkeys now show. Zapping brain cells can fool the animal into thinking its finger has touched something. A person who has lost a limb or become paralyzed may need an artificial limb to complete everyday tasks. But such patients may not truly feel any objects they hold. The new findings point toward one day creating a sense of touch in those who use such artificial limbs. Psychologist Sliman Bensmaia of University of Chicago worked on the new tests. His team's findings appeared on October 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The sense of touch is crucial to everyday tasks: People without _ may have difficulty cracking an egg, lifting a cup or even turning a doorknob. That's why restoring it is a major goal for designers of artificial limbs. In their new study, Bensmaia and his co-workers worked with rhesus monkeys . The scientists implanted electrodes --- small devices that can detect and relay an electrical signal--into the animals' brains. The scientists used the electrode data to identify which neurons had become active. Then the scientists used the implanted electrodes to zap those same neurons. And the monkeys reacted as though their fingers had been touched. In fact, they hadn't. The monkeys couldn't use words to tell the scientists what they had felt. Instead, they communicated by looking in a particular direction--just as when they had really been touched. The new findings show how touch-sensitive devices could be built. The new study also offers " a nice clear pathway" for figuring out how to restore a sense of touch to an amputee or someone with a injury of spinal cord. The study shows how artificial limbs might be connected to the brain so that a person can "feel" with such a prosthesis . But such a supersensory device doesn't exist yet and scientists have a lot of work to do before people will benefit from it. Researchers must first figure out whether the electrodes would work in people in the same way they do in monkeys. " I think the foundation is laid for human trials," Bensmaia said. The last sentence of the text suggests humans _ . A. will use touch-sensitive devices B. will test monkeys soon C. lay foundations for monkey trials D. will be tested on the electrodes Answer: D. will be tested on the electrodes Bob was flying a toy plane in his yard. He was having a great time! Bob had a dog and a cat that were also playing in the yard. He was also singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Bob flew his toy plane too high. It landed on the roof of his house. Bob asked his dad to get it. Bob's dad said he had to borrow a ladder from next door. Bob's dad took a walk next door. On the way, Bob's dad waited for a duck to cross the road. Finally, Bob's dad went next door and asked his neighbor, Frank, for a ladder. Frank gave the ladder to Bob's dad. Frank also gave Bob's dad a toy car, a toy train, a toy boat, and a coloring book that Bob could play with in case he couldn't get the plane. Bob's dad walked back to the house. Bob's dad climbed the ladder and took the plane from the roof. Bob laughed and flew the plane again. Afterward, they wanted to go to the beach. Bob wanted to bring his bicycle. Bob's dad wanted to bring a towel and beach ball. They made a big sand castle. They saw a seagull walking on the sand. It was getting late, so they went home and turned on the TV for a little bit. They then went to bed, looking forward to another day of fun tomorrow! Which item did Frank not give Bob's dad? A. Ladder B. Coloring book C. Toy car D. Bicycle Answer: D. Bicycle Question: I have a one-year-old female bulldog, who has recently taken to biting my shoes when we are in the park and I'm on the mobile. She can be slightly aggressive and I'm starting to get worried and a bit annoyed. How do I stop her? ----Susan, London. Answer: You need to get this problem under control before it could escalate . I always advise owners not to talk on the mobile phone when they go for a walk with their dogs, because they should be focusing on this time with their pets, but I know people have busy lives and need to make phone calls. The behavior she is showing is either controlling or playfulness, but they both result from the same issue ---- you are not paying attention to her. If you must make phone calls while on a walk, try to still engage with your dog by speaking towards her, playing some sorts of game and so on. If that doesn't work, you'll have to try more of a training approach. You will need a training line and some treats. Start your walk in the usual way, make a phone call, and when your dog starts displaying the undesired behavior, simply stop walking --- otherwise she will see it as a game. When she is calm and looking at you, or if she sits, give her a treat; then continue walking. If she starts up again, pick up the lead, gently pull it, and tell her "no". Then ask her to sit and give her a treat if she does. The aim of this is to try to get her to forget how much fun it is biting your shoes. Do little sessions every day --- and try not to answer the phone if you know it's going to be a long conversation. Be patient and good luck! Remember that if an animal shows signs of distress or discomfort, an early visit to the vet is always recommended. How can Susan get her pet dog to forget the fun from biting her shoes? A. By playing some sort of game with the pet dog. B. By punishing the pet dog strictly. C. By training her not to do so. D. By leaving her at home. Answer: C. By training her not to do so. Skin-diving is a new sport today. This sport take you into a wonderful new world. It is like a visit to the moon! When you are under water, it is easy for you to climb big rocks, because you are on longer heavy. Here, under water, everything is blue and green. During the day, there is plenty of light. When fish swims nearby, you can catch them with your hands. When you have tanks of air on your back, you can stay in deep water for a long time. But you must be careful when you dive in deep water. To catch fish is one of the most interesting parts of this sport. Besides, there are more uses for Skin-diving. You can clean ships without taking them out of the water. You can get many things from the deep sea. Now you can see that Skin-diving is both useful and interesting. This sport _ . A. is like to travel on the moon B. is like to play in water C. is like to visit a new country D. is