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Each spring brings a new wildflower blooming in the fields along the highway I travel daily to work. There is one particular blue flower that has always caught my eye. I've noticed that it blooms only in the morning hours. The afternoon sun is too warm for it. Every day each year for about two weeks, I see those beautiful flowers. This spring, I started a wildflower garden in my yard. I can look out of the kitchen window while doing the dishes and see the flowers. I've often thought that those lovely blue flowers from the fields would look great in that bed alongside other wildflowers. Every day I drove past the flowers, thinking, "I'll stop on my way home and dig them." "Gee, I don't want to get my good clothes dirty..." Whatever the reason, I never stopped to dig them. My husband even gave me a tool one year for that expressed purpose. One day on my way home from work, I was saddened to see that the highway department had cleared up the fields and the pretty blue flowers were gone. I thought to myself, "Way to go, you waited too long. You should have done it when you first saw them blooming this spring. " A week ago we were shocked and saddened to learn that my oldest sister-in-law has a cancer. She is 20 years older than my husband and unfortunately, because of age and distance, we haven't been as close as we all would have liked. I couldn't help but see the connection between the pretty blue flowers and the relationship between my husband's sister and us. I do believe that God has given us some time left to plant some wonderful memories that will bloom every year for us. And yes, if I see the blue flowers again, I'm sure I'll stop and transplant them to my wildflower garden. What does the writer want to tell us?
Answer: Value now and don't lose chances.
King's College Summer School King's College Summer School is an annual training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King's College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year's summer school will be from July 25 to August 15. More information is as follows: Which of the following is true about King' s College Summer School?
Answer: Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program.
How do decomposers obtain their food?
Answer: absorbing food from dead organisms
Eco City Farms are becoming more popular in cities and towns around the United States. Eco City Farms in Edmonston,Maryland, is located near shopping centers, car repair shops and homes. The neighborhood is a workingclass community. People do not have very much money, and they have limited access to fresh food in markets. Over the past two years, the farm has attracted volunteers from the community like Marcy Clark. She schools her four children at home. On a recent day she brought them to Eco City Farms for a lesson. Her son Alston Clark thinks his experience is very valuable. "I like coming out here," he says, "You know, you connect with the earth, where your food comes from. You appreciate the food a little bit more." Margaret Morgan started Eco City Farms. She thinks of it as a place where people can learn to live healthier lives. "Growing food in a community brings people together," she continues, "Every piece of what we do here is a demonstration to show people everything about how to have an ecofriendly community." she says. From the Eco City Farms people come to know that they are not only growing food and raising chickens and bees, but improving the soil with compost made from food waste. Eco City Farms is an experimental operation. The farm gets its power not from the local electricity networks, but from the sun with solar panels. In winter, the green houses use a geothermal system. Vegetables can be grown all year. So once a week, all winter long, neighbors like Chris Moss and her three children bike to the farm to pick up a share of the harvest. "I like eating the vegetables," says fiveyearold Owen Moss. What is mainly talked about in the passage? _
Answer: Eco City Farms are gaining popularity.
Summer Science Class registration begins on March 8 ! If you are interested in science,the environment,or conservation and you are in grades 7-12,sign up soon for Black Rock Forest Consortium's Summer Science Class program. You can download the Summer Science Classes 2013 brochure here. It is easy to register;just call 8455344517 or click here. Twelve weeklong courses in the natural sciences and the arts are offered at Black Rock Forest in Cornwall from July 15 through August 9.Two more classes are offered with site partners,including "The Art of Scientific Observation," hosted jointly by Black Rock Forest Consortium and Storm King Art Center,one of the world's leading sculpture parks,and "A Nautical Expedition" hosted jointly by the Consortium and the Constitution Marsh Audubon Center. We are delighted to announce two special "away" classes that are part of the Summer Science Class program this year: an "Adirondack EcoAdventure" beginning August 11,and "Conservation Biology in Florida," beginning June 23 and featuring field work on the Gulf Coast in cooperation with the University of Florida's Seahorse Key Marine Biological Laboratory. For more information on the Summer Science Class program,please read our press release. Black Rock Forest Consortium is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to advance scientific understanding of the natural world through research,education and conservation programs. Summer Science Class's courses are _ .
Answer: cooperated by several organizations
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For years I went to school by bus,so I met many"familiar"strangers.We took the same bus but didn't know each other's names.I used to think it was impossible for us to be true friends.How wrong I was!Smiles from the"nameless"people have changed my thoughts. The first time I got on the bus,I saw different faces.We met,greeted and cold faces turned into smiling faces.As days went on,we chatted like old friends. But I felt it a pity that I was unable to set up the same friendship with a silent girl in the front of the bus.Her old clothing suggested that she didn't have much money,but she always took a cup of water for the driver.I guessed she was a kind girl.But why did she sit in silence instead of talking with us?Why did she never reply to our friendly greetings?Couldn't she smile? Then,one evening,I got the answer.I walked to the park nearby and found the girl sitting alone under a tree,lonely and sad.I greeted her with the same warm smile that I had shown to her all these months,but this time her face turned red,then a shy smile appeared.As soon as she began her first words,I understood why she hadn't spoken to us before.Talking was hard for her. I learnt her story:Her parents worked hard somewhere.She lived with her disabled grandparents.She said,"I can't express myself very well.Most of the time,I can't say what I want to say.I have no friends but...you always smile to me like an angel...so I also want to smile."That evening,we exchanged our names and we said goodbye like old friends. Smile is the key to opening the door of the heart;it can break the cold walls in front of us. The writer often met the girl _ .
A on the bus
B in the park
C at school
D under the tree
Answer: A. on the bus
Are you happy? Do you remember a time when you were happy? Are you seeking happiness today? Many have sought a variety of sources for their feelings of happiness.Some have put their hearts and efforts into their work.Too many have turned to drugs and alcohol.Meanwhile, untold numbers have looked for it in the possession of expensive cars, exotic vacation homes and other popular "toys".Most of their efforts have a root in one common fact: people are looking for a lasting source of happiness. Unfortunately, I believe that happiness escapes from many people because they misunderstand the journey of finding it.I have heard many people say that, "I'll be happy when I get my new promotion." Or "I'll be happy when I lose that extra 20 pounds." It is dangerous because it accepts that happiness is a "response" to having, being or doing something. In life, we all experience stimulus and response.Today, some people think that an expensive car is a stimulus, and happiness is a response; a great paying job is a stimulus, and happiness is a response; a loving relationship is a stimulus, and happiness is a response.This belief leaves us the thinking and feeling: I'll be happy when ... It has been my finding that actually the opposite is true.I believe that happiness is a stimulus and a response is what life brings to those who are truly happy.When we are happy, we tend to have more success in our work.When we are happy, people want to be around us and enjoy loving relationships.When we are happy, we more naturally take better care of our bodies and enjoy good health.Happiness is not a response but a stimulus. Happiness is a conscious choice we make every day of our lives.For unknown reason to me, many choose to be painful, unsuccessful and angry most of the time.Happiness is not something that happens to us after we get something we want--we usually get things we want AFTER we choose to be happy. Generally speaking, most people feel happy because _ .
A they think happiness is rooted in their deep hearts
B they get what they want to have
C they get a great paying job
D they get an expensive car
Answer: B. they get what they want to have
There are two major parties in Britain today,the Conservative and the Labour,which have been in power by turns since 1945.The twoparty system of Britain was formed in the course of the development of the capitalist state and the political parties. To strengthen the state machine,the British bourgeosie have let it come into being and exist in one form or another since the 17th century. P.S.Tregidgo once said,"The more parties there are,the less likely it is that any one of them will be strong enough in Parliament to control all the others; but when there are only two,one of them is sure to have a majority of seats. This helps to ensure a strong and stable government." This explains why the British have the twoparty system. The division into two parties grew out the establishment of a Protestant Church of England in the 16th century. Because of a purely religious difference of opinion,the Puritans were separated from the broad body of the Anglican Church. The non Puritan Anglicans were on the side of the King and Church,whose supporters were called by their opponents "Tories".The Puritans were for Parliament and trade,whose supporters are called by the "Tories" "Whigs".The Tories and the Whigs were in power by turns for a long time. In 1833,the Tory Party split into two and its name was changed to Conservative. In the 1860s the Whigs became Liberals. Since then,the Liberals and the Conservatives were in office by turns until 1922.They have some different opinions,but were both controlled by the rich. The working class became more and more unwilling to follow the Conservatives and the Liberals. They wanted to have their own party. So the Labour Party was formed by the trade unions. After 1922,the Labour Party gradually replaced the Liberal Party. According to the passage,why was the Labour Party established in Britain?
A Because the trade unions did not do much good for the working people.
B Because the Liberal Party were not strong enough to defeat the Conservative Party.
C Because the working people would not like to be members outside the Liberal Party.
D Because neither of the two major parties was the parties for the working people.
Answer: D. Because neither of the two major parties was the parties for the working people.
(2013*II,B)In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music,dance and theatre in Edinburgh.The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War. It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness,Richard Burton,Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras .It became a fixed event every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly. At the same time,the "Fringe" appeared as a challenge to the official festival.Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947,in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform,and they did so in a public house disused for years. Soon,groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University,and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge,Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by littleknown writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh. Today the"Fringe",once less recognized,has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre,music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts.And yet as early as 1959,with only 19 theatre groups performing,some said it was getting too big. A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971,and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself.In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries.More than 1.25 million tickets were sold. Who joined the"Fringe"after it appeared?
A Popular writers.
B University students.
C Artists from around the world.
D Performers of music and dance.
Answer: B. University students.
Wen Feng Store Sale Goods Colors Price(each) Socks Black, white, green $3 Sweater Black $15 Hat Blue, white $4 T-shirt Red, green $14 Shoes Black and white $25 Bag Blue $5 ,. Jack wants to buy two pairs of socks, one bag and two hats. How much are they?
A Twenty-one yuan.
B Nineteen yuan.
C Eighteen dollars.
D Nineteen dollars.
Answer: D. Nineteen dollars.
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Question: "I don't like my parents. They always tell me I should do this, and should not do that. It sometimes makes me angry," said Li Ping, a middle school student in Hunan. Do you have the same problem? Perhaps your parents had the same problem when they were your age long ago. Why does it seem that some parents are not so friendly in their children's eyes? One of the biggest things is when someone becomes a parent, he / she likes worrying things. They worry about everything about you, from the time you were born. They do a lot for you, though something would make you angry, because they care about you and worry about you. They worry about your choice of friends, the food you eat, your work at school, how much sleep you get, etc. All these things are part of your life. They want you to grow up healthily and happily. So how can you make things easier on yourself? It's easier than you think. Just make sure your parents know what you're doing. Get them to know your friends. Phone if you stay somewhere else so that your parents don't call every hospital in the phone book looking for your body. Say sorry to them when you make mistakes. Take responsibility for what you have done. Talk about your ideas with them. They may talk about theirs with you. Most of all, try to think about why your parents do this or do that. They are still practicing being parents and need help you can give them. Someday, when you become a parent, they may be able to help you know how to get on with your children. Which do you think is the best title for the passage?
A. Parents' Responsibility
B. How to Get on with Parents
C. Zhang Hua's Problem
D. What Are Parents Worrying about
Answer:
B. How to Get on with Parents
Question: Scientists explain why people often blame others when things don't work out. Researchers say that when it comes to fixing blame, we can't always trust our own judgment .When things go wrong and we're to blame, we 're supposed to feel guilty. Right? Not necessarily. It turns out that when we do something that causes a negative result, we actually feel less responsible for our actions. But we see the entire situation differently if things turn out well. The "blame game" is nothing new. Behavior experts have long known that people push responsibility to others, or to outside factors, when things don't work out. But the new research shows that this reaction is more than about wanting to escape blame. We actually don't believe that what happened is our fault. To learn more about the "blame game", researchers conducted a study. They asked 34 people to press keys that produced three different noises. The noises were positive (amusement, laughter), negative (fear, upset, or anger), or neutral . The volunteers were asked to try to judge the time that it took between when they pushed the button and when they heard the sounds. Volunteers felt there was longer time between their actions and the negative sounds than that between their actions and the positive ones. In their minds, the negative results were separate from their actions. Therefore, they were able to feel less responsible for them. The findings suggest that perhaps more of us need to realize that unpleasant or negative situations may actually be our fault - even if we don't see it that way. And taking more responsibility for our actions could lead to better relationships with others. Which of the following does the new research probably agree with?
A. Negative results have nothing to do with others.
B. People always feel responsible for their fault.
C. All the people are fond of escaping blame.
D. People often believe that what they do is right.
Answer:
D. People often believe that what they do is right.
Question: Which is an example of primary ecological succession?
A. plants and animals invading an abandoned crop field
B. mangroves stabilizing the soils on tropical coasts
C. minerals spurring rapid plant growth
D. lichen growth on rocks
Answer:
D. lichen growth on rocks
Question: Long, long ago the world was a happy place. Nobody was ever sick or sad. At that time there lived a little girl named Pandora. One day a fairy gave her a wonderful box. The fairy made Pandora promise not to open it. Pandora and her friends often looked at the box and wondered what was in it. For a long time Pandora kept her promise, but at last she couldn't help herself. She opened the box a little. Then hundreds of bad fairies flew out. They stung Pandora and her friends. The bad fairies flew out of the door and stung all the children in the land. Then Pandora heard a voice crying, "Let me out, and I will help you." She opened the box again, and a beautiful fairy flew out. She told Pandora that her name was Hope. She kissed Pandora and her friends, and made them feel well. Then she flew away to help the other children. Until now, when people are sick or unhappy, the little good fairy, Hope, comes to comfort them. What didn't the bad fairies do after they flew out of the box?
A. They hurt Pandora.
B. They hurt Pandora's friends.
C. They stung all the children in the land.
D. They kissed Pandora and her friends.
Answer:
C. They stung all the children in the land.
Question: One night, as Diaz stepped off the train and onto a nearly empty platform, a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife. "He wanted my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go '" Diaz says. As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm." The robber looked at him puzzled, saying, "Why are you doing this?" Diaz replied, "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me....." Diaz says he and the teen went into a diner and sat in a booth. "The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. The kid said, "You know everybody here. Do you own this place?" "No, I just eat here a lot," Dias said. "But you're even nice to the dishwasher," he said. Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?" "Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said. When the bill arrived, Diaz said, "You're going to have to pay for this bill because you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you." The teen returned it immediately. "I gave him $20.... I figure maybe it'll help him." Diaz says he asked for something in return--- the teen's knife--- "and he gave it to me." Afterwards, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch." "I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world." By telling the story of Diaz, the author intends to tell us _ .
A. to keep calm in danger
B. not to go out alone at night
C. to treat others kindly
D. not to harm others on purpose
Answer:
C. to treat others kindly
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Light enters what through the pupil?
Answer: visual organ
Invented in Turkey and patented by Nanopool, a German company, the spray-on liquid glass might become one of the most useful inventions in the field of nanotechnology. The product was tested at the Saarbrucken Institute for New Materials. It is worth mentioning that the invention is transparent and non-poisonous. The liquid glass can protect any type of surface from damages caused by water, UV radiation, dirt, heat, and bacterial infections. Besides, it is flexible and breathable, which means that the liquid glass can be applied on plants and seeds as well. Researchers found that the spray greatly increases the resistance of plants to bacteria-caused diseases. The trials also showed that the sprayed seeds grew faster. Depending on the type of surface that is to be covered, researchers can add water or ethanol to the spray. Scientists say that _ . The spray produces a coating that is just 100nm thick. Trials by food processing plants in Germany have concluded that foods covered with the glass can store longer than those stored in normal condition. According to Neil McClelland, UK project manager with Nanopool, due to its capabilities, the spray-on liquid glass can become one of the most useful inventions around the world, ending up being used by a lot of industries that will cover their products. At present, the invention is being used by a train company and a hotel chain in the UK, as well as a hamburger chain in Germany that are carrying out tests of the liquid glass for various uses. The spray-on liquid glass was also tested in a Lancashire hospital, where it showed "very promising" results, being used to cover medical equipment and bandages. The invention could be also used on clothing, because it cannot be seen by the naked eye, thus clothes could become stain resistant. Due to its unique characteristics, the liquid glass can be used to cover bathrooms, sinks and many other surfaces in the home. According to the researchers, the spay-on glass can last for a year. It is expected to hit the DIY stores across Britain at a price of 5 pounds. What can be inferred from the passage?
Answer: The liquid glass will be widely used in many fields.
I'm Alfred. I was born with a problem in my backbone and mobility was a big challenge, but thanks to my teachers and friends, my school life was excellent. My friends and I used to sit together and have lots of fun. Whenever we got a free period, we used to start shouting or play games. I would take part in all competitions, such as poetry writing, story writing and painting and all activities like Teachers' Day or anybody's birthday and had much fun. My English teacher was very tall. The moment she would enter the class, we would all sit quiet and open the books. She would encourage me by giving me important assignments and also morning news to read during the assembly. She would come down and hear my English debate , which made me participate in all debate competitions. The same was true of my biology and science teacher. She was very nice and sweet. She would always give me extra information on the biology project. I could not go to the lab for the practicals (lessons or exams in science, cooking etc. in which you have to do or make something yourself rather than write or read about it), so she would bring the lab down and help me with the biology and science practicals and would give me excellent marks. My friends made me monitor and the naughty boys listen to me. My friends used to help me with my notes if I was absent. My teachers always gave me important project work and I felt proud when they _ after I finished it quickly and correctly. I was never shouted at or made fun of or scolded by any of my friends and teachers. Today I saw the terrible punishments given to students on television news. I felt very sad. I really want to express my love and thanks to all my wonderful teachers and friends, without whom my school life would not have been so excellent and unforgettable. I really pray to God that each child in the world is blessed with caring teachers and wants to attend school every day. How many Alfred's teachers are mentioned in the passage?
Answer: Two.
English Conversation Leader: Mandi Ashmore english@ iwc-lausanne. org We meet on Mondays at 14:30 at the IWC clubhouse. We chat for about an hour and discuss everything. Mandi asks "students" to contact her on Monday to confirm the class as sometimes she needs to cancel for various reasons or occasionally she may choose to hold the class at a different venue or at an earlier time for us to be able to have lunch together. French Conversation, Advanced Beginner Leader: Marielle Sulmoni frenchconvo@ iwc-lausanne. org I'm French (born in Bordeaux) and Swiss by marriage. I hold an advanced beginners' French conversation class on Tuesday afternoons from 14:30 16:00. We meet weekly at the clubhouse in a friendly atmosphere. I hope to help you use your knowledge of French, allowing you to speak with no fear of making mistakes, which in time will become fewer and fewer. French Language Lab, Beginner Leader: Maija Remlinger frenchlab@ iwc-lausanne. org The group meets on Thursday afternoons from 15:00-16:30 at the clubhouse. The first half of the class is devoted to reading out loud from the book "Easy French Reader", working on pronunciation and phrasing. During the second half, we listen to audio recordings from "New French with Ease" and work on oral comprehension. French Conversation, Advanced Leader: Juliette Brull french@ iwc-lausanne, org We meet every Tuesday at the IWC clubhouse from 9:30-11:00. Most of our time is devoted to very lively discussions about current events and various topics. We also read a book written by a French author and sometimes we see a French movie. Which of the clubs focuses mainly on the basic knowledge of language?
Answer: French Language Lab, Beginner.
Born in Texas in 1893,Bessie Coleman drew she wanted to do something exciting with her life.Then Coleman saw her first airplane, and she knew she wanted to fly.But no school would teach her because she was a woman and a black woman.So Coleman went to Europe.At the age of twenty-eight, she became the world's first black woman to hold a pilot's license .Then she went home to fly in air shows .Soon she was called "Brave Bessie."Bessie Coleman had wanted to open a flying school for black women.Sadly, she never saw her dream come true.She was killed in a plane crash.But Coleman is still remembered today.A group of black flies call themselves the "Bessie Coleman Aviators. Which of the following sentences is not true?
Answer: Bessie Coleman began to learn flying in 1893.
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When Omega was born in Uganda, she did two things: Smile and then sing. When Omega was 4 years old, her talent for music was recognized, so she became one of the youngest members of the first African Children's Choir . She traveled the world with the choir, and it was from this experience that she grew into a singer today. Although having a beautiful voice, she had to find other ways besides music to earn a living at first. When she was 16, her parents sent her to the USA to study. Like her mother, Omega wanted to become a doctor and do something meaningful in her country of Uganda. However, like many artists, _ that she had to choose. With encouragement from her family and friends, she opened her own production company after graduation. Since then, she has been working as an artist. Her songs make people feel good about life. Apart from that, she is also interested in health care and education. Omega is one of those Ugandan females who are showing the world their valuable talents. When did Omega join the African Children's Choir?
Answer: When she was 4 years old.
There was once a guy who suffered from cancer, a cancer that can't be cured. One day he was sick of staying home and wanted to go out. He passed a CD store and looked through the front door for a second. He saw a beautiful girl about his age and he knew it was love at first sight. He opened the door and walked in, not looking at anything else but her. He walked closer and closer until he was finally at the front desk where she sat. She looked up and asked, "Can I help you?" She smiled and he thought it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen before. He said, "UH...Yeah...Umm... I would like to buy a CD." He picked one out and gave her money for it. "Would you like me to pack it for you?" she asked, smiling her cute smile again. He nodded and she went to the back. She came back with the packed CD and gave it to him. From then on, he went to that store every day and bought a CD. He took the CD home and put it in his closet. He was still too shy to ask her out. His mother found out about this and encouraged him. So the next day, he took all his courage and left his phone number on the desk before he ran out. Several weeks later the phone rang, and the mother picked it up. It was the girl!!! The mother started to cry and said, "You don't know? He passed away yesterday..." Later that day, the mother went into the boy's room and opened the closet. Inside were piles and piles of unopened CDs. She picked one up and opened it. Out fell a piece of paper, saying: "Do you want to go out with me? Love, Jocelyn." The mother was deeply moved and opened another CD... Again, there was a piece of paper with the same words. Why did the girl offer to pick the CD for the boy every time?
Answer: Because she wanted to leave a note for the boy.
Two old men lived in a room on the third floor of an old people's home. Both men were very old and badly ill, and they spent 24 hours a day in bed in the room. Luckily, one of the old men had his bed by the window, and every day he spent hours telling his friend far from the window what he could see through the window. He told him about the traffic going by, the children playing in the park opposite, and the birds flying in trees. The old man far from the window got a lot of pleasure from hearing about the world outside, but after a time he began to get rather unhappy. How nice it would be, he thought, if he had the bed by the window and could see everything for him, instead of just hearing about it. One night, the man by the window called to his friend, "Quick! Pull the alarm by your bed; I don't think I can get through the night!" But his friends, expecting an empty bed by the window, did nothing---he just closed his eyes and went back to sleep. The next morning, the nurse found the man dead in his bed by the window. The old man was very excited as they moved him into the empty bed by the window. He sat up in bed, pulled back the curtain, looked out --- and saw only a wall. Who do you think was kind in the story?
Answer: The old man by the window.
Alice is my good friend. She is twenty-two years old. Now she lives in Beijing, China. She teaches English in a junior high school. She loves making friends with the students and they like her very much. Every morning she gets up very early. At about 7:00, she usually has a glass of milk and some bread for breakfast at home. Then she walks to work and gets to school at about a quarter to eight. At 12:00 she eats a hamburger and an apple for lunch. Her favorite drink is Coke. She goes home at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. She likes to have noodles and chicken for dinner. On Sunday, she often comes to see me. Sometimes we go to a Chinese restaurant to have lunch. ,. Alice gets to school _ a. m.
Answer: at 7:45
Animals are more like us than we ever imagined.They feel pain, they experience stress, they show affection, excitement and love.All these findings have been made by scientists in recent years--and such results are beginning to change how we view animals. Strangely enough, some of this research was sponsored by fast food companies like McDonald's and KFC.Pressured by animal rights groups , these companies felt they had to fund scientists researching the emotional and mental states of animals. McDonald's, for instance, funded studies on pig behavior at Purdue University, Indiana.This research found that pigs seek affection and easily become depressed if left alone or prevented from playing with each other.If they become depressed, they soon become physically ill.Because of this, and other similar studies, the European Union has banned the use of isolating pig stalls from 2010.In Germany, the government is encouraging pig farmers to give each pig 20 seconds of human contact a day, and to provide them with toys to prevent them from fighting. Other scientists have shown that animals think and behave like humans. Koko, the 300-pound gorilla at the Gorilla Foundation in Northern California, for instance, has been taught sign language. Koko can now understand several thousand English words, more than many humans who speak English as a second language.On human IQ tests, she scores between 70 and 95. Before such experiments, humans thought language skills were absent from the animal kingdom.Other myths are also being overturned, like the belief that animals lack self-awareness.Studies have also shown that animals mourn their dead, and that they play for pleasure. These striking similarities between animal and human behavior have led some to ask a question: "If you believe in evolution, how can't you believe that animals have feelings that human beings have?" Until recently, scientists believed that animals behaved by instinct and that what appeared to be learned behavior was merely genetically-programmed activity.But as Koko the Gorilla shows, this is not the case.In fact, learning is passed from parent to offspring far more often than not in the animal kingdom. So what implications does this knowledge have for humans? Because of this, should we ban hunting and animal testing? Should we close zoos? Such questions are being raised by many academics and politicians.Harvard and 25 other American law schools have introduced courses on animal rights.Germany meanwhile, recently guaranteed animal rights in its constitution--the first country to do so. The research on pigs at Purdue University shows that _
Answer: pigs need affection.
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Ames had painted Bell's house under a contract which called for payment of $2,000. Bell, contending in good faith that the porch had not been painted properly, refused to pay anything. On June 15, Ames mailed a letter to Bell stating, "I am in serious need of money. Please send the $2,000 to me before July 1." On June 18, Bell replied, "I will settle for $1,800 provided that you agree to repaint the porch." Ames did not reply to this letter. Thereafter Bell mailed a check for $1,800 marked "Payment in full on the Ames-Bell painting contract as per letter dated June 18." Ames received the check on June 30. Because he was badly in need of money, check on June 30. Because he was badly in need of money, Questions Ames cashed the check without objection and spent the proceeds but has refused to repaint the porch.Bell's refusal to pay anything to Ames when he finished painting was a
Answer:
We all know what it is like to be unable to turn your head because of a cold in the muscles of your neck, or because an unexpected twist has made your neck ache and stiff. Your whole body feels tight. The slightest move makes you jump with pain.Nothing could be worse than a pain in the neck. That is why we use the phrase to describe some people who give you the same feeling. We have all met such people. One is the man who always seems to be clapping his hands--often at the wrong time--during a performance in the theater. He keeps you from hearing the actors. Even worse are those who can never arrive before the curtain goes up and the play begins. They come hurrying down to your row of seats. You are comfortably settled down, with your hat and heavy coat in your lap. You must stand up to let them pass. You are proud of your self-control after they have settled into their seats... Well, what now... Good God, one of them is up again.He forgot to go to the men's room, and once more you have to stand up, hanging on to your hat and coat to let him pass. Now, that is "a pain in the neck". Another, well-known to us all, is the person sitting behind you in the movies. His mouth is full of popcorn; he is chewing loudly, or talking between bites to friends next to him. None of them remain still. Up and down, back and forth, they go for another bag of popcorn, or something to drink. Then, there is the man sitting next to you at a lunch counter smoking a smelly cigar.He wants you to enjoy it too, and blows smoke across your food into your mouth. We must not forget the man who comes into a bus or subway car and sits down next to you, just as closes you will let him. You are reading the newspaper and he leans over and stretches his neck so that he can read the paper with you. He may even turn the paper to the next page before you are ready for it. We also call such a person a "rubber-neck", always stretching his neck to where it does not belong, like neighbors who watch all your visitors. They enjoy invading your privacy. People have a strong dislike for rubber-necks. They hate being spied upon. Where can you find this passage?
Answer:
SAN FRANCISCO--Only 21 percent of workers worldwide are "engaged"--that's the word used to describe workers who are ready to expend some extra effort at work--while 38 percent are disengaged, according to a new survey. "Engagement is not satisfaction or happiness, but the degree to which workers connect to the company emotionally, and the degree to which workers are aware of what they need to do to add value and are willing to take that action," said Julie Gebauer, a managing director of Towers Perrin, a consulting firm, which surveyed almost 90,000 workers in 19 countries. "Happy employees don't necessarily create better financial results, but there is a definite link between engagement and a company's financial performance," Gebauer said. The survey found 21 percent of workers worldwide are engaged, and another 41 percent are "enrolled", which means they're on the road to engagement. More than 80 percent of the engaged employees say they contribute to the quality of company products, services and customer satisfaction, while only 40 percent of disengaged workers agree. Engagement helps retention too. About 50 percent of engaged employees say they have no plans to leave their company versus 15 percent of the disengaged. "The fact that almost 80 percent of workers are disengaged is likely costing companies money." Gebauer said. "The conception of engagement is really a financial issue," said Gebauer. 'Organizations that have employees that are highly engaged deliver better financial results than those that don't." In a separate study, Towers Perrin assessed data on 40 global companies over a three-year period, measuring employee engagement at a certain point and then looking at the companies' financial results over the following three years. Companies with highly motivated workers enjoyed a 3.7 percent increase in profits, while companies with a lower level of worker commitment saw a decrease in profits slightly. What makes for an engaged employee? It's not necessarily pay. While the level of pay is important, it's not among the top 10 drivers of engagement. Rather than only using the pay, companies should survey their work force, much as they might study their customers, to assess what employees are seeking. According to the text, among 500 disengaged employees, how many would probably have the intention of leaving their company?
Answer:
When we hear of dangerous diseases, cancer and heart disease are often what first comes to mind. Recently, a virus called Ebola has reappeared in Guinea (a country in West Africa), killing 62 people so far. It leads to viral hemorrhagic fever, which is characterized by high fever and internal bleeding etc, Ebola can kill 90% of those infected, especially in underdeveloped societies like those in Africa. Ebola is named after the Ebola River, where it was first discovered in 1976. There are five different types of the Ebola virus, each named after where they first happened: Sudan, Ivory Coast, Restoon, Bundibugyo, and Zaire. The deadliest of the five, Zaire, was responsible for the 2012 outbreak, and is believed to be attacking Guinea. Ebola is naturally found in fruit bats , which pass on the virus to other animals by biting or sucking on their blood. Humans who are suffering from the Ebola infection might have touched the bodily fluids of the infected animals. Once infected, a human becomes a carrier of the deadly virus. Since we live in an interconnected world, where the situation in one country can affect us all, the influences of Ebola are huge: damaging trade relations, affecting foreign visitors, and weakening entire countries. Already the Guinea virus is spreading fast with a few cases spotted in Conakry -- the capital of Guinea, far away from the origin of the virus. It is feared that the disease may have already reached neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone, too. Unfortunately, there are no disease-specific treatments for Ebola. Healthcare workers only supply the infected people with water to keep them in good condition. Since there have been many cases of nurses catching the disease from patients, they are forced to wear strict protective clothes, and in some cases, not even allowed to get close to the affected. The fact that there is no cure for the Ebola virus is what makes the outbreak a challenging one to control. The news of Ebola in Guinea is mentioned to _ .
Answer:
Jim watched a liquor store furtively for some time, planning to hold it up. He bought a realistic-looking toy gun for the job. One night, just before the store's closing time, he drove to the store, opened the front door, and entered. He reached into his pocket for the toy gun, but he became frightened and began to move back toward the front door. However, the shopkeeper had seen the butt of the gun. Fearing a holdup, the shopkeeper produced a gun from under the counter, pointed it at Jim, and yelled, "Stop!" Jim ran to the door and the toy gun fell from his pocket. The shopkeeper fired. The shot missed Jim, but struck and killed a passerby outside the store A statute in the jurisdiction defines burglary as "breaking and entering any building or structure with the intent to commit a felony or to steal therein." On a charge of burglary, Jim's best defense would be that
Answer:
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Question: Would you jump off the Great Wall of China for 300 pounds a day? A stunt person is a man or woman who does all the dangerous bits of acting work in films or on TV. This can be anything from a simple fall into a swimming pool, or walking off the top of a tall building. It sounds like a job that you would have to be made to try, but there are actually lots of people who want to do it. Sarah France, twenty-four, is one of Britain's sixteen professional stunt women ---there are one hundred and sixty stunt men in the country. We asked Sarah how she came to be a stunt woman. "When I was young I was trained to be a dancer, and for seven years after school I was hardly out of work. A dancer's life is pretty short, though, and my father suggested I should think about doing stunt work after I'd given up dancing. I thought about it for the next two years and decided to have a go. For six months, I worked really hard every day. I had to learn different skills---swimming, jumping, horse -riding, etc." Sarah finished the course in just five months and applied to the office which decides whether you're accepted as a professional stunt person or not. Two weeks after she was accepted, Sarah was throwing off the Great Wall of China in Superman IV. "I was very lucky to get work so quickly. I had a small part, playing a traveler who fell off the Wall after an earthquake. The traveler's life was saved by Superman, of course! Actually, I fell forty-five feet into a pile of cardboard boxes! You can't use anything softer than that or you will be brought back into view of the cinema. Instead you just have to learn to fall properly. It's quite dangerous but I enjoy it." Quite a number of people want to do dangerous acts in films because _ .
A. they are mad
B. they don't think them dangerous
C. no training is needed
D. they can earn much money
Answer:
D
Question: Once an old man was walking in a street with his horse. It was raining hard. The old man was cold because he was walking in the rain. He wanted to stay in a restaurant. It was a quarter past three in the afternoon. The old man got to a small restaurant. A lot of people crowded in it. The old man couldn't come near the fireplace. He thought and thought.At last he said to the waiters, " Take some fish to my horse." The waiter and the other people were very surprised. The waitered said, "A horse doesn't eat fish." The old man told the waiter, " The horse is _ . It can sing, dance and does all kinds of things. It can eat fish, too." So the waiter took some fish to the horse. All the people in the restaurant rushed out to see the horse eat fish except(......) the old man. Now the old man sat beside the fire. After a while the waiter returned and said. "Your horse didn't eat any fish." The old man said, "All right, take the fish back and put it on the table. I'll eat it." All the people in the restaurant rushed out _ except the old man.
A. to see the horse sing
B. to watch the horse play games
C. to look for the horse
D. to see the horse eat fish
Answer:
D
Question: Classical philosophers called humans "the rational animal". Clearly, they never looked closely at ants. A new study suggests that ant colonies avoid irrational decisions that people and other animals often make. Consider the following scenario: You want to buy a house with a big kitchen and a big yard, but there are only two homes on the market---one with a big kitchen and a small yard and the other with a small kitchen and a big yard. Studies show you'd be about 50% likely to choose either house---and either one would be a rational choice. But now, a new home comes on the market, this one with a large kitchen and no yard. This time, studies show, you'll make an irrational decision: Even though nothing has changed with the first two houses, you'll now favor the house with the big kitchen and small yard over the one with the small kitchen and big yard. Overall, scientists have found, people and other animals will often change their original preferences when presented with a third choice. Not so with ants. These insects also shop for homes but not quite in the way that humans do. Solitary worker ants spread out, looking for two main features: a small entrance and a dark inside. If an ant finds an outstanding hole---such as the inside of an acorn or a rock crevice---it brings another worker ant to check it out. As more ants like the site, the number of workers in the new hole grows. Once the crowd reaches a critical mass, the ants race back to the old nest and start carrying the queen and larvae to move the entire colony. To test ant rationality, Stephen Pratt, a behavioral ecologist at Arizona State University in Tempe, and a colleague designed a series of possible nests for 26 ant colonies. The duo cut rectangular holes in balsa wood and covered them with glass microscope slides. The researchers then drilled holes of various sizes into the glass slides and slipped plastic light filters under the glass to vary the features ants care about most. At first, the colonies only had two options, A and B. A was dark but had a large opening, whereas B was bright with a small opening. As with humans, the ants preferred both options equally: The researchers found no difference between the number of colonies that picked A versus B. Then the scientists added a third option, called a decoy , that was similar to either A or B in one characteristic but clearly worse than both in the other (a very bright nest with a small opening, for example). Unlike humans, the ants were not tricked by the decoy, the team reports online today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Although a few colonies picked the third nest, the other colonies did not start favoring A or B and still split evenly between the two. Pratt speculates that ant colonies avoid making the irrational decision because, unlike humans, each ant doesn't evaluate all options before making a choice. When the scouts find a nest, they're unaware of what else is out there, and either they pick the nest or they don't. "The group may do better precisely because the individuals are ignorant," Pratt says. Melissa Bateson, an ethnologist at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, believes the findings could have "really interesting implications for the benefits of collective decision-making, which we could learn something from." Many grant-review boards, for example, behave like ants: Reviewers see only a subset of the total grant applications and thus have to make a decision without seeing every option. The best title for the passage would be _ .
A. Can't Decide? Ask an Ant
B. Better Choice, Better Life
C. Man, Be Rational
D. Who lies? Philosophers or Scientists
Answer:
A
Question: With a busy life and job, pressure can make you look tired and aged. KissiHealth-BeautyCentergives classes, makes training plans according to your physical conditions, and sets up an individual file. All these things will help you to get to know your body and the way to keep it fit. 1) BODY-BUILDING Imported gym equipment will help you build up your body's muscles, making you look full of energy and strength. 2) GYMNASTIC EXERCISES A bright and large exercise room with excellent equipment and music will give your body a chance to enjoy movement with rhythm. 3) SPECIAL "LAZY-BONE"FITNESSCENTER "Lazy-bone" fitness equipment is the first bodyshaping set of seven beds in Houston. Designed according to human anatomic and kinematic theory, the seven special beds will help you to exercise your waist, abdomen , hips or legs. In the relaxing hours you may try them to strengthen your muscles and lose weight. *Tuition: "Lazy-bone" fitness card, 1000 dollars /month (gymnastic classes included). *Open Time: 10:30 a.m. --10:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday *Tel: 59185700 *Address: 16 Johnson Street,Houston According to the passage, the center wants to show it is _ .
A. the most convenient
B. the largest
C. the newest
D. the most advanced
Answer:
D
Question: Do you want to be healthy? Then you must eat well and get a lot of exercise. If you're healthy, your body works well and you also feel well. Here are some trips. Eat more fruit and vegetables. "One apple a day, keep the doctor away!"Fruit and vegetables have rich vitamins. They can help us to keep healthy. Remember to eat some fruit and vegetables every day. Drink water and milk often. When you are thirsty, water is the best choice. Try to limit soda drinks, such as Coca Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Milk is also very good for your body. Drink a cup of milk every day if possible. Listen to your body. You'd better notice how your body feels when you eat. That is to say you should stop eating when you're full. It can make you feel comfortable. Limit screen time. Don't spend too much time watching TV or DCDs, playing video games or using the computer. You should do some outdoor activities, such as playing basketball, going riding and swimming. If you follow the tips, I'm sure you'll have a healthy body. We shouldn't _ according to the passage.
A. use the computer too long
B. play games with iPad
C. do a lot of exercise
D. eat well
Answer:
A
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Directions: Read the following four 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. I've always known that my son uses his cellphone a lot, but his cellphone bill last month really got my attention, He had received nearly 2,000 text messages ,and had sent nearly as many. Of course, he was out of school for the summer, and communicating more with friends who were far away. However ,I had to wonder how he found time to keep a summer job and complete a summer course in between all that typing with his thumb. I was even more surprised to learn that my son is normal. Teenagers with cellphones send and receive an average of 2. 272 text messages a month, Nielsen Mobile says, author of a book called The Dumbest Geheraiion: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes( ) Our Future Some experts say that all that text messaging is making our children stupid, and unable to read nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, gestures, postures and other silent signals of mood and attitude. "Unlike telephoning, text messaging doesn't even allow tones or pauses to be sent to others," says Mark Bauerlein Beyond that ,though, I'm not sure I see as much harm as critics of the trend do. I've written before on how I initially tried to control my sons texting. But over time, I've seen that my son suffers no apparent bad effects, and that he gains a big benefit of easy and continuing contact with many friends. Also, the time he spends texting replaces the hours teenagers used to spend on the phone; he dislikes talking on the phone ,and says he really doesn't need to do so to stay in touch. I don't think texting makes children stupid. It may make them annoying, when they try to text and talk to you. And it may distract them from math problems or what they have to do for school. I don't see that texting harms the ability of teenagers to communicate, either. My son is as good at interpreting nonverbal cues as any of the older members of our family. If anything , I've found him more engaged and easier to communicate with from a distance ,since he's constantly available through texting, and responds with faithfulness and speed that any mother would find reassuring . What can we infer from the passage?
A She has seen some harm being done by text messaging, but not much.
B She often uses text messages to keep in touch with her son.
C She will do something to limit her son's cellphone use.
D She will try to find out how text messaging makes children stupid.
Answer: B
Most children now chat daily either online or through their mobile phones. They are connecting to a huge number of other children all over the world. Some are shy "in real life" but are confident to communicate with others online; others find support from people of their own age on relationship issues, or problems at home. Sometimes the online world, just like the real word, can introduce problems, such as bullying or arguments. Going online is great fun, but there are also a few people who use the Internet for offensive or illegal aims. Children must be made _ of both the good things and the danger. To keep children safe your management must cover the family computer. Just as you decide which TV programs are suitable, you need to do the same for the websites and chat rooms your children visit. Remind your children that online friends are still strangers. Reminding them of the risks will keep them alert. Computer studies are part of schoolwork now, so it's likely that your children may know more than you do. We get left behind when it comes to the latest gadgets and interactive areas of websites, like chat rooms and message boards, which are especially strange. The language of chat is strange to many parents, too. Chatters love to use abbreviations such as: atb-- all the best; bbfn-- bye by for now; cul8er --see you later; gr8--great; idk-- I don't know; imbl-- it must be love; kit --keep in touch; paw-- parents are watching; lol--laugh out loud; xlnt-- excellent! When your son is chatting about something secret online with you standing beside him, he may use _ .
A bbfn.
B lol
C paw
D cul8er
Answer: C
If your mother wants to tell you something, she uses words. Birds can not talk as we do. But some birds can make sounds to warn their young of danger. They have their own way to make the young birds know or do certain things. The jackdaw is a kind of blackbird that lives in Europe. Jackdaws live together in groups. Young jackdaws do not know their enemies. When the older jackdaw sees a dog, it makes a loud rattling sound. The younger birds know this sound means an enemy is nearby. The sound warns them to know their enemies. If a young jackdaw is in a dangerous place, a jackdaw parent flies over him from behind. The parent bird flies low over the younger bird's back. The parent's tail feathers move quickly from side to side. It is trying to say, "Follow me." At the same time, the parent calls out, "Key-aw, Key-aw." The parent means, "Fly home with me." Young jackdaws do not have to learn what certain sounds mean. They know the meanings of these sounds from the time they are _ . When an enemy is nearby, an older jackdaw warns others by _ .
A making a loud sound
B flying high over its back
C moving from side to side
D saying "follow me"
Answer: A
Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could do to help her 3-year-old son Michael prepare for it. She and her husband found out that the new baby was going to be a girl. Day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in his mom's tummy . Finally, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in a very serious condition. The doctor told the parents there was very little hope. They kept the baby girl in the intensive care unit (ICU, ). Karen was so sad. She decided to plan for her funeral . Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. "I want to sing to her," he would say. Finally Karen decided to take Michael to his sister. This may be the last time he sees her alive. Michael looked at his baby sister. After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray." Instantly the baby girl seemed to _ . Her pulse rate began to calm down. "Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes. "You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away." As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's breath became smooth. After a few days, the little girl was well enough to go home. The doctors called it a miracle . ,. What might have brought about the miracle according to the article?
A The beautiful song.
B The great power of love.
C The kind doctors and nurses.
D The brother's pure-hearted voice.
Answer: B
It is believed in some ways that the daughter is father's lover. But my experience has taught me in a different way. For a long time, my father has been a very vague figure to me. He was a man of few words, tall but slim and nothing else. When I was in primary school, my father was never there to pick me up, and he never came to any of my parent-teacher meetings. He was always busy doing projects. I remember when I was in middle school and my head was badly hurt in a PE class. During my operation, my father was nowhere to be found. This hurt me most. At that moment, I considered my father as a cold-blooded man who did not care about me at all. But things seemed different at my high school graduation ceremony, where I was chosen to represent my class and give a speech. My father, once again, told me he had a business trip in a place outside the city and would be unable to show up . "Don't come. I will be very nervous if I see you," I told him. I remember my speech went smoothly. After the ceremony was over and I was about to leave. I suddenly noticed a familiar looking man sitting in a corner of the hall. It was my father! I was so surprised that I rushed to him with tears running down my face. "Well done," he said. His eyes were also filled with tears. Later, I found out that my father had managed to finish his work by staying up late, and he drove for eight hours to get back. He had been sitting in the corner because he didn't want me to see him. My father remembered every word in my speech. For much of my life, I described my father was a cold-blooded man who only cared about his work. But when I thought deeply about _ , it was obviously not true. At my graduation ceremony. I could feel my father's deep love. The fact is that seeing is not believing, and seeing may not be the fact if we don't perceive the world with our hearts and minds. There's no doubt that life doesn't lack love, but sometimes our eyes have trouble seeing it. The writer rushed to her father with tears running down her face mainly because _ .
A she gave a speech successfully
B the graduation ceremony was over
C she was so nervous that she couldn't help crying
D she was touched to find her father cared about her
Answer: D
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Wouldn't you want to travel more often without breaking the bank? If you are interested, read on to find out how you can do simple things to save money next time you go on vacation. Airfares Plan in advance and visit discount websites to see if there are better deals. If you are planning to stay in two countries and an airline makes you change planes on those countries anyway, you might be in luck. Check pricing on the flights to see if you can stay a few days at the country of the flight change instead of changing planes right away since airlines often let you do that for the same price. Accommodations Sometimes the smaller towns close to where you are going have hotels that are much less expensive. If you don't mind the 15-minute ride, you might just save a large amount of money. Home exchanges are pretty cool and popular especially in Europe. If you are of the adventure type, this could be exciting and refreshing. Sometimes smaller hotel chains are willing to give you free upgrades or even free nights. If you are staying at a destination for at least a few days, consider a vacation home instead of hotels. They are often more comfortable and your cost will probably be cheaper. Eating Figure out where you will be and eat before you actually go out. Avoid breakfast from the hotels because chances are good that the breakfast from the hotel is expensive and isn't great. It probably pays to walk out the front door in the morning and find a local cafe. You might just discover the local favorite unexpectedly. Want a breakfast that costs nothing? Ask for some bread to-go at the restaurant the night before. In addition, fancy lunches are often much less expensive than dinners. If you eat a big lunch and a light dinner, it's also healthier. What kind of travelers will choose a vocation home?
A Those who dislike small hotel chains.
B Those who want an adventure trip.
C Those who plan to live in one place for a few days.
D Those who don't mind long-distance trips.
Answer: C. Those who plan to live in one place for a few days.
A life coach is somebody who helps you reach all kinds of personal and professional goals . Each of us has the ability to be our own life coach. Here are some tips for you: Pay attention to your relationships with others. Ask yourself the following questions: What do you do with disagreements? When was the last time you showed your family members that you care for them? Your relationships with friends, family members and teachers show a lot about the kind of person you are. Face the fears about the future. Now, imagine that one of your good friends told you that he or she was not strong enough to go back to school. We often give better advice than we are willing to take ourselves. Remember that even the most successful people were probably told that what they wanted to do was impossible, but they followed their dreams and succeeded. Develop your talents. If you want to reach your goals, you will have to spend more time developing the talents you already have, and uncovering any hidden talents that you haven't discovered yet. So you can take classes in subjects that you are interested in, even if you have no experience. Be thankful . Take some time to be thankful for the things you do have. Remember positive memories. Think of the best day(s) you have had in the past month or year. Remember special parties, vacations and holidays. Be thankful to the wonderful people you have in your life. What will we learn if we are thankful for the things we have every day?
A To be thankful.
B To develop our talents.
C To face the fears about the future.
D To pay attention to our relationships with others.
Answer: A. To be thankful.
It was a cold and wet night. Over the radio came the message to deal with an accident in one of the side streets of the city. The scene of the accident wasn't far away and we arrived after 10 minutes. Two cars had crashed. Two women were lying on the street and one driver was still in the car. The driver was quite drunk and kept shouting to us. He didn't get badly hurt. A young woman died at once when the two cars crashed. I was holding the other woman and tried to stop the bleeding, but at last I had to watch her die in my arms. Three months later, I saw the driver in court and found him to be a normal person. He was sorry for his actions. In the end, he was put into the prison for several years. A man isn't a man if he drinks 10 beers in an hour. A man is a man when he knows his limit and takes responsibility . When he can stay away from wine, he can drive more safely. We know _ died in the accident.
A the man
B one woman
C two women
D nobody
Answer: C. two women
More and more Chinese mainland buyers have in the past few weeks been queuing to cross the border into Hong Kong to _ growing financial pressure led by rising food prices at home. Their shopping baskets are full of sugar, salt and even tissue paper. While prices are rising so fast, many people are worrying out ways to cut down their expenses. Du Zhenqi, an 80-year-old Beijinger, grows different vegetables in the community yard. But this year, before they turned ripe, they were all picked by his neighbors. "The prices of vegetables have gone up dramatically," said Du. "So I understand those people and it pleased me to offer them my help." Du expressed his sympathy for these who took away his vegetables without permission. The rise of food price in China has made people with low incomes feel serious financial pressure and forced them to spend wisely. A collection of practical money-saving tips is thus becoming increasingly popular among Chinese citizens. If you search "money-saving strategies" in Baidu, you will find 4.27 million entries in 0.19 seconds. The collection provides tips such as choosing local and seasonal products, avoiding buying vegetables on rainy or snowy days when higher transport costs increase prices, using websites for purchases, and planting vegetables on the balcony. Some consider buying in large quantity to stay within a tight budget. Fei Yuqin, who lives in Shanghai, frequently hurries to a farmers' market before 6 a.m. to buy large amounts of vegetables for her family and neighbors. "Instead of buying small amounts, I buy large amounts of vegetables at the market and get a 50-percent discount." With these tips, many people have become experts in cutting household expenses. However, financial pressure caused by the current round of price rising still troubles many Chinese people. Which of the following is TRUE?
A More mainland Chinese travel to Hong Kong to avoid the financial pressure.
B Du Zhenqi is so angry with those picking his vegetables without permission.
C People stay within a tight budget due to their ignorance to money-saving tips.
D Many Chinese are still in trouble with the current dramatically rising prices.
Answer: D. Many Chinese are still in trouble with the current dramatically rising prices.
What do you eat every day? Some people think about it. And some people will not make plans for their meals. Many people like to have fast food near their offices. This kind of food can make them fat and it is bad for their health. Even it will make them ill when they are old. What should a healthy person eat every day? Well, I will tell you the 'healthy eating habit'. It comes from doctors. When people do a lot of work, the energy is burning . So you need noodles, rice, milk, bread and eggs. If you don't eat them, you will feel tired. You should eat fruits and vegetables, too. There are a lot of vitamins in them. They can make you strong. And they can give you water. In fruits and vegetables, what can make you strong?
A Water.
B Vitamins.
C Energy.
D Calories.
Answer: B. Vitamins.
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For the past two years, 8-year-old Harli Jordean from Stoke Newington, London, has been selling marbles . His successful marble company, Marble King, sells all things marble-related - from affordable tubs of the glass playthings to significantly expensive items like Duke of York solitaire tables - sourced, purchased and processed by the mini-CEO himself. "I like having my own company. I like being the boss," Harli told the Mirror. With profits now in the thousands, "the world's youngest CEO" has had to get his mother and older brothers to help him meet the growing demand. Harli launched Marble King after swapping marbles at school led to schoolchildren consuming his marble collection. Yes, he literally "lost his marbles." Harli and his mother, Tina, turned to the Internet to find replacements. Harli saw an empty space online: the marbles he wanted were hard to find. Within months, Harli had his own marble-selling website - and orders started pouring in. Tina says her son's attachment to marbles started when he was just 6. "His attachment became so passionate that we started calling him the Marble King -- so when he wanted to set up a website it was the natural name for it," she told The Sun. "I never thought it would become so popular - we are struggling to cope with the number of orders at times." The 8-year-old boy has his sights set on expanding his business and launching his own brand of marbles. "Sometimes his ideas are so grand we have to _ a bit. But his dream is still to own Britain's biggest marble shop and open stores around the world," Tina told The Daily Mail. "At the moment he is annoying me by creating his own Marble King marbles - so that could well be the next step for him." How many mass media are mentioned in the passage?
Answer:
A parent contributes DNA to their offspring which can result in
Answer:
Near the North Pole there are only two seasons:winter and summer.In winter,nights are long.For more than two months you can't see the sun,even at noon.In summer,days are long.For more than two months the sun never sets and there is no night at a11.The temperature is very low near the North Pole.Even in summer the temperature is below 0degC.So people there wear warm clothes all year round.They make their clothing from the skins of animals.From the skins they also make coats,hats and even boots. In the cold climate,plants cannot grow.So the people have to build their houses with skins,earth,stone or snow.When they go out to hunt something,they live in tents of skins.When they move,they take their tents with them.Sometimes,they build houses of snow.Now don't think that these houses must be cold.In fact,they are very warm and safe. The life near the North Pole is very interesting. There are no _ near the North Pole.
Answer:
From: jovangagic56@memail. com To: kmallory@LN.org Subject: Hi! Dear Mr. Mallory, I am writing to tell you my deep disappointment for my experience at Lingua Nova English summer school in the first two weeks of July. I had been thoroughly looking forward to learning English and learning about culture in the UK, but I am afraid that my time at your summer school failed to live up to my expectations. Your brochure states that the student accommodation is situated "in the heart of Edinburgh". This is misleading as my accommodation was, in fact, situated a good fifty minutes bus ride from the city center in what I can only describe as a less than picturesque part of the suburbs. In addition, the activity programme did not reflect the fact that we were located in one of Europe's most interesting and historical cities: one evening activity consisted of a walk to a nearby park, another was a trip to a narrow street which was not usually used by cars. Finally, on our one trip into the city center our "guide" readily admitted that she was not from Edinburgh, and had in fact never visited the city before. I had been eagerly expecting a guided tour of Scotland's treasures. In fact, I was left in the city center with no map and told to "check things out" while your employee went shopping in Princes Street. This was a long awaited trip and cost me over two years' hard work and saving. Although I do have positive memories of my trip (my English teachers were knowledgeable and inspiring), the accommodation and activity programme were wholly unsatisfactory. I would like to get my money back for the accommodation and would really appreciate a reply within the next two weeks. Yours sincerely, Jovan Gagic What effect does Jovan want his email to have on Mr. Mallory?
Answer:
In the early 1990s,the word" Internet" was strange to most people. But today, Internet has become a useful tool for people all over the world. Maybe Internet has been the greatest invention in the field of communication in the history of mankind . Communicating with others on the Internet is much faster. We can chat with a person who is sitting in the other part of the world. We can e-mail our friends and they can read the e-mails within a minute. Giving all kinds of information is probably the biggest advantage of the Internet. We can use search engines to find the information we need. Just type in a keyword or keywords and the search engine will give us a list of suitable websites to look at. We can enjoy a lot on the Internet by downloading games, visiting chat rooms or surfing websites. There are some games for free. We can meet new and interesting people in the chat now. We can also listen to music and see films. Now ,there is a lot of service on the Internet such as online banking ,job finding and ticket buying. We can also do shopping and find nearly all kinds of goods. Sometimes we can find something that is quite good but very cheap. What fact doesn't the passage provide?
Answer:
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Stacey Hillman, who is 10 years old, was reading a magazine about police dogs needing bulletproof vests . She thought that someone should start raising money for the police dogs. After she got permission from Chief LaBrusciano, she went to the County Sheriff Don Eslinger. She got busy visiting all the police dogs and telling the departments about her new charity. She made "collection boxes" by using bottles and put a picture of her with a police dog on it. She put these bottles in vet's offices and pet stores. The Chief from her hometown police department helped make Stacey's idea an official charity -- Pennies to Protect Police Dogs. The more money she collected, the more popular she became, and the more people offered to donate and help her with her goal of giving every police dog effective protection. Stacey travels all around her state to raise money and tell people how important the police dogs are. She speaks at schools, and they donate to her charity, too. Since Stacey started her charity, she has bought bulletproof vests for the police dogs with all the 140 thousand dollars she has raised. But she has many more K-9 friends that still need to be protected and she promises to keep doing her charity until every police dog in the whole country has a bulletproof vest. Each vest costs $700, and every police dog should have one. There are not always tax dollars to provide K-9s with these vests, and very few departments have them. The police dogs save lives just like police officers do, and often the police dogs are the first to go in. Stacey depends on donations from everyone to provide the dogs with bulletproof vests. According to the passage, Stacey's final goal is _ .
The Confucius Institute is a centre of education excellence for Australian companies wishing to do business in China, the general public who has an interest in Chinese language and culture and for Chinese companies and executives working in Australia. The Institute is a partnership between the University of Melbourne and the State Government of Victoria, and is affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education. It is one of over three hundred Confucius Institutes globally. The Institute conducts: * Chinese language classes (all levels) * In-house language and Cross-Cultural training--Strategy, Human Resources, Marketing, Management, Legal and Financial issues * Market research focus groups * Cultural events Broaden your skills and knowledge on China, Chinese business, language and culture with the Confucius Institute at the University of Melbourne. 2014 Confucius Institute Scholarship applications have opened. Confucius Institute students and alumni (aged 18-35) are encouraged to apply . Scholarships available in 2014: * One academic year of in-country Chinese study * One semester of in-country Chinese study * Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL) * One academic year of Chinese study + MTCSOL Scholarships cover tuition fees, registration fees, fees for basic learning materials and accommodation on campus; a monthly allowance; one-off settlement subsidy and comprehensive medical insurance and benefit plan for international students in China. See http://cis.chinese.cn for more information. Please contact Lianying Hao before applying. Apply before 3 May 2014. Applicants must be non-Chinese citizens in good health. The scholarship will be offered every year. Please contact the Confucius Institute at the University of Melbourne for further information. Contact Person: Lianying Hao: lyhao@unimelb.edu.au From the passage we know_.
I Online shopping started not so long ago. Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1990. The first online bank opened in 1994. In 1995, Amazon started operating and is not one of the largest online shopping malls. Then in 1996, eBay started its online shopping site. By sitting at home you can now buy anything from knives to cars. The worry you may have about traveling and parking can be avoided while you shop online. With online shopping, you need not worry about the weather. Online shops have no holidays, closing times or any other problem. You can shop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Some online shops also keep customers' opinions about each product, so you can easily find out what other customers think about the product before buying it. When you go for real-world shopping, you can actually touch and feel it, but in online shopping you can only see the pictures. Also if you are shopping online, you have to be careful with your credit cards. The first step in online shopping is to search for what you want to buy. Once you find the required product, put it in a "shopping cart" and continue shopping. After you have got enough in your "shopping cart", check out the product. You can add or take out the products in your shopping cart. The next step is to log in using a username and a password. Enter the address where you want the product to be sent. Some sites even ask for your email, phone numbers, etc. Then wait for the confirmation of your order. You can also cancel the order if needed. Online shopping is a different experience and you can make shopping online easy when you get used to it. I When shopping online, you can _
Why would philanthropists donate special straws to help poor countries?
While children are dogs---loyal and affectionate --teenagers are cats. It's so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, and boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it. Then around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor. Instead of dogging your doorsteps, it disappears. You won't see it again until it gets hungry--then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you're serving. when you reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it twists away from you, then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before. You, not realizing that the dog is now a cat, think something must be desperately wrong with it. It seems so antisocial, so distant, sort of depressed. It won't go on family outings. Since you are the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you assume that you did something wrong. Flooded with guilt and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave. Only now you're dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now produces the opposite of the desired result. Call it, and it runs away. Tell it to sit, and it jumps on the counter. The more you go toward it, wringing your hands, the more it moves away. Put a dish of food near the door, and let it come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and your affection too. Sit still, and it will come, seeking that warm, comforting lap it has not entirely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it. One day your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, "You've been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you. " Then you'll realize your cat is a dog again. What can we learn from the passage?
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After nearly 50 years of separation,an elderly woman has been reunited with the family that she feared was lost to her forever. Celestine Thompson left Mississippi when she was 14 years old and eventually settled in New York,where she spent more than 30 years of her life,according to WLOX 13News. After surviving a fire in 1992,Thompson was in a coma for two years and has since experienced memory loss. The 90-year-old found it difficult to recall details about her family. But later she remembered the name of her nephew Clarence Woodway. Then another woman who knows Thompson in Mississippi was able to track Woodway down and help reunite Thompson with her large family. "In our minds,my brother and I were talking that she wasn't here anymore,because we hadn't heard from her for a very long time,"Donald Davis,another one of Thompson's nephews,told the media."You know,we were overjoyed when we found out that we had gotten in contact with her." A few of Thompson's relatives visited her in New York,and then arranged a larger reunion which was held this past Saturday in Gulfport,Mississippi,the Associated Press reported. Thompson now lives in Greensboro,Alabama,with a caretaker,and,although she is yet to meet them all,she has regained quite a sizeable family of 23 nieces and nephews,64 grand nieces and nephews,66 great-grand nieces and nephews and 34 great-great-grand nieces and nephews,according to the Associated Press. How many generations are there in Thompson's large family?
Five.
Dear Died, Today I was at the shopping centre and I spent a lot of time reading the Father's Day cards. But as I chose add read, and chose add read again, it seemed that not a single card said what I really wanted to you. You'll soon be 84 years old, Dad,and you and I will have had 56 Father's Days together. I didn't think that you were too old. But the sad thing happened last week. I watched as you turned at the corner in your car. I didn't realize at once that it was you because _ who was driving looked so elderly. Fifty years ago this spring, we planted carrots together in a garden in Charles City, Iowa. This week, we'll plant carrots together again, perhaps for the last time but I hope not. I don't understand why planting carrots with you is so important to me. Well, I don't quite know how to tell you this, dad ... I don't like carrots.... but I like planting them with you. I guess what am trying to say, Dad, is what every son and daughter wants to say to their dad today. Praising a father on Father's Day is about more than a dad who brings home, money or shares a dinner. It's more about a dad deeply loving children who know everything and won't listen to anyone. It's about sharing. It's about loving someone more than words can say, and I wish that it would never end. Lover, Jenny Where did Jenny go today?
A shopping center.
Oscar-winning actress Joan Fontaine, who rose to fame during Hollywood's golden age as the star of several Alfred Hitch.cock classics, died from natural causes at her home in Carmel, northern California on December 16, 2013 aged 96, US media reports said. Born in Japan to British parents, Fontaine moved in 1919 to California, where she and her elder sister -screen idol Olivia de Havilland-were to shape successful movie careers.Fontaine and de Havilland remain the only sisters to have won lead actress honours at the Academy Awards.Yet the two sisters also had an uneasy relationship, with Fontaine recording a bitter competition in her own account "No Bed of Roses ". Fontaine began her acting career in her late teens with Largely less important roles on the stage and later in mostly B-movies in the 1930s. It was not before famous British film director Hitchcock spotted her a decade later that her career took off. Greatly surprised by her expressive looks, the suspense master cast Fontaine in his first US film, a 1940 adaptation of the Daphne du Maurier novel "Rebecca". She received an Academy Award nomination for her performance as a troubled wife. A year later, Fontaine finally won the long-sought golden figure, for her role as leading lady in "Suspicion" opposite Cary Grant, becoming the first and only actress to earn the title for a Hitchock film. Although her sister, Olivia de Havilland, preceded her in gaining Hollywood fame, Fontaine was the first of the sisters to win an Oscar, beating Olivia's nomination as best actress in Mitchell Leisen's "Hold Back the Dawn". The dislike ,between the sisters was felt at the Oscars ceremony."I froze. I stared across the table, where Olivia was sitting.'Get up there!' she whispered commandingly," Fontaine said."All the dislike we'd felt toward each other as children...all came rushing back in quickly changing pictures...I felt Olivia would spring across the table and seize me by the hair." Olivia did not win her first Oscar until 1946, for her role as the lover of a World War I pilot in Leisen's " To Each His Own". Fontaine later made it known that her. sister had slighted her as she attempted to offer congratulations."She took one look at me, ignored my hand, seized her Oscar and wheeled away," she said. The sisters were also reportedly competitors in love. Howard Hughes, a strange businessman who dated the elder de Havilland for a time, offered marriage to Fontaine several times."I married first, won the Oscar before Olivia did, and if I die first, she'll undoubtedly be extremely angry because I beat her to it!" Fontaine once joked. As her film career fruited in the 1950s, Fontaine turned to television and dinner theatre, and also appeared in several Broadway productions, including the Lion in Winter". Anything but the ordinary lady, Fontaine was also a licensed pilot, a champion balloonist, an accomplished golfer, a licensed .decoration designer and a first-class cook. Fontaine did not become successful or popular until the _ .
1940s
An example of a mixture is
gin and tonic martini
Doing well in high school prepare students for life in college and beyond, so achieving student success is important. High school students learn valuable information form class lectures and homework, and by asking for help when it is needed. Being prepared for tests and engaging in school activities can help a student to achieve success in high school. Complete any homework you are assigned on time. Then, if you need help understanding a concept you will have plenty of time to get help. Create a study area in your home. This can be a quiet bench outside or a seating area in your room. If you like to listen to music while studying, listen to classical or reading music. Be sure to have plenty of lighting in the area to read your textbook or notes. Keep a schedule. If you have extra-curricular activities like sports or school meetings, make sure to schedule your homework and study time around them. Keeping a schedule will allow you to get better grades while having fun in high school. Eat breakfast. Having breakfast each morning before school will give you energy and brain function to pay better attention in class. Eat snacks during study sessions to keep alert and focused on your work. Create a study group to help fellow high school students and get help if you need it. Studying with others will help reinforce concepts and information, and if you need help there will always be someone there to help you before you get behind in your studies. Set up after-school hours with your teacher if you need extra tutoring . Visiting a teacher for one-on-one time before a test will help you nail down those last few concepts you need help with. What will make it possible for the high school students to get better grades while having fun?
Keeping a schedule and following it.
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Earlier this year,my oldest daughter got braces on her teeth,and let's just say she did not go quietly into that dentist's chair.Fear and hate pretty much describe the days leading up to her first appointment. So when she finally walked out with shiny teeth,a sore mouth and a broken spirit,I told her I was proud of her and took her to Ben &Jerry's for an ice cream reward.Two weeks later,we returned to the scene of the crime.The dentist spent about 45 seconds checking her teeth before sending her on her merry way.Before I could start the car, she was placing her ice cream order.She was shocked when I told her that she wasn't going to get a reward every time we get her teeth checked. Clearly,she's not alone.According to some parenting experts,kids are easily addicted to a benefit--producing system of parental rewards and bribes--it's not all ice creams,candies and cool toys.Some parents are offering their children prizes to just let them sit down and behave in a restaurant--or sleep in their own beds--or score a goal in the next soccer game. While the experts agree that occasional awards are okay, the danger lies in the system's overuse.Kids quickly gain a sense of entitlement ,where they come to expect a big reward for every good thing that they do,no matter how small.To keep things in check,experts say parents should reduce the number of rewards they offer,make sure rewards match the behavior and explain the real benefits of behaving for the sake of behaving. Have you used bribery or a reward system with your kids? Was it successful? Do your kids expect more because of that system? Similar to the author's daughter,children _ .
A. are often troubled by bad teeth.
B. expect more reward from their parents.
C. are afraid to visit a dentist.
D. receive certain rewards when becoming i11.
Answer: B
If a hilly area that reaches incredible peaks is existing, then what happened long ago was
A. things were steamed
B. rocks were tiny
C. stones crumpling together
D. plants were eaten
Answer: C
Who would win in a competition to memorize numbers, a chimp or a teenager? The teenager? Think again. Scientists have proved that chimps perform better than human beings when it comes to this kind of problem. We may have to rethink what we believe about human memory. Memory is our ability to learn something, save it and recall it when needed. Our memories are important to our sense of self, our personalities, and our ability to understand the world. Scientists say that there are different types of memory. There is short-term memory and long-term memory. Your short-term memory saves information for a few seconds or a few minutes. For example, the time it takes to compare the prices of a few items in a store. Long-term memory involves the information you try hard to keep, because it's meaningful to you (an example is data about family and friends. ) And then there is visual memory and sound memory. But these are not hard and fast: scientists argue a lot about the nature of memory. Scientists have also found that people memorize things in different ways. Some memorize better with the help of pictures. Others are helped more by sounds. One thing's for sure. If you can combine different kinds of memory together, you will remember a lot! So why not try pictures with English words? At the same time listen to recordings of the same group of words. It may help when it comes to memorizing it. Imagination and association can be useful too. By imagination scientists mean picturing a word in your mind. Association means relating the word to something you already know. How many kinds of memory are mentioned in the article?
A. 2
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5
Answer: C
I have a friend named John Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro.The last time I was there he shared a story with me. "It is a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer. When he was a senior,he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up." That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings,the stables and the track. "The next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, 'See me after class.'" "The boy went to see the teacher after class and asked, 'Why did I receive an F?'" "The teacher said, 'This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher added, 'If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.'" "The boy went home and asked his father what he should do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.'" "Finally,after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, 'You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.'" John continued, "I tell you this story because you are sitting in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace." He added, "If I had changed my paper at that time, maybe we would not have the chance to be here talking about the dreams ." Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. Keep My Deam
B. My Horse Rnch
C. Father's Lve
D. My Goal
Answer: A
I have nothing to say about whether or not "A Day Without Immigrants " had a positive or negative effect on the question of how the federal government should deal with the huge population of undocumented illegal immigrants in this country. I'll leave that question to others. Regardless of how you feel about the event, one conclusion is obvious. Using the theme of "A Day Without" as a way to focus national attention on a particular subject is a great idea, and could serve as a method for increasing public consciousness about other issues that affect daily life in America. Here are my top three examples: "A Day Without Speeding." How hard could this be? If all drivers would strictly obey every posted speed limit on highways, downtown, on neighborhood streets, and in parking lots for one 24-hour cycle, the benefits would be huge. "A Day Without Losing Your Temper." A higher degree of difficulty here, and I know that from personal experience. When something goes wrong at home or on the job, there may be brief satisfaction in yelling or kicking the furniture, but bursting into anger usually has nothing to do with the approach to the heart of the matter. "A Day Without Having All The Answers." I would like to get a break from hearing anyone speak the phrase, "Here's what you're doing wrong." Right now the US is packed with citizens who believe they can point out the cause of every single problem in existence and then solve it in a moment. I believe they need to be quiet sometimes and use their ears instead of their voices. I wonder how would average Americans react to such a national pause? Would it be a day of reaction against anger, or joyful celebrations? The writer suggests "a day without having all the answers", because _ .
