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Tibet is among the most popular places for Chinese tourists. The number of travelers to Tibet has grown by 10% every year for a few years. Since July 1,2006, when the first train ran 1956 kilometers from Xining to Lhasa, more and more people have been going to Tibet. The train stops at several famous places along the way, such as Qinghai Lake, Kunlun Mountain, and the Potala Palace. Passengers can also enjoy many activities during the journey, like Tibetan dancing and Karaoke. On the train, passengers can have tea, eggs and noodles for breakfast, and fried chicken and green vegetables for lunch and dinner. Unlike most Chinese trains which have open - hole toilets, this one has special toilets which can collect the waste. There is also a special rubbish system in the train that keeps the environment clean. All the windows on the train can protect people from the bright sunlight. TV and electrical sockets for computers and mobile phones can be found on the train. Because there isn't much oxygen there, trains will have oxygen masks for those who need _ . It makes passengers feel more comfortable when they have enough oxygen on the famous "roof of the world". There are also doctors on the train to make sure that all of the travelers are safe. The train is unlike most Chinese trains except its _ . A windows B toilets C sockets D rubbish Answer: D Scientists dig in a dry area at the bottom of a mountain range. Fossilized shells of freshwater mussels are found in the area. Which is a likely conclusion that scientists will draw based on this evidence? A Rivers once flowed through the area. B Volcanoes were once active in the area. C The ocean shoreline once reached this area. D Floods were a common occurrence in this area. Answer: A In the West, some people believe that personality can be predicted according to the time of the year the person was bor. From China comes the belief that the year of birth influences one's personality. In the past century, a new belief ahs arisen: the idea that personality is related to one's ABO blood type. People with blood type A, for example, are considered more likely to be serious, hard-working, and quiet, while people with blood type O are likely to be popular and outgoing, yet often unable to finish what they start. Though this belief continues to be strong, some people question whether it is true. The blood-type personality theory started in Japan in 1927 when Furukawa Takehi noticed personality similarities and differences among his workers. This idea soon went out of fashion, but was brought back by a Japanese television host named Toshitaka Nomi in the 1970s. The belief is still strong in Japan and is increasingly popular in neighboring countries. _ A recent study showed 76 percent of Koreans aged between13 and 64 believing in the blood-type personality connection. Though most Asians might believe in the blood-type theory, for many it seems harmless and not something to be taken too seriously. Is the belief true? The scientists in Asia largely think the belief as a modern-day superstition . Most studies have failed to find any strong connection between blood and personality. Generally, scientists are against making predictions or important decisions based on this questionable theory. The writer uses blood type A and O as an example to explain _ . A the difference between the two blood types B the relationship between the two blood types C the influence of blood type on one's behavior D the connection between personality and blood type Answer: D Vanatsaya Viseskul, a sweet-voiced, round-faced 16-year-old Thai singer, whose name, at the moment, is inextricably linked with the late Teresa Teng, a singer from Taiwan whose love songs gained her wide fame across Asia, sat on a chair in a dressing room of a theater in Beijing. Viseskul was preparing for her performance at a gala by China Oriental Performing Arts Group, one of the country's most prestigious performing arts groups, which has official support. It was beyond doubt that she was expecting that her debut for this great group would be a success for her career. Titled Oriental Love, the gala, which was staged from Dec. 14 to 17 at Mei Lanfang Grand Theater, showcased music and dances from more than 10 countries. Viseskul, representing Thailand, performedTheMoonRepresentsMyHeart, one of Teng's most famous ballads, which is also one of the favorite songs of the young Thai singer. The romance conveyed by this famous song has been attracting millions of people who have ever heard it and it will by no means be forgotten by them. It is Viseskul's first public performance after participating in the popular reality TV show, the fourth season ofTheVoiceofChina, which was aired by Zhejiang Satellite TV from July to October. In this program Viseskul began to be known by the Chinese audience and they were amazed at the similarity of her appearance to that of Teng. During the show, sheperformed Teng's popular hits. Thanks to her voice, singing style as well as her image, which resembles the legendary Teng, Viseskul gained overnight fame, though she didn't win the competition at last. However, it seemed that her life did become different after the reality show. With nearly 100,000 followers on her Sina Weibo account, Viseskul was recognized by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Tourism Authority of Thailand for her contribution to promoting a positive image of Thailand in China at the competition. Viseskul talks slowly and softly in fluent Chinese. It's easy to forget that she is just 16 because of her smile and calmness on and off the stage. Born in a small village of Kamphaeng Phet, Viseskul was fond of singing from the time she was 3. At 7, she listened to Teng's songs for the first time after her parents traveled back from Hong Kong, bringing home the CDs of the singer. You can hardly imagine her enthusiasm about them when spotting and listening to them. "The moment I listened to her songs, I felt so familiar. Though I couldn't speak any Chinese, I learned the songs fast. Since then, I hoped to visit China and become a