like to climb a big rock Answer: A. is like to travel on the moon New research says 35 percent of the deaths of children worldwide are caused by hunger. The research is from poor to middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Robert Black from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in prefix = st1 /Marylandwas the leading writer of the research. He says more than 3.5 million mothers and children under five die in poor countries each year because of hunger. He says more than two million children die from underdevelopment, either before or after birth. Millions of others who survive face a lifetime of disabilities or early death. And the effects are not just physical. Poor brain development can limit economic success as children become adults. Then the cycle of poverty and hunger often repeats for their children. Doctor Black says hungry children are also more likely to have conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease as adults. He says the studies show that food programs need to place the greatest importance on the first two years of life. Hungry children can suffer the whole life damage from age two. So it is high time to improve their diets. Diets should include foods rich in vitamin A and other useful things. The researchers say early help like these could reduce child deaths by 25%. The research has faced some criticism . A medical aid group says the researchers underestimate the number of child deaths from hunger. The researchers say there are findings that support this treatment but more studies are needed to compare it to hospital care. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage? A. Hunger--children's biggest enemy. B. How to prevent hunger. C. A latest survey about hunger all over the world. D. Time to improve our living conditions. Answer: A. Hunger--children's biggest enemy.
Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday.The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its III-year history.Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was "overjoyed and scared". Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan-a pen name for Guan Moye,grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern China. At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing. He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the same year, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth and his works show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique culture and folk customs. Mo Yan is known as a prolific writer. In addition to his novels, he has published many short stories and essays on various topics. Despite his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the most famous contemporary authors. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French, Japanese and many other languages. The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10.The winner will win a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of about $l million. How did Mo Yan feel when he was told about the news? A. Excited and proud. B. Happy and surprised. C. Worried and cautious D. Uncertain and shocked. Answer: B There was once a small town by a river. There were many houses in this town and they were all different colors, shapes and sizes. which made the people happy. On one street there was a red house, a green house, a blue house and one purple house with yellow stripes. The people in the town were all very friendly and knew each other well. When the people of the town went out they loved to wear hats but never wore shoes and the hats were also many different colors, shapes and sizes. On Sundays all the families in town would go to the park by the river and have picnics. The children would run, skip and play and the parents would talk, eat and laugh. The children loved the picnic foods they had. There were hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and steak. They also had salads, coleslaw, fries and chips. The kids' favorite was hamburgers with fries. On days when it rained the children and parents would stay inside and read or color pictures and drink hot chocolate and they loved to wear big warm sweaters. At night the family would all go to the kitchen and cook dinner together and after dinner was finished they would all clear the table and clean the dishes together before getting ready for bed. They would put their pajamas on but never wear socks and they would get under the covers and fall asleep. On the street with different colored houses which house wasn't like the others? A. purple house with yellow stripes B. green C. blue D. red Answer: A One of the most difficult questions to answer is how much a job is worth. We naturally expect that a doctor's salary will be higher than a bus conductor's wages. But the question becomes much more difficult to answer when we compare a miner with an engineer, or an unskilled man working on an oil-rig with a teacher in a secondary school. What the doctor, the engineer and the teacher have in common is that they have devoted several years to studying in order to obtain the necessary qualifications for their professions. We feel instinctively that these skills and these years should be rewarded. At the same time we recognize that the work of the miner and the oil-rig laborer is both hard and dangerous, and that they must be highly paid for the risks they take. Another aspect we must take into consideration is how socially useful a man's work is. Most people would agree that looking after the sick or teaching children is more important than, say, selling second-hand cars. Yet it is almost certain that the used-car salesman earns more than the nurse and the schoolteacher. Indeed, this whole question of just rewards can be turned on its head. You can argue that a man who does a job which brings him personal satisfaction is already receiving part of his reward in the form of a so-called "psychic wage", and that it is the man with the boring, repetitive job who needs more money to make up for the soul-destroying repetitiveness of his work. It is significant that the jobs like nursing and teaching continue to be poorly paid, while others, such as those in the world of sport or entertainment, carry financial rewards out of all proportion to their social worth. Although the amount of money that people earn is largely determined by market forces, this should not prevent