A. he thinks the Americans are too proud
B. he wants to have a chance to speak his mind
C. he expects others to keep quiet and calm
D. he hopes to get a break from the problems
Answer: A
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Question: American people like to say "Thank you" whenever others help them. People of many other countries do so, too. It is a very good habit. You should say "Thank you" when someone passes you the salt on the table. When someone walking ahead of you keeps the door open for you, when someone says you have done your work well, or you have bought a nice thing, or your city is very beautiful. "Thank you" is used not only between friends, but also between parents and children, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives. "Excuse me" is another short sentence they use. When you hear someone say "Excuse me" behind you, you know that somebody wants to walk past you without touching you. It's not polite to interrupt others while they are talking. If you want to speak to one of them, say "Excuse me" first, and then begin talking. You should also do so when you want to cough or make any unpleasant noise before others. Let's all learn to say "Thank you" and "Excuse me". You should learn to say "Thank you" when _ .
A. you say something kind to others
B. you help others
C. you are helped by others
D. you need others to help
Answer:
C
Question: There was once a spider that lived in a cornfield . She liked this home and planned to stay there for the rest of her life. One day, the spider caught a little bug in her web. Just as the spider was about to eat him, the bug said: "If you let me go, I will tell you something important that can save your life." The spider thought for a little while and listened. "You'd better get out of this cornfield," the little bug said. "The harvest is coming!" "I think you are just telling me a story," the spider said with a smile. "Oh no, it is true," the little bug said. "All the stalks will be knocked down, and the corn will be gathered up. You will be killed by the giant machines if you stay here." "I don't believe you," the spider said as she ate the little bug for lunch. A few days later, the spider was laughing about the story the little bug had told her. She thought to herself: "A harvest! What a silly idea. I have lived here all of my life, and nothing has ever disturbed me." The next day was a beautiful sunny day. The sky above was clear, and there was no wind at all. That afternoon, as the spider was about to take a nap , she noticed some thick dusty clouds moving towards her. She could hear the noise of a great engine , and she said to herself: "I wonder what that could be?" What might happen to the spider?
A. It might be killed by the great machines.
B. It might escape from the cornfield.
C. It might still live the cornfield.
D. It might be saved by another bug.
Answer:
A
Question: Ants have a reputation for strength,organization and teamwork.But researchers have now discovered that a key secret to the success of ants is their ability to identify the importance of age in the work place. A study of Gentral American leaf-cutter ants has shown that the younger and stronger members are give the toughest job of cutting therough the leaves they harvest.Their sharp youn teeth do this job effectively,but as they get older their teeth become relatively worn and _ . But rather than being retired or abandoned by the group,the ageing ants are given a new role more suyted to their physical abilities.They become carriers and teansport the leaves back to the kingdom where they are harvested for food. The findings by researchers from the University of Oregon and the Oregong State University support previous research showin the survival of a leaf-cutter kingdom depends on the efficiency of is workers. "Cuting leaves is hard work,"said Dr.Robert Schofield,who led the research team."Much of the cutting is done with a V-shaped blade between teeth on their jaws.This blade starts out as sharp as the sharpest razor blade that humans have developed."But over rime the teeth become blunter and the cutting job slows down.The team estimated that,because of this age-related wear,a colony spent twice the energy cutting leaves than it would if all the ants had sharp blades.Its findings support the idea that wear and break can be significant problems for insects as well as largre animals. Like humans,leaf-cuttre ant recognize that older members of the group can still make a worhwhile contribution to society."This study shows an advantage of social living that we are familiar with,"said Dr.Schofield. What happens to the ants when they become old?
A. They no longer hve work to do.
B. They keep doing the same work.
C. They have to leave and live on themselves.
D. They are given a new worthwhile job.
Answer:
D
Question: Nuclear power's danger to health, safety, and even life itself can be summed up in one word: radiation. Nuclear radiation has a certain mystery about it, partly because it cannot be detected by human senses. It can't be seen or heard, or touched or tasted, even though it may be all around us. There are other things like that. For example, radio waves are all around us but we can't detect them, sense them, without a radio receiver. Similarly, we can't sense radioactivity without a radiation detector. But unlike common radio waves, nuclear radiation is not harmless to human beings and other living things. At very high levels, radiation can kill an animal or human being immediately by killing masses of cells in vital organs. But even the lowest levels can do serious damage. There is no levels of radiation that is completely safe. If the radiation does not hit anything important, the damage may not be serious. This is the case when only a few cells are hit, and if they are killed immediately. Your body will replace the dead cells with healthy ones. But if the few cells are only damaged, and if they reproduce themselves, you may be in trouble. They can grow into cancer. Sometimes this does not show up for many years. This is another reason for some of the mystery about nuclear radiation. Serious damage can be done without the victim being aware at the time that damage has occurred. A person can be irradiated and feel fine, then die for cancer five, ten, or twenty years later as a result. Or a child can be born weak as a result of radiation absorbed by its grandparents. Radiation can hurt us. We must know the truth. If a human being is hit by nuclear radiation, he may _ .
A. die of cancer after many years
B. die immediately
C. have a child who may be born weak
D. all of the above
Answer:
D
Question: There are some strong-minded people that are able to stop smoking today and be free from the addiction the next day. However, some smokers may have to seek help from medication in order to kick the habit. What medication actually does is to reduce the wish to smoke. Some of the medication must be taken with a doctor's guidance. The five most common medications to stop smoking are Bupropion SR, nicotine gum, nicotine inhalers, nicotine nasal spray and nicotine patches. People can buy nicotine gum and nicotine patches in chemists. However, the other medications require a prescription. Zyban tablets have been found to be highly effective in curing people of smoking addiction. The tablet needs to be taken whole, without crushing it, as crushing can lead to side effects. It can be bought on the prescription of a doctor. Nicotine patches are filled with nicotine and they are applied to the skin. The skin takes in the nicotine and carries it to the blood stream. The amount of nicotine in these patches is quite limited, not enough to lead to addiction. But you shouldn't take them for dinner. In fact, millions of people have benefited from these nicotine patches. Nicotine gum is supposed to be a safer choice. It is used in such a way that it comes into contact with the blood vessels in the mouth and then releases the nicotine. The nicotine should not go through the stomach; otherwise, it may cause certain side effects. These different types of medications have to be taken quite carefully. Do ask your doctor before taking any of these. Which of the following medicines can be bought without a prescription?
A. Zyban tablets.
B. Nicotine patches.
C. Nicotine inhalers.
D. Nicotine nasal spray.
Answer:
B
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A rabbit was hopping around, following all the smells he could smell. He had a great nose, smelling carrots, bushes, flowers, and other animals. He smelled melons and he smelled a dish of ice cream. Rabbits don't like ice cream, so he moved to the flowers faster. And he didn't really like to snack on melons either. He saw friends, the duckling and the mother duck, but he was moving too fast to get to the flowers. He could smell the flowers from a long way away. He kept hopping to reach them, faster and faster. One hop, two hops, three hops. On his third hop he always bounced a little higher. He finally smelled the flowers close, so he hopped a little bit faster. The flowers were in sight. He went up to them and smelled longer and harder than ever before. A wonderful smell at last. What did the rabbit smell?
Should parents ever hit their children? Research suggests many of us are likely to respond "no", and public support for spanking has been falling over the years.But surveys also show that 75 percent to nearly 90 percent of parents admit to spanking their child at least once. I was raised in a zero-tolerance home for disrespect, and my parents often turned to physical punishment.And, no, I don' t feel I was damaged by it. Nothing is more annoying than watching ill-mannered behavior from children. But there is data to suggest that a return to old-school spanking isn't the answer. Two years ago, Newsweek reported that it had found data suggesting that teens whose parents used physical punishment were more likely to become aggressive. Murray Straus, professor at the University of New Hampshire in America, has studied the topic of children and spanking for decades.He said that children who were physically punished have lower IQs than their peers.It may be that children with lower IQs were more likely to get spanked, but the punishment may have been counterproductive to their mental development, as well. Some researchers make the argument that occasional open-handed smacks on the bottom are not only harmless but can have some benefit. Last year, Marjorie Gunnoe, a psychologist at Calvin College, studied teens who have never spanked.There are a greater number of children growing up without ever having been physically punished.Gunnoe's research suggests they don' t turn out any better than those who were sometimes spanked. There are some parents who simply cannot control their tempers .But I still believe that the best parents are the ones who are able to offer fair and firm discipline without ever turning to physical punishment. According to Murray Straus, children who are physically punished _ .
Travis is the manager of G&G where he is responsible for forty employees and profits of over $2 million per year. He's never late to work. He does not get upset on the job. When one of his employees started crying after a customer screamed at her, Travis took her away. "Your working uniform is your shelter," he told her. "Nothing anyone says will ever hurt you. You will always be as strong as you want to be." Travis picked up that lecture in one of his G&G training courses, an education program that began on his first day and continues throughout an employee's occupation. The training has, Travis says, changed his life. G&G has taught him how to live, how to focus, how to get to work on time, and how to master his emotions . Most importantly, it taught him willpower. At the center of that education is an extreme focus on an all-important habit; willpower. Dozens of cases show that willpower is the single most important habit for a person's success. And the best way to strengthen willpower is to make it into a habit. "Sometimes it looks like people with great self-control aren't working hard--but that's because they've made it automatic," Angela Duckworth, one of the University of Pennsylvania researchers said. "Their willpower occurs without them having to think about it." The company spent millions of dollars developing programs of study to train employees on self-control. Managers wrote workbooks that serve as guides to how to make willpower a habit in workers' lives. Those courses arc, in part, why G&G has grown from a sleepy company into a large one with more than seventeen thousand stores and profits of more than $10 billion a year. We loam from Paragraph 2 that employees in G&G must _ .
Trees should only be pruned when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and , he number of such reasons is small . Pruning involves the cutting away of overgrown and unwanted branches , and the inexperienced gardener can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than from leaving the tree to grow in its own way . First , pruning may be done to make sure that trees have desired shape or size . The object may be to get a tree of the right height , and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches , which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape . Secondly , pruning may be done to make the tree healthier . You may cut out diseased or dead wood , or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus cause wounds . The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the center and so preventing the free movement of air . One result of pruning is that an open wound is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease , but it is a wound that will heal . Often there is a race between the healing and the disease as to whether the tree will live or die , so that there is a period when the tree is at risk . It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce that risk of death as far as possible . It is important to make the area , which has been pruned , smooth and clean , for healing will be slowed down by roughness . You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hours and then paint it with one of the materials available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose . Pruning is usually done in winter , for then you can see the shape of the tree clearly without interference from the leaves and also it is very unlikely that the cuts you make will bleed . If this does happen , it is , of course , impossible to paint them properly . A good gardener prunes a tree_.
Like human beings, dogs may catch cold because of cold weather, wet conditions or can also get it from other sick dogs. If a dog has a running nose and watery eyes, coughs or sneezes , then it is quite probable that the dog has caught cold. A dog's cold can get over after a few days without treatment but it totally depends upon the owner to treat it with medications or improve its immune power to get rid of the cold naturally. Following are some of the things you can do if your dog gets a cold. You can improve its immune power by giving it proper nutrient diet. Healthy food can really do wonders. Try to give it food which is either suggested by the vet or is healthy for your pet. Increase the intake of food which is rich in vitamins A, C and E. Keep your dog warm. The best place for your dog in winter is inside your house. Do not keep your dog outside when it is cold and wet. At home you can also keep the dog warm with the help of carpets. This will make him comfortable and help him to recover fast. Increase the fluid intake as it helps a lot. Water can be the best choice but you can also add broth in water which will give your dog strength. Warm water will make your dog more comfortable and will also keep the dog away from the respiratory infections . Steam treatment is considered to be effective in getting rid of cold. It makes the nasal passage wet, which helps proper breathing. Just fill your bathroom with steam and leave your dog inside the bathroom for 15 minutes. Do it nearly 2 to 3 times a day and you will see your dog recovering. These are some of the things you can do to help your dog recover from cold. However, if you are not able to find any improvement in its health, then turn to the vet for help immediately. Take your dog for regular checkups so as to avoid complications . It can be learnt from the text that _ .
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Question: Our cat has a sweet nature, and she can let us know what she wants. When we fail to meet her needs, she gently leads us in the proper direction. When I forget to fill her water bowl early in the morning, she runs after my legs, and then pushes me in the direction of her bowl. She doesn't get irritated ; instead, she expresses her wishes in the best way. And I always understand what she is telling me. One day I found myself envying her simple expression. How many times had I expected my husband or my children to know my wants without my ever giving voice to them? How many times had I been disappointed that they couldn't understand when I needed a hug, a compliment or a chocolate bar? After a pleasant afternoon with my husband, I wanted to stop somewhere nice and have dinner, but he didn't understand my hints . "Couldn't you see that I wanted to go out to dinner?" I complained when he pulled into our driveway. "Why didn't you say so? I can't read your mind," he answered in impatience. _ . Had I expected him to read my mind? Why hadn't I expressed my desire more clearly? I realized I had fallen into the female trap of "If you love me, you can read my mind." Now, I state my needs clearly and directly. I look at my cat and know she agrees. Why was the author disappointed in her husband or her children?
A. Her husband didn't give her a hug.
B. Her children didn't give her a chocolate bar.
C. They didn't give her a compliment.
D. They didn't understand her mind.
Answer:
D. They didn't understand her mind.
Question: One morning last summer Joyce Andrews made some sausage sandwiches for her husband's lunch. There was one sausage left over. Mrs. Andrews didn't care for them herself, and so she gave the last one to Henry, their little dog, Henry ate it up quickly. During the morning the dog got ill. He wouldn't stop shaking his head, and couldn't stand properly. Joyce thought, "He's eaten something that didn't agree with him. Maybe that sausage very bad..." she suddenly remembered her husband's lunch. She ran to the telephone and called Jim at office. "Jim, I hope you haven't eaten any of those sandwiches yet." "You have Two? Well, listen--don't eat any more. I gave Henry the last sausage, and new he's ill. Go to the doctor, Jim." "What? You feel all right? No, Jim, don't take a chance with your health. I'm sure the sausages are bad. Please go..." "Yes, Jim. Tell him about the dog. Get some medicine." Jim came back at lunch time and went to bed. "I had a very unpleasant hour at the doctor" he told Joyce, "and the medicine made me very sick." The next morning Jim was fine. Henry seemed quite fit again, too. At eleven o'clock milkman came with the milk. "Morning, Mrs. Andrews," the milkman said "How's your dog this morning? I've been thinking about him..." "Have you? Well, he seems all right now, but..." "Yesterday morning he and I had I a little accident. He jumped up at me, and I dropped a bottle of milk on his head." Joyce's husband _ .
A. took her advice that he should go to the hospital
B. didn't believe her
C. knew why Henry kept shaking his head
D. didn't eat any of the sausage
Answer:
A. took her advice that he should go to the hospital
Question: Road congestion costs drivers billions of dollars every year due to wasted gas and time.In addition, traffic on roads results in increased engine idling and unnecessary emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.Some of the major reasons for road congestion are narrow streets, accidents, parking on roads due to shortage of parking facilities, avoidance of public transportation and more private vehicles.Traffic congestion can have stressful effects on commuters , the economy and the environment. Are there any solutions? Use public transportation, such as trains, trams, buses and taxis. These modes of transport carry a large number of people at one time and greatly reduce the number of cars on the road.Moreover, it will save you from driving stress, save time and help the environment. If you have an empty seat in your car, consider car pooling by finding other people who might be headed to a destination near yours. This will not only help reduce traffic congestion, but also journey expenses.In addition, it will decrease driving stress as each person would get a break from driving.This is also environmentally friendly and a sustainable way to travel as it would reduce carbon. emissions. By raising gasoline taxes, the government would have extra funds to construct highways, subways and alternative roads. Moreover, it will also reduce congestion as commuters would find it cheaper to use other modes such as carpools and public transportation. Introduction of road toll would also help reduce congestion.Road tolls requires commuters to pay a fee for using the particular road. This will encourage commuters to use other modes where they would not have to pay this fee every day. While commuting, keep your radio on so that you can stay informed about all live traffic updates aired.Avoid using roads that are already congested due to accidents or other reasons.This will help reduce congestion to some extent. What's the best title of this passage?
A. Methods of reducing traffic congestion
B. Solutions to decrease traffic problems
C. How to manage car traffic service
D. How to control the number of cars
Answer:
A. Methods of reducing traffic congestion
Question: I had been to several doctors as a child, but I have a special place in my heart for Dr. Vincent. He was a Pediatric Cardiologist at UCLA back in 1971 who saved my life. I was eight years old at the time with a severe heart problem and I needed heart surgery. My Mom did not have the money, and without the surgery there was a real good chance I would not live to be thirteen years old. After contacting several organizations Dr. Vincent was able to get financial help for me through United Way, a Crippled Children's Organization. Dr. Vincent was a handsome man; he was also very gentle and caring. I remember being in the hospital for an Angiogram test, and during the procedure I was crying terribly, so the medical staff called in Dr. Vincent to calm me down, and he was able to comfort me when no one else could. Then the time came for me to have heart surgery; there was a fifty- percent chance that I would not make it through the surgery because it was experimental. At the time I was only the second or third person to have this procedure done. I was absolutely terrified, and again Dr. Vincent reassured me he would see to it that everything would be all right. I had a lot of confidence and trust in Dr. Vincent; He came to see me after the surgery, which was extremely painful but very successful, and brought me a stuffed animal. I was so surprised to get this gift from Dr. Vincent; I gave him a hug. I guess Dr. Vincent must have known I was feeling very lonely and scared. You see, I had no family or friends visit me while I was in the hospital except for my Mom, and I am not sure why. I do know one thing; I had a wonderful doctor who took the time to help a scared little girl who felt all alone. This was twenty eight years ago, so wherever you are Dr. Vincent, I want to thank you for not only saving my life, but you helped me live a normal productive life, and for showing me that you truly cared, for that I will be eternally grateful to you. Why did Dr. Vincent have a special place in her heart? Because _ .
A. Dr. Vincent was handsome
B. Dr. Vincent was caring and kind
C. Dr. Vincent carried out the operation.
D. Dr. Vincent offered the money the operation needed.
Answer:
B. Dr. Vincent was caring and kind
Question: One windy spring day, I noticed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Colorful creations of different shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds flying and dancing. As the strong winds blew against the kites, a string kept them in control. Instead of blowing away with the wind, they rose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome tail kept them in control, facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled against the string, they seemed to say, "Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!" They rose beautifully even when they fought the _ of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose . "Free at last," it seemed to say. "Free to fly with the wind." Yet freedom simply put it in the control of an unkind wind. It fell down to the ground and landed in a mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. "Free at last", free to lie powerlessly in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to stop lifelessly against the first obstacle . How much like kites we sometimes are. The Heaven gives us adversity and rules, rules to follow from which we can grow and get strength. Some of us break away from the rules so hard that we never reach the heights we might get to. We keep part of the rules and never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground. Let us each rise to the great heights, knowing that some of the rules that we may be angry about are in fact the strong force that helps us achieve. In the writer's opinion, _ .
A. without restrictions and rules we can make endless progress
B. kites are good examples to those who want to get freedom
C. restrictions are necessary for us human beings
D. we don't need any freedom at all
Answer:
B. kites are good examples to those who want to get freedom
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Shopping is not as simple as you may think! Much has to be done for the producers before putting the products on the shelf. Color, for example, changes a lot according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packed in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colors. When some kind of medicine was brought out recently, researchers found that the color of the package caused the shoppers to lose interest because they made the product look ineffective . At last, it came on the market in dark blue and white--blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm. The size of a package can also attract a shopper, although quite often a bottle doesn't hold as much as it seems to. It is said that the better-known companies spend about 40 percent of the cost of the product itself on packaging! The most successful producers know that it's not enough to have a good product. The head of Pears Soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to sell their goods, came to the conclusion: "Any fool can make soap, but it takes a talent to sell it." If a new product costs $ 60, how much money may be spent on packaging?
A. $ 24
B. $ 36
C. $ 40
D. $ 60
Answer: A. $ 24
A lot of us lose life's tough battles by starting a frontal attack -- when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who was trapped in a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving a warning about being late for the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's a being late --serious illness at home -- he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any longer. His boss was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech. Yes, the boss was. Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room ; everyone was hard at work. Sam's boss came up to him. Suddenly, Sam smiled and stretched out his hand. "How do you do!" he said. "I'm Sam Maynard. I'm applying for a job, which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?" The room exploded in laughter. However, the boss _ a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job-- with the only tool that could win, a laugh. Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected , means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying "no", criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it's the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialogue may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other field. Why was Sam late for his job?
A. He was ill.
B. He was caught in a traffic jam.
C. He was busy applying for a new job.
D. He got up late.
Answer: B. He was caught in a traffic jam.
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. Which of the following description about Vancouver is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The Port of Vancouver ranks first in North America in total foreign exports
B. Vancouver is a film production centre and called "Hollywood North".
C. International forestry conferences and events were held in Vancouver.
D. Vancouver is a leading centre for the global agriculture and industry.
Answer: D. Vancouver is a leading centre for the global agriculture and industry.
Decision-making can be extremely difficult. Decision-making styles are significantly different in different cultures. In any approach to a problem and in any negotiations, the Western world turns to the"I to you" approach while Japan,the "you to you" approach. The former means both sides present their arguments openly from their own point of view. Naturally, often comes a conflict situation, which Westerners are very skillful in dealing with.The latter is based on each side trying to understand the other person's point of view. Thus, the direction of the meeting is a mutual attempt to reduce confrontation and achieve harmony. Besides, Western decision-making goes mostly from top management and often does not consult middle management or the worker. However, in Japan great consideration is given to the thoughts and opinions of everyone at all levels. Based on "bottom-up direction", ideas can be created at the lowest levels, travel upward through an organization and have an effect on the final decision. Difference in decision-making also comes from different communication styles. The Japanese business person works to achieve harmony, even if the deal fallsthrough, and will spend whatever time is necessary to determine a "you to you" approach, communicating personal views only indirectly. They put a thorough job above the Western deadline approach. So the Japanese are thorough in their meetings. Thus Americans are often annoyed by the many meetings in many Japanese businesses. But where the American is pressingfor a specific decision, the Japanese is trying to think up a rather broad direction. On the other hand, once a given agreement is made, it is the Japanese who sometimes wonderat the slow pace in which Westerners carry out the decision. The Japanese are eager to move forward and Westerners, perhaps, fall behind as they take the time for in-depth planning. The text mainly tells us that Japan and the Western world _ .
A. face great difficulty in making decisions
B. are different in decision-making styles
C. have all members contribute to a decision
D. have two approaches: "I to you" and "you to I"
Answer: B. are different in decision-making styles
Which scientist is best known for studying plants and animals?
A. Isaac Newton
B. Albert Einstein
C. Charles Darwin
D. Nicolaus Copernicus
Answer: C. Charles Darwin
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Peter is a student. He usually goes to school on a bus. This morning, He takes a taxi with his father because he may be late for school. His mother gives him a banana when they go out. On the way, he eats the banana and then throw the banana skin out of the taxi. At that time, an old man passes there. The old man just steps on the skin and then _ . His father and he get off the car. They find the old man lying near the taxi. The banana skin is near him. The old man looks at them and says, "Teach your child to throw the banana skin to the right place!""I am sorry," says his father."Sorry, I won't do that." Peter says. What can you learn after reading the passage ?
A Helping old people is good.
B Walking on the street is interesting.
C We can't be late for school.
D We can't throw the things here and there.
Answer: B. Walking on the street is interesting.
Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sight that Pompeii is famous for--its stadium and theaters, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii's people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2,ooo years. Once Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mt Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mt Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not. In August of the year 79 AD, Mt Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ashes began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead. For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stones and ashes. Then in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city almost looked the same as it had looked in 79 AD. There were streets and fountains, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20,000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread--a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup. Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii. Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in 79 AD ?
A Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully.
B Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched.
C Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects.
D Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted.
Answer: A. Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully.
As soon as I saw her, I understood I was in trouble. The tiny 10-year-old girl was staring at me with that specific facial expression which probably only dentists have to enjoy all day long! Whatever question I asked, whatever activity I suggested, her reaction was pretty much the same -- she was frozen with horror. She was sent to our private language school after having been the worst in English at her key school with a pretty strict ELT syllabus , with her peers teasing her for her mistakes in English. Moreover, her state school teacher called her name. To make things worse, she was under pressure from her family for getting bad marks in English. She was definitely expecting me to carry on the same way with her. I have to admit that I had been staring at her with probably the same expression for a while before eventually she handed in an absolutely incredible composition which I had previously asked the class to write. It was written in perfect handwriting, was full of clever ideas and had correct paragraphing. The girl got her first excellent mark in English, and I praised her generously and from then on I started using her writing skills to support the others. Before doing an oral retelling of a story, she wrote it down. Before presenting her oral project, she was allowed to do the same thing. The day she first put up her hand to orally answer my question addressed to the class I was incredibly happy. She taught me how to approach withdrawn students -- find the skill which they can excel at, in her case writing, and help the student use it to develop other skills! The writer's first impression of the little girl was that she was _ .
A incredibly dull
B hard to cope with
C far too lovely
D pretty confident
Answer: B. hard to cope with
One day, Jane and Mike went to the zoo with their mother. As soon as they arrived, Jane said she wanted to go see the bears and the lions. Mike didn't want to see them at all, he wanted to see the monkeys. Their mother told them that they can see all of the animals, but they have to start with the sneaky snakes. After going around to some of the animals, Mike was happy to finally see the monkeys. As soon as they started to watch the monkeys, they started dancing by the window in front of Mike, Jane, and their mother. "Look! Mike," their mother said, "those monkeys are dancing for you!" and Mike watched them happily dance and dance! When they stopped dancing, their mother told Jane it was time to see some scary lions and bears. Jane wasn't scared at all, she knew they weren't going to get her. Jane bravely went to the section with the lions and watched them roaring at her and Mike. Mike got scared and hid behind his mom. Jane was happy watching the lions. Next was the bears, but they were all asleep by the time they got to see them. At the end of the day, Mike said he loved the monkeys the best, Jane said she loved the lions. Both, Jane and Mike, said they loved the zoo. What were the monkeys doing when Mike watched them?
A They were eating ice cream.
B They were sleeping.
C They were dancing.
D They were roaring at him.
Answer: C. They were dancing.
Which is an example of kinetic energy?
A a book sitting on a shelf
B a ball rolling down a hill
C a runner about to start a race
D a window getting hot from the sun
Answer: B. a ball rolling down a hill
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Security--for the information on your smartphone, as well as for the phone itself---is a hot topic these days. The truth is that you're packing a lot of sensitive information on your phone, and you should keep it safe. When it comes to physical security, iPhone users would do well to download Find My iPhone, a free app from Apple that allows you to visit a website and see your (lost, stolen or misplaced) phone on the map. You can then sound an alarm, send a message that will pop up on its screen, lock the phone or erase all your data. Android does not have an exact equivalent , but there are plenty of alternatives. A free app called Lookout offers the find-my-phone feature. The paid version allows you to wipe the data from your phone remotely. Then there is your coffee shop's WiFi network. Anyone with minimal technical expert skill can snoop on people using shared wireless networks, harvesting passwords and other personal data. Lookout's apps will caution you when you've logged on to an insecure network, but cannot protect you once you're there. In order to protect yourself on such networks, you can use a virtual private network, or V.P.N. This turns all your activity into nonsense to anyone trying to read along with you from across the Starbucks. It also keeps websites from tracking you and, if you're traveling, allows you to get access to sites that may be blocked in other countries. If you have an iPhone, the simplest V.P.N. app is probably Hotspot Shield, whose distinguishing feature is said to be that it automatically kicks in each time you start browsing , as opposed to other V.P.N. apps that require you to start them up manually . This matters, because even if you decide you want a V.P.N. app, you want to spend approximately zero time thinking about it. For the most part, _ was true of Hotspot Shield, though occasionally it took a while to connect or temporarily lost connection without warning. I found myself having to turn the app on and off sometimes, which involved setting my phone constantly. If even reading about the setting on your phone drives you crazy, then it is probably best to stay away from a V.P.N. app. But if you're the type who can't resist checking your bank balance from your comer bar, the hassle may be preferable to the risk. By using V.P.N., users can _ .
save their browsing from being tracked
Today, Friday, December 14 JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen. DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8 am. to 8 pm. Tel: 682-158. Saturday, December 15 JAZZ Lysis at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 60p. MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789-749. FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond. JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 80p. THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion . Tel: 789-536 Sunday, December 16 DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 am to 8 pm. FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688-626. HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen. THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion. Where and when can you hear the Norman Chop Trio?
At the Derby Arms on Sunday.
When I was a boy, I used to love walking in the woods around my home.My mom warned me several times never to travel so far that I would lose sight of the house.Being a typical boy, however, I soon found myself hiking further and further away, testing just how far I could go into the woods without getting lost.After losing my way once for two hours, though, I decided that I had better leave a trail the next time I went for a walk. The very next day I decided to try it.I walked into the woods until the house was out of sight.Then I broke a small branch on a young tree to mark my place.I wandered further in and broke another limb and then another.In a few spots where there were no limbs small enough, I snapped the heads off the low plants that were growing where the sunlight broke through the trees.After a while I finally got tired and decided to head back.Turning around I easily found my tracks, but instead of being proud I felt sad.I could see the trail of destruction I had left in the woods going on and on.Looking at the broken limbs and dead flowers I wondered if God was disappointed in me and I vowed never to do that again.Instead, I started to cherish my times alone in the woods with nature.I'd sit by the streams and listen to them sing.I'd watch the birds and squirrels.I'd bend down to smell the flowers.And I even buried an acorn or two hoping that one day an Oak might grow. There is an old Native American Saying that goes "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave." As I have grown older and wiser, I have done my best to never leave a trail of destruction in my life as I did in the woods that day.I have instead tried to leave tracks of love, kindness, goodness, and compassion and I have strived to show others that they can do the same.May you always leave tracks of joy as you follow your own trail of love. The boy took off some branches to _ .
leave some marks
If you see a person carelessly throw a cigarette to the ground, what are you likely to think? If you hate people throwing things on the ground, you might think, "That person shouldn't litter." If you are a smoker, you might think, "I would sure like a cigarette right now." Most likely, though, you are not thinking, "That unused cigarette butt could be used to make something amazing!" That is, unless you are a creative scientist. If you are, you may see potential--a possibility--where others simply see trash . That is just what has happened in South Korea. The spirit of invention can hit at the strangest times and in the most unusual places. In South Korea, it happened near a trash can. Kin Gil-Pyo is with the Seoul National University. He says he saw people throwing away cigarette butts, which got him thinking. He began wondering if something useful could be made from them. He and other researchers found a way to convert cigarette butts into materials required for high-performance batteries. Kim Gil-Pyo says they looked closely at used cigarette filters , the parts of cigarettes smokers put into their mouths. Filters are made of a material called "cellulose acetate ." Mr. Kim explains that cellulose acetate can be made into another material: carbon. The pieces of cellulose acetate, known as fibers, are changed through a one-step burning process. After this, they are turned into an energy storage material. But why use carbon? Carbon has many qualities that seem to make it the perfect material. Carbon has a high surface area. It conducts electricity well. It also stays stable, unlikely to change, for a long time. And carbon does not cost a lot. All these qualities make it the most popular material for making super-capacitors . Super-capacitors are good at storing energy. They have high-power mass, or density . They require only a short time for recharging. And they have a long lifecycle. Super-capacitors are used in products such as laptop computers and cell phones. They are also used in industrial energy converters, like wind turbine machines. Combining carbon and super-capacitors seems like a perfect marriage. Kim Gil-Pyo tells the Reuters News Agency that cigarette butts could affect the economy is a huge way. They could prove to be a low-cost source of carbon material. They are so cheap that smokers throw them to the ground. And you don't get much cheaper than that. Super-capacitors made from carbon _ .
can easily carry an electrical current
"Oh please God, no, no!" Stephen Eldredge cried out when he saw his wife, Shelli, badly wounded on the side of the road. She had broken actually every long bone in her body, along with her pelvis, jaw, and cheekbones. He was terrified his bride would bleed to death. Stephen and Shelli had married just six months before near their home in South Jordan, Utah. They were in Hawaii on a family vacation with two of their sons. The family had rented electric motors and headed towards a nature preserve near Waikiki. But Shelli had fallen behind and the family turned back to make sure she was okay. Shelli lost so much blood that her heart couldn't function properly and she went into shock at the hospital. Physicians were able to make her come to herself. On the first and second days there, she lived through half a dozen operations. On day three, the worst of Stephen's fears came true. Shelli didn't wake. She had shown heart failure and lung failure. "I thought every heartbeat would be her last," Stephen says. As days passed with no change, one doctor gently asked if it was time to let Shelli go. An MRI showed her brain didn't have much chance of supporting life. Stephen couldn't bear the thought of trapping his wife's beautiful spirit in a body that would never work. If he kept her alive, what kind of life would she have ? He called family, religious leaders, and physician friends in Utah for guidance. And he decided there still was a chance. The family moved Shelli to a Utah hospital closer to home. In the next few weeks she started opening her eyes, but it wasn't entirely clear how conscious she was. Nearly seven weeks after the accident, Stephen was joking with his sister in the hospital room when he saw Shelli smile, a big toothy grin. "Did you understand that?" he asked. She smiled again. Stephen fell to his knees in thanks. Shelli's recovery has been slow but steady. Initially, she couldn't remember much of the previous months, including her own wedding. Shelli has endured 17 operations so far and may require more surgery. She will definitely need more months of recovery. But she is able to walk. "She's got her life back. She's able to love and be loved, and be the person she was." Elovie says. When Shelli hears about each step in her recovery, she calls it "miracle after miracle". As for his experience, Stephen says, "This is a story of fear that was slowly replaced by faith." . After reading the passage, what impresses us most may be that.
Stephen's not giving up
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The primary function of a doorbell circuit is to convert electrical energy into
A. sound.
B. motion.
C. radiant energy.
D. chemical energy.
Answer: A. sound.
Check out some fun weekend activities from our friends at Arizona Parenting. Walk in the Wild: Walk or run for wildlife at the Phoenix Zoo's Walk in the Wild 2016. Put on your favorite animal dress and take part in the one mile or 5K,enjoying the sights and sounds of the Zoo. Walk in the Wild includes a morning full of unique activities you won't find at any other valley walk, including all-day zoo admission and a lakeside after-party. Register online. 6-10 am. Phoenix Zoo, 455 North Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. 602-286-3800. Free Museum Day: It is hosted by Sesame Street and HBO at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. Kids can participate in activities, enjoy a performance by the Sesame Street Muppets and get to join the Everyday Heroes Club. An act of kindness is all it takes to become a member. Performances and activities will take place at 10:30--11:30 am and 1:30--2:30 pm. 9 am--4 pm. Children's Museum of Phoenix, 215 N. 7th street, Phoenix. 602-253-0501. Sunday A'Fair: Sunday A'Fair features free outdoor concerts in Scottsdale Civic Center Park by top Arizona musicians, along with an arts-and-crafts market, fun activities for children and families, guided tours of the sculptures in the park and free admission to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). Guests are invited to bring blankets, lawn chairs or picnic baskets, and enjoy a relaxing afternoon of great entertainment. Delicious foods, snacks, beer, wine and soft drinks are also available for purchase. 12-4 pm. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2ndSt., Scottsdale. 480-994-ARTS (2787). What can children do at Walk in the Wild?
A. Join in the 5-mile walk
B. Attend courses for free.
C. Wear animal-shaped clothes
D. Enjoy good company of wild animals.
Answer: C. Wear animal-shaped clothes
It was my first day back home since starting college. A lot had changed in the last year. Not with my hometown but with me. I had left as a 17-year-old boy and had now returned as an 18-year-old man. In the city, I was living on my own, had a part-time job and was studying. Even the government recognized I was an adult: I had a driver's license. So here I was, on my summer vacation, walking down the main street with my father, desperate for him to acknowledge how mature I was. When his recognition failed to appear, I took matters into my own hands. "Dad," I said casually, "I'm thirsty. Let's go for a beer." It was the first time I'd ever mentioned beer in front of my father, let alone ask him to drink one with me. He turned to me with a curious expression on his face. "A beer ? Well I guess you're old enough now. Let's go to Sailors' Bar. It's where my cousin Tom, your uncle, used to drink. You remember him, right?" I had only some vague memories of my uncle. He was _ . We didn't talk about him much. "What ever happened to Uncle Tom, Dad? I haven't seen him in years," I said as we continued towards the bar. "Neither have I, unfortunately. He was a good kid once. But things changed," my father said sadly. As a boy, he explained, there had been no better-behaved boy than Tom. But after leaving school, he moved to the city and fell in with bad company. He started going out every night, drinking in nightclubs and playing cards. Soon he lost everything and had to beg his mum to pay his debts. She agreed on the condition he returned home. My dad took a deep breath and continued his tale. "Things settled down for a while. He married a lovely woman, gave up his bad habits. But it didn't last. He was soon back to his old ways. He couldn't resist. He was at Sailors' Bar almost every night. His poor mother died of grief and shame. His wife followed her soon after. "What ruined him was alcohol. He told me once, when a man begins drinking, he never knows where it'll end. 'So', Tom warned me, 'beware of your first drink!' "He went from bad to worse. Last year Tom sent me a letter saying he had been found guilty of stealing, and sent to prison for ten years." Dad finished talking just as we reached the front of Sailors' Bar. "Anyway, here we are. Let's go in," he said. But I understood. I put my arm around my father and said, "I'm not thirsty any more, Dad. Let's go home." What does the young man mean by referring to Uncle Tom as "the black sheep of the family"?
A. The family was concerned about Tom because he was always in trouble.
B. The family showed sympathy to Tom because he was unfortunate.
C. The family felt ashamed of Tom because he was a failure.
D. The family felt disgusted about him because he was different.
Answer: C. The family felt ashamed of Tom because he was a failure.
The following conversation is between Susan Russell-Robinson from the US Geological Survey and Barbara Reynolds from USA Today . Q: Why , after 600 years of no activity , did Mount Pinatubo in Philippines erupt in 1991 ? A: Volcanoes each have their own eruption styles . This volcano probably has a rule which makes it erupt in the order of every 500 to 1000 years , but a volcano in Hawaii seems to erupt every year , and some of the Alaskan volcanoes might erupt every 10 or 20 years . Q: So nothing caused it ? A: There's nothing out of the ordinary . If you were to take an ordinary calendar year , 50 to 75 or 80 volcanoes erupt around the world every year . There are 20 to 30 volcanoes every month that show signs of unrest . That might be a full-blown eruption or a whole host of activities like that . Q: What is "the ring of fire" ? A: If you look at where active volcanoes are placed around the world , there are somewhere between 500 and 600 of them . There is what appears to be almost a necklace that goes around the Pacific Ocean . It makes a ring where 60% of the world's volcanoes lie . Q: Why such a concentration there ? A: That's based on a theory that the oceans and the continents are like separate pieces . When continents and when that happens it seems to produce magma at depth and then you have volcanoes in the same ring . Barbara Reynolds' main purpose here is _ .
A. to show how dangerous volcanoes are to the world
B. to learn what signs a volcano gives us before its eruption
C. to warn the world of the existence of "the ring of fire"
D. to introduce some general idea of volcanoes to the public
Answer: D. to introduce some general idea of volcanoes to the public
Bob Smith is a little boy. On the first day at school, his teacher, Ms. Green, teaches him three words--you, he and I. Then the teacher says, "I am your teacher. You are my student. He is your classmate." When school is over, Bob goes home. His mother asks him,"What does your teacher teach you today?"Bob says with a smile,"Listen, Mom. I am your teacher, you are my student and he is your classmate."His mother says,"No, dear. You are wrong."Then she says, "I am your mother. You are my son. He is your father." The next morning at school, Bob's teacher asks Bob to make sentences with the words "you, he and I". Bob stands up and says, "I am your mother. You are my son. He is your father." _ is Bob's mother.
A. Ms. Green
B. Mr. Smith
C. Mrs. Smith
D. Mrs. Green
Answer: C. Mrs. Smith
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Question: Which of the following items of evidence is LEAST likely to be admitted without a supporting witness?
A. In a libel action, a copy of a newspaper purporting to be published by Defendant Newspaper Publishing Company.
B. In a case involving contaminated food, a can label purporting to identify the canner as Defendant Company.
C. In a defamation case, a document purporting to be a memorandum from the Defendant Company president to "All Personnel," printed on Defendant's letterhead.
D. In a case involving injury to a pedestrian, a pamphlet on stopping distances issued by the State Highway Department.
Answer:
C. In a defamation case, a document purporting to be a memorandum from the Defendant Company president to "All Personnel," printed on Defendant's letterhead.
Question: Have you ever heard that we humans use only ten percent of our brains? This opinion holds a certain appeal because if it were true, then we could instantly become ten times more intelligent just by firing up that sleepy majority of the brain! The idea that we use only a small part of the brain dates back to animal experiments in the 19th century. When scientists stimulated a specific part of the brain, the animal moved its leg or tail. If a tiny part of the brain could do something so great, what was the use of the rest of the brain? Some scientists assumed that large parts of the brain were simply useless. Then, in the early 20th century, scientists observed that stimulating certain parts of the brain had no physical effects. They named these seemingly useless parts of the brain the "silent cortex." Today we know that in humans, much of the "silent cortex" is actually devoted to complex activities like language, learning, and imagining. Brain scans have shown that different parts of the brain become much more active as we shift our attention and focus, but even as we sleep, many areas of the brain are extremely active. Would you be smarter if your entire brain constantly worked to maximum capacity ? Interestingly enough, the opposite is probably true. The less brain activity you need to perform a given task, the more the brain as a whole is able to do. Silent cortex has proved to be _ .
A. sensitive to stimulation
B. useful in complex activities
C. responsible for physical reaction
D. more active than the other parts of the brain
Answer:
B. useful in complex activities
Question: 1. Summer came early to Middlesbrough yesterday, as temperatures shot up to 22degC (71degF), a record for March. But local NFU agent Jim Wilkes says it could be bad news for farmers. "The crops will think it's summer," he told our reporter, "and start sprouting four weeks before time." 2. The death toll of the Burnside train crash rose to four yesterday when John Phillips, 32, of Petersville died in Wallsend Hospital. Another six people are still on the danger list. Mr. Phillips, an electrical engineer leaves a wife and two children. 3. China and the United States reached an agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights yesterday, after difficult marathon talks. The agreement is good news for all parties concerned. The Chinese Foreign Trade Minister described the agreement as a "turning point" in Sino-US trade relations that "promises further progress" in the future. The agreement will not only favorably influence trade relations between China and the United States. It may favorably influence the overall relations between the two countries. What agreement did China and the United States reach in article 3?
A. It is an agreement on a marathon race.
B. It is an agreement on trade relations.
C. It is an agreement on overall relations.
D. It is an agreement on intellectual property rights protection.
Answer:
D. It is an agreement on intellectual property rights protection.
Question: One night in February 1962, John H. Glenn, Jr. flew overprefix = st1 /Australia. The man in the Mercury capsule was alone, but friendly voices reached him by radio. Over the dark land 100 miles below, he saw sparkling lights. It marked the city of Perth, where people had turned on their lights as a greeting to him. In Friendship 7, Glenn radioed, "The lights show up very well. Thank everybody for turning them on." His capsule moved on to the east. "During his three orbits of the earth, Glenn could always reach one of the 18 tracking stations. Some of them were on ships at sea. Others were in theUnited States. Many of the stations had been built with the help of other countries. These countries allowed Americans to bring in radio equipment and set it up. Without the help of such lands asNigeria, Zanzibar andMexico, there would have been breaks in the worldwide radio network. John Glenn, Jr. was the first American to orbit the earth. For his flight, the tracking network covered 60,000 statute miles . 500 men worked in the stations along the route. Since his flight, the network has grown. Today, it covers more than 100,000 statute miles and has about 100 stations. One-third of these stations are outside theUnited States. During his flight Glenn could _
A. reach the ships at sea
B. visit the tracking stations
C. see lights on the ground clearly
D. get in touch with people on land
Answer:
D. get in touch with people on land
Question: There is more friction the more rough a surface being touched has, so the most friction would be found in
A. river stones smashing
B. hands clapping
C. mirrors pressing together
D. stone falling
Answer:
A. river stones smashing
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We live in central Phoenix, near the canal. Every day I used to see a homeless old man and his scruffy little dog hanging out down there. I would tell my husband we should give him food for the little dog. It wouldn't have been a problem; we have our own "mini farm" of animals! But he would say "OK!" and then blow the idea off because of our business. Being in Phoenix, Arizona, you can just imagine how hot it gets here, but his winter was really chilly! I had just come from KFC with take-out food for dinner. As I was turning by the canal, the man and his dog were sitting right there all bundled up. Even the doggy had a coat on! Not even thinking about it, I pulled into the parking lot along the canal and piled up a plate of chicken with all the fixings for the man and his little buddy. I gave it to him with a soda and a bottle of water for the little dog. He said, "Thank you, sweetie. You are an angel." And there were tears welling up in his eyes! I told him he was so welcome, and then went home. When my husband dug into the KFC gag, he asked, "Were you hungry, or what?" I told him what I did and he said, "Only you!" Then he told me I had done a good thing. A few weeks later, we were walking along the canal and found the man walking to me, with his little dog. He asked whether I would mind adopting the dog. With tears in eyes, he said it had gotten too hard for him to care for the dog. He added that he was planning on heading to Washington State but his dog wouldn't have been up to it, so he hoped to give it to me. "Only you! In this city, you are the only person I can believe in!" Now, every time I watch and pat the puppy lying near the fireplace, I will recall the old man's words and wish him good luck. The author and her husband didn't help the old man at the beginning because _ .
they worked busily and often forget it
One day a rich man meets Sam. The rich man asks, "I hear you're very clever and nothing is difficult to you. Can you tell me why you are so clever?" Sam answers with a smile, "Oh, I am not clever. Instead , you are too foolish ." The rich man becomes very angry. Sam says, "Please don't be angry. If you don't believe me, now let me ask you a question. If you put together one group of sheep and another group of sheep, how many groups of sheep do you have?" "Why! That's an easy question. One and one is two, and anybody knows that. I have two groups of sheep." Sam laughs and says, "You are wrong. When two groups of sheep are put together, there is still one group. That's the easiest question in the world." One day _ meets Sam.
a rich man
My boss's daughter was studying in the Philippines. He asked me if my husband and I could take care of her. He thought his daughter would be able to improve her English communication skills in this way. After days of thinking, we agreed. He then brought her here and left after 3 days. I thought that my boss's daughter was well-mannered, but that was wrong. After a month of staying in the Philippines, she started to show her true colors. When my husband asked her what she wanted for breakfast, she answered him in a rude way. From then on, we experienced fights at home. There was a time when we didn't talk to her for a week as a punishment of not being good to us. What I hated most was that she didn't care about other people's feelings. She ate ahead of us when we were still working and didn't leave anything for us. So we had to separate her food from ours to avoid such a problem. The worst thing about her was that she shouted at us. I was wondering if she did this to her parents. We told this to her parents, but unfortunately I didn't think _ solved the problem. This situation lasted for almost 8 months. Our patience was tested during that time. We tried to teach her everything we could to make her a better person, but I guess 8 months may not to be enough. We even tried to understand her and adjust for her, but it didn't work. I just hope that she learned something from us and from other Filipinos. This passage is mainly about the writer's experience of _ .
dealing with a teenage girl staying in her house
Bird Talk includes everything you need to know to help keep your bird healthy and active.Get important information on bird healthcare and nutrition,step-by-step training and caging tips. Readers also enjoy color1ful photos,entertaining stories,and a centerfold poster in each monthly issue. Issues per year:12 Our price:$ 13.99 Cover price:$ 47.88 Art on Paper is a bimonthly art magazine devoted to works on paper. Offering a balanced range of media and historical periods. Art on Paper presents current information about exhibitions and the marketplace. Each issue contains news and announcements,reviews of current and recent museum and gallery exhibitions,as well as limited-edition prints. Issues per year:6 Our price:$ 45.00 Cover price:$ 80.00 Disney Adventuresis for children aged 7 to 14 who are eager to learn.This wacky and. exciting magazine focuses on fun and action-packed adventure covering the world of entertainment, comics, Sports, technology, and weird science. Issues per year:10 Our price:$ 14.95 Cover price:$ 29.90 Mother Earth News is a country lifestyle publication dedicated to helping readers with the how-to information of home building and home improvement.Topics include building, gardening,homesteading, do-it-yourself,kitchen and so on. Issues per year:6 Our price:$ 18.00 Cover price:$ 23.70 If you place an order for Disney Adventures for five years,how many issues could_you get in all?
50.
Better think twice before choosing a _ for email, online bank or shopping. Simple passwords are easy to be stolen. A password is like a key to your home. If someone steals it, he'll get chances to steal something else. We use passwords everywhere in our life. We are so used to passwords that we don't pay any attention to them until we lose or forget one. A study of 28,000 passwords recently stolen from a popular website showed that people often do the easy thing. It found that 16% took a first name as a password. Another 14% used the easiest keyboard combinations such as "12345678"or "QWERTY". 5% of the stolen passwords were names of television shows or stars popular with young people. 3% of the passwords expressed feelings like "I don't care", "Whatever", "I love you" or their opposite, "I hate you". Robert Graham, who did the study, advises people to choose a password that is longer than eight characters with one capital letter and one symbol. Of course, safe passwords don't mean those hard to remember. Forgetting your password is sometimes a big headache for you. Maybe, the perfect password is easy for you and hard for others. ,,. About 40% passwords are easily stolen because the users are _ .
lazy
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It was a cold winter day. A woman drove up to the Rainbow Bridge tollbooth . "I'm paying for myself, and for the six cars behind me," she said with a smile, handing over seven tickets. One after another, the next six drivers arriving at the tollbooth were informed, "Some lady up ahead already paid your fare." It turned out that the woman, Natalie Smith, had read something on a friend's refrigerator: "Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty." The phrase impressed her so much that she copied it down. Judy Foreman spotted the same phrase on a warehouse wall far away from home. When it stayed on her mind for days, she gave up and drove all the way back to copy it down. "I thought it was beautiful," she said, explaining why she'd taken to writing it at the bottom of all her letters, "like a message from above." Her husband, Frank, liked the phrase so much that he put it up on the classroom wall for his students, one of whom was the daughter of Alice Johnson, a local news reporter. Alice put it in the newspaper, admitting that though she liked it, she didn't know where it came from or what it really meant. Two days later, Alice got a call from Anne Herbert, a woman living in Marin. It was in a restaurant that Anne wrote the phrase down on a piece of paper, after turning it around in her mind for days. "Here's the idea," Anne says. "Anything you think there should be more of, do it randomly." Her fantasies include painting the classrooms of shabby schools, leaving hot meals on kitchen tables in the poor part of town, and giving money secretly to a proud old lady. Anne says, " _ ." The acts of random kindness spread. If you were one of those drivers who found your fare paid, who knows what you might have been inspired to do for someone else later. Like all great events, kindness begins slowly, with every single act. Let it be yours! Who came up with the phrase according to the passage?
A Judy Foreman.
B Natalie Smith.
C Alice Johnson.
D Anne Herbert.
Answer: D
Understanding the process of making career choices and managing your career is a basic life skill that everyone should understand. Your career decisions have such a profound effect on all aspects of your life. It's important to have the knowledge and resources needed to make smart, informed decisions. Whether you are looking for a new job, aiming to take the next step at your current job or planning your retirement options, you are making career decisions. Using good resources and the guidance of a career counselor can help you to make those decisions well. Many people mistakenly believe that choosing a career is a one-time event that happens some time in early adulthood. However, career management is actually a life-long process, and we continue to make consequential career choices over the years. When people want to take action in their career, career management and job search are about so much more than writing a good resume. If you learn about and act on the following areas of career management, you'll be rewarded throughout your career. Your interests, abilities, values, personal needs and realities should all be taken into account in any career decision making process. You spend countless hours at work, and it impacts your life in so many ways; it makes sense that you should be fully informed before making such profound decisions. Do you know how many different career choices are available to you? Both The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (American) and The National Occupational Classification (Canadian) list well over 20,000 different job titles. So unless you've actively explored a variety of career options, there's a very good chance that there are great possibilities available to you, and you don't even realize they exist. Match your understanding of yourself with your understanding of possible career options. Once you have developed a good understanding of yourself, you will be able to combine that self-knowledge with your career and labor market research to determine potential careers that are a great fit for you. When you've made a well informed decision, then you're ready to make it happen. Making use of good career guidance and resources will help you to acquire the education, skills, and experience needed to get the job and learn and implement effective job search strategies. Time spent understanding your needs, researching your career options and developing outstanding job search skills, guided by great career resources, is a powerful investment in your future. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A Your interests in the occupation you choose are vital.
B Good career guidance and resources can help you gain the skills and experience.
C You are to make significant decisions without good resources and the guidance of a career adviser.
D Planning your retirement options is related to career management.
Answer: C
During the cold winter days, there are some interesting festivals in the world. Look at the following ones. Harbin Ice and Snow Festival Place: China Time: January 5 to February 5 People build incredible things out of ice and snow, decorating them with lights. The Carnival of Venice Place: Italy Time: between February and March One of the most beautiful festivals in the world, people wear masks and elaborate costumes to hide differences among classes, and there are contests for the best costumes. Holi Festival Place: India Time: late February/ March, on the last full moon day Hindus and Sikhs, in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka celebrate the main day of this incredibly fun 16-day festival by throwing color1ed powder and water at each other. Sundance Film Festival Place: Utah, the US Time: end of February The largest independent film festival in the US. Watch both feature films and shorts. You need to buy a ticket. Which of the following festivals can't be celebrated at the end of February?
A Sundance Film Festival.
B Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.
C Holi Festival.
D The Carnival of Venice.
Answer: B
Valencia is in the east part of Spain . It has a port on the sea, two miles away on the coast. It is the capital of a province that is also named Valencia. The city is a market centre for what is produced by the land around the city. Most of the city's money is made from farming. It is also a busy business city, with ships, railways, clothes and machine factories. Valencia has an old part with white buildings, colored roofs, and narrow streets. The modern part has long, wide streets and new buildings. Valencia is well known for its parks and gardens. It has many old churches and museums. The University in the centre of the city was built in the 13th century. The city of Valencia has been known since the 2nd century. In the 8th century it was the capital of Spain. There is also an important city in Venezuela named Valencia. What is Valencia famous for?
A Its seaport.
B Its University.
C Its churches and museums.
D Its parks and gardens.
Answer: D
Editors/Designers Wanted China Daily,a national English newspaper,is looking for English language senior editors/designers. Senior Business Editor You must: * assist the Business editor in setting goals and working on achieving them; * be an excellent team person who can come up with ideas and think creatively,be able to rewrite totally if needed and advise junior workers; * be working or have worked in a leading position and understand what leadership means; * have had at least five years' editing experience and be familiar with industry software. Business Copy-editor You must: * work on shifts in the Business Desk and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print; * edit or rewrite copy and give brief headlines and captions ; * have had at least two years' editing experience and be familiar with industry software. Copy-editor You must: * be good at editing or rewriting copy and writing brief headlines and captions; * be able to work on shifts for different pages, and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print; * have two years of editing experience and be familiar with industry software. Senior Graphic Designer Yon must: * have excellent skills in information graphics; * be good with illustrations and freehand drawings; * be experienced in newspaper or magazine designs; * have a good sense of typography ; * have good news judgment. If hired,you will be offered a competitive salary package,a room with furniture paid for,90 percent medical reimbursement ,seven days of paid leave,11 public holidays and a return ticket to your native land. To be familiar with industry software is required in _ of the jobs provided.
A one
B two
C three
D four
Answer: C
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Let's meet the Johnson's family. Mr.Johnson is a manageer in a big company . He works very hard. He is very busy. He makes much money.But he is always tired . He says to his friend,"I want to be a reporter because I like talking to people." His wife Mrs. Johonson is a good doctor .She works in children' Hospital. She likes Chinese medicine very much. The Johnsons have a daughter called Salina.She is a teacher of French. She always tells her students many interesting stories.They are good friends. They like her. What does Salina do?
Answer:
A teacher
Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17,1706 in Boston,America. In his life he built a successful printing and publishing business in Philadelphia;he conducted scientific studies of electricity and made several important discoveries;he was a diplomat and statesman;he helped establish Pennsylvania's first university and America's first city hospital;he also organized the country's first subscription library . Franklin was also _ in America as an inventor until Thomas Edison. Ben had poor eyesight and needed glasses to read. He got tired of always taking them off and putting them back on,so he decided to figure out a way to make his glasses let him see both near and far. He had two pairs of glasses cut in half and put half of them together. Today,we call them bifocals .Another invention of his,an iron stove,allowed people to warm their homes. He loved to learn about new things. He also thought it was important to make life better with the things that he invented. Electricity was one of the things he experimented with when he retired from his business. Ben discovered that lightning and electricity were the same thing. The lightning rod was an important invention that we still use today to protect buildings and ships from lightning damage. Franklin preferred to have his inventions used freely for the comfort and convenience of everyone. Thomas Jefferson,the third president of America,called Benjamin Franklin "the greatest man of the age and country in which he lived".To Benjamin Franklin there was no greater purpose in life than to "live usefully". What was Benjamin Franklin's purpose in life?
Answer:
To be useful to others.
"If you run for more than five minutes at any time, you might need a pair of running shoes." Advises Stephen Pribut, a US sports expert. Running shoes are highly technical footwear. The provide stability while bearing up to three times the wearer's body weight. But it's not easy to find the right pair. Finding the right running shoes is something of an art, or a science and a feel. The science part begins with the shape of the arch of your foot, which anyone can find out at home with this quick experiment: Put your foot in water and place it on a piece of brown paper. If you see a "C" shape on the paper when you remove your foot, you have a rare high arch. If the shape looks more like a rectangle, that means you have flat feet. See something in between? That's a normal arch. Conveniently for shoppers, shoe companies nowadays divide their shoes in three categories: neutral ( for high arches), stability ( for normal or low arches) and motion control (for flat arches). So you'll know which type suits you. At this point, most people would just grab an appealing shoe and try it on, But professionals would do a few quality-control tests. First, you bend the shoe toe to heel to see where it bends. If it's not at the forefoot---where the foot actually be bends, be afraid. Then you grip both ends and twist in opposite directions. If you can twist it like a tower, it means there's zero support. Finally, you squeeze he heel in both directions. A stable heel won't _ . Now you need to check the mold that shapes the inside of the shoe: whether its wide or narrow in the mid-foot, how it sits on the heel and how roomy the toe box is. It's wise to make the shoe purchase in the late afternoon, to allow for any swelling that your feet do throughout the day. Toes also decide sizing choices. The rule is that you need a finger's width from your longest toe (whether that's your big one or not) to the end of the shoe. If the arch of your foot look like a "C" shape, you have _ .
Answer:
a high arch
We sometimes think global warming or climate change is a problem very far away from our lives, and that only the government needs to worry about it. But it's hardly possible to completely stay out of it scientists are now 95 percent sure that humans have been the " cause" of global warming trends since the 1950s. One of the conclusions of a report released on Sept 27 by the United Nations says that human activities have caused global temperatures to rise by 0.89 0C between 1901 and 2012. That might not seem like a lot, but the truth is that a major part of that heat has been absorbed into the oceans, which is not surprising given that they cover two thirds of Earth's surface. Also, water has a much greater capacity to absorb heat than the air does, according to The Economist. While many greenhouse gases occur naturally and are needed to keep the Earth warm enough to support life, humans' use of fossil fuels is the main source of excess greenhouse gases. According to CNN, by driving cars, using electricity produced by burning coal and oil or heating our homes with coal or natural gas, we release a large amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Your body can barely feel a difference of 0.89 0C, but the Earth's ecosystems are so sensitive that even small changes can disturb them. It often starts with the smallest creatures at the bottom of the food chain, eventually affecting bigger animals, many of which could end up becoming extinct. Global warming is also linked to an increase in extreme weather. A larger amount of carbon dioxide traps more energy inside the atmosphere. This changes the patterns of storms and rainfall in many regions and can lead to droughts and floods. Worse still, melting sea ice in warmer oceans is causing sea levels to rise at a speed of more than three millimeters per year, according to The Guardian, which also increases the risk of flooding. "The report should serve as another wakeup call that our activities today have a profound impact on society, not only for us, but for many generations to come," French Michel Jarraud, secretarygeneral of the World Meteorological Organization, said at a news conference. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
Answer:
Global warming can increase the chances of droughts and floods.
These amazing animals prove that love lives on four legs. A little girl's lifeline Three-year-old Alida Knobloch and her 27kg golden dog, Mr. Gibbs, are almost together all the time There is a special love between them. Alida, who suffered from serious lung disease when she was 10 months old, is unable to breathe on her own for about 45 minutes. So Mr. Gibbs has been with her everywhere, carrying 4.5kg of oxygen tanks for her . A pig that calms kids When Lois Brady, a famous doctor in America, visits special-needs students in San Francisco schools, she often brings along Buttercup, a black pig from Vietnam. The pig is very calm and friendly and has been trained to offer comfort to patients as well. A Lion's big heart With paws the size of dinner plates, bright black eyes and a golden mane , Jupiter, a 13-year-old 250kg lion, was brought to the rescue center by Anna. In the past two years, Anna has developed a very close relationship with Jupiter. Which of the following do you think is the right match?
Answer:
Buttercup -a pig
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IF and WHEN were friends. Every week they met and their conversation usually centered on all the things they were going to achieve. This particular Saturday when they met, WHEN sensed that IF was not in a great mood. WHEN questioned IF, "What's wrong with you? You don't seem your usual cheery self?" IF looked at WHEN and replied, "I just don't feel I am making any progress. Last week I saw a course and wanted to take if only I had the time to take it." WHEN knew exactly how IF felt. "I too saw a course and I am going to register when I get enough money." said WHEN, "What about that new job you were going to apply for? You were so excited about it last week." IF responded, "If my computer didn't break down last week, I would have applied. So I could not type my resume." "Don't worry about it.When you are ready another job will come through. I have been thinking about looking for another job too, but I will wait and when the weather gets nicer I will look then." WHEN then went on to tell IF about his week, hoping that it would cheer him up a bit. The man at the next table couldn't help overhearing WHEN and IF. "Excuse me gentlemen," the man said. Surprised, IF and WHEN both looked at the man. The man continued, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help hearing your conversation. I think I know how you could solve your problems." Curious, IF asked the gentleman, "How do you think you can solve our problems?" The gentleman smiled and said, "You only need to listen to yourselves. It reminds me of an old proverb: ' _ '." The gentleman went on, "Just start doing, take action, and stop talking about 'if and when'." IF and WHEN suddenly realized that what the gentleman had said was so true. Both of them were guilty of thinking and living their life for the "ifs and whens". The gentleman left and their conversation changed. They made up their mind that when they met for lunch next week, there would be no "ifs and whens"; they would only talk about what they accomplished! Soon another week came. After listening to the suggestions from the gentleman, WHEN felt _ .
If your parents take out a loan, remind themselves to make the payments on time. Otherwise it will become a negative record in their personal credit reports, which are playing an increasingly big role in people's daily lives. A story carried by Chongqing Morning Post in June, underlines this trend. According to the report, a Chongqing student borrowed money from the bank to finance his university studies. After he graduated in 2005, he went to work in Shenzhen. Later, he wanted to buy a house using loans. But several banks turned down his loan applications. The reason was that he had not paid back 1,500 yuan he borrowed from a bank when he was at university. A personal credit rating is becoming an essential "pass" in everyday life, as China establishes a nationwide credit database. Personal credit systems go back 150 years. In developed countries, enterprises and banks use them to decide whether or not to loan money or do other business with a person. A credit report estimates the credit worthiness of an individual, a company, or even a country. It is an evaluation made by credit bureaus of a borrower's overall credit history and his or her ability to repay debt. A poor credit rating means a high risk of defaulting on a loan, and thus leads to the refusal of a loan by the lender. Today in China, credit history in banks is the major content of a credit report. But in the future, reports will include information about the payment of telephone bills, water use fees, electricity and natural gas bills, and taxes, according to officials of the People's Bank of China, the central bank. Personal information such as appearance, genetic data, fingerprints, blood type, disease history, ethnic identity, family and religious beliefs are not to be included in credit reports, according to a draft regulation on credit rating issued last year by the Sate Council. The authors of the draft have just finished soliciting public opinions. The Credit Reference Center run by the People's Bank of China is in charge of developing a nationwide credit database. Credit reports for all people with bank transactions began in 2006. A personal credit rating is important to the social and economic activities of a person. According to the draft, if you have a personal negative credit record, it will be kept for five years. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
This is a story from 28 years ago. My dad was a used car salesman. Every Thursday night, he would head off to Shreveport, LA for an auction . Most of the time, I drove a car over there for him so he could sell it at the auction. One day I was riding with my dad when he noticed a hitch-hiker with a backpack. Without hesitation, he pulled the car over and offered him a ride. Dad asked him his name, and proceeded to talk to him about all sorts of things. Dad asked him where he was going. The hitch-hiker told him that he was heading for the west. I can't recall why but he told Dad a lot of things that had occurred to him and that persuaded him to make _ . He talked about the tragic events that occurred to him several years before. He was low in spirits, but t could see that the hitch-hiker's attitude was changing as someone was really listening to him. We drove 45 minutes before the hitch-hiker got off. We pulled over and Dad told him to keep his head up and things would start looking up for him soon. He reached into his pocket and handed the hitch-hiker a twenty-dollar bill. The guy smiled. He nearly lit up right there on the cold, dark highway. We drove on and my dad did not say a single thing. I was still completely amazed by what I had just witnessed. I was always told by everyone never to pick up a hitch-hiker and yet my dad did it every single time he saw one. While reflecting upon that story I came to understand that just one single kind act could change someone's life, and I am sure that my father's deed made that poor man's day. The author wrote the text mainly to _ .
When Brody Roybal was a baby, he didn't have legs. But that didn't make him feel sad or stop him from trying sports. He tried different kinds of sports. When he tried sled hockey at the age of 7, he loved it. " That was it," says Roybal. He is now 15 and a student in a high school in Chicago. " It's all I wanted to do." Roybal joined a sled hockey team. At the age of 12, he started playing in an adult team. It was much harder for him, but he still worked hard. Now Roybal is a player of the sled hockey team in his country. O' Connor, manager of the team, says Roybal is very good. " Everybody dreams of going to the Olympic Games and winning the game," O' Connor says. " That's something that I couldn't do, but Roybal can. He is lucky and he can go to the next Olympics." It's true that when God closes a door, he opens a window for you. What's the problem of Roybal?
Mrs. Black is sixty-nine years old. She only has a daughter named Sandra. Mr. Black died twelve years ago. Mrs. Black was very sad and lived in her house alone. Two years ago her daughter had a baby. The young woman was busy all the time and had no time to look after her son James. She asked her mother to live with them. The old woman had to sell her house and moved there. She was strong and could do all the housework. And the family liked her. Last autumn Mrs. Black went to do some shopping. A car hit her and her leg was hurt. She had to be in hospital for three months. She couldn't do anything after she came back. At first her daughter was kind to her, but soon she began to be tired of her. The old woman wanted to leave, but she had no money to buy a house and nobody could take care of her. She didn't know what to do. One morning Mrs. Black broke a plate. It made her daughter angry. She told James to buy a wooden plate for his grandma. That afternoon James came back with two wooden plates. She was surprised and asked, "Why did you buy two plates, son?" "One is for grandma," answered the boy, "the other is for you! You will also have to use a wooden plate when you're old, I think." The woman heard this and was sad. She cried for long. Now she is kind to her mother as she was before. Mrs. Black couldn't leave her daughter's house because she _ .
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The Ministry of Construction has released the names of the first group of 20 national parks, including 9 Suzhou classical gardens: Zhuozheng Garden, Liu Garden, Wangshi Garden, Huanxiu Villa, Lion Grove, Yipu Garden, Ou Garden, Tuisi Garden and Canglang Pavilion. National parks refer to the famous city parks and gardens. Suzhou classical gardens are parts of China's precious cultural heritage (all the 9 gardens are on the list of World Cultural Heritage) as well as a necessary part of the life of Suzhou citizens, not to mention they are also world-famous tourism resorts . In fact, their unique historical and cultural background serves to contribute to their ranking among national parks. The earliest classical gardens in Suzhou can date back to the Song Dynasty. However, the gardens impress their visitors not only with their age-old history but also with their _ scenes, particularly Canglang Pavilion, Zhuozheng Garden, Lion Grove and Liu Garden, the most famous four that represent different styles of dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing. In 1978, an imitation of a Suzhou classical garden was set up by Chen Congzhou (the author of the book Suzhou Classical Gardens) in the City Museum of Art in New York, US, which was the first time ever to directly introduce Chinese ancient architecture to Westerners. _ parks and gardens are selected as National Parks in the first group.
A. 9
B. 8
C. 20
D. 4
Answer: C. 20
Some people learn a second language easily. Others have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language, such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting. The first step is to feel positive about learning English. If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. In other words, do not worry about taking risks. The second step is to practice your English. For example, write a diary every day. You will get used to writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving. In addition, you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will make mistakes, but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English. The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. You can write this in your _ . After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it. You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements. You will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself. According to the passage, what is not helpful for you to enjoy learning English?
A. To communicate in English.
B. To worry about taking risks.
C. To make a record of the achievements.
D. To think about what has been done after each class.
Answer: B. To worry about taking risks.