singer,"she says, adding that she likes Chinese songs, especially those from the 1970s and 1980s. Many of her friends and s showed great puzzlement and they just couldn't make out why she was so crazy about Chinese music. In 2014, Viseskul was admitted into the affiliated high school of the China Conservatory of Music. Now, she is studying at an international school in Beijing, focusing on learning Chinese. She also has other plans, such as furthering her studies in Japan or South Korea. However challenging it may be for her to become a superstar, she is determined to carry on regardless of any obstacles she may encounter in the future. According to the passage, what can we know about Viseskul? A She could perform at the gala thanks to her school's strong recommendation. B She became famous for she was much like Teng in terms of music and image. C She attended Teng's concert which was held in Thailand many years ago. D She has performed in China Oriental Performing Arts Group before. Answer: B A car is stuck in a ditch, and requires the passengers of the vehicle to get out and push it back onto the road. Two of the three passengers push the car, and they struggle to gain any ground, but when the third passenger helps them A the car struggles to move B the car gains ground rapidly C the car is stuck D the car is too heavy to push Answer: B
Question: A long time ago, there was a man. He wanted to buy a pair of new shoes. He measured his feet with a straw ,and then went to a shoe shop in town. The shopkeeper took out a pair of new shoes, and let him try it on. But when he looked into his pocket, he found that the straw was not there. So he said, "I'm sorry, I forgot to bring the size here! Let me go home to get it." After that, he ran out of the shop. It was very far from his home to the shoe shop. When he got back home, he was out of breath. With a straw in his hand, he hurried to the shoe shop again. But the shop was closed. Someone near the man said, "Your feet are with you. Why don't you try which pair of shoes fits ? And why do you believe your straw, but not your feet?" Which of the following sentences is right? A. When he got home, he was out of breath. B. When he ran out of the shop, he was out of breath. C. When he saw the shop closed, he was out of breath. D. When he measured the shoes, he was out of breath. Answer: A. When he got home, he was out of breath. Question: When you make a mistake, big or small, cherish it like it's the most precious thing in the world, because in some ways, it is. Most of us feel bad when we make mistakes, beat ourselves up about it, feel like failures, get mad at ourselves. And that's only natural. Most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad, and we should try to avoid mistakes. We've been scolded when we make mistakes--at home, school and work. Maybe not always, but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction. Yet without mistakes, we could not learn or grow. If you think about it that way, mistakes should be cherished and celebrated for being one of the most amazing things in the world. They make learning possible; they make growth and improvement possible. By trial and error--trying things, making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes--we have figured out how to make electric light, to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to fly. Mistakes make walking possible for the smallest _ , make speech possible, and make works of genius possible. Think about how we learn:We don't just consume information about something and instantly know it or know how to do it. You don't just read about painting,or writing,or computer programming,or baking, or playing the piano, and know how to do them right away. Instead, you get information about something, from reading or from another person or from observing usually...then you construct a model in your mind...then you test it out by trying it in the real world...then you make mistakes...then you revise the model based on the results of your real world experimentation...and repeat, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, until you've pretty much learned how to do something. That's how we learn as babies and toddlers, and how we learn as adults. Mistakes are how we learn to do something new--because if you succeed at something, it's probably something you already knew how to do. You haven't really grown much from that success--at most it's the last step on your journey, not the whole journey. Most of the journey is made up of mistakes, if it's a good journey. So if you value learning,if you value growing and improving,then you should value mistakes. They are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible. What is the best title of this passage? A. Value Mistakes B. Mistakes Make Things Possible C. Try to Avoid Mistakes D. Life is a Journey Full of Mistakes Answer: A. Value Mistakes Question: The Enigma of Beauty The search for beauty spans centuries and continents.Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup.In 18th-century France,wealthy noblemen wore large wigs of long,white hair to make themselves attractive.Today,people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance. There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive: beauty is power.Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money,get called on more often in class,and are regarded as friendlier. But what exactly is beauty? It's difficult to describe it clearly,and yet we know it when we see it.And our awareness of it may start at a very early age.In one set of studies,six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs.The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students.In the studies,the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones. The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers.In studies by psychologists,men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes,fuller lips,and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist.According to scientists,the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits--the full lips,clear skin,strong shoulders--equal health and genetic well-being. Not everyone thinks the same way,however."Our hardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations--mostly cultural," says C.Loring Brace,an anthropologist at the University of Michigan.What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another.Look at most Western fashion magazines: the women on the pages are thin.But is this "perfect" body type for women worldwide? Scientists' answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world.They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures. For better or worse,beauty plays a role in our lives.But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another.Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing,it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single,uniform standard.Beauty really is,as the saying goes,in the eye of the beholder. People's ideas about beauty _ . A. have existed since ancient times B. can be easily described C. have little influence on a person's success D. are based upon strict criteria Answer: A. have existed since ancient times Question: It is the summer of 1776. Thomas Jefferson is not happy. He'd rather be home in Virginia than attending Philadelphia's Continental Congress Thomas Jefferson knew he had a job to do. Important men throughout the American colonies were meeting in Philadelphis to discuss and debate the war with Great Briain. The colony of Virginia sent Thomas Jefferson to Philadelphia. But Jefferson wasn't happy. Jefferson wanted to be home that hot summer of 1776. he missed his wife, Martha. She hadn't been feeling well when he left, and he worried about her. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee from Virginia stood up at the Congress and announced that "these American colonies ought to be free and independent states." Jefferson probably knew what was coming next. Here was another resolution to debate. And whenever there was a resolution, there was a declaration. The American colonies had been at war with Great Britain for more than a year, but surprisingly. The colonies had not formally announced their independence. So the Congress appointed a five-man committee to crate a document declaring America's independence. And the committee chose Thomas Jefferson to write it. Jefferson knew he was to list the unfair things Great Britain had done to the colonies. For days and days,, Jefferson wrote and rewrote about the king and his unfair laws. About independence. About freedom. He borrowed ideas from other political writers, but he wrote these thoughts in words that all people could understand. He wanted his ideas to be shared with everyone. And _ were. The Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. on July 8, it was read out loud to a cheering crowd. No one knew who the author was, but they knew what the Declaration stood for-independence and freedom for all. Still, Thomas Jefferson dreamed of home. In late July he begged Richard Henry Lee to replace him in the Congress. In September, Jefferson's dream finally came true, and he traveled home. Since then, the words Thomas Jefferson wrote during that hot Philadelphia summer have inspired people throughout the world. Thank goodness Jefferson didn't go home. We can learn from the passage that _ . A. Jefferson was a very caring husband B. Jefferson was not really interested in politics C. Jefferson was unwilling to borrow other writers' ideas D. Jefferson finished his job in the Congress before going home Answer: A. Jefferson was a very caring husband Question: All countries have little known interesting facts about them, including Canada. For example, did you know that although Canada is the second largest county with only 30 million people, making it the 28thlargest in population? Because a large part of Canada is covered with lakes and streams, it has the largest source of fresh water in the world. The US has a lot of automobiles on the road. Canada has more automobiles per person than any other country, with at least one automobile for every 2 people. And in Canada, 100 different languages are spoken. Did you know that the Canadian $1 coin is called the Loonie, named after a bird pictured on the coin? Are there any other animals featured on Canadian coins? Yes. The caribou is displayed on the Canadian quarter. Did you also know that Canada has six time zones? Some of the things we love most in America were created by Canadians. Superman, the chocolate nut bar, basketball, and Ginger Ale were all created by Canadians. Famous inventions that are used by many Americans are credited to Canadians including the walker, used by the elderly or the injured, the common garbage bag, the electric cooking range, and the electric light bulb (even though most people think it was invented by Thomas Edison). To make our lives easier, Canadians invented the instant mashed potatoes, paint rollers, snow blowers, the wireless radio and the zipper . For communication or fun, the Canadians invented the television, walkie-talkies, telephone, and the snowmobile. There are many famous people who were born in Canada, including Pamela Anderson, Shania Twain, Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Tilley. The example of "Loonie" is used in the passage to _ . A. explain the characters of the Canadian people B. introduce some animals found only in Canada C. show the Canadians' deep feelings about nature D. give some information about Canada's money system Answer: D. give some information about Canada's money system