us from seeking some way to decide what is the right pay for the job. A starting point would be to try to decide the ratio which ought to exist between the highest and the lowest paid. The picture is made more complicated by two factors: firstly by the welfare benefits which every citizen receives, and secondly by the taxation system which is often used as an instrument of social justice by taxing high incomes at a very high rate indeed. Most countries now regard a ratio of 7:1 as socially acceptable. If it is less, the highly-qualified people carrying heavy responsibilities will become disappointed, and might even end up by leaving for another country. If it is more, the difference between rich and poor will be so great that it will lead to social unrest. Which of the following statements would the author agree? A. It's difficult to define the social value of a job. B. The market will decide what the right pay is for a job. C. People should find a proper ratio between high and low pay. D. Those receiving high salary should carry heavy responsibilities. Answer: C What is green food? Do you enjoy green food every day? The concept of "green food" was first suggested by the Department of the Ministry of Agriculture in 1990. Green symbolizes life, health and energy. Nowadays, people demand healthy and fresh food. Having enough food to eat is only a basic requirement, and they need more than this. They want to enjoy unpolluted, safe and nutritious food and eat comfortably. So the government does this through a set of "from the land to the dinner table" quality controls. It requires to change China's traditional agricultural structures and ensure the food of high quality. Safe vegetables refers to products without substances harmful to humans. Growing such vegetables requires no strong poisons, thus guaranteeing vegetables fresh and clean. There are strict regulations in place for even applying fertilizer . The examination of vegetables should reach the state food hygiene standard. The following conditions for green food are regulated by the China Green Food Development Center. Firstly, products or raw materials must reach the green ecological environment standard set by the Ministry of Agriculture. Secondly, crop planting, livestock raising, fish breeding and food processing must follow green food operating procedures set by the Ministry. Products must be up to the green food hygiene standard. External packing must be pasted with national standard universal labels, special green food packing decoration and tag regulations. However, by now, our goal hasn't been completely realized. When you return home with a full basket, you are still worried about whether what you have bought is green and healthy. Indeed, for the sake of our health, we still have a long way to go. According to the passage, we know that green food _ . A. means the color of food is green B. mainly refers to green vegetables C. doesn't need to be fertilized D. is examined by a series of standards Answer: D We humans can play the piano . of course we play the piano with our ten fingers . But Teotronica can play with its 19 fingers . Teotronica is not a human . It is a robot . It is a special robot which can play the piano like humans . Nattei Suzzi is the inventor of Teotronica . Matteo Suzzi comes from Italy and he is more than thirty years old . He was interested in science when he was young . He always likes to use his head to create amazing things . He spent four years making the musical robot . He made the piano-playing robot at a cost of about 4,700 dollars . Teotronica is a special and great robot . It has more fingers than humans . It plays the piano faster than a human . Teotronica can sing as well when it plays the piano . It is the first robot to do so and many people feel excited to see it ,. Teotronica can even use its eyes to interact with humans because there are cameras in its eyes .Teotronica is amazing , isn't it ? How many fingers does Teotronica have ? A. Ten B. Fifteen C. Nineteen D. Twenty Answer: C
Question: My father was 44 and knew he wasn't going to make it to 45. He wrote me a letter and hoped that something in it would help me for the rest of my life. Since the day I was 12 and first read his letter, some of his words have lived in my heart. One part always stands out. "Right now, you are pretending to be a timekiller . But I know that one day, you will do something great that will set you among the very best." Knowing that my dad believed in me gave me permission to believe in myself. "You will do something great." He didn't know what that would be, and neither did I, but at times in my life when I've felt proud of myself, I remember his words and wish he were here so I could ask, "Is this what you were talking about, Dad? Should I keep going?" A long way from 12 now, I realize he would have been proud when I made any progress. Lately, though, I've come to believe he'd want me to move on to what comes next: to be proud of, and believe in, somebody else. It's time to start writing my own letters to my children. Our children look to us with the same unanswered question we had. Our kids don't hold back because they're afraid to fail. They're only afraid of failing us. They don't worry about being disappointed. Their fear-as mine was until my father's letter-is of being a disappointment. Give your children permission to succeed. They're waiting for you to believe in them. I always knew my parents loved me. But trust me: That belief will be more complete, that love will be more real, and their belief in themselves will be greater if you write the words on their hearts:"Don't worry; you'll do something great." Not having that blessing from their parents may be the only thing holding them back. The main purpose of the text is to _ . A. describe children's thinking B. answer some questions children have C. stress the importance of communication D. advise parents to encourage their children Answer: D. advise parents to encourage their children Question: Maybe you have ever seen a cross. A cross can be a piece of jewelry or an image in a painting. But do you know the cross is a very popular symbol for Christmas? It came from the story of Jesus' death on the cross two thousand years ago in Jerusalem. Jesus was Jewish,and at that time Jewish people were under Roman rule. Jesus was badly punished because he declared to be the Son of