Why can't some people even get an inch of what they dream of becoming? Blame it on pure dreaming and lack of surrounding goals for achieving their dreams. Setting goals is very significant part of accomplishing and positive actions. It is like scaling a 200 feet construction and marking in the early hours on what feet you would like to reach at this specific period. People who set goals literally generate a map of their goal settings in life, marking where they should start, where to pause, where to study a bit, and where and when to end. Once this map comes into being, it allows the map drawer to check where he is in the scheme of things and whether or not he is making some planning that will take him closer to his goals. By surrounding goals, people will know how they are doing and what they should be doing to get their goals or dreams in life. They will know if they can relax or if they have to double their efforts when they are falling short of what is expected of them. Goal surroundings means a person is prepared in dealing with challenges that may affect his plans. Being proactive means one is able to outline possible difficulties that may occur as well as the solutions to these difficulties. By doing this, a person is not easily scared or defeated when challenges occur because he has already prepared for them. He knows they can happen and he has prepared a solution or strategy when that time comes. Setting goals will enable people to track their progress in whatever hard work they set out to do. It will help people become more confident in themselves and more motivated to get their plans. According to the author, one had better _ in making a goal in life.
A. take an active attitude
B. create a scheme as a whole
C. consider the possible troubles
D. check where he is frequently
Answer: C. consider the possible troubles
Hello, I'm Jones. I want to go to the following three places. I would like to visit Harpo Studios in Chicago, because it hosts The Oprah Winfrey Show. I really love Oprah Winfrey. I want to meet her. It doesn't snow in my country. Chicago is in the northeast of the USA. I'd like to be there, see snow. Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. I would like to visit its beautiful streets and the famous Eiffel Tower. Paris has many zoos. So I can go to the zoos and have a look at the animals. There are many cars on the streets, but I can take the subway to get around the city. On my summer vocation, I would like to go to Barcelona. First, there are many beautiful beaches. Second, there are well-known desserts and fruits in Barcelona. What does Jones think of the streets in Paris?
A. Long
B. Quiet
C. Clean
D. Beautiful
Answer: D. Beautiful
If I wanted to make something move faster I could
A. slow it down
B. stomp on it
C. stop it
D. roll it
Answer: D. roll it
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The new university hospital in Trenton, which the Health Minister Victoria Culley has described as a "shining example" to hospitals all over the country, has been open now for over six months. Having heard several complimentary comments about the organization and efficiency of the place, I decided to see for myself. In spite of arriving early, I found that there were already long queues at the reception desks. While I was waiting, I looked around and had to admit that it is an impressive building: large and light with marble everywhere. Eventually my turn came and I presented my doctor's letters to the receptionist, who informed me that I was in the X-ray queue and I'd have to go to another queue and start again! I couldn't believe it and asked her if it might be possible to give me an appointment card anyway without making me queue up again. She informed me it was no good arguing with her and I should have read the sign, an almost invisible piece of card saying "X-rays" just in front of her where very few people can have seen it. No matter how hard I tried to persuade her, she wouldn't give me an appointment card for a blood test, so I started queuing again and finally got the card at 8: 30! I then set off for the blood test room, following the nice new signs until they suddenly stopped and I realized that I was in a part of the hospital that hasn't been finished yet! When I got to the door I saw a notice saying "Back in 10 minutes". I sat down and waited for 30 minutes before a doctor appeared and told me to come in without, of course, apologizing for keeping me waiting. I asked him why I'd had to wait and he explained he'd had to help out in another ward which was understaffed as a result of a flu epidemic among the doctors! I got out of the hospital at 9:45 a.m. and breathed a sigh of relief. I'm now waiting for the results. So, Mrs. Culley, a far from rosy picture. Certainly the public should be under no illusions that things have changed for the better. Perhaps you should visit the hospital as an anonymous outpatient rather than a government minister if you really want to know what it's like unless, as I suspect, you don't actually care about much. What did the author find when he got to the hospital?
A. There were no doctors at all.
B. Doctors were polite and patient to patients.
C. A lot of people were waiting in line.
D. There were nice new signs everywhere in the hospital.
Answer: C
In our life, we have rarely expressed our gratitude to the one who lived those years with us. In fact, we don't have to wait for anniversaries to thank the ones closest to us and the ones so easily overlooked. If I have learned anything about giving thanks, it is this: give it now! While your feeling of appreciation is alive and sincere, act on it. Saying thanks is such an easy way to add to the world's happiness. Saying thanks not only brightens someone else's world, it brightens yours. If you're feeling left out, unloved or unappreciated, try reaching out to others. It may be just the medicine you need. Of course, there are times when you can't express gratitude immediately. In that case, don't let embarrassment sink you into silence and speak up the first time you have the chance. Once a young minister, Mark Brian, was sent to a remote parish of Kwakiutl Indians in British Columbia. The Indians, he had been told, did not have a word for thank you. But Brian soon found that these people had unusual generosity. Instead of saying thanks, it is their custom to return every favor with a favor of their own, and every kindness with an equal or superior kindness. They do their thanks. I wonder if we had no words in our vocabulary for thank you, would we do a better job of communicating our gratitude? Would we be more responsive, more sensitive, more caring? Thankfulness sets in motion a chain reaction that transforms people all around us-including ourselves. For no one ever misunderstands the melody of a grateful heart. Its message is universal; its poems transcend all earthly barriers; its music touches the heaven. The way to make us feel happy is _ when we think we ourselves are forgotten in the world.
A. to help and appreciate others
B. to ask others to help us
C. to remind others of our helping them
D. to ask someone to help others
Answer: A
These days, it's easy to fly across oceans for vacation. Centuries ago, however, crossing the open seas required thorough and accurate planning, handmade boats, and courage. Scientists and historians have long been looking for clues to explain who crossed which oceans first. When it comes to the trip between Polynesia and South America, chickens may have been among the first ocean voyagers, according to new evidence. After studying an ancient chicken bone, anthropologists from the University of Auckland in New Zealand now say that people and chickens traveled from Polynesia to what is now Chile by about 620 years ago. By then, the Inca people were already living in South America, but the Polynesians would have been the first to get there by sea. Previous theories claimed that European explorers and their chickens sailed to South America first -- but those voyagers didn't arrive until about a century later. In 2002, archaeologists dug up 50 chicken bones from a site in Chile called El Arenal. The team from New Zealand analyzed one to these bones. According to their calculations, the bone is about 650 years old. The researchers also compared the genetic material, or DNA, from the South American chicken bone with DNA from 11 chicken bones that had been found on the Polynesian islands of Tonga and American Samoa. These islands are 6,000 miles west of Chile. The bones found on the Polynesian islands are been 600 and 2,000 years old. Results of the comparisons showed that the chicken bones from both the Polynesian and South American sites had part of DNA in common. The researchers found the same part of DNA in feathers of two living chickens in Chile that belong to a modem breed that lays blue eggs. That DNA evidence suggests a close relationship among the chickens. "However, the weight of scientific evidence is now behind the hypothesis that it was seafaring ( ) Polynesians who sailed from the islands to South America and returned," says archaeologist Patrick V. Kirch of the University of California, Berkeley. What do we learn from the passage?
A. European explorers and their chickens were the first to sail to South America.
B. Chickens in South America have the same ancestors as those in Polynesia.
C. In ancient times, a 6,000-mile channel separated Polynesia from South America.
D. Before the Polynesians arrived in South America, the Inca people had lived there.
Answer: D
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. What is the feature of the China's currently fastest train?
A. It is the most advanced train in the world.
B. It can run faster than any other trains throughout the world.
C. It can produce electricity by energy transformation.
D. It can go into commercial operation.
Answer: C
Do you like to play outside? Do you like to run? Do you like to play with a ball? You can do all of these things if you play soccer. Soccer players cannot throw and catch the ball. They cannot touch the ball with their hands. Soccer players can only kick the ball. Soccer is played with two teams. There is a goal for each team. Players on one team want to kick the ball into one goal. Players on the other team want to kick the ball into the other goal. Players score when the ball goes into the other team's goal. They make one point. Lots of people play soccer. You can be young or old, big or small. Soccer is easy to play. All you need is a ball and a place to play. Then find enough players to make two teams. How many teams is soccer played with?
A. A lot.
B. Eleven.
C. Two.
D. Four.
Answer: C
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The first time I saw Carlos I would never have believed he was going to change my life.I had my arms full of books and I was rushing into the classroom when 1 ran into something solid. It was Carlos. "My... you're tall," he said. The whole class burst out laughing . "Take that seat," Mr. McCarthy told the cocky newcomer Carlos,pointing to the only empty one , in the back of the room. Carlos laughed widely. "But I need a couple of dictionaries." The bell rang for classes. As I stood up to go, I saw Carlos coming toward me. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you," he said . I looked straight ahead over the top of his black hair. "That's all right." "I ought to know better." He was still blocking my way. "What's your name?" "Karen Forbes." He held out his hand. Unwillingly, I shook hands with him. He looked up at me seriously with his brown eyes. " I am Carlos . I don't see why you're so _ " It was the school elections that made me think of Carlos again. Carlos was voted vice-president."How come ?"I kept asking myself, "How come this shrimp who's only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular?" So on that morning,I stopped Carlos and said,"It doesn't seem to bother you -- being short." He looked up at me, "Of course I mind being short.But there isn't anything I can do about it. When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I just decided to make the best of it and concentrate on being myself." "You seem to get along great," I admitted, "But what about me? The trouble with you is you're afraid to be yourself. You're smart. And you could be pretty. In fact, you might be more than pretty." I felt myself turning red... According to the text, which is the most likely ending?
A The author didn't want to make friends with Carlos
B Carlos and the author argued with each other.
C The author changed her attitude towards Carlos.
D Carlos was elected president of the student committee.
Answer: C. The author changed her attitude towards Carlos.
A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria , but work for Dave was scarce (,), and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift--$7,000,a legacy from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident . " It really made a difference when we were going under financially, " says Dave. But the Fusses weren't the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by the Hatches' generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars ; in others, it was more than $100,000. It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million--they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm . Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving, They thrived on comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase . Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn't afford it. "Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything," says their friend Sand Van Weelden, "They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them. Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed (;). It was the Hatches' wish that their legacy--a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come. Neighbors helping neighbors ----that was Ish and Arlene Hatch's story. What can we learn from the text?
A The Hatches would like the neighbors to follow their example
B The summer camp was attractive to the parents
C Sandy Van Weelden got a legacy form the Hatches
D The community of Alto was poor
Answer: A. The Hatches would like the neighbors to follow their example
Once a father was seated at the dinner table with his wife and children. A good friend who had come to visit was eating with them. While they were sitting there the clock struck twelve,and the stranger saw the door open and a very pale little child dressed in snow-white clothes come in. It neither looked around,nor did it speak,but went straight into the next room. Soon afterwards it came back,and just as silently went out of the door again. On the second and an the third day it came back in exactly the same manner. Then the stranger finally asked the father, whose beautiful child it was that went into the next room every day at noon. "I did not see it,"he said,adding that he did not know whose child it might be. The next day when it again came,the stranger pointed it out to the father, but the latter did not see it,nor did the mother and the children see anything. Then the stranger got up,went to the door of the room,opened it a little,and looked in. There he saw the child sitting on the floor, and busily digging and rooting about in the cracks in the floor. When it saw the stranger, it disappeared. He now told what he had seen and described the child exactly.Then the mother recog- nized it, and said,"Oh,it is my dear child who died four weeks ago." They ripped up the floor and found two farthings which the child had once received from its mother to give to a poor man. It,however, had thought,"with that money you can buy yourself a piece of zwieback,"and had kept the farthings,hiding them in the cracks in the floor.www.ks5u.com Therefore it had had no rest in its grave,and had come every day at noon to look for these farthings. Then the parents gave the money to a poor man,and after that the child was never seen again. Why did the child return to find two farthings?
A Because he wanted to take them back to his grave.
B Because he could buy himself a piece of zwieback.
C Because he received from its mother to give to a poor man.
D Because he can't forgive himself after his death.
Answer: D. Because he can't forgive himself after his death.
There are some very good things about open education. This way of teaching allows the students to grow as people, and to develop their own interests in many subjects. Open education allows students to be responsible for their own education, as they are responsible for what they do in life. Some students do badly in a traditional classroom. The open classroom may allow them to enjoy learning. Some students will be happier in an open education school. They will not have to worry about grades or rules. For students who worry about these things a lot, it is a good idea to be in an open classroom. But many students will not do well in an open classroom. For some students, there are too few rules. These students will do little in school. They will not make good use of open education. Because open education is so different from traditional education, these students may have a problem getting used to making so many choices. For many students it is important to have some rules in the classroom. They worry about the rules even when there are no rules. Even a few rules will help this kind of students. The last point about open education is that some traditional teachers do not like it. Many teachers do not believe in open education. Teachers who want to have an open classroom may have many problems at their schools. You now know what open education is. Some of its good points and bad points have been explained. You may have your own opinion about open education. The writer thinks that open education is a good idea, but only in theory. In actual fact, it may not work very well in a real class or school. The writer believes that most students, but of course not all students, want some structure in their classes. They want and need to have rules. In some cases, they must be made to study some subjects. Many students are pleased to find subjects they have to study interesting. They would not study some subjects if they did not have to. Open education allows the students to _ .
A grow as the educated
B be responsible for their future
C develop their own interests
D discover subjects outside class
Answer: C. develop their own interests
Teenagers will be told to "stand up for their elders" on public transport -- or risk losing their right to free travel. London Mayor Boris Johnson will declare plans today to make youngsters sign a "courtesy pledge" to promise to behave in a respectful manner when travelling in the capital. The three-point pledge states that they will give up their seats to the elderly, pregnant and disabled; keep from using offensive or threatening language; and be courteous and polite to fellow passengers and staff. Those who refuse, or are caught behaving in a _ manner, will have their free travel passes removed. The plan -- a key part of Mr. Johnson's re-election bid-- will initially affect the 400,000 ll-to-15-year-olds in London who qualify for free travel cards, but Tory sources believe the idea could be used across the country. A Conservative insider said: "The plan corresponds perfectly with the push to create a Big Society. It is about changing culture and expectations around behavior to improve the atmosphere on buses and trains for everyone." Speaking before today's launch, Mr. Johnson said he was determined to deal with the anti-social behavior of a "minority of youngsters" on public transport. "When I was a boy, I was taught to stand up for those less able to, "he said. "Youngsters enjoy the privilege of free travel, which is paid for by Londoners, but they have to understand that with that privilege comes responsibility. Anyone who abuses this privilege will have it taken away, and will have to earn that right bach ." Teenagers found guilty of a serious violation of the new behavior rules will lose their travel passes, and will have to carry out unpaid community work to earn them back. Mr. Johnson is also introducing a "two strikes and you're out" policy to deal with repeat offenders, under which those committing a second serious violation of the rules will lose their travel rights permanently. Which of the following is NOT the content of the "courtesy pledge"?
A Teenagers should give up their seats to the old.
B Teenagers shouldn't talk with strangers in public.
C Teenagers mustn't use aggressive language in public.
D Teenagers must be polite to people on public transport.
Answer: B. Teenagers shouldn't talk with strangers in public.
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Question: A mother wanted to encourage her son to play the piano. She bought tickets to the concert of a great pianist. When they arrived at the theater, the mother found a friend. Sbe stopped to talk to ber friend and her son ran off. At eight o'clock'the lights began to dim ,and the concert was set to start. The mother began to look for the boy. Then, she saw her 6-year-old son on stage. He was on the piano bench playing Twinkle, Twinkle little star. The mother was very shocked. Before she could get her son back, the famous pianist himself was on the stage and quickly moved to the piano. "Don't stop. Keep playing," he said kindly to the boy. The great pianist reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass of the song. Soon, his right arm reached around the other side and played a beautiful piece of music. Together, the two impressed people with their beautiful music. In all of our lives, we receive helping hands- some we notice, some we don't. We also have Iots of chances to give helping hands- sometimes we want people to know, sometimes we don't. Little of what we all achieve comes without other's help. What we receive we should give back What was the little boy doing when his mother saw him?
A. He was listening to concert in his seat.
B. He was talking to his friend.
C. He was on the piano bench playing a piece of music.
D. He was learning from the famous pianist.
Answer:
C
Question: In the summer of 1980 a Spanish tourist, Gaspar Carner, went to prefix = st1 /Great Britainon holiday. When he was travelling in Scotland, he decided to visit Loch Ness, the famous lake where people say there is a monster . But while he was going across the lake in a boat, his bag fell into the water. In the bag were his passport , car keys, pen, and all his money. Loch Ness is 150 metres deep, so he didn't expect to see the bag again! Fourteen years later, in 1994, some scientists decided to explore the lake. They looked for the Loch Ness monster. Suddenly one of them saw something black in the water. They carefully went nearer. They thought the black thing was the monster. They went nearer and nearer. It was a bag. They took the bag out of the lake. They found that the photo on the passport was still clear. One of the scientists knew Gaspar Carner. So the bag was returned to him. How did the explorers know the bag was Carner's? .
A. Carner recognized the bag
B. One of the explorers knew Carner
C. Carner was very famous
D. They expected it was the monster
Answer:
B
Question: A federal judge sentenced Bruce Jones to 12 years in federal prison for fraud . Over a 10-year period, Jones had managed to cheat thousands of people throughout the state out of almost $10 million. He advertised his fantastic ideas on TV. "For some reason," Jones said, "TV seems to break the ice. Even though you are a total stranger to the viewer, once he sees you on TV in his home, he feels like he knows you. You enter his living room and become a trusted friend." Jones had an imagination that wouldn't quit. One time he showed viewers an "official government" earthquake report which "proved" that the western half of California would collapse into the sea within three years. For $100, he said, Jones would insure your house and property for full value. Thousands of people who saw that TV ad sent him a hundred dollars each. In another TV ad, Jones claimed that he had come to an agreement with the federal and state government for exclusive air rights. He told viewers that, for only $100, they could own the first 10 miles above all their property. You would be able to charge any commercial plane that flew over your property $100 per crossing. You would also be able to charge government rockets, satellites, space shuttles, and space stations $100 for each and every violation of your air rights. Another time, Jones claimed to have invented a product that gets rid of calories. He showed the viewers a spray can of "NoCal." He said that by simply spraying NoCal on your food, a chemical interaction would cause all the calories in the food to simply disappear within about 10 seconds. The NoCal was only $10 a can. As usual, Jones received thousands of checks in the mail. The judge told Jones that he should be ashamed of himself. Jones responded that he was very ashamed of himself, and that when he got out of prison he hoped to become a TV adviser to help people avoid getting cheated. He told the judge that he was already developing an instructional CD that, for merely $100, would save people thousands of dollars in scams . The judge nodded, and then changed Jones' sentence from 10 years to 12 years. According to Jones, he could successfully cheat many people mainly because .
A. he promised them a large profit
B. they were too eager to make money
C. they believed too much in TV ads
D. he was skillful in communicating with people
Answer:
C
Question: Every 1440 minutes
A. the moon is full
B. there's a lunar eclipse
C. a new year starts
D. the sun sets in the west
Answer:
D
Question: Dorothea Dix left home at an early age--of her own free will--to live with her grandmother. At fourteen, Dorothea was teaching school at Worcester, Massachusetts. A short time after she had begun teaching, she set up a school for young girls in her grandparents' home. Stress was placed on moral character at Dorothea's school, which she conducted until she was thirty-three. She was forced to give up teaching at her grandparents' home, however, when she became ill a few years of inactivity followed. In 1841 Dorothea began to teach again, accepting a Sunday school class in the East Cambridge, Massachusetts prison. Here she first came upon insane people locked up together with prisoners. In those days insane people were treated even worse than prisoners. There were only a few madhouses in the entire country. Therefore prisons, poor houses, and houses of correction were used to keep the insane. Dorothea Dix made a careful investigation of the inhuman treatment of the insane. It was considered unfeminine for a woman to devote herself to such work at this time. But this did not stop Dorothea Dix from providing proper medical care for the insane. Gradually, because of her investigations, conditions were improved. More than thirty mental institutions were founded or rebuilt in the United States because of her hard work. Dorothea also spread her investigations to England and to other parts of Europe. During the Civil War, Dorothea served as superintendent of women hospital nurses in the Union army. When the war was over, she returned to her work of improving conditions for insane people. The author implies Dorothea Dix's work with the insane was interrupted because of _ .
A. an illness
B. the Civil War
C. her trip to England
D. her grandmother's death
Answer:
B
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As he looks up at the Jade Dragon Mountain, Zhang Jinpeng basks in the sunshine on the roof-top of his youth hostel in Lijiang, a popular tourist destination in Yunnan province in Southwest China. He is content and excited at the same time, since the hostel, which he named after his best-seller A Decade of Backpacking, opened earlier this month. Published in 2010, Zhang's book was considered a milestone in Chinese travel writing. It sold more than 600,000 copies and triggered a wave of travel books by other Chinese writers who were born in the late 1970s and 1980s. Different from travel guides and traditional Chinese travel literature that mainly depict landscapes and scenery, these books by young travelers tell stories of their personal growth through traveling. In A Decade of Backpacking, Zhang recounts his travels around the world since 2001, after he graduated from Nan Kai University in Tianjin and decided to see the world. "At the time my book came out, there were few books that catered to young people's longing while traveling." Zhang's book ignited a Chinese craze for travel writing. Featuring different themes, travel writing became a popular genre. But most of the books have one thing in common: The travelers are mostly young people. The Late Gap Year (2009), written by Sun Dongchun, tells the story of a young man who gave up a white-collar job and started a three-month trip for a volunteer program in Southeast Asia. The trip turned into a year-long travel. What's more, he even found his Miss Right and got married by the end of the story. We Always Travel Hand in Hand, published in 2012, was written by a young couple. Their travel romance, complete with beautiful pictures, first went viral on a Chinese micro-blog. Song Zhenshao, counselor at the psychological counseling center of Beijing Normal University, says: "To step out of ordinary life is a deep desire associated with freedom in people's hearts, and the hustle and bustle of city life intensifies the desire." But as more similar travelogues hit the bookshelves, the average sales for new travel books have dropped. "The market for travel writing has become saturated ," says Li Shen, editor of several travel books at the Beijing-based China Civic Press. "We have been very cautious in accepting manuscripts from new travel writers. We don't publish them unless they have a very unique perspective or unusual experiences." Zhang Jinpeng, too, has been changing the direction in his writing. After A Decade of Backpacking, he published Why We Travel in 2012. His next book will be titled Don't Forget the Road Back Home. The books by young writers are different from the traditional ones in that _ .
Answer:
"Cool" is a word with many meanings. Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold. As the world changes, the word has many different meanings. "Cool" can be used to _ feelings of interest in almost anything. When you see a famous car in the street, maybe you will say "It's cool." You may think, "He's so cool," when you see your favorite footballer. We all maximize the meaning of "cool". You can use it instead of many words such as "new" or "surprising". Here's an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used. A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall. On one student's paper was just the one sentence, "It's so cool". Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt. But the story also shows a scarcity of words, it seems that some people have no words to show the same meaning without "cool" . Can you think of many other words that make your life as colorful as the word "cool"? Yes, I can. And I think they are also very cool. In the passage, the writer suggests that the word "cool" _ .
Answer:
Early in the 16th century men were trying to reach Asia by traveling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South America. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan sailed from Seville in August, 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the cold winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel which is now called Magellan Strait . In November, 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America. They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they did not see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as the Philippines, men were dying of starvation. While they were staying in the Philippines, Magellan was killed in a battle. The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail round Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville three years after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan's expedition. However, their achievement was great. They were the first men to sail round the world. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage concerning the expedition?
Answer:
My daughter comes in with some bags of groceries taking my attention away from the paper. She shouts out, "Hi daddy!" and runs toward the little kitchen. She's always running. I've never seen anyone with as much energy as her, except maybe her mom. "You'd better not make a mess in there, or your mother will be angry!" I call to her. She stops rattling for just a second and says, "OK, daddy. No problem." She's a good girl. I look at the side table where there's that beautiful black and white photo of her mom that we took last year. Or was it longer? My daughter is always leaving a seasonal flower in front of it. I don't know why. Maybe because the color1s are nice against the photo and the black frame. She's a sweet kid. Finally, she comes out to talk to me and I put down the paper. "Listen daddy, I can't stay a while with you tonight because Steve and I are going to a show downtown. I've made some good soup for you and it's all ready on the stove." "Now you listen to me, young lady," I say, "you and Steve go and enjoy yourselves. I'm sure your mom will be home soon and we'll eat together." She looks doubtful. I pat her head. "Listen", she says, "you can call Samantha if you need anything. Do you remember Samantha?" I nod. Samantha is a good neighbor. She lives below us in the ground floor apartment. My wife and her were always chattering away on the phone or having tea. "Daddy?" She's studying my face. "Samantha's number is on the fridge and by the phone. OK?" "OK," I say, "now go on out and have some fun, love." The office has really tired me out today. I should make some dinner but I'll have a sleep in this chair for now. The author asks her daughter not to make a mess in the kitchen because _ .
Answer:
Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd.Take some time to find out about how one man,who was determined to change the way we treated our planet,didn't stop until he had made a difference. In 1963,Senator Gaylord Nelson wasn't happy with the earth's condition.He wanted to clean up the planet,solve pollution and environmental problems.A senator is someone US citizens choose to help make laws,so Gaylord had a lot of power.He went to John F.Kennedy,the President at the time,with his ideas.The President agreed that the planet's environment was a serious issue,so President Kennedy went around the country on a five-day tour to promote the idea of cleaning up the planet.People began making small changes but it wasn't enough. A few years later,Senator Nelson decided to put one day aside every year for the cause of saving the planet.On April 22,1970,the first Earth Day was celebrated.More than 20 million people took part in Earth Day activities in 1970.Since then,Earth Day has become an international holiday.People all over the world are doing something to make the earth a cleaner,better place. A rock band named Dramarama wrote a song about Earth Day in 1993 called What Are We Gonna Do.Encouraging your family to recycle on a regular basis is a good way to help the earth. What did President Kennedy do to promote the idea of cleaning up the earth?
Answer:
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One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw Kyle from my class walking home from school. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd (a foolish person)." I had quite a weekend planned, so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running towards him. They knocked all his books out of his arms and tripped him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw _ land in the glass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should go to hell." He looked at me and said, "Hey, thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real thankfulness. I asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. I am here to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth. Why did Kyle carry all his books home?
A. Because it was Friday.
B. Because he was a nerd.
C. Because he wanted to kill himself.
D. Because he liked doing things for his mother.
Answer: C
Which part of a plant is used to absorb sunlight during photosynthesis?
A. leaf
B. root
C. seed
D. flower
Answer: A
Not many years ago, some American farmers began to complain about hawks . The hawks were killing chickens. The farmers did not know what to do. They went to the government officials and asked for help. The officials said, " We'll pay you for each hawk you kill." The farmers began to kill the hawks. Many hawks were killed, but the farmers now had another problem. The field mice were growing in number and they were eating up the farmers' corn. Hawks eat not only chickens but also field mice. They eat more field mice than chickens. But if the farmers had known that, they would not have upset the balance of nature. In one part of the USA, there are deer which eat a kind of wild rose. The deer are eaten by mountain lions. The number of deer, mountain lions, and wild rose does not change much if people stay away from them. If there are too many deer, mountain lions will increase rapidly in number and kill many deer. If there are too many mountain lions, there will be fewer deer and there will be more roses. It is always necessary for us to keep the balance of nature. The government once killed almost all the mountain lions to protect the deer. Soon there were so many deer that they ate up all the wild roses. Then they began to eat the green leaves of young trees which were important to the farmers. So the farmers protected their trees from the deer. The deer had nothing to eat, and many of them died. The government learned a valuable lesson from nature. Why did American people have to protect their trees?
A. Because the mountain lions destroyed the trees.
B. Because there were so many deer that they began to eat the green leaves.
C. Because they wanted the trees to grow well.
D. Because the trees are more important than the deer.
Answer: B
The traditional tent cities at festivals such as prefix = st1 /Glastonburymay never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tens made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home. Major festivals such as Glastonburythrow away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof. Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs. The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop Graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business. To raise money for the idea, he toured the City's private companies which fund new businesses and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint's directors and won their support. Mint has committed around PS500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop's business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year. Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics. For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards, They can be Personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior advertising space. The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonburyhaving some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in theUK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious. The passage is mainly concerned with_.
A. an attempt at developing recyclable tents
B. some efforts at making full use of cardboards
C. an unusual success of a graduation project
D. the effects of using cardboard tents on music festivals
Answer: A
A year ago, at the annual pre-Grammy party, Whitney Houston, the great star, walked on stage and closed the evening with a brilliant performance. Last Saturday, Houston was once again the focus before the Grammy, but her presence was a regrettable one.Earlier that day, the pop music's former queen was found dead in her hotel room.She was 48.This, no doubt, is sad news to the whole music industry and her fans all over the world. At her peak , Houston was the golden girl of the music world.From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists.She impressed audiences with her effortless, powerful and _ performance. Besides multi-million record sales, Houston made countless hits such as The Greatest Love of All, I Have Nothing, and the mostly famous I Will Always Love You.She also influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey. But by the end of her career, there was a shocking fall for this superstar.Houston had been addicted to drugs.Her album sales declined and the hits stopped coming and her once beautiful voice became hoarse , unable to hit the high notes as she used to. In 2009, Houston staged a successful comeback with the albumI Look To You, which fell on top of the charts.But hoarse voice, canceled concerts, and continuous illness-Houston's comeback trail wasn't smooth at all.In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009, Houston admitted: "It (show business) is too much for me and I wanted out." Now that Houston has finally taken a break from all the chaos , may she rest in peace. Whitney Houston died _ .
A. shortly before the Grammy this year
B. earlier last Sunday
C. a year ago
D. at the annual pre-Grammy party
Answer: A
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After 20 years as a full-time wife and mother, I decided to be a school bus driver for I loved kids. After hard practice, by the time school started that year I'd gotten the hang of it. I was happy in my new work. I became a combination of chauffeur, nurse and friend. And if the kids needed it, I'd put on my "Tough Big Sister" act. It was a lot like my previous job---being a mom. When I think about my years of bus driving, many things crowded in, but mostly, I remember Charlie. Charlie, eight years old, with blond hair and crystalline gray eyes, began riding my bus in September of my fourth year driving. They all had stories to tell me about their summers. Charlie, though, ignored me. He didn't even answer when I asked his name. From that day on, Charlie was a trial. If a fight broke out I didn't have to turn my head to know who had started it. If someone was throwing spitballs I could guess the culprit's name. If a girl was crying, chances were Charlie had pulled her hair. No matter how I spoke to him, gently or firmly, he wouldn't say a word. He'd just stare at me with those big gray eyes of his. I asked around some, and found out Charlie's father was dead and he didn't live with his mother. He deserves my patience, I thought. So I practiced every bit of patience I could muster. To my cheery "Good Morning", he was silent. When I wished him a happy Halloween, he sneered. Many, many times I asked God how I could reach Charlie. "I'm at my wit's end." I'd say. Still I was sure that this child needed to feel some warmth from me. So, when he'd pass by, I'd ruffle his hair or pat him on the arm. Toward the end of that year, the kids on my bus gave me a small trophy inscribed "To the Best Bus Driver Ever". I propped it up on the dashboard. On top I hung a small tin heart that a little girl had given me. In red paint she had written, "I love Polly and Polly loves me." On the next-to-last day of school I was delayed a few minutes talking to the principal. When I got on the bus I realized that the tin heart was gone. "Does anyone know what happened to the little heart that was up here?" I asked. For once with 39 children, there was silence. One boy piped up, "Charlie was the first one on the bus. I bet he took it." Other children joined the chorus, "Yeah! Charlie did it! Search him!" I asked Charlie, "Have you seen the heart?" "I don't know what you're talking about," he protested . Standing up, he took a few pennies and a small ball out of his pockets. "See, I don't have it." "I bet he does!" insisted the girl who had given me the heart. "Check his pockets." Charlie glowered when I asked him to come forward. His gaze burned into mine. I stuck my hand into one pocket. Nothing. I reached into the other pocket. Then I felt it ---the familiar outline of the small tin heart. Charlie stared at me for a long time. There were no tears in those big gray eyes, no plea for mercy. _ I was about to pull the tin heart out of Charlie's pocket when I stopped myself. Let him keep it, a voice seemed to whisper. "It must have fallen off before I got here," I said to the kids. "I'll probably find it back at the depot." Without a word, Charlie returned to his seat. When he got off at his stop, he didn't so much as glance at me. That summer Charlie moved away. Eventually I retired. And there my story as a school bus driver ends, except for one more incident. A dozen years after retirement I was in a department store in Kansas City, when someone said tentatively, "Polly?" I turned to see a balding man who was approaching middle age. "Yes?" His face didn't look familiar until I noticed his big gray eyes. There was no doubt. It was Charlie. He told me he was living in Montana and doing well. Then, to my surprise, he hugged me. After he let go, he pulled something from his pocket and held it up for me to see. An old key chain....bent out of shape, the lettering faded. You can probably guess what it was---the little tin heart that said, "I love Polly and Polly loves me." "You were the only one who kept trying," he explained. We hugged again, and went our separate ways. That night I thought over his words. You were the only one who kept trying. Before I fell asleep I thanked the Lord for the reassurance that I'd done a good job and for all the qualifications he'd given me to do it with. From the passage, we learn that Charlie was _ .
English has gained status as a world language. About 1/3 of the world's population has English as its mother tongue. 75% of the world's mail is in English. English is the official language or is widely used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, United Arab Ernirates, Canada, the United States, Panama, Surinam, South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya. English is the language that is most often studied as a foreign language in the European Union (by 89% of schoolchildren), followed by French (32%), German (l8%), and Spanish (8%). It is also the most studied in China, Japan, and South Korea. Books, magazines, and newspapers are written in English in many countries around the world. English is also the widest used language in science. In 1997, the Science Citation Index reported that 95% of its articles were written in English, but only half of their authors came from English-speaking countries. Why has English become a world language? The British colonized (......) large parts of the world, spreading their language to new areas. The United Kingdom and the United States are both important nations in the world. When doing business with these nations, knowing English is an advantage. As non-English-speaking countries realized that, industry and business hired people who spoke English, or required their workers to attend language courses. English is the international language of technology. With English being so widespread, it can make those who come from English-speaking countries already feel that they don't need to learn a foreign language. This is not good because one learns to understand a culture better if one knows the language, and one may also enjoy reading original books. In the European Union which foreign language is studied by the fewest people?
A habit is an action that we have acted so often that it becomes something we do almost without thinking. Some of them are not good habits. People spend countless hours and dollars each year trying to give up these bad habits but often fail. Why? Change is hard work and there is no shortcut to get it. However, there is still some advice for you to follow. First, look at why you do it. In other words, what's the result of doing this thing? If your bad habit is shouting at people when you are unhappy or under pressure , what do you get from it? It may make you feel a little better for the moment. Or maybe you have a bad habit of leaving your homework undone. The result could be that you get more time to spend on the Internet! Next, take a look on the other hand. What are you losing because of your habit? Shouting at other people is a bad habit because it makes people around you feel bad and unhappy. Leaving your homework undone is a bad habit because you may be punished by your teacher. Having more Internet time means that you are losing the chance to learn the things you need to learn. When you think that way, you'll find that it's not wise to keep your bad habit! Now it is time to make a decision . What will you choose? I'm sure you will choose to do something that is more important. The best title for this passage is _ .
I had an experience once which taught me something about the ways people made a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I officiated at two funerals for two elderly women. Both died a natural death. At the first home, the son of the deceased woman said, "If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It's my fault that she died." At the second home, the son said, "If only I had not insisted her going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride was more than she could take. It is my fault." When things don't turn out as we would like them to, we tend to assume that had we done things differently, the story would have had a happier ending. Any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course, for example, keeping mother at home, would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse? There seem to be elements involved in our readiness to feel guilty. The first lies in our belief that the world makes sense----there is a reason for everything that happens. The second is the thought that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood. A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and calls the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely abandon that childish thought that our wishes cause things to happen. What is the main idea of this passage?
Savile Row was first developed in 1695 as part of the Burlington Estate. It had been part of the gardens of Burlington House previous to this. Originally it was named Savile Street. Houses were built on one side of the street, with gardens on the other side and was therefore nicknamed Savile Row, with a row of houses on one side. The name was officially changed in 1810. The first tailors appear on the street in 1785, and over the next fifty years the trend continued. This is what made the area famous. Many Savile Row Tailors have gone out of business or moved elsewhere within London,bottes ugg, but plenty still remain and it is still the place many men go for their tailoring. Fleet Street is synonymous with the British Press. The street runs from the east end of the Strand through to Farringdon Street. In the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century the trend for printers and publishers moving into the area began. Later, and more famously, newspapers started to move their offices to Fleet Street. The first daily newspaper to do this was the Daily Courant in the early 1700's. By the 20th century a large majority of London and National newspapers had their headquarters in the area. This is no longer the case though, as many of the papers moved out of Fleet Street from the 1980's. All of the main newspapers have now left and it is now more associated with law practices . Harley Street is world famous for its medical practices. Prior to the 18th century it only consisted of a few houses and was part of the village of Marylebone; not yet part of the City of London. As London grew in the 1700's century Marylebone became part of London. It was developed into a larger residential area between 1715 and 1720. Around a century later doctors started setting up home in the area, with a number of them setting up practices from then homes. As this trend continued the area became well known in this aspect. Doctors started setting up home in Harley Street probably because _ .
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Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship. Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job.In many European countries -- like the UK or France -- people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office. Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand.I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled.After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary. Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly. People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other. According to the text, how can people from different cultures understand each other better?
Answer: By recognizing different values.
Register in person, by phone 264-8833, or by mail. Use form given. 178 IN Winchester St., Chicago Basic Photography This is an eight-hour course for beginners who want to learn how to use a 35mm camera. The teacher will cover such areas as kinds of film, light and lenses . Bring your own 35mm camera to class. Course charge: $50.Jan. 10,12,17,19, Tues & Thurs. 6:00-8:00 pm. Marianne Adams is a professional photographer whose photographs appear in many magazines. Understanding Computers This twelve-hour course is for people who do not know much about computers, but need to learn about them. You will learn what computers are, what they can and can't do, and how to use them. Course charge: $75. Equipment charge: $10. Jan.14, 21, 28, Sats. 7:00-10:30pm. Joseph Saimders is Professor of Computer Science at New Urban University. He has over twelve years of experience in the computer field. Stop Smoking Do you want to stop smoking? Have you already tried to stop and failed? Now it's the time to stop smoking using the latest methods. You can stop smoking, and this twelve-hour course will help you do it. Course charge: $30. Jan. 4, 11, 18, 25, Wedns. 4:00-7:00pm. Dr John Goode is a practicing psychologist who has helped hundreds of people stop smoking. Typing This course on week-days is for those who want to learn to type, as well as those who want to improve their typing. You are tested in the first class and practice at one of eight different skill levels. This allows you to learn at your own speed. Each program lasts 20 hours. Bring your own paper. Course charge: $125. Material charge: $25. Two hours each evening for two weeks. New classes begin every two weeks. This course is taught by a number of business education teachers who have successfully taught typing courses before. Oil painting Oil paint is easy to use once you learn the basics. When you enroll at this oil painting course, you will learn to draw and learn to paint using many oil painting techniques under complete guidance and instruction. Together with the teacher's knowledge and your passion-we'll unlock your creativity and develop your potential! Course charge: $35. Jan. 5, 12, 19, 26, Thurs. 2:00-5:00 pm. Ralf Ericssion has taught beginners to masters and he has learned that everything builds on just a few basic concepts that he will show you here. Singing This course shows you how to deliver an accomplished vocal performance on stage and in the studio. Develop your vocal talents with professional warm-up routines and learn vocal techniques to gain confidence in your performance. You'll learn to perform classic songs before exploring your own songwriting ideas with a tutor. And finally you'll get the chance to record in a professional studio. Singing tuition may be in groups or one-to-one. We have Choral singing, Gospel singing, Folk singing and many other styles of song. All styles are welcome and no previous experience is required. Please read on for course contents and reviews from our students. Course charge: $90. Jan. 10, 12, 17, 19, Tues. & Thurs. 5:30-8:30pm. Peter Syrus is a Grammy award winning tutor. There are typing courses _ .
Answer: from Monday to Friday
Did you turn off your lights from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm on March 28? Perhaps you invited your parents and neighbors to join the worldwide event--Earth Hour? Liao Mingyu,17,from Shenzhen Experimental School,is glad that she and a group of other students from eight high schools in the city jointly made the event even bigger by inviting more citizens to take part. It all started with an idea to design ways of saving energy after Tree-Planting Day.The students,who are all members of the Environmental Protection Union in their own schools,decided to help raise people's awareness of global warming as the Earth Hour campaign approached. They worked out a detailed plan to make their idea come true.They wrote to local newspapers,residents,companies and even sent an open letter of proposal to the mayor in order to get support from the government. "From 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm on March 28,please turn off your lights to save energy and protect our Mother Earth,"the letters said. To their great encouragement,a local newspaper published their plan and asked people to get involved .The mayor even replied to them via the city's environmental bureau to show his support."It was a surprise recognition,"said the receiver Lu WaIllin,17,from Shenzhen No 2 High Schoo1."The government's support may help our idea be heard by the public." During the Earth Hour,the green activists saw the rewards of their work when they held a night party in a big local communtiy,Meilinyicun in Futian District.A round 1,000 residents turned off their lights and joined the party.At the party,the green activists shared advice about living eco-friendly lives. These students have now come up with an even more ambitious plan. "We've learned from the Internet that so far only four Chinese cities--Beijing,Shanghai,Hong Kong and Baoding in Hebei--have officially joined in Earth Hour,"Liao said."We hope that Shenzhen will become the fifth Chinese city to participate next year." According to the passage,the students from Shenzhen high schools participated in the event to _ .
Answer: get people to start thinking about global warming
Doctor Seuss was born in 1904. By the middle 1950s, he had become one of the best-loved and most successful children's book writers in the world. His books are very popular with young readers. They enjoy the invented words and the pictures of unusual funny animals and plants. In 1954, life magazine published a report about school children who could not read. The report said many children's books were not interesting. Doctor Seuss strongly hoped to help children and decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read. He used words with the same ending sound, like fish and wish. He did not receive training in art. Yet, he drew the pictures for most of his books. In 1957, Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 230 words to write the book and even a six-year-old should be able to read it. It was a fun story and easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today it is still one of the stories they like best. The success of The Cat in the Hat made him want to write more books for children. In 1960, he wrote a book using less than fifty words. The book is called Green Eggs and Ham. In 1984, Doctor Seuss won a Pulitzer Prize . He was honored for the education and enjoyment his books provided American children and their parents. He died at the age of 87, but his influence remains. Millions of his books have been sold worldwide. People say his books helped change the way American children learned to read. Yet, his books are loved by people of all ages. Doctor Seuss once said, "I do not write for children. I write for people." Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
Answer: His books provided education and enjoyment for Americans.
Many animals go on long and difficult journeys to find food or places for their young to start life. They often travel very far, sometimes even halfway around the world. Some animals make one of these amazing journeys every year, while others make only one amazing journey in their lives. Some animals travel over land, some through water and others in the air. Green turtles spend most of their lives in the sea, but they come to the shore to lay their eggs. Every two or three years, fully-grown female turtles swim a long way to the same beach where they were hatched and lay their eggs there. Some turtles may travel over 1240 miles to reach the same beach. No one knows how these turtles are able to find the same beach again. Monarch butterflies live in North America. At the end of summer, they fly south to Mexico. In spring, they fly back north. During this journey, the adults lay their eggs and then they die. When the young butterflies hatch, they continue the journey north. No one knows how the young butterflies know where to go. Monarch butterflies lay eggs _ .
Answer: on the way from Mexico to North America
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Lots of people make it as their aim to get to the top of Mount Everest. Mark is one of them. The difference between Mark and other climbers is that he lost both his legs when climbing. New Zealand's highest mountain, Mount Cook. He was caught in a big ice hole and he had to have his legs cut below the knees after he was saved. But that couldn't make Mark lose heart, who has become the first person with man-made legs to reach the top of Mount Everest. From the top of the world's highest mountain, Mark called his wife to say he made it. His wife, Anne got the phone when she was sleeping. She couldn't hear him clearly on the phone. She was unable to say when he reached the top but thought it was around mid-day. She also said his "legs" didn't work well sometimes, so her husband was carrying a spare leg and repair tools. Mark used to be a mountain guide before his accident. He said it was not important that no one like him had ever reached the 8850-meter mountain. "I'm not doing this to be the first. I have been climbing most of my life and I just feel Mount Everest is really a great aim. I want to send a message that I can do-anything better." What was the difference between Mark and other climbers?
No one gets through life without experiencing many disappointments. Strangely, though, most people seem unprepared for disappointment and react to it in negative ways. They feel depressed or try to escape from their troubles instead of using disappointment as an opportunity for growth. One negative reaction to disappointment is depression. A woman trying to win a promotion, for example, works hard for over a year in her department. Helen is so sure she will get the promotion. However, the boss names one of Helen's co-workers for the spot. Deeply depressed, Helen loses her enthusiasm for her job and can barely force herself to show up every day. Helen tells herself that she is a failure and that doing a good job just isn't worth the work. Another negative reaction to disappointment is the desire to escape. Kevin fails to get into the college his brother is attending, the college that was the focus of all his dreams, and decides to escape his disappointment. Why worry about college at all? Instead, he covers up his real feelings by giving up on his school-work and getting completely involved with friends, parties, and "good times". The positive way to react to disappointment is to use it as a chance for growth. This isn't easy, but it's the only useful way to deal with an inevitable part of life. Helen, the woman who was not promoted, could have handled her disappointment by looking at other options. If her boss did not recognize her talent and hard work, perhaps she could transfer to another department. Or she could ask the boss how to improve her performance so that she could prepare for the next promotion. Kevin, the boy who didn't get into the college of his choice, should look into other schools. Going to another college may encourage him to be his own person, step out of his brother's shadow, and realize that being turned down by one college isn't a final judgment on his abilities or potential. Disappointments are unwelcome, but regular visitors to everyone's life. We can feel depressed about them or we can try to escape from them. The best thing, though, is to accept a disappointment and then try to use it somehow: Step over the unwelcome visitor on the doorstep and get on with life. Which of the following best expresses the main ides of this selection?
Harry is a boy with a learning disability. On his fourth birthday, he was given a pug called Millie. Two weeks after the dog's arrival, he was happier and calmer and said his first words, "dog" and "mummy". Just two months later, thieves stole the dog, and now the heartbroken little boy is back to where he started. He has refused to talk since losing his best friend. His mother was worried and gave him another dog, but he just "pushed it away". Mrs Hainsworth, his mother, says, "My son is very sad. He'll go over to her cage and just beat on the bars. There is no word coming out, but you just know he's screaming 'Where is Millie' inside. Millie was really his best friend. They would play together happily for hours. None of his toys has ever held his attention that long. Now he has just completely turned quiet again. "Harry suffers from a condition which affects his ability to speak and move. But the dog's being with him achieved more in days than months of speech therapy and physiotherapy had. Mrs Hainsworth says, "My son was so happy when he saw Millie. Being with Millie changed him, and within two weeks he had said his first words and was working on saying 'dad'. Just last week, his teachers and I were saying how much Millie had helped him. And now this!" Mrs Hainsworth is considering buying another pug in the hope that her son will accept it. Maureen Hennis of the charity, Pets as Therapy, says she has seen many cases of dogs helping people with speech problems. "People may talk to a dog when they wouldn't like to talk to another human," she says. "A dog doesn't care if words come out wrong." With Millie gone, Harry .
Little Lopsy fluttered into our home and our hearts one Saturday morning this summer. My husband went out to do something, and when he opened the door there was a great flutter on the ground and something came into the living room. It was clear that whatever it was was hurt. I was in a bit of a shock and didn't know what to do next. Fortunately it calmed down and tried to hide itself in a corner. I realized it was a sparrow chick . There are a few sparrow nests under the roof of our apartment, and this little fellow must have fallen out and hurt itself. It was also very young, and obviously far from ready to leave the safety of the nest. I ran to the place and found a box. Having read somewhere that one shouldn't touch a baby bird with one's hands, I picked the chick up with a hand towel and put it in the box. I placed the box outside the front door in the hope that the parents would try to feed it. They never came near it and I brought it inside. I placed the box on a table and it slept for about twenty hours. We later learned that it is quite normal for a hurt bird to sleep so much after undergoing such a hurt experience. When it finally woke up we carefully examined it for wounds, but fortunately there wasn't any. It had hurt its right wing and leg, which meant it must have landed on its right side when it fell out of the nest. We named it Lopsy. After doing some research we felt there was a chance that it might survive, but we weren't sure that it would ever be able to fly. A hurt bird doesn't stand much of a chance of survival and could fall easy pray to cats, other animals. Was it fair to allow it to live if it meant keeping it in a cage its whole life? It was a hard decision, but we decided to give it a go. We started off by dripping drops of water into its mouth. It was very thirsty and drank quite a bit. Next we fed it with bread soaked in water. Our household routine soon revolved around Lopsy who needed to be fed about every three hours during the day. Fortunately we live on campus and my husband could come home during his breaks to feed our new baby. Soon Lopsy was growing nicely. The bigger it got, the more vocal it became. There was no doubt as to who was ruling the house. We remained concerned because its leg did not heal, and its wing seemed quite useless. I took it outside for exercise every day. I also hoped it would get used to the sights and sounds of nature. In the beginning all it was interested in was staying as close to me as possible. Anyway, it got stronger and started running on the grass, and one day Lopsy found a fence it liked. It got to the point where I would leave it outside under its fence for about two hours at a time while I kept an eye on developments from our kitchen window. Soon Lopsy figured out how to get from one branch to another.[: ] It also got to the point where it could flutter down from my hand to the ground, and I let it do this over and over again to exercise its wings. Then came the day that it actually flew into the fence. We were overjoyed when this happened. Finally it got to the point where I left it outside in its fence all day and night, but I would still go outside to feed it. Lopsy remained vocal and would jumped over for its food as soon as I came into view. I left some bread on the wall next to its fence, but it would have none of it. The little fellow was totally spoilt and wanted to be spoon fed, but I saw him eating quite happily as soon as I left his line of vision. Some of the bigger species of birds were a bit aggressive towards Lopsy, and I continued to keep a close eye on it. Not long after this we saw Lopsy flying without a problem. It still jumped to the side, but that didn't seem to stop it in any way. Other birds seemed quite curious about Lopsy. At first it chased them away if they came too close to its fence, but Lopsy soon seemed to realize that they were of its own kind and it stopped doing so. Then, one day, our fellow left the nest. We never saw it again, but I know Little Lopsy is now leading a happy life. This experience has taught me much. The author placed the box holding the bird outside the front door so that _ .
I don't like talking openly about my feelings. That's probably why I am writing this, because it seems an easier way of telling you how thankful I am to you. When I first got ill two years ago and had to be taken to hospital, you were the first person I called to tell, maybe because I knew Mum wasn't going to answer her phone, but probably because you are the first person I call in an emergency. As one illness turned into another and I was stuck in hospital for weeks, feeling sorry for myself, you were still at my beside trying to talk to me to cheer me up. The illness hit my kidney and we then realized that I was going to need a transport sooner or later. You put yourself forward to be tested as soon as possible and it turned out you were a perfect match. Then last year, in March, we both went down for the operation. I woke a few hours afterwards and felt better. It wasn't until the following day that we got to see each other again. We hugged silently and asked one another how we were. But I never said the words I should have--- thank you. To this day, I still haven't said those words to you for my kidney. In the month after the operation, when we were both at home recovering, I made you lunch, went for walks with you. It's my way of saying that I care for you a great deal and that I am truly thankful for what you did for me. I want you to know that my silence towards you and the times you tried to talk to me and got nothing weren't because of you. Maybe one day when you will read this, I hope you know that in my own silent way, I am for ever thankful. After the operation the writer _ .
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How would you like to brush a crocodile's teeth? Or give a shark a bath? Cats are well-known for the way they keep themselves clean by licking , but other animals have their own ways to stay clean as well. And tidiness can be important for their survival. Even cockroaches have to keep their feelers clean to help them into food. Many animals in the wild, such as deer, wolves and bears, have an automatic cleaning system. Insects like to attach themselves to animals to feed on the skin or blood. These parasites can be unhealthy. But their "host" animals are constantly dropping skin and fur by a natural process. They also like to rub up against trees or rocks to comfort themselves, and this removes additional skin and fur. Along with old fur goes the dirt and parasites living in the fur. While these animals may sometimes take a bath when they enter or cross a river or lake, they don't need the water to stay clean. They don't get sweaty, because they don't have sweat glands all over their bodies the way people do. Growing new skin and fur is enough to keep them clean. Some animals and birds use dust to get clean. Chinchillas, a kind of small animal that lives in the mountains of South America, have a very fine fur. (They are raised for their fur, in fact.) If they took water baths, they might get too cold. So, instead, they roll around in fine dust, raising quite a cloud as they "bathe". The dust helps to keep their fur and skin dry. This protects them from bacteria and parasites that enjoy warm and wet places. And the fine dust doesn't stick in their fur for long. It falls off or blows away. As for lions and tigers, their rough tongues act like combs and can remove dirt and loose fur. Why is it important for them to stay clean and smooth? It helps them stay cool in very hot summer or feel warm in cold winter. What's the main idea of this passage?
A. Animals enjoy living in a clean environment.
B. Animals fight against parasites in different ways.
C. Unlike people, animals hate staying in water.
D. For animals, cleanliness is a survival skill.
Answer: D. For animals, cleanliness is a survival skill.
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. The writer finds it hard to accept the fact that _ .
A. many of his good neighbors are growing old
B. the lady next door who used to yell at him and his brother is now a widow
C. the life of his neighbors has become very boring
D. the man in his black suit even wanted to end his own life
Answer: A. many of his good neighbors are growing old
All living things on the earth need other living things to live. Nothing lives alone. Most animals must live in a group, and even a plant grows close together with others of the same kind. Sometimes one living thing kills another, one eats and the other is eaten. Each kind of life eats another kind of life in order to live, and together they create a food chain . Some food chains are simple, while others are not. But all food chains begin with the sun, and all food chains become broken up if one of the links disappears. All life needs sunlight to live on. But only plants can use sunlight directly. Plants are 'factories'. They make food from sunlight, water and things in the soil and air. Plants feed all other living things. Animals can only use the sun's energy after it has been changed into food by plants. Some animals feed directly on plants, others eat smaller animals. Meat-eating animals are only eating plants indirectly. What about humans? We are members of many food chains. We eat rice, vegetables, and fruits and so on. We also eat meat and drink milk. But we often break up the food chains. We kill wild animals and also make rivers, lakes and seas polluted. When these rivers, lakes and seas are polluted, the fish in them can not be eaten. If we eat the fish, we will get strange illnesses. Each form of life is linked to all others. Breaking the links puts all life in danger. Who often destroy the food chains?
A. Humans.
B. Animals.
C. Plants and animals.
D. Humans and wild animals.
Answer: A. Humans.
In the United States, 30 percent of the adult population has a "weight problem.". To many people, the cause is clear: We eat too much. But scientific evidence does little to support this idea. Going back to the America of 1910, we find that people were slimmer than today, yet they ate more food. In those days people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn't watch television. Several modern studies, moreover, have shown that fatter people don't eat more on average than thinner people. In fact, some investigations (researches), such as a 1970 study of 3,545 London office workers, report that, on balance, fat people eat less than slimmer people. Studies show that slim people are more active than fat people. A study by a research group at Stanford University School of Medicine found the following interesting facts. The more the men ran, the greater loss of body fat. The more they ran, the greater their increase in food intake . Thus those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost greatest amount of body fat. What have modern medical and scientific researches reported to us?
A. Fat people eat less food and are less active.
B. Fat people eat more food than slim people and are less active.
C. Fat people eat more food than slim people but are less active.
D. Thin people run less, but have greater increase in food intake
Answer: A. Fat people eat less food and are less active.
Although hurricane season doesn't begin until June 1, a Pacific storm has already struck. El Salvador, which was ruined by a Caribbean storm in 1995, was hit by Hurricane Adrian on Friday. This is the first Pacific-born hurricane to ever reach land in this Central American country. Some 14,000 people left from the western coast of El Salvador. The storm weakened as it crossed land, heading east. Heavy rains created deadly flooding problems in the hurricane' s wake. Adrian is the first Pacific storm of the season. It reported maximum continuous winds of 75 miles per hour, the minimum strength of a hurricane. A Category 3 hurricane, Adrian also caused damage and flooding in Honduras. It is expected to break up before reaching the Caribbean Sea on the eastern coast of Central America. Hurricane season typically begins June 1 and lasts through November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted seven to nine hurricanes for the 2005 season. "It is difficult to make any kind of an exact prediction of how many of these will strike land," NOAA administrator Conrad Lautenbacher said. He predicts two to three hurricanes will strike the U.S. this season. Last year, six of nine hurricanes reached Category 3 strength or higher. Four of those hit Florida within a six-week period. Altogether, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne caused more than $40 billion in damage in the Sunshine State. This year' s forecast is based on ocean temperatures. Warmer temperatures produce more tropical storms, which can then turn into hurricanes. "The issue, really, this year is the unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic," said Frank Lepore of the National Hurricane Center. Which of the following is the 2005 first hurricane?
A. Charley.
B. Adrian.
C. Jeanne.
D. Frances.
Answer: B. Adrian.
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Tea bag drinking is most Westerners' favorite way of drinking tea. Do you know how it came about? The tea bag was invented in 1908 by Thomas Sullivan, an American tea seller. He was sending out free tea in silk bags for people to try. People put the bags together with the tea leaves into the cup and added hot water. The tea tasted good, and people thought it was easy to clean the cup. They were not happy when Sullivan started sending them loose tea again. Sullivan realized that he had a hot new thing in his hands, and he built a machine to pack the bags. As tea bags became popular, they were changed from silk to gauze and later paper. In 1952, Lipton Tea made the tea bag even more popular with its invention of the four-sided tea bag. Tea bags were soon a hit in the UK, and today 85%of the tea in the UK is packed in paper bags. However, many people still prefer loose-leaf tea. This is because some tea companies put not very good tea in their tea bags. But for most drinkers, tea bags are still the easy and tasly way to go. The reading mainly talks about _ .
Answer:
the history of tea bags
I'm Jenny. Nothing is cuter than my dog, Marley. He sleeps near my bed at night and gives me kisses every morning. He gets sad when I leave for school. But he's always there waiting when I get home., ready to go for a walk or play a game. On a Christmas Eve , Marley walked with my family to a store. My mum tied him up outside. When we came out of the store, Marley had gone. My mum called the police to report that he had been stolen. We couldn't find him anywhere. I was very sad. It was the worst Christmas Eve ever. That night, I didn't sleep well. My cat seemed to know I was sad and hugged me to make me feel better. On Christmas morning, I woke up and called for Marley. Then I remembered that he had gone. Even though it was Christmas, I didn't want presents. I didn't want anything, except my friend. Then my mum got a phone call. Someone found him! A woman saw a man on the street trying to sell a scared dog. She felt bad for the dog and used her own money(more than $200)to buy him. She took him to a vet . The vet scanned the dog for a microchip .The vet found our phone number in the microchip and called my mum. I was so excited when I saw Marley. I want to say thanks to that woman. She's my hero. Getting Marley back was the best Christmas present ever. Marley _ every morning.
Answer:
gives Jenny kisses
HK's Family Affair The 39thHong Kong Art Festival, to be held early next year, will be based on the topic of "family" The art festival, considered to be Asia's best, began in 1973. "We hope that people from Beijing and from all over the world will go to Hong Kong to enjoy the different performances in our art festival,"Douglas Gautier, the festival's management director, said in a press conference in the capital. In the 29 days of the festival, which runs from March 8 to April 7,2012, the audience can choose from 111 performances of 51 programmes given by 700 foreign performers, 450 local artists and 160 actors from the mainland. Programmes vary from classical music, jazz, world music, Western and Peking opera, drama and dance to outdoor shows. The programmes include Beethoven's only opera Fidelio, Shakespeare's drama Romeo and Juliet, the ballet Mozartina and African dances, to name just a few. The lineup includes the English Touring Theatre, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Ballet, The Spanish National Dance Troupe, as well as Europe Galante the Petersen Quartet, pianists Angela Hewitt and Lang Lang, and saxophonist Jan Garbarek. In order to increase attendance, hotels and airlines are offering _ along with art festival ticket sales, most of which are at 20% and 30% cheaper. For more information, please check: _ The main purpose in writing this text is _ .
Answer:
to make the 39th Art Festival known
For most students, school is over and summer fun is here. Even kids who are going to summer school don't need to be cooped up indoors during these bright sunny days. Why? Thanks to technology, many kids now have the _ of attending "virtual" summer schools online. These "virtual" classes are not new. Many colleges and universities offer online courses where the students never meet; they correspond with their teachers and classmates on the web. Even some traditional schools add to daily classes with internet-based assignments and feedback. There are a lot of benefits to online schooling, and that's why public schools have started participating in this non-traditional type of education. Instead of students riding the bus, going to class, eating lunch at school, and going home in the early afternoon, they can now log on at any time of day or night and learn. This flexible online option requires just as much work and participation as normal summer school. However, the timing is different. Online summer school is not for all students, just like it isn't for all adults. The student needs to be an excellent reader in order to obtain as much information as possible from the lectures. In addition, students must understand computers and be self motivated in order to complete the class successfully. If the students meet these requirements, then online summer school has many advantages. Written lectures can be read and reread until the student understands them. The students can email each other and the teacher if they need help. Students who participate in online summer school often earn higher grades because the teachers can answer more questions without slowing down the entire class progress. And because of this new technology, summer school students can still go to the beach, travel around the world, and take family vacations! Which of the following people is most supposed to choose online schooling?
Answer:
A government office clerk.
David bought a new house and wanted to start a garden in his backyard. He asked his friend Anthony to go with him to the store. David and Anthony went to the store on Saturday to pick out soil and seeds. They went into the big store and passed by many other things like jewelry, books, and movies, and then they reached the garden section. The store's garden section was huge! They had vegetable seeds, plant seeds, and flower seeds. David wanted to grow cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, corn, and potatoes. Anthony helped him find those vegetable seeds. The next day, David started to plant the seeds. In a few weeks, there were lots of vegetables growing in his garden! He began to pick the vegetables and use them when he cooked. He also gave them away as gifts to his family and friends. They loved his vegetables! Soon, David wanted to make his garden even bigger. He went back to the garden store and bought seeds to plant more vegetables. Soon his whole backyard was full of delicious vegetables! Who did David ask to help him at the garden store?
Answer:
His friend Anthony.
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The World Health Organization and several other United Nations agencies are calling for a major new effort to fight malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. These three infectious diseases killed almost 6 million people last year. That is about 10 percent of the total number of deaths around the world last year. The WHO and UN agencies released a new report at the World Economic Forum in New York City earlier this month. The document says that deaths around the world from malaria and tuberculosis could be cut in half by the year 2010. It also says the number of deaths from AIDS could be reduced 25 percent within that same time period. The report is called "Calling Up the Response to Infectious Diseases." It calls for huge new investments in methods to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Officials say money is needed for research and to purchase drugs. Money is also needed to devices to prevent diseases, such as bed nets. Bed nets prevent mosquitoes that carry malaria from biting people while they sleep. David Heymann, director of the infectious disease program at the World Health Organization, says that providing effective drug treatments is important for improving peoples' health and economic well - being. Reducing disease can also help improve economic growth in developing countries. The WHO report also describes successful health programs in developing countries. In Peru, for example, the number of tuberculosis cases was cut in half by increasing the treatment to control the disease. In Vietnam, malaria was reduced 97 percent through the use of bed nets. And in Uganda, cases of the virus that causes AIDS were cut in half among pregnant women and children through the use of anti - AIDS drugs. This new international health campaign is estimated to cost about 12,000 million dollars a year. So far, officials say the campaign has about 2,000 million dollars. The WHO says the campaign will need stronger relationships among government, private aid agencies, and drug companies to succeed. According to the report _ is the disease most difficult to fight.
Answer: AIDS
A failed plot to kill Barack Obama, uncovered by US federal agents recently, has reminded people of the ideas that some humans associate with simple numbers. Two white American Neo-Nazi racists had planned to kill 88 African Americans, before finally assassinating Obama. The number "88" is equated with "HH", initials for the Nazi greeting, "Heil Hitler". "H" is the eighth letter of the alphabet . Many people were not familiar with the Neo-Nazi importance of 88, but associations attached to other numbers are more well-known, if not always believed. The number 13, for instance, is considered deeply unlucky. In the US, many buildings do not have a floor numbered 13. They instead label it 12A, or use the letter M, which is the 13th letter in the English alphabet. New York's John F. Kennedy International airport does not have a gate number 13. And the popular Irish flight carrier, Ryan Air, has banished row 13 from all its planes. Last year when Brussels Airline put 13 dots in their new logo, the flood of complaints was so vast the airline was forced to change their "unlucky logo" and add an additional dot. The fear comes from a Bible story, which states that Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th to sit at the table in the Last Supper. But the most fascinating fear of the number relates to Friday the 13th. It's a day of double bad luck. In the US, many people would not schedule a wedding for Friday the 13th. According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in the US, an estimated 17 to 21 million Americans are affected by a fear of this day. If you are in the US, you will probably not_.
Answer: live on the 13th floor
To Friend or Not To Friend We all love our parents and turn to them when we're in need, but would you like them to hear the conversations you have with your friends on the school playground or lunch queue? Social networking sites have become extensions of the school hallways, so would you add your parents as "friends" and allow them to view your online activities and conversations with friends? In the past the generation gap included a technology gap, where children were up to date with latest technology and parents were left behind, content to continue their day to day lives as they always had because they had no need to know more about technology. However, more and more parents are beginning to realize just how important social networks are in their lives. This realization has given many parents the motivation to education themselves about social networking sites. These days many people are attracted to social networking sites because they can choose who they have around them; there's also a certain amount of control over privacy that we don't get in real life. Sometimes we feel that privacy is violated when we must accept a "friend" request from a parent or family member. It's a difficult choice whether or not to allow a parent to become a part of our online lives. On the one hand we don't want to "reject" their request because that might hurt their feelings or make them feel you have something to hide. On the other hand if you do accept, then you could have a sense of being watched and no longer feel free to comment or communicate the way you did before. A recent survey suggested that parents shouldn't take it personally if their child ignores their request, "When a teen ignores a parent's friend request, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are hiding something, but it could mean that this is one part of their life where they want to be independent." Perhaps talking with parents and giving explanations would help soften the blow if you do choose not to add them to your friends list. The passage is written mainly for _ .
Answer: teenagers
Guide dogs help blind people who cannot get around by themselves.Although Yorkshire terriers and poodles are good companion dogs,guide dogs are chosen from lager breeds such as German shepherds,golden retrievers,and Labrador retrievers.The young dogs are raised by families until they are eighteen months old.During this time,they get lots of love and attention,but they are also taught to obey.Then the dogs go to a special school where,for four months,they work with a sighted trainer,an individual who can see.The dog forms a close relationship with this person who teaches it how to follow directions such as right,left,straight ahead,and stop.The young dog also learns to watch out for dangerous traffic and wait until it is safe to cross a busy street. When the dog is two years old,it starts training with the blind person it will live with. The dog and its new owner make many trips from downtown to where the blind person lives so the dog becomes familiar with the normal atmosphere.During the training,a sighted trainer always remains with them. A blind person who is getting a guide dog for the first time will train for about a month. If the individual has had a dog before,the training takes about three weeks.After the training,the blind person depends on the guide dog for between seven and twelve years.At that point,the working dog become a family pet and the owner needs to train with a younger guide dog. What's this passage mainly about?
Answer: The process of training a guide dog.
I went shopping for a dress to wear to my daughter's high school graduation half a year ago. To my horror, I could only fit into a size 20. Being overweight most of my adult life, I always had very little self-confidence. Wearing a dress I didn't like to such an important event was enough to make me look for help. Thankfully, a friend of mine was attending Weight Watchers meetings, and I noticed her great progress. Her success _ me to give it a try. I joined Weight Watchers, attended their meetings and started following their Weight-Loss System. I focused on the plan with determination and never missed a weekly meeting! I discovered that I enjoyed the benefits of having the help and support of others. I also read the weekly online e-newsletter and was inspired by the stories, recipes and information offered there, I also read magazines produced by Weight Watchers, which have great tips and new ideas in each issue. It's hard for me to even remember the person I was before my amazing change. I didn't walk anywhere and couldn't wash my car or walk my dog. Today I do these simple tasks without even thinking about them. But the change didn't happen overnight. I had to exercise with patience and perseverance . I decided to take it one day at a time and stick with if for good. The "new me" is more self-confident and healthier. I love how I feel now. I have more energy and feel like I'm 25 again. So why not give Weight Watchers a try if you have the same overweight problem? This passage is written to _ .
Answer: advise overweight people to give Weight Watchers a try
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Last year, on the night before the first day of the Spring Festival, Hugo Pang was sitting in his huge flat on Hong Kong Island. It was late in the evening, and Hugo was sipping a glass of his favorite French brandy, and listening to music on his huge, expensive music center. Pang lived alone, apart from the six maid who cooked and cleaned for him, and the chauffeur who drove his Rolls-Royce. Suddenly, the room seemed to begin spinning around him. Then there was a flash of light and a puff of smoke, and before him Pang saw an old man dressed in traditional Chinese clothes. Pang looked at his brandy glass, and looked again at the old man. He was so frightened he couldn't speak. "Come with me," said the old man, "I'm going to show you something." He took Pang's hand, and immediately the room disappeared, and Pang was standing in a field outside a village in Guangdong Province. The houses were small and the village was poor, but in front of him Pang saw a little crowd of children were playing. It was Spring Festival, and the sound of firecrackers could be heard from inside the village, while smoke rose over the roofs of the houses. Then, among the children playing, Pang recognized himself. "We were poor then," he said, "but we were happier. We had to work hard to get everything we had." The old wanted to show Pang that _
A. Spring Festival in Gang dong was fun
B. his money had not made him happier
C. life is better when you are a child
D. it is better to be rich and lazy that to be poor and hard working
Answer: B. his money had not made him happier
Two thirds of the singles looking for love in Britain turned to the Internet last year, according to figures made in public yesterday. Special sites offer introductions to smokers, to Roman Catholics, tall people, beautiful people, frequent flyers and vegans . Technology has brought about a great change in the dating game. A survey by Parship, a British branch of Europe's largest dating service with more than 1.5 million members, says that 65 percent of the 5.4 million Britons looking for a relationship used online dating services last year. A spokeswoman for Relate, the relationship advisor, confirmed that a figure of two third feel it all right. "Doing it online allows people quite a lot of privacy, because they can do a bit of quiet research and look around from the comfort of their own home. You don't have to meet a middleman or go to an actual dating agency office, which takes a lot of courage," she said. There are more than 100 independent online dating agencies in Britain. Parship says that 50 percent of single people believe they will meet a suitable partner through the Internet, up from 35 percent six months ago. Mary Balfour, the founder, says that the Internet has changed the dating industry completely. "It's like a return to old-fashioned love letters," she said. "You don't base your initial judgment on how someone looks or what his or her figure is like. You e-mail or talk before you actually see each other. Everybody you know who is single these days has at least had a good look at a dating website, introduction agency or personal ad. They have to, because all the old matchmaking institutions have gone. People work harder, settle down later and live more isolated lives. They're much more likely to end the day with a DVD and a can of beer than by going to a village dance." About _ Britons tried to find love online last year according to this passage.