An article published recently in the scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but so far little has been appreciated, aspect of human evolution. In this article, Professors Dennis Bramble, and Daniel Lieberman suggest that the ability to run was a decisive factor in the development of our species. According to the two scientists, humans possess a number of anatomical features that make them surprisingly good runners. "We are very confident that strong selection for running,which came at the expense of the historical ability to live in trees-was helpful in the origin of the modern human body form," says Bramble, a biology professor at the University of Utah. Traditional thinking up to now has been that the upright body form of modern humans has come about as a result of the ability to walk, and that running is simply a by-product of walking. Furthermore, humans have usually been regarded as poor runners compared to such animals as dogs, horses or antelopes. However, this is only true if we consider fast running over short distances. Even Olympic athlete can hardly run as fast as a horse can gallop, and can only keep up a top speed for fifteen seconds or so. Horses and antelopes, on the other hand, can run at top speed for several minutes, clearly outperforming us in this respect. But when it comes to long-distance running, humans do astonishingly well. They can maintain a steady pace for miles, and their overall speed compares favorably with that of horses or dogs. Bramble and Lieberman examined twenty-six anatomical features found in humans. One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament . When we run, it is this ligament that prevents our head from pitching back and forth or from side to side. Therefore, we are able to run with steady heads held high. The nuchal ligament is not found in any other surviving primates , although the fossil record shows that Homo erectus, an early human species that walked upright, much as we do, also had one. Then there are our Achilles tendons at the backs of our legs, which have nothing to do with walking. When we run, these tendons behave like springs, helping to push us forward. Furthermore, we have low, wide shoulders, virtually disconnected from our skulls (the bony part of the head), another anatomical adaptation which allows us to run more efficiently. But what evolutionary advantage is gained from being good long-distance runners? One assumption is that this ability may have permitted early humans to obtain food more effectively. "What these features and fossil facts appear to be telling us is that running evolved in order for our direct ancestors to compete with other carnivores (animals that eat meat) for access to the protein needed to grow the big brains that we enjoy today." says Lieberman. It appears that the nuchal ligament _ . A. enables us to run with steady heads B. is found in modern primates only C. prevents the head from being held high D. is a unique feature of carnivores Answer: A. enables us to run with steady heads Stay-at home careers are the preferred way to earn a living for those who like to set their own hours and be their own boss, mothers of young children, and those who like to avoid office politics. There are plenty of opportunities to earn from home. Even if you earn little first, the quality of life should make up for the loss of income. Take a look at the following choices for home-birds: Online tutoring--You can earn anything from Rs 8,000 to 30,000 a month if you are a qualified teacher with computer and communication skills. The subjects in demand these days are math, English, physics, chemistry and biology. You can either teach part-time (4 hours) or full-time (9 hours). Freelance writers--You have a good writing skills but don't have time to work a nine-to-five job? You can still use your skills and earn a good amount of money. Many companies these days require good writers. One can earn up to Rs 8,000 to 50,000. Online-traders--Earn a lot of money by share trading. Just clear the NCFM (Capital Market) exam and you can start trading. You can bring in Rs 10,000 to 1000,000 per month. Designers--If you have the creative skills and a creative gift, try becoming a designer. Designers are required in different fields. One can earn nearly Rs 8,000 to 20,000 per month. According to the passage, those who likes stay-at-home careers _ . A. perhaps can't earn as much as those working in an office B. needn't do anything at home and earns a lot C. can't be mothers who have children to look after D. are often worried about office politics Answer: A. perhaps can't earn as much as those working in an office How do you celebrate New Year's Eve? Have you ever imagined how New Year's Eve would look in another country? Examples listed below are four of the top ten "Special New Year Traditions Around the World". 1. Breaking Dishes on Neighbor's Door----Denmark A strange Danish New Year tradition is throwing dishes at neighbor's door. Strangely, this makes them happy instead of annoying them. The family with the tallest tower of broken plates, glasses, cups is considered to be the luckiest one because it means their large number of true friends. 2. Talking to Spirits----Mexico Talking to spirits is a part of Mexican belief. Mexicans strongly believe that they can communicate with the souls of their dead loved ones. New Year's Eve is considered the best time to communicate with dead spirits. 3. Wearing Polka Dots ----Philippines Imagine streets full of people wearing polka dots and dining room tables full of round shaped food and fruits on one single day of the year. This all actually happens in the Philippines on New Year's Eve every year. Philippines believe that this will bring them wealth by relating the round dots to coins and wealth. 4. Mistletoe Leaves Are Placed Under Pillow to Find Husband----Ireland The unmarried women of Ireland wait until 12 for New Year's Eve because it is the night that can bring them the love of their lives. They place mistletoe leaves under their pillow hoping to catch their future husband. It is also believed in the Irish culture that this act will help them stay away from bad luck. No matter how people celebrate the New Year, we all want to start a new, fresh year with renewed enthusiasm. We all want to be happier, find love, renew friendships, increase our wealth and also hope for a little extra luck in the coming new year. Why do Philippines wear polka dots? A. Because it makes them look cute. B. Because the polka dots are very popular in the culture. C. Because the round dots are like coins which means wealth. D. Because the round dots are very not easy to see in their daily lives. Answer: C. Because the round dots are like coins which means wealth. There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite s. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved. I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly _ the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics. It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back. From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time. The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug . I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car. I looked forward to the return journey. The author expected the train trip to be _ . A. adventurous B. pleasant C. exciting D. dull Answer: D. dull John is a paper boy. He delivers newspapers to different houses in his street every day. He has about 80 customers . Half of his customers only take the newspapers on weekdays, and about half take the newspapers on weekdays and on Sundays. Two of John's customers only take the newspapers on Sundays. John has to get up at 4:30 every morning to deliver his newspapers. It takes longer to deliver the newspapers on Sundays. The Sunday newspapers are twice as heavy as those on weekdays. John is saving his money to buy a new bicycle. He is also saving money for college . He has already saved 500 dollars. John _ every day. A. reads books B. sells newspapers C. borrows books D. delivers newspapers Answer: D. delivers newspapers
Peter: Let's play computer games! Barry: Sorry, I don't like computer games, and I don't have a computer. Peter: Well, do you have a volleyball? Barry: Yes. Peter: Then let's play volleyball. Barry: Oh, volleyball is difficult. Peter: OK, let's watch TV. Barry: That sounds boring. Hmm, let's play soccer! Do you have a soccer ball? Peter: No, I don't. Barry: Oh, well, do you have a basketball? Peter: Yes, I do. Let's play basketball! Barry: That sounds fun! But where can we play basketball? Peter: In the school. Barry: OK, let's go. ,A, B, C, D,. (5,2,10) Where will they play basketball? A In the shop. B In the school. C At home. D In the park. Answer: B. In the school. People in cities all over the world shop in supermarkets. Who decides what you buy in the supermarket? Do you decide? Does the supermarket decide? When you enter the supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk in the aisles between the shelves. You push a shopping cart and put your food in it. You probably hear soft, slow music as you walk along the aisles. This may be an attempt to please you, so you will enjoy shopping. Some supermarkets want to increase their profits by playing soft and slow music, because the slow music makes you walk slowly and you have more time to buy things. Fresh fruit and vegetables are usually put near the entrance. When you arrive at the supermarket, you think about the kinds of fruit and vegetables you need first. Once you've got that out of the way, you can relax and do the rest of the shopping without any hurry. Besides, if you see fresh goods first, it gives you a "feel good" impression of freshness, so you can not help spending your money. Maybe you go to the meat department then. There is some meat on sale, and you want to find it. The manager of the supermarket knows where customers enter the meat department. The cheaper meat is at the other end of the meat department, away from where the customers enter. You have to walk past all the expensive meat before you find the cheaper meat. Maybe you will buy some of the expensive meat instead of the meat on sale. Most of the food in supermarkets is very attractive. It all says "Buy me quickly!" to the customers. The fresh fruit and vegetables say "Buy me quickly!" as you walk by. The expensive meat says "Buy me quickly!" The supermarket tells you what to buy. Supermarket managers make the food attractive so that _ . A the customers will buy more B it looks very expensive C the customers come often D it seems cheap and fine Answer: A. the customers will buy more 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. Which of the following is true except _ . A the operation was experimental. B she didn't trust in Dr. Vincent C the operation would be extremely painful D she felt scared and all alone Answer: B. she didn't trust in Dr. Vincent Taj Mahal, Agra, India As many as 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones were used to decorate the outside of the Taj Mahal. Construction of the Taj Mahal took around 20 years. The building, which was made from white marble from the quarries of Rajasthan, appears pink in the morning, white in the day and golden in the moonlight. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Japan It took 10 years to construct the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. It connects the city of Kobe, on Japan's mainland, with Iwaya on Awaji Island. Before it opened, the only way to get between the two cities was ferry. However, the waterway was prone to severe storms and when two ferries capsized in 1955, killing 168 people, public anger convinced the government of the need for a bridge. It's the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a length of 1,991 meters. Panama Canal, Panama More than 4.5 million cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of this canal's locks and dams. The Panama Canal is a 77-kilometer (47-mile) long waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The earth and rubble excavated to make way for it was enough to bury Manhattan to a depth of four meters. A series of locks allow ships to pass through the water; each of the moveable lock doors weighs 750 tons and each of the locks fills with 52 million gallons of water to accommodate the 15,000 ships that use the canal every year. Completion date: January 7, 1914 after 10 years of building. Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona, America The Skywalk's foundation is strong enough to support 71 million pounds. Located 1, 219 meters above the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon's Skywalk consists of one million pounds of steel and 83,000 pounds of glass. It was the creation of Las Vegas businessman David Jin, who approached the Hualapai Tribe with the idea of a glass walkway over the Grand Canyon in 1996. The Skywalk was assembled on site. Completion date: March 28, 2007. According to the text, we can infer that the Panama Canal _ . A is 77 miles long B is close to Manhattan C benefits the shipping companies D allows 15,000 ships to pass through daily Answer: C. benefits the shipping companies Our school has a big library. We often go there. Today is Sunday. Lily and I are in the library. In the library there are some signs on the wall. The signs mean different things. We know them. Don't shout in the reading room. Don't drink or eat here. Don't litter in the library. I see a man smoking in the reading room. I go to him and say, "Sir, you can't smoke here. Look at the sign. It says 'No smoking'.You can smoke in the smoking room." The man says sorry. What are there on the wall of the library? A Pictures B Maps C Signs D Photos Answer: C. Signs