God and the King of Jews. Surely,the Son of God could have saved himself from the death!But the Bible says that Jesus had a reason to die that day. It was in God's purpose that it would happen. Christians call the day that Jesus died "Good Friday". At first,it is hard to understand how a terrible day could ever be called good. Well,the story does not end there. Jesus died and he was buried. But three days later,Jesus was alive,and the whole world was changed. Today,Christians everywhere remember this important time. They celebrate Easter. Easter is the day that Jesus rose from the dead. After his death on the cross,Jesus' body was placed in a tomb. On the third day from then,God raised him from the dead. Jesus stayed on earth physically for several weeks. Many people saw him. Easter is the happiest time of year for Christians because they believe that Jesus had victory over death and evil and that now he lives with God the Father in heaven. But before celebrating Easter, Good Friday should be remembered. Jesus died a horrible and painful death. He suffered, though he did nothing wrong. Christian believe that Jesus was God's substitute for humans, because humans all do wrong. He died because of humans and he died for humans. Christians often wear crosses around their necks or hang them in their homes because they believe it is a very important sign. The cross helps them remember how much God loves them. It helps them remember how much his Son had to suffer. Seeing a cross always makes them think of Jesus' death, and what it means. It can be inferred from the passage that _ A. a cross is a piece of jewelry or an image in a painting for Christians B. Christians like crosses because crosses always remind them of God's love and Jesus' death C. if Jesus hadn't returned to life, people would often wear crosses around their necks or hang them in their homes D. Christians call the day that Jesus died "Good Friday"mainly to reduce their pain for the loss of Jesus Answer: B. Christians like crosses because crosses always remind them of God's love and Jesus' death Question: Getting paid to talk about the World Cup is a great job. I'm not a football commentator , though-just an English teacher in Japan. I come to Japan two years ago, and didn't think I would stay, but Japan has that effect on you. _ . I think it's best to teach in a bigger city where there are other foreigners to mix with, rather than a small town where English teachers often complain of feeling like a goldfish in a bowl. Many people choose to live in Tokyo, of course, which is good for the nightlife factor. But I'd say that for general quality of living, cities of neither too large nor too small, like Sapporo where I live, are better choices. I teach English privately, which means I'm my own boss. If you want to devote yourself to private teaching, it's well worth doing a TEFL course first, because your lessons will be much better for it. The problem with private teaching is finding students; it took me a year to build up a full schedule of private lessons, so I started out teaching in schools part-time. Most of my foreign friends here work full-time for big English conversation schools. The salary is fine to live on, but whether you can save money depends on how much going out and traveling you do here. The schools are unwilling to take time off -even teachers with tickets for the England-Argentina game had trouble getting the day off. According to the writer, one had better _ first to do private teaching better. A. give a TEFL course B. decide his or her own lessons C. find students D. build up a full schedule Answer: A. give a TEFL course Question: Dear John, I'm very happy about your coming to Chichester next week.The day after tomorrow is Monday and I have to go away on business for three days.I'11 leave a key to my neighbor at No.2 1.So you won't have to wait before l come back.Now let me tell you how to get here. Walk up Star Road until you come to the first set of traffic lights and then turn right. Walk along the road and then turn left at the first turning.Go straight,and Landsdowne Road is the second on the right.There you can find my house,the door at No.22. Oh !I nearly forget the most important thing--please bring a sleeping bag because we may go camping.Well,I must go now.1 have to go and take the car from the garage on Land Road.My car is in the garage because there is something wrong with its front lights. Hope to see you soon Yours, Mike Mike's house is on _ . A. Star-Road B. Chichester Road C. Landsdowne Road D. Land Road Answer: C. Landsdowne Road Question: While reading a story on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy is ruining their life plans, I couldn't help but think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children who grow up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, I certainly share their disappointment -my husband and I probably won't be able to buy a house until we're in our forties, and we two are burdened by student loans. But why should it be different? Being young people in America, shouldn't they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers? Consider some of these views shared in the story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won't be able to have children for at least a decade because they can't afford to buy a house yet. I read that, and I thought what planet she is living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury, not a fertility requirement. A 26-year-old man in the story is disappointed that he can't afford to get a Ph. D. in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years. Yes, it's sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people's expectations grow up when their wealth appears to be increasing. Their parents probably see their home values rise along with their investments. "So we have people who have grown up in an environment where people have great expectations of what living well means," says Kobliner. This recession will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems much better for our mental health to focus on being grateful--for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day--than on longing for some kind of luxurious life. What's Kobliner's attitude towards the 20-somethings with high expectations ? A. Unbearable. B. Opposing. C. Doubtful. D. Understanding. Answer: D. Understanding.