A. 1.5 million
B. 3.5 million
C. 5.4 million
D. 65 million
Answer: B. 3.5 million
Does school start too early? Judging from the teenagers who yawn in class, it does. And those students aren't just lazy. Scientific studies have shown that school does start too early for young students. According to a series of studies done across the U.S., the later classes begin, the more academic performance improves. Boys and girls naturally stay up later and sleep in later. The trend begins around age 13 or 14 and peaks between 17 and 19.The teens also need more sleep in general, so forcing them to be up early for school cuts into their sleep time as well as their sleep rhythm, making them less ready to learn during those first-period classes. Practice is proving the science. Hundreds of school districts in the U.S. have experimented with later start times and the academic performance of students has improved as a result. A study of 9,000 high school students in three states showed that grades in science, math, English and social studies all rose when school began at 8:35 or later. What's more, attendance goes up and student depression goes down. The later school starts, the better the result, too. According to a study, delaying the opening bell from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. paid off more than delaying only until 8:00 a.m. Students who get at least eight hours of sleep, and preferably nine, perform better than those who do not, so a greater delay raises the chances of achieving those numbers. So, it turns out morning class is just too early for students to learn chemistry equations or study an ancient poem. If you cannot change the school schedule, adjusting your own timetable to ensure eight hours' sleep can also help you perform better at school. The writer proves "School starts too early" by _ .
A. doing survey
B. doing experiments
C. comparing statistics
D. observing students' behaviour
Answer: B. doing experiments
A few minutes before six o'clock, Mr. Smith decided to leave. He was about to start the car when a gunman jumped up from the back seat. He held a gun to Mr. Smith's head. "Drive me to Paris!" he shouted. "All right", Mr. Smith answered. He started the engine, pulled away from the side of the street and drove down. Being eighty-one years old, he knew he could not fight the gunman. He knew he needed help. Where were the police? As he drove through a crossing, he looked up and down the side streets, hoping to meet a police car. But he could see nothing. "Just my luck," he thought, "If I was driving too fast, there would be a police car on every corner." Suddenly he pushed his foot down on the accelerator , and the car ran much faster. "What are you doing?" shouted the gunman. "Keeping off the police," Mr. Smith answered. "I thought I saw a police car back there." He ran lights, drove the wrong way on one-way streets. On two-way streets he drove on the wrong side of the road. Not one policeman saw him. Again Mr. Smith's plan was not working. He had to try a new plan. He turned a corner and saw the police station in front. Then he drove his car as fast as he could towards the police gate. The car hit a police motorbike down and stopped. Mr. Smith shouted, "Help! Help!" Then he reached back to grab the man's gun. At the same time the policeman heard the noise and quickly caught the gunman. Why did Mr. Smith drive much faster suddenly?
A. Because he wanted to keep off the police.
B. Because he saw a police car behind his.
C. Because his plan was working.
D. Because he wanted the police to see him.
Answer: D. Because he wanted the police to see him.
Age has its special advantages inprefix = st1 /America. And one of the more impressive of them is the senior citizen discount . Anyone who has reached a certain age-- in some cases as low as 55 -- is automatically entitled to plenty of price reductions at nearly every level of commercial life . Eligibility is determined not by one's need but by the date on one's birth certificate . Practically the discounts have become a routine part of many businesses-- as common as color1 televisions in motel rooms and free coffee on airliners . People with array hair often are given the discounts without even asking for them ; yet , millions of Americans above age 60 are healthy and solvent . Businesses that would never dare offer discounts to college students or anyone under 30 freely offer them to older Americans . The practice is acceptable because of the widespread belief that " elderly " and " needy " are synonymous . Perhaps that once was true , but today , to be sure , there is economic variety within the elderly , and most of them aren't poor . It is impossible to determine the effect of the discounts on individual companies . For many firms , they are a stimulus to income . But in other cases the discounts are given at the expense , directly or indirectly , of younger Americans . Moreover , they directly annoy some politicians and scholars who consider it a coming conflict between the generations . Generational tensions are being fueled by continuing debate over Social Security benefits , which mostly involves a transfer of resources from the young to the old . Employment is another point . Supported by laws and court decisions , more and more older Americans are refusing the retirement dinner in favor of staying on the job-- thereby lessening employment and promotion opportunities for younger workers . Far from a kind of charity they once were , senior citizen discounts have become a powerful economic privilege to a group with millions of members who don't need them . It no longer makes sense to treat the elderly as a single group whose economic needs deserve priority over those of others . Senior citizen discounts only enrich the myth that older people can't take care of themselves and need special treatment ; and they threaten the creation of a new myth , that the elderly are ungrateful and taking for themselves at the expense of children and other age groups . Senior citizen discounts are the heart of the very thing older Americans are fighting against-- discrimination by age . The reason to gibe the senior citizen discount is that _
A. the elderly need humane help from society
B. businesses should do something for society in return
C. old people are entitled to special treatment for their contribution to society
D. the senior discounts can make up for the lack of the Social Security system
Answer: A. the elderly need humane help from society
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Question: A change in the density of air can result in a breeze. Which diagram best shows a series of energy transfers that begins with the Sun and results in a breeze?
A. radiation -> conduction -> breeze
B. radiation -> conduction -> convection -> breeze
C. convection -> radiation -> breeze
D. convection -> conduction -> radiation -> breeze
Answer:
B
Question: A man who served 11 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murdering his wife was officially _ yesterday, walking free from Jingshan County People's Court--the same body that sentenced him to a 15year jail term in 1998--as over 2000 local residents cheered. "Police and other law enforcers made the errors,"39yearold She Xianglin told China Daily, "I believe the law will punish them and give me a just result." The original conviction came based on a confession which She said was extracted under police torture and the misidentification of a still-unknown woman's body. "The provincial Hubei government has sent a team of police, procurators and high people's court officials to investigate the case," a spokesperson for the Jingmen government, which administrates Jingshan County, said yesterday. The miscarriage of justice only came to light when Shen's wife, Zhang Zaiyu, resurfaced late last month after being thought missing for 11 years. This was despite at least five letters from Zhang to her brother over the last two years, which he said he didn't report to police because he thought they were a hoax. Zhang disappeared in January 1994 from Yanmenkou Township, and 3 months later a body was found in a pond that her relatives positively identified. Local police arrested Shen for murder in April 1994,although questions had been raised about discrepancies between the features and clothes of the body and Zhang. Confirmation through DNA testing had not been attempted. Zhang Chengmao, Shen's lawyer, said yesterday he would seek State compensation "but we have not reached a figure yet". When asked about compensation, Shen said, "My mother, who died from the stress of continually appealing, cannot be bought. Eleven years of freedom cannot be bought. Schooling of my daughter that was stopped because of poverty cannot be bought." As for his wife, the man said he did not hate her at all. "If she had not reappeared, maybe I would have been wronged for life," he said. He also said he did not plan to sue Zhang for bigamy, though she had remarried in Shandong Province without divorcing him. We can infer from the passage _ .
A. She Xianglin will get State compensation
B. She Xianglin's daughter dropped out of school because of poverty
C. She Xianglin stayed in prison for 11 years
D. who murdered the woman is known to all
Answer:
A
Question: Twenty years ago,I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 a. m. . When I arrived to collect,I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. I walked to the door and knocked,"Just a minute,"answered a weak,elderly voice. After a long pause ,the door opened. A small woman over eighty stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase. I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly towards the car. She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing ," I told her . "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated." "Oh,you're such a good man."She said. When we got into the taxi,she gave me an address,and then asked,"Could you drive through downtown ?" "It's not the shortest way,"I answered quickly. " Oh , I'm in no hurry , " she said. " I'm on my way to a hospice . I don't have any family left. The doctor says I can't live very long ." I quietly reached over and shut off the meter . For the next two hours,we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked,the neighborhood where she had lived,and the furniture shop that had once been,a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. _ At dawn,she suddenly said,"I'm tired. Let's go now."We drove in silence to the address she had given me. "How much do I owe you?" she asked. " Nothing ." I said. "You have to make a living,"she answered."Oh,there are other passengers,"I answered. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug . She held onto tightly. Our hug ended with her remark,"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy." What can we learn from the story?
A. Giving is always a pleasure.
B. People should respect elderly people.
C. An act of kindness can bring people great joy.
D. People should learn to appreciate others' concern.
Answer:
C
Question: Here's a hotel worth writing something about: a company in Poland plans to build tourist accommodation under the sea. The structure can be dragged to a suitable location and placed on supports on the sea bed. The 'Water Discus' will be made up of an underwater disc containing 22 bedrooms with sea views, connected by lift and stairs to a disc above the surface containing other hotel facilities. Project manager Robert Bursiewicz says: "Nowadays it's possible to build submarines (') which go deeper than 500m below the sea surface, so building an underwater hotel is not a problem. " In fact, they don't plan to have the hotel very deep. Water acts like a filter for sunlight, and below 15m most colors, apart from blue, are washed out. And we all want to see colorful marine life, don't we? But this isn't the first hotel to offer underwater views from the bedrooms. The two-bedroom Jules' Undersea Lodge, off the coast of Florida, has been taking in guests 10m beneath the surface since 1986. The company that operates the hotel also runs a diving course for beginners to help get guests down and into the hotel. It is accessible only through an opening at the bottom. And you'll find all the usual facilities in the room, according to Teresa McKirma, Jules's chief financial officer. It has a television, air conditioning and Wi-Fi. But for the staff, simple things like cleaning and making beds can be challenging, since the lodge is in sea water. "It actually takes quite a lot of work to get anything down there," she says. "We have to put everything in waterproof boxes and attach weights to them to counter their buoyancy . " The hotel has suitably sized waterproof boxes so that pizzas can be delivered by divers to guests who order them for their evening meal. And after a meal, if you can't sleep because of the excitement of the experience, you don't have to count sheep. You'll fall asleep quicker if you count fish. According to the passage, the new hotel will _ .
A. contain three discs
B. come into use soon
C. have a movable structure
D. be built 500m beneath the surface
Answer:
C
Question: It's Sunday morning. My family are all at home. My father is sitting near the window. He's reading newspapers. He wants to know what h appens all over the world. My mother is watering the flowers in the small garden. My brother is a worker. He's watching TV. He's a basketball fanAnd he is good at p laying basketball. Now he is watching NBA on TV. Where are my twin sisters? Oh, look! Lily is listening to music. She likes popular music very much. Lucy is surfing the Internet in her room. She often writes emails to her friends. What am I doing? I am doing my homework . ,A, B, C, D Which of the following is NOT right?
A. Themotheriswateringtheflowersinthegarden.
B. Thebrotherisgoodatplayingbaseball.
C. Thewriterisdoinghishomework.
D. Lucyoftenwritesemailstoherfriends.
Answer:
D
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The ancient Olympic Games were held in a sacred valley at Olympia at western Greece. The earliest records of the Games go back to 776 B.C.. These contests were held every four years. They were important to the Greeks. When they took place, all wars were stopped. No one dared to break the truce of Olympic. Criers announced the names of winning athletes everywhere in the land. Artists made statues of them. Poets wrote about the Olympic heroes. The first Olympians raced the length of the stadium at Olympia--about 200 yards. But later other events were added:longer races, broad jumping, the javelin throw, the marathon race, and the discus throw. Then boxing, wrestling and horseback riding were also added. In the beginning, only Greeks competed in the Games. But in later centuries, athletes from other lands joined. In 146 B.C. the Romans conquered Greece. Soon the Games began to change. Under the Romans, they became rougher, wilder, and bloodier. Many professionals took part, which was against the spirit of the Olympics. Finally, Emperor Theodosius of Rome decided that the Olympics were a public danger. He died away with them after the Games of A.D. 392. They had lasted over 1,000 years. Fifteen hundred years passed. Then, in the 1890's, Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France began to interest nations in bringing the Games back. The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. They have been held every four years since then, except during the two world wars. The passage is mainly about _ .
A the first Olympics
B a history of the Olympics
C the Greek Olympics
D the Roman Olympics
Answer: B
Educators across the U.S. are calling for major changes to the admission process in higher education. The National Center for Educational Statistics (or NCES) reported that U.S. colleges and universities received more than 9 million applications between 2013 and 2014 and admitted more than 5 million students. But the problem is not in the number of students, a new report says. The report is called "Turning the Tide -- Making Caring Common." The report argues that the process schools use to choose students causes major problems. David Hawkins is the Executive Director for Educational Content and Policy. He says that most colleges and universities require many things from students when they apply. Schools usually require an essay describing a student's interests or why they want to study at that school. The schools also ask for letters from teachers describing why a student is a good candidate. But, Hawkins says, schools are most concerned with a student's high school grades and standardized test results. The Education Conservancy is an organization that fights to make higher education equal and available. Lloyd Thacker is the Executive Director of the Education Conservancy, saying that the college admission process has changed a lot. "Over the past 30 years, college admissions have become more complex." He says that ranking systems for colleges and universities are a big part of the problem. U.S. News and World Report is a media company that creates a list of what it calls "America's Best Colleges." The company bases the list on information collected from colleges and universities across the country. This information includes results of standardized tests like the SAT from all of a school's students. Higher average test results help put schools higher on the list. Thacker claims, "Too many students are learning to do whatever it takes in order to get ahead, even if that means sacrificing their own individuality, their health, their happiness and behavior..." "The impact on students and on parents is that college is all about where you go. The rank has nothing to do with the quality of education that goes on at the college." The Harvard report states that the best way to change the admission process is by changing college applications. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A Higher Rankings Matter a Great Deal.
B Colleges Look to Change Admission Process.
C Colleges' Admission Process Makes a Difference.
D Testing Results Determine Students' Fate.
Answer: B
Science fiction is a popular kind of writing, and many people think of Jules Verne as the father of science fiction. He was born in France in 1828. His father wanted him to become a lawyer , but when he was about twenty years old, Verne decided to become a writer. At first he wrote plays for the theater. Then, in 1863, he wrote a story called Five Weeks in a Balloon. The success of this book encouraged him to write more stories such as A Journey to the Center of the Earth(1864) and From the Earth to the Moon(1865). In the 19th century, many people were interested in science and inventions. Jules Verne wrote about scientific subjects in his stories and, as a result, they were very popular. Verne's writing included many predictions for the 20th century and many of them came true. He described space flight, movies, and air conditioning, a long time before they appeared. These books were very successful and they made Verne rich. Jules Verne's books have been the subjects for many movies. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a successful movie for Walt Disney. It was the first Disney movie to use real actors instead of cartoon drawings. Around the World in Eighty Days is another famous movie based on one of Verne's books. The main character is an Englishman called Phileas Fogg. For him, the most important thing is to be always on time! What does the phrase "the father of science fiction" mean?
A The man who loves science and inventions.
B The writer whose father wrote science fiction.
C The man who first started writing science fiction successfully.
D The man who first found science fiction
Answer: C
It came as something of a surprise when Diana, Princess of Wales, made a trip t Angola in 1997, to support the Red Cross's campaign for a total ban on all anti-personnel landmine landmines Within hours of arriving in Angola, television screens around the world were filled with images of her comforting victims injured in explosions caused by landmines. "I knew the statistics," she said. "But putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to me; like when I met Sandra, a 13-year-old girl who had lost her leg, and people like her." The Princess concluded with a simple message: "We must stop landmines". And she used every opportunity during her visit to repeat this message. But, back in London, her views were not shared by some members of the British government, which refused to support a ban on these weapons. Angry politicians launched an attack on the Princess in the press. They described her as "very ill-informed" and a "loose cannon" . The Princess responded by brushing aside the criticisms: "This is a distraction , we do not need. All I'm trying to do is help." Opposition parties, the media and the public immediately voiced their support for the Princess. To make matters worse for the government, it soon emerged that the Princess's trip had been approved by the Foreign Office, and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the British government's policy regarding landmines. The result was a severe embarrassment for the government. To try and limit the damage, the Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkidnd, claimed that the Princess's views on landmines were not very different from government policy, and that it was "working towards" a worldwide ban. The Defense Secretary, Michael Portillo, claimed the matter was "a misinterpretation or misunderstanding." For the Princess, the trip to this war-torn country was an excellent opportunity to use her popularity to show the world how much destruction and suffering landmines can cause. She said that the experience had also given her the chance to get closer to people an their problems. Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997
A to clarify the British government's stand on landmines
B to establish her image as a friend of landmine victims
C to investigate the sufferings of landmine victims there
D to voice her support for a total ban of landmines
Answer: D
Deer provide food for wolves. How does this relationship also benefit the deer herd?
A by protecting deer from other predators
B by controlling the deer population
C by decreasing diversity within the herd
D by protecting the deer from disease
Answer: B
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Hotlines have become common in China. Some radio broadcasting stations use hotlines to encourage the listeners to take part in the talk shows. That's a good idea. Yet, the fact is, some people do nothing but break the whole program. Some people know little about the topic under discussion. Sometimes they do not even know what the host is talking about. So the host has to tell the caller what the show is about. Usually the caller will ask a few questions which express his hope and show his ignorance . Then the host has to answer and explain--how silly this is! It wastes a lot of time. It seems that some people phone the hotlines for fun. They just want to let the listeners hear them. They don't care what the topic is, whether they themselves are interested or how silly they appear to be. I'm totally bored by those people. It's necessary for radio stations to improve the hotline programmers. In my opinion, if a caller does not know what is going on, the operator should not let the caller take part in it. Some calls waste the host's time _ .
A because the host works hard
B because of the caller's ignorance
C because the host likes talking to the caller
D because of a lot of questions raised by the caller
Answer: B. because of the caller's ignorance
Scholars and researchers have tried to discover what personality characteristics go along with success in intercultural experiences. Their findings have often been unclear or incomplete. But three characteristics stand out in their reports: patience, a sense of humor, and the awareness of being unclear. Patience, of course, is the ability to keep calm even when things do not go as one wants them to, or hopes they will, or has even been sure they will. Impatience sometimes brings improvements in relations with other people, but usually it does not. A person with a sense of humor is less likely to take things too seriously and more ready to see the humor in her own reactions than a humorless person. The value of a sense of humor really needs to be paid more attention to. "The awareness of being unclear" is a more difficult concept than patience or a sense of humor. Foreigners often find themselves in situations that are unclear to the newcomers. That is, they do not know what is happening in the situation. Perhaps they do not understand the local language well enough, or they do not know how some system or organization works, or they can't be sure of different people's roles in what is going on. "It's like I just got here from the moon," a Chinese graduate student who newly arrived in the United States said, "things are just so different here." The awareness of being unclear refers to_.
A knowing the meaning of an exact situation
B not stating clearly what happens
C realizing the possible misunderstanding in a situation
D being aware of the unclear situation
Answer: D. being aware of the unclear situation
Jay Kohl, an American student, posted an online advertisement two weeks ago searching for a Chinese family to stay with so that he can learn the language and culture. "I'm a clean, non-smoking, and warm-hearted American man looking for a homestay in the Wudaokou area to improve my Chinese language skills," he wrote. "I'm willing to offer help with English tutoring and even can help you with applying for foreign universities." He still hasn't found a suitable home. "Most of the families that contacted me seem to be interested in doing business instead of cultural exchange," he said. "I think I might have to rent an apartment in the end." Kohl isn't the only foreigner finding it difficult to find a homestay in Beijing. Michael Benson, who wants to come to Beijing in September, has also faced the same problem. Why is finding a homestay family so difficult? Beijing Today _ a Chinese teacher, Jessie Xi, who has been teaching foreign students at the University of International Business and Economics for more than six years. Xi has accepted many homestays, and from her own experience and what she's been told, she said there were four major problems visitors may meet when applying for homestays. Problem 1:Having too high expectation for language improvement. Problem 2: Considering oneself as a guest instead of a family member. Problem 3: Not making clear what a family's rules are beforehand. Problem 4; Overly high demands for the living environment. Kohl wanted to look for a homestay in China because he _ ..
A hoped to learn Chinese language and culture further
B wanted to do a research on the Chinese daily life
C would like to make friends with Chinese families
D was interested in Chinese food
Answer: A. hoped to learn Chinese language and culture further
Scientists discovered 163 new species in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong region last year,but all are at risk of extinction due to climate change,the WWF said in a report released Friday. The newly discovered creatures include a birdeating frog with fangs ,a bird that would rather walk than fly and a gecko whose alien appearance inspired the report's title of "Close Encounters",the conservation group said. The report was released ahead of major UN talks on climate change in Bangkok next week,which are being held before a makeorbreak summit in Copenhagen this December. "Some species will be able to adapt to climate change,and many will not,potentially resulting in massive extinction," Stuart Chapman,director of the WWF Greater Mekong program,said in the report."Rare and endangered species like those newly discovered are especially vulnerable because climate change will further shrink their already restricted habitats," he said. "The new discoveries in 2010 include 100 plants,28 fish,18 reptiles,14 amphibians,2 mammals and a bird,"the WWF report said.The area spans Cambodia,Laos,Myanmar,Thailand,Vietnam and China's Yunnan Province. "Among the new species is the birdeating fanged frog,which remains hidden in a protected area of Thailand despite the fact that scientists are studying there for 40 years," the report said. The tigerstriped pit viper was discovered accidentally on an island off the coast of Vietnam when a scientist was looking for a lizard and his son pointed out that his hand was on a rock right next to the snake's fangs."We caught the snake and the gecko and they both proved to be new species," researcher Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in California was quoted as saying in the report.The leopard gecko,found on another Vietnamese island,has the coloring of a leopard and bizarre orange,catlike eyes and thin legs. The Greater Mekong region has proved a rich area for scientists.The WWF said in December 2010 that it had found 1,068 new species there between 1997 and 2009. What does the passage mainly tell us?
A The Greater Mekong region is a rich area for scientists.
B Many rare species remain to be discovered in the Mekong region.
C Scientists have discovered many new species in the Mekong region.
D Climate change threatens Mekong new species.
Answer: D. Climate change threatens Mekong new species.
David owned a shotgun that he used for hunting. David knew that his old friend, Mark, had become involved with a violent gang that recently had a shoot-out with a rival gang. David, who was going to a farm to hunt quail, placed his loaded shotgun on the back seat of his car. On his way to the farm, David picked up Mark to give him a ride to a friend's house. up Mark to give him a ride to a friend's house. After dropping off Mark at the friend's house, David proceeded to the farm, where he discovered that his shotgun was missing from his car. Mark had taken the shotgun and, later in the day, Mark used it to shoot Paul, a member of the rival gang. Paul was severely injured. Paul recovered a judgment for his damages against David, as well as Mark, on the ground that David was negligent in allowing Mark to obtain possession of the gun, and was therefore liable jointly and severally with Mark for Paul's damages. The jurisdiction has a statute that allows contribution based upon proportionate fault and adheres to the traditional common-law rules on indemnity. If David fully satisfies the judgment, David then will have a right to recover from Mark
A indemnity for the full amount of the judgment, because Mark was an intentional tortfeasor.
B contribution only, based on comparative fault, because David himself was negligent.
C one-half of the amount of the judgment.
D nothing, because David's negligence was a substantial proximate cause of the shooting.
Answer: A. indemnity for the full amount of the judgment, because Mark was an intentional tortfeasor.
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The Earth and the Moon have all of these common features except
A core.
B crust.
C water.
D mantle.
Answer: C
Homonym: a word that has the same spelling and the same pronunciation as another world, but a different meaning Same spelling, different meaning Imagine, then a situation where two words are spelt and pronounced exactly the same way, but have completely different meanings.Welcome to the world of homonyms.Take, for example, the word 'fail' --- it can be a kind of festival, and adjective to describe the color of your hair or how you should play a game. Don't take it literally So how do you know which meaning someone is referring to? --- You don't, except by the context.Obviously, if someone asks you to 'give them a hand', they don't want you to remove what is at the end of your arm. What's in a name? Sometimes even the context doesn't help much --- the result can be amusing.These sentences play with the double meaning of a noun: I used to be a banker, but I lost interest. Have you heard about the cross-eyed teacher who couldn't control his pupils? A small boy swallowed some coins and had to go to hospital.When his grandmother phoned to ask how he was, the nurse said: 'No change yet'. More ambiguity And these examples play with the different meanings of a verb: I wondered why the ball was getting bigger.Then it hit me. No one knew she had a dental implant until it came out in a conversation. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat. Double trouble And sometimes a word can be a noun and a verb, but have different meanings.Can you work this one out? Time flies like an arrow.Fruit flies like a banana. If you like these homonyms, you will be pleased to know that English has plenty more! Explanations of jokes in the text I used to be banker, but I lost interest.(I became bored with the job / I lost money) Have you heard about the cross-eyed teacher who couldn't control his pupils? (students / parts of his eyes) A small boy swallowed some coins and had to go to hospital.When his grandmother phoned to ask how he was, the nurse said: 'No change yet'.(no difference in the situation / no money) I wondered why the ball was getting bigger.Then it hit me.(the ball hit me / I suddenly realized) No one knew she had a dental implant until it came out in a conversation.(became known / fell out) A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.(can't be better / difficult to mix with a fork) Time flies like an arrow.(time goes quickly) Fruit flies like a banana.(insects enjoy eating fruit.) The "beat" in the sentence "A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat, making for a satisfying breakfast." has a similar meaning to _ .
A The rain was beating down on the tin roof.
B Taking the bus sure beats walking.
C The doctor could feel no pulse beating.
D You've been working too hard, you look dead beat.
Answer: B
Which are produced during photosynthesis?
A carbon dioxide and minerals
B carbon dioxide and sugar
C oxygen and minerals
D oxygen and sugar
Answer: D
Many years ago, children who had good manners kept quiet if their parents were talking with other persons. Today, well-mannered children have more freedom. Sometimes good manners in one place are bad manners in other place. Suppose you are a visitor in the prefix = st1 /landofMongolia. Some friends ask you to eat with them. What kind of manners do they want you to have? They want you to give a loud "burp" after you finish eating. Burping will show that you like your food. In some countries, if you give a loud burp, you are told to say, "Excuse me, please." In many places people like to eat together. But in some parts of Polynesia, it is bad manners to be seen eating at all. People show their good manners by turning their back on others while they eat. What are good manners like in an East African town? The people try not to see you. They are being polite. You may see a friend. He may not see you at all. If you're polite, you will sit down beside him. You will wait until he finishes what he is doing. Then he will talk to you. Suppose you visit a friend in Arabia. You should walk behind the tents until you come to his tent. If you pass in front of the other tents, you will be asked into them. The people will ask you to eat with them. And it is bad manners if you say no. In Mongolia, burping is a way of showing that _ .
A you enjoyed your meal
B you are not full
C your meal is not good
D you want to eat more
Answer: A
A tall figure appeared from the dark door of the tent. It was a smoking young man about twenty three or four. He had an almost black face, though smooth. His moustache was black with curled points. There was an unusual force in his face, and in his daring rolling eyes. cef Rebecca still stood hesitating like a swimmer about to make his dive, hardly knowing whether to return or move forward. "Hi, my beauty, what can I do for you?" said he, approaching. Realizing that she was quite at a loss, the man spoke in a gentle voice, "Never mind. I am Mr. Thackeray. Have you come to see me or my mother?" This scene differed greatly from what Rebecca had expected. She had dreamed of an aged and dignified face. She told herself to be calm and answered "I came to see your mother, sir." "I am afraid you cannot see her-she is ill in bed," replied the representative of the house; for this was Mr. Alee Thackeray, the only son of the noble family. "What is the business you wish to see her about?" "It isn't business-it is-I can hardly say what!" "Pleasure?" "Oh no. Why, sir, if I tell you, it will seem..." Rebecca's sense of a certain ridicule(,) was now so obvious and strong that, despite her general discomfort at being here, her rosy lips curved towards a smile, much to the attraction of the young man. "It is so foolish", she murmured. "I fear I can't tell you!" "Never mind; I like foolish things. Try again, my dear," said he kindly. "Mother told me to come," Rebecca continued; "and, indeed, I was in the mind to do so myself. But I did not expect it would turn out like this. I came...sir, I came to tell you that we are of the same family as you." "Ho Ho! Poor relations?" "Yes." "Rossetti?" "No. Thackeray." "Ay, ay; I mean Thackeray." "Our names are worn away to Durbeyfield; but we have several proofs that we are Thackeray. The local scholars hold the view that we are, and...and we have an old seal and a silver spoon marked with the same castle as yours. So mother said we ought to make ourselves known to you, as we've lost our horse by a bad accident. We can hardly make a living." "It's very kind of your mother, I'm sure." Alec looked at Rebecca as he spoke, in a way that made her uneasy. "And so, my pretty girl, you've come on a friendly visit to us, as relations?" "I suppose I have," looking less confident and uncomfortable again. "Well, there's no harm in it. I mean it doesn't hurt to come and make yourself known to me. Where do you live? What are you?" ... From the passage, we can conclude that Alec appears quite friendly to Rebecca largely because _ .
A Rebecca is his distant relation
B Rebecca looks polite to him
C Rebecca is a pretty girl
D Rebecca looks ridiculous
Answer: D
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Question: It seems that beauty and women are twins.You are joking? No,I do not.Observe for yourself Ads on fashion TV screens,radio programs,magazines,newspapers,and the streets.Whether they have realized it or not, women are surrounded by a sea of fashion.They are taught to think that without beautiful clothes they will grow old and lose their charm.So who dares to neglect dressing up at the cost of their appearance and youth? But I do not agree with the opinion that women have to show their beauty through their looks.The richness of their minds proves to be more beautiful and attractive than their looks.A woman who has experienced many troubles and may be called "aunt" or "granny" can still keep up her beauty if she has such excellent qualities as knowledge,ability,a kind heart,great courage,concern for others,etc. In addition,old and young,beautiful and ugly are concept.People who keep a young mind will never feel old.Interested in new things and eager to learn more,they keep up with the tide.Plainly dressed women may have a type of beauty that is pure and real.Reading and learning is the best way to keep one youthful.Good books ale rich soil which can feed the flower of one's heart and looks. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The richness of women's minds proves to be more beautiful than their looks.
B. A woman who may be called"aunt"is no longer beautiful.
C. A woman who has experienced many troubles may still keep up her beauty.
D. It is not necessary for women to show their beauty though their beautiful clothes.
Answer:
B. A woman who may be called"aunt"is no longer beautiful.
Question: If you want to see climate change, head north and keep going until you run out of globe. That is easier said than done. The Arctic is home to few people and covered in ice much of the year. But those who make their way to the icy seas of the Arctic Ocean will see a part of the planet that is warming and changing faster than anywhere else. In September, scientists announced at the National Snow and Ice Data Center that Arctic summer sea ice had fallen to its second lowest level since 1979, and probably long before that. The Arctic has lost an area of ice greater than the area of all U.S. states east of the Mississippi River. And what ice remains appears to be getting thinner and weaker. Nick Toberg and Till Wagner are polar ice scientists who are doing sea ice fieldwork. "There is plenty of data to suggest that the ice is becoming thinner as well as smaller in area," they say. The changes happening in the Arctic are a warning for the entire world . As polar expert Walt Meier puts it, " _ Some scientists worry that Arctic sea ice may be going from a downward spiral to a "death spiral", one from which there is no escape. As more ice melts , more dark open water appears. The darkness absorbs more heat, which speeds up the pace of melting. Until recently, many scientists thought it might take until the end of the century for the North Pole to become completely ice free during the summer. Now some believe it could happen by 2030 or even earlier. "The melting is happening faster in the real world than it has in the models," says Nick Toberg. Nick Toberg may agree that _ .
A. the ice in the North Pole will stop melting
B. the ice in the North Pole is melting faster than expected
C. the ice in the North Pole will melt before 2030 or even earlier
D. the ice in the North Pole will not disappear until the end of the century
Answer:
B. the ice in the North Pole is melting faster than expected
Question: 3D printers are certainly the superstar today---they are being put to all kinds of uses, including creating model cars for movies. However, none of these ideas are as crazy as the one suggested by Anjan Contractor, who believes that they will be the key to ending world hunger . If you think that sounds a little crazy, you are not the only one, but after hearing scientists, the idea seems to become true. According to scientists, food will become _ expensive and possibly, even out of reach, for billions of people in the future. It means billions of people won't have enough food. This is where 3D printers may save the day. Anjan, an engineer says that the only way to support the large population will be to provide every kitchen with a 3D printer and print out meals. More importantly, it would be to make the basic food from things that we now do not think can be eaten. Anjan thinks that we could easily get the meat protein from insects . Similarly, the vegetable nutrition could be made from greens like grass. Would you want to try 3D printed food? The craziest idea is that _ according to the passage.
A. 3D printers are used to create model cars.
B. 3D printer are used for architectural models.
C. 3D printers will be the key to ending world hunger.
D. 3D printers are the superstars today .
Answer:
C. 3D printers will be the key to ending world hunger.
Question: iD Tech camps Camp Address: 910 E Hamilton Ave. Suite 300 Campbell, California 95008,USA Phone: (888) 709-8324 This summer, encourage the excellent in your child! At iD Tech Camps>> students age 7-17 can learn to code, design video games, engineer robots, model 3D characters, build websites, and Print 3D Capers meet new friends, learn STEM skills, and gain self-confidence. Alexa Cafestem Camp Camp Address:California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois Phone: (212) 796-8350 This summer, encourage the excellent in your daughter. At Alexa Cafe, girls ages 10-15 d,discover technology in a unique environment that celebrates creativity, and puiamhropy . Girls learn engineering principles, code games, design websites' model and print 3D objects. A Water Planet Dolphine Therapy Camp Camp Address: 203 Greenwood Drive, Panama City Beach, Florida 32407, USA Phone: (850) 230-6030 1-week camp in Panama City Florida where children with Special Needs swim with dolphins. Water Planets dolphin therapy programs use the emotional impact of a dolphins meeting in his own environment combined with expressive art, massage, and music as a beneficial experience. iD Tech Mini Camp Address: a lot of places>> California and more, USA Phone:(323) 287-5580 This summer, encourage the awesome in your child! We've full every half-day camp session with tons of tech awesomeness. Kids ages 6-9 can discover programming, game design, or robotics. And with an emphasis on creativity and exploration, every camper becomes a maker of fun. Which camp is only for girls?
A. iD Tech camps.
B. Alexa Cafestem Camp.
C. A Water Planet Dolphine Therapy Camp.
D. iD Tech Mini.
Answer:
B. Alexa Cafestem Camp.
Question: Many people may not believe it, but this is what is happening: polar bears are dying out! They are dying because they are losing a great deal of habitat due to human incursion and global warming. They are dying because of starvation as well. With the sea ice they depend on for survival shrinking, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to find food. An ecosystem is highly dependent on all of its parts, and removing even a single species can result in serious consequences. Polar bears are at the top of the predators where they live. They play an important part in the ecosystem. They feed on seals, fish and deer. Several other animals depend on the kill of polar bears. The failure to save polar bears might result in loss of these predators. In addition, all large predators perform a very important function in their habitat: helping to control the populations of other species. When an animal group loses its natural predators, its population will rise rapidly, having a direct result in population decrease of other groups. A huge boom in population of Arctic seals would have a direct effect on the prey of seals, and could reduce numbers of certain types of fish. This could also have a direct effect on humans, who might have to compete with Arctic seals for food supplies from fish. Lack of polar bears could eventually affect human food supply. Human beings shall save polar bears to ensure the food supply. There is no doubt that we should save polar bears. However, there is still another question: can they be saved? This is a matter that scientists debate because of rapid degradation of the polar bear' environment in recent years due to warming temperatures. It is estimated that if the bears cannot adapt to changing climates, they might die out before the end of the 21stcentury, with about 50% of the animals disappearing by 2050. So time is running out! There are some things that may help slow down global warming and help delay extinction of polar bears. These include finding new energy sources that don't give off greenhouse gases and not making any more incursions into polar bear's territory. If bears can't adapt to changing climates, we will probably have lost _ by the middle of the 21stcentury.
A. half of polar bears
B. most of polar bears
C. 90% of polar bears
D. all of polar bears
Answer:
A. half of polar bears
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They already guide blind and disabled people; now dogs are to be trained to help people with dementia or Alzheimer's.Alzheimer's can make people confuse night and day or forget basic things such as washing or drinking enough water. The dogs will be trained to respond to sound triggers in the home that cause them to perform tasks.The duties will include reminding their owners to take medicine, as well as encouraging them to eat, drink and sleep regularly. The idea was developed by design students at the Glasgow School of Art and will now be put into practice by Alzheimer's Scotland and Dogs for the Disabled.The first dogs will be distributed to four Scottish couples, where one of the partners is in the early stages of dementia.Some 670,000 people in Britain have dementia and one in three over 65s will develop the condition.By 2021 this is expected to rise to one million. Joyce Gray of Alzheimer's Scotland said, "People in the early stages of dementia are still able to live a relatively normal life, and dogs help to maintain routine." Another advantage of using the pets as companions is that dogs can give them a sense of silent support and companionship.Ms Gray said, "The evidence is that people may forget familiar faces but not pets.It's such a strong bond that people often remember _ longest.People don't need to communicate verbally but they can still interact.You can have a speechless bond." Helen McCain, director of Dogs for the Disabled, said, "People with dementia often forget to take the medicine.If a dog presents them with a bag with pills in it there's a greater chance of them taking it.The dog would also encourage the owner to take them out for walks, ensuring they keep exercising and interacting with other people." What is mainly talked about in the passage?
Animals do many different, amazing things to get through the winter. Some of them migrate .Many birds migrate in autumn. Because the trip can be dangerous, some travel in large groups. For example, geese fly in noisy, "V"-shaped groups. Other kinds of birds fly alone. Some animals stay active in winter. They must change themselves as weather changes. For example, a kind of rabbits grow white fur to help them hide in the snow. It's hard to find food in winter for animals. Some animals, like mice, collect lots of food in autumn. Some animals eat different kinds of food as the seasons change. The red fox eats fruit and insects in spring, summer and autumn. In winter, it cannot find these things, so it eats small animals instead. Some animals hibernate for part or all of the winter. This is a special, very deep sleep. The animal uses very little energy. In autumn, these animals get ready for winter by eating much more food than in summer and storing it as body fat. Squirrels store food like nuts to eat later in winter. Bears and some bats hibernate. Cold-blooded animals like fish, frogs and snakes have no way to keep warm during the winter. Snakes find protection in holes, and spend the winter without moving during the whole season. Rabbits spend the cold winter by _ .
When you discuss about eating out with your friend, first of all, you must make it clear who will pay for the meal.If somebody suggests having lunch with his friend, he might simply say something like this "I'm afraid it'll have to be some place nearby ,as I have little money." The other person may say. "OK. I'll meet you at Mcdonald's." This means he has agreed that the two will go Dutch, that is, each person pays for himself. He may say "Oh, no. I want to take you for lunch at Johnson's " This means the person is to pay the bill for both of them. Although the other person is pleased with the invitation, there is one reason why he shouldn't accept it by simply saying "Thank you." American customs are much the same as those in other parts of the world. American women used to expect men to pay for all the meals. But today, some of them like to. However, if a woman is asked to attend a dinner or a dance outside, the invitaton itself means "Come as my guest". So, as you see, it is a polite thing to make the situation clear at the very beginning. American women used to _ .
There was once a little orphan girl who had no family and no one to love her. She felt sad and lonely . One day, while she was walking in a garden, she noticed a small butterfly caught in a bush. The more the butterfly tried to free itself, the deeper the thorn cut into its body. The girl carefully helped the butterfly out. Instead of flying away, the little butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy . "For your wonderful kindness," said the fairy, "I will grant you any wish you like." The little girl thought for a while and answered, "I want to be happy!" "Very well!" The fairy leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Then the good fairy disappeared. As the little girl grew up, she stayed happy. Everyone asked her the secret of her happiness. She would only smile and answer, "The secret of happiness is that I listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl." When she was very old and on her death bed, her neighbors were afraid that her secret of happiness would die with her. "Tell us, please," they asked. "Tell us what the good fairy said." The lovely old woman simply smiled and said, "She told me that everyone, no matter how secure they seemed, how old or young, how rich or poor, had need of me." Everyone has need of you. What happened when the butterfly tried to get itself free from the bush?
Ou Pingqin was a teacher in a special school (for deaf and mute students) of Yangxin in Huangshi, who has recently been considered the Most Beautiful Teacher in China. After graduating from a college, she went to this school alone and worked there for nearly twenty years. The headmaster of the school said, "She worked hard and taught well. She was a _ teacher in our school. She was also the most welcome teacher among the students. For students, she was like a mother. They called her Little Mother." One day,when she was talking with her students in the dormitory. It looked as if something heavy would fall off. It was dangerous. At that time, without any hesitation ,she pushed two students away, but she was hit heavily. However,she continued working with great pain later. One of her officemates said, "Ou Pinggin was not only a teacher but also a mother to her students in her class. She cared about their studies and even their life. She was very strict in her work." A student's parent said, "She was very warm-hearted. My son lost his father who supported the family. Every month,the teacher gave him 100 yuan to buy books from her own income.."She devoted all her life to the teaching and her students, but she didn't marry when she died at the age of 36. Ou Pinqin's deeds have drawn much attention in the country. She was the students' Little Mother, but gave them great love. In the report Ou Pingqin was praised by many people except _ . *
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Which statement describes a method of sexual reproduction that occurs in plants?
Answer:
In recent years advances in medical technology have made it possible for people to live longer than in the past. New medicines and instruments are being developed every day to extend life. However,some people,including some doctors, are not in favour of these life extending measures,and they argue that people should have the right to die when they want. They say that the quality of life is as important as life itself,and that people should not be forced to go on living when conditions of life have become unbearable(. They say that people should be allowed to die with dignity and to decide when they want to die. Others argue that life under any conditions is better. The writer's opinion is _ .
Answer:
Music can be a great power to change people's lives. Regina del Carmen Sanchez, 14, always believes this. The girl from Kansas City, US, leads a hard life. She lives in a small house with her mom and grandparents. Her mom gets a very low pay. But it doesn't stop Sanchez's love of music. She wrote her first song Keep Your Head Up when she was 12. It described the bad situation at her home, but it also sent the message of hope: "My house is old and poor, but it beats being homeless... Love yourself and never give up. You'll see a better life if you keep your head up..." It took Sanchez several months to finish the song. Sometimes during a break in class, when lyrics came into her head, "I would have to write them down right then," she told the local newspaper The Kansas City Star. Jeremy Lillig was a spokesman for Bright Futures, a charity fund. When he saw the video of the song, he was _ He shared it through social media . The fund has provided money for poor students in Kansas City. Now Sanchez often plays the song in public. "I want to help people understand what is happening in the world in an easy way," she said. The best title of the passage can be _
Answer:
An evergreen tree is a Christmas tradition in many American homes. The tree is usually a pine or fir dressed with lights and other color1ful decorations. Families might buy a cut tree or go to a tree farm and cut one down themselves. Some people bring a live tree in a pot into their home for the holidays and then put it back outdoors. Some people rent a Christmas tree. Companies might bring the same live tree to the same family year after year. Or the tree might get planted in a park or someplace else where it could help the environment. There are some trees that can be reused year after year because they are made of plastic or metal. Or, instead of a tree, some people have a small, sweet-smelling rosemary plant, cut to look like a little Christmas tree. Another plant that many people connect with Christmas is the poinsettia . Poinsettias are native to Mexico. They can be white or pink, but most are bright red. They are named after the first American ambassador to Mexico. Joel Poinsett liked them enough to send some back to the United States. Babies or pets that chew on poinsettias might get sick. But experts say the plant is not as poisonous as some people think. Like millions of other houses, the home of America's first president is decorated for Christmas. George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate is in Virginia. Visitors can hear stories about what Christmas was like at Mount Vernon in the eighteenth century. The museum where visitors begin their tour is decorated with Christmas trees. What is the text mainly about?
Answer:
There are many festivals in Argentina during the year. Therefore, you can enjoy the different interesting festivals when traveling there. First of all, we should talk about the Tango Festival in Argentina, which is held in the capital of this country -- Buenos Aires, from February to March. You ought to know that Argentina is the home of tango, so Argentineans admire this dance very much. Even if you cannot dance perfectly, you should join the people and try to perform this dance. The next festival in Argentina is Open Polo Tournament. You should go to Palermo to see this festival in Argentina. This festival is held every year and is the most important polo tournament in Argentina. This kind of sport is considered the most important in Argentina. Attending this festival in Argentina, you will be able to communicate with different people, admire the fascinating competition between the teams of different countries, such as Argentina, England, Australia, as well as the US. This festival in Argentina is usually held between November and December every year. So don't miss the opportunity if you travel to Argentina at this time. The other festival in Argentina is the Semana Musical Llao Llao. This is a festival of classical music. The festival was created in 1993 and is held at the Llao Llao Hotel, near Bariloche. The festival is held yearly in October. So if you admire this kind of music, you should travel to Argentina in October. There are also many carnivals in October. There are also many carnivals in Argentina in summer. Of course, it's impossible to put everything about festivals in Argentina into just one article. We hope that you have found this article interesting and eye-catching. If Tom wants to enjoy a classical music event in Argentina, he should visit _ .
Answer:
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Everybody knows the saying "Two steps forward and three steps back". That described my life pretty well as a single mom. I was raising two teenagers on a teacher's aide's salary. It wasn't nearly enough to cover the bills, so I moonlighted as a waitress. Every time I thought that I had found a solution to my money worries, something would fall through and I would end up feeling worse off than before. The next evening at the restaurant I tried on my apron, wishing I could be home with my kids. I walked up to my first table. Around it was a cheerful older couple. The woman gave me a smile that warmed me. I couldn't help but notice her unusual glass ring. "What a beautiful ring," I said. We chatted for a minute then I took their order and left. When I came back with their drinks, the woman held out her ring. "I would like to give this to you," she said. "Oh, no, I couldn't," I said, embarrassed. She gently placed the ring in my hand and closed my fingers around it. "It's yours," she said. "Please accept it and your things are going to be okay." Right there at their table in the middle of the restaurant I broke down in tears. "Thank you for giving me hope," I said. Long after that night, that sense of peace stayed with me. I knew the right job would come in time. Nine months later it did. I got a better position at another school and I started waitressing at a restaurant where I was allowed to spend more time with my kids. Now in these tough times, I have money worries again, but they don't get me down. I know things will turn out okay. And when I wear that unusual glass ring, I'm reminded I'm not alone. From the saying "Two steps forward and three steps back", it means the writer _ .
had difficulty raising her family
Do you know how to use a mobile phone without being rude to the people around you? Talking during a performance irritates people. If you are expecting an emergency call, sit near the exit doors and set your phone to vibrate . When your mobile phone vibrates, you can leave quietly and let the others enjoy the performance. Think twice before using mobile phones in elevators, museums, churches or other indoor public places--especially enclosed spaces. Would you want to listen to someone's conversation in these places? Worse yet, how would you feel if a mobile phone rang suddenly during a funeral! It happens more often than you think. Avoid these embarrassing situations by making sure your mobile phone is switched off. When eating at a restaurant with friends, don't place your mobile phone on the table. This conveys the message that your phone calls are more important than those around you. Mobile phones have sensitive microphones that allow you to speak at the volume you would on a regular phone. This enables you to speak quietly so that others won't hear the details of your conversations. If you are calling from a noisy area, use your hand to direct your voice into the microphone. Many people believe that they can't live without their mobile phone. Owning a mobile phone definitely makes life more convenient, but limit your conversations to urgent ones and save the personal calls until you are at home. What should you do when you need to answer a phone call during a performance?
Talk outside the exit door.
ABORIGINAL is a term used to describe the people and animals that lived in a place from the earliest known times or before Europeans arrived. Examples are the Maori in New Zealand, the Aborigines in Australia and the Indians in America. They all share the fact that they were pushed off their land by European settlers. Maori The Maori were the first people to go to New Zealand, about 1,000 years ago. They came from the islands of Polynesia in the Pacific. They brought dogs, rats and plants with them and settled mainly on the Northern Island. In 1769, Captain James Cook from Britain took possession of the Island and from that time British people started to settle. The Maori signed an agreement on land rights with these settlers, but in later years there were arguments and battles between them. Aborigines The native people of Australia came from somewhere in Asia more than 40,000 years ago. They lived by hunting and gathering. Their contact with British settlers began in 1788. By the 1940s almost all of them were mixed into Australian society as low-paid workers. Their rights were limited. In 1976 and 1993 the Australian Government passed laws that returned some land to the Aborigines and recognized their property rights. American Indians Long before the Europeans came to America in the 16th and 17th century, the American Indians, or Native Americans, lived there. It is believed that they came from Asia. Christopher Columbus mistook the land for India and so called the people there Indians. The white settlers and American Indians lived in peace at the beginning, but conflicts finally arose and led to the Indian Wars (1866-1890). After the wars, the Indians were driven to the west of the country. Not until 1924 did they gain the right to vote. Before European settlers arrived, we can infer that the Aboriginals had lived _ life.
a peaceful
Coffee has become the most popular American drink. Today people in the United States drink more coffee than people in any of the other countries. People drink coffee at breakfast, at lunch, at dinner and between meals. They drink hot coffee or coffee with ice in it. They drink it at work and at home. They eat coffee ice-cream and coffee candy. Coffee is black and very _ . Different people like to drink it in different ways. Some people like coffee with cream or sugar in it. Other people like coffee with both cream and sugar in it. In all ways it is served. Coffee has become an international drink. Coffee is an _ drink.
international
Chuck Wall teaches management and human relations at Bakersfield College. He walked into class one day and told his students that their homework was to perform one act of random kindness. His students did not understand the homework and didn't know what to do, but the professor would not answer their questions. He encouraged his students to work it out for themselves. One week later, the students entered the classroom excited to share their stories. One student told of giving away blankets to the homeless. Another reported on helping a dog to find its owner, and another student had been trying to find a long, lost friend. Students were energized by the homework assignment and wanted other people to be kind too. With the support of local businesses, the students made stickers to put on cars that invited people to do something kind for others. They sold the stickers and decided to donate the money to a center for the blind---not surprising as Professor Wall is blind. Since then, similar kindness activities have been started in schools around the world. Many schools organize a Random Acts of Kindness Week, around November 13th, to celebrate World Kindness Day. Some schools use each day of Random Acts of Kindness Week to perform a different kind act, such as making a new friend, helping someone, doing community service, or raising money for a charity. Students learn to consider other people and thank about how small actions can make the world a better place. It is certain that _ .
the students got good grades in Chuck's class
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The blues was born on the Mississippi River Delta in the early 1900s. After the Civil War, the slaves were free but life was still not easy. They had to find new work. In the south, work camps were formed. Black people from these camps worked on farms and built up the Mississippi River banks. During the week, the people worked long and hard. They often lived alone, without their families, far from home. On the weekends, the workers got together at picnics or drinking places. Traveling black musicians with guitars entertained them. The musicians sang songs about the difficult life of the workers. These songs were called the blues. If you have the blues, it means you feel very sad. But blues songs were not always sad. Some of them were happy and many of them were funny. Early blues singers often had very interesting names like Blind Lemon Jefferson and Howlin Wolf. Sometimes, the blues singers had song contests. Each singer sang new words or a new style of the blues song. They made up the music as they played. In this way they created new music. This is called improvisation. Later, improvisation became a very important part of Jazz music. The blues began in the country in the south. As blacks moved into the big cities to work, the blues went with them. There, they sang about life in the cities. W. C. Handy, a black band leader from Memphis made the blues popular all over America. In 1914 he wrote the most famous song of all "The St. Louis blues." Why did black people often get together at some drinking places in the early 1900s?
A They were fond of singing and dancing.
B They lived alone, without their families.
C They could enjoy a big dinner.
D They could learn to play the guitar.
Answer: B
An old lady went out shopping last Sunday. She came to a bank and saw a car near the door . A man got out of it and went into the bank . She looked into the car. The keys were in the lock. The old lady took the keys and followed the man into the bank. The man took a gun out of his pockets and said to the clerk , " Give me all the money . " But the old lady didn't see this. She went to the man and put the keys in his hand and said, " Young man , you're foolish . Never leave your keys in your car. Someone's going to steal it . " The man looked at the old woman for a few seconds. Then he looked at the clerk and then he took the keys and ran off the bank, got into his car and drove away quickly without any money . ,. When she gave the young man the keys, he _ .
A took them and ran out of the bank without any money
B thanked her very much
C was very surprised
D said nothing and went to the police station
Answer: C
1English people have three meals a day. They are breakfast, lunch and dinner. 2They have breakfast at about 7:00 to 8:00 in the morning. They often eat or drink some fruit or juice first, and then they have some porridge ,eggs and meat. Some English people like to take sugar in their porridge, and some like to put salt in it. 3For many people, lunch is a _ meal. Many of the office workers don't go home for lunch. They often buy a hamburger or sandwich in fast food shops. School children can have a hot meal at school, but many students only take a sandwich, a drink and some fruit from home for lunch. 4Dinner is the main meal for English people. They have dinner at about 6:00 to 8:00.Many people have dinner with their family at home. People cook it carefully, because they think dinner is very important. They have a lot of food for dinner: soup, fish, vegetables, tomatoes and bread or rice. After dinner they have some cakes, fruit or ice cream for dessert . _ is the most important meal in a day.
A Breakfast
B Lunch
C Meals
D Dinner
Answer: D
Maybe you've just invented something better than the iPhone or a solar-powered car. You don't want anyone to steal your design. What should you do? Patent it! Patents are the best way to get credit for your work and help others continue advancing in that field. Here's what you need to know. A patent gives you the right to an invention. The patent protects its owner, which means the invention can't be copied or sold without their agreement. In exchange, the owner must reveal information about the invention. This contributes knowledge that helps other inventors improve on their own research. A patent usually lasts about 20 years. The first step to getting a patent is the application. The person applying must name the invention, explain its use and describe it clearly. The invention must be practical and contain some new characteristic -- something that hasn't been seen or used before. But not everything "new" can be patented. Many countries don't allow patents on things like new concepts, scientific theories, medical procedures or substances already found in nature. You may not be able to see patents, but they're connected to nearly everything. There are patents on things you use every day, like plastic, medicine and your computer. There are patents on things that are unavailable on the market, too. Apple is well-known for its patents on potential products, such as the "iBike" or the "iKey". Of course there are also patents on inventions like this. Take the anti-eating face mask for example. This _ locks around your head with a metal cage covering your mouth. You can breathe and speak, but you can't eat! Although many patented inventions can be failures, there's plenty of room for success. So if you have a cool invention, try to patent it. The purpose of writing this passage is to _ .
A advertise
B persuade
C warn
D inform
Answer: D
Have you ever walked to the shops, only to find when you get there that you've completely forgotten what you go for? Or have you struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years, we've accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of aging as wrinkles and grey hair. But now a new book suggests we've got _ all wrong. According to The Secret Life Of The Grown-up Brain, by science writer, Barbara Strauch, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues many new studies have found that the brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s --much later than previously thought. Furthermore, not losing many brain cells as we age, we preserve them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years it's been accepted that the brain, much like the body, got worse with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise. This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years. It has found that, on average, they performed better in cognitive tests in their late 40s and 50s than they had in their 20s. Specifically, older people did better in tests of vocabulary, spatial orientation skills, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving. Where they were weaker was in numeracy (how quickly one can multiply, add, subtract and divide) and the speed at which they could move. However, with harder tasks, such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are going to come up with scientific evidence that we do get wiser with age. What is NOT true of this new research?
A It is the longest and largest of its kind.
B It has been running since 1956.
C The 6,000 people have been tested at least four times so far.
D Researchers have provided supporting scientific evidence
Answer: D
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For years and years people have been saying that railways are dead. "We can do without railways," people say--as if cars and planes have made railways unnecessary. We all keep hearing that trains are slow, lose money and are dying. But this is far from the truth. In these days of expensive oil, railways have become highly _ with cars and planes. If you want to carry people or goods from place to place, they're cheaper than planes. And they have much in common with planes. A plane goes in a straight line and so does a railway. What is more, a railway takes you from the heart of a city center. It doesn't stop you as a car does on crowded roads. And no plane or car can ever carry as many goods as one train does. Far from being dead, railways are much alive. Modern railway lines give you a comfortable journey. Where else can you eat well, sleep comfortably, feel safe and enjoy the scene while you are traveling at the same time? And we are only the beginning, for we have just entered the age of super-fast trains, which are traveling 150 miles an hour and more. Soon we will be wondering why we spent so much on highways and planes we can't fly in because we don't have enough money to buy the oil. The writer thinks that railways are much alive because _ .
A they are cheaper and more convenient
B there aren't any planes or cars
C we can have a comfortable journey
D we feel dangerous on highways
Answer: C. we can have a comfortable journey
An English traveler found himself in a northern European country with a little money to buy the ticket for the travel back home. As he knew that it would take him only two days to get to England, he thought that he would be all right without food. So he bought a ticket and went on board. He closed his ears to the lunch bell. When dinner time came, he refused to go to the dining hall, saying that he was not feeling well. The next morning, he didn't go to breakfast and at lunch time he again stayed in his room. At dinner time he was so hungry that he could not stand it any longer. "I'm going to eat, " he said, "even if they throw me into the sea. " At dinner he ate everything in front of him at the table, then he worried about the coming trouble. "Bring me the bill," he said. "there isn't any bill. " Was the answer. "On the ship the money for the ticket includes meals. " The traveler regretted when he heard this. . The first day he _ to have lunch and dinner.
A stole
B sold
C refused
D missed
Answer: C. refused
As a child, visiting the zoo was more a punishment than a treat. I didn't find the chimps' tea parties funny, nor the bird shows entertaining. Feeding time for seals was less painful, but their performances still seemed like they belonged more in a circus. And I hated circuses, especially the animal acts -- men teasing lions, girls balancing on elephants and monkeys playing football. I knew that every trick a circus animal did was unnatural, achieved through strict training and quite possibly cruelty. Happily, during my lifetime public attitudes and the law have changed. Circuses using wild animals are now almost extinct, and zoos have definitely evolved. When my children were young, I occasionally took them to our local zoo. The elephants were in tiny cages and the gorillas looked bored as they sat peeling bananas and staring at teasing visitors. Each cage had a sign which listed the animal's name and where it came from. But, back then, there was little information included about the environmental challenges they faced. As a result, environmentalists and animal lovers often oppose zoos. "Animals belong in the wild," is a common -- and understandable -- complaint. But what do the animals themselves prefer? Generally speaking, zoo animals have a longer life. But -- you may protest -- they are not free. What? Free to be hunted and killed, free to die of hunger or thirst? Maybe sitting in a cage eating bananas isn't so bad. Not that such conditions are acceptable in modern zoos, due to the work of BIAZA, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums. These days every zoo requires BIAZA's approval to operate, and the association sets the standards, observes conditions in zoos and develops animal-research programmes, both in the UK and abroad. BIAZA also organises the animal exchanges between zoos all over the world. Consequently, today, most zoo animals are born and raised in zoos, live in large, comfortable enclosures and are cared for by well-trained, knowledgeable and caring zoo employees. Of course it's no substitute for living in the wild but unfortunately this isn't always possible. Meanwhile, why not visit your local zoo and decide for yourself? Which of the following statements about zoos would the writer agree with?
A Zoo animals should be freed into the wild.
B Zoos are more popular now than in the past.
C Zoo animals are more restricted than in the past.
D Zoos now provide caring living conditions for animals.
Answer: D. Zoos now provide caring living conditions for animals.
The United States is the world's largest consumer of energy. We use electricity, gas and oil to light and heat our buildings and run our cars. The demand for power is growing. But we may not need to build new power plants or find more oil. The best way to increase our supply of energy is to be more efficient. Did you know that when you leave your video-game console on, it consumes more electricity than two refrigerators? Or that those funny-looking, twisty bulbs use 75% less power than traditional light bulbs? We have the tools to save money, reduce pollution and even help our planet, simply by wasting less energy. As President, Barack Obama plans to make energy efficiency in American a major goal. He has promised to cut 15% of all energy used by the Federal Government. In a speech, he called for 75% of government office buildings to be updated for better efficiency. He pointed out that energy-efficient buildings and homes will save consumers billions of dollars on energy bills. An "extra benefit", he added, will be "a cleaner, safer planet." Gas, coal and oil are called fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have been the world's main source of energy for hundreds of years. But burning them releases dirty gases, which cause pollution. There are two main ways to save energy. The first is to use more efficient machines. Hybrid cars use less gas. New appliances are designed to use less electricity. Today's refrigerators are three times more efficient than those before 1973. Laptop computers consume much less energy than desktop computers. The second is to use machines more productively. According to the US Department of Energy, in the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power electronic equipment is standby power . That means power flowing to plugged-in appliances whether or not they are being used. Homeowners can avoid wasting power by pulling the plug on appliances when they are not in use. Efficiency experts argue that today's best techniques could cut US oil and gas use in half, and reduce our electricity use by three-fourths. What would be the best title for the text?
A The world's largest consumer of energy
B The world's energy efficiency movement
C We need to find new energy
D We have to be more energy efficient
Answer: D. We have to be more energy efficient
He Qiangcheng, 22, a senior and geology major from Sichuan Normal University, has almost given up trying to act like his childhood hero, Lei Feng. "I once tried to help a woman with heavy luggage, and she gave me a suspicious look," he complains. "Then another time, when I returned a lost dining card to the canteen, the staff asked me to use up the cash on it rather than bothering to find the owner." But, despite having met with rejections, He still wants to be like his idol. His hero, Lei Feng, was a People's Liberation Army soldier who came to represent altruism , modesty and devotion. March 5 marks the 50th year of Lei's death. In 1963, Chairman Mao Zedong designated the day as "Learn From Lei Feng Day" and started a national campaign for people to copy his deeds. Several decades after the campaign was initiated, there has been a debate about whether the spirit of Lei lives on, and whether an altruistic role model is relevant anymore in a materialist society. Some think _ . "In a world when everyone emphasizes the importance of 'me', many of my peers think there's little ground for giving up one's interests purely for the sake of others," says Lin Zi'en, 19, a sophomore English major from South China Normal University in Guangdong. Commentators, however, point out those who regarded Lei's spirit as being outdated have misinterpreted its meaning. Yang Haibin, deputy secretary of China Communist Youth League Beijing Committee said, "Learning from Lei Feng could be a mutually caring and benefiting act, which is the basis of civilized society. And, Lei's spirit can be modern and relevant, says Yang. He believes that lending a helping hand for no reward is an early form of volunteering. "It's also about being content with a simple and humble way of life," Yang says. Hu Danhua, 21, an international business major from China University of Political Science and Law, agrees. "I've gained peace of mind and spiritual fulfillment through small acts of kindness, such as teaching village pupils. I could obtain it from nowhere else," Hu says. Who has a negative attitude towards Lei's spirit according to the passage?
A He Qiangcheng.
B Lin Zi'en.
C Yang Haibin.
D Hu Danhua.
Answer: B. Lin Zi'en.
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The London Underground is one of the best transport networks in the world with around 24 million journeys made each day, so it is important that everything runs smoothly. Remember the following to travel like a Londoner. Keep right on escalator London Underground asks that you stand on the right when using the escalators and leave the left free for others to walk down. If you are traveling in a big group, or with lots of shopping bags, stand and stay right and let others pass you---it will speed up the process and be a more pleasant journey for everyone! Remember the "rush hour" The tube network is very busy during the rush hour. You can expect the trains and stations to be overcrowded between 7:30 and 9:30 in the morning and between 17:00 and 19:00 in the evening. Move down the platform to find more space As you enter the station platform, you will often find more room if you walk down to the end of the platform. Here, the train carriages are usually the emptiest as well. Carry a bottle of water in warmer moths The London Underground is over 150 years old and although the trains have been modernized, many still lack air conditioning and cooling units. Make sure you take a bottle of water with you, especially in the summer, as the long tube journeys can get very hot. Keep your personal belongings safe Like any large city be cautions of pickpockets operating in the busy stations and tubes. Carry a bag with zips and keep your personal belongings and valuable items in it to avoid becoming the victims of theft. Plan your journey on the London Underground in advance with a free tube map. Click here to download. Where would you be most likely to find the text?
A On a website.
B On a city map.
C On a notice board.
D In a business report.
Answer: A. On a website.
The food on the moon has come a long way from the freeze - dried bread to half - dried food. They have changed a lot in the past few years. And now US scientists want to grow vegetables in mini - greenhouses on the moon. Scientists say they are looking forward to a time when people on the moon or even Mars will be able to eat green and fresh vegetables. Paragon Space Development Corporation has shown people what it called the first step toward growing flowers - and finally food - on the moon. Paragon, which is a partner of NASA in experiments at the International Space Station, calls it a "Lunar Oasis " This is a closed greenhouse placed in a metal box. It is designed to safely land a laboratory plant on the moon surface, and protect it while it grows. The small greenhouse is to be sent up into space by Odyssey Moon Ltd, which takes part in the Google Lunar X Prize. This competition offers $ 20 million to any company which can send up, land and operate a lunar rover on the moon surface. Leaders of Paragon say future testing of the "Lunar Oasis" will be driven by Odyssey's flight schedule, which will not happen until 2012 at the earliest. When it is sent up, the greenhouse will have the seeds of cabbage inside it. Because they go from seed to flower in just 14 days, they can complete their life cycle in a lunar night. "Growing plants on the Moon or Mars seems so far away, but it is important that we do this research now," Paragon president Jane Poynter said. "It takes a long time to do a lot of research." What would be the best title for the passage?
A Exploring the Moon and the Mars
B Making Use of the Lunar Rover
C Researching Fresh Food on the Moon
D Seeking the Living Things on the Moon
Answer: C. Researching Fresh Food on the Moon
My grandpa is 93 years old this year. He is very healthy and looks young. Many people ask him why he is so healthy. Grandpa says good diet is very important to everyone. Grandpa has three meals a day regularly . He often eats lots of vegetables and fruit. He never drinks or smokes . He says they are bad for health. After he gets up in the morning, he often drinks a cup of water. And before he goes to bed in the evening, he has a cup of milk. He says everyone should drink some water before breakfast. Grandpa has a good lifestyle, too. He likes sports. He likes playing ping-pong and badminton. Sometimes he goes swimming. He goes running every day before breakfast, too. He says exercise can help a person keep healthy and strong. Grandpa likes watching TV. But he only watches TV in the afternoon. He doesn't watch too much TV. Many old people like playing Majon, but grandpa doesn't. He says sitting in the chair for long time is not good for health. Grandpa usually _ before he goes to bed.
A drinks some water
B drinks some milk
C drinks some tea
D drinks some juice
Answer: B. drinks some milk
Mr. Robinson had to travel somewhere on business and as he was in a hurry, he decided to go by air. He liked to sit beside a window when he was flying. So, when he got on to the plane, he looked for a window seat. He found all of them had already been taken except one. There was a soldier sitting in the seat beside this one and Mr. Robinson was happy that he had not taken the one by the window; but, anyhow, he at once went towards it. When he reached it, however, he saw there was a notice on it. It was written in ink and said "This seat is reserved for proper load balance. Thank you." Mr. Robinson had never seen such a notice in a plane before, but he thought that the plane must be carrying something heavy in its baggage room which made it necessary to have the passengers properly balanced, so he walked on and found another empty seat, not beside a window, to sit in. Then, when the plane was quite full, a very beautiful girl stepped into the plane. The soldier quickly took the notice off the seat beside him and in this way succeeded in having the girl beside him during the whole trip. This short passage may be taken from a _ .
A novel
B news report
C science fiction
D magazine.
Answer: D. magazine.
A person with a pet amphibian will likely feed it
A deer
B wax
C steak
D meal worms
Answer: D. meal worms
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Back in old times, people had little knowledge about the universe and nature. Things we now consider to be common sense were mysteries to our ancestors. Over the years, major breakthroughs have been made in science and many phenomena have been explained. But still, there are always questions we can't yet answer, and The Guardian has listed some of them. 1. What makes us human? Just looking at your DNA won't tell you - human DNA is 99 percent _ to that of the chimpanzee and, believe it or not, 50 percent identical to a banana's! A lot of the things we once thought were unique about us - language and tool use, recognizing ourselves in the mirror and so on - have since been seen in other animals. Perhaps it's our culture that makes the difference or maybe our ability to use fire. It's also possible that our capacity for co-operation and our trading skills are what make us unique. 2. Why do we dream? Given the fact that we spend around a third of our lives sleeping, shouldn't we know everything about it? Unfortunately, scientists are still searching for a complete explanation of what happens when we sleep and why we dream. Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud believed dreams were the expressions of wishes that we can't fulfill in our real lives. Others have wondered whether dreams are just random "noise" coming from a sleeping brain. 3. Could we someday live forever? Apart from accidents, most people die because of diseases that can be treated and aging. And since many diseases, such as diabetes and cancer, are diseases of aging, treating aging itself could be the key to extending our lives. Our knowledge of what causes us to age - and what allows some animals to live longer than others - is expanding rapidly. And though we haven't quite worked out all the details, we've worked out some pieces of the puzzles such as DNA damage and metabolism , which are all leading to the invention of drugs that can slow down the aging process. If we're lucky enough to lengthen our lives, we might even get to see the day when all of these questions are answered. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
Do you want to be healthy? Then you must eat well and get a lot of exercise. If you're healthy, your body works well and you also feel well. Here are some trips. Eat more fruit and vegetables. "One apple a day, keep the doctor away!"Fruit and vegetables have rich vitamins. They can help us to keep healthy. Remember to eat some fruit and vegetables every day. Drink water and milk often. When you are thirsty, water is the best choice. Try to limit soda drinks, such as Coca Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Milk is also very good for your body. Drink a cup of milk every day if possible. Listen to your body. You'd better notice how your body feels when you eat. That is to say you should stop eating when you're full. It can make you feel comfortable. Limit screen time. Don't spend too much time watching TV or DCDs, playing video games or using the computer. You should do some outdoor activities, such as playing basketball, going riding and swimming. If you follow the tips, I'm sure you'll have a healthy body. Eating fruit and vegetables every day can help you _ .