Scientists are closely concerned with the structure of buildings and with the quality of building materials. The World health Organization (WHO) observes that the introduction of air conditioning and energy conservation measures have been accompanied by growing problems of indoor air quality. Some pollutants arise from insulation products, some from moving cars, and others from modern housing materials. As many Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives in buildings, the health effects of the indoor climate are very important. Some construction materials, including fiberboard, insulation foams and certain glues for man-made wood floor boards, for example, give out organic products such as formaldehyde . Heat and humidity increase the release of formaldehyde and the gas seriously harms the eyes. Paint, lacquer, etc. can also release dangerous gas into indoor air. Construction materials can cause serious damage, especially when they contain asbestos . Asbestos is naturally present in rock formations worldwide. It belongs to a family of mineral substances made up of solid, non-combustible fiber. These properties make asbestos a highly sought-after construction material. As early as 1931, however, public health officers in the prefix = st1 /United Kingdomrevealed the connection between breathing in asbestos dust and such diseases as lung cancer. The land on which a building is sited may also contribute to pollution. Some kinds of granite or similar rocks contain traces of radium. As it breaks down, this naturally radioactive element produces some kind of radioactive gas that goes through tiny cracks in walls, floors and building materials, and makes its way into the building and the rooms. The better the homes are insulated, the more is the dangerous gas in indoor air. The main effect of this dangerous gas on health is to increase the risk of lung cancer. Why is asbestos a sought-after building material? A. It is a kind of insulation foam. B. Asbestos will not give out dangerous gas. C. This material is not easy to catch fire. D. It is rarely present in rock formations. Answer: C. This material is not easy to catch fire. Elephants are the only species on the earth known to have death ritual besides man. They show a strong interest in the bones of their own kind.They are often seen gently touching the bones with their trunks and feet while remaining very quiet.Sometimes elephants completely unrelated to the dead will still visit their graves. Elephant researcher Meredith recalls something in his book about a typical elephant death ritual.The entire family of a dead elephant,including her young baby,were all gently touching her body with their trunks,trying to lift her. The elephant herd were all rumbling :The baby elephant was even observed to be weeping and made sounds that sounded like a scream,but then the entire herd fell incredibly silent.Then they began to throw leaves and dirt over the body and broke off tree branches to cover her.They spent the next two days quietly standing over her body.They sometimes had to leave to get water or food,but they would always return. Events of elephants behaving this way around human beings are common throughout Africa. On many occasions,they have buried dead or sleeping humans or helped them when they are hurt. An old woman fell asleep under a tree.When she woke up,there was an elephant standing over her,gently touching her.She kept very still because she was frightened.As other elephants arrived,they began to scream loudly and buried her under branches.She was found the next morning by the local people,unharmed. George Adamson also recalls when he shot all elephant from a herd that kept breaking into the farmers'gardens.George gave the:elephant's meat to 1ocal men and then dragged the rest of the body miles away.That night,the other elephants found the body,took the leg bones,returned them to the exact spot the elephant was killed,and made the death ritual. The elephant watched the woman because _ . A. it thought she was sleeping B. it thought she was dead C. it tried to protect her D. it wanted to wake her up Answer: B. it thought she was dead In ninth grade, I thought Jennifer Fever, the dark-haired girl who sat behind me in classroom, was an alien . Our class organized an activity to raise money for the library, and in one month, Jennifer read 34 books. I couldn't believe it. Surely, she was from some faraway planet where creature lived and they didn't own television sets. How could a human being, a 13-year-old girl, read 34 books in one month? I had read three books. And by "read", I mean skimmed. I mean opened and placed them on my lap while watching cartoons. Who had time to read? In addition to my favorite cartoons, I had a basketball that required playing, a baseball that required throwing, and a volleyball that required volleying. And it wasn't as if my bike could ride itself. Besides, reading was boring. And if I wanted to be bored, it would be much easier just to pay attention during Mr. Kearly's social studies class. After senior high school, my education had become very narrow: computer engineering, mathematics, physics, and not much else. Years later, I realized something: I had not memory of ever reading a book for pleasure. But there was a world of knowledge outside science and