Question: Travel Voucher : Please download Travel Voucher from this website.For every confirmed booking you will be required to print a voucher which is presented at the destination.You will receive a link to your voucher by email once your booking is confirmed. The passage is likely to appear in _ . A. a newspaper B. a magazine C. a report D. a website Answer: D Question: "Get yourself up and make something of yourself,buddy!"Though my mother has passed away,her words are as clear in my head today as when I was a boy. "Christ!"I said,"I have made something of myself. I want to sleep late as I like." "If there's one thing I can't stand,it's a quitter."Her voice in my head is more powerful than my will to refuse,so I pull myself from bed. Before I was out of primary school,mother could see I lacked the gifts for either making millions or winning the love of crowds.So she began pushing me toward working with words. _ .There seemed to be a word gene that passed down from her mother's grandfather* The greatest proof was my mother's first cousin Edwin.He was the managing editor of the New York Times and had gained a name in his career. In 1947 1 graduated from Johns Hopkins and applied for a job with the Baltimore Sun as a police reporter.It paid$30 a week .When I complained the wage was shameful for a learned man,mother refused to sympathize."If you work hard at this job,"she said,"maybe you can make something of it." After a while,I was asked to cover diplomats at various African embassies. Then, seven years later I was arranged by the Sun to cover the White House,a task that was as close to heaven as a journalist could get.However,whatever achievement of mine only seemed insignificant in her eyes.Uncle Edwin's success was really annoying during my early years as a reporter.What a thrill,I thought. Then,out of my wildest childhood fantasy,the Times came knocking.It was sad that Uncle Edwin had passed away by this time.In 1979 I won the Pulitzer Prize.Unfortunately,my mother's brain and health broke down the year before,leaving her in a nursing home,out of touch with life forevermore .She never knew of my Pulitzer. I can probably guess how she'd have responded." That's nice,buddy.It shows if you work hand,you'11 be able to make something of yourself one day," What can we learn about the author A. He got a good salary working as a police reporter. B. He lived a rich life with his mother in his childhood. C. It was proud of her mother to see his winning the Pulitzer Prize. D. It was beyond his wildest dream that he could work for the Times. Answer: D Question: Corn and wheat are among the favorite foods of A. humans B. grizzly bears C. fish D. aliens Answer: A Question: On the day of college graduation,I told my friends and family the news:I was leaving the country I had lived in since childhood.''I just need a change,"I told them,but there was more.I was running from heartbreak.My relationship with the United States is the most tough one I have ever had,as a country I loved and believed in did not love me back. Back in the 90's,my mother brought me from our home in the Caribbean islands to the U.S.when I was 4 years old.She worked as a live-in nanny for two years,playing mommy for white kids whose parents had better things to do.She didn't believe that nanny meant maid,and did whatever was asked of her.She was thirsty to embrace her American dream,hoping that her children would be educated and she might have nannies of her own. That was our path--get a "good education." When the neighborhoods with quality schools became too expensive for my mom to afford as a single parent,we went across the United States with GreatSchools. net as our compass:New Jersey,elementary school;Texas,middle school;Florida,high school;New York City,private university. For a long time I survived by covering myself in all kinds of labels so that people would ignore the color1 of my skin,yet I existed on the edge of ugly,ignorant and uncuhured."Black people don't really know how to swim,"a white lady told me when I worked as a swim instructor at my neighborhood's pool."The black children don't like to read very much," I overheard one librarian discussing with another while l sat down reading a book a couple feet away. I was never able to make America my home.When I stripped myself of the labels painfully one by one,beneath them there is a wounded color1ed woman who refuses to be faceless anymore.My face may be disgusting to some since it bears proof that race continues to be a problem.My hope is that it will force Americans to reexamine their "post--racial" beliefs. The author's attitude towards the United States on race problem is_. A. supportive B. positive C. neutral D. negative Answer: D Question: Annie sometimes felt puzzled by the relationship between her parents. They never seemed to show much love for each other. Annie believed that people who were in love would show it. They would hold hands, speak sweet words to each other and give each other nice gifts. Annie's parents did none of these things. So, she doubted whether they really loved each other. It was Annie's plan to ask her parents about their feelings for each other. But it was hard to find the right moment. One Saturday afternoon, she noticed that her dad was in the garage, doing some work on the engine of his sports car. Annie's dad was always in a good mood when he was near his sports car, so she decided to ask him the question that had been bothering her." Dad, do you and Mom really love each other?" "Of course," her father replied. "Why do you ask?" "Well, you never seem to show it." Annie's father was silent for a while, he spoke again. "Look at the engine of this car," he said. "It is oily and messy, and the car looks much better when the hood is down. Don't you agree?" Without waiting for a reply, he went on. "If I took out the engine and put the hood back down, the car would look just as beautiful, right? But it wouldn't be a car anymore. The engine is its beating heart. You don't usually see it, but it has to be there. It's the same with your Mom and me. Our love for each other is the beating heart of this family. Don't worry just because it isn't on show all the time. " About six months later, Annie's father lost his job. The family had to cut back on many things to make ends meet. And he had to sell his beloved sports car. But Annie noticed another change. Because he had more free time, her father spent more of it with her mother. They seemed to grow closer together, and showed their love more often. Their love, which Annie had been afraid did not exist, was plain to see. Annie was sad that the sports car had gone, but at least she understood what her father had told her that day. How did Annie feel about her parents' relationship at the beginning of the article? A. Confused. B. Angry. C. Satisfied. D. Proud. Answer: A