When I was 14, I decided to make some pocket money by mowing lawns in summer. I worked hard because that was my first part-time job. After working for one week, Mr Miller said that he had no money for me. Oh, dear! He wouldn't pay for my work! That surprised me greatly. I argued with him, and then I went back home. My parents told me not to complain about Mr Miller. He was in difficulties. Then my mother call up Mr Miller and they talked about something on the phone. A few days later, my mother asked me to return to Mr Miller's garden, because he was too weak to look after it. When I came back, Mr Miller said, "Sorry, I have no money, but I can do something for you." He played CD for me. Hearing the beautiful music, I was so interested in it that I forgot the money and did the work with pleasure. At last, Mr Miller gave me a ticket to a concert. After that, I became very interested in music. And now, I have been a popular musician. I should thank Mr Miller greatly. In some ways, _ , the author has become a popular musician.
"Bad luck always comes in three" and last Saturday seemed to prove it. After trouble with the car, the television, we spent the evening waiting for the next trouble. Shortly after dinner we both smelled smoke. My wife, who was often careless when cooking, ran to the kitchen but returned looking puzzled. I rushed up the stairs to see smoke coming from under our bedroom door. I went to the bathroom and tied a wet cloth over my face. Then I returned to the bedroom, opened the door andcrawled in--there would be less smoke at floor level. With one hand reaching out in front of me I advanced carefully feeling for the switch to turn off the electric blanket. At that moment I heard the bell of a coming fire engine. Thank goodness my wife had not been wasting her time. When the husband was upstairs trying to stop the smoke _ .
"Listen carefully to what I say," the time traveler said, "I shall tell you something that you will not agree." "Why will we not agree?" I asked. "Because the science and mathematics you know are not correct," he said. "You believe there are only three dimensions -length, breadth and thickness." "There is nothing to argue with that, " the youngest member of our little group said. "Exactly!" the time traveler answered, "But there is also a fourth dimension - time." "We all know about time, " another member of the group said. "Time passed." "I do not agree," the time traveler said, "Length, breadth and thickness do not pass. They stay in the same place in space. We move about them. I can prove that time is the same. It does not pass. We move in time the same way that we move in breadth, length and thickness." None of us believed the time traveler, and we argued with him for many hours. "If we could travel back in time," the scientist said, "We could do things to change the future." "If we could travel forward in time," the doctor said, "we could do things that change our present." The time traveler smiled, "It is clear," he said, "that there is only one way I can show you that I am right. We must do an experiment. Please wait here." He left the room and soon returned, carrying what looked like a clock. "This is a model of a time machine. It took me two years to make it," the time traveler said. "I want all of you to understand that when I start the machine, it will immediately travel in time and disappear from the present." He turned to the youngest of all. "Give me your hand," he said. The young man put out his hand. The time traveler took it and placed it on the machine. Immediately, there was a sudden wind, and the little machine disappeared. I was certain this was not a trick, but the doctor was not so sure. "Are you asking us to believe," he said, "that the machine is now in a different time?" "Certainly! In my laboratory, a full-size machine is almost complete. As soon as it is complete, I shall send myself on a journey through time. Would you like to see my machine?" "Are you serious about this?" the doctor asked. "I have never been more serious about anything," the time traveler said, "Come." We followed him to his laboratory. There, we saw the actual machine, not quite complete, but large enough for a man to sit in. What kind of story do you think the passage is?
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Question: Sitting too much is now listed with smoking and junk food as a bad habit that increases your risk of heart disease. New Australian research shows that half-an-hour in the gym will not make up for the waist-expanding damage caused by spending the rest of the day sitting. But the good news is that doing chores in the house or gently walking around the office while on the phone might be enough to keep you fit. The study joins the growing body of evidence suggesting too much sitting might undo the benefits of exercise. The study measured the intensity of physical activities in 168 subjects over seven days. It found that, regardless of how much exercise they did or their total sitting time, those who took more breaks from sitting had lower risk of thick waists and lower levels of blood lipids . "Higher levels of blood lipids have been linked to a heightened risk of heart disease," principal researcher Genevieve Healy of the University of Queensland said. "What the study shows is that there are benefits in just getting up regularly and interrupting your sitting time." Researchers behind the Stand Up Australia project have written to the Rudd Government requesting $3.5 million for a two-year study into the impact how long sitting offects health and productivity of workers. The study would also develop and test strategies for reducing sitting time on the job. The latest study builds on work that is shifting the health promotion focus from purposeful exercise, such as running, to lower intensity activities throughout the day. The Australian research has been backed up by US studies. "To hold a body that weighs 77 kilograms upright takes a fair amount of energy from muscles," said Professor Marc Hamilton from the University of Missouri. "There is a large amount of energy associated with standing every day that cannot easily be replaced by 30 to 60 minutes in the gym." The health promotion focus used to be on _ .
A. long sitting
B. running
C. lower intensity activities
D. purposeful exercise
Answer:
D
Question: Americans with small families own a small car or a large one. If both parents are working, they usually have two cars. When the family is large, one of the cars is sold and they will buy a van . A small car can hold four persons and a large car can hold six persons but it is very crowded . A van hold seven persons easily, so a family with three children could ask their grandparents to go on a holiday travel. They could all travel together. Mr Hagen and his wife had a third child last year. This made them sell a second car and bought a van. The sixth and seventh seat are used to put other things, for a family of five must carry many suitcases when they travel. When they arrive at their grandparents' home, the suitcases are brought into the home and the two seats can then carry the grandparents. Americans call vans motor homes. A motor home is always used for holidays. When a family are traveling to the mountains or to the seaside, they can live in their motor home for a few days or weeks. All the members of a big family can enjoy a happier life when they are traveling together. That is why motor homes have become very popular. In America there are many parks for motor homes. From the passage, a van is also called _ .
A. a motor car
B. a motor home
C. a motorbike
D. a big truck
Answer:
B
Question: Einstein was born in 1879 in Germany. As a child, he was slow to learn to talk. As a pupil, he was backward. But when he was fourteen years old, he became clever. He taught himself maths from textbooks. He studied hard because he wanted to be a physicist. In 1901, Einstein began teaching. In 1902 he continued his studies at the University of Zurich. Several years later, he formulated his famous Theory of Relativity .To most people the law of relativity is difficult to explain. But once Einstein explained it very well to a group of young students. He said, "When you sit with a good girl for two hours, you think it is only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it's two hours. That is relativity." After Hitler came into power in Germany, Einstein went to America. In 1940 Einstein became an American citizen. In 1955, Einstein's life ended at the age of seventy-six. When Einstein was a pupil of twelve, he _ .
A. was not quick in learning to talk
B. studied very hard
C. was poor in his studies
D. hardly lagged behind
Answer:
C
Question: The first people who gave names to hurricanes were those who knew them best -- the people of Puerto Rico. The small island of Puerto Rico is in the West Indies, off the coast of Florida. This is where all the hurricanes begin that strike the east coast of the United States. Often they pass near Puerto Rico or cross it on their way north. The people of Puerto Rico expect some of these unwelcome visitors every year. Each one is named after the Saint's Day on which it arrives. Two of the most destructive storms were the Santo Ana in 1840 and the San Ciriaco in 1899. Giving girls' names to hurricanes is a fairly new idea. It all began with a story called "Storm", written by George Stewart in 1941. In it a weatherman amused himself by naming storms after girls he knew. He named one Maria. The story describes how she Maria grew and developed, and how she changed the lives of people when she struck the United States. Weathermen of the U.S. Army and Navy used the same system during World WarII. They were studying weather conditions over the Pacific Ocean. One of their duties was to warn American ships and planes when a storm was coming. Whenever they spotted one, they gave it a girl's name. The first one of the year was given a name beginning with [A]. The second one got a name beginning with [B]. They used all the letters from A to W, and still the storms kept coming. They had to use three lists from A to W to have enough names to go around. This was the first list of hurricane names that followed the alphabet. It served as a model for the system the Weather Bureau introduced in 1942. Before 1950 the Weather Bureau had no special system for naming hurricanes. When a hurricane was born down in the West Indies, the Weather Bureau simply collected information about it. It reported how fast the storm was moving and where it would go next. Weather reports warned people in the path of the hurricane, so that they could do whatever was necessary to protect themselves. This system worked out fine as long as weather reports talked about only one hurricane at a time. But one week in September 1950 there were three hurricanes at the same time. The things began to get confused. Some people got the hurricanes mixed up and didn't know which was which. This convinced the Weather Bureau that it needed a code for naming the storms in order to avoid confusion in the future. The Weather Bureau began naming hurricanes because it would help them _ .
A. collect information more rapidly
B. warn people more efficiently
C. make use of military records
D. remember them
Answer:
B
Question: Hip hop or rap music started on the street and in the clubs of the New York City in the 1970s. People rap to express how they feel about their lives and problems. Rapping in class. Would you like to rap in class? Well, actually hip pop music is played in more than 10,000 schools in the USA. Why? There is a new school program called "Flocabulary" in which teachers use texts and hip hop CDs to help teach different school subjects. The words of the songs are just what students are studying. This makes learning easy and fun. Students and teachers are excited about the good results it has had on exam marks. Mr. Lee, a teacher in a high school, said, "I've used hip hop songs in class, and I have never seen my students so crazy about history! You can't imagine how well they remember what I teach! We even try to write our own songs." Whose idea was Flocabulary? Blake Harrison, a high school student, was the first person to come up with the idea of Flocabulary. The word "Flocabulary" comes from the word "flow" and "vocabulary". "Flow" is a rap word for "style", or the way a rapper says the words of a song. "Vocabulary" means the words you have to learn in a language. How did he get the idea? Well, he realized he could remember the words of a hip hop song very easily. So, why not make lessons into songs? Today together with Alex Rappaport, a song writer, Blake produces hip hop songs for math, science and literature . They are now used in schools with great success. From the passage, we can learn "Flocabulary" is a program to _ .
A. write rap music
B. remember the words of a song
C. write our own songs
D. help teach school subjects
Answer:
D
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Do you want to live a happier, less stressful life? Try laughing for no reason at all. That's how thousands of people start their day at Laughter Clubs around the world. The first Laughter Club was started in Mumbai, India, in 1995, by Dr Madan Kataria. "Children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh between 7 and 15 times a day," says Dr Kataria. "Everyone's naturally good at laughing -- it's the universal language." There are now more than 500 Laughter Clubs in India and over 1,300 worldwide. Many doctors are also interested in the effects of laughter on our health. According to a 5-year study at the UCLS School of Medicine in California, with laughing there is less stress in the body. Laughter improves our health against illness by about 40%. So what happens at a Laughter Club? I went along to the nearest club in the south of London to find out. I was quite nervous at the beginning of the class. I had no interest in laughing with a group of strangers, and I was worried about looking stupid . Our laughter teacher told us to clap our hands and say "ho ho ho, ha ha ha" while looking at each other. Although we couldn't tell the differences between _ laughter and real laughter, they still produced the same healthy effects. Surprisingly, it worked! After ten minutes, everybody there was laughing for real and some people just couldn't stop! At the end of the class I was shocked by how relaxed and comfortable I felt. So if you're under stress, then start laughing. The writer was nervous at the beginning of the class because _ .
A he was not clever enough
B he wasn't interested in laughing at all
C he wasn't good at getting along with others
D he knew no one there and was afraid it would look silly to laugh for no reason
Answer: D. he knew no one there and was afraid it would look silly to laugh for no reason
Do you know why different animals or pests have their special colours? Colours in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves. Some birds like eating locusts. but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colours together with the change of the colours of crops. When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown colour as crops have. Some other pests with different colours from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves for lives and appear only at night. If you study the animal life, you'll find the main use of colouring is protecting themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be seen by hunters. This is because they have the colours much like the tree. Have you ever noticed an even more strange act? A kind of fish in the sea can send out a kind of very black liquid when it faces danger. While the liquid spread over, the enemies cannot find it. And it immediately swims away. So it has lived up to now though it isn't strong at all. Bears and lions can keep safe because they _ .
A have the colours much like the trees
B move quickly
C like brown and grey colours
D live in forests
Answer: A. have the colours much like the trees
Rene Descartes' explanation of pain has long been acknowledged in medicine. He proposed that pain is a purely physical phenomenon - that tissue injury makes specific nerves send a signal to the brain, causing the mind to notice pain. The phenomenon, he said, is like pulling on a rope to ring a bell in the brain. It is hard to overstate how deeply fixed this account has become. In medicine, doctors see pain in Descartes' terms-- as a physical process, a sign of tissue injury. The limitations of this explanation, however, have been apparent for some time, since people with obvious injuries sometimes report feeling no pain at all. Later, researchers proposed that Descartes' model be replaced with what they called the gate control theory of pain. They argued that before pain signals reach the brain, they must first go through a gating mechanism in the spinal cord . In some cases, this imaginary gate could simply stop pain signals from getting to the brain. Their most _ suggestion was that what controlled the gate was not just signals from sensory nerves but also emotions and other "output" from the brain. They were saying that pulling on the rope need not make the bell ring. The bell itself--the mind-- could stop it. This theory led to a great deal of research into how such factors as mood, gender, and beliefs influence the experience of pain. In a British study, for example, researchers measured pain threshold and tolerance levels in 53 ballet dancers and 53 university students by using a common measurement: after immersing your hand in body-temperature water for two minutes to establish a baseline condition, you put your hand in a bowl of ice water and start a clock running. You mark the time when it begins to hurt: that is your pain threshold. Then you mark the time when it hurts too much to keep your hand in the water: that is your pain tolerance. The test is always stopped at 120 seconds, to prevent injury. The results were striking. On average female students reported pain at 16 seconds and pulled their hands out of the ice water at 37 seconds. Female dancers were almost three times as long on both counts. Men in both groups had a higher threshold and tolerance for pain, but the difference between male dancers and male nondancers was nearly as large. What explains that difference? Probably it has something to do with the psychology of ballet dancers--a group known for self-discipline, physical fitness, and competitiveness, as well as by a high rate of chronic injury. Their driven personalities and competitive culture evidently accustom them to pain. Other studies along these lines have shown that outgoing people have greater pain tolerance and that, with training, one can reduce one's sensitivity to pain. There is also striking evidence that very simple kinds of mental suggestion can have powerful effects on pain. In one study of 500 patients undergoing dental procedures, those who were given a placebo injection and promised that it would relieve their pain had the least discomfort-- not only less than the patients who got a placebo and were told nothing but also less than the patients who got actual drug without any promise that it would work. Today it is abundantly evident that the brain is actively involved in the experience of pain and is no more bell on a string. Today every medical textbook teaches the gate control theory as fact. There's a problem with it, though. It explains people who have injuries but feel no pain, but it doesn't explain the reverse, which is far more common-- the millions of people who experience chronic pain, such as back pain, with no signs of injury whatsoever. So where does the pain come from? _ . The primary purpose of the passage is to _ .
A describe how modern research has updated an old explanation
B support a traditional view with new data
C promote a particular attitude towards physical experience
D suggest a creative treatment for a medical condition
Answer: A. describe how modern research has updated an old explanation
A sick little girl is being kept alive thanks to her best friend -- a dog who carries her oxygen tank on his back. Alida's faithful dog companion Mr Gibbs has been specially trained to shepherd the three-year-old, who breathes through a tube most of the time. He follows her closely as she plays in her family's ten-acre land in Louisville, uses the slide or even rides her bike.[:Z*xx*k.Com] Alida was diagnosed with neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy(NEHI)when she was just eight months old. Her rare condition has just eight hundred documented sufferers throughout the world, and causes diseased pieces of the lungs to filter oxygen through extra layers of cells, making it hard or almost impossible to breathe. For Alida and her parents, it meant that even a walk in the park was very difficult because oxygen equipment was too heavy for the youngster to be able to carry herself. As parents, they wanted to do something to help their daughter survive despite having a tube following her all the time. _ found out about "service dogs" from a TV program and realized an animal trained to help the blind could be trained to help Alida. They finally found help in the shape of golden doodle--a retriever crossed with a poodle-dog Mr Gibbs. Now thanks to trainer Ashleigh Kinsley--Alida and Mr Gibbs love nothing more than playing and running around together with the dog acting as Alida's life saver. When did the doctor know Alida caught the disease?
A At her birth.
B At the age of eight.
C Before she was one year old.
D When she was three years old.
Answer: C. Before she was one year old.
Liang Huili is the leader of Huana International Volunteer Service Group,with hundreds of students, young professionals and business leaders. They held a basketball match to help 150 poor students in western China with school supplies and winter clothes. She also worked with an organization in the US to raise money for children with heart disease. Born in Guangdong Province in 1942, Liang moved with her family to Taiwan at the age of seven. Liang taught at a primary school for seven years until her boyfriend went to America in 1969, one year after they got married. "We didn't have much money," she says, " so I started babysitting for other Chinese families and taking care of my own daughter at the same time." She also taught children Chinese at Chinese schools. What's more, she would help newly arrived Chinese families find apartments and work, and sometimes lend them money. "I remember those students from China who first came in 1986. They didn't have much money, and idea of what to do," Liang told us. " I then asked people in my neighborhood and my Chinese friends for donations -not only some money but also small electronic appliances needed for daily living." One of her experiences in Dayton, Ohio made her want to make volunteering a vocation . She remembers how she once collected two Chinese professors who had missed their flight and had no one there to pick them up. A friend told Liang about it, and she went to meet them herself around midnight. She found the men feeling lost in that strange country, where no one spoke their language. They didn't want to go to an American hotel, and didn't know how they would get to Columbus the next day. " So I talk to them and took them home with me," she says, " and today, I am still in touch with those two professors. We are good friends." Liang moved with her family to Taiwan when she was _ years old.
A six
B seven
C eight
D nine
Answer: B. seven
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Family traditions were important in our house, and none was more appreciated than the perfect Christmas tree "Dad, can we watch when you trim the tree?" My eldest son. Dan, nine, and his seven -year-old brother John, asked "I won't be cutting this year," my husband Bob said. "Dan, you and John are old enough to measure things. Do it all by yourselves. Think you boys can handle it? Dan and John seemed to _ in their chairs at the thought of such an amazing responsibility. "We can handle it." Dan promised. "We won't let you down." . A few days before Christmas. Dan and John rushed in after school. They gathered the tools they'd need and brought them out to the yard .where the tree waited. I was cooking when I heard the happy sounds as the boys carried the tree into the lying room. Then I heard the sound that every mother knows is trouble: dead silence I hurried out to them. The tree was cut too short. John crossed his arms tight across his chest. His eyes filled with angry tears. I felt worried The tree was central to our holiday. I didn't want the boys to feel ashamed every tune they looked at it. I couldn't lower the ceiling, and I couldn't raise the floor either. There was no way to undo the damage done. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind, which turned the problem into the solution. www..com "We can't make the tree taller." I said. "But we can put it on a higher position" Dan nodded his head sideways. "We could put it on the coffee table. It just might work! Let's try it!" When Bob got home and looked at the big tree on top of the coffee table, Dan and John held their breath. "What a good idea!" he declared "Why didn't I ever think of such a thing?" John broke into a grin Dan's chest swelled with pride. What the writer's husband said in the end showed _ .
A. he expected too much of the brothers _
B. he should not have given the brothers the task to trim the Christmas
C. he was too stupid to think of such an idea _
D. he really appreciated what the brothers had done.
Answer: D. he really appreciated what the brothers had done.
Dear Peter How about your study? It's Sunday today. I'm writing a letter to you. I'm going to tell you something in Beijing. Beijing is different from London. In our country, we drive on the left side of the road, but here people drive on the right side. Most people go to work by bus or by bike. The rush hours are from seven to nine in the morning and five to seven in the afternoon. People in China work around eight hours a day, five days a week. They usually begin to work at eight in the morning, and rest on Saturday and Sunday. I have Chinese classes every morning from Monday to Friday. The students in our class are from many countries. We're all working hard and friendly to each other. The Chinese students are ready to help us with our Chinese. We also help them a lot with their English. We are getting along very well. That's all for today. Please write to me soon. Yours Susan The letter is from _ .
A. a Chinese student to an English student
B. an English student to a Chinese student
C. a Chinese student to an American student
D. an English student to another English student
Answer: D. an English student to another English student
Pollution means adding dirty or harmful things to land, air, water and so on. As a result, they are no longer pleasant or safe to use. Pollution is bad for animals and plants, and it even makes people's health in danger. In our daily life, we can see different kinds of pollution in many places. There are three main forms of pollution: land pollution, air pollution and water pollution. Land pollution is caused by solid waste, such as cans, bottles and some plastic things which aren't broken down quickly. It makes the environment look very bad. However, air pollution is more serious than land pollution. It is much worse in cities and towns because of the fumes from traffic and the waste from human activities. When people drive their cars, fumes which are most made up of CO2, NO2 and SO2 are given off. After the gases get into the air, they may mix with clouds. Then they will become some harmful chemicals falling on the ground with rain. It is one of the reasons for soil erosion which is one example of water pollution. Various kinds of pollution will cause many health problems. People have realized they must change this serious situation. There are many ways to control pollution. To develop alternative energy is very popular in many countries. China, for example, has made up its mind to be a leader in this field. It is trying hard to make full use of energy from the sun and wind. It has paid plenty of money to make electric cars and trains instead of traditional traffic. We should also take action to make our environment cleaner every day. Take cloth bags while going shopping and drive cars less. We have only one earth. We must take steps now to help protect our environment for the future wherever we are. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Pollution hardly does harm to humans.
B. China doesn't want to develop alternative energy.
C. Air pollution will cause soil erosion and water pollution.
D. Land pollution is only caused by solid waste.
Answer: C. Air pollution will cause soil erosion and water pollution.
Ralph was an alligator that loved to splash around in the water. Ralph had three brothers, named Henry, Larry, and Thomas. But none of Ralph's three brothers liked to play in the water. They were very mean brothers, but the meanest of them all was Henry. Henry would always chase Ralph around the lake and try to beat him up when he was splashing around. Then on his birthday, Ralph thought of a great idea. His idea was to stop Henry from beating him by using a trick. He would trick Henry into thinking one side of the lake was scary. Ralph dressed up in a spooky costume and waited for Henry to swim over to the side of the lake. Then when Henry came over, Ralph started making spooky sounds and scared Henry back to the other side of the lake. Henry was so scared he never came to the other side of the lake again and Ralph was free to splash around in peace. How did Ralph trick Henry into thinking the lake was scary?
A. By swimming in the lake
B. By splashing him with water
C. By dressing up in a spooky costume.
D. By beating him
Answer: C. By dressing up in a spooky costume.
The organization representing British universities has expressed concern about the potential effect of tuition fees after figures showed a drop of more than 6% in student applications with less than a month to go before the deadline for 2013 applications. Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) showed there were 265,784 university applications by UK-based candiates up to 17 Decemeber, 6.3% down on the parallel period in the admissions cycle the year before. While this is less than the 8.4% year-on-uear fall seen in earlier Ucas figures, released in mid-November, the coming January deadline makes it ever more likely that the total 2013 applicant figure will see a second sizeable fall following the introduction of annual fees of up to PS9,000. Nicola Dandridge, the chairman of Universities UK, said : "However, we must be concerned about any drops in the numbers applying to university and in particular, we must look closely at how the increase in graduate contributions in England may be affecting the decisions of promising students. However ,the December figures show a drop in numbers across the UK, suggesting that it is not only a question of tuition fees in England putting off from applying." A report of the Uncas figures to mid-December shows a 6.5% fall for applicants in England and 11.7% for those in Wales, with smaller drops of 3.9% for Scotland and 0.5% for Nortern Ireland. Scotiish students at home insitiutions pay on fees, while those from Nothern Ireland have fees capped to PS3,575 for Northern Irish universities. Dandridge added: "No one should be put off applying to university because of worries about finance." "It is important that no one is put off applying to university because they do not have information about the student support available to them. Most new students don't need to pay directly. There will be more financial support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan repayments thatn they do now once they are in well paid jobs." A drop of more than 6% for 2013 applications is probably the effect of _ .
A. the increased tuition fees
B. the approaching deadline
C. the concern from applicants
D. the difficulties with applications
Answer: A. the increased tuition fees
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The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles. It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool? First we had to read about ancient Egyptians and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn't see what was so great about art. On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother's expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn't stop looking at this painting! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much. From the text, we can see _ .
the effect of art
As rules, laws are people's rights and responsibilities toward society. Laws are agreed on by society and made official by governments. Some persons look on laws with fear, hatred, or annoyance. Laws seem to limit people's freedom to do many things they would like to do. Though laws may prevent us from doing things we wish to do at the moment, laws make everyone's life safer and more pleasant. Without laws we could not hold on to our property; we could not go to bed at night expecting to wake up in the morning and find that we had not been robbed; no stores in which we buy food, clothes, and other necessities could stay open and sell to us. Our banks would not be safe places to keep our money. Social life would be impossible without laws to control the way people treat one another. It is not the laws that should be feared but the trouble that comes to everyone when laws are broken. Once this is understood, a citizen will not fear or hate the law. Understanding the need for good laws and the evil results of breaking laws is the first requirement of good citizenship and government. Philosophers once believed that in prehistoric time people lived without laws in a "state of nature". People were free to do as they pleased unless someone stronger stopped them by force. As a result, life became so dangerous and unsafe that leaders had to create laws to protect life and property. This is no longer believed to be true. Scholars now think that as soon as people began living in small groups, they worked out rules for getting along with one another. In time everyone accepted and supported the rules. Manners, customs and beliefs controlled the living habits and behavior of the group. Such rules and habits of life are called folkways. Folkways are probably the real meaning of human laws, as well as of religion, morals, and education. As life became more complex, folkways became more complete guides to living. After thousands of years, some of the important folkways were put into writing as the earlier laws. And as life grew more and more complicated with faster transportation and the rise of modern industry and big cities, more human acts and interests had to be ruled by law. This led to a great increase in the number of laws. But we know that unless laws are enforced, they cannot protect us. Poorly enforced laws invite crime and violence. So we agree that the best protection against crime is planned social change and law reform -- to reduce the causes of crime and to encourage people to obey the laws. Such a solution would join a sound system of law enforcement with forces working to prevent crime. To attain this goal, all citizens must understand the need for good laws and for their enforcement. Which of the following statement is NOT TRUE?
In prehistoric time people lived happily without laws in a "state of nature".
Which of the following activities is the best example of instinctive behavior in an animal?
A newly hatched sea turtle walks toward the ocean.
While football fans feel strongly angry about mistakes made by referees because they cannot see clearly what has happened, a small German company is quietly pleased. For Cairos Technologies, mistakes made by referees are the kind of advertising that money cannot buy. The company has developed a tiny chip that fits inside a football and determines whether the ball has crossed the goal line, by being able to discover its exact location on the field. The world football organization, FIFA, has shown interest in the technology. It is very possible that the new technology will be used in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. "We've been testing the technology at the main soccer stadium in Nuremberg for some time and more recently in an under-17 FIFA Cup in Peru," said Gunter Rohmer, a director of the company. "The technology has performed well, and we're pretty optimistic that it will be used at the games in Germany next year." The chip only weighs 12 grams, and is placed in the center of the football. It sends 2,000 signals a second to a receiver network of 12 antennas , placed around the field. The receivers then send information about the ball's location to a central computer, and because it works in real time, it can immediately tell the referee whether a goal has been scored. The chip even can tell when the ball crosses the line in mid-air. Oliver Braun, one of the inventors of the chip, says that _ from German referees was generally positive. Germany sports-wear giant Adidas is also optimistic about using this kind of chip in other ball sports. FIFA aims to test the technology later this year at another game in Japan before deciding whether or not to introduce it in all 12 stadiums in Germany for next year's World Cup. Carlos Technologies is pleased because _ .
their new product will have a good market
Are you a person who has high EQ? If you want to be a successful man, you should have high EQ. Some people even say that EQ is more important than IQ. I think so. So we can know the importance of having high EQ. If you don't have high EQ, try to make yourself become a person with a good temper . In this way, your EQ may become higher and higher. Here are some ways for you to control your temper when you are angry . Don't say anything when you are in a bad mood because it's possible for you to hurt others. In fact, maybe you don't mean to hurt them. Take a deep breath when you can't stop your anger. In this way, you will feel relaxed and you won't be that _ . When you are angry, ask yourself some questions: "Why am I so angry?" "Do I have to be so irritated?" "What will happen if I don't get angry?" So, try the ways above. Everything could be simple since you try to think it in other ways. What is the writer's opinion about EQ and IQ?
EQ is more important than IQ.
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Ceaseless technology. A punishing workweek. That to -do list that keeps multiplying. It is no wonder many of us find it difficult to have a sufficient amount of sleep. But will sleeping more on the weekend make up for hours of lost snoozing ? One sleep expert, W. Christopher Winter raised the question. Sleeping binge Getting eight hours of shut-eye each night is generally recommended, but many people don't. As the week rolls from Monday to Friday, they accumulate a sleep debt. Spending a few extra hours in bed on a Saturday morning, people assume, will help them " catch up" on lost sleep. They're likely right, " Nobody knows how long the horizon is, probably a few nights, but studies show that recovery sleep in the short term does work," says Dr. Winter, a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Sleep banking Recent data suggests that banking sleep in advance of a long night can actually offset upcoming sleep deprivation . If you knew you were going to have to stay up all night on a particular day, for example, you could sleep for 10 hours a day for multiple days before the event, and be fine, Dr. Winter says. Just plan ahead. Routine naps A scheduled nap is healthier than catching up on or banking sleep. " Because sleep extension can make you feel groggy , I always recommend a short nap [if a person feels they need it ], at the same time, every day," says Dr. Winter. He adds that 25 minutes is ideal. " When you schedule a short nap, your body anticipates it and slows down, without falling into a deep dream sleep," he says. That refreshing, scheduled break is better than an occasional weekend lie-in. " The body likes routine," he says, " When it's prepared, it works more efficiently." From Monday to Friday, many people _ .
Answer:
How clean are the nation's homes? According to a survey by CIF, there's room for improvement all over Britain. Love or hate it -- cleaning your home is one job you simply can't ignore . But that's not to say everyone spends the same amount of time or effort on making their places spotless. A new survey by CIF-- experts on making tough cleaning jobs easier---- shows that when it comes to washing windows or cleaning the oven ,where you live in the UK it may show how much effort you put into the task. BATHROOM 25% of men have never cleaned the toilet -- but those in Wales are the worst. Nearly four in 10 Welsh men said they never cleaned anywhere in the house. Hate cleaning the shower head? You're not alone -- a quarter of a million Brits say the same. 20% of Scots regard window-cleaning as their most hated job. KITCHEN 36% of people in the south-east say cleaning the cooker is their hated task. 68% of those in the north-east spend more than six hours a week cleaning their homes -- especially the kitchen -- in sharp contrast to the 49% of Welsh and West Country folk, who put their hands up to cleaning for under an hour. BEDROOM 18% believe cleaning starts here: that's the percentage of women who clean wearing their dressing gowns. 51% of women in the north-west may be staying in bed and giving their husband a cuddle --as a thank-you for helping them clean. In other places, there are far fewer helpful men. LIVING ROOM 32% of women in the north-east turn up the stereo to help make the dusting more fun. Almost six in 10 women agree, however, that cleaning is seriously energetic exercise. SHIFT THE DIRT WITH CIF It's no secret that the right cleaning products will cut cleaning time and effort in half-- and no one knows that better than How Clean Is Your house? Presenters Aggie Mackenzie and Kim Woodburn. For solutions to all your cleaning needs, here are some of CIF's top tips: *Stop a lot of build-up on your shower head--give it a quick squirt with CIF bathroom spray once a week. *Stainless steel tools seem to need endless cleaning. The CIF Wild Qrchid Qxy-Gel-it lifts dirt easily and leaves the kitchen smelling fresh and clean. *Cooking outside? CIF cream will get your barbecue spotlessly clean, ready for those long, lazy summer evenings. Perfect! CIF in the passage probably refers to _ .
Answer:
There is a library in our school. It is near our classroom. It is on the first floor. Our school library is not very big, but it is very nice. There are many books in the library. Some are in Chinese, some are in English. I like reading very much. I often go there to borrow books. The _ is a woman. She is very good. We all like her very much. Which of the following is NOT true ?
Answer:
Researchers recently discovered a gene in humans that previously was unknown to science. Which statement best explains why the gene probably was not discovered much sooner?
Answer:
TODAY, Friday, November 12 JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen. DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8a. m. to 8p. m. Tel: 682--1158. SATURDAY, November 13 JAZZ Lysis at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 60p. MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789--6749. FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond. JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 80p. THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion . Tel: 789--4536 SUNDAY, November 14 DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m. FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688--4626. HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen. THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion. You want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. Which telephone number do you have to ring to find out what time it starts?
Answer:
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What do Napoleon, Clinton and Wang Nan have in common? They are all left-handed. Today about 15% of the people are left-handed. But why are people left-handed? The answer is the way the brain works. The brain has two halves---the right half and the left half. The right half controls the left side of the body, and the left half controls the right side of the body. So right-handed people have a strong left brain, and the left -handed people have a strong right brain. The two halves of the brain are about the same size. But each side controls different things. The left side controls language, Maths and logic . When you remember new words, or when you put things in order, you use your left side. The right side of the brain controls colour and music. It is also good at recognizing faces. This does not mean that all artists are left-handed and all accountants are right-handed. Some right-handers have a strong right brain, and some left-handers have a strong left brain. When you are singing, you are using your _ .
hunting means humans stalk and murder animals in
It seems that Great Wall is the place to rock. There will be two parties held on the Great Wall this month. Great Wall I The latest Great Wall party is sponsored by the Club and electrobeat and held at Jinshanling. Local DJ Mark ,as well as guest Slab from Australia ,Usami and Bobby from Hong Kong will spin the sounds. All drinks are priced at 20 yuan($2.4). Tickets:200 yuan($24), including bus ride there and back plus entrance fee to the Great Wall. T/D: 8 p.m. to 2 a. m., Sept.20. Pre-sale tickets are available at: Public Space: 6416-0759 Neo Lounge: 6416-1077 Location: Buses leave at 5 p.m. on Saturday ,Sep. 20 from Neo Lounge, 99 Xinfuncun Zhonglu, Sanlitun, Chaoyan District. For more info: www. elektrobeat.com Great Wall II The other party at the end of this month at Jinshanling will be kick-started with live performances by Askar, Brain Failure, Longkuan, Supermarket, Mr.Zhou, Beijing Talking and the Yi band. Dance till dawn to the groovy sounds of DJs Ben ,Mickey Zhang ,Will, Cheese, Gao Hu and Huang Weiwei. T/D: 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. ,Sept. 27. Tickets: 350 yuan($42)or 300 yuan($36) for groups of 10 or more, 500 yuan ($60) at the door and VIP tickets 800 yuan($72), transportation included.. Location: Buses depart from the north gate of Workers, Stadium at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., Sept. 27. For more info: contact Li Zhenhua at lzh@msgp.org or call 133-2119-1731. If you want to go Great Wall Rock , _ .
The industrial age has been the only period of human history in which most people's work has taken the form of jobs. The industrial age may now be coming to an end, and some of changes in work patterns which it brought may have to be reversed. This seems a discouraging thought. But, in fact, it could offer the prospect of a better future for work. Universal employment, as its history show, hasn't meant economic freedom. Employment became widespread when the enclosures of the 17th and 18th centuries made many people dependent on paid work by taking them away from the use of the land, and thus from the means to provide a living for themselves. Then the factory system destroyed the cottage industries and removed work from people's homes. Later, as transport improved, first by rail and then by road, people traveled longer distances to their place of employment until, eventually, many people's work lost all connection with their home lives and the places in which they lived. Meanwhile, employment put women at a disadvantage. In pre-industrial times, men and women had shared the productive work of the household and village community. Now it became customary for the husband to go out to paid employment, leaving the unpaid work of the home and family to his wife. Tax and benefit regulations still assume this norm today, and restrict more flexible sharing of work roles between sexes. It was not only women whose work status suffered. As employment became the dominant form of work, young people and old people were kept out -- a problem now, as more teenagers disappointed and annoyed at school and more retired people want to live active lives. All this may now have to change. The time has certainly come to switch some efforts and resources away from the utopian goal of creating jobs for all, to the urgent practical task of helping many people to manage without full-time jobs. Before the industrial age women played _ .
The snow went on falling, and they could see only a few meters in front of them. "We should go back," said Judy.She was afraid. "But where is the path ?" Everything was covered with snow.The sky was grey."What's the time?" asked Paul.Judy looked at her watch."Nearly 5 o'clock.It gets dark in an hour." "We must start walking, and hope we find the path.I think the snow's stopping."said Paul.But it wasn't stopping.The wind was strong.It blew around them, cold and wet. "Just keep going downhill."said Judy."We can't go wrong." Then Paul fell on some rocks.He shouted."Judy! I've hurt my leg!" He couldn't stand up.His leg hurt too much. "I'll have to phone for help."said Judy."I hope the mobile phone works up here!" Luckily it did.They phoned the mountain service ."Don't move! shouted the man on the phone.Stay where you are, we're sending a team there." They were not far from the path, so the team found them easily.They were lucky! People often get into trouble when they climb the mountains.You must always tell someone where you are going and take a mobile phone with you.Mountain is a dangerous place to be if things go wrong! Where was the path?
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In the year 1986 there was a terrible explosion . The explosion was at a nuclear power plant in Ukraine. The radiation caused a lot of damage. It polluted the soil and other things. People were living in the area when the explosion happened. More than twenty years later those people are still suffering. The _ of the explosion will go on for a long time. Over two million people still live in that area. Only 56 people died from the explosion but many other problems have been caused because of it. Some types of cancer are more than 200 times above the world average . Many children have cancer now and children born with problems have doubled since the accident. Some people in the United States are worried about the children living in the explosion area. One group has been trying to raise money. They are called the Chenobyl Children's Project. They want to bring children from Ukraine to the U.S. each summer. A spokesperson for the group says that radiation is the highest in the summertime so it is a good time to get the children out of the country. They want to help the children get away for a little while. The Project wants them to be safe from radiation. It costs $1,500 to bring each child to the United States for six weeks. The group raised enough money to bring 28 children to the United States last year. The children were able to do lots of fun things. They enjoyed clean air, healthy food, and plenty of outdoor fun. One little nine-year-old girl who got to come to the United States said that she likes America. The spokesperson says that the children that come to America during the summer miss less school when they return home because they have a long summer vacation. Why does the group bring children to the U.S. in summer?
Because the radiation is the highest in summer.
When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped on to the stage of Britain's Got Talent and announced she was unemployed and had never been married, few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms. Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical Les Miserables on a show of "Britain's Got Talent", one of the hottest reality shows in Britain. She couldn't hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone--including the judges--seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone present fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end. After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, "Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I've had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing." Actress Amanda Holden followed, "I am so thrilled because I know that everybody was against you. I honestly think that we were all being cynical and I think that's the biggest wake-up call ever." Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore--who between them have nearly 1.5 million followers--speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip . The Scottish talent made her live American debut via satellite connection on CBS's The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Now Boyle has become one of the world's hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on YouTube, becoming a hit on the Internet. Not long ago she came to China and was warmly welcomed. We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle _ .
rose from a low social background
DID you get a flu shot this year? For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the prefix = st1 /USis recommending that all children aged from 6 months to 18 years receive the flu vaccine. Vaccines battle diseases caused by bacteria and viruses. A weakened form of the germ is introduced into the body. The body makes special substances called antibodies to fight the germs. If the actual germs were to attack, the antibodies would fight it. Because there are many kinds of flu viruses, scientists must create a new vaccine formula each year. Researchers must make a prediction. It is like forecasting the weather. Sometimes they are right on, and sometimes they are off. But even when the vaccinedoes not closely match circulating flu types, it can make the illness less serious. "The flu vaccine is not as effective as the polio vaccine or the measles vaccine," says Dr William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "It's not a great vaccine, but it is quite a good vaccine." But a flu vaccine doesn't work for everyone. There are certain people who should be careful about taking it. Because the vaccine is produced in eggs, those who are allergic to eggs should not take it. If you have a fever, you should wait until you recover. Some people are afraid that they might get the flu from the flu shot. Scientists say that it is not possible, because the viruses in the flu shot are inactivated. But some minor side effects such as low-grade fever and body ache could occur. If they do, they begin soon after the shot and usually last only one to two days. Did you know? Smallpox was the first disease people tried to prevent by putting a virus into a healthy person. In 1796, English scientist Edward Jenner placed some infected material under a boy's skin. We can infer from the passage that_.
all the flu vaccines are not effective for everyone
Let's Go See Papa is a lovely children's book. In this book, a little girl tells about her life while her dad is working far away from her. "I haven't seen my dad for one year, eight months and twenty-two days," the girl writes in her journal. She writes everything she has done so that her father will never miss a day. Sunday is the cheapest day for long-distance phone calls, so that day is special to the girl and her mother. One Sunday phone call brings surprising news. Dad tells his daughter that she and Mom will finally be able to come and live with him in the United States. The girl feels happy, because she can see her father again. But she has to leave her dog and her best friend Rocio behind. A few days later, Mom and the little girl go to the airport. They have to say goodbye to the happy days they spent here. When does the girl's father usually call her and her mother?
On Sundays.
Is your schoolbag too heavy to carry? The e-schoolbag will help you. It is said that e-schoolbags are going to be brought into use in Chinese middle schools soon. In fact, the e-schoolbag should perhaps be called an e-textbook. It is a small computer for students. Heavy schoolbags are a problem for them. But the e-schoolbag will change everything. It is much lighter than a usual schoolbag. Also it is as small as a usual book, but it can still hold all the things for study, such as a textbook, an exercise book and so on. They can be made into chips that are as small as a stamp. The students can read the text page by page on the _ , take notes, or even send e-mails to their teachers. All they have to do is to put the right chip into the e-schoolbag and press a button . Some say that e-textbooks can be easily broken; some say it is not good to students' eyes. But only time will tell. The e-schoolbag is _ .
much lighter than a usual schoolbag
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It's really true what people say about English politeness: it's everywhere.When squeezing past someone in a narrow aisle, people say "sorry".When getting off a bus, English passengers say "thank you" rather than the driver.In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others sometimes can't be avoided.and the bus driver is merely doing his job.I used lo think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles and came to appreciate some more polite ways of communicating with people. People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time.When people buy something in a shop, customer and retail assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more.In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation.British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room.English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs as opposed to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough. Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others.Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me.my employers stressed several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism.It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable.This also is shown in other ways.British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men.However, 1 do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men' Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted. What can we learn about customers and retail assistants in Germany?
Answer:
The Canadian red and white maple leaf flag is officially called the National Flag of Canada. The Canadian flag shows a stylized red maple leaf with 11 points on a white background, with red borders down each side. The Canadian flag is twice as long as it is wide. The white square containing the red maple leaf is the same width as the flag. The red and the white used in the National Flag of Canada were proclaimed the official colors of Canada in 1921 by King George V. Although the maple leaf did not have its official status as a symbol of Canada until the announcement of the national flag in 1965, it had historically been used as a Canadian symbol, and was used in 1860 in decorations for the visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada. The 11 points on the maple leaf have no special significance. In the early days,the Royal Union Flag,or the Union Jack, was still flown in British North America. In 1925 and again in 1946, the Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King tried to get a national flag of Canada adopted, but failed. In 1964,Prime Minister Lester Pearson appointed a 15-member, all-party committee to come up with a design for a new flag. The committee was given six weeks to complete its task. The committee studied 2,000 submitted designs as well as 3,900 that had been gathered as a result of the 1946 committee's study. Those designs with a chance of being accepted were given to the full committee for further study. The suggestion of a red and white single maple leaf design for the Canadian flag came from George Stanley, a professor at the Royal Military College. After a heated discussion, _ finally decided on his suggestion. The passage is mainly about _ .
Answer:
When you cough or sneeze, you'd better turn your head away from others and cover your mouth with the full part of your hand. And then, you should say, "Excuse me." This seems so simple, but it is surprising how many kids have never been told to do this. Actually, I notice adults all the time who cough and sneeze in public without placing a hand over the mouth. One important thing I point out to the kids is that after they sneeze or cough on their hands, they should wash their hands as soon as possible. If not, they will be passing those germs along to everything and everyone they touch. If you come to a door and someone is following you, hold the door. If the door opens by pulling, pull it open, stand to the side, and allow the other person to pass. After a few weeks of seeing kids try to get through doors in the school and watching them enter restaurants as the door hit other people, I knew I had to discuss the problem with my students. Teaching them small acts of kindness, such as letting someone else go through a door first as they hold it open, may seem unimportant, but it can go a long way toward helping students realize how to be polite and think others. Once they've been told, they're halfway there. When we have to go up moving stairs, we will stand to the right. That will give others who are in a hurry a choice of walking up the left-hand side of the moving stairs. When we are going to enter a lift, the underground, of a doorway, we will wait for others to exit before we enter. After college when I moved to London, I was surprised at how polite everyone was in the subways. I was even more touched when I traveled to Japan. In both places, people made effort to make way for others. On moving stairs, everyone stood to the right and walked to the left. On lifts, everyone would stand over to the side and allow others to exit before they would begin to enter. From the passage we can know the writer is a _ .
Answer:
A chip inserted in a young quadriplegic's brain is already improving his quality of life. Soon the benefits may be more widespread. A 25-year-old man unable to move from the neck down recently did what many assumed impossible. After a knife attack that had left him paralyzed, all he could move was his head, which he used to push a switch and call for a nurse. And he could turn his wheelchair by blowing into a straw near his face. That was it. Then last June, a Foxborough (Mass.) company called Cyber Kinetics opened the man's skull and inserted a special chip no larger than a baby aspirin. That insert has given him a few additional and precious abilities. When connected to a special computer via a cable, the chip translates the young man's thoughts into commands that let him move a cursor across a PC screen and open e-mail. He can draw a circle with a computer painting program. And he can use a robotic hook to perform simple tasks like picking up a candy and sliding it across a table. All he has to do is to think. Several new studies have begun or been completed in the past year. In fact, more than half of the scientific papers in this field, called brain-to-computer interaction (BCI), have been published in the past two years, notes Jonathan Wolpaw, a research physician at Wadsworth Center, the New York State Health Dept.'s research laboratory. Brain surgeries are no longer rare: Thousands of Parkinson's disease patients have had special devices inserted in their brains to ease uncontrollable shaking and other symptoms. The inserts themselves have improved, so the body doesn't reject them as furiously . And significant development has been achieved in software used to interpret the brain's signals and change them into commands understood by computers. But increased demand for thought technology remains the biggest reason for the field's progress. Today, 4 million Americans live with paralysis according to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. Scientists hope that thought technology will reduce the impact of such disabilities. People with spinal-cord injuries, for example, often lose their ability to walk because the communications network between their brain and their legs has been interrupted. The brain still commands the leg muscles to move, but they don't hear its orders. Thought technology, scientists hope, will bridge this communications gap. "Our goal is for you to see paralyzed people eating at a restaurant and for you not to know that they are paralyzed," says John Donoghue, founder and chief scientific officer at Cyber Kinetics. What plays the most important role in improving the young man's quality of life?
Answer:
Can you remember the day when you spoke your first word? If you can, you are unusual. Try to imagine what first few months of your life were like. I am sure you just spent most of your time eating, sleeping and crying. As you grow older, you were awake more of the time. It took your parents more time to play with you and talk to you. You watched and listened curiously. You began to know that people made certain sounds to go with certain things. Then you began to try making the sounds you heard. And step by step you were able to make the right sound for one thing.On that day you came to understand the secret of language. The secret is that a certain sound means a certain thing. One sound might be as good as another. But it is no good as a word unless everybody agrees on its meaning. Only when a group of people use the same set of sounds of things, can they understand each other. Then, and only then do these people have a LANGUAGE. After you found the secret of language, you learned words. Some of the words meant things, such as BOOKS, CHAIRS and SHOES. Some words meant doing things, such as GO and SWIM. And other words describe things, such as GOOD and DIRTY. Soon you learned to put words together to express one's idea, such as "I want to go out and play with my friends." This is language. By means of language people can communicate. So we say languages are means of communication. The aim in using language is _ .
Answer:
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You wouldn't steal a car. You would never rob a bank or pick someone's pocket. But you may be another kind of thief. If you have ever bought a disc for 15 yuan or less, then you have helped to rob artists or musicians of their intellectual properly rights . Last Thursday was World Intellectual Property Day. Activities to tell people about intellectual property rights were held around the country. Intellectual property includes inventions, literary and artistic works, names, and pictures. They are of little value if they are not read, seen and used. While the cost of copying discs is very small, authors, singers and actors have to spend a lot of money and time making a new product. That's why they have the right to make money from their work. So buying pirated music of Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai is like stealing from them, paying them no respect for their hard work. If Jay Chou cannot make money from his work, he may not make anything else. But those who make pirated goods are becoming rich without doing any hard work. The authors should ask for a fair price for their work. Earlier this year there was much talk about how much KTV clubs should pay the music companies for using their songs. The copyright fee also should be fair to the users. That's good for the music's popularity and society as well. What is the author's attitude towards protecting intellectual property rights7
A He is for it.
B He is against it.
C He doesn't care about it.
D The article doesn't tell us.
Answer: A. He is for it.
One day the employees of a large company in St Louis,Missouri returned from their lunch break and were greeted with a sign on the front door. The sign said:"Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym." At first everyone was sad to hear that one of their colleagues had died,but after a while they started getting curious about who this person might be. The excitement grew as the employees arrived at the gym to pay their last respects. Everyone wondered:"Who is this person that was hindering my progress? Well,at least he's no longer here." One by one the employees got closer to the coffin and when they looked inside it they became speechless. They stood over the coffin,shocked and in silence,as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul. There was a mirror inside the coffin:Everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said. "There is only one person who can set limits to your growth:it is YOU." You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness,your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself. Your life does not change when your family changes,when your friends change,when your boss changes,and when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change,when you go beyond your limiting beliefs,when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life. People were speechless when they looked inside the coffin because _ .
A there was nothing but a mirror inside
B they could see their own souls inside
C their closest colleague lay inside
D what was inside told a great truth
Answer: D. what was inside told a great truth
Our historic1740 Shenandoah Valley Bed and Breakfast is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the beauty and history of the Valley. Once a haven against Indian attacks on the Virginia frontier and later Stonewall Jackson's headquarters during the Valley Campaign of 1862, our Shenandoah Valley inn(small hotel) now welcomes travelers looking for comfortable bed and board and friendly welcome. On Route11,the Old Valley Turnpike, only two miles from Interstate 81 at Woodstock, the inn has a country atmosphere on five private acres along the Shenandoah River. The inn offers 12 guest rooms, a well-equipped meeting room for small managing meetings, many common areas, and lovely grounds to host sendoffs and family gatherings. A hearty Inn at Narrow Passage breakfast will get your day off to a great start! If you have special food needs, tell us ahead of time, and we will try to have just what you need. "We had a wonderful four-day stay. Quiet and peaceful with the warmth of fireplaces in the room and bar to comfort and relax you. Ed and Ellen make you feel like family. Breakfast was outstanding." A visitor said. After a busy day of hiking or sightseeing, return for a cool drink on the porch in summer or hot, spiced tea by the fire in winter. In the evening, walk down to the river to feed the ducks, or maybe spend a little time fishing. We hope you'll be able to visit us soon. We'll do all we can to make your stay a happy one. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A It's a little hard for people to book a room in the inn.
B The inn can serve the guests according to their tastes.
C Many young couples prefer to hold their weddings there.
D Everyone would like to have their breakfast in the inn.
Answer: B. The inn can serve the guests according to their tastes.
Last week Lu visited England. He stayed with my grandmother. He found it was strange. 'I don't know why, but I frightened your grandmother a lot. When I arrived, I gave her a purse from Dongtai. She looked in it and asked me to take it back. Then I saw a red spider on the table, and I killed it for her. She seemed very unhappy. Do English people like spiders? 'Later we went shopping. Someone was painting a shop front, so there was a ladder. Grandmother stopped me from walking under it and said I must walk around it. I liked the shops and bought some lovely rose soap for my mother, a smart umbrella for my father and some new shoes for myself. When we got back, I put the shoes on the table and opened the umbrella to check if it was all right. Your grandmother came in and screamed! 'Then I broke a small mirror in the bathroom. Your grandmother's face went white. I felt very sorry. When I left, I gave your grandmother some flowers. She counted and there were 13. She didn't like them.' I explained to Lu, 'My grandmother follows the old customs. You must not give someone an empty purse, or they will have no money. You must not kill a "money spider", or the same will happen. Also it is very unlucky to walk under a ladder or put new shoes on the table. An open umbrella in a house means someone will die. Breaking a mirror brings seven years' bad luck, and 13 is also a very unlucky number. You were really making my grandmother very afraid.' Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A Thirteen is an unlucky number in England.
B It is very unlucky to walk under a ladder or put new shoes on the table in England.
C For most British people, breaking a mirror means bad luck.
D People never give purses as presents in England.
Answer: D. People never give purses as presents in England.
Think about the longest elevator ride that you've ever taken. Whether you rose five or 100 floors, it probably took less than a few minutes. Now imagine riding in an elevator higher and higher as it climbs for nearly a day. When you reach the top floor, prepare for views that are really out of this world. You'll be in space! Space elevators might sound like a crazy idea, but they're something scientists have been working on for decades. At the moment, riding in a capsule is the only way ordinary people can get to and from space. But those rides are very expensive---about $ 25 million per person per flight. Now scientists are making efforts to reduce the expense of those rides. Researchers are still figuring out the details about how a space elevator might work. One idea is stretching a very long cable -- more than 37,000 kilometers -- up to space from the earth's equator . Objects in space above the equator orbit (......) the earth at the same speed that our planet turns. A weight on the end of the cable would stretch it tight. An elevator tied to the cable could use _ to climb up and down. The only problem is that besides being long, this cable must also be very strong. Storms, including hurricanes might break it. One way to solve this problem is to stretch the cable from the moon instead of from the earth. Airplanes designed to climb higher than a typical jet might take off from the earth and link up with the cable, which would be held in place by the pull of gravity from the earth. An elevator car waiting there would then take riders the rest of the way to the moon. Fueled by solar power, the elevator could transport people and materials without much expense or effort per ride. Why have scientists been working on space elevators?
A To make trips to space cheaper.
B To help astronauts do research in space.
C To find a more convenient way to the moon.
D To prove an assumption which seems crazy.
Answer: A. To make trips to space cheaper.
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The earth is the only planet that scientists think has life. Why does the earth have life while the other planets don't? For one thing, the earth is just the right temperature. As from the sun, the earth seems to be just the right distance away. The planets which are closer to the sun are hot that their surfaces bake in the sun. The farthest planets are cold balls. When the earth developed -- which scientists believe may have happened about 4 billion years ago -- many gases covered the earth. The gases caused the earth to be hot. But something wonderful happened. The temperature was just right for thick clouds to form. It rained very hard for a very long time. This gave the earth its oceans. Water made it possible for plants to grow. The plants created oxygen in the atmosphere. Oxygen is the gas that humans and animals breathe. Only one other planet in the solar system seems to be something like the earth. That planet is Mars . Mars is smaller than the earth, and it is quite a bit cooler. But it is not too cold for humans. On some days, the temperatures are as low as a winter day in the northern United States. If you wore a special space suit, you could walk around on Mars. You would have to bring your own air to breathe, the air on Mars is too thin to breathe. Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system. It is sixteen miles high. The highest volcano on the earth is five miles high. The most unexpected sight on Mars is dried up river beds. Scientists believe that Mars was once much better than it is now. Does this mean there could have been living things on Mars? Scientists are not sure, but there has been no sign so far. Which of the following about the Mars is NOT true?
Answer:
A man enters a store to buy milk. He walks out of the store with milk. That is all--milk. At the same time, a woman enters the same grocery store also to buy milk. She buys it. But, she also buys chicken and lemons to make dinner that night. She also gets a bottle of wine for drinks with friends and a birthday card for her husband's niece. And that is the difference between the female and male brains simply explained in a grocery store. Generally speaking, men do one thing at a time. Women do many. Doing many things at one time is often called "multi-tasking," a very popular word these days. Now scientific research supports this theory about male and female brains. A recent study has confirmed what we have known all along--men and women think differently. Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania studied brain images of 949 people aged from 8 to 22 years old. They found that male brains have more connections on one side of the brain, or hemisphere. In the female brain, they found more activity and connections between the right and left sides of the brain. The left side of the brain is known as the side of "reason". The right hemisphere is known as the "creative" side. Regina Verma is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She co-wrote the report. She says when women are asked to do something complicated they might use different parts of the brain. But men generally use just one. As a result, men generally deal directly with a problem. There is a strong connection between the "understanding" and the "action" parts of their brains. Women, however, might include other parts of the brain, like the part connected with "reason" and the part connected with sensitivity when solving a problem. Women take a less direct path to find a solution. Thanks for your listening. I'm your announcer Anna Matteo. When asked to do something complicated, men .
Answer:
A: Good afternoon. Are you Zhang Li? B: Yes, I am. A: Is Li your family name? B: No, Li is my given name. My family name is Zhang. What's your name? A: My name is Alice. I'm from the USA. B: Nice to meet you, Alice. A: Nice to meet you, too! I'm a student in Sunny Middle School. B: Oh, great! We are in the _ school. I'm in Class Three, Grade Seven. What class are you in? A: I'm in Class Four, Grade Seven. B: My English teacher is Mr. Miller. He is from the USA, too. Is he your English teacher? A: No, he isn't. He's my father. B: Oh? That's good. My QQ number is 2521786. Do you use QQ? A: No, I don't . But you can call me at 789-0765. B: OK, my phone number is 675-4721. A:OK! See you! B: Bye! Alice is in Class _ Grade _ .
Answer:
With her adopted son, she travels the world making movies and dispensing hope. Angelina Jolie lives in two worlds: Hollywood, where she makes movies and stays in five-star hotels, and the refugee camps of Africa and Asia, where she works with the UN, bringing hope to the homeless. She feels most alive, most herself, she says, working with refugees, yet still feel grateful for life. At 24, Jolie won an Oscar for playing in Girl Interrupted, but found little satisfac-tion in stardom or the wealth that came with it. The daughter of actor Jon Voight and actress Marcheline Bertrand, she had already seen the downside of celebrity--her parents divorced when Jolie was a child. And she always burst into tears when metioned that. After she finished shooting Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Jolie volunteered to be a UN ambassador and returned to Cambodia to visit refugee camps. She found a calling, and realized that her fame and money could be used to accomplish a world of good. Now the mother of son Maddox, 3, whom she adopted in Cambodia, Angelina Jolie hopes to adopt more children. We caught up with her in Beverly Hills on a day away from the set. She talked to us about her role as the mother of Alexander the Great (played by Colin Farrell) in her new movie, Alexander, her passion for helping the homeless, and her longing for a partner with whom she might share it all. From the article we can learn that Angelina Jolie _ .
Answer:
Mrs Turner's telephone number was 3463, and the number of he cinema in town was 3464. People often made mistakes and telephoned her when they actually wanted the cinema. One evening the telephone rang and Mrs Turner answered it. A tired man's voice came over the phone, "At what time does your last film begin?""I'm sorry," said Mrs Turner, "but you have the wrong number. This is not the cinema." "Oh, it began twenty minutes ago?" said the man. "I'm sorry about that. Well, good-bye." Mrs Turner was very surprised, so she told her husband. He laughed and said, "No, that wasn't a mistake. The man's wife wanted to go to the cinema, but he was feeling tired, so he telephoned the cinema. His wife heard him, but she didn't hear you. Now they will stay at home this evening, and the husband will be happy." Mrs Turner was surprised because the tired man _ .
Answer:
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Deben was charged with using a forged prescription from a Dr. Kohl to obtain Percodan® from Smith's Drugstore on May 1. At trial, Smith identified Deben as the customer, but Deben testified that he had not been in the store. In rebuttal, the prosecutor calls Wallman and Witler to testify that on May 1 a man they identified as Deben had presented prescriptions for Percodan® from a Dr. Kohl at, respectively, Wallman's Drugs and Witler's Drugstore. Wallman's and Witler's testimony is
admissible, to identify the man who presented the prescription at Smith's Drugstore.
I used to live in Kobe in Japan. On my way home on the bus every evening I used to look for an old man who often played his saxophone near the river. I couldn't hear his music because the windows were closed on the bus but I imagined it to be loud and clear. I wanted to be like that man. One night I went to Himeji, a city not far from Kobe. As I walked with my family along the river I saw a statue. It was a young man who looked just like me. He was wearing a cap and smiling. Around his neck was a leather strap and in his hands was a saxophone. He was lifting the saxophone to his lips and he was just about to play. I stayed there for a long time by the statue dreaming of playing a saxophone on TV. Two weeks later it was my birthday. Imagine my joy when I opened my present from my parents and found that it was a saxophone! I put it to my lips to play, but it wouldn't make a sound. Then Dad told me to read the instruction book to find out what to do. After about 15 minutes the saxophone was ready to play. I raised it slowly to my lips as my family watched. But still there was no sound. I blew and blew but I couldn't get the saxophone to play. I was almost crying when suddenly the saxophone made the most beautiful sound--loud and clear like I imagined the music of the man by the river in Kobe. I blew again, I moved my fingers on the saxophone and I made more sounds. I was happy because I was playing very interesting sounds. But I wasn't playing music yet. Then came the lessons. Night after night, week after week my teacher made me practice. Slowly I started to improve and at last there came the magic day when I started to play music. Now I'm in the TV studio with my saxophone strapped to my neck and my cap on my head. I'm always thinking of the man by the river in Kobe and the statue smiling at me in Himeiji. I'm a happy man. The statue along the river made the writer think of _ .
playing the saxophone on TV
On a cold winter morning in the late 1930s, Bobby awoke early. It was a day that Bobby would never forget. Bobby, his brother and his mother were once again abandoned by his father. When times got hard, the man left home. Bobby wasn't surprised. He must take the responsibility for caring for his family. He put on the warmest clothes he had and pulled on his old socks and torn shoes. After thinking of a way to keep his feet dry, he went outside looking for work. Coming across some men working on the road, he joined in and worked hard for hours. Suddenly, rain poured down. "Go home and get out of this weather," the men shouted, giving him a few coins. Bobby used the money to buy as much food as he could afford in the nearest store. While holding a small bag of food ,Bobby stopped to adjust the thick paper in his shoes. A man, who was a member of the Salvation Army, saw Bobby's problem. He bought Bobby a new pair of shoes. I wasn't there on that cold day. But I've heard the story many times and can always imagine my father, as a child, dancing and wearing a pair of new shoes home. Several years later, Bobby joined the navy. He continued to support his family and meanwhile worked for the Salvation Army so that another little boy somewhere might receive a new pair of shoes for Christmas. The tradition lasted until my father became too ill. Daddy died six years ago. While the new shoes kept his feet warm in the 1930s, Daddy's act of giving back for tens of years warmed his heart in a greater way. By putting thick paper in his shoes, Bobby wanted to _ .
keep his feet dry
A painting by Chinese artist Qi Baishi set a record for modern art andcalligraphy on the mainland when it sold for 425.5 millionyuanat anauction on May 22. The sale was a milestone in the auction of modern and contemporary artworks. The price meant its value had risen more than 2,000 per cent in six years . The work ,Eagle standing on pine tree with four-character coupleti , measures about 2.6 metres by 1 metre . It was the second highest price paid for an artwork on the mainland . A Song dynasty work by Huang Tingjian was sold for 436.8 millionyuanin 2010 . Qi's painting was finished in 1946 when Qi was 86 , and was his largest work . With a starting price of 88 millionyuan, it attracted nearly 50bids in half an hour . Shanghai businessman Liu Yiqian said that the work had belonged to him and had cost less than 20 millionyuanin 2005 . The auction company said the work was brought back to the mainland after being bought from a private owner in San Francisco six years ago . China ranked first in global art sales last year , ahead of the United States and Britain . Four Chinese artists were among the top 10 in worldwide sales : Qi Baishi , Zhang Daqian , Xu Beihong and Fu Baoshi . Qi's works ranked second in sales to Pablo Picasso's last year . Qi was born into a peasant family in Hunan in 1864 . He taught himself to paint and focused on nature including plants , insects , birds and fish . He is mostly well-known for his paintings of shrimps . In 1953 , he was elected president of the Association of Chinese Artists . He died in Beijing in 1957 . The auction price of Qi's painting was _ millionyuanhigher than the starting price in the auction .
337.5 .
Tears came into this mother's eyes when she talked about waking up her son. Every morning, her ten-year-old boy puts up one finger with his eyes still closed, begging for one more minute to sleep. Why is he so sleepy? Because, like thousands of student "early birds" in China, he has to get up before 6 a.m. every morning. School students usually need eight to ten hours' sleep a night. But in Shanghai, it's reported that 90% of the students do not get enough sleep. And studies show that without a good night's sleep, students seem to be weaker than they should be. Many become near-sighted as a result. Li Ming, a student at Qinghua High School, said that he usually goes to bed after 11 p.m. But when he has exams coming up, he can stay up as late as midnight. This "night bird" lifestyle has made many students nod off in class. Li Ming said that it is during afternoon classes that he feel most sleepy. "My parents are usually happy to see me studying so late," he said. "They think I work very hard and they make me cups of coffee." However, not all parents are happy about this. "My daughter gets up so early. She looks tired and it really hurts me." said one of the parents. Why don't so many students get enough sleep? Now many members of society began to think about it. How does Li Ming's mother feel to see him studying late?
Not unhappy.
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Mrs.Ohama spoke to the graduates of Martin Luther King Jr.High School on Saturday in her only high school commencement speech this year. The ceremony took place in the gymnasium of Tennessee State University The first lady told the 170 graduates that she spent too much of her time in college focusing on academe achievements.While her success in college and law school led to 8 good job, she said, she ended up focusing on public service. "My message to you today is that don't waste a minute living someone else's dream: she said. It takes lot of real work to discover what brings you joy and you won't find what you love simply by checking mailboxes or surfing the net. She said MLK reminded her of her own high school experience in Chicago."My No.1 goal was to go to a high school that would push me and challenge me," she said."I wanted to go somewhere that would celebrate achievement.Unfortunately, schools like this don't exist for every kid." she said."You are blessed" The first lady told graduates that failure may be 8 part of their college lives and careers, and that how they respond determines what they will become. "That's when you find out what you're really made of in those hard times," she said."But you can only do that if you're willing to put yourself in position where you might fail." Overcoming difficulties has been the mark of many great people, she said, "Oprah was demoted from her first job as news reporter, and now she doesn't even need a last name," she said of media giant Oprah Winfrey "And then there's this guy Barack Obama, I could take up a whole afternoon talking about his failures He lost his first race for Congress",the first lady Joked, "and now he gets to call himself my husband" By mentioning Oprah's example, Mrs.Obama wanted to tell graduates _ .
A. m start as a news reporter
B. to work hard to get promoted
C. to be brave enough to risk failing
D. not to waste time doing what they dislike
Answer: C. to be brave enough to risk failing
Does your older brother think he's cleverer than you ? Well, he's probably right. According to a new research published in the journal Intelligence, the oldest children in families are likely to have the highest IQs and the youngest the lowest. A number of studies have suggested that IQ scores decline with birth order. In the most recent study, at Vrije University, Amsterdam, researchers looked at men and women whose IQ had been tested at the ages of 5,12 ,and 18. The results , which show a trend for the oldest to score better than the youngest in each test, involved about 200,000 people. That showed that first-borns had a three-point IQ advantage over the second-born, who was a point ahead of the next in line. The order of birth can also affect personality, achievement, and career, with first-borns being more academically successful and more likely to win Nobel prizes. However, eldest children are less likely to be radical and pioneering. Charles Darwin, for example, was the fifth child of six. Exactly why there should be such differences is not clear, and there are a number of theories on environmental influences on the child. The so-called dilution theory suggests that as family resources, both emotional and physical, as well as economic, are limited, it follows that, as a result , as more children come along, the levels of parental attention and encouragement will drop. Another theory is that the intellectual environment in the family favors the first-born who has, at least for some time, the benefit of individual care and help. The theory which enjoys the most support is that the extra time and patience that the earlier-borns get from their parents, compared with those arriving later, gives them an advantage. By using Charles Darwin as an example, the author wants to prove that _ .
A. eldest children are the smartest in a family
B. youngest children will usually become experts
C. first-borns are more likely to win Nobel prizes
D. eldest children are less likely to try something new
Answer: D. eldest children are less likely to try something new
"Privacy" is translated as "yin si" in Chinese. Traditionally,in the Chinese mind,"yin si" is associated with(...)what is closed or unfair. If someone is said to have "yin si",meddlers will be attracted to pry into his or her things. So people always say that they don't have "yin si". On the contrary, Americans often declare intention to protect their privacy. Their understanding of privacy is that others have no right to pry into things which belong to themselves alone and have nothing to do with others. One who is too curious and who spreads rumors is said to violate the right to privacy. In the evening, Sonia and I went to a bar for dinner. In China, when people mention bars, something bad usually comes to mind. But here,the bar was a quiet and tastefully laidout place. People spoke quite softly, afraid of interrupting their neighbors, and sat face to face as they drank, sometimes three or five persons sitting together. This sort of atmosphere was totally different from my preconception , so I wanted to take a picture. Sonia stopped me, "Don't you see these people are pouring out their hearts? Maybe they are colleagues, friends, secret lovers. They came here looking for a peaceful place free from interruption by others. They wouldn't want to leave any trace of their having come here. So taking their pictures would be a serious violation of their right to privacy." Is there privacy between husband and wife? One of Sonia's friends married a talented Chinese man,but recently she became so angry that she wanted a divorce .The reason was that her husband had opened one of her letters and looked through her purse. The husband didn't realize that this is not tolerated in the U.S.. He thought that being a couple was like being one person; why couldn't he see the letter or the contents of the purse? Truly, everyone, even those living as a couple, needs room--not only in threedimensional space, but in the heart. Which of the following statements is NOT the American's understanding of privacy?