engineering, and I was tired of being ignorant of it, so I decided I would become a reader. I dived into book after book. In short, the bookworm within me had awakened. Today, I carry a book(if not two or three) with me wherever I go. An hour-long waiting for the bus is not trouble; rather, it's a chance to enjoy a few chapters of Malcolm Gladwell's latest works. Sometimes, I wish my waiting was longer. What used to make the author bored? A. Watching cartoons. B. Reading. C. Playing basketball. D. Riding her bike. Answer: B. Reading. Monitoring the mood of a pet dog could be used as an early warning sign that an elderly owner is struggling to cope, a new report has claimed. Researchers placed movement sensors on dogs to track their behaviour and identified 17 distinct activities, including chewing, barking, sitting and digging. This allowed them to map the normal behaviour of a healthy, happy dog, which means any changes can be monitored and could indicate an issue with their owner. Nils Hammerla, part of the team from Newcastle University, said, "Humans and dogs have lived together in close relationships for thousands of years, which has led to strong emotional and social mutual bonds." "A dog's physical and emotional dependence on their owner means that their well-being is likely to reflect that of their owner. Any changes such as the dog being walked less often, perhaps not being fed regularly, or simply demonstrating "unhappy" behaviour could be an early indicator for families that an older relative needs help. This is the first system of its kind which allows us to remotely monitor a dog's behaviour in its natural setting." The team of academics, who presented their findings at the 2013 UbiComp conference in Zurich, created a hi-tech, waterproof dog collar for the study. Dr Cas Ladha, who led the study, said: "A lot of our research is focused on developing intelligent systems that can help older people to live independently for longer. But developing a system that _ family and carers that an older relative is well without intruding on the individual's privacy is difficult. This is just the first step but the idea behind this research is that it would allow us to support people without the need for cameras." A range of dogs was used for the study, as the team needed to map distinct behaviours that correlated between different breeds. Which of the following is an advantage of the intelligent system mentioned in the text? A. It can indicate that people aren't well. B. It can identify different activities of dogs. C. It monitors an elderly owner without disturbing his privacy. D. It lets people see the dog's behavior clearly. Answer: C. It monitors an elderly owner without disturbing his privacy. One day a rich boy bought a magic mirror . When he got home, he looked in the mirror. His face looked sad. He tried to smile and make funny faces, his face looked still sad. Then he did many happy things, but his face always looked sad. "Oh, what a terrible mirror! It doesn't work! " he said angrily. The next day on his way to buy some chocolate, he saw a little girl crying sadly. The rich boy went up to her and asked what happened. The little girl said she couldn't find her parents. "Don't worry. I'll help you," the rich boy said. So they went to look for them together. Finally they found her parents. They were so thankful for his help. After the rich boy arrived home, he looked in the mirror as usual. To his surprise, his face looked very happy. The boy understood the magic of the mirror. The mirror could show the true feelings of its owner. This was true--the rich boy helped that little girl, so he felt really happy. , . What do we know from the story? A. The boy was thankful. B. The boy was careless. C. The boy was clever. D. The boy was helpful. Answer: D. The boy was helpful.
Question: As a leading Chinese language school and a cultural exchange institute in China, Global Exchange Education Center has been providing Mandarin (or Putonghua) language courses and cultural exchange programs for over a decade. How to apply for our programs #In order to apply for all of our programs, you must be at least 18 years old. in good health, a senior high school graduate. #Application Procedure for Chinese Language Programs Step 1. Send us a completed application form by email or fax. Step 2. Send us $ 60 application fee after receiving our email confirmation. Step 3. Arrange the payment transfer. Step 4. Plan the trip to Beijing. #Application Procedure for Chinese Business Internship Program Step 1. Send us a completed application form with your CV and personal statement for the program by email or fax. Step 2. Send us $ 310, including $60 application fee and $ 250 internship placement deposit, after receiving our letter of acceptance for the program. Step 3. Arrange final payment transfer after receiving our second confirmation. Step 4. Plan the trip to Beijing. #Personal Statement for applicants for Chinese Business Internship Program You should state why you want to take this program and what your expectations of the program are. How you will make use of this program in your future career. # APPLICATION DEADLINES The applications for most programs are reviewed on a rolling basis. You are encouraged to submit your application ahead of the application deadlines. #Confirmation Having received your application, Global Exchange Education Center usually sends out an email confirmation for the booking within 2-5 working days. Which of the following is not necessarily included in applicants,personal statement? A. Their purposes of taking the program. B. Their expectations of the program. C. Their future practice of the program. D. Their feedbacks on the program. Answer: D. Their feedbacks on the program. Question: In a natural disaster--a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes--minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death.Because of this, scientists are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen.They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained. On September 29, 1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km per hour.Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States, although hundreds died in the Caribbean. This was a very different outcome from 1900, when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6,000 people. Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century----residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching, while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance, allowing for extensive safety precautions . At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were less satisfied.A day before Georges made landfall, forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans.Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level, the city is at risk for flooding.Emergency management officials must begin evacuations well before a storm strikes.But evacuation costs money: businesses close, tourists leave, and citizens take precautionary measures.The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city' s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million.After Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs. The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities related to predicting disasters.Disaster prediction is a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions. Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage? A. Puerto Rico. B. New Orleans. C. Biloxi, Mississippi. D. Galveston, Texas. Answer: D. Galveston, Texas. Question: To my Charlie on his wedding day-- I know you think these notes are silly. I have watched you wear a long face over the years when I give them to you. But understand that sometimes I want to tell you something and I want to get it just right. Putting it down on paper helps me do that. I wish I had been a better writer. I wish I had gone to college. If I had, I think I would have studied English and maybe my vocabulary would have improved. So many times I feel I am using the same words over and over. Like a woman wearing the same dress every day. So boring! What I want to say to you, Charley, is you are marrying a wonderful girl. I think of Catherine in many ways like I think of Roberta. Like a daughter. She is sweet and patient. You should be the same with her, Charley. Here is what you are going to find out about marriage: you have to work at it together. And you have to love three things. You have to love 1) Each other. 2) Your children (when you have some). 3) Your marriage. What I mean by that last one is, there may be times that you fight, and sometimes you and Catherine won't even like each other. But those are the times you have to love your marriage. It's like a third party. Look at your wedding photos. Look at any memories you've made. And if you believe in those memories, they will pull you back together. I'm very proud of you today, Charley. I am putting this in your tuxedo pocket because I know how you lose things. I love you every day! Mom What is implied about Charley in the letter? A. He is forgetful. B. He is patient. C. He is boring. D. He is worried. Answer: A. He is forgetful. Question: All my life I had loved airports.To me,they were fl kind of magic gateway to the world,but today it seemed like a cold and heartless place. "Well,here we are,the airport,"my sister said with fl sigh.As 1 watched her unload my luggage,I could see the sadness in her eyes.One last hug and a final good-bye and I would be on my way to a new lire abroad,leaving my beloved sister behind. I looked at my sister and even though her eyes were filled with tears,she was trying to keep a brave face."You'd better go or you'll miss your flight,"she said. "I am just going to walk away and not look back," I said. As I held her one last time she whispered,"Don't worry about me,I'll be fine.""I'll miss you," I replied with tears in my eyes.As I promised,I did not look back. but 1 was sobbing.To me it was the end of the world. While boarding the plane 1 was still crying.I did not have the energy to put my bag in the overhead locker, so I put it on the empty seat next to mine.As I settled into my chair, a feeling of sadness overwhelmed me.I felt like my best friend had just been taken away from me. The plane shook heavily and the bag fell,with some stuff spreading on the floor.When I bent over to gather the things up,I saw an unfamiliar little book in the middle of my belongings.It was not until I picked it up that I realized that it was a diary. Immediately I recognized my sister's handwriting."Hi,Sis,What a day it has been today.First you let me know that you are moving abroad and then my boss..."My sister had been keeping a diary for the past month and she was now passing it on to me.I was to write in it for the next couple of months and then send it back to her.Even though a large ocean separated us,at some point it felt like she was actually there. what had the writer thought about airports before she separated from her sister? A. Airports brought freedom. B. Airports were on the top of her love. C. Airports led to the wonderful world. D. Airports were fl cold and heartless place. Answer: C. Airports led to the wonderful world. Question: When this story happened, they were working around a very large house. Their job was to do the cleaning. It was not a difficult job, but sometimes it was a little dangerous, because they had to walk below where workmen were working. Often these workmen dropped something from the top of the house many meters high to the ground. One morning Joe was working near the house with a cigarette behind one of his ears. Suddenly somebody on the top shouted, "Look out!" But Joe did not "look out". He looked up. And as he did so, a long knife missed Joe's head, but it cut off one of his ears. At once he put his hand to one side of his head and cried out, "I've lost an ear. Help! Help!" Jeff ran up to help his friend. "Look for my ear," Joe told him. "It must be on the ground somewhere." Jeff looked everywhere for the missing ear. At last he found an ear on the ground. He picked it up and carried it to Joe. "Here you are," he said, "I've found it." Joe looked at it. "No, that's not my ear." he said, "Mine had a cigarette behind it." Which is the most possible