There was a beautiful garden. Every year the king would go to the garden to decide which flower was the most beautiful one. For the last few years, the rose was always Number One. Because of this, the rose Gulaab became _ It would never let birds stay on its flower. Then all the birds started staying away from Gulaab. Behind Gulaab, there was a little yellow flower. People called it Junglee. Junglee wasn't more beautiful than Gulaab, but it welcomed the birds to stay on its flower. All the birds in the garden liked it. This year the king went to the garden as before. The gardener pointed at the rose and said to the king, " Your favourite flower, my king." Of course, the king also saw the yellow flower behind it and asked, "What flower is that?" "Oh! That's Junglee, a wild flower." " I didn't see a flower like it before. There are so many birds on it. I think it's much more beautiful than the rose. It will be the King Flower of this year!" said the king. What is the best title for the passage? Answer: Of all the students of Grade Four, Bill is the tallest. He's thirteen, and of course, he's the oldest, too. But he's the worst student. He can't answer the easiest questions in class. And he never passes the exam. But the boy is the strongest in his school. Even the boys in higher grades are afraid of him. So every day he leaves home with an empty bag. When he gets to school, his bag will be full of fruit and cakes. Sometimes he brings some home. His mother, Mrs. King , is always happy when she sees them. She praises her son, for she can save some money. This morning, Mrs. King went shopping in the market. She saw an old man selling eggs there. She chose twenty-four but paid only for twenty. The old man was too busy to count them. She went home quickly and told her husband as soon as he came back for lunch. "How clever you are!" Mr. King said happily. And Bill was busy eating the eggs, so he didn' t say a word. "What's your favorite food, dear?" asked Mr. King. "Eggs, of course." "Well, then, " said the man, "can you tell us what can lay eggs". The boy thought for a while and said, "Hens, ducks, geese...and...Mum!" "Oh? But why?" "I often hear my classmate call me 'Bad Egg'. " Choose the best answer.(,) _ , so Mrs. King is happy. Answer: What is America's number one sport? Can I still say baseball? You could make that statement 30 years ago,but things have changed.Baseball of course has the richest history of all sports.But with the popularity of basketball and American football,there can now be an argument on which sport is American's number one sport. Basketball really took a turn in the1980's as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird took the NBA to another level.Of course,basketball was already popular and had seen such stars as Jerry West and Dr.J,but the real breakthrough came in the 1980's and from there it really took off with Michael Jordan into the 90's.Basketball has even become very global now as many NBA stars competed in the Olympics and faced no competition.Today,they had better be ready because there are so many talents in other countries and the competition will be stiff. Like basketball,American football has always been a favorite of many sports fans and its popularity has grown widely.The ratings that Super Bowl Sunday brings are amazing.They have even talked about making Super Bowl Sunday a national holiday. In the year 2050,basketball and American football will have history like baseball's rich history and maybe American national sport.They have been trying for years,but it is not going to happen. So what is American's number one sport? To me baseball will always be Americans' hobby--rich in history and many memories for people of all ages.If you have any comments on this subject,do give your opinions. The author agrees that American football Answer: (2013*,D)In 1974,after filling out fifty applications,going through four interviews,and winning one offer,I took what I could get--a teaching job at what I considered a distant wild area:western New Jersey.My characteristic optimism was alive only when I reminded myself that I would be doing what I had wanted to do since I was fourteen--teaching English. School started,but I felt more and more as if I were in a foreign country.Was this rural area really New Jersey?My students took a week off when hunting season began.I was told they were also frequently absent in late October to help their fathers make hay on the farms.I was a young woman from New York City,who thought that"Make hay while the sun shines" just meant to have a good time. But,still,I was teaching English.I worked hard,taking time off only to eat and sleep.And then there was my sixthgrade class--seventeen boys and five girls who were only six years younger than me.I had a problem long before I knew it.I was struggling in my work as a young idealistic teacher.I wanted to make literature come alive and to promote a love of the written word.The students wanted to throw spitballs and whisper dirty words in the back of the room. In college I had been taught that a successful educator should ignore bad behavior.So I did,confident that,as the textbook had said,the bad behavior would disappear as I gave my students positive attention.It sounds reasonable,but the text evidently ignored the fact that humans,particularly teenagers,rarely seem reasonable.By the time my boss,who was also my taskmaster,known to be the strictest,most demanding,most