A. Privacy is connected with something that is unfair and bad.
B. Other people have no right to pry into his or her affairs.
C. There is privacy even between couples.
D. The right to privacy shouldn't be violated by others.
Answer: A. Privacy is connected with something that is unfair and bad.
Humans depend on which natural resource from the environment?
A. water
B. houses
C. electricity
D. roads
Answer: A. water
Americans can travel almost anywhere they choose. But to protect its people, the government lists a few dangerous places where Americans cannot go. These places are unfriendly countries or countries at war. There, the travelers might not be safe. These countries are listed in a small book called a passport . This passport is a government request for the safety of its traveling people. It is also a government's pledge that the people will obey the rules of the host country. To receive a passport from the government, a traveler must prove that he is an American citizen. An American cannot go abroad without a passport. Only certain close countries such as Canada and Mexico do not ask for passports Stuck inside the passport is the traveler's picture. Children traveling with their parents are included in one parent's book. Thousands of people from the United States visit other countries every year. An American traveler might carry plane tickets, money, clothing and many other things. But the most important thing that he carries in another country is his passport. Which is best supported by the text?
A. A passport is needed whenever an American is traveling
B. Everyone in American can get a passport from the American government
C. The American travelers abroad must obey the rules of foreign countries
D. The American government allows its people to work in dangerous countries
Answer: C. The American travelers abroad must obey the rules of foreign countries
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Question: Susan is a 14-year-old girl. She lives in New York with her parents. Her father works in a horse-riding school. She also likes riding a horse . Susan goes horse-riding every Saturday and she can ride very well now. At the horse-riding school, she helps to give the horse food and water when the classes are over. She also cleans _ . Susan writes something about horse-riding in her blog . When you ride a horse for the first time, it's very difficult! The first thing you learn is to get onto a horse. Then you learn to move up and down like the horse. If you don't do that, it is very uncomfortable for you and the horse! At first you learn to walk the horse around. Then you learn to run slowly. When your teacher thinks you ride well, you can learn to jump .Not everyone has to learn to jump, but I like jumping. It is exciting! Which is the following is TRUE? _ .
A. Susan's father works in a middle school
B. Susan goes to the horse-riding school every day
C. Susan can't use a computer
D. Susan likes jumping on the horse
Answer:
D
Question: The most important holiday in spring, especially for Christians , is Easter. This Christian holiday is not on the same date every year, but it's always on a Sunday. It can be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Many people celebrate Easter by buying new clothes. Children celebrate by hunting for color1ed eggs that their parents have hidden around the house. People also give Easter baskets filled with candy and other goodies to one another to celebrate the day. But the holiday is more than new clothes and good things to eat. On Easter, many people go to church to celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Most people color1 them. Some people hide them. Others just eat them. But no matter what one does with Easter eggs, they are an important Easter tradition throughout the Western world. People from many different cultures celebrate Easter. In both America and Belgium, children look for Easter eggs hidden on lawns and in bushes. In America, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny . But in Belgium, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from church bells. In Bulgaria, red Easter eggs are lucky in churches; Bulgarian families also hit these Easter eggs together to see whose is the strongest. The winner looks forward to good fortune that year. Still dozens of other Easter traditions exist. In parts of Austria, for example, children sing from door to door and are rewarded with color1ful eggs. People from different cultures have different ideas about Easter egg, _ .
A. In both American and Belgium, children hunt for Easter eggs hidden in rooms and in bushes
B. In American, children believe the eggs are hidden by the Easter bunny
C. In Belgium, the hidden eggs are thought to have fallen from doorbells
D. In America, the hidden eggs are supposed to have fallen from doorbells
Answer:
B
Question: Do you sleep well? Some people get off to sleep as soon as the head hits the pillow, but many others are not so lucky.In fact,the lack of quality sleep has become a public health issue around the world.According to the World Association of Sleep Medicine,45 percent of the world's population suffer from sleep problems.One in eight people don't sleep well and are easily woken.7.6 percent sleep less than 3 hours each night.Some even can not fall asleep for several days in a row. As a basic bodily and mental need,sleep is essential for our survival.It helps us to fight diseases,strengthen our memory, perform better in work and school and improve our quality of life.Lack of sleep is known to have a significant negative influence on health,both in the short and long term.Poor sleep has been associated with obesity, weakened immune systems and even some cancers,as well as depression and anxiety. The World Sleep Day, held on the third Friday of March,is an annual celebration of sleep to lighten the burden of sleep problems through better prevention and management of sleep disorders. Unhealthy lifestyle may be the first to blame for sleeplessness.More and more people use cellphones and computers in bed,with many staying up until midnight.Modern technology does make our life convenient,but abuse of it ruins our health.Environmental conditions,such as temperature,noise,light,bed comfort also play an important role in one's ability to get proper sleep.Besides,improper evening diet,like a full or an empty stomach,coffee and alcohol all contribute to sleep problems.Of course,when it comes to causing poor sleep stress from finances,family or work should never be ignored. However, those who suffer from sleep disorders don't necessarily have to continue to do so--most sleep problems can be solved. What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us?
A. The influences of lack of sleep.
B. The possible causes of poor sleep.
C. Poor sleep is associated with illness.
D. Good sleep helps us to perform better.
Answer:
B
Question: I got up and dressed, stuck my violin under my jacket, and went out into the street. I wandered about for an hour, looking for a likely place, feeling as if I were about to commit a crime. Then I stopped at last under a bridge near the station and decided to _ . I felt tense and shaking. I drew my violin from under my coat like a gun. It was here, in Southampton, with trains passing overhead, that I was about to prove myself. The first notes I played were loud and raw, and then they settled down and began to run more smoothly and to stay more or less in tune. To my surprise I was neither arrested nor told to shut up. Indeed, nobody took any notice at all. I walked the streets of Southampton for several days, gradually knowing how to try and get money by being a street artist. It was not a good thing, for instance, to let the hat fill up with money -- the sight could discourage the people; nor was it wise to empty it completely, which could also confuse them, giving them no hint as to where to drop his money. Placing a couple of pennies in the hat to start the thing going soon became a good idea. Before I played another tune, I took off the big money, but always left two pennies behind. Old ladies were most generous, and so were women with children, shop girls, and typists. As for the men: Heavy drinkers were always generous too and so were big young with muscles. But never a man with a hat, briefcase or dog; respectable types were the meanest of all, except retired army officers, who would bark "Why aren't you working, young man?" and then threw much money into the hat to hide their confusion. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Most of the ladies were willing to give him money.
B. Retired army officers seldom gave him money.
C. Drinkers were generous with their money.
D. Not all the people would feel pity for street-violinists.
Answer:
B
Question: You're going to high school, aren't you? Maybe you don't know what to do. Well, here's a list of the top six things to do when you're in high school. These things will give you ideas of what your high school life could be like. Here you go! Find your passion and what kind of person you are: Whether it's dance, basketball, or drawing, the important thing is that you have found something you are interested in. Talk to people you wouldn't usually talk to: Meet new people, find new friends and even talk to the people you don't like. It will show what a great person you are. You never know what will happen after high school. Take part in at least one contest: This will give you tears of laughter, happiness and memories. Get a job: This will help you see what it's like to have responsibility .It can also help you make a little money to spend on yourself. Take a trip with your friends: It doesn't matter where you go or what you do, the memories will happen on the way and go on till the final place. Do your best at school: Don't ever get lazy. Working hard now will help you in the future. From Point 3, we know that you can _ in a contest.
A. get lots of tears
B. have a strong body
C. get good grades in high school
D. have different feelings and memories
Answer:
D
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My wife and I spent two weeks in London last year. We went there in the autumn. We think it is the best season to visit England. The weather is usually good and there aren't too many tourists in October. We stayed in a small hotel in the West End. It was convenient as we did most of our sightseeing on foot. Taxis were too expensive, we couldn't understand the bus routes, and my wife didn't like traveling under the ground. She said it made her feel sick. We went to look at the places which all tourists visit. We saw Buckingham Palace. We went shopping in Oxford Street and spent too much money. What we liked most, though, was going to the theatre. We didn't have the chance to see such wonderful plays at home. A lot of people say English food is bad. We didn't think so. It is true that most of the restaurants are French or Italian or Chinese, but we had some very good meals. In fact, we enjoyed our holiday so much that we have already booked again for this year. We are going to take our umbrellas, though. I'm sure we'll need them sometimes. The couple chose a small hotel in the West End to stay in because _ .
all the above
The language used by scientists to explain complex ideas can be difficult and sometimes even boring. The language, with its Latin words and long scientific terms, could be one reason some people avoid learning about science, especially children. American Danielle Dixson is a marine biologist. She wants to make science fun for children. Dixson has turned that idea into a series of children's books. The nine books are written so that her research is easy to understand. "I just don't really think kids should be left out of it and I thought that story books may be one of the easiest ways to sort of captivate them and have them understand." Danielle Dixson is an assistant professor at the University of Delaware. Dixson says another goal of her science writing is to help increase understanding of the ocean environment. She spent almost two years in the South Pacific working on her post-doctoral research. She went to the island nation of Fiji to investigate coral reefs that are collapsing or, as she says, degrading. The goal of her research is to identify why some healthy coral reefs are breaking down. She also wants to find out how this degradation affects fish that live in and around the reefs. "A number of the reefs are converting from being, you know, these beautiful coral reef systems that have a lot of holes for animals to hide in, into reefs that the coral's degrading and collapsing and then there is not as much hiding spaces for fishes and things like that." Early in her research, Dixson made some videos for people in Fiji. The videos explained her work to the local community. She says she wanted them to understand how her research would help them. For the local children, Dixson started making books explaining her work. This helped to keep them from walking through her "laboratory" - baby pools filled with water she was using for her experiments. "I was living, actually, in the village with some of the locals. It was a lot easier to get research done if they understood what I was doing and how it would help them. And one of the ways that I was able to connect with the adults was I would make these videos for them. And then I started making children's books for the kids so that they would have a better idea of why I was there, so that when I ask them not to walk through the baby pools I was using for experiments or something like that, that that would actually happen." she added. When Dixson returned to the United States, she started doing the same thing for children in this country. She uses color1ful story books to capture the imagination of children. While she has their attention, she provides very useful information about science. As a marine scientist, Dixson wants her stories to be both educational and inspirational, serving as an agent for change. She also includes in her books "a call to action," asking readers what they can do to make a difference. "One of the things I do in those story books is I have a last page. And the last page talks about what you can do to help. You know, there is a lot of things that even a 6-year-old is able to do, whether it's shutting your lights off when you leave a room, or riding your bike to your friend's house instead of having your parents drive you. There is a lot of stuff that they can do and still feel they're making a difference." Danielle Dixson's books shine a light on the environmental problems facing our world's oceans. They also make science fun and understandable for children. But her books may have an unintended consequence, something she may not have planned on. What can we infer from Dixson's research on coral reefs in Fiji?
Coral reefs can shelter many fishes around.
My name is Frank. I am from St. John Middle School in America. I am in Class Three, Grade Seven. We study Chinese at school. Our Chinese teacher is Joy Black. He is not Chinese, but he is good at Chinese. I have a lot of friends in my school. Jimmy is tall and has black hair. He is good at playing basketball. He is in the school basketball team . May is short and she wears glasses. She is good at Maths. Sandra has long hair. She likes swimming. She is in the school swimming team. Maria is new here. She is from Hong Kong. She has black hair and big eyes. She is good at English and computers. Nick is tall. He has small eyes. He is funny. He plays football very well. , Maria is good at _ .
English and computers
The Lunar New Year, which starts in late January this year, is the most important festival for Chinese people as most of them drop any business at hand to go back to their hometown to see their families. It is a tradition that has been cherished since ancient times, but as social mobility increases in modern times, the road to family reunions has become very uneasy. It is not the higher travel costs, nor the expected big spending on gifts and other festival items, but the train ticket that has driven many travelers mad. I've heard some colleagues complain that they have tried every means to secure a train ticket, only to find it a mission impossible. Some of them have turned to the latest software to aid online booking; others have sought help from friends to increase the possibility of successful booking. No doubt chunyun, the Spring Festival travel season, is the largest-scale annual human migration in the world. Last year, 220 million passengers traveled by train during the Spring Festival season, which usually lasts 40 days. It is a huge jump from 10 years ago, when the number was 128 million. With the big sudden increase in demand, the railway company has increased investment in railway construction; still, it cannot bridge the supply gap, leading to fierce public complaints and criticism. Admittedly, it is almost impossible for the railway company to suddenly improve its capacity to meet the explosive demand during the Spring Festival holiday. Moreover, any temporary increase in capacity would become unnecessary after the holiday and mean great commercial losses during the off season. What the company can reasonably do is gradually improve its capacity while focusing on better distribution of its existing resources during the special peak season. At any rate, however, the problem cannot be solved overnight. Which of the following does the author probably agree with?
The latest software may increase the possibility of successful booking.
Many people say dolphins are very intelligent. They seem to be able think, understand, and learn things quickly. But they are smart like humans or more like cats or dogs? Dolphins use their brains differently from people. But scientists say dolphin intelligence and human intelligence are alike in some ways. How? FACT 1: Talk to Me Like humans, every dolphin has its own "name". The name is a special whistle . Each dolphin chooses a specific whistle for itself, usually by its first birthday. Actually, scientists think dolphins, like people, "talk" to each other about a lot of things, such as their age, their feelings, or finding food. And, like humans dolphins use a system of sounds and body language to communicate. But understanding their conversations is not easy for humans. No one "speaks dolphin" yet, but some scientists are trying to learn. FACT 2: Let's Play Dolphins are also social animals. They live in groups called pods, and they often join others from different pods to play games and have fun ---just like people. In fact, playing together is something only intelligent animals do. FACT 3: Fishermen's Helpers Dolphins and humans are similar in another way: both make plans to get something they want. In the sea of southern Brazil, for example, dolphins use a interesting strategy to get food. When fish are near a boat, dolphins signal to the fishermen to put their nets in the water. Using this method, the men can catch a lot of fish. What is the advantage for the dolphins? Why do they assist the men? The dolphins get to eat some of the fish. We can infer from the text that dolphins identify others by_.
their whistles
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As one of the most well-known of the fantasy languages invented for science fiction film, television and book, and developed by J.R.R. Tolkien himself, Elvish is made up with several thousand words and different sentence structures. Constructed languages like Elvish are real languages, made up of thousands of words created by fantasy writers, linguists and fans, with real language rules. While a widespread vocabulary is advantageous to a constructed language, there is a key differentiator we can see between just a lot of words and real language: Grammar. Grammar is what makes constructed languages like Elvish learnable by everyday superfans. Superfans of The Lord of the Rings have built websites and created dictionaries, apps and translators, to teach Elvish. They have also created online clubs where fans can discuss and even create new words based on the already existing vocabulary, and continue to study the language. So what does it take to be a master of Elvish? In learning Elvish, there are a couple of grammatical rules similar to those of the English language. For example, in order to make a verb past tense in English, you have to add an -ed, making wash, washed. Similarly in Elvish, in order to change the word for wash, which is allu, to the past tense then you have to add an -ne to the word. So washed is then translated to allune in past tense. Nouns in Elvish are different in the way that the noun changes depending on how it's used in a sentence, just like in Latin or Russian. For example, the word head in Elvish is CAS. However, if you duck your head, then the word changes to CARA. When mentioning something in your head, then it changes to CASSE. Tolkien's attention to detail in creating the fantasy world used in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, complete with multiple functioning invented languages, has attracted readers and movie viewers these years. Elvish is only one of the many magical languages developed by J.R.R. Tolkien. Creating language for fantasy has proven to add to viewers and readers experiences. By transplanting their imagination to a new world, fans are able to learn the new language and speak Elvish with each other, much like their favorite characters. Elvish is considered a real language because _ .
certain grammatical rules make the language learnable
You've just found your dream job, but it pays less than the one you've working hard at right now. What should you do ? How can you make the right decision ? When you have a difficult decision to make , you may probably think it over and over again for hours, weighting up all the advantages and disadvantages before coming to a decision .Or ,maybe you decide it quickly without thinking carefully .But according to scientific research, there's a better way to do this: Sleep on it . In a resent study , scientists made an experiment . They offered the participants some information about different types of cars .And they asked them to decide hypothetically which one would be the best fit. Some of them were asked to make the decision right away ,while others were asked to choose the next morning. The result of the survey was interesting. The people who had a good night's sleep were energetic the next morning .And they choose the best quality cars. But those who made quick decisions chose cars with bad quality. So ,if someone asks you to make a big decision ,don't rush to give an answer at once .Instead ,take a step back and get a good night's sleep. Chances are that ,in the morning , you'll know exactly what to do . The writer wants to tell us that we should make a big decision _ .
after a night's sleep.
According to a survey,more Europeans go digitalchanging from fixed lines to mobile phones and from narrowband to broadband Internet connections. The survey showed that 22 percent of EU households use only mobile phones, up from I8 percent a year ago,while the percentage of households with at least one fixed line decreased by 5 percent to 72 percent, although the percentage of households with at least one mobile phone remains fairly stable at 8l per cent. Broadband is presenting a rapid upward trend in the EU, showed the survey, which polled(...)27,000 households across the union. 'Itventy-eight percent of households are now connected to the Internet via high-speed "broadband" links, up six percent from last year, while narrowband usage has dipped by three percentage points to 12 percent. More than half of households access the Internet via an ADSL line and 34 percent of broadband connections are wireless. "Europe's digital economy is growing strongly as more and more households love to choose between fixed, mobile and Internet services," said EU Information Society and Media Commissioner wiane Reding. "The challenge of this year's reform of the EU's telecom rules will be to respond to this rapidly changing technological environment while enhancing at the same time effective competition:' Meanwhile, nearly 20 percent of Europeans buy two or more telecom products from a single service provider, the combination of fixed telephony and.Internet access being the most common. The result may strengthen the commission's case for breaking up telecom giants, whose control over the fixed line networks~accused of hindering competition."Today's survey findings will feed into the ongoing public debate on the reform of the EU telecom rules, planned for summer this year," said Reding. If a European will buy telecom products from a single service provider, what will be the result?
It becomes more difficult to fight off big companies' control.
Live Music--Late Night Jazz Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet player. Heis known to play well into the late hours, so don't expect to get much sleep. Place: The Jazz Club Dates : 10 - 25 July Price: $ 100 -- 150 Time: 10:30 p.m. till late Tel: 4668736 Scottish Dancing Scottish dancing is nice and easy to learn. The wonderful dance from Britain will beshown. Place: Jack Stein's Dates :12 -19 July Price: $150 Time: 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Tel: 4021877 Shows in Shanxi Museum There are 12,000 pieces on show here. You can see the whole Chinese history. Place: Shanxi Museum Dates: Jun 1 - Aug 15 Price: $ 60 ( $ 30 for students) Time: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tel : 4886888 Weekends: 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. At which time can you enjoy the shows in Shanxi Museum?
Sunday, 8:00 p.m. :
A developer edition of Sony's augmented reality smart glasses will go on sale in ten countries next month, the tech giant has announced. Pre-orders for the SmartEyeglass, costing $840 (PS620), are now being taken in the UK and Germany, with Japan and the US to follow shortly. The black-framed glasses are compatible with recent Android operating systems. Last month Google announced that it was withdrawing its smart glasses for redevelopment. Sony's initial model will come with a software development kit to encourage people to design apps for it, the company said. The glasses, which weigh 77g, contain an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, image and brightness sensors, 3-megapixel camera and a microphone. They also come with a controller, designed to be attached to clothing, which contains a speaker, touch sensor and the device's battery. Text is displayed in front of the wearer in monochrome green. Apple chief executive Tim Cook has been open about his dislike of glasses as a wearable device. "We always thought that glasses were not a smart move, from a point of view that people would not really want to wear them," he told the New Yorker. "They were intrusive , instead of pushing technology to the background, as we've always believed." Stuart Miles, founder of tech site Pocket-lint, said: "I think [Sony is] wasting their time, energy and effort." "Google Glass obviously needed a complete rethink... I can't see how something thick-rimmed and more invasive-looking than Google Glass is going to catch on. "People are keen on wearables like fitness bands and watches, but they care about their faces. Wearing something on your head is a lot stronger than wearing something on your arm," he added. "The industry keeps pushing it but consumers just don't want it." Choose the true statements according to the passage.
Tim Cook has been open about his dislike of glasses as a wearable device.
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In Germany ,about 70% people like reading. They often read .They read in their homes. They read in libraries. They read in their schools. They also read in hospitals .Parents often read books for their kids. You can buy all kinds of books in Germany. There are many bookstores there. A bookstore can sell many books every day. People also like to buy books on the Internet now. In Germany ,people often have reading parties. They are happy at the parties. But you must follow the rules at the parties. For example, don't arrive late for the parties. Don't eat at the parties. Don't listen to music at the parties. Don't talk at the parties. If there are ten Germans , _ like reading.
A. six
B. five
C. seven
D. three
Answer: C
It was the Year from Hell - the dog died, my marriage of 24 years ended, and my house burned down. I had moved into a new rented house with my youngest son after my husband and I divorced. We'd been in the house just six weeks. I went to a dinner party one night, and as I drove home near, I saw smoke rising into the sky. I wondered whether it was my house. Then I turned the corner, and sure enough, it was my house. My son and I stayed with a friend for a couple of nights. Then my friend Gail heard about the fire, called me up, and said, "Come and move into my house. I have seven bedrooms and five bathrooms - plenty of space for you and your son." Gail had three kids at home, but there was still plenty of room for me and my son, Sutton. Little did I know that her offer of a temporary place to stay would turn into a living arrangement that lasted two and a half years. We were two single mothers. Gail and I spent the next couple of years sorting out a lot of things together. After we moved in, I soon began to look for a permanent place to live in. Gail said, "Please don't leave. I've never had so much freedom!" Having me in the house meant someone to help take care of her kids, someone to share cooking and gardening, and someone to share day-to-day life. She loved having me there, and I loved being there. So we stayed. It was an important chapter in my life. We both needed time to heal from our divorces. It was a time of deeper insight and spiritual growth for both of us. Gail's generosity was more than anyone could expect from a friend. I am eternally grateful to have a friend like Gail. I'm also grateful for the lessons I learned from the fire and the other losses that came so suddenly, so fast. Much to my surprise, I found gratitude among the ashes. I was tested serious trial by fire. But, like a phoenix, I rose from the ashes strong and whole. I would not be the person I am today if not for that Year from Hell. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The author and her son went to Gail's house the night after the fire happened.
B. Gail and the author shared all together and had a lot in common in their life.
C. The author had planned to live with Gail for a long time at the beginning.
D. The author wrote the passage after she moved into a new rented house.
Answer: B
Air travel is such an everyday experience these days that we are not surprised when we read about a politician having talks with the Japanese Prime Minister one day, attending a meeting in Australia the following morning and having to be off at midday to sign a trade agreement in Hong Kong. But frequent long-distance flying can be so tiring that the traveler begins to feel his brain is in one country, his digestion in another and his powers of concentration nowhere---in short, he hardly knows where he is. Air travel is so quick nowadays that we can leave London after breakfast and be in New York in eight hours, yet what really disturbs us most is that when we arrive it is lunch time while we have already had lunch on the plane and are expecting dinner. Doctors say that air travelers are in no condition to work after crossing a number of time zones. Airline pilots, however, often live by their own watches. The sentence "Airline pilots often live by their own watches." means _ .
A. they don't trust others' watches
B. they don't change their watches
C. they make a living by their own watches
D. they do as they used to do
Answer: D
Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, or fear which may occur in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience. It is most commonly seen in school situations, like stand-up projects and class speeches. It has numerous forms: heart beating fast, trembling hands and legs, sweaty hands, dry mouth etc. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Thus, it is a phenomenon that you must learn to control. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. It heightens your energy, adds color to your cheeks. With these good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive. Many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or decrease, but it usually does not disappear permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out and present what you have prepared calmly. Remember "Nobody" ever died from stage fright. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than give a speech. If that applies to you, and you are an unlucky guy who is with stage fright the whole time, try out some of the strategies as follows to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage. Strategies are as follows when the program begins: 1) If legs are trembling, lean on table or shift legs or move. 2) Don't hold notes. The audience can see them shake. Use three-by-five cards instead. 3) Use eye contact. Look at the friendliest faces in the audience. Remember nervousness doesn't show one-tenth as much as it feels. Before each presentation, make a short list of the items you think will make you feel better. Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations. You never know which ones will work best until you try. Use these steps to control stage fright so it doesn't control you. Once you are used to stage fright, you will find you on the road to a great speech-maker. The passage mainly talks about _ .
A. how to deal with stage fright
B. what stage fright is like
C. when stage fright occurs
D. why people have stage fright
Answer: A
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 . Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The author has learned to face difficulties.
B. The author started to be brave after going to university.
C. The author could achieve everything because of his good education.
D. The author could play sports well because he never gave up
Answer: A
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"Success begins with belief and ends with doubt."--Larina Kase I remember reading through a book and the author was writing about being a reverse paranoid. In that particular section he mentions how he has a belief that the world he's living in is out to give him everything he absolutely wants and desires. There are times when I think to myself,"Wow,the world is out to get me and make me miserable." Then I thought,why can't I believe that the world is out to make me a better conversationalist. Then I started adapting to the belief of the reverse paranoia. When I started talking to people,I truly believed that I was the most interesting person in the room. I believed that everything I said added value to the conversation. I believed that people stayed behind and chatted with me because they found me _ . As a matter of fact, for about five months I wrote down on my bathroom mirror the following affirmation:"People love me and respect me. It is a privilege to talk to me. People find me interesting and charming and always want to get to know me better!" I would say the affirmation after I brushed my teeth. And I would continue to say it until I felt completely great about myself. There were days that I just wouldn't feel like saying it,because it would feel like a lie to me. But that's the trouble,like the quote says,success ends when there's doubt. And that's why I continued until I had no doubt in my mind. Then strange things happened,I noticed that people did find me more interesting,and that I gained more confidence in talking with people. I was more assertive at work. I was able to control politics and gossip at work to minimal levels,and became a much better manager,and developed better customer relations to the point that sales were up by 20% compared to the year before,on my best month sales were up by 39%,and this was a year that a recession was happening. Sometimes the author didn't feel like saying his affirmation because _ .
We use both words and body language to express our thoughts and opinions and to communicate with other people. We can learn about what a person is thinking by watching his or her body language. Words are important, but the way a person stands, folds his or her arms, or moves his or her hands can also give us information about his or her feelings. Just like spoken language, body language varies from culture to culture. Making eye contact --looking directly into someone's eyes -- is in some countries a way to show interest. In other countries, however, eye contact is rude or disrespectful. The gesture for Ok, making a circle with one's thumb and index finger, has different meanings in different cultures. In Japan, someone who sees another person making the gesture will think it means money. In France, a person seeing the same gesture will think it means zero. In Brazil and Germany, however, the gesture is rude. The thumbs-up gesture, meaning "great" or "good job" in the US is rude in Nigeria, but in Germany and Japan it means the number one. The "crazy" gesture, moving the index finger in a circle in front of the ear, means "you have a phone call" in Brazil. Even the gesture we use for "yes" and "no" are different around the world. In many countries, shaking one's head means "no", and nodding means "yes". In Bulgaria, parts of Greece, and Iran, however, the gestures have the opposite meaning. There are also differences as to how often we touch each other, how close we stand to someone we are talking to, and how we act when we meet or part. In some countries, for example, France and Russia, a visiting friend is greeted with a kiss on the check, in other countries people greet each other with a firm handshake, a loving hug, a bow or a simply a nod of the head. While there are many different interpretations of our body language, some gestures seem to be universal. Pressing one's palms together and resting one's head on the back of one's hand while closing the eyes as if sleeping means "I am tired." A good way of saying "I am full" is moving the hand in circles over the stomach after a meal. If a person pats his or her stomach before a meal, it usually means " I'm hungry." Perhaps the best example of universally understood body language is the smile. A smile can help us get through difficult situation and find friends in a world of strangers. A smile can open doors and tear down walls. It can be used to express almost any emotion. We can use a smile to apologise, to greet someone, to ask for help or to start a conversation. We can smile at ourselves in the mirror to make ourselves feel happier and stronger. And if we are feeling down or lonely, there is nothing better than to see the smiling face of a good friend. In our daily life, which of the following do we use to communicate with each other?
The teacher invited a little boy's mother to attend his elementary school's first parents' meeting. His mother said she would go but the boy was disappointed. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he was embarrassed by her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar that covered nearly the whole right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar. At the meeting, the people were impressed by the kindness of his mother, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. However, he heard a conversation between his mother and his teacher. "How did you get the scar on your face?" the teacher asked. The mother replied, " When my son was a baby, the room he was in caught fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, but I rushed in at once. As I was running towards his crib , I saw a beam coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked down. But fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us. " She touched the burned side of her face. " This scar will be _ , but until today, I have never regretted doing what I did. " At this point, the little boy came out running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt the love of his mother. ,. What can be the best title for the passage?
The Internet will open up new vistas , create the global village----you can make new friends all around the world. That, at least, is what it promised us. The difficulty is that it did not take the human mind into account. The reality is that we cannot keep relationships with more than a limited number of people. No matter how hard the Internet tries to put you in communication, its best efforts will be defeated by your mind. The problem is twofold . First, there is a limit on the number of people we can hold in mind and have a meaningful relationship with. That number is about 150 and is set by the size of our brain. Second, the quality of your relationships depends on the amount of time you invest in then. We invest a lot in a small number of people and then distribute what's left among as many others as we can. The problem is that if we invest little time in a person, our _ with that person will decline until eventually it dies into "someone I once knew". This is not, of course, to say that the Internet doesn't serve a socially valuable function. Of course it does. But the question is not that it allows you to increase the size of your social circle to include the rest of the world, but that you can keep your relationships with your existing friends going even though you have to move to the other side of the world. In one sense, that's a good thing. But it also has a disadvantage. If you continue to invest in your old friends even though you can no longer see them, then certainly you aren't using your time to make new friends where you now live. And I suspect that probably isn't the best use of your time. Meaningful relationships are about being able to communicate with each other, face to face. The Internet will slow down the rate with which relationships end, but it won't stop that happening eventually. What will the author encourage us to do?
If you eat a lot of chicken your body has what it needs to
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The main source of food for a coyote population in one area is mice. Which is most likely to happen to these coyotes if a new predator begins eating the mice?
There will be fewer coyotes.
Which process causes the leaves of a plant to become larger?
growth
The purpose of keeping fit is to avoid illness ,resist the mental and physical fatigue that make us more likely to contract infections ,and above all to feel more pleasure in being alive. Research has shown the value of a balanced diet ,fresh air, sunshine ,enough rest and some forms of regular exercise for everyone .If everyone followed this plan ,the number of people visiting the doctor and going to hospital would be considerably reduced. Unfortunately ,although most people acknowledge the importance of physical fitness ,not enough of us put this into practice .We spend too much time watching others from the comfort of an armchair or a seat in the stand at a sports stadium. One reason why people who are physically fit to live longer is that they do not put the heart under excessive strain and so they reduce the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases .They also avoid suffering the consequences of weakened muscles ,which are the cause of a great deal of back and abdominal trouble. About 640 muscles for about 45% of our body's weight ,they must have the ability to store energy and be continually supplied with fuel by the blood .Sensible exercise ,suited to each individual and preferably undertaken on the advice of a doctor ,is the best insurance of meeting these requirements. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
Not all people do what the plan tells them to do.
Thomas James Hanson will remember for a long time the snowstorm that hit the state of New York on November 22. The 47-year-old man from Niagara Falls was stuck in his car on the highway for almost eight days after his vehicle was accidentally pushed to the side of the road and covered with snow by workers employed to remove the snow from the streets. Driving on the Interstate Highway 190 during the worst of the snowstorm, Mr. Hanson decided to pull over his old 1993 Volkswagen Passat to the side of the road and wait for the weather conditions to improve. He remained motionless for approximately five hours before a snow plow arrived to clear the way. Unfortunately for the poor man, the driver of the gigantic snow removal vehicle did not see the small car, pushing it into the ditch and covering it with more than 2 meters of snow. Fortunately for the father of two children, the snow that was stacked over his vehicle was not very dense and allowed for enough fresh air to get through to enable him to survive. He was able to drink Thomas Hans water that he obtained by melting snow with his lighter in an aluminum coffee cup, and he ate the few items of groceries he had bought before going home. "If I had known I would be stuck for eight days, I would have bought more than a jar of dill pickles , a bottle of ketchup and two sticks of beef jerky ," said the survivor with a smile.on had almost lost all hope of being rescued when his car was hit once again this morning by another snow plow, which revealed the poor man's location. Which of the following can best describe Thomas James Hanson?
Humorous
Many people like animals such as dogs and cats and keep one or more of them as pets. If you keep a dog or a cat as a pet, you must know how to look after it. A grown-up dog needs two meals a day --not more. It can eat meat, fish, rice and some other things. Dogs like large bones , but you can't give them chicken bones. Remember to give them much clean water. A dog should have a clean, dry box for sleeping. Washing it once a week is good for its health. If it is ill, take it to a doctor. A healthy dog will bring you more pleasure. Be careful when you choose a cat. A cat has two meals a day with some meat or fish. It drinks a little milk every day. Sometimes you can give it vegetables to eat. Don't forget that it needs clean water to drink. Take good care of your pets, they will be your good friends. Maybe they can give you some help when you are in need. A healthy dog can make you _ .
happy
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My name is Amy. I'm a 25-year-old graduate student who likes yoga, home-decorating shows and eating spoonfuls of peanut butter straight from the jar. Oh yeah, and I'm an iPhone addict. I wasn't always an addict. In fact, for many years I told myself I didn't want a fancy cellphone. They seemed like too much work, always ringing and demanding attention. I was perfectly content with my simple cellphone, and I didn't feel like changing my mind any time. However, about a year ago, I found myself envious of all those proud iPhone owners, holding their shiny new phones and showing them off to all their friends. I started to _ conversations about "iPhone apps", feeling like a tourist listening to a language I couldn't speak. Eventually I couldn't ignore my iPhone instinct any longer, and I welcomed my new iPhone into my life. I instantly fell in love with the little bundle of joy, and could no longer imagine a life without it. To my surprise, I suddenly found myself with a whole new circle of friends--other iPhone owners I could go to for advice and support as I learned the various functions of my new device. They responded to my iPhone-related queries when my other friends couldn't, and didn't roll their eyes when I bragged about all the things little Eloise (yes, I named her) could do. For a couple months I built my new life with Eloise. However, I realized I had a problem when one day I found myself Google-mapping my way to my mailbox, which happens to be right outside my front door. When I reflected upon the past few months, I couldn't believe I didn't see this coming. All the warning signs were there. Eloise slept right beside me and was the first thing I reached for in the morning. I checked my e-mail about 20 times a day. I also experienced attachment anxiety when I left poor Eloise in the changing room at the gym. What if she rang and needed my response? Or, even worse, what if a careless gym-goer knocked her out of my bag and caused her screen to crack? Once I admitted I had a problem, things started to change. What used to feel like friendly messages now felt like constant complaining to respond. I hated that I could no longer leave the house without Eloise in my hand. Eventually, I felt angry with Eloise so much that I wanted to throw her at the wall. I decided something had to be done. But, as I quickly realized, iPhones are like cigarettes and not easy to quit. Then, while taking the bus to work one day, I was unexpectedly forced to quit--at least temporarily. When I reached into my purse to grab Eloise, I found her overcome by fever. My head swam with panic as I attempted to solve the problem, but without result. I couldn't call anyone for advice. I couldn't Google whether this had happened to any fellow iPhone owners. The Apple Store was closed by the time I finished work, so I headed home with fear into an Eloise-less night. But, after a couple hours without any text alerts, push notifications, or even good old-fashioned phone calls, I felt ... calmer. Without my electronic bed partner, I drifted off into the deepest sleep I'd had in months. The next morning, I read the news from the simplicity of the newspaper, instead of from my iPhone. I even noticed the cherry blossoms blooming. My goodness, what had I been missing? When did the writer get to know that she had to tear herself away from her iPhone?
Answer:
A new study supports the view that jobs aren't simply a love-at-first-sight deal. Rather, they say that achieving passion for your work is something you can develop over time. Unlike the main way of thinking that you'Il only achieve passion for your work through finding the right fit with a line of work - what the researchers call "fit theory" , the researchers say you can learn to love your job and find meaning in it gradually("developing theory"). We probably hear and think a l.t more about "fit theory" than "developing theory" because we've become used to it. "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work," said Steve Jobs. "And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'II know when you find it. " Chen and colleagues examined some students' career attitudes and expectations with regard to "fit theory"and "developing theory". "People can achieve similar levels of passion at work by accepting either the fit or develo-ping theory. The key difference lies in how these results are reached : fit theorists tend to self-select into lines of work that fit them from the start, while developing theorists grow into that fit over time. " Fit theorists tend to value enjoyment at the expense of good pay, while developing theorists are willing to let enjoyment take a back seat to other goals, safe in the knowledge that they'll grow into the role and find enjoyment over time. Everyone has moments of being bored with their work,but it's important to keep your thoughts focused on the bigger picture, your Iong-term goals , and whv you took the role in the first place. If you hate your job , you are advised to _ .
Answer:
Hello Sandy, We have just returned from our holiday. We went with our friends Edward Smith and his wife Tina to the Yorkshire Moors. This is a beautiful place. It is a natural park. There are lots of places to walk on the tops of the hills, miles of grassland with no people, just sheep and birds. Edward, who had just come out of hospital, could not walk as far as be used to. However this meant that we walked in the mornings, and then stopped at a cafe for lunch each day, before returning to the place we live. Edward and I slept in front of the fire all afternoon, while the ladies went for another walk. Very pleasant! I have taken lots of photos from the place we live, across the valley below us, of the morning sunrise, and the mist in the valley. Also, in England, the old steam powered trains are very popular. I have taken many photos of the train and from it. Yesterday we had the first snow of this winter. It is very early (we usually expect snow in January). It rained all day, then snowed in the evening. Today we have bright sunshine! Both Jenny and I are well I don't know if I told you, in the last e-mail, that Jenny is now working in a hotel. Although she has to work hard, people there are nice and she is enjoying the work. Please write to us to tell us your news. Yours, Victor When did the ladies take a walk?
Answer:
Drawing is a universal language. It was probably our first form of self-expression when we were babies: long before we start writing, we're painting and scribbling , both in order to make sense of the world and because we enjoy it. In the history of human culture, too, painting and image making came before writing or even simple mathematics: 30,000 years ago compared to 5,000. Yet after we leave school most of us never pick up a pencil again--willingly. If asked to draw something, most adults and many older children will shake their heads and say, " Not me! I can't draw. I'm hopeless at it." When you think about it, this is very strange. Drawing involves coordinating the hand and the eye with the pencil. It's a basic skill, no more difficult to learn than other amazing things that humans do, such as hitting a tennis ball over the net or writing our own name. there's no special talent involved. Anybody who can learn to write can learn to draw. So, there you are - no excuse not to get out your pencil, pencil sharpener and rubber and take part in the Big Draw, a nationwide series of free art events taking place all over Britain next October. Everyone's welcome: all you need is a willingness to express yourself through drawing. The Big Draw, now in its fifth year, has already achieved two world records: one for the longest drawing in the world (1km) and the other for the greatest number of people drawing at the same time (7,000). This year, there will be an attempt to create a new Guinness World Record for the longest visitors'book: people will be invited to leave their name and a drawing on a three-kilometer piece of paper. The theme this year is Inside\Outside--People, Structure( ) and Spaces, and other events planned include drawing on a three-kilometer piece of paper. The Big Draw is not about turning the nation into artists, it is about helping people to acquire this universal language of communication. Its greatest achievement next October will be to bring hundreds of thousands of people together to look, imagine, draw and have fun. When we were babies we expressed ourselves by _ .
Answer:
Her opponent was the defending champion whose childhood dream was to win the French Open. She was the underdog who never saw the tournament on TV as a girl in China and never thought she'd get far on the red clay of the French Open, one of the four tennis Grand Slams . But it was Li Na who fell on her back in triumph on June 4. Nearly two hours' hitting gave Li a 2-0 victory over Francesca Schiavone of Italy and made her the only tennis player, man or woman, from Asia to take home a Grand Slam title. Chinese media have been swept along by the praise. An editorial carried by Xinhua News Agency said "Li Na is the best PR (Public Relations) for China," and called her an "outstanding name card for the country" and a "brilliant diplomat". It compared Li to Chinese NBA star Yao Ming, noting that both "can speak very fluent English, and both of them have a kind of sense of humor that is appreciated by foreigners". Success has come late for Li. She once gave up tennis for two years and studied journalism at Wuhan's Huazhong University of Science and Technology. But in 2004, she returned and continues to play the best tennis she could. "Dream comes true," Li said after the match. "I am so happy that my efforts have paid off." Li has often been seen as a rebel , or at least a representative of a new generation. She has a tattoo , has dyed her hair many different color1s and has even been known to yell at her husband in public. "The plain-speaking, tattooed, individualist has the ability to transcendthe sport and become a global star", the BBC news reported. No matter how important the French Open championship is, Li is not resting on her laurels -- she's already thinking about winning a second major title. "When you have the first one, naturally you will think about the second one. Now I have more confidence playing on other surfaces," Li told China Daily, as she prepares for the Wimbledon Championship, which will start on June 20. It can be inferred from the passage that _ .
Answer:
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Question: One day, my wife and I went shopping. We took the car as we had a lot of things to buy because my brother and his family were going to spend the weekend with us. We stopped the car in front of the shop. An hour later we came back to the car with a lot of things. Then the trouble started. We could not open the car door. "Oh, dear," said my wife. "What are we going to do?" "Let's ask that policeman," I said. The policeman was very kind and glad to help us. Soon he got the door open. Just at that moment an angry man came up and shouted. "What are you doing with my car?" We looked at the number of the car, and our faces turned very red. The owner of the car was very angry to see _ .
A. someone had opened his car door
B. the policeman standing by the car
C. his car was not there
D. that there was a trouble
Answer:
A
Question: Fish have different personalities which change as they experience life's highs and lows.according to British biologists. Researchers identified different"personalities" in their fish by observing the boldness or shyness of individuals,according to The Nature.Like people,some fish are very confident in the face of novelty or conflict;while others are silent and fear. The scientists selected particularly bold and shy rainbow trout,and tested whether they changed their outlook depending on what life threw at them.They arranged some fish to fight and others to watch to see how both the participants and observers responded to victories and defeats.Winning or losing a fight,or even watching fellow fish overcome the difficulties influenced the future behavior of the _ studied in the lab. The researchers made fish compete with much larger or smaller opponents.to ensure that they would win or lose their fights.These bold fish that won their fights tended to be even bolder when later presented with a novel food item;losing their fight caused them to be much more cautious. Fish also learn by watching others.Bold fish watching a shy fish exploring a mystery object were much more nervous when later given a novelty item for themselves. Predictably,shy fish that won a fight also gained more confidence,but surprisingly,shy fish that lost their fights also grew bolder when exploring strange new food,Sneddon said,adding that this could be due to what she calls a"desperado effect" . The new research suggests that animals can gradually adapt their personalities.The results echo the effects that life experience can have on human. What can we know from the research?
A. Bold losing fish become--e bolder when presented With a novel food item.
B. Losing their fights causes the bold fish to be much more courageous.
C. Bold fish watching a shy fish exploring a mystery get less nervous.
D. Shy fish losing fights grow more confident in exploring new food.
Answer:
D
Question: Guide dogs help blind people who cannot get around by themselves.Although Yorkshire terriers and poodles are good companion dogs,guide dogs are chosen from lager breeds such as German shepherds,golden retrievers,and Labrador retrievers.The young dogs are raised by families until they are eighteen months old.During this time,they get lots of love and attention,but they are also taught to obey.Then the dogs go to a special school where,for four months,they work with a sighted trainer,an individual who can see.The dog forms a close relationship with this person who teaches it how to follow directions such as right,left,straight ahead,and stop.The young dog also learns to watch out for dangerous traffic and wait until it is safe to cross a busy street. When the dog is two years old,it starts training with the blind person it will live with. The dog and its new owner make many trips from downtown to where the blind person lives so the dog becomes familiar with the normal atmosphere.During the training,a sighted trainer always remains with them. A blind person who is getting a guide dog for the first time will train for about a month. If the individual has had a dog before,the training takes about three weeks.After the training,the blind person depends on the guide dog for between seven and twelve years.At that point,the working dog become a family pet and the owner needs to train with a younger guide dog. Who gives the dogs training at the special school?
A. A sighted trainer.
B. Other blind people.
C. A traffic peliceman.
D. The school director.
Answer:
A
Question: In the Arctic Ocean waters live the social animals---belugas, which is also known as white whales. Highly intelligent, these whales use different sounds to communicate and find their way. Belugas are also among the smallest kinds of whales. More than 210 belugas, including 31 in the United States, live in aquariums around the world. The Georgia Aquarium has asked for permission to bring 18 more belugas into the U.S. The whales were caught off the coast of Russia. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is considering the aquarium's request thoroughly. A law called the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) says the animals can only be brought into the country and put on display if they are caught without being hurt and there is an educational reason for doing so. Georgia Aquarium officials say the 18 belugas will help people learn more about the species and allow scientists to better understand how to protect it. The aquarium would also breed the whales so the U.S. aquariums can continue to display them. "When we can study and observe, we gain a better understanding of their biology and diseases that affect them, and learn how to aid populations in their natural habitats," says William Hurley, Georgia Aquarium's chief officer. "Much of this research would be impossible in the remote locations and extreme climates where the animals live." The Georgia Aquarium would own the 18 belugas and would rent some to aquariums across the country. Meanwhile, many scientists, including Lori Marino, a whale expert, feel strongly that the whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks. These scientists say the whales are being used for entertainment and not for education, and having them in aquariums is not necessary for the species to survive. Marino said, "Not only is it unfair to the belugas but there is no educational value in putting these whales on display." According to Marine Mammal Protection Act, _ .
A. the request should be refused without consideration
B. animals cannot be brought into the U.S and put on display
C. animals can only be caught if they were hurt
D. animals cannot be caught for commercial purposes
Answer:
D
Question: Mother Hen's family is very poor. They don't have lots of money to buy food. Mother Hen often takes her children out to look for food. On a sunny day, Mother Hen plays with her children on the grass. She finds a grain of wheat . So she asks her children to plant it in the garden. But her children don't do it. Mother Hen has to do it herself. A few months later, they get a lot of wheat. She asks her children, "Who would like to take the wheat to the store and get some _ ?" But her children don't want to do it. So she takes the wheat to the store and brings the flour home. After getting home, she asks, "Who will make some bread with the flour?" They all say, "I'm not free." When she makes the bread, she says to her children, "Who wants to eat the bread?" "I do," they all say. "No, you can't. You don't do anything before I make the bread. You must know 'No pains, no gains .' She doesn't give any bread to her children and she eats the bread herself. Why doesn't Mother Hen give any bread to her children?
A. Because they aren't at home.
B. Because she doesn't like them.
C. Because they don't want to eat it.
D. Because they don't do anything.
Answer:
D
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The poaching ,or illegal killing,of rhinos in South Africa is growing worse each year.The government recently reported that a record number of rhinos were poached in 2015,a year which had more rhino killings in South Africa than ever before. The World Wildlife Fund,or WWF,says about 20, 000 rhinos live in South Africa. That is more than 80 percent of the rhinos in the world. Edna Molewa, South Africa's Environment Minister,says, "During 2015,we are sad to say this,1, 215 rhinos were killed.This is a rise in the number of poached rhinos from 1,004 in 2014 and indeed very worrying." The animals are hunted for their horns .Many people in Asia believe the horn has curing power, which drives poachers, at all costs, mad for more horns. But there is no scientific evidence for this belief.The horn is made of keratin .That is the same thing as human hair,fingernails and toenails. Ms.Molewa said 386 suspected poachers were arrested last year,an increase from the year before.But rhino protection workers say poachers often go unpunished after arrest. South Africa's legal system is ineffective. Ms. Mo1ewa said more needs to be done and South Africa is taking strong measures to protect rhinos.The efforts include moving some of the animals to secret places in neighboring countries. "Now approximately 100 rhinos have been moved to neighboring states in the SADC region during 2015 and 200 more rhinos will be moved this year," Molewa said. Jo Shaw,the rhino program manager at the WWF,said,"We're talking about a loss of a hundred rhinos a month,or more than three a day.We really need to see effective action not just at a national level but internationally." She says officials should find the criminal groups responsible for the poaching and punish them. Government officials are to meet in Botswana in March at the Inter-governmental Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade. What is the main reason for people to hunt rhinos?
A To get more keratin.
B To protect the farmland.
C To use them for decoration.
D To make money from horns.
Answer: D. To make money from horns.
I have a friend named John Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro.The last time I was there he shared a story with me. "It is a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer. When he was a senior,he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up." That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings,the stables and the track. "The next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, 'See me after class.'" "The boy went to see the teacher after class and asked, 'Why did I receive an F?'" "The teacher said, 'This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher added, 'If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.'" "The boy went home and asked his father what he should do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.'" "Finally,after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, 'You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.'" John continued, "I tell you this story because you are sitting in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace." He added, "If I had changed my paper at that time, maybe we would not have the chance to be here talking about the dreams ." The teacher give the young boy an F because _ .
A he thought he didn't have money.
B he thought he came from an itinerant family.
C he thought he didn't have land.
D he thought it was an unrealistic dream for a young boy.
Answer: D. he thought it was an unrealistic dream for a young boy.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Smoking not only can wrinkle the face and turn it yellow -- it can do the same to the whole body, researchers reported on Monday. The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, shows that smoking affects the skin all over the body -- even skin protected from the sun. "We examined non-facial skin that was protected from the sun, and found that the total number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day and the total years a person has smoked were linked with the amount of skin damage a person experienced," Dr. Yolanda Helfrich of the University of Michigan, who led the study, said in a statement. "In participants older than 65 years, smokers had significantly more fine wrinkling than nonsmokers. Similar findings were seen in participants aged 45 to 65 years," Helfrich's team added in their report. The researchers tested 82 people, smokers and nonsmokers, taking pictures of the inner right arms. They ranged in age from 22 to 91 and half were smokers. Independent judges decided how wrinkled each person's skin was. When skin is exposed to sunlight, notably the face, it becomes coarse, wrinkled and discolored with a pale yellow tint, Helfrich's team wrote. Several previous studies have found that cigarette smoking contributes to premature skin aging as measured by facial wrinkles, the study said, but little has been done to measure the aging of skin not exposed to light. The report did not discuss the mechanism involved but previous research has found that cigarette smoke, among other things, causes blood vessels beneath the skin to constrict , reducing blood supply to the skin. Smoking can also damage the connective tissue that supports both the skin and the internal organs. The best title for this passage would be _ .
A The danger of smoking
B Smoking causes skin aging
C Quit smoking for health
D A survey of smokers
Answer: B. Smoking causes skin aging
Jake and Carol live next door to a banana farm. One day as they were taking a walk, Jake asked Carol if she could smell the sweet bananas. Carol said yes and that she would love it if the farmer would give them some. Jake's mouth watered at the thought of eating the golden yellow bananas. They then began walking to the farmer's barn to ask him if they could have some. When they arrived they saw a sign that said the farmer would be out until tomorrow night. He was also a singer and would be performing at a school two towns over in Orangeville. Instead of waiting for the farmer to return so that they could ask for some bananas, Jake and Carol began walking around the farm to pick their own. As he was walking, Jake tripped on a rock. As he tried to stand back up he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He could walk, but it was very painful. Carol let Jake lean on her as they walked home. They knew it was a bad idea to go on the farmer's land without his permission and would never do it again. Why did Jake lean on Carol?
A It was painful for him to walk.
B He had trouble carrying all of the bananas.
C To push her to go to the farm.
D He felt bad about taking the farmer's bananas.
Answer: A. It was painful for him to walk.
Hands play an important part in our daily life. But do you know which of your two hands you use more? Very few people use both hands _ well .Most of us are right-handed. Only about five people out of a hundred are left-handed. New-born babies can take hold of things with either of their hands, but in about two years they usually use their right hands. Scientists don't know why this happens. Monkeys are our close relatives in the animal world. Scientists have found that monkeys like to use one of their hands more than the other, but it can be either hand. There are as many right-handed monkeys as left-handed ones. Next time you visit a zoo, watch the monkeys carefully, you will see that some of them will use their right hands and others will use their left hands. But most of the people use their right hands better and this makes life difficult for those left-handed people. We live in a right-handed world. Which of the following is true?
A There are more monkeys using their right hands than left hands.
B There are more monkeys using their left hands than right hands.
C There are as many right-handed monkeys as left-handed ones.
D There are not as many right-handed monkeys as left-handed ones.
Answer: C. There are as many right-handed monkeys as left-handed ones.
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The elements changed America's tallest peaks into
A marble blocks
B ivory castles
C towers of gold
D loose rocks
Answer: D
Tom was ten years old and he was a very lazy boy. He didn't like doing any work. He had to go to school, of course , but he didn't study hard there and tried to do as little work as possible. His father and mother were both doctors and they hoped that their son would become one, too. But one day Tom said to his mother, " When I finish school, I want to be a dustman." "A dustman?" his mother asked, she was very surprised. " that's not a very pleasant job, why do you want to be a dustman?" "Because then I would only have to work one day a week." Tom answered at once. "Only one day a week?" his mother said, "What do you mean? And how do you know?" " Well," Tom replied, " I know that the dustmen who come to our house to work on Thursday, because I only see them on that day." ,,. What kind of boy was Tom?
A Tom was a clever boy.
B Tom was a lazy boy.
C Tom worked very hard.
D Tom was not polite.
Answer: B
A few minutes ago , walking back from lunch , I started to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping . It wasn't much but , as I turned , my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too . A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime . The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on sidewalk is an attention-getter . It can be nothing more than a penny . Whatever the coin is , no one ignores the sound of it . It got me thinking about sounds again . We are surrounded by so many sounds that attract the most attention . People in prefix = st1 /New York Cityseldom turn to look when a fire engine, a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street . When I'm in New York, I'm a New Yorker . I don't turn either . Like the natives . I hardly hear a siren there . At home in my little town in Connecticut, it's different . The distant loud noise of a police car , an emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I'm seated and brings me to the window if I'm in bed . It's the quietest sounds that have most effect on us , not the loudest . In the middle of the night , I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away through three closed doors . I've been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imagination turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house . How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime ? I'm quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what the bad sounds are . I've turned against whistling , for instance . I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I've been connecting the whistler with a nervous person making noises . The tapping , tapping ,tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me . I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it . What kind of sound does he find pleasant ?
A Tapping of his typewriter .
B Clinking sound of keys .
C Tinkling sound of a coin dropping .
D Creaking sounds .
Answer: A
If you are given only 1 yuan, could you live in a city for one day? It seems this may be a little difficult. But students from Xi'an did it. On April 10, more than 60 students from the Middle School Attached to Northwestern Polytechnical University took part in the One Yuan Metropolis Survival. The charitable organization for teenagers called Imperceptible Education held this activity. Students not only have to live, but they also have to deal with a lot of hard tasks. It has happened in eight cities and is going to four others, including Beijing, in June. To make money, many students looked for part-time jobs and saw how hard life was. Zhang Qiyue, 14, asked more than 10 restaurants for a job and finally got one chance. "We were sad when they said no. But gradually , we got used to it," he said. After being a waiter for an hour, he got 25 yuan. Some made use of their talents by singing and dancing in parks or shopping malls. Many people who walked by took notice and helped them. Zhao Jiacheng, 14, drew pictures and made paper crafts . "This showed it's important to learn a special skill," he said. Living was hard, but finishing the tasks wasn't any easier. They went to different places to finish tasks in a short time. The most amazing one was when they had to exchange things worth thousands yuan with only a piece of paper in half an hour. "We learned how to _ others. From a balloon to a cake to a bottle of yogurt ... after almost 20 tries, we got an expensive necklace," he said. They will give all of the money they made to poor schools in Tibet. Why do the students took part in the One Yuan Metropolis Survival?
A To get a chance to do part-time jobs.
B To find a way to survive in the city.
C To help poor schools in Tibet
D To exchange a piece of paper for a necklace
Answer: C
Don't you just love ice skating every winter? I am sure, that since winter is approaching, your skates are set to come out, just waiting to be used. Impress your friends with your new trick on how to ice-skate backwards with the help of these tips. Skating backwards on ice is a bit difficult but once you master the basic, there' s nothing like it. Follow the steps given below and you will be able to skate backwards in no time. Stand Straight The first thing that you need to do is, stand straight. If you feel that you are falling backwards, then just put your chin up and slightly bend your knees. Don't worry; this happens to all. Confidence is What You Need The most important step while learning how to skate backwards, is having enough confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. How can you achieve this? By practice. Just practice rolling backwards down a gentle slope every single day or just by pushing off from a wall or something of that sort. But before you do that, make sure that the place where you are practicing is free from any kind of debris because otherwise, you could end up in the hospital due to some accident. While going backwards, just get used to the feeling of moving backwards. One of the important ice skating tips and techniques is that if you feel that you are losing your balance, then scissor your skates. Keep practicing this till you are confident about it. Maintain Speed Confident now? Great! Now the next step is to maintain your speed. While rolling in a straight line with one skate, with the other try sculling , that is, keep pushing yourself backwards with an outwards stroke . Now bring the skate which you were using to scull, and then again, repeat the same process. Make sure that you put most of your weight on the skate which is moving straight and not the one with which you are sculling. Now, try the same thing using the other foot. Again keep doing this till you are confident enough. Increase Your Speed Now Once you are confident that you can scull with either foot, the next thing that you have to do is increase your speed. Try some of your own tricks now. Scull with either foot or with both at the same time. Scull and Be Aware While you keep one foot straight, keep sculling with the other. You can do that simultaneously with both feet. Concentrate on what you are doing but don't get so involved that you don't see where you are going. If you are not watching your back, you might just bang against something or someone. The purpose of the text is _ .
A to offer some advice on ice-skating backwards
B to introduce the culture of ice-skating backwards
C to explain advantages of ice-skating backwards
D to compare different ways of ice-skating backwards
Answer: A
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Question: A new study from Harvard University revealed that the message parents mean to send to children about the value of sympathy is being mistaken by the message they actually send. In fact they value achievement and happiness above all else. The Making Caring Common Project at Harvard's Graduate School of Education surveyed 10,000 middle and high school students about which is more important to them--achievement, happiness, or caring about others. Almost 80 percent of students placed achievement or happiness over caring about others. Only 20 percent of students considered caring about others as their top aim. In the study "The Children We Mean to Raise: The Real Message Adults Are Sending about Values", the authors refer to a reality gap, an incongruity between what adults tell children they should value and the message we grown-ups actually send through our behavior. Simply talking about sympathy is not enough. While 96 percent of parents say they want to raise caring children, and cite the development of moral character as "very important, if not essential", 80 percent of the youths surveyed reported that their parents "are more concerned about achievement and happiness than caring about others". Approximately the same percentage of the students reported that their teachers put their achievement over caring. As the report shows, simply talking about sympathy is not enough. Children are sensitive creatures, fully capable of telling the true meanings in the blank spaces between well-organised words. If parents really want to let their kids know that they value care and sympathy, the authors suggest, they must make a real effort to help their children learn to care about other people--even when it's hard, even when it does not make them happy, and yes, even when it is at odds with their personal success. What can be concluded from the study?
A. 20% of the students are not ambitious.
B. Kids care more about achievement.
C. About 80% of the students are not caring.
D. A majority of the kids are kind students.
Answer:
B
Question: What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology . With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today's leading killers, such as heart diseases, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memory. In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs . The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on---in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones. It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic conditional human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future. In the author's opinion, today's most important advance in technology lies in _ .
A. medicine
B. the internet
C. brain cells
D. human organs
Answer:
A
Question: Which of the following tools is most useful for tightening a small mechanical fastener?
A. chisel
B. pliers
C. sander
D. saw
Answer:
B
Question: Can you remember the day when you spoke your first word? If you can, you are unusual. Try to imagine what first few months of your life were like. I am sure you just spent most of your time eating, sleeping and crying. As you grow older, you were awake more of the time. It took your parents more time to play with you and talk to you. You watched and listened curiously. You began to know that people made certain sounds to go with certain things. Then you began to try making the sounds you heard. And step by step you were able to make the right sound for one thing.On that day you came to understand the secret of language. The secret is that a certain sound means a certain thing. One sound might be as good as another. But it is no good as a word unless everybody agrees on its meaning. Only when a group of people use the same set of sounds of things, can they understand each other. Then, and only then do these people have a LANGUAGE. After you found the secret of language, you learned words. Some of the words meant things, such as BOOKS, CHAIRS and SHOES. Some words meant doing things, such as GO and SWIM. And other words describe things, such as GOOD and DIRTY. Soon you learned to put words together to express one's idea, such as "I want to go out and play with my friends." This is language. By means of language people can communicate. So we say languages are means of communication. You could learn words _ .
A. before you knew what the language was
B. after you knew what the language was
C. if you knew the secret of the language
D. when you were a baby
Answer:
B
Question: If you want your children to develop an environmentally conscious attitude, you have to start teaching them while they are young. Wondering where to send your kids to learn more? Here are some good choices for you. Recycle Zone Website Address: _ The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in the UK actually pays money to build this site. It provides lots of great information on the level for kids. The site is brightly colored, and it's easy for kids to use, and interactive to get them active in learning. You'll find many great jokes, songs and games on the site that will keep your kids happy while they are learning. National Geographic Kids Website Address: _ This is an excellent site for kids, with all the great choice that you'd expect from National Geographic. It is excellent for kids and it has information on different kinds of topics, including the environment and how the environmental problems affect the world and animals around it. You'll find stories, quizzes, games, tips, and videos that your kids will enjoy while learning more about the environment and recycling. Children of the Earth Website Address: _ The site helps to provide information that will allow your kids to understand and respect the world around them. Lessons are taught on plants, soil, energy and animals. It helps them to learn about how their actions can either have negative or positive influence on the environment. Which of the following is TRUE about Recycle Zone?
A. It is designed for kids.
B. It can teach kids how to behave well.
C. It offers all kinds of stories and videos.
D. It shares lessons on plants, soil, energy and animals.
Answer:
A
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When you consider what subject to study in college, chances are that you and your parents will think about what you can make out of _ after graduation. You will likely ask the question: "Can I find a well-paid job or simply a job with a degree in this in the future?" This consideration also influences students when they come to choose between studying science or humanities at college. People generally believe that the humanities, which include literature , history, cultural studies and philosophy, do not prepare students for a specific vocation . Science subjects, however, are considered vocational courses that produce scientists, engineers and economists . "I've decided to take finance as my college major. My parents and I think this subject will help me get a good job or start a business," said Huachen Yueru, 17, a science student at Wuxi No. 1 High School. Even those who choose a liberal arts education often pick the humanities subject which they think will best help them later find a job. "I'm going to study Spanish in college, which I believe will open doors to a high-paying job for me," said Liu Chao, 18, a Senior 2 student at Dalian No 20 High School. He said few of his classmates show interest in subjects like philosophy and history, which are seen as "less promising" in job markets. The popularity of liberal arts subjects among college students has also been decreasing in the United States. American scholars and universities are concerned that in the ongoing economic crisis liberal arts subjects will be hit hardest. As money tightens , they worry that the humanities may become "a great luxury that many cannot afford", according to the New York Times. Why do students show little interest in the subjects, like philosophy or history ?
A. Because they are not interested in them.
B. Because they think these subjects are useless.
C. Because they see these subjects as less-promising in job market.
D. Because they like the science subjects.
Answer: C
Some children cannot wait to grow up. Because once you become an adult, you are free to make your own decisions. More importantly, you can do all those things that you cannot do now because you are too young. So, the question is, 'At what age do you really become an adult?' Well, people become adults at different ages in different places. In Australia, the 18th birthday is a very important event for young Australians because it means they can do almost anything they want. They can vote, learn to drive a car, get married, join the army and even buy their own houses. However, even if they can do all these things, most Australians have to wait until their 21st birthday to really celebrate becoming an adult. This is the traditional adult age not only in Australia, but also in the USA and the UK. It is their first year of true independence .Traditionally, people were given a key to their houses by their parents when they turned 21, meaning they could come and go as they like. Even though 21 is the traditional adult age in many English-speaking countries, the law nowadays is different in each country. In the UK, you can join the army at 16 and even get married at 16 if your parents allow. Young people in the UK can learn to drive a car at 17 as in Australia, although they have to wait until they are 18 to vote. In China, there is a different age for each of the stages of becoming an adult. You can vote and learn to drive a car when you are 18, but if you want to get married, women have to wait until they are 20 and men until they are 22. Chinese people celebrate important birthdays every 10 years--so when young people turn 20, they can expect a big party! No matter what age you are, becoming an adult is really about learning how to be independent and responsible . Once you are finally able to take care of yourself and make your own decisions, then you can say that you are truly all grown-ups. What are adults free to do according to the passage?
A. They are free to decide when to celebrate their own birthdays.
B. They are free to look after themselves well.
C. They are free to make their own decisions.
D. They are free to make time move faster.
Answer: C
Natural selection cannot occur without
A. competition for unlimited resources.
B. gradual warming of Earth.
C. genetic variation in species.
D. asexual reproduction in species.
Answer: C
Hi! I'm Tom.This is my pencil box. It's orange. My ruler is blue and red .It's in the pencil-box. That is a pencil. It's black. It is not my pencil. It's Lucy's. The white eraser is Bob's. I call Bob at 789-6943. It is his telephone number. The eraser is _ .
A. black
B. blue and red
C. white
D. orange
Answer: C
After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack, my world crashed around me. My six children were all under 10, and I was burdened with the responsibilities of earning a living, and caring for the children. I was fortunate to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week, but from Friday nights to Monday mornings, the children and I were alone. One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big pretty German Shepherd on our doorstep. This dog seemed to intend to enter the house. The children liked "German" immediately and begged me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks. The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German's owner, but with no results. On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. Since I thought it best to leave German behind in case his owner came by, we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas, we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. No way was he going to be left behind. Monday morning I let him out for a run. He didn't come back and we were all disappointed. We were convinced that we would never see him again. We were wrong. The next Friday evening, German was back on our doorstep. Again he stayed until Monday morning, when our housekeeper arrived. This pattern repeated itself every weekend for almost 10 months. We grew more and more fond of German. We took comfort in his strong, warm presence, and we felt safe with him near us. As German became part of the family, he considered it his duty to check every bedroom to be sure each child was cozy in bed. Each week, between German's visits, I grew a little stronger, a little braver and more able to handle; every weekend we were no longer alone and enjoyed his company. Then one Monday morning we patted him on the head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. We never saw German again. The writer was _ the German Shepherd.
A. afraid of
B. grateful to
C. cruel to
D. annoyed with
Answer: B
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There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students.Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee , the students would be in fear, because he was hardly pleased with the answers they gave.A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him.At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again. Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee.This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all. The professor began to ask.The student was asked to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK.Then the professor asked about the cure for the illness , and the student , too , answered just as right. "Good," said the professor, "and how much will you give the patient?" "A full spoon," answered the student. "Now you may go out and wait for what you can get," said the professor. At the same time the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given.Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer."A full spoon is too much," he thought to himself.Anxiously he opened the door of the room and cried, "Mr. Professor, I've made a mistake! A full spoon is too much for the patient.He can take only five drops." "I'm sorry, sir," said the professor coldly, "but it's too late.Your patient has died." Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The patient will be in danger if he takes as much as a full spoon of the medicine.
B. The doctor will be in trouble if he gives the patient a full spoon of the medicine.
C. If the patient wants to be alive, he should take the medicine no more than five drops.
D. If one full spoon of the medicine is too much, less than it should be all right to the patient.
Answer: D. If one full spoon of the medicine is too much, less than it should be all right to the patient.
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. Exercise makes the body _ .
A. weak
B. strong
C. clever
D. tired
Answer: B. strong
How do you think of the following example? Many Japanese never take the vacations they should enjoy, but with the coming of "Golden Week", several holidays following one after another in late April and early May, they pour out of the country in the tens of thousands. So when traveling, whether on business or for pleasure, the first thing to think about are hotels. The kind of hotel you choose is decided according to how much money you want to spend. There are small hotels with very few services, where the prices are low, or there are large hotels with all the very latest comforts, where you could spend all the money you have in the bank for a very comfortable night. There are several different kinds of people who go to hotels. Some want to live, rather than just stay, in a hotel; hotels which are designed to meet their needs are called residential hotels. However, most people who stay in hotels are either business people or tourists on holiday. In most hotels, there are two kinds of rooms: single rooms, for the use of one person, and double rooms, for the use of two people. In addition, in large hotels, there are also suites , which include two or more rooms connected together -- perhaps a bedroom and a living room. They are for people who are very rich or very important. If the president of a certain country comes, he will most probably_.
A. live in a new hotel
B. stay in a single room of a hotel
C. stay in a double room of a hotel
D. stay in a suite of a modern hotel
Answer: D. stay in a suite of a modern hotel
For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find an internship . In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programs are still few and far behind. Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years. The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education. In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment. But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country's most vulnerable kids with no jobs and no skills. Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teach them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example ,encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job experience in those fields while they're still at high school. However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is _ . In the US, unemployment rates for 16-to-19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row. "The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the summer job experience, they will become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job," said Michael, a researcher in the US. According to Robert Schwartz, high school students should _ .
A. directly carry on higher education
B. get contact with the working world
C. focus on their performance in exams
D. not miss out on the summer job experience
Answer: B. get contact with the working world
More and more people are aware that an afternoon nap can do a body good. But there are still doubters out there. To help spread the power of the afternoon nap, we list some common misunderstandings about napping we still hear. Misunderstanding # 1 : Napping is only for the lazy. Fact: Around a third of American adults nap on the average day, and for good reason: A short nap can improve everything from alertness and memory to creativity and productivity . And none of these sounds like laziness to us! Misunderstanding # 2 : If I take a nap, I'll only wake up feeling worse. Fact: That weak feeling after you wake up from a nap is real (it even has a name: sleep inertia), but it's not a guarantee . How you feel after your nap is a factor of how long you sleep. Experts generally agree that a nap should last no longer than 30 minutes. "If it takes longer than 30 minutes, you end up in deep sleep. You're going into a stage of sleep where you find it very difficult to wake up." said sleep expert Michael J. Breus, Ph. D. Next time you're in the mood for a nap, set your alarm for 20 to 30 minutes, tops. Misunderstanding # 3 : You mustn't nap at work. Fact: In fact, in the office environment, we're all for catching a few winks during the workday. Some companies have even created special rooms for afternoon naps as more and more employers come around to the idea that a well-rested workforce is a more productive workforce. If your employer doesn't offer a place to lay your head, try to find an empty conference room where you can close the door and turn off the lights. Really want. You can also take a nap during your lunch break on a park bench or in your car. Misunderstanding # 4 : I'll be more productive if I just finish this task, rather than waste time sleeping. Fact: Yes, you'll be away from your desk if you spend 10 to 30 minutes sleeping. But you'll likely make up for that "wasted" time afterward. "My research shows that people feel tired after a long time of work during the day," Sara Mednick told Bloomberg Businessweek. "It's difficult to keep energetic and productive all day." However, a nap can leave you feeling refreshed and more ready to deal with the task at hand. How you feel after your nap is connected with _ .
A. the way of sleep
B. the place of sleep
C. the environment of sleep
D. the length of sleep
Answer: D. the length of sleep
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You love Jay Chou's songs and you can sing some quite well. So you make a video of your performance and post it online for your friends to see. But what if this led to something beyond your wildest imagination--a career in music? Canadian teenager Justin Bieber, 16, has just had the magical experience: He posted homemade videos of his versions of songs by American singer Chris Brown online for his relatives. He received a phone call from Brown, telling him how much he liked his performance. His singing eventually earned him a fan base and a record contract. After releasing a popular record in November 2009, his album My world 2.0 came out last Tuesday. Bieber sings ballads and songs about puppy love. But is he just another gooey teen idol? David Malitz, a columnist with the Washington Post, doesn't think so. "If we truly want the best forAmerican children, let us pause and give thanks for Justin Bieber," he writes. "After years of humdrum bubblegum from Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, the 16yearold has thrown a candycoated wrench into Disney's heartthrob assembly line by giving young fans something worth screaming their lungs out for lovable pop songs." From a boy who grew up below the poverty line with his divorced mom to a star who caused nearriots in shopping malls, even Bieber himself can't believe his overnight fame, although his kind of success is becoming more and more common in the Internet era. Interested in hockey, the national sport of Canada, the boy once put up pictures of players on the walls of his bedroom. He dreamed of being a hockey star and used to practice signing his autograph. He doesn't need practice now. He signs autographs, if the girls can get close enough, as a music star. What's Justin Bieber's hobby?
Answer:
Paris in the springtime was, is and always will be, something rather special. Why not experience it for yourself with this excellent break for four days? This attractive city has something to offer to everyone and with prices at just PS129. Your break begins with comfortable bus transfer from local pick-up points and travel to Paris is via cross-channel ferry, arriving at your hotel in the evening. The Ibis is an excellent quality hotel with private equipments in all rooms: satellite TV, radio, telephone and alarm clock. It has a bar and restaurant and is situated about two miles south of Notre Dame enabling you to explore Paris with ease. The following day, after continental breakfast (included), the bus takes you on a comprehensive sightseeing tour of the city, during which you will see the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, L'Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, in fact almost every famous landmark you have ever heard of. You then leave Paris and take a short drive to the magnificent Palace of Versailles, the home of Louis XIV. The tour ends mid-afternoon back in Paris where you will have the remainder of the day at your leisure. In the evening there is a "Paris by Night" tour showing you the beautiful buildings with bright lights. Day three takes you to Montmarter, perhaps the most attractive quarter of Paris and home of the Sacre Coeur and the Moulin Rouge. In the afternoon you are free to explore this beautiful city as you wish, perhaps a pleasure voyage on the River Seine, wander around the beautiful gardens or look among the antique shops . In the evening you will have the opportunity to visit the best nightclub in the city, the splendid Paradis Latain. On the final day it's back to the UK via channel ferry. Included in the price of PS129 per person : *Return comfortable bus travel to Paris *Return ferry crossings *3 nights housing in a twin bedded room in a Central Paris hotel with private facilities *Continental breakfast during your stay *Guided sightseeing tour of "Paris by Day" and Paris by Night" *Visit to the Chateau of Versailles (admission not included ) *Tour around Montmartre *Services of experienced bi-lingual tour guide at all times 64. What is the purpose of this passage ?
Answer:
Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family.Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, "Mom, I can't peel potatoes.I have only one hand." Mom never looked up from sewing."You get yourself into the kitchen and peel those potatoes," she told me."And don't ever use that as an excuse for anything again!" In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel bar to the next.When it was my turn, I shook my head.Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying. That night I told Mom about it.She hugged me, and I saw her "we'll see about that" look.The next afternoon, she took me back to school.At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars. "Now, pull up with your right arm," she advised.She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other arm.Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached.I'd never forget the next time, crossing the rungs.I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open. One night, after a dance at my new junior school, I lay in bed sobbing.I could hear Mom come into my room."Mom," I said, weeping, "none of the girls would dance with me." For a long time, I didn't hear anything.Then she said, "Oh, honey, someday you'll be beating those boys off with a bat." Her voice was soft and weak.I glanced at her to see tears running down her cheeks.Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf.She had never let me see her tears. Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom's attitude when she made the child peel potatoes?
Answer:
Whether you're taking a trip alone or with your family, it's easier to get sick when you're in a new place because your body hasn't had a chance to _ to the food, water, and air in a new environment. Read the following tips on keeping your travel experience as healthy as possible. Safe foods and drinks What foods are safe to eat? Foods that have been boiled are generally safe, as well as fruits and vegetables that have to be peeled before eating. Avoid eating uncooked or undercooked meat. Stay away from foods that require a lot of handling before serving. Drink only bottled water when traveling. If you have to use the tap water, you should boil it first. You can take it with you When you're packing, taking some painkiller and diarrhea medicine is a good idea. It's also a good idea to pack some allergy medicine even if you don't take it at home, because people sometimes unexpectedly develop allergic reactions in a new environment. Write it all down Before you leave your sweet home, create a medical history form that includes the following information: your name, address, and home phone number as well as a parent's daytime phone number your blood type a list of any ongoing health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, or AIDS a list of current medicines you are taking a list of allergies to medicine, food, insects, and animals the name, address, and phone number of a relative other than your parent It also helps if you have some basic emergency medical knowledge, not only for yourself but also for helping others you may be traveling with. A great way to prepare for your trip is to take a first-aid or basic life support course before you go; if you're traveling with a group, you should know where the first-aid kit is and what's in it. What does the passage mainly talk about?
Answer:
A ferret darting around a space in the wild in a panic is likely
Answer:
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On the whole, it's not something we parents shout about, but one in four of us does it.Hiring private tutors for our children is now widespread.And this year, as always,the Easter holidays will be peak time for tutor demand. "My husband and I tried to tutor her at home,but we found all our knowledge was out of date and we were only confusing Zarreen.We also tried a group revision course but all the children were sitting exams for different boards . On the whole we think one-two-one tuition works best and it is worth the money.In our case,Preeta is a bit like an elder sister to Zarreen and that's the most important,"says Ashan Sabri from London, whose daughter Zarreen,18,is having tuition in biology and chemistry in preparation for A-levels this summer. In fact,Preeta Datta is only six years older than her pupil and she is happy to provide extra tuition through mobile phone."Maybe Zarreen will call me two or three times a week with a question about biology or chemistry, and that's fine to me,"says Datta. The real question is:does tutoring do any good? "It's not the magic bullet,"says Professor Judith Ireson.'It's still up to the child to do the learning.If he or she isn't interested,then sending them to a private tutor won't do any good." In which case,surely it's time to break open the Champagne ?Not necessarily, says Elaine Tyrrell,head of the Rowans School. "While we recommend private tutoring for a few children whose first language isn't English,we don't encourage it for the others,"says Tyrrell."With the level of education they get here,children really ought to be able to pass the entrance exams without any extra teaching. Besides, our biggest worry is that they might just get in with the help of last-minute tutoring,but,once they actually get to that school,they won't be able to manage." It's a point worth considering.After all,who would want their child to stay at the bottom of the class? What attitude does the author hold towards home tutoring?_.
Answer:
"Hypotheses ," said Medawarin 1964, "are imaginative and inspirational in character"; they are "adventures of the mind". He was arguing in favour of the position taken by Karl Popper that the nature of scientific method is hypothetico-deductive and not, as is generally believed, inductive. The myth of scientific method is that it is inductive: that the formulation of scientific theory starts with the basic, raw evidence of the senses -- simple, fair, unprejudiced observation. Out of these sensory data -- commonly referred to as "facts" -- generalisations will form. The myth is that from a disorderly collection of factual information an orderly, relevant theory will somehow come out. However, the starting point of induction is an impossible one. There is no such thing as an unprejudiced observation. Every act of observation we make is a function of what we have seen or otherwise experienced in the past. All scientific work of an experimental or exploratory nature starts with some expectation about the outcome. This expectation is a hypothesis. Hypotheses provide the motivation for the inquiry and influence the method. It is in the light of an expectation that some observations are held to be relevant and some irrelevant, that one method is chosen and others abandoned, that some experiments are conducted and others are not. Hypotheses arise by guesswork, or by inspiration, but having been started they can and must be tested thoroughly, using the appropriate method. If the predictions you make as a result of deducing certain consequences from your hypothesis are not shown to be correct then you abandon or adjust your hypothesis. If the predictions turn out to be correct then your hypothesis has been supported and may be kept until such time as some further test shows it not to be correct. Once you have arrived at your hypothesis, which is a product of your imagination, you then move on to a strictly logical and thorough process, based upon deductive argument -- therefore the term "hypothetico-deductive". So don't worry if you have some idea of what your results will tell you before you even begin to collect data; there are no scientists in existence who really wait until they have all the evidence in front of them before they try to work out what it might possibly mean. The hypothetico-deductive method describes the logical approach to much research work, but it does not describe the psychological behaviour that brings it about. The psychological behaviour is a much more complicated process -- involving guesses, reworkings, corrections, and above all inspiration, in the deductive as well as the hypothetic component. However, describing the logical approach is like writing the final thesis or published papers of research work. These theses and papers have been, quite properly, organised into a more logical order so that the worth of the output may be evaluated independently of the behavioural processes by which it was obtained. It is the difference, for example between the academic papers with which Crick and Watson demonstrated the structure of the DNA molecule and the fascinating book The Double Helix in which Watson (1968) described how they did it. From this point of view, the scientific method may more usefully be thought of as a way of writing up research rather than as a way of carrying it out. Which of the following about a hypothesis is right?
Answer:
John is an American boy. His family is in China now. John likes chocolate very much. But his mother doesn't give him. Chocolate is not good for him, she thinks. But John has a very nice uncle. The old man loves him very much, and sometimes he buys John some chocolate. Then his mother lets him eat them. Because she wants to make the old man happy. One Sunday evening, John says in his room," Please, God makes them give me a big box of chocolate tomorrow , it's my eighth birthday!" His mother says to him , "God can't hear you, my boy." "I know, but my uncle is in the next room, and he can hear." John says to his mother. John is _ .
Answer:
A student is trying to identify a mineral that has a nonmetallic luster and is black. It can also be scratched with a fingernail. According to the mineral reference sheet, the unidentified mineral is most likely
Answer:
A job is more than a job, especially to the old. "It's not the money that matters, but the sense of self-worth," 56-year-old Cheng Wonlan said. So, every day Ms Cheng carries a bag of parcels, letters and documents and does her rounds in North Point. She's a courier . Five years ago, Ms Cheng was a nurse at a private clinic. She had worked there for 30 years but became jobless when the doctor moved away. It was difficult for her to find another job as a nurse. "People do not trust my ability when they learn how old I am," she said. After two years of searching, she eventually found another nursing job. But then after two years, she quit. Why? "My colleagues were young and they didn't understand me because of my age. They often asked me, 'You are so old. What are you working for?' I was very unhappy," she said. When the rest of her family left for work, she was lonely and bored at home. Then her neighbours told her about Employees' Retraining Board offering retraining courses for older people. These courses are specifically designed to encourage the older people back to work. "I was interested in courier work. I didn't think my age was a barrier because I was fit," she said. Upon graduating, Ms Cheng was offered a job by a company. But then Ms Cheng was faced with a conflict: she was caught between honour and employment. "I felt embarrassed about carrying and delivering letters and parcels," she said. It took Ms Cheng 24 hours to make up her mind: there was nothing wrong or embarrassing about doing the job. So she went off to work as a courier. Ms Cheng's employer, Anthony Chong, is delighted with her responsible attitude and said, "I hire older people because they are able and reliable. Age is not an important factor but attitude is. Many old people will not run from difficulties but the young ones will." According to Anthony Chong, young people _ .
Answer:
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One day a big cat was going into a forest to find something to eat. On his way he met his friend, the old owl . The owl greeted him, "Good morning, my dear friend. Where are you going?" "I'm going to the forest to look for some birds to eat." The cat answered. "But be careful not to catch any of my children." The owl said to the cat. "OK," the cat said. "But what do your children look like?" "Oh," the owl said, "they are the most beautiful birds in the forest." "All right, I know that." The cat said and walked on to the forest. The cat entered the forest and saw many beautiful birds here and there. He remembered what the owl had told him and went away. Then after a long time, he saw some ugly birds in a nest. He sat down and ate them one by one. When the owl came back to her nest, she found it was empty. The cat went to the forest _ .
I don't think a day goes by when I don't think of my father. He died twenty-one years ago when I was twenty-six. He was a good man , but I hardly saw him around home, for he ran a big company. I secretly wished something could bring him closer to me. It wasn't until he became seriously ill that we really got to know each other and had a place in each other's lives. After his near death and many operations, I was trained as his nurse to take care of him. Although the job seemed boring and tiring in certain people's eyes, I liked it. Taking care of him seemed to reduce the pain of his absence from my younger life. I enjoyed his company and attention and, though through a sad situation, I was finally getting my fill . Now I am a dad myself, but certainly not a _ as my father. Although I work away from my home, I always have my meals with my family. Father's Day is coming I still have the pencil holder made from a decorated tin sitting on my desk. It's a gift from my only son. Each year, the gift is something different and each year, I couldn't care less about the gift itself. You see, the gift I enjoy is the pleasure of my son's company and knowing that we have a place in each other's lives. At heart , all men know their fathers are important. Want a great Father's Day? Tell your dad you love him and give your kid a hug today-before Father's Day actually arrives. When the writer was a kid, _ .
Selena Gomez won Favorite Female Singer at 2014 Kids' Choice Awards on March 29. It is a very important awards show held every year in America. Gomez was born on July 22,1992 in Texas. The 22-year-old girl is an all-round star----she not only acts well but also sings a lot of popular songs. At the age of 7, Gomez first played with a purple dinosaur on the TV show Barney and Friends. In 2007, Gomez acted in Wizards of Waverly Place (<<>> ),which was a big success. After that, she played different roles in many films and become more and more popular. Gomez made her own band at the age of 17. Fans love her songs because of her beautiful voice. By fan, she has released three albums . She also has a good sense of fashion. Gomez wore a beautiful dress at the Kids' Choice Award. It made her lovely and she shone the whole night. Charity is an important part in Gomez's life. In October 2008, she was named UNICEF's spokes-person for Trick-or-Treat, which encourages children to raise money on Halloween to help poor children around the world. She said that she was excited to encourages other kids to make a difference in the world. People like her songs because _ .
This past month saw one of the most devastating storms in history brings death and destruction on the Philippines. The number of lives lost is still being calculated, but it is already sitting above five thousand. In the flurryof news about the storm and its after-math, the cries of "I told you so" from environmentalists rang out loud and clear. These scientists were especially vocal during the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which just wrapped up in Warsaw, Poland. The timing of the conference and Typhoon Haiyan was an eerie coincidence, but perhaps the concurrence offered a wakeup call for all. Christiana Figures, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said, "We are witnessing ever more frequent extreme weather events, and the poor and vulnerable are already paying the price." Scientists claim that storms like Typhoon Haiyan are an inevitable result of the effect greenhouse gases are having on our environment. Environmental analysts claim that rising temperatures around the globe and changing weather patterns are all part of the same problem. This isn't breaking news. We've heard the warnings for years. The UN has been hosting the Climate Change Conference since1995.But the changes that need to be made are huge. Added to this, the developed nations and developing countries have competing interests that are difficult to settle. The issue of who takes responsibility becomes difficult to resolve. We may feel far away from Poland and resolving conflicts between countries, but we mustn't feel far away from the issue. When we watch neighboring countries suffer in severe weather, when we hear reports of increasing global temperatures, when we walk outside and find it difficult to breathe the Shanghai air, we know we have a very real problem. So what are we going to do about it? Are we making every-day choices that can have a positive impact? Are we reducing our carbon footprint? Are we choosing to walk, ride a bicycle or take public transportation instead of a car? Are we recycling? Are we turning off the lights and electronics whenever possible? The problem is complex, but saving our earth starts with each of us taking simple steps. What is the most terrible typhoon in 2013? It is _ .
It can greet people, show DVDs and hand out balloons. "Ubiko", a robot-on -wheels with a catlike face, is joining the crew of temporary workers supplied by a Japanese job-referral company, Ubiquitous Exchange, to stores, events and even weddings. Next month, the 44-inch tall robot will be selling mobile phones at a store. Ubiko can be hired as a temporary worker for two hours for 105,000 yen, or $890. "We see this as serious business. There are jobs that robots are better at," Akiko Sakurai said "people do develop a relation with the robot, and it's lovable." The $255,000 robot, which is equipped with a camera and sensors, greets customers with a nasal electronic voice, shows DVDs with a projector in its head and hands out balloons and other goods with wireless remote-controllable arms. Ubiko sounds like a Japanese female name, which often ends with "ko". Tmsuk, the Japanese company that makes the robot, sold three last month to hospital, where they are working as full-time, rather than temporary, receptionists and guides. One of the hospital's robots serves as a receptionist and has been programmed to greet visitors. It also has a touch-panel on its body, and visitors can use it to get directions for where they want to go. "Just give it electricity, and a robot can work for long hours, even do repetitive work, and you don't have to worry about labor laws," Sudo said. Japan's lower birth rate means that in the coming years it could face a labor shortage, and some experts believe robots could be part of the key to that problem. Robots are very popular in Japan partly because of the popularity of cartoons that describe robots as friends and assistants to humans. Which of the following can be inferred about Ubiko according to the passage?
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Which layer of Earth is the source of lava that erupts from volcanoes?
A asthenosphere
B inner core
C outer core
D lithosphere
Answer: A. asthenosphere
For centuries ,the only form of written correspondence was the letter .Letters were ,and are ,sent by some form of postal service ,the history of which goes back a long way. Indeed ,the Egyptians began sending letters from about 2000 BC, as did the Chinese a thousand years later. Of course ,modern postal services now are much more developed and faster ,depending as they do on cars and planes for delivery .Yet they are still too slow for some people to send urgent documents and letters. The invention of the fax machine increased the speed of delivering documents even more .When you send a fax ,you are sending a copy of a piece of correspondence to someone by telephone service .It was not until the early 1980s that such a service was developed enough for businesses to be able to fax documents to each other. The fax service is still very much in use when copies of documents require to be sent ,but ,as a way of fast correspondence, it has been largely taken the place of by email. Email is used to describe messages sent from one computer user to another. There are advantages and disadvantages with emails. If you send someone and email, then he will receive it extremely quickly. Normal postal services are rather slow as far as speed of delivery is concerned. However ,if you write something by email ,which you might later regret ,and send it immediately ,there is no chance for second thoughts. At least ,if you are posting a letter you have to address and seal the envelope and take it to the post box .There is plenty of time to change your mind. The message is think before you email! The text mainly deals with_.
A the progress in correspondence
B the advantage of fax machines
C the advantage of emails
D the invention of fax machines
Answer: D. the invention of fax machines
Some people would say that the Englishman's home is no longer his castle; that it has become his workshop. This is partly because the average Englishman is keen on working with his own hands and partly because he feels, for one reason or another, that he must do for himself many households for which, some years ago, he would have hired professional help. The main reason for this is a financial one. The high cost of labor has meant that builders' and decorators' cost have reached a level which makes them prohibitive for house-proud English-people of modest means. So, if they wish to keep their houses looking bright and smart, they have to tackle some of the repairs and decorating themselves. As a result, there has grown up in the post-war years what is sometimes referred to as the "do-it-yourself movement". The "do-it-yourself movement" began with home decorating but has spread into a much wider field. Nowadays there seem to be very few things that can't be made by the "do-it-yourself movement" method. A number of magazines and handbooks exist to show hopeful handymen of all ages just how easy it is to build anything from a coffee table to a fifteen-foot sailing boat. All you need, it seems, is a hammer and a few nails. You follow the simple instructions step by step and, before you know where you are, the finished article stands before you, completely in every detail. Unfortunately, alas, it is not always quite as simple as it sounds! Many a budding "do-it-yourself" has found to his cost that one can not learn a skilled craftsman's job overnight. How quickly one realizes, when doing it oneself, that a job which takes a skilled man an hour or so to complete takes an amateur handyman five or six at least. And then there is the question of tools. The first thing the amateur learns is that he must have the right tools for the job. But tools cost money. _ It is not surprising then that many people have come to the conclusion that the expense of the paying professional to do the work is, in the long run, more economical than "do-it-yourself". According to the passage we know that some Englishmen prefer hiring professional decorators NOT because _ .
A they are very wealthy
B the craftsman's job is quite complicated
C the tools are expensive
D "do-it-yourself" brings a lot of troubles
Answer: A. they are very wealthy
Which mixture can be easily separated by adding water and pouring it through a coffee filter?
A sugar and salt
B salt and sand
C sugar and baking soda
D iron filings and sand
Answer: B. salt and sand
A balloon filled with helium gas is set free and starts to move upward. Which of the following best explains why the helium balloon moves upward?
A The density of helium is less than the density of air.
B The air resistance lifts the balloon up.
C There is no gravity acting on the helium balloons.
D The wind blows the balloon upward.
Answer: A. The density of helium is less than the density of air.
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Have you ever had this moment: you are talking about name? Don't worry! In English, there are special names to replace their real names. In the US, if you forget someone's name, you can simply say the name John Doe for a man, or Jane Doe for a woman. For example, 'Did you see that boy who was running in the rain?' 'Ah, yes, poor John Doe.' Also, in US courts ( ), people also use these names. This is to keep the person' s identity a secret. People use the name so often that there was even a comedy film in 1941 called Meet John Doe. However in the UK, unknown people are called John Smith. This is because John is one of the most common first names in English. And Smith is the most common family name. So next time you forget someone's name, you know who to say. In US courts, people also use those special names because _ .
A it is not necessary to use real names
B they become popular because of a comedy film
C it is a good way to keep the person's identity unknown
D it is necessary to use real names
Answer: C
Chicago is considering firm measures to prevent the Asian carp,a giant fish native to the Far East,from coming into North America's Great Lakes in large numbers.Such a move could cost up to$18bn,a heavy economic burden to the city. This species,more than a metre in length,was originally introduced to southern US states three decades ago to control weeds in sewage treatment plants.But they escaped into the Mississippi River and increased in number quickly,making their way north towards the Great Lakes and threatening the native fish species along the way. "Dozens of them will often leap out of the water as boats approach.''Michael Beecham,a local environmental expert,described how frightening the scene was."I've gone down the river and seen these fish jump up and hit me in the face.It is a big problem for our native species," he said. A meeting has been organized to find a technological solution to the carp problem,one of which involves blocking parts of Chicago's canal system.Listening at the meeting was John Goss,who was worried about the effect that having barriers in the canal system would have on industry."It would certainly increase the cost of transportation,"he told."It is currently very cheap and efficient to bring materials and finished goods down the Chicago ship canal.'' Another cheaper option is to eat the fish out of existence.Dirk Fucik is selling carp burger at his fish shop not far from downtown Chicago.He thinks the carps are a great resource."To catch it and throw it away is a waste,"he says."Eating them helps solve the problem and also provides jobs."But the idea has not yet caught on.So far,he is the only person in Chicago selling carp burgers. What's the best title of the passage?
A The Great Lakes,new home for Asian Carps
B The Asian carp escapes from the Great Lakes
C Possible ways to handle non-native species
D Chicago goes to war with Asian carps
Answer: D
My daughter Allie is leaving for college in a week. Her room is cluttered with shopping bags filled with blankets, towels, jeans, sweaters. She won't talk about going. I say, "I'm going to miss you," and she gives me one of her looks and leaves the room. Another time I say, in a voice so friendly it surprises even me: "Do you think you'll take your posters and pictures with you, or will you get new ones at college?" She answers, her voice filled with annoyance, "How should I know?" My daughter is off with friends most of the time. Yesterday was the last day she'd have until Christmas with her friend Katharine, whom she's known since kindergarten. Soon, it will be her last day with Sarah, Claire, Heather... and then it will be her last day with me. My friend Karen told me, "The August before I left for college, I screamed at my mother the whole month. Be prepared." I stand in the kitchen, watching Allie make a glass of iced tea. Her face, once so open and trusting, is closed to me. I struggle to think of something to say to her, something meaningful and warm. I want her to know I'm excited about the college she has chosen, that I know the adventure of her life is just starting and that I am proud of her. But the look on her face is so mad that I think she might slug me if I open my mouth. One night -- after a long period of silence between us -- I asked what I might have done or said to make her angry with me. She sighed and said, "Mom, you haven't done anything. It's fine." It is fine -- just distant. Somehow in the past we had always found some way to connect. When Allie was a toddler , I would go to the day- care center after work. I'd find a quiet spot and she would nurse -- our eyes locked together, reconnecting with each other. In middle school, when other mothers were already lamenting the estrangement they felt with their adolescent daughters, I hit upon a solution: rescue raids. I would show up occasionally at school, sign her out of class and take her somewhere -- out to lunch, to the movies, once for a long walk on the beach. It may sound irresponsible, but it kept us close when other mothers and daughters were floundering. We talked about everything on those outings -- outings we kept secret from family and friends. When she started high school, I'd get up with her in the morning to make her a sandwich for lunch, and we'd silently drink a cup of tea together before the 6:40 bus came. A couple of times during her senior year I went into her room at night, the light off, but before she went to sleep. I'd sit on the edge of her bed, and she'd tell me about problems: a teacher who lowered her grade because she was too shy to talk in class, a boy who teased her, a friend who had started smoking. Her voice, coming out of the darkness, was young and questioning. A few days later I'd hear her on the phone, repeating some of the things I had said, things she had adopted for her own. But now we are having two kinds of partings. I want the romanticized version, where we go to lunch and lean across the table and say how much we will miss each other. I want smiles through tears, bittersweet moments of reminiscence and the chance to offer some last bits of wisdom. But as she prepares to depart, Allie's feelings have gone underground. When I reach to touch her arm, she pulls away. She turns down every invitation I extend. She lies on her bed, reading Emily Dickinson until I say I have always loved Emily Dickinson, and then she closes the book. Some say the tighter your bond with your child, the greater her need to break away, to establish her own identity in the world. The more it will hurt, they say. A friend of mine who went through a difficult time with her daughter but now has become close to her again, tells me," Your daughter will be back to you." "I don't know," I say. I sometimes feel so angry that I want to go over and shake Allie. I want to say, "Talk to me -- or you're grounded!" I feel myself wanting to say that most horrible of all mother phrases: "Think of everything I've done for you." Late one night, as I'm getting ready for bed she comes to the bathroom door and watches me brush my teeth. For a moment, I think I must be brushing my teeth in a way she doesn't approve of. But then she says, "I want to read you something." It's a pamphlet from her college. "These are tips for parents." I watch her face as she reads the advice aloud: "'Don't ask your child if she is homesick,' it says. 'She might feel bad the first few weeks, but don't let it worry you. This is a natural time of transition. Write her letters and call her a lot. Send a package of goodies...' " Her voice breaks, and she comes over to me and buries her head in my shoulder. I stroke her hair, lightly, afraid she'll bolt if I say a word. We stand there together for long moments, swaying. Reconnecting. I know it will be hard again. It's likely there will be a fight about something. But I am grateful to be standing in here at midnight, both of us tried and sad, toothpaste smeared on my chin, _ . Why was there a period of silence between the author and Allie one night?
A because Allie is anxious about talking about leaving
B Because Allie is tired of the author's suggestion
C Because the author is angry with Allie's rudeness
D because there is a generation gap between them
Answer: A
A gentleman stopped his car at the door of a flower shop. He planned to order flowers and asked the shopkeeper to _ them to his mother, who was far away in his hometown. The gentleman saw a little girl crying on the road before he entered the shop. He asked her: "Why are you crying?" "I want to buy a rose for my mother, but I haven't got enough money," said the girl. The gentleman took the girl's hand and entered the flower shop. He first ordered the bouquet for his mother and bought a rose for the girl. When he was walking out of the shop, the gentleman asked the girl if she would like a ride home. "Will you really drive me home?" she asked. "Of course," the gentleman replied. "Then drive me to my mother. But the place where my mother lives is very far." The gentleman drove along the mountain road and finally came to the cemetery . The little girl put the flower onto a new grave . In order to send a rose to her mother who had died a month before, she had gone on a very long journey. The gentleman drove the girl to her home and then returned to the flower shop. He cancelled the bouquet and bought a big bunch of fresh flowers instead. He drove directly to his mother's home, a five-hour drive from here. He would send the flowers to his mother in person. The best title for the story would be _ .
A Flowers
B A Man and A Girl
C A Rose for Mother
D A Crying Girl
Answer: C
Mr Black works in an office. He's very busy and he has no time to rest. Every evening, When he comes back from his office, he always feels tired and wants to go to bed early, but his wife often has something interesting to tell him after supper. She keeps talking until it's too late. But Mr Black has to get up early in the morning. One day Mr Black felt terrible and couldn't go to work. He went to see a doctor with Mrs Black. Before he said what the matter was him, his wife told the doctor all. The doctor got the reason and said to Mrs Black, "Here is a bottle of medicine for your husband and some pills for you." "For me?" the woman said in surprise, "I'm fine. I don't need any medicine!" "I don't think, madam," said the doctor, "They're sleeping pills . Your husband will soon be all right if you take them!" What does Mrs Black usually do after supper?
A She goes to bed early
B She watches TV.
C She keeps talking with her husband.
D She does housework.
Answer: C
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Children whose parents live well into their 80s seem to have healthier hearts in middle age compared with children whose parents did not live this long. Moreover, the heart advantage continues over time, which should help them follow in their parents' footsteps. The findings come from the Framingham Heart Study, a study relating to several generations on risk factors for heart disease and other diseases among residents of prefix = st1 /Framingham,Massachusetts. The worst Framingham Risk Scores - a measure of heart disease risk that uses age, smoking, and blood pressure to estimate a person's possibility of suffering a heart attack - were found in children whose parents had both died before age 85. The best risk scores were found among children whose parents had both lived to age 85 or older. "A greater understanding of the genetics of risk of heart or blood disease factors and long life may lead to advances in the prevention and treatment of heart and blood diseases in the future," Dr. terry commented to Reuters Health. Dr. Clyde B. Schechter adds in an editorial: "We are only beginning to learn about the factors of exceptional long life. Several fruitful areas are already the subject of active research, but much more remains to be done." "Progress in this area is not just of natural interest," Schechter from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York writes, "it also has the great possibility to promote discoveries that will improve the prevention and treatment of some age - related diseases such as heart or blood diseases." The findings of the study will finally benefit those_.
A middle-aged man with a long beard was caught by the police for bad behavior and property damage. The man, Bill Wild, checked into a hotel last night, telling the clerk he would pay cash in advance and would be staying for four nights. He then asked her where the nearest store was and she told him it was John-Johns. Wild went to the store and bought three gallons of honey and four gallons of chocolate syrup . The cashier asked him why he wanted these things and he replied, "I'm trying to become a sweeter person." The cashier smiled at the joke. Wild drove back to the hotel. He opened all bottles and poured them into the bathtub . He added warm water to the mix. He tuned the radio to an opera music station, took off his clothes, jumped into the tub, and started singing loudly with the music. Fifteen minutes later, the neighbor phoned the clerk complaining about the noise. The clerk knocked on Wild's door, but he just kept singing. She phoned his room, but he didn't answer. Then she called the police, who arrived quickly. They broke into the room. The floor was covered in water and the bathtub was full of chocolate and honey. "He seemed so nice and friendly. Who'd have thought he was a bathtub-singing nut?" said the clerk. The police said this was the third time that Wild had been arrested for this kind of behavior. We know from the passage that _ .
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? What about traveling into the future? There's an easy way to do it. One way you can make a time travel journey is by writing a letter to your future self to be opened in the future. To your future self, the letter will be a visit from the past. What can be gained by writing a letter to yourself? Depends on how good your letter is. You have the chance to say something to your future self. What would you want to say? You'll be able to talk to yourself 5,10,15 years down the road. There may be instructions for your future self, or you may have goals that you will want to reach. There are a lot of things you could include in your letter or letters to yourself. The more you include, the better the letter will be to you. Be creative with what you put in your letter. Include a picture of yourself or family to show the period from which the letter came. You can store your letter in many different ways. You can give your letter to a friend or family member to keep and mail to you. If you can get others to take part, have them write letters to themselves as well and ask someone to be the letter holder until it's time to send the letters. You can also use a service online to store your letter and e-mail it to you. Ready to write to yourself two and a half years down the road? How can you travel into the future?
I am a tall boy. I can play basketball and soccer very well. Today is Sunday. I don't go to school. I watch a soccer match on TV. It's a good match. Beckham is my idol .He plays well in the match. In the afternoon, I play soccer with my good friends Jim,Ben, Peter, Gary and Kevin. Sarah is in the park, too. She is my good friend. She watches us play. We are hungry at 4:00, but we are happy. Today is _ .
A conducting wire wrapped in plastic protects the user because the plastic
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Children's Storybooks and Tales: This site is dedicated to Children's Story Books and how to tell Children's Stories. If you enjoy a child's story or have kids of your own then please browse this site to find some great stories and how to read them. The Cat in the Hat---Dr. Seuss In the first book featuring the character (The Cat in the Hat, 1957), the Cat brings chaos to a household of two young children on one rainy day while their mother is out. Bringing with him two creatures appropriately named Thing One and Thing Two, the Cat performs all sorts of tricks to amuse the children, with mixed results. The Cat's tricks are vainly opposed by the family pet, who is a conscious goldfish. The children (Sally and her older brother) finally prove good ones, capturing the Things and bringing the Cat under control. He cleans up the house on his way out, disappearing seconds before the mother comes back. The Famous Fire---Enid Blyton The Famous Fire is Enid Blyton's most popular and celebrated series of children's books. The sequence began life in 1942, when the first book, Fire on a Treasure Island was published and it has won great praise from both fans and critics. The series has gone on to become amongst the best-loved stories ever to have been written for children. Tom and Pippo in the Garden---Helen Oxenbury In 1988 Helen Oxenbury created a series of books featuring Tom, a naughty young boy, and his beloved stuffed monkey, Pippo. Ms. Oxenbury remarked that Tom was very much like her son "when he was a little boy". Like Tom, her son would often blame his misdeeds on his trusted buddy, the friendly family dog. The BFG---Roald Dahl The story is about an orphan girl named Sophie. One night when Sophie cannot sleep during the "witching hour" and sees a giant blowing something into bedroom windows down the street. The giant sees her, and although she tries to hide in the bed, he reaches through the window and carries her away to his home. According to the book The BFG, "the witching hour" may refer to a time _ .
Answer:
No matter what type of business you run, it has to deal with situations in which things go wrong from your customer's point of view. Complaints can be a great source of information for the organizations. So it's important to learn to deal with customer complaints efficiently. Firstly, listen actively to what the customer has to say by keeping comfortable eye contact and giving full attention with no interrupting. You should also show your customer that you do understand him. Secondly, when receiving a complaint you should apologize for the failure the customer has identified. It's important for you to know that your apology must appear _ to the customer, and not an empty exercise. And also you should show the customer you've accepted the responsibility and provide him with choices if you have some in hand or otherwise assure the customer you'll do something about his complaint. Thirdly, talk with the consumer and discover the best means to resolve his problem. There will be times when, after gathering the facts of a situation, you'll be unable to resolve the problem immediately. In this case it's important to let your customer know how long it'll take to take action on his complaint. Fourthly, a simple "Thank you" is one way to let the customer know you appreciate the time and effort he has taken to inform you about a problem with your company's service or product you need to know about. Lastly, give your customer something that shows your appreciation for him giving the feedback to you. And let him know you're sorry for the mistake that was made. It isn't necessary to give something that is costly; but a coupon for a free drink or movie is fine. Your professional and well-organized method of dealing with your customer complaints is one more way that will make you stay ahead of your competitors. What does the passage mainly talk about?
Answer:
Babies who watch TV are more likely to show late learning development and language at 14 months, especially if they are watching programs aimed at adults and older children, according to a new study, which would probably surprise those parents who leave their babies in front of a TV set. Babies who watched 60 minutes of TV daily had developmental scores a third lower at 14 months than babies who were watching less TV. Although their developmental scores were still in the normal range, the difference may have been due to the fact that when children and parents are watching TV, they are missing the talking, playing and other communications that are important to learning and development. This new study, which appeared in the Aechives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, followed 259 lower-income families in New York, most of whom spoke Spanish as their primary language at home. Other studies of higher-income families have also come to the same conclusion: TV watching is not only non-educational, but it seems to slow down babies' development. But what about "good" TV, like Sesame Street? The researchers didn't find any difference when compared to non-educational programs designed for small children, like Spongebob SquarePants. Earlier research by some of the same scientists, most of whom are at New York University School of Medicine's Bellevue Hospital Centre, has found that parents whose children watch non-educational TV programs like Spongebob SquarePants spend less time reading to their children or teaching them. At this point, parents reading this will probably be astonished. TV is so often a parent's good friend, keeping children happily occupied so that the adults can cook dinner, answer the phone, or take a shower. But, clearly, this electronic babysitter is not an educational aid. It is best to make sure the babies are fast asleep if you have to watch TV. Which would be the best title for the passage?
Answer:
Our brains work in complex and strange ways. There are some people who can calculate the day of the week for any given date in 40,000 years, but who cannot add two plus two. Others can perform complex classical piano pieces after hearing them once, but they cannot read or write. Dr. J. Langdon Down first described this condition in 1887. He called these people idiot savants. An idiot savant is a person who has significant mental injury, such as in autism or retardation. At the same time, the person also exhibits some extraordinary skills, which are unusual for most people. The skills of the savant may vary from being exceptionally gifted in music or in mathematics, or having a photographic memory. One of the first descriptions of a human who could calculate quickly was written in 1789 by Dr. Benjamin Rush, an American doctor. His patient, Thomas Fuller, was brought to Virginia as a slave in 1724. It took Thomas only 90 seconds to work out that a man who has lived 70 years, 17 days, and 12 hours has lived 2,210,500,800 seconds. Despite this ability, he died in 1790 without ever learning to read or write. Another idiot savant slave became famous as a pianist in the 1860s. Blind Tom had a vocabulary of only 100 words, but he played 5,000 musical pieces beautifully. In the excellent movie Rain Man, made in 1988 and available on video cassette, Dustin Hoffman plays an idiot savant who amazes his brother played by Tom Cruise, with his ability to perform complex calculations very rapidly. Today we more clearly recognize that the idiot savant is special because of brain impairment. Yet not all brain injury leads to savant skills. Some studies have shown that people who have purposeful interruption of the left side of the brain can develop idiot savant skills. However few people wish to participate in such experiments. There are many excellent reasons for not undergoing unnecessary experimentation on one's brain. The term idiot savant is outdated and inappropriate. Virtually all savants have a high degree of intelligence and are thus not idiots. What can you infer from the passage?
Answer:
Making friends might seem to come easy for some persons, but it's maybe very hard for most persons. No matter how many friends you might already have, it is always a good idea to make new friends. Being shy keeps a lot of people from making friends. Also, making friends might need a person to step outside of their comfortable places, which are hard for a lot of people, whether they are shy or not. However, overcoming the shyness to step out of your box is an important step in making friends. There are lots of ways to meet new friends. First of all, remember that a good friendship is based on interests, so if you are ready to make friends, start to join clubs or go places where you have interest. For instance, if you like to play sports, join a sports team or after school sports club. If you have interests in music or writing, join clubs or organizations that you are interested in. When you see someone in a place like that, and you think that they look nice, it is always a good idea to go up to them and introduce yourself and ask interesting questions so that you can start a conversation. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, and remember that friendships don't always happen quickly. Some friendships happen right away, and you'll be able to tell if someone will be a great friend right after you meet them. Some friendships take a long time to develop. Anyway, the friends that you meet are going to be worth it. If a friendship develops quickly, it doesn't mean that it is extra valuable, and if a friendship takes a long time to develop, it doesn't mean that it isn't worth it because it's too hard. Making friends might be a bit difficult for you, and the friends you will make may not look anything like you. However, even though it might be scary to start conversations, you are worth doing it. All friendships start with a single hello. What does the writer want to tell us?
Answer:
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Argosy Christmas Ship Festival Seattle December1--December 23, 2010 The Argosy Christmas Ship Festival is a ship -to -shore holiday celebration that has become a local Northwest tradition . Aboard the Christmas Ship , some of the finest Northwest choirs sing holiday greetings . These performances are broadcast via speakers to bonfire sites and to other boats participating in the parade. Holiday Island Lights Festival Friday Harbour , Sand Juan Island December 1--December 31,2010 An island-wide holiday tradition that includes local businesses decorating contest , a tree lighting ceremony on Dec . 4 with shops staying open until 7:00 pm. On Dec. 11 a Lighted Boat Parade starts the evening , to be followed by the Santa ship coming into Friday Harbor for the children , shops staying open until 7:00 pm . Dec 18-19 Roche Harbor's Christmas Festival begins at 3:00 pm and will include artists booths , Victorian carol singing , story telling , theater and dining. Christmas Lighting Festival Leavenworth December4--December 19,2010 This old -fashioned Lighted Farm Implement parade , which expressed its admiration for the Yakima Valley's agricultural heritage , including entries with up to 35,000 lights decorating the tractor , plow or thresher of your choice ! Pre-parade activities include a Christmas Tree Ceremony and other special entertainment before the parade . Join us and you're sure to enjoy the carolers dressed in traditional clothing as they wander through out the Downtown area . Holiday with Lights Federal Way December 10,2010--January 1, 2011 With over a million twinkling lights displayed throughout the park , your heart will be filled with cheer and the spirit of the season! Holiday light displays, festive music and strolling caroler, visit with Santa , enchanted village rides , and much more. 67Which of the following festivals lasts the longest ? A. Argosy Christmas Ship Festival B. Holiday Island Lights Festival C. Christmas Lighting Festival D. Holiday with Lights If you want to attend a Lighted Boat Parade , you should go to _ .
A. Seattle
B. Leavenworth
C. Friday Harbor
D. Federal Way
Answer: C. Friday Harbor
The state of Colorado has four of the 58 national parks in the United States.These have been judged as the best places of all the national parks. Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park This park lies in western Colorado and offers the most impressive views from up in the mountains into the canyons below.While exploring the canyons,you will find that the walls drop nearly straight down into very narrow valleys with snake-like rivers below.Visitors are offered more than 100 camping sites,and a lot of bird species and many animals are native to the area. Rocky Mountain National Park It is the only national park in the north central region in the state of Colorado.Elevations in this park you will find are anywhere from 8,000 feet to 14,259 at the top of Longs Peak.While travelling throughout this park,you will find there are two very different climates because of the fact that the tops of the Rocky Mountains make a difference.With 359 miles of trails for hiking,there are a lot of places for camping,horseback riding and just enjoying the sights of nature. Mesa Verde National Park This is probably the most interesting of all the national parks,offering an extremely interesting trip back in time to 600 A.D.up to 1,300 A.D.This park was declared a protected national park in 1906 because of the cliff dwellings that were found throughout the park area,which was once home to American Indians.Visitors can actually walk through these dwellings,and they may imagine what each room may have been used for so many years ago. Great Sand Dunes National Park The Great Sand Dunes National Park lies in south central Colorado,about 127 miles from Pueblo.This park has the tallest sand dunes in all of North America,with trails for hiking.Natural sandy beaches there are good for people who want to swim around the small rivers and lakes. If you are interested in history you will visit _ .
A. Rocky Mountain National Park
B. Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park
C. Great Sand Dunes National Park
D. Mesa Verde National Park
Answer: D. Mesa Verde National Park
A new study of 8,000 young people in the journal ofHealthandSocialBehaviorshows that although love can make grownups live healthily and happily,it is a bad thing for young people.Puppy love may bring trouble for young people and can cause depression .The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys,and young girls are the worst of all. The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is "loss of self".According to the study,even though boys would say "lose themselves in a romantic relationship",this "loss of self" is much more likely to cause depression when it happens to girls.Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions.They won't tell that to their parents. Dr.Marianm Kaufman,who works on young people problems,says 15% to 20% of young people will have depression during their growing.Trying romance often causes the depression.She advises kids not to jump into romance too early.During growing up,it is important for young people to build strong friendship and a strong sense of self.She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends,attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family. Parents should watch for their children's eating or mood changes.If they see some,they need to give help.The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age.Love will always make us feel young,but only maturity gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects. Who are most likely to become depressed?
A. Young people who have a strong sense of self.
B. Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior.
C. Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions.
D. Careless parents whose children are deep in love.
Answer: C. Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions.
Most of the time, we choose colors for decorating based on our personal taste and our sense of aesthetics . But, a number of color experts believe that colors have an effect on our emotions and that it would be wise of us to be conscious of that before settling on a definite choice. Some of the effects of colors are well known and accepted by most people. In fact, those effects have been the subject of serious research and experiments and have been scientifically proven. But not all scientists agree on the validity of the results. When we become interested in the psychological effects of colors, it is important to know that not all societies share our opinion of those effects on our emotions. What we hold as an "objective" observation on a color is often nothing more than a reflection of our cultural belongingness, which has attributed properties to that color for generations. Why is it not possible for us to hold a really objective discourse on the subject? In part, because it is very difficult to separate the psychological from the symbolic, the symbolic aspects are definitely cultural. Often, and this without our realizing it, they influence our understanding of colors and the following emotions - both psychological aspects. Black and white are good examples. In western countries, black is considered serious, dramatic and sometimes sad. People are warned against its potentially depressing effects on decoration. Black is the traditional color of mourning. White, on the other hand, is associated with purity, peace and optimism. For those reasons, white is the traditional color of bridal dresses. No one would think of attending a funeral in white. Any more than it would occur to a bride to wear black. We simply remain convinced that it is not in the "nature" of those colors. Yet, in certain oriental countries, it is white, not black that is the color of mourning. That having been said, there is some "overlapping" in the properties different cultures attribute to certain colors. For example, Feng Shui, the traditional Chinese philosophy that distinguishes between good and evil influences explains colors much in the same way as the majority of western color specialists. Is that to say that colors have real natural properties which all humans perceive in the same way or is the phenomenon an example of the cross-influences that affect the thinking of cultures brought closer to one another by a certain Venetian called Marco Polo? It is difficult to say. But, be that as it may, colors do affect us. And if you feel emotions for a certain color, note them and remember them. You may even wish to consider them next time you are planning to decorate. The decision is yours! Most of the time, we ignore _ when choosing colors for decoration.
A. personal taste
B. our aesthetics
C. cultural effects
D. psychological effects
Answer: D. psychological effects
The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the America from being discovered by the people of Europe. The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the pacific, but it is still very large. It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) wide. There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is. But suppose no more rain fell into and no more water was brought to it by rivers. It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up. On the average the water is a little more than 2 miles (3.2 km) deep, but in some places it is much deeper. The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. This "deep" measures 30,246 feet --- almost six miles (9.6 km). Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind. Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is not, however, always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships. We now have such fast ways of travelling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four! Suppose it's February 27th, 2000. You take a steamship to cross the Atlantic to North America, when will you probably get there?
A. On March 2nd
B. On March 3rd
C. On February 28th
D. In eight hours' time
Answer: A. On March 2nd
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Teenagers who turn off the TV and sit down to family meals are less likely to suffer eating disorders . A study has connected eating together with lower rates of bulimia and anorexia . Teens used to eating around the table are less likely to take up smoking to lose weight. Researcher Barbara said, "The common belief is that teens don't want to be around their parents very much, and that teens are just too busy to have regular meals with the family." The study shows happy families have teenagers who eat with their parents often. These teens have less bad diet or dangerous eating habits. "Parents may not be able to get their family together around the table seven days a week, but if they can prepare three family meals a week, this will have a big impact on the health of teens," Professor Fiese spoke out after reviewing 17 studies on eating ways and nutrition of almost 200,000 children and teenagers. She found that teens who eat at least five meals a week with their families are 35% less likely to be "disordered eaters". The definition of disordered eating is eating too much, or eating at wrong times too often or eating very little and smoking to lose weight. Even three family meals a week helped, with youngsters 12% less likely to be overweight than those who ate with their family less often. Teens can also use family meals as a time to _ . They were also 24% more likely to eat healthy foods and have healthy eating habits than those who didn't share three meals with their family. Professor Fiese said, "Family meals give them a place where they can go regularly to check in with their parents and express themselves freely." In the past American research found children who miss out on family meals are much more likely to fight at school, drink and take drugs . ,. Who of the following is NOT "disordered eaters"?
A Peter often eats out with his friends at night.
B Lily has three meals with her parents at home.
C Mary is losing weight, so she eats little every meal.
D Tom is very strong and he eats too much every meal.
Answer: B
I sometimes wonder if old Finchley has the right personality to be a research scientist. He keeps asking when he'll be coming back. After all, it was his own fault. Nobody tries out what has just been invented on themselves any more but Finchley. Well, he must have pumped about a thousand cc into himself before I noticed he was clearly becoming smaller. It was funny watching him, because his clothes remained the same in size. They simply piled up around him so that he looked like a small boy in his father's clothes. But he kept getting smaller and smaller. As my colleague Dawson and I watched him, he disappeared! All we could see was Finchley's clothes on the floor. They looked so strange, because the lab coat was on top, shirt and trousers inside and, I suppose, underclothes inside again. It gave me a strange feeling, and I think Dawson was a bit shaken, too. Dawson was sitting on his chair in front of a microscope he'd been using to examine a family of mites . He looked through the scope kind of absently again, and was nearly scared to lose awareness when he found old Finchley waving back from the other end. It seems as if Finchley had taken a free ride on a dust mite and landed on the land of the mite family. Of course, we didn't know till Finchley told us later. But anyhow, as I said, Dawson nearly passed out. He jumped off his chair and pointed at the microscope, too shocked to speak. Finchley disappeared because _ .
A he tried out what has just invented on himself
B his father's clothes totally covered him up
C he took something poisonous
D he was changed into a dust mite
Answer: A
There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving songbirds. She took them home and put them in a small cage, caring them with love. Luckily, the birds grew strong little by little. Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song. The girl felt great love for the birds. One day the girl left the door to the cage open accidentally. The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was so frightened that he would fly away. So as he flew close, she grasped him wildly. Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him. Suddenly, she felt the bird go weak, so she opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird. It was her desperate love that had killed him. She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his strong desire--needing to fly into the clear, blue sky. Unwillingly, she lifted him from the cage and threw him softly into the air. The lucky bird circled once, twice, three times. The girl watched delightedly at the bird. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss. What she wanted to see was that the bird could fly happily. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest tune that she had ever heard. Remember, the fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight; the best way to keep love is to give it wings! After the girl found the two birds, she _ .
A became frightened at once
B began to treat them badly
C greeted them happily
D fed them and raised them
Answer: D
The Wall Street Journal Asia Edition(prefix = st1 /U. S.), the Globe and Mail(Canada), the Guardian(U. K. ),among other foreign news agencies,have recently published articles on China's earthquake relief. They have all praised the earthquake relief efforts made by the Chinese government. The Wall Street Journal Asia Edition published an article on May 21 saying that on the eighth day of the most serious natural disaster to hit China in decades, rescuing survivors from the ruins had been quickly replaced by the _ challenge of helping them. The article said that people overseas have been deeply impressed by earthquake relief efforts by the Chinese government. The Associated French Press(AFP) reported on May 21 that Chinahas become more open during the campaign. Aircraft loaded with relief supplies from Ukraine,Russia,the United States, Singapore and other countries have arrived in disaster areas in southwestern China. The Associated Press(AP) published an article on May 21 reporting that Chinais making great efforts to deal with an extremely difficult task caused by the earthquake how to provide temporary shelter far so many people. The article said that many tents have been built;and food and medical care are provided to the people whose lives have been completely disturbed by the earthquake. The Global and Mail of Canada published an article on May 20 that said the rapid earthquake relief work in Sichuan demonstrates China's powerful economic strength. An article carried in the British Guardian said that one week after the Sichuan earthquake,China began a three-day national mourning period at 14:28 on may 19, and all Chinese people stood in silence for three minutes in memory of the victims. The ongoing search and rescue action is encouraged by one miraculous survivor after another: Chinese officials said that,so far, no epidemic had occurred after the earthquake. According to the passage,the most pressing task in the earthquake-hit i areas is--.
A rescuing survivors from the ruins
B providing temporary shelter and food for the victims
C burying dead bodies as quickly as possible
D clearing away the ruins to build new houses
Answer: B
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt plans to send a message to rival Tyson Gay by breaking the world 100m record in the London Grand Prix on Friday. Bolt, who won gold in the 100m,200m and 4*100m relay in reord times at the Beijing Olympics last year, is determined to use the Crystal Palace event to crush the morale of his main rival for gold at next month's World Athletics Championships in Berlin. The 22-year-old is slowly returning to peak form after posting 19.59 sec for the 200m in Lausanne earlier this month and clocking a time of 9.79 sec over 100m in cold, rainy conditions in Paris on Friday. Despite Bolt's impressive times, Gay still believes he has the beating of the Jamaican. But Bolt insists there is no one in the sport who scares him and he will prove the point in south London this weekend. Although Bolt believes he is only running at 85 percent at the moment while he recovers from injuries suffered in a recent car crash in Jamaica, he sees no reason why he can't break his world record 100m time of 9.69 seconds. However he won't get the chance to _ Gay in the 100m in London as the American is only running in the 200m, which Bolt is not competing in, so he will have to settle for underlining his own ability. "You never know what is possible. I will give my best either way. My friends are saying I'm bringing the rain wherever I go but we will see on Friday." While Bolt would love to make a big impact in London, he knows the main event is the World Championships. "The London Grand Prix will show me where I'm at and what I need to do. After, we can analyse what I need to do ahead of the World Championships." Which of the following is true?
A Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt broke the world 100m record in the London Grand Prix on Friday.
B Bolt will not compete in the 200m in London because of Gay's impressive times.
C Bolt won 3 gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games at the age of 22.
D Bolt suffered a car crash in London recently.
Answer: D
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What will receive more sunlight?
A. Elephant Ear Leaves
B. Blades of grass
C. A bat
D. A worm
Answer: A. Elephant Ear Leaves
The Christmas season is often considered the season of giving. Many of us spend a lot of effort and money in an attempt to give our friends and loved ones the best possible gift. But what is the best gift you could possibly give? Imagine that your bank gave you an account with $86,400 every morning of every day. You could use this amount of money for anything you want. But at the end of every day, the bank tells you that money in the account can only be used within that day. How would you choose to spend this money? This is the attitude we should take towards the time. Time can never get back. It is the only resource that no one can get more than another person. Around the holiday season, we find ourselves very busy. It is a point in the year where how you spend your time is crucial. Spending this valuable time to help another human being in need is one of the greatest gifts we can give. We never know when even giving a short amount of time to help or listen to a stranger, could make the rest of their day much more pleasant. However, the saying that money is time is one of the truest statements ever made. By the act of donating money to a non profit organization which helps -- for example, you are allowing that single mother to spend more time looking after her children, instead of being forced to spend time looking for a temporary second job. By donating some money, you have helped someone else use their time for a better cause. One organization I personally would encourage you to consider spending your time and/or money would be Eva Initiatives, an organization created for the homeless. I have volunteered there twice. It was a very positive experience, and being able to learn more about who lived there really gave me a perspective on the real struggles of the people around us. What do you think of the author in the passage?
A. Warm-hearted.
B. Responsible.
C. Encouraging.
D. Strong-minded.
Answer: A. Warm-hearted.
Hawaii is a truly beautiful place. Most people know Hawaii for its lovely beaches. However, Hawaii is also a land full of legends . One of the oldest legends tells of a special dance called the hula, which started here around 300 years ago. One hula teacher tells the story of how the dance started. "The hula started, as far as the legend tells it, when Hi'iaki and her good friend Hopoe went down to the beach. And then, when they were there, they noticed the waves ...and they imitated the waves. And then started to use their hands...like showing the waves.That is how the hula started." However,not everyone has always liked the hula.In 1820,some religious people from Western countries came to Hawaii.The visitors were shocked by the hula because the dancers were not wearing many clothes.So they asked the local government to ban the dance. After that,most Hawaiians were not allowed to perform the hula in public for almost 60 years.But that did not mean the dancing stopping.Many dances still performed the hula in secret.The dance was always there. Things have changed.At the moment,people of all ages want to study the old culture.They want to learn how to dance the hula.As a result,more and more people are attending halaus. Halaus are special schools that hula in the traditional way. Kumano is a hula teacher. For him, the dance is a way to bring the best of old Hawaii culture to people today. Kumano says that the dance is not really about the body.He feels that it is more about the mind.He explains this feelings,"...the hula is more... not so much a physical thing,but more of a mental thing.For new dances,the dancing means very little,because for Hawaiians today,many of them don't speak the Hawaiian language. So,what I try to do is to mind the real thing they see today." How do we understand that Kumano tries to bring to mind the real thing they today?
A. He tries to help young Hawaiian understand the old culture better.
B. He tries to let new dances feel the beauty of the Hawaiian language.
C. He tries to advise his students to pay more attention to the mind.
D. He tries to show local people that the hula can be different today.
Answer: A. He tries to help young Hawaiian understand the old culture better.
They don't quite know how to cope with all the dam trouble they've got down in Hampden, Maine. And according to town manager Leslie Stanley, it doesn't look as if things will improve any in the immediate future. "We've got a real annoying problem on our hands," he says. The annoyance began in late May. About three miles outside of town a group of beavers built a dam near the mouth of a culvert that carries a stream under Canaan Road. Some 50 feet of roadway and several hundred feet of land on each side of the culvert were flooded. Stanley sent a road crew out to level the dam. The beavers rebuilt it. The crew tore it apart again. In fact, they tore it apart for ten mornings-and for ten straight nights the beavers rebuilt it. On the eleventh day, the foreman tossed the problem back to the town manager. He, in turn, tossed it on to the local game warden . The warden, absorbed in beaver knowledge, moved quietly and carefully out one night and placed a petrol-soaked bag over the dam. (Any beaver expert will tell you the creatures just can't tolerate petrol smell.) In the morning the bag was found artistically woven into the dam. The warden set out three steel traps that night. In the morning one was empty. The other two had been stolen by the beavers and used to strengthen the dam. The warden, cursing the state law against hunting beavers with firearms, got his traps back and set them out again and again. And every night the beavers stole them. Town manager Stanley enlisted additional troops. He telephoned his police chief. Those beavers were breaking a state law against blocking up a natural watercourse. "Why aren't you out there to _ the law?" Stanley asked. "You're the police chief. So remove them. Arrest them. Do something." Three mornings later, the police chief proudly announced the end of the dam. At 2:00 A.M., he said, he and a licensed dynamiter had blown it to small pieces. Stanley said he'd believe it when he saw it. They drove out to the culvert and found a new dam already half-built. They also found the highway choked with mud and remains thrown up by the dynamite. Stanley said maybe they should call in the Army Corps of Engineers. But the police chief's faith in explosives was unshaken. He launched an all-out campaign,but the beavers always managed to have the holes plugged by the time the fire department appeared on the scene for its morning mop-up. In time, the beavers tired of this nonsense and moved their dam "inside" the culvert-where it couldn't be blown up without destroying the road too. Stanley and his general staff held a council of war and agreed that fresh strategy was called for. Then they came up with an inspired idea. If we remove every branch of the dam by hand, we'll force the beavers to go in search of new building material to replace what we've taken. Then we can place box traps along their runways and seized them. The plan was completely approved. Moreover it worked. On July 30, town manager Stanley was able to announce that the beaver group had been trapped and removed to a remote wilderness area. And there was great joy in Hampden-until the middle of October, that is, when a group of young beavers was spotted swimming in the same waters from which its elders had recently been taken away. But to make a long story short, the strategy that worked with the older beavers worked with the young ones too. What was the annoying problem for the authorities in Hampden, Maine?
A. They failed to destroy the dam repeatedly built by the beavers.
B. They didn't know who to send to deal with the dam trouble.
C. The beavers were building dams in every corner of the town.
D. The political situation in the town was becoming much worse.
Answer: A. They failed to destroy the dam repeatedly built by the beavers.
There are a lot of products out there that make your life easier. Some, however, are a little sillier than others -- so much that they seem like joke products. Here are a few products that sound crazy, but actually rule. Sleep Phones It's hard to imagine something sillier than a music-playing headband you wear while you sleep, but they exist -- and are quite popular. Sleep Phones won't give you the highest quality sound in the world, but if you prefer to fall asleep to music, they're far more comfortable than normal headphones. While they're a bit expensive, they might be perfect for you. There's also a wireless version if you prefer. Onion Goggles If cutting onion _ no matter what you try, it's time for desperate measures. We tested a bunch of methods for avoiding onion tears, and found the best solutions came down to cutting the onion under a vent , or wearing these stylish and awesome goggles. Lock Laces There're some great ways to tie your shoes better, but if you long for the laceless shoes of your childhood days, Lock Laces are a pretty good choice. They're basically elastic laces that remove the need to tie your shoes. Sure, people will make fun of you, but you can make fun of them after they trip over their own untied laces. Or you can make your own slip-on shoes with elastic tubing. 2D-Glasses Hate 3D-movies, but have to go to one? The difference between 2D-glasses and 3D-glasses lies in their lenses . Each lens of 2D-glasses blocks the same picture, so each eye gets the same picture, while each lens of 3D-glasses blocks a different picture, so each eye gets a different picture which the brain interprets as 3D. Now you have a pair of glasses that can save you from the headache caused by wearing 3D-glasses which are popular in our movie theaters. You can buy them or make a pair for yourself. What is the advantage of Lock Laces?
A. They are strong and lasting.
B. They help you walk comfortably.
C. They are stylish and eco-friendly.
D. They save you from tying your shoes.
Answer: D. They save you from tying your shoes.
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Question: At 26, Jane Goodall had no college education or science training. But since childhood, she had been dreaming of working closely with animals in Africa. "All through my childhood people said you can't go to Africa. You're a girl." Goodall said. "But my mother used to say, if you really want to, there's nothing you can't do." In 1957, the 26-year-old Goodall went to Kenya to work as a secretary. She also arranged to meet the famous scientist Louis Leakey, who was so impressed by her enthusiasm that he hired her as his assistant. She went with him on many trips to the African jungle and in 1960 Leakey sent Goodall to live among chimpanzees in a remote animal preserve, recording the animals' behavior and interactions. For three months Goodall made little progress. But she said, "I never came close to giving up." Her breakthrough came one day when she saw a male chimpanzee stick a piece of grass into a termite hill, then put the grass in his mouth. Afterward she came to the hill and did the same. Pulling the grass out, she discovered dozens of termites on it. The discovery -- that some animals use tools -- was unknown to most scientists at the time. Goodall saw chimpanzees exhibit human-like emotions, such as jealousy and love. But she also discovered they were capable of violent attacks against each other. Goodall received her Ph.D. in the study of animal behavior at England's Cambridge University. Now she travels around the globe raising money to preserve wildlife. "I love being in the forest with the chimpanzees," she said. "I'd much rather be there than traveling around from city to city." What did Goodall's mother think of her dream?
A. As a girl she should not go to the African jungle.
B. Her dream would remain a dream unless she got the right training.
C. As a girl she should stay away from violent animals.
D. She could make her dream come true if she was determined.
Answer:
D. She could make her dream come true if she was determined.
Question: Some students get so nervous before a test, they do poorly even if they know the material. Sian Beilock, a psychology professor at the University of Chicago in Illinois, has studied these highly anxious test-takers. Sian Beilock says: "They start worrying about the consequences. They might even start worrying about whether this exam is going to prevent them from getting into the college they want. And when they worry, it actually uses up attention and memory resources. I talk about _ as their cognitive horsepower that they could otherwise be using to focus on the exam." Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez, have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test. The researchers tested the idea on a group of 20 anxious college students. They gave them two short math tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test. The researchers added to the pressure. They told the students that those who did well on the second test would get money. They also told them that their performance would affect other students as part of a team effort. Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of 12 percent worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of five percent. Next, the researchers used younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test. Professor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+, compared to a B-for those who did not. The research shows that for students who are highly test-anxious, who'd done the writing intervention , all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. Those students most likely to worry were performing just as well as their classmates who don't normally get nervous in these testing situations. But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam or presentation? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance. The purpose of the passage is _ .
A. to build the confidence of the highly anxious test-takers
B. to introduce a research about the anxious test-takers
C. to improve the performance of the test-takers
D. to tell something about the highly anxious test-takers
Answer:
B. to introduce a research about the anxious test-takers
Question: For many years people in Estonia have been leaving their rubbish in the forests. Rainer Nolvak, a businessman and his friends wanted to clean up all the rubbish in Estonia. The rubbish was not just an environmental problem. It was a problem of people's attitudes. Rainer Nolvak got together with a team of 20 friends and they began to make a plan about how to clean up the rubbish. Soon, over 600 people joined in the group. They named the project Let's Do It! Estonia. The Ministry of the environment gave them some support. Many other companies joined in the group. Famous actors and singers also took part. Even the President of Estonia joined in. They sent information about Let's Do It! Estonia throughout the country. Technology experts developed a special computer program. Team members went into the forests to find where the rubbish was. They used their mobile phones to mark every place where they found rubbish and send the information to the computer program. Then, the marked rubbish places appeared on the map. Anyone could go on the Internet and see the map. The team found a surprising result. There were over 10,000 tons of waste in the forests of Estonia. When people saw how much waste was around their own homes, they were shocked. Thousands of people began to help. The team chose May 3, 2008 as the day to clean up the rubbish. On May 3, more than 50,000 people helped to get rid of the rubbish. They moved over 10,000 tons of rubbish in only one day! This was amazing for the environment in Estonia. But it was also an important step for Estonian society. Rainer Nolvak gave a speech at a conference in the Balkans. He said: "The most important thing we did was build a team. It changed every one of us. We had to connect to people. We had to see that the rubbish was our problem. At times we are afraid of sharing. When we are together and there are many of us, we are not afraid.' The Project Let's Do It! Estonia is to _ .
A. prevent people leaving their rubbish anywhere
B. make Estonia a clean place
C. change people' s attitudes towards the environment
D. make plans for businessmen
Answer:
B. make Estonia a clean place
Question: Being organized is an important skill for school and life.When you're well organized,you can stay focused,instead of spending time hunting things down and getting sidetracked.What does it mean to be organized?For schoolwork,it means having one notebook or place where you store all your assignments,so you know what you have to do and when.Keeping clearly labeled binders or folders for handouts and keeping all your schoolwork neat and in a specific place--these are the main parts of organization. For home stuff,being organized means having a place to put your things and putting them back as you go.It means hanging your coat up instead of dropping it on the floor or throwing it on a chair.It means keeping your schoolbag,your shoes,and your clean underwear in the same places so you always know where to find them. Planning is part of being organized,too.Planning means deciding what you will do and when you will do it.Calendars,lists,and schedules can help you plan.You can buy or draw a calendar and keep it near your workplace.Making a schedule or a "todo" list for yourself is a good idea.Looking at your list helps you keep track of what you need to do.Add new things as you get assignments,and check off things when you've done them.Use your list to help you decide which thing is the most important to work on first. It takes some extra efforts to organize yourself and your stuff.But once you're organized,you feel great.The less time you spend hunting around for things or panicking about homework,the more time you have for better things,like reading a good book or playing. What may be the best title for this passage?
A. Planning Is Part of Being Organized
B. A Good Beginning Is Half Done
C. Being Organized--an Important Skill
D. Where There Is a Will There Is a Way
Answer:
C. Being Organized--an Important Skill
Question: The depth of Lake Superior can be measured by sending sound waves to the bottom and measuring the period of time it takes for the reflected sound waves to return to the surface. Which of the following would indicate a shallow depth?
A. There is no return signal.
B. The return signal is very weak.
C. The return signal appears almost instantaneously.
D. The return signal comes back at a different speed
Answer:
C. The return signal appears almost instantaneously.
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A lot of people are interested in sea animals, especially the ones that are beautiful and smart. Although some are wild, and can be deadly, each is also unique in its own way. Whales, sharks and dolphins are the main subjects of sea-animal research, with dolphins standing out from whales and sharks for their friendly behavior with humans. No doubt the desire to learn some interesting things about dolphins has led you to this article, and you too are eager to know more about these sea creatures. It is sometimes believed that Dolphins have been evolved from land mammals . Among sea mammals, dolphins are the most advanced in intelligence. You may be surprised to learn that they are close s of camels and cows. The debate on the origin of the dolphin is an unending one, however. Some believe that they evolved from land-based hoofed mammals, others believe that they evolved from other different kinds of mammals many millions of years ago. There are about 32 types of dolphins that live in salt water, each unique in its color1 and body shape. Five other types live in fresh water. A grown-up dolphin eats nearly 20 to 22 kilos of fish every day. The eating habits of dolphins depend on where they live, and on the season. Seasons in which fish are abundant are like party time for dolphins. Dolphins decide how much they are going to eat based on the fat content of the fish available. They've a good sense of understanding about their hunger. The social skills and intelligence of dolphins make them very attractive for zoos and aquariums, where they are often trained to show off their diving skills. Dolphins also communicate with each other by special sounds. Scientists like to research dolphins mainly because _ .