quick to fire inexperienced teachers,came into the classroom to observe me,the students exhibited very little good behavior to praise. My boss sat in the back of the room.The boys in the class were making animal noises,hitting each other while the girls filed their nails or read magazines.I just pretended it all wasn't happening,and went on lecturing and tried to ask some inspiring questions.My boss,sitting in the back of room,seemed to be growing bigger and bigger.After twenty minutes he left,silently.Visions of unemployment marched before my eyes. I felt mildly victorious that I got through the rest of class without crying,but at my next free period I had to face him.I wondered if he would let me finish out the day.I walked to his office,took a deep breath,and opened the door. He was sitting in his chair,and he looked at me long and hard.I said nothing.All I could think of was that I was not an English teacher;I had been lying to myself,pretending that everything was fine. When he spoke,he said simply,without accusation,"You had nothing to say to them." "You had nothing to say to them."he repeated."No wonder they're bored.Why not get to the meat of the literature and stop talking about symbolism.Talk with them,not at them.And more important,why do you ignore their bad behavior?"We talked.He named my problems and offered solutions.We roleplayed.He was the bad student,and I was the forceful,yet,warm,teacher. As the year progressed,we spent many hours discussing literature and ideas about human beings and their motivations.He helped me identify my weaknesses and my strengths.In short,he made a teacher of me by teaching me the reality of Emerson's words:"The secret to education lies in respecting the pupil." Fifteen years later I still drive that same winding road to the same school.Thanks to the help I received that difficult first year,the school is my home now. According to the passage,which of the following is most probably the writer's problem as a new teacher? Answer: Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy . There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container. Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. I f you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money. When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year's Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put _ in it. Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay called "pygg," and folks saved coins in pygg jars.The Middle English word for pig was "pigge". While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as "pug", eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the "i" as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born. Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely. What is the piggy bank strategy? Answer:
Anna Riviere was one of the most admired of 19th-century English sopranos . She was also one of the most adventuresome. She was born in London on January 9th, 1810. She entered the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 14. Seven years later, just after her first show, Anna married Sir Henry Bishop, who was 24 years her senior. Her reputation as a singer grew rapidly, based largely on her tours with Sir Henry and harpist Nicholas Bochsa. After a tour of Dublin, Edinburgh, and London, Anna Bishop deserted her husband and three children and ran away with Bochsa. From then on, Madame Bishop--as she continued to be known--traveled and sang as if her life depended on it. Between 1839 and 1843 she traveled to every major town in Europe, where she sang in 260 concerts. In the course of two years in Naples, she performed in 20 operas. In 1855 she and Bochsa sailed for Sydney, Australia. He died there the following year, and Anna went on to tour South America before returning to New York, where she married a diamond merchant. Then she began what proved her most dangerous adventure. After another American tour in 1866, she and her husband set sail across the Pacific. They were shipwrecked on a small coral reef, and for more than a month they drifted in a small boat before they finally reaching Guam. She had lost her music, her wardrobe, and her jewelry, but Madame Bishop was not to be stopped. She went on to Manila and began a concert tour that led to Hong Kong, Singapore, and India before she went back to England. After another two-year world tour she returned eventually to New York, where she gave her last public performance in 1883--at age 73. Meanwhile the husband she left behind, Sir Henry, had become famous for writing the music to lyrics that might eventually have been meaningful to Anna Bishop--"Home, Sweet Home." Which of the following message about Madama Bishop is true? Answer: Teenagers who do not get enough of the nutrients commonly found in fruits and fish are easier to have bad lungs, coughing and wheezing .Teens who eat the least of fruit and especially vitamin C have weaker lungs compared to the others. Teens who take in less vitamin E, found in vegetable oil and nuts, are more likely to have asthma , Jane Bums at the Harvard School of Public Health found. Based on these findings.Bums said that current recommended dose of vitamin C, 85 mg a day, may not be enough for teens to have healthy lungs.Teens who eat less fruit and don't take in enough fatty acids are more likely to have asthma and the signs of breathing difficulty. Proper amounts of fatty acids are protective, Bums said, though fish, the best source of fatty acids, is particularly unpopular with teenagers.Fatty acids are also found in some nuts as well as some green vegetables'.Smokers who avoid vitamin C will increase their chances of coughing, wheezing and developing phlegm . More than 80 percent of teens are getting their recommended doses of vitamin C - mainly from fruit drinks."I wouldn't approve of drinking them, but at least they're getting their vitamin C from somewhere," Burns said. Burns added that there are several different ways to get the necessary nutrients."I think vitamin supplements are fine.I think adding vitamin D to orange juice is fine.But I do think there are added benefits that we don't fully understand of eating whole foods like fruits and vegetables and fish," she said.The researchers did not account for poverty and other factors that often distinguish less-healthy eaters and may explain their findings. Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the researchers in the passage? Answer: If your dog looks pleased to see you - it is probably because it loves the particular way you smell. The odour of a familiar human apparently lingers like perfume in the animal's brain - where it triggers an instinctive emotional response, research published yesterday reveals. Our scent acts on a part of the canine brain associated with reward and the strongest reactions are produced by humans that pets know best, say scientists in America. Gregory Berns, of Emory University in Atlanta, said: 'While we might expect that dogs should be highly tuned to the smell of other dogs, it seems that the "reward response" is reserved for their humans. 'When humans smell the perfume or cologne of someone they love, they may have an immediate, emotional reaction that's not necessarily cognitive. 'Our experiment may be showing the same process in dogs. But since dogs are so much more olfactory than humans, their responses would likely be even more powerful than the ones we might have. 'It's one thing when you come home and your dog sees you and jumps on you and licks you and knows that good things are about to happen. 'In our experiment, however, the scent donors were not physically present. Why do animals avoid pylons? Because they emit terrifying flashes of light that are INVISIBLE to humans. Dolphins use sponges to protect their sensitive noses while foraging for food on the sea floor 'That means the canine brain responses were being triggered by something distant in space and time. It shows that dogs' brains have these mental representations of us that persist when we're not there.' The university's experiment - the first of its type - involved 12 dogs of various breeds who underwent brain scans while five different scents were placed in front of them. The scent samples came from the subject itself, a dog the subject had never met, a dog that lived in the subject's household, a human the dog had never met, and a human that lived in the subject's household. The familiar human scent samples were taken from someone else from the house other than the handlers during the experiment, so that none of the scent donors were physically present. The results showed that all five scents elicited a similar response in parts of the dogs' brains involved in detecting smells. Responses were significantly stronger for the scents of familiar humans, followed by that of familiar dogs. The findings, which were published in the journal Behavioural Processes, showed that dogs reacted strongest to the scent of a familiar human even when they were not there. Pets trained as help or therapy dogs showed greater brain activity than the other dogs in the test. Researchers say the findings could improve the way animals who assist wounded veterans or disabled people are selected. Which of the following is true according to the passage? Answer: Do you still get free plastic bags from the supermarket ? Things will change soon. To protect the environment, supermarkets in China will stop providing free plastic bags after June 1st. If you don't want to pay money to buy them, you'll have to bring your own shopping bag. What kind of bags will be the best to bring? Students in Kunming Xinying Middle School have some good ideas. Recently 54 students of the school held an activity in which they made their own environmentally-friendly shopping bags. Most students used old clothes to make their bags. They painted pictures like the Olympic rings on them. But Wang Shuncheng, a Junior 2 boy, chose a different material . He made his bag with old newspaper. Is a newspaper bag strong enough to hold shopping? Wang says it is, "No problem. I put six bottles of water in the bag," he said. "It's strong enough!" Chen Lisi, a girl, had a more traditional way to make her bag - she weaved a bamboo basket. It was not an easy job. With her grandfather's help, Chen spent a whole afternoon making it. She also weaved wool flowers on the basket. Making bags was not all the students did. They had another job: to persuade their parents and relatives to use environmentally-friendly shopping bags instead of plastic ones. The school will show the bags so that shops and stores can get inspiration from the students' work. From the passage, we can infer that _ . Answer: One hundred and fifty years ago, the world's first underground railway began operating in London, running for just six kilometres from Paddington to Famngdon.Today, the network covers 408 kilometres, with 11 lines running through 270 stations.And despite every major city in the world now having its own metro system, London's is still the second-longest (Shanghai's is the first).It's no surprise that locals and travellers will all be wishing London's "Tube" a very happy 150th birthday. Londoners have an unspoken code of conduct when they travel on me Tube, and a bit of local knowledge is essential for getting around the British capital.Here we provide some tips and etiquette for your next visit to London. Do... Stand on the right on escalators , walk on the left -Londoners will be quick at reminding you should you forget this. Let other passengers off before getting on. Give up your seat if someone needs it more than you. Mind the gap (between the train and the platform edge) -they are sometimes pretty wide. Don't... Block doorways-move down inside the carriages. Talk to people you don't know.Even if the train is delayed you should merely sigh or shake your head, rather than strike up a conversation. Travel on the Hammersmith & City or Circle lines if you can help it-they have a poor record for delays and disruptions. Expect air-conditioning-the low tunnels mean there's no space on most lines to install air-con equipment so expect to set hot and sweaty in summer. On the London Underground, passengers are supposed to _ . Answer:

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