Answer: they are friendly to humans
Ever since farmers began to grow grain, they have had to protect their crops from birds. In the 1300's, English farmers hired children to protect their crops. They were called "bird scares". The children chased birds and threw stones at them. Bird scares were replaced in the 1800's by scarecrows. A scarecrow is anything that is set in a field to scare birds away. Often it is a pole dressed like a person. Some farms with small fields still use scarecrows today. Farming became big business in the twentieth century. Scarecrows could no longer protect the huge fields of grain, so farmers used poisonous chemicals on the fields. The poison made the grain bitter. The birds usually would not eat the bitter grain. Although they can prevent crops from being destroyed by insects and birds, some chemicals can be harmful to humans. Therefore, farmers are using fewer chemicals now than they did twenty years ago. Perhaps scarecrows may be seen more often in the fields in the future. Bird scares keep birds away from crops by _ .
Answer: chasing them and throwing stones
These are some signs that you can see on the roads of Great Britain. Number one is a sign with the number thirty on it. When drivers see this sign they must not go at more than thirty miles an hour. We see this sign when we get to parts of the country where there are many houses and other buildings, for example, when we are getting near a town. Thirty miles an hour is the speed limit. Number two is sign for the end of the speed limit. We are out of the town now and may go at more than thirty miles an hour. Number three is a sign that we are near a crossroads, that is, a place where two roads cross. We must drive carefully. Number four is a sign that there is a bend in the road. Again, we must drive slowly and carefully. Number five is a sign that there is a hill and number six is a sign that the roads get narrow. Drivers must go slowly and carefully. Number seven has the word "school" on it. This is a sign that there is a school at the side of a street or road. Perhaps there are children going to school or leaving school. So drivers must look carefully and go slowly until they are past the school building. Number eight is a sign with the letter P on it. The letter P is for "parking." A parking place is a place where drivers may leave their cars. If the driver of a car wants to leave his car and go to the shops, he looks for this sign. Then he knows that he may leave his or her car there. Who will most probably read the passage?
Answer: People who are learning to drive.
BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have advantages and disadvantages . ADVANTAGES Free museums. No charge for good collections of art works. Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(...)the US on this point. Cabs. London taxi drivers well know where they are going. Choice of food. Visitors can find food from every corner of the world . Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too. DISADVANTAGES Poor service. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced," says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University's International Tourism Research Center. Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat tourists who have the most patience, so the over- crowded London tube is inexplicably popular. Rain. Still in the number one complaint. Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark. Drinking hours. Alcohol is in short supply after 11 pm even in "24-hour cities". Which of the following is true according to the passage?
Answer: The public transport is poor there.
Johnston bought 100 bolts of standard blue wool, No. 1 quality, from McHugh. The sales contract provided that Johnston would make payment prior to inspection. The 100 bolts were shipped, and Johnston paid McHugh. Upon inspection, however, Johnston discovered that the wool was No. 2 quality. Johnston thereupon tendered back the wool to McHugh and demanded return of his payment. McHugh refused on the ground that there is no difference between No. 1 quality wool and No. 2 quality wool.What is Johnston's remedy because the wool was nonconforming?
Answer: Damages measured by the price paid plus the difference between the contract price and the cost of buying substitute goods.
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One day Mrs.Jones goes shopping.When her husband comes home in the evening,she begins to tell him about a beautiful cotton dress."I see it in a shop this morning,"she says. "And--and you want to buy it."says her husband,"How much does it cost?" "Forty pounds." "Forty pounds for a cotton dress? That's too much!" But every evening,when Mr.Jones comes back from work,his wife continues to say only about the dress,and at last, after a week,he says"Oh,buy the dress.Here's the money!"She is happy. But the next evening,when Mr.Jones comes home and asks,"Do you buy the famous dress?--'No,"she says. "Why not?"he asks. "Well,"Mrs.Jones says,"it is still in the window of the shop after a week,I think nobody else wants this dress,so I don't want it,either." In the end, Mrs Jones
When would most people wear shorts?
Our village, Cinderland, was founded in 2000. It is a fully-sustainable eco-village on the Big Island of Hawaii located about 29 miles southeast of Hilo and 9 miles east of Pahoa. And it is within easy walking distance of the coastline--one mile north of Hwy 132, just off Hwy 137. Solar power supplies our electrical needs, and water catchment tanks hold enough rain water for our use. Fruit trees and vegetable gardens are located throughout our tropical landscape and can be harvested at any time by the residents for their own personal consumption . We accept all lifestyles and belief systems, and encourage individuality and diversity. A good attitude and an easy-going manner are most important to us; those qualities go a long, long way here! Tuesdays are a fun and big day here. In the morning, we all get together for a few hours for various work projects. In the afternoon, many will hop in the truck for a trip to the town of Pahoa. That evening, we then are all treated to what is well-known throughout this region as "Taco Tuesday". Anyone is welcome to join us from the surrounding areas, which makes for a large gathering each week. It's certain that drummers and other musicians will be playing around the fire pit each "Taco Tuesday". With the exception of the few hours of work on Tuesdays, residents are free to do whatever they please. Some just relax, while others may snorkel , surf, swim, shop, backpack, camp, go sightseeing, watch the lava flow, etc. It's rare that someone leaves this area without feeling it is a life-changing experience. There are also many who decide to make it their permanent home. We are very welcoming. Come to give us a visit! Mahalo! Where will we probably find the text?
Pupils work harder in lessons if they are taught by a man, a study has claimed. Male teachers are more likely to improve pupils' self-esteem and are judged by pupils to be more fair, according to a study published by the Department for Education. But there is a significant shortage of male teachers, especially in primary schools, with reports last month indicating that almost one in three primaries has an all-female teaching staff. The latest figures heightened fears that schools are becoming dominated by women and children are being denied access to male role models in the classroom. Researchers at the London School of Economics and Westminster University conducted an experiment in which each of 1,200 pupils in 29 schools was given PS2. They could use the money to "buy" up to 10 questions at a cost of 20p each, which they then had to answer. If they were right they were given an extra 20p, but if they were wrong they lost 20p. Boys and girls who had a male teacher chose on average almost half a question more than those taught by women, indicating that they had a more positive outlook on the rewards of effort, the the study said. Researchers wrote: "One of the most significant results featured in this experiment is the positive effect of male teachers on effort. The experiment suggests that higher ability pupils either believed that the teacher would reward them more favorably or had a preference for working hard to please the teacher." According to the Good Teacher Training Guide, 86 per cent of new teachers entering primary schools are female, along with 62 per cent of those entering secondary schools. Professor Alan Smithers, of Buckingham University, said: "This is an interesting and somewhat surprising finding, but it does underline the importance of having a good mix of male and female teachers in classes." What is the author's attitude to the finding that pupils work harder in lessons if they are taught by a man?
I get off the bus and walk a few blocks. I stop when I get to a garage-like place and walk to the metal door with brown paint. I turn the knob and walk in. A thousand eyes look at me as I take my place at the end of the long line. When I finally get up to the window, I hand the officer my ID. "I'm here to visit Mr C. Yes, I'm his daughter." I learn that line by heart. The officer hands me a piece of paper with my name as the visitor and my father's as the prisoner. It tells me which floor to go to. As I get on the elevator, a rush of excitement runs through me. Then I go to the eighth floor, look around and see the faces I see here every Sunday and Thursday. There he is. I stand on tiptoe to get a better view since I can hardly see him. He doesn't look like my father. He's got a beard now and he looks a lot weaker. He's the dad that I see through a window. My dad who is separated from the world. The only place he now knows is his room in the prison. When I look deep into his eyes, I see emptiness and pain. It's difficult to hear him through the thick glass and over everyone else who is trying to talk. We try to carry on a normal conversation about simple things including my day and what I'm doing in school, but we mostly talk about how we can't wait until he gets out. After an hour my time is up. We say our good-byes and love-yous. I get on the bus to go home. My favorite place is where my father is--prison. I know, how can prison be anyone's favorite place? But it is because my father is there. It'll no longer be my favorite place once he gets out, though--home will be. What does the author mainly talk of with her father?
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When ice cream is left out of a freezer, the ice cream changes from a ___.
A solid to a gas
B gas to a liquid
C solid to a liquid
D liquid to a gas
Answer: C
Working the night shift a few nights a month can do more than leave your eyes bleary-eyed ,suggests a study on Wednesday. It just might increase your risk of color1ectal cancer .Nurses who worked the night shift at least three times a month for t5 years or more were 35%more likely to develop that type of cancer than nurses who never worked nights,Harvard University researchers report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The finding,from the ongoing Nurses Health Study,is the first to link night shift work with a higher risk of color1ectal cancer,expected to kill 57,100 Americans this, according to the American Cancer Society.Another research,including a report out of the Nurses Health Study, has suggested that working night shifts increases women's breast cancer risk. The researchers asked 78,586 nurses whether they had ever worked three or more night shifts a month.The nurses indicated whether they had done so for less than 15 years or 15 years or more.The scientists followed the women to see who developed color1ectal cancer. Researchers believe that lowered levels of melatonin might increase night-shift workers' cancer risk.Melatonin levels usually reach the highest point in the middle of the night. Turn on the lights,though,and _ dropped measurably in just 10 minutes,says Richard Stevens a cancer epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut who did not take part in the new study.After two weeks of continuous nightly exposure to light,humans experience a sharp drop in melatonin production,Nurses Health Study researchers write. In the lab,melatonin appears to stop tumor growth.Other studies suggest that color1ectal cancer patients have lower blood levels of melatonin than healthy people,the authors write.However,that could be a result of the disease,not a cause of it.Stevens says. Which of the following is NOT caused by working on the night shift?
A Bleary eyes.
B Colorectal cancer
C Melatonin production.
D Breast cancer.
Answer: C
In the past, Native American Indians buried dead fish along with corn seeds. This technique was used because the decomposing dead fish would
A provide nutrients for the growing corn plant
B eliminate the need for weeding around the corn plant
C release oxygen for use by the corn plant
D supply all the water needed by the corn plant
Answer: A
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. What is the best title for the passage?
A Cotton or Hemp and Bamboo?
B Environmentally-friendly Clothes
C Old Style, New Fashion Again
D Fashion and the Environment
Answer: D
It is vital to your health to have a
A good time
B jet ski
C plane
D colony of bacteria
Answer: D
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Question: Scholars and researchers have tried to discover what personality characteristics go along with success in intercultural experiences. Their findings have often been unclear or incomplete. But three characteristics stand out in their reports: patience, a sense of humor, and the awareness of being unclear. Patience, of course, is the ability to keep calm even when things do not go as one wants them to, or hopes they will, or has even been sure they will. Impatience sometimes brings improvements in relations with other people, but usually it does not. A person with a sense of humor is less likely to take things too seriously and more ready to see the humor in her own reactions than a humorless person. The value of a sense of humor really needs to be paid more attention to. "The awareness of being unclear" is a more difficult concept than patience or a sense of humor. Foreigners often find themselves in situations that are unclear to the newcomers. That is, they do not know what is happening in the situation. Perhaps they do not understand the local language well enough, or they do not know how some system or organization works, or they can't be sure of different people's roles in what is going on. "It's like I just got here from the moon," a Chinese graduate student who newly arrived in the United States said, "things are just so different here." The passage mainly tells us_.
A. that it's not easy to travel abroad
B. that humor is very important in communication
C. about some characteristics in dealing with foreigners
D. about three main ways useful for communicating with foreigners
Answer:
B. that humor is very important in communication
Question: The English language started about 1500 years ago in England.Three groups of people came to the country.They were the Angles,the Saxons,and the Jutes.These three groups brought their languages with them to England.After some time,the three languages became one new languageEnglish.The name "English" comes from the Angles.They lived in most of England."England" means "Angle Land" or "Country of the Angles". The language that we speak todayModern Englishis not the same as the English that people used 1500 years ago,including Old English(before 1150)and Middle English(up till 1500).That languageOld Englishsounds different,and it has some different rules of grammar. There were only a few thousand words in Old English.But Modern English does come from Old English,and it is still like it in many important ways. How many languages did Old English come from?
A. One.
B. Two.
C. Three.
D. Four.
Answer:
C. Three.
Question: The 12--year--old CEO of a Web site design company will be one of 300 business and political leaders accompanying Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on a trade visit to China in March. Keith Peiris, who founded Cyberteks Design in June 1999 and now has 25 clients in North America ,insisted in an interview that he is "just like any other kid." He and his father will spend nine days on the Team Canada trip to Beijing ,Shanghai and Hong Kong ,where Chretien aims to showcase the best of Canadian business in the most populous country in the world . A glance at the complex ,elegant animations on his www.cybertecks.com site shows the extent of Peiris' talent . "He doesn't want to be No.2,"his father Deepal said proudly . His father ,who is now vice president of operations at Cyberteks ,said , "I am teaching my son what I know .We make decisions together .I haven't done anything my son disagreed with .He makes the final decision ." The company has seven offices in the United States and five part--time employees who ,like the Peiris family ,work from their London homes . Keith Peiris admitted some potential clients change their minds when they learn his age ,but the well--informed not--yet--teenager tries to ignore them . "Suddenly ,I've been called a whiz kid or geek ,which I am not too happy about .A few people have asked if they should call me 'mister', but I stay casual , I am still a kid . Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A. Keith Peiris is a Canadian boy .
B. All the employees of the child's company work at home .
C. The Canadian Prime Minister means to show off Keith's success during his stay in China .
D. Keith always tries his best to be the best in the field of web site designing .
Answer:
C. The Canadian Prime Minister means to show off Keith's success during his stay in China .
Question: Single cell organisms can put an animal in the
A. funny farm
B. space program
C. emergency room
D. hall of fame
Answer:
C. emergency room
Question: Besides providing an ideal environment for sea plants and animals to live in, seawater has other values, one of which is that it constantly moves, and its movements produce energy. The most obvious movements are waves and the tides. Winds causes the waves, and the gravitational pull of the moon and the son causes tides. In places like the Bay of Fundy in Canada, the difference between the high and low tide level can be as much as 40 feet. France and Britain are now trying to use energy in the tides to produce electricity. Waves can produce electricity and some experiments are taking place to learn more about this. One of the most encouraging areas of research uses the difference between the temperature of seawater at the surface and deep down to produce electricity. According to the passage, which of the following is not true?
A. The temperature difference of seawater can produce electricity.
B. The energy in the tides can produce electricity.
C. Waves can produce electricity.
D. The plants and animals in the ocean can produce electricity.
Answer:
B. The energy in the tides can produce electricity.
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Question: A magnet would attract a
A. Wooden hairbrush
B. Oranges
C. Glassware
D. Zippers
Answer:
D
Question: Dear Lee, As I told you, I'll be gone until Wednesday morning. Thank you so much for taking on my "children" while I'm away. Like real children, they can be kind of irritating sometimes, but I'm going to enjoy myself so much more knowing they're getting some kind human attention. Remember that Regina (the "queen" in Latin, and she acts like one) is teething. If you don't watch her, she'll chew anything, including her sister, the cat. There are plenty of chew toys around the house. Whenever she starts gnawing on anything illegal, just give her one of those. She generally settles right down to a good hour-long chew. Then you'll see her wandering around whimpering with the remains of the toy in her mouth. She gets really frustrated because what she wants is to bury the thing. She'll try to dig a hole between the cushions of the couch. Finding that unsatisfactory, she'll wander some more, discontent, until you solve her problem for her. I usually show her the laundry basket, moving a few clothes so she can bury her toy beneath them. I do sound like a parent, don't I? You have to understand, my own son is practically grown up. Regina's food is the Puppy Chow in the utility room, where the other pet food is stored. Give her a bowl once in the morning and once in the evening. No more than that, no matter how much she begs. Beagles are notorious overeaters, according to her breeder, and I don't want her to lose her girlish figure. She can share Rex (the King's) water, but be sure it's changed daily. She needs to go out several times a day, especially last thing at night and first thing in the morning. Let her stay out for about ten minutes each time, so she can do all her business. She also needs a walk in the afternoon, after which it's important to romp with her for a while in the yard. The game she loves most is fetch, but be sure to make her drop the ball. She'd rather play tug of war with it. Tell her, "Sit!" Then, when she does, say, "Drop it!" Be sure to tell her "good girl," and then throw the ball for her. I hope you'll enjoy these sessions as much as I do. Now, for the other two, Rex and Paws... (letter continues) From the context of the note, it is most likely that the name "Rex" is _ .
A. Spanish
B. English
C. French
D. Latin
Answer:
D
Question: Shopping used to mean actually going to shops, but nowadays, you can shop without even leaving your house. Just sit in front of your computer, click your mouse and your things will be sent to your house in a couple of days. November 11this a big day for people who like shopping online. On that day last year, many online stores offered a big discount and free delivery service. The biggest online shopping sites in China,Taobao.com and Tmall.com ,sold things worth 19.1 billion yuan in total. "Goods online are often much cheaper. It also saves me a lot of time. And we often have more goods on many online stores than in shopping malls," Wang Xin, an online shopping lover in Beijing, said to China Daily. She stayed up very late for a lot of cheap goods online. She spent several thousand that day. Another big advantage of online shopping is that it helps people get things from different cities, even different countries, _ . "I like eating duck neck very much and I often buy it on Taobao from shops in Wuhan. It's much more delicious than what our local stores sell, but cheaper," said Zang Xin, a girl in Yangzhou. While enjoying online shopping, many people also have worries, especially for middle school student buyers. Young students are easily attracted by advertisements on the Internet and buy things they don't need. "Middle school students should pay more attention to their study. Searching for things wastes their time," said Jing Chunling, an education expert. "Besides, online shop owners have no idea of the ages of their buyers. Anyone can easily buy things that they want to. Some of goods are even bad for young students such as cigarettes and wine." People worry about students shopping online because students _ .
A. have no time to waste and are easily attracted to buy bad things
B. may depend too much on online shopping
C. haven't met the online store owners
D. may buy nothing with a lot of money
Answer:
A
Question: Britain's symbolic red phone boxes have become out of date in the age of the mobile, but villages across the country are stepping in to save them, with creative intelligence. Whether as a place to exhibit art, poetry, or even as a tiny library, hundreds of phone boxes have been given a new life by local communities determined to preserve a typical part of British life. In Waterperry, a small village near Oxford, the 120 residents have filled the phone box next to the old house with a pot of flowers, piles of gardening and cooking magazines, and stuck poems on the walls. They took control of the phone box when telecoms operator BT said it was going to pull it down, an announcement that caused such dissatisfaction that one local woman threatened to chain herself to the box to save it. "I'd have done it, " insisted Kendall Turner. "It would have been heartbreaking for the village. " Local councilor Tricia Hallam, who came up with the idea for the phone box's change, said quite a few people would have joined her, adding, " We couldn't let it go because it's a British symbol." Only three feet by three feet wide, and standing 2.51-meter tall, the phone boxes were designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1936 for the 25thanniversary of the reign of King George V. Painted in "Post Office red" to match the post boxes, they were once a typical image of England and the backdrop to millions of tourist photographs. Eight years ago there were about 17,000 across Britain, but today, in a country where almost everybody has a mobile phone, 58 percent are no longer profitable and ten percent are only used once a month. "On average, maintaining them costs PS800 a year per phone box-about PS44 million annually," said John Lumb, general manager for BT Payphones. What is John Lumb's attitude towards pulling down the red phone boxes?
A. supportive
B. Opposed
C. Neutral
D. Indifferent.
Answer:
A
Question: Last Sunday it was snowy. Maria stayed at home. Her cousin Cara came to visit her. She came back from Beijing. She told Maria something about her vacation. "It was pretty good," she said. Cara visited the Palace Museum and the Great Wall. She took a lot of photos. It was lunchtime. Maria's parents were not at home. Maria decided to cook by herself . She cooked noodles with some pepperoni ,tomatoes and peppers . After Cara had the noodles, she said slowly, "I think it is delicious!" But Maria thought the food was too awful. She said, "Cana, thank you, but I put too many peppers!" Where did Cara go on vacation?
A. Hunan
B. Sichuan
C. Guilin
D. Beijing
Answer:
D
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Question: We live on the Earth. It's our home. But how much do you know about it? The Earth is like a huge ball. Like the other seven planets, the Earth is running around the Sun. It's the third nearest planet to the Sun. It takes the Earth about 365 days to run around the Sun. At the same time, the Earth is going around itself. If you are in space, you can see lots of white clouds over the surface of the Earth. Through the clouds, you can see the blue color of the oceans and the brown color of the land. About 70% of the Earth is covered with water. Why do we have day and night? When the half of the Earth is facing the Sun, it's daytime. As the Earth turns and this half is away from the Sun, night is coming. And it's daytime for the other half. When it is night, the half of the Earth _ .
A. goes around the Sun
B. goes around itself
C. faces the Sun
D. is away from the Sun
Answer:
D
Question: Have you ever been in a situation, where you felt uneasy because of something you think you may have forgotten to do or perhaps a feeling that you annoyed someone whom you wanted to get along with really well. If you have experienced such feelings and worse on a regular basis, then you most probably are a victim of anxiety attacks. All of us, to some extent, have experienced anxiety at different levels. There are somethings you may know about anxiety, and some things that you may not be familiar with. So in order to be prepared for your unexpected feeling of anxiety, you need to get to know what anxiety is before it _ into a panic attack. Anxiety is simply the feeling of discomfort, uneasiness or fear of what may eventually happen resulting from an imagined, or a real threatening condition. On the extreme end panic attacks can occur due to heightened feelings of anxiety. There are two main symptoms during an anxiety / panic attack and these are physical and emotional symptoms. Physical symptoms include difficulty in breathing, shaking, direct feeling of heat, rapid heartbeat and tiredness while emotional symptoms deal with worrying, depression, fear, and lack of focus. In spite of the negative impression we have for anxiety, it is not dangerous in any way whatever. The feeling of anxiety is not bad, in fact it's more of a defensive feeling which protects us from possible danger by engaging a response within us in fight or fight situations. So it's not the "bad guy", you just have to learn how to control it. Panic attacks, however, are far more dangerous and should be a concern to your health. Panic can sometimes result in blurred vision, difficulty in breathing due to a tight chest. The best way to different anxiety from any serious illness is to ask a medical expert for advice on a regular basis. A victim of anxiety attacks may have the symptoms that _ .
A. he doesn't want to have anything to eat
B. he has trouble in hearing and vision
C. he is always worried about others
D. he can't pay attention to what he does
Answer:
D
Question: Everybody knows that colors are connected with certain feelings. For example, why do some people paint the walls of their rooms yellow and others pink? The same is true in stores. They want us to feel something when we look at their products. Green, for example, tries to show the quality of a product: how good it is for us or for our environment. It also suggests that the product is healthier, has less fat and maybe fewer calories. Red, on the other hand is an aggressive color that is often used for packaging food. Red wants us to become hungry or thirsty. Purple is a kind of color that is often seen as royal. It indicates that it is something special. Producers use purple to show that something is of good quality. Blue is not very often found in food packaging because there are not very many foods that have a blue color. Colors can also have different meaning in different cultures and countries. For example, while the color white is used in many Western countries to represent purity and innocence, it is seen as a symbol of mourning in many Eastern countries. The Egyptian pharaohs wore white crowns. A white sale is a sale of sheets, towels, and other bed and bath items. A white flag is the universal symbol for truce . A white elephant is a rare, pale elephant sacred to the people of India, Thailand, Burma, and Sri Lanka. In these countries, something that is a white elephant is either a possession that costs more than it is worth to keep or an item that the owner doesn't want but can't get rid of. Consumers are aware that certain foods must have certain colors. When Pepsi brought out a crystal clear cola in 1992, it thought that consumers would buy it because clear meant pure and healthy. After a few months Pepsi found out that a cola had to be dark-colored. Crystal Pepsi failed and the company pulled it off the market. Advertising professionals often need to look at a product through the consumers' eyes when choosing a color. The right packaging colors can truly improve the sales of a product but choosing a wrong color could end in failure. According to the passage, in India if something is expensive but useless, it can be called _ .
A. a white flag
B. a white elephant
C. a white sale
D. a white crown
Answer:
B
Question: At what temperature is water most likely to be in vapor form?
A. -10°C
B. 20°C
C. 90°C
D. 120°C
Answer:
D
Question: Which of these is a mixture?
A. salt water
B. sugar
C. water vapor
D. salt
Answer:
A
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Three Japanese tourists taking a holiday in Australia got stuck when their GPS told them they could drive from the mainland to an island, failing to mention the 15 kilometres of water and mud in between. As they drove their hired car from Moreton Bay in Queensland to nearby North Stradbroke Island, they started to notice the firm gravel surface they were driving on giving way to the renowned bay mud.However, being confident that their GPS would direct them to a road soon, they decided to plough on, managing to travel around 500 metres before their Hyundai Getz was up to its axles tires in mud.To make matters worse, the tide started to come in and soon forced them to seek help and abandon the vehicle.Just four hours later the car was trapped in two metres of water ---- to the great amusement of onlookers on the shore and passengers on passing boats and ferries. Yuzu Noda, 21, said she was listening to the GPS and "it told us we could drive down there.It kept saying it would navigate us to a road.But we got stuck...there's lots of mud." She and her travel companions Tomonari Saeki, 22, and Keita Osada, 21, instead had to give up their plans for a day trip to the island and headed back to the Gold Coast of a lift from the RACQ tow truck driver who was called to the trapped car.No such luck for the hired car though - after assessing the situation, no attempt was made to recover it.The students from Tokyo, who are due to return home tomorrow, said the experience would not put them off returning to Australia for another visit."We want to come back to Australia again.Everyone is very nice, even today." Ms Yuzu said. Remaining excited, Mr. Tomonari joked that the car may have got stuck because it was built in Korea."Maybe if it was Japanese it would be okay," he said.He added, "It has rained every day on our six day holiday.Hopefully next time we come back it will be sunny." The car was covered by insurance, but the tourists will have to pay up to about $1500 in extra charges. They didn't abandon their car until _ .
Answer: there came the tide
The human brain weighs about 1.4 kilograms, but it can, hold much more information than most computers. However, there is another difference between humans and computers. Computers don't forget information they are given, but humans often do. No one remembers everything, and luckily we don't usually have to. But everyone can improve their memory if they want to. Here are some suggestions. * Try to use new information immediately. For example, if you meet someone who says "Hi! I'm Carlos," don't just say "Hello." Repeat the person's name. Say" _ " * Break a big number into smaller parts. For example, it's hard to memorize 109244153. But if you break it into three parts--109/244/153--it becomes easier. *Write out what you need to remember over and over again. This will help you keep it in mind longer, especially for memorizing formulas or facts. *Always review information. If you bring what you've learned back to your mind, they become easier to remember. For example, before you go to sleep, it's a good idea to review the new things you learned that clay. * Discuss with a friend. It is always easier to remember things through discussions. You can have a discussion about what's right and what's wrong, and it will lead to the right answer. *Never tell yourself that you have a bad memory. You can always do something to help improve your memory. And everyone's memory gets better if they use it often enough. All of the suggestions are helpful. If you follow them, you are certain to improve your memory. What can help memorize a big number more easily according to the passage?
Answer: To break it into stunner parts.
Burn rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate was $ 75,000 a month. Four months after my company was set up, I had only a quarter of the starting capital left in the bank. Looking for guidance, I went to talk to my friend, Arthur Walworth about my new venture. "Times of great change always bring out the risk-takers," he said. "And they leave winners and losers. My grandfather invested a lot of money in a project of Thomas Edison's that ended up in failure. " I was lost in thought at the notion (an idea or belief about something) of a Thomas Edison project ending in failure. Damn. It could happen to anybody! I must continue. At that time CD-ROM sales had bombed, so investors were fleeing from the field. I didn't turn away from mine entirely, but instead linked it to the Internet. My plan was to offer consumers descriptions of home-design products by using a special software and let them modify the designs. Then we can enable them to get online professional and constructional help to have their houses built, decorated and furnished according to their own choice. To realize my plan I needed investors, so I continued to meet regularly with venture capitalists. One said I had a great idea. But I needed to test it. Get the money somewhere. To get this money from a venture capitalist is going to cost my wife and my children! He turned down my request. Wife? Children? I hardly remembered them. I was working nonstop --- struggling to turn the key in the lock, to find the right way ahead. The pressure was terrible. It was just at this time that my parents and sisters stepped up. Two hundred thousand dollars. A lot of money to them, invested in this crazy son and brother without a moment's hesitation. Dad and Mom had driven out from Chicago and seen the passion in my little office and the trouble at home. With their help my company survived and has been prospering ever since. Faced with a very unfavorable market situation, the author decided _ .
Answer: to improve his service
My oldest child, Emma, just returned to campus after a long holiday break to finish up her last period of college. These days, friends and family have begun flooding me with one question: What is she going to do after graduation? The job market is, after all, awfully tough. Just this month the Federal Reserve Bank published a study showing that "recent graduates are increasingly working in low-paid jobs or working part-time." The bright spot, according to the study, is for students who majored in STEM-- science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- areas in which recent graduates "have tended to do relatively well". But Emma is a student of the humanities at a small college. She's an American Studies major with a focus on the politics and culture of food. For quite a while, I think her field of study is so fashionable right now that I'm not the least bit worried she will find a good job. Yet the more I've thought about it, the more I've decided to be honest. "I'm not sure what Emma is going to do," I now say. "But she's gotten a great education and has really found her interest. -- and I know those things will serve her well over the course of her life." Nowadays, more and more universities and colleges are being measured by the salaries of their recent graduates. In this climate, encouraging your kid to study the humanities, seems, at best, unwise or, at worst, unconcerned with earning a living. But a college is not a vocational school. And promoting STEM subjects should not be society's only answer to helping the next generation grow in a competitive world. From the beginning, we never urged Emma to pick a college or a major with an eye on its expected return on money, as more and more families are doing. To Emma, what really matters will be something that we may not be able to measure for quite a long time: Emma's contribution to the world and how happy she is in it. According to the author, what matters most in choosing a major is that _ .
Answer: it should bring achievements and happiness
Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima was born on 22 September 1976 in a poor suburb of Rio de Janeiro. Like most of his childhood friends, Ronaldo began his soccer career playing barefoot in the streets of his neighborhood. At the age of 14, he joined SCristovo soccer club and only two years later became the star of Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte scoring a total of 58 goals in 60 matches and earning himself a reputation for his explosive pace and outstanding finishing skills. His goal-scoring record and unusual _ led him to be included in the Brazilian World Cup winning team the following year. After the World Cup, many top European football clubs were trying to sign him. Many people, including Brazilian football legend Pele, referred to him as the most promising footballer of his generation. Since his transfer to Dutch team PSV Eindhoven, Ronaldo's biography is one of success after success. Two Copa America s, a UEFA Cup, a Dutch Cup, a Spanish League Cup, and two awards as best player in the world, all in the space of two years, are some of Ronaldo s impressive achievements. On arrival to Inter-Milan in 1997, Ronaldo became the idol of the local fans who refer to him as "il Fenomeno." Since the 98 World Cup he has suffered two serious knee injuries that have severely limited his appearances. Just when people began to wonder whether Ronaldo would be able to continue with his football career, he proved to the world that he still could play. In the World Cup held in Korea and Japan, the magical striker won the Golden Shoe award and tied Pele's Brazilian record for career World Cup goals with 12. He helped Brazil capture its fifth World Cup championship on June 30 with a 2-0 win over Germany. It was the third time that Ronaldo has ever played in the World Cup. We can infer from the passage that Ronaldo _ .
Answer: became a star of Cruzeriro Belo Horizonte in 1992
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Events in New Jersey (From April 11th-23rd) Bloomfield Public Library, 90 Broad Street.(973)566-6200. "Catch Me if You Can", starring Leonardo DiCaprio.Monday, April 11th "The Invention of Lying", comedy.Thursday, April 14th, 8 p.m. "Sideways", starring Paul Giamatti.April 18 "Phone Call From a Stranger", with Bette Davis.April 21 All are Free. Studio Montclair, 33 Plymouth Street.(973)744-1818. "Sustainability and the Artistic Vision", group show featuring artists who use sustainable materials. Through April 23. Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m.to 5 p.m., or by appointment. The Community Theater, 100 South Street.(973)539-8008. Russian National Ballet Theatre presents "Chopiniana" and "Romeo and Juliet". April 15, at 8 p.m. $27 to $57. Essex County Environmental Center, 621 Eagle Rock Avenue.(973)228-8776. "New Jersey Wood-turners", adults learn to create art from pieces of wood found in nature. April 18 at 7 p.m. $8; members, free. Monmouth Museum, 765 Newman Springs Road.(732)747-2266. "Give Peace a Chance: John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Bed-in for Peace Exhibition", featuring more than 40 large-format images by the photojournalist Gerry Deiter. Through April 22. $7; children under 2, free. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m.to 4:30 p.m. William Paterson University, 300 Pompton Road.(877)978-3923. "The African Impact on the American Experience: Between Race and Culture", panel discussion moderated by Prof.Lawrence Mbogoni. Tuesday, April 12 at 12:30 p.m. American Labor Museum, 83 Norwood Street.(973)595-7953. "The Line That Divides: _ Trade Corridor", exhibition of photographs, paintings and video by Pamela Calore. Through April 23. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 1 to 4 p.m., or by appointment. $3 to $5; members and children under 12, free. Who is the most likely one to satisfy a student majoring in African history?
Lawrence Mbogoni
We have information about over 300 volunteering opportunities with more than 250 local organizations (charities, statutory organizations such as hospitals and social services and community groups). We are a registered charity and our service is free of charge. We do not run volunteering projects ourselves bur recruit volunteers for a whole range of organizations across Cambridge and South Cambs. Volunteering Links National Council for voluntary Organizations A center to champion and strengthen the voluntary sector in the UK with advice, support and public policy. Cambridge Council for voluntary Service An independent registered charity to help community and voluntary groups in Cambridge, South Cambridgeshire and Fenland. Volunteering Wales Voluntering and volunteer Centers in Wales. Volunteer Development Scotland Volunteering and Volunteer Centres in Scotland. Community Service Volunteers Volunteer placements in the UK. Student Hubs A branch of Student Hubs, a youth-led charity working across the UK to transform student involvement in charitable activities. Timebank A national campaign inspiring and connecting people to share and give time. Registration Information If you spot an opportunity that you like, you can go through a simple online registration process and then we will send you the details. Alternatively you can down load a VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION FORM (please save it to your own computer before editing) and email the completed form to us at info@carn-volunteer.org.uk. If you need a bit more help, then we can offer you a confidential one-to-one chat with a member of staff to discuss what you would like to do. But you must make an appointment beforehand. You don't have to visit the Volunteer Centre in person to get help. We can also provide information by e-mail, post or over the telephone. Which organizations are suitable for a teacher to volunteer in Wales?
Community Service Volunteers and Volunteering Wales.
Education has an important effect on the mind or physical ability of an individual. It is the process by which society passes its accumulated knowledge, skills, and values from one generation to another. Various non-traditional education options are now available and continue to flourish . One of the most important uses in education is the use of technology. Teachers are encouraged to use new technological devices in order to strengthen learning among students and meet the needs of various types of learners. The right to education has been created and recognized by jurisdiction . Education is the most important concern of the government of India. Recently India has gained world recognition because many students from foreign countries come here to gain higher qualifications. One has to be educated in order to speed up the growth process in order to influence the economy. Education is indeed a powerful weapon to stop the cut- throat competition that man faces at every period of life. The importance of education in India is progressing with time. Although India has been a great foundation of learning for many years, it still needs to improve not just on the quality of education but also on the number of people being educated. Education is not just for academic success but also to make a person become a better human being and a better performer in life. Education makes the students able enough, so that they can compete nationally and internationally. To make a student a successful survivor in life, the responsibility lies equally with the schools and the parents too. Selecting a good school is as important as choosing a suitable career option for a child. The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the _ of truth, it is education that gives us all the power and necessities of making a difference in any field. People who are not educated have few opportunities to do what they want to do. Educated people become more responsible and informed citizens, and have a voice in politics and society. It allows people to be more productive by encouraging them to play responsible roles in terms of contributing to society. What is the passage mainly about?
The importance of education
Biologists are studying the white-tailed deer population in Ohio. Which question could the biologists most likely answer?
How fast does this deer population grow?
Dear Mr./Ms, I would like to suggest that the starting time be changed at our school. Classes at Sebastian Valley Middle School simply start too early in the morning. Getting eight to nine hours of sleep each night is almost impossible when classes begin at 7:30 am. In order to shower, dress, get organized, eat a quick breakfast, and meet the school bus by 6:45, I would have to get up at 5:45. Early in the morning, students are too sleepy to learn well. Without enough sleep, young people cannot think clearly or enjoy learning. According to a report called "Are Students getting Enough Sleep?" From Sebastian Valley Times, "Sleepiness disturbs concentration, reduces short-term memory, and causes bad feelings." Researchers have learned that teens normally fall asleep and wake up later than adults. Teens who stay up late at night have trouble getting up early in the morning. Studies show that some schools have already adjusted school hours to better match the teen sleep cycle , as a result, students in these school are learning better on the new schedule . Some of my classmates argue that starting school an hour later will prevent them from taking part in after-school athletic programs. A solution would be to carry out these programs before school instead of after school. The students who are involved in sports and clubs would continue to arrive at the usual time. The rest of the student body could get a little more sleep and arrive an hour later. Teens usually have a later sleep cycle, and learn and behave better when rested. So I would like to suggest that we have a meeting to discuss the problem and listen to all the students' voice. Thank you for considering this request ! Which of the following does Tom probably agree with?
Sleep is food for the brain.
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Many Chinese students think American students enjoy more freedom than them at school. In fact, American schools also have their rules. If students break the rules, they will get punishment , too. On the first day of a new term, 128 students of Morton High School were sent back home for wearing the wrong clothes. There are altogether 1,200 students in the school. Usually only 20 students break the school dress rule every day. So the headmaster Theresa Mayerik said it was the worst new term she had ever seen. At Morton High School, students' favorite clothes such as wide pants and low-necked shirts are not allowed( ). Some students think they have the right to choose what to wear, but the headmaster doesn't think so." I'd be _ if half the school was sent back home ,because 99% will get the message that our school is for education" "Freedom" doesn't mean "free of restrictions ". That is to say, there is no total freedom in the world, no matter in the US or in China. Many Chinese students think that American student _ .
Answer:
More than half of Americans do not take all their vacation days,even though they think they need one more holiday. And nearly a third of workers who take a break check their emails from the boss every other day and some even keep in touch hourly. "We're workaholics ',"said Samuel Nahmias."From a general perspective,this has a lot to do with the economic situation in the US. More and more people are unemployed." With jobless numbers reaching 9.6 percent,people who have jobs seem to be unwilling to take time off." _ People are not going on vacation as much and those who are going on vacation are being more selective about where they are going."Nahmias explained. Unlike European countries where four or more weeks of holiday each year is normal,27 percent of people questioned in the poll said they had 6 to 10 days of annual leave and 20 percent had less than 3 days.With more people on unemployment lists in America,those still with jobs are facing more responsibility at work,which is reflected in their lack of time off. The majority of workers who did not take time off mentioned too many responsibilities or stress at work,while some people said they simply did not have time to plan a holiday."People are more conscious of what they are doing and when they are going on vacation because they don't want to look bad in this situation,"Nahmias explained. Technology is also playing a part with smartphones enabling workers to keep in contact in ways that were not possible before.It has to do with technology and the level of concern about what is going on in the office. Americans don't take all their vacation days because _ .
Answer:
Residence Inn Milford Within 15 minutes from historic Yale University and New Haven, the Residence Inn Milford offers great facilities and first-class service for business or leisure travel. Our all-suites hotel near New Haven is 1 hour from Bradley International Airport and 10 minutes from a Metro North train station that can get you to NYC in under an hour and a half. At our Milford, CT hotel, enjoy spacious studio, suites that are 50 percent larger than traditional hotel rooms. Our suites offer hot breakfast buffet and a nightly social hour (Monday - Wednesday), on-site exercise room and outdoor swimming pool. Price: $ 119 per night Pet Policy: Pets allowed Check in time: 3 pm Marriott Detroit Southfield Newly renovated , the Marriott Detroit Southfield Hotel is one of Detroit's most desirable hotel destinations. With excellent public areas, enhanced meeting spaces and carefully redesigned guest rooms, the Marriott Detroit Southfield Hotel meets the needs of business, leisure and group guests travelling to the Detroit area. This suburban Detroit hotel has a prime location that allows for easy access to the Detroit Zoo, Henry Ford Museum, Comerica Park, Ford Field and many of the other local activities in the area. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Price :$ 75 per nightCheck in time : 4 pm Comfort Suites Kodak 100 percent smoke free and pet free hotel conveniently located at the main gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains off Interstate 40 at exit 407, close to all the fun and excitement in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Knoxville, including Dollywood, Dixie Stampede, Smokies Park, Sevierville Events Center, Tanger Outlet Mall, University of Tennessee and more. Guests enjoy waking up in our well-appointed guest suites featuring contemporary furnishings and LCD flat screen televisions, starting their day with our free breakfast, and relaxing in our indoor pool and exercise room. Price: $55 per night Check in time: 3 pm The Swinton Hotel Located in the very heart of the centre of London, the Swinton Hotel is one of the leading Kings Cross hotels offering free breakfast. It allows easy access to all tourist attractions, shopping areas and transport connections; you have come to the right place if you are looking for brilliant Kings Cross Hotels. Whatever reason you are looking for cheap hotels in London and whether you are visiting on business, as a tourist or to enjoy the vast varieties of entertainment and nightlife, we will be more than happy to provide you with a safe and comfortable environment. The Swinton Hotel is situated in an ideal location for those travelling to or from London by rail. Price :$45 per night Check in time: 3 pm What do the four hotels have in common?
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Boys need friends, suffer when they don't believe they have any, and worry over the ups and downs of relationships. Many adults believe that somehow boys need friends less than girls do, in truth, though, no boy is an island; boys value their friends throughout childhood and adolescence and are happier and healthier when they have solid relationships with peers . Despite the common belief that girls are better at relationships, most boys consider their friends a very important part of their lives, and boys may actually be better at keeping friendships than girls are. A recent study of 10 to 15yearold boys and girls found that girls' friendships are actually more fragile. Girls tend to say and do hurtful things to each other more frequently than boys, and girls are more hurt by the end of a friendship. Boys are the living definition of the phrase "peer group"; they love games with rules, competition, and doing things together. Boys seem to enjoy, even need the opportunity to test themselves against others, and many lasting friendships begin in karate class or on the basketball court. Competence and skill are widely respected; being picked last for a team or left out altogether is an experience that can haunt a boy for years. As boys mature , the friendship becomes even more important, and it frequently widens to include girls. During the teen years, friends can become the most important part of a boy's life--and a part in which his parents are not included. The confusion of being a teenager leads boys to form close bonds with friends. There is the sense for many boys that a friend is someone who is "always there for me", someone he can trust. They may be partners in crime or partners in study, but the friendship of adolescent boys can run surprisingly deep. The common belief of adults is that boys _ .
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This room is not big but nice. There's a bed, a desk and some chairs in it. The desk is next to the window. On the desk, there is a book, a glass and some cakes. The bed is next to the desk. There are trousers and a coat on the bed. The trousers are green. They are new. The coat is yellow. It's new, too. Under the bed, there are some shoes and two balls. This is Susan's room. She's a good student. The trousers are _ and the coat is _ .
Answer:
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Below are pages adapted from, _ Sochi Volunteers * 5 December 2013 Sochi 2014 Volunteer Team is Prepared for Games On international Volunteer Day, 5 December, the Organizing Committee of the Winter Games in Sochi presented the national "Sochi 2014 Volunteer Team", The Sochi 2014 Volunteer Team is complete, consisting of 25,000 volunteers from 26 volunteer centers across Russia as well as global volunteers. * 6 August 2013 Sochi 2014 Sochi 2014 volunteer s meet athletics stars in Moscow Approximately 2,000 Sochi 2014 volunteers will take part in the staging of the World Athletics Championships, which will be held in Moscow from 10-18 August. * 30 May 2013 "Sochi 2014"volunteers on the presentation of the Olympic and Paralympic medals In St. Petersburg during the 11th"Sport Accord", Annual International Sports Convention was held on the presentation of the Olympic and Paralympic medals. * 11 March 2013 Sochi 2014 Volunteer Training Program Launched across Russia On March 11, the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee launched a large-scale project for training 25,000 volunteers for the 2014Games in Sochi. Sochi Culture Activities * International Ballet Stars Gala, 29 January 2014 Year of Russian Culture in the United Kingdom and Year of British Culture. * Sochi 2014 Culture Olympiad to Present History of Sports in Russia, 20 December 2013 As part of the Year of the of the Museum of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad the " Training the Strength of the Body, Sports and the Romanov Family " exhibition will be open starting from 21 December at the Sochi Art Museum. * Sochi 2014 Cultural Program Culminates in Grand Finale, 16 December 2013 The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee has presented an entertaining Cultural Program for the guests and participants of the Olympic Games. * Sochi 2014 Games Fans' Anthem will Unite Spectators in the Stands, 31 October 2013 100 days before the start of the first ever Olympic Winter Games in Russia, the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad and General Partner of the Games Sberbank have unveiled the fans' anthem for the Games. The anthem will be played at all Olympic venues and will be the main song at the sports fields for the competitions. * "White Stick" Music Festival to Take Place during the Start of Sochi 2014 Torch Relay, 7 October 2013 On 7 October, during the launch of the Olympic Torch Relay, the "White Stick" IV International charity festival will take place against the backdrop of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad in Moscow. * Winners of Cultural Program Competition to Perform at Sochi Games, 19 September 2013 The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee's cultural program Contest has come to an end and the winners have been announced. It took place within the framework of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad. * Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad to Showcase Russia's cultural diversity, 22 August 2013 From August, 25 to September 8, the "Alluring Worlds, Ethnic Russia" travelling festival will travel along the coast of the Black Sea. The festival is part of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad's Year of the Museums and will illustrate Russia's diversity. Which of the following statements is true?
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Most people who move to a foreign country or culture may go through some form of culture shock,and its degree is determined by the differences between cultures,the anxiety to adapt to a new culture and the familiarity with a new culture,etc.If you go,for example,to a culture that is far different from your own,you're likely to experience culture shock more sharply than those who move to a new culture knowing the language and the custom of it. It is important to understand and learn how to deal with culture shock if you are to adapt successfully to your new home's cultures.There are four general stages of cultural adjustment,and being aware of them helps you understand that culture shock won't last long.It's just a process you are going through rather than a constant situation. The first stage is usually referred to as "the honeymoon stage".Upon arriving in a new environment,you'll be interested in the new culture.Everything will seem thrilling and everyone will seem friendly and helpful.During this stage you are merely taking in these impressions passively. But it isn't long before the honeymoon stage gives way to the second stage--"the withdrawal stage".The excitement you felt before is gone and problems arise.The language is hard to learn,people are unusual and unpredictable,friends,are hard to make,and simple things like shopping and going to the bank are challenges.It is at this stage that you are likely to feel anxious and homesick,and you will probably find yourself complaining about the new culture or country.This is the stage called "culture shock". At some point,if you can manage it well,you'll begin the transition into the next stage,"the recovery stage",in which you'll feel more confident functioning in the new culture.Customs and traditions are clearer and easier to understand.At this stage,you'll deal with new challenges with humor rather than anxiety. According to the passage,culture shock can be _ .
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All residents: Rules for living in Parkrise Flats We all want to live comfortably and safely here, so here are a few simple rules which we think all residents should follow. Rubbish Rubbish collection is on Tuesdays. Please do not leave rubbish bags out before Tuesday as birds and animals can break into them and they smell. Washing There is a washing line for every flat in the garden next to the car park. Please only dry your washing on these lines so it does not disturb people in the ground floor flats. Cleaning The main stairs are cleaned twice a week by the Association, so please try to keep them tidy and clean and do not leave furniture or bags on the stairs or in the hallways. Lights The main lights are on a timer and they stay on for five minutes whey you press them. Please tell the Association if any lights are not working. Noise Residents are asked to keep noise to a minimum. Loud music, etc. can disturb other people and the Association will get in touch with you if you make too much noise. Safety Make sure the main outside door is always locked and do not let anyone in to the main building unless you know who they are. Sometimes people try to get in to the main stairs and then break into flats, so do not let people in unless they are coming to see you. Parking Each flat has one car parking space. These are numbered and are at the back of the building. Do not use another resident's space. If you have more than one car you will have to park it on the road. Do not park where you are blocking entrances. Problems If you have any problems or questions, please call the Association at 0800 096 9000. Parkrise Housing Association What's the purpose of the text?
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Today, I felt terrible. My head was full of problems and confusion . I decided to take a walk even though I didn't know where to go. The most special thing happened when I was out for this walk. I saw an old man sitting on a chair. He was a seller of second-hand shoes. I thought he looked at least 70 years old. He seemed so tired and nobody was buying his shoes. I wanted to give him something but I had not brought anything with me. Then, a little girl came toward him. I heard the child say, "Grandfather, may I polish your shoes?" That old man took pity on her, smiled and gave her a shoe to polish. The girl told him she needed money to buy her brother a new school uniform. "Oh, little girl. Just stop doing this. Come with me and I will buy you a uniform." Then they walked to a market , and he bought her brother a uniform. The girl said "thanks" to him and left, leaving the old man smiling. He walked away from the market, but I stopped him. I whispered in his ear, "You are a hero! Thank you for your kindness!" As I walked away, I looked back and I could see him still smiling. I was blown away by the kindness I had just seen. Someone who had so little was so generous! Amazing! My own sadness had completely disappeared, chased way by the light of this kind act. I began realizing that I have a lot to be thankful for. I hope, some day, I can show my appreciation of what I have by following the example of the old man. He only had a little, but shared it so beautifully with someone who had nothing. Who did the girl clean the shoes for?
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One day this same friend invited me to a party . It was not a real party , it was some kind of informal get-together . Since it was summertime he had a cookout where most of his American friends and s were known to me , but there were others I had never met before . It was the most embarrassing party for me when I noticed that everyone was wearing jeans and simple T-shirts for the day , while I arrived in proper dress with my shoes and my hair all fixed for a fancy party . It was hard to explain my embarrassment to the other guests . When one of them turned around and said "What nice clothes ! What's the occasion ?" I felt my face burning hot with embarrassment . I did not answer at all . Many times I thought about going home and changing , but I knew that they would notice . It would be even worse for me , because I knew they would quickly think that I felt out of place . So I wanted to pretend that I was okay . when hearing someone say " what nice clothes!What's the occasion!", the author knew that he or she really meant _ .
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If an island is experiencing a hot summer it is because
While I was waiting outside my wife's office building for her to get out of work, I saw a beggar coming my way from across the parking lot. "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't. He came and sat in front of the bus stop, but he didn't look like he could have enough money to ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a pretty car," he said, pointing to my car. He was ragged , but he had an air of dignity about himself. I gave him a smile and continued cleaning my car. He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected asking for money never came. As the silence between us widened, it seemed that a voice inside me said, "Ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes", but I listened to the inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but meaningful words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women, and we expect it from those of higher learning and achievements. I expected nothing but a dirty hand from him, but he said three words that shook me. "Don't we all?" he said. I was feeling high, successful and important above a beggar in the street, until those three words hit me like a shot. Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for a bus fare or for a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only for a bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have achieved, you need help, too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. The story happened _ .
One hot night last August, I tried everything I could think of -- toys, songs etc. to make him fall into sleep, but he just couldn't do it. Since I believed that a long night was waiting for me ahead, I had no choice but to bring a TV into his room to kill off the hours until dawn. I was surprised that the moment I turned on the TV the baby became quiet right away and fixed his little eyes brightly on the screen. Not willing to waste an opportunity for sleep, I then tiptoed out of the room, leaving him to watch the boring TV programs. I heard no more of the baby's crying that night and the next morning when I went into his room, I found him still watching TV by himself. I found there was a metaphor in my baby's behavior for the new generation. When I gave my boy some books to go over, he only spit upon them; when I read to him, he did not feel comfortable. And so it is in the schools with my students. I find that our students don't read and they look down upon reading and make light of those of us who teach it. All they want to do is watch TV. After this experience with the baby, however, I have drawn a conclusion: "Let them watch it!" If television is that much more attractive to children than books, why should we fight against it? Let them watch what they want! This experience with his baby helped the father _ .
One cold winter evening, some young families and young couples were eating in a McDonald's when an old couple walked slowly into McDonald's hand in hand. Some of the customers looked admiringly at them .You could tell what the admirers were thinking. Look, there is a couple who has been through a lot together, probably for 60 years or more." The little old man walked right up to the cash register, placed his order with no hesitation and then paid for their meal. The couple took a table near the back wall and started taking food off the tray. There was one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink. The little old man unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half. He placed one half in front of his wife. Then he carefully counted out the French fries, divided them in two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them. When the man began to eat his few bites of hamburger, the crowd began to get restless. Again you could tell what they were thinking. "That poor old couple. All they can afford is one meal for the two of them." Then, the man began to eat his French fries, when one young man stood and came over to the old couple's table. He politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple to eat. But the old man replied that they were just fine and they were used to sharing everything. Then the crowd noticed that the little old lady hadn't eaten a bite. She just sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink. When the little old man finished eating and was wiping his face neatly, the young man could stand it no longer. Again he came over to their table and offered to buy some food. After being politely refused again, he finally asked a question of the little old lady. "Ma'am, why aren't you eating? You said that you shared everything. What is it that you are waiting for?" She answered, "The false teeth". The young man who offered to buy the old couple food was _ .
A creature that is a biped and which regularly uses tools will occasionally enjoy munching on
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After lunch,I walked back home. I was just to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. It wasn't much but,as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too. A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime. The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on pavement is an attention-getter.It Can be nothing more than a penny.Whatever the coin is,no one ignores the sound of it.It got me thinking about sounds again.We are surrounded by so many sounds that attract the most attention. People in New York City seldom turn to look when a fire engine,a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street.When I'm in New York,I'm a New Yorker.I don't turn either.Like the natives,I hardly hear a siren there. However,at home in my little town in Connecticut,it's different.The distant sound of a police car, all emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I'm seated and brings me to the window if I'm in bed.It's the quietest sounds that have most effect on us.not the loudest.In the middle of the night, I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away thigh three closed doors.I've been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imaginnation turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house.How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime? I'm quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what the bad sounds are,I've turned against whistling,for instance:I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I've been associating the whistler with a nervous person making unconscious noises.The tapping,tapping,tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me.I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it. The author dislikes whistling because _
Answer:
A "blogger" is a person who writes on an Internet website called a "blog". The word "blog" is a short way of saying "web log", or "personal website". Anyone can start a blog, and they can write about anything they like. There are millions of blogs on the Internet today. They provide news, information and ideas to the people who read them.They contain links to other websites.And they provide a place for people to write their ideas and react to the ideas of others. A research company called Perseus has studied more than 3,000 web logs. It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls. They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their lives. The study also says that more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year. However, some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas. For example, the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs. And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products. At thesame time, some long-standing blogs have ended. Last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service "weblogs.com". He said the site became too costly to continue. He started the blog four years ago, and thousands of people had written on it. They are now upset because they did not know that the site was closed. One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca's Pocket.Rebecca Blood created the website in 1999. She wrote about the history of blogs on the site.That article led to a book called The Weblog Handbook.It has been translated into four languages so far. Miss Blood says Rebecca's Pocket gets about thirty thousand visitors a month.She writes about anything and everything ---- politics, culture and movies. She recently provided medical advice. And she wrote about how to prevent people from being stolen from online bank accounts. The reason why Rebecca's Pocket is still going strong is that _ .
Answer:
You can get a lot from being healthy. Everyone needs to take time to exercise. There are lots of ways to improve your health without having to join a gym. Here are some tips on how to better make use of your free time while staying healthy. By keeping physically active, you're making sure that your joints and body organs are kept in good working order. Exercise can also help keep your weight at a healthy level and can protect you against catching coughs and colds. Other benefits are an increase in your energy level and brain activity. Knowing that you're looking and feeling good can also increase your self-confidence. If you're under 18, you should try to do a total of 60 minutes of physical exercise every day. This includes anything from taking the lift at the gym to walking up stairs. If you're over 18, it's at least 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week. Getting fit isn't all about gyms - some forms of exercise won't cost you any money, and most forms can easily be used in your busy lifestyle without having to find some special time in your day. For example, riding a bike to school, college or work, and even running on a playground a few times a week can improve your fitness level. Getting fit isn't just something you have to do by yourself. Playing team sports like football, or basketball is great exercise, and it is often more enjoyable because you're playing with a group of friends. You can have more fun and keep healthy at the same time by _ .
Answer:
Cao Min couldn't believe she was experiencing exactly what she had seen years ago in the film "Titanic". Cao and her two children from Anhui Province were traveling on board the "Liaoludu 7" on February 22. They were among the first people on the ship who were rescued by lifeboats. Cao's one-year-old son was the youngest passenger on board. The "Liaoludu 7" was traveling in the Bohai Straits from Lvshun in Liaoning Province to the port city of Longkou in Shandong Province. It suddenly lost its power at 2:30 pm and tilted on its side. With 81 people on board, the ferry began to sink. "I was so scared that my legs couldn't move forward. They kept shaking even when I was asked to jump onto a lifeboat," Cao recalled. Upon receiving the mayday appeal , China Marine Search and Rescue Centre immediately informed the State Council. The center sent eight lifeboats to the fishing boats. After more than four hours of fighting strong winds and freezing ocean water, the passengers were recovered. All but four survived. These four died after spending too long time in the freezing waters, according to a spokesperson for the Beijing-based center. From the passage we can infer that _ .
Answer:
Bunny Yeager, a model and photographer, died at 85, her agent, Ed Christin said. Yeager's greatest achievement is her cultural impact on making bikinis popular. "Anyone in Miami in the 1950s who wanted a bikini would come to her, and she'd make one," he said. Yeager became famous for making women feel comfortable enough to take off clothes. Her photos of Bettie Page in a bathing suit standing next to a real cheetah are still well-known today. "They all wanted to model for me because they knew that I wouldn't take advantage of them," Yeager told The Associated Press during a 2013 interview. In the 1940s, Yeager became one of the most photographed models in Miami during her early career. She later turned the camera on herself, in bathing suits she made for her 5-foot-9 frame by hand. Her self-portraits were turned into a book, How I Photograph Myself, in 1946. She began taking photos of Page in 1954 as she began her job behind the camera. She published about a dozen books. And her works have been displayed in art galleries across the world. Yeager said she had a few requests when several magazines began to struggle or went out of business over the last decade, but her career returned to the public in 2010 when the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh held an exhibition of her works, followed by another exhibition in Miami in 2013. In her studio, Yeager kept some photos no one had ever seen in galleries. They will be included in a new book Yeager was finishing, scheduled for publication in September, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Yeager's first photo shoots with Page, Christin said. "I'm still feeling like a little child and excited about everything new that comes along in my life," Yeager said in 2013. "I don't know where it will lead to yet, but it sounds good to me." Bunny Yeager was probably born in _ .
Answer:
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New Orleans, Louisiana, was established as part of the French Empire in 1718. Its location on the east bank of the Mississippi River gave it control of the American hinerland and it became strategically important to many nations. It was transferred from France to Spain, returned to France, and finally sold by Napoleon to the United States in 1803. The city was the site of a famous battle fought in 1815 between the British, who hoped to control it, and the Americans under General Andrew Jackson. The riverbed of the Mississippi is constantly silting and the river is now actually higher than the city. Levees hold back the river and giant pumps are used to move water from the city into the river. Although New Orleans has been a part of the United States for almost two centuries, its population takes great pride in its French heritage. Louisiana still retains parts of the Code Napoleon which, for many years, was its only law. New Orleans is carefree city and it boasts its hot, spicy Creole seafood and its native Dixieland Jazz. The Jackson Square neighborhood maintains its French colonial homes and in other sections are pre-Civil War mansions. Visitors are surprised to find that behind this interesting surface of yesteryear is a busy industrial and port city. Grain and coal come from the Midwest and foreign goods are unloaded here. New Orleans is no longer a sleepy Southern town----but it's still fun to visit. Which of the following elements does not apply to the attitude of the citizens of New Orleans?
A. Pride in their French heritage.
B. A desire to retain colonial buildings.
C. A refusal to engage in trade and commerce
D. A praising of Dixieland Jazz.
Answer: C
Dear Annie, Thank you for your letter. I'm glad you like your school. I go to school from Monday to Friday. We have four classes in the morning and two classes in the afternoon. We have many things to do after class. On Monday and Wednesday afternoon we do sports. On Tuesday afternoon some of us have a singing class and on Thursday afternoon some have a drawing class. On Friday afternoon, we practice speaking English. My Chinese friends like to talk with me in English. They think I am like an English teacher. Isn't it great? On Saturdays and Sundays I don't go to school. Very often I go to the parks and have a good time with my family there. Yours, Henry They have sports _ .
A. on Tuesday and Friday afternoon
B. on Tuesday and Friday morning
C. on Monday and Wednesday afternoon
D. on Monday and Wednesday morning
Answer: C
Is bicycling hard to learn? Different people have many different answers. It is strange enough that the same person may also have a different answer as time goes by. Five years ago when I was in Junior Grade One, I got interested in bicycling because I thought my uncle was very cool when he rode his bike. He could ride a bike with only one wheel. He could also sit on the bike and keep it standing straight, without moving for a long time. I thought it was easy to learn to ride a bike, so I decided to learn from my uncle. He told me how to ride. When I fell off the bike the first time, I was afraid to try again. It was too hard for me to learn. Then my uncle helped me by holding the bike for me and not to let go. With his help, I was able to ride longer and longer. "You can do it by yourself now, young boy!" I heard his voice far behind me. Which of the following is RIGHT?
A. The writer was always brave when riding a bike.
B. Some people think bicycling is easy.
C. The writer found it easy to ride a bike all the time.
D. The writer's uncle wasn't much good at bicycling.
Answer: B
An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years. His house was dirty, and the bad smell coming out of the house was horrible. The neighbors could not stand the smell any more, so they asked the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years. The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire . They waited outside his house expecting to share the good news with him. When the old man arrived home that evening, one of the officers told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire. But the old man said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train and sat at the street corner and continued to beg. Clearly, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing. What makes us happy is what matters in the end, not what we acquire. From the story we can infer that _ .
A. the old man cared about nothing but money
B. the old man wanted to do what he enjoyed doing
C. the policemen would take away all the money.
D. the old man would not beg any more
Answer: B
The Pathfinder When we found him, he was a sorry sight. His clothes were torn, his hands bleeding. Before we reached him, we saw him fall. He lay a moment. Then he pulled himself to his feet, walked unsteadily a few yards through the woods and fell again. After we got him out, we went back to find the gun that he had thrown down. His tracks showed that for two days he had circled in the forest, within 200 yards of the road. His senses were so dulled by fear and tiredness that he did not hear the cars going by or see the lights at night. We found him just in time. This man, like others before him, had simply been frightened when he knew he was lost. What had been a near disaster might have turned out as only a pleasant walk, had he made a few preparations before he stepped from the highway or off a known path. Whatever sense of direction that a man may have, it's still largely a question of observation. A skilled woodsman always keeps an eye on his surroundings. He notes that the shape of a mountain, the direction water flows through a swamp, and the way a tree leans across a path. With these in mind, he may be turned around many times, but he is seldom lost. There are exceptions, of course, and once in a while a man does come across some strange problem that puts him into the "lost" situation. A rainstorm or sudden blizzard may catch him without a compass in his pocket. Darkness may find him in a rough area, where travel is dangerous without a light. When this happens, the normal first reaction is the fear of being laughed at as a result of his poor knowledge in the woods. He may also be concerned about the inconvenience that he will cause his friends when he doesn't show up. This false pride may lead him to keep on the move in a false effort to find his way against all difficulties. The person who thinks ahead is seldom in great danger. He'll be safe if he observes carefully, thinks ahead, and remains calm. According to the passage, if a person gets lost in the forest, at the very beginning, he would _ .
A. worry about being laughed at
B. push himself to find his way out
C. feel it is convenient to ask for help from his friends
D. be concerned about being frightened by wild animals
Answer: A
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The Americans believe that anybody can become President of the United States. In a recent Hollywood comedy , that is exactly what happens. Dave Kovic, played by Kevin Kline, is a kind-hearted man who runs a business that finds people jobs. He leads a typical American way of life, except for one thing-he looks exactly like the President, Bill Mitchell. In fact, the only thing that makes him different from the nation's leader is that he is very nice! The president has started using look-alikes during some public appearances. Dave is offered a chance to "serve his country" by becoming _ . However, things go wrong. The President becomes very ill and Dave ends up acting as the President forever. Director Ivan Reitman, who made the popular and successful comedies like Twins, Ghostbusters and Legal Eagles, could have gone for easy laughs by making fun of the American government. Instead, Dave is an attractive comedy about an ordinary man in extraordinary situations. Kevin Kline gives a double performance as Dave and the President, and Sigourney Weaver is at her best as his First Lady. The love story that develops between her role and Dave is a real classic . The film is 100% American. However, if you've ever felt that anybody could do a better job running the country than the people in power, then you'll enjoy Dave! What is the purpose of the text?
Answer:
To introduce a new film to the reader.
World Book and Copyright Day is a annual event that falls on April 23 and was first celebrated in 1995. The event was organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright. The connection between April 23 and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Catalonia, prefix = st1 /Spainas a way to honor the author Miguel de Cervantes who died on that day. It became part of the celebrations of theSaint George'sDay (also April 23) in the region, where it has been a tradition since the medieval era for men to give roses to their lovers and since 1925 for women to give a book in exchange. In 1995, UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on April 23 to _ people who have made great contributions to social and cultural progress of mankind. The date is also the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare, the death of renowned authors Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Josep Pla, the birth of Maurice Druon, Vladimir Nabokov, Manuel Mejia Vallejo and Halldor Laxness. With the success of the World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO developed the concept of World Book Capital City, selecting Madridas the capital for 2001. After this, UNESCO's General Conference resolved to make the designation of a World Book Capital City an annual event and selected Beirut as this year's capital. How many famous people mentioned in this passage died on 23rd? _
Answer:
4
One of Vancouver's nicknames is Hollywood North. This name comes from the fact that Vancouver is the third most filmed city in North America behind Los Angeles and New York City. Vancouver became known as a filming destination because it is a perfect stand-in for other cities. Shot from the right angles, the downtown core could look like New York, Seattle, Boston or a variety of other places. Also, the architectural smorgasbord that is Vancouver, the low Canadian dollar, and generous tax subsidies attracted film production companies to the city. Many would accuse Vancouver of simply being a stand-in city, and not really being of any significance to the overall culture of film production. However, this has proven not to be the case. The creative establishment in the film sector has realized that Vancouver is more than just a stand-in; it is a city that is filled with talent. Earlier this year Pixar Studios opened an animation studio in Vancouver. The animators made famous by such hits as Toy Story, Monsters Inc, and Wall-E, demonstrated that Vancouver is now a major player in the film industry by opening up shops in the city. Amir Nasrabadi, the General Manager for Pixar Canada said the company decided to open an office in the city because of the "very mature , high-quality talent pool, driven primary by the strength of the industry and great local universities and schools" For now the studio will work as a satellite branch of Pixar's California studios, but future plans include the Vancouver studio taking on its own feature films. The British Columbia Film Commissioner, Susan Croome, told CTV News in an interview that "Pixar's announcement is ly fantastic". When asked if this expansion of Vancouver's film industry was the result of favorable exchange rates, she responded that it wasn't, and the company was making plans for the long term. In Susan Croome's opinion, _
Answer:
Pixar's decision is based on long term considerations
Last week,Bill Gates retired from full-time work at the world's biggest computer software company, Microsoft.He will remain chairman of the company he established with Paul Allen in nineteen seventy-five. Mister Gates leaves Microsoft at a time of change in the computing industry.Microsoft grew at a time when personal computers,or PCs,were replacing big mainframe computers as the main computing tools.He showed that huge profits could be made in software as PCs increasingly were found "on every desk and in every home." Early on,Microsoft understood the importance of the "network effect." That is, software is the kind of product that increases in value as more people buy and use it. Now,free Internet software threatens to replace PC-based software.Devices like "smart phones" connect people to the Internet.Google has become a 1eader in Internet Web searching and advertising.Microsoft has struggled to change with the new computer environment.Its efforts to sell music and its latest operating system,Vista,have not been big successes.And an attempt this year to buy Yahoo for over forty-seven billion dollars failed. In the last several years,Bill Gates has slowly given control of Microsoft to others.In two thousand,he gave the job of chief executive officer to Steve Ballmer, a friend of his since their years at Harvard University.Mister Ballmer has been with Microsoft since nineteen eighty.Still,it is hard to overestimate the influence of Bill Gates on computing.He developed the business model that put the Windows operating system on about ninety percent of the world's one billion PCs.Microsoft now has almost ninety thousand employees. At fifty--two years old,Bill Gates is currently the third richest man in the world.He is worth about fifty-eight billion dollars.He remains Microsoft's biggest shareholder. Mister Gates will now spend most of his time working at his charity organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.The foundation is the world's largest charity with over thirty-seven billion dollars.It provides money for health, education and other projects,mostly in developing countries. Bill Gates retired from full-time work in Microsoft because
Answer:
of a reason that was not mentioned
GUESS what's making 9 millionprefix = st1 /USteenagers scream at the top of their voices this summer? It's not the Hulk or Iron man hitting someone across a room, but the catchy beat of the music in Disney's latest TV movie Camp Rock, which came out in theUSon June 20. The show attracted more than 8.9 million viewers. So how does CampRockattract so many viewers? One reason is that it features the hugely popular boy band the Jonas Brothers, whom all the girls seem to _ But what's the story? Connect Three is a rock group. One member, Shane Gray (Joe Jonas)needs to get rid of his bad boy rocker image, so he's sent by fellow band members Nate (Nick Jonas)and Jason (Kevin Jonas) to a music camp as a guest instructor . The idea is the camp will help him clean up his act. There he meets Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato), a teenage girl with an extraordinary voice and a driving ambition to be a pop singer. However, she can only afford to be at the expensive camp by helping her mom work in the mess hall between classes. When Shane overhears Mitchie singing from behind closed doors, he sets out to find the girl with the beautiful voice. One group of teenagers was really eager to watch the movie. The kids took their positions on the floor to countdown to show time. One of them, Leah Karrels, 16, even sang the movie's theme , We Rock. She explained that she's seen the trailer so many times she knows the words by heart. The girls cheered when the movie began, and for the next two hours the only time they got up was to run for chocolate ice cream cake from the freezer. "I'm sure this is going to knock High School Musical off the shelves in stores. This is the next big thing," said Leah. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
Answer:
The Jonas Brothers is a boy band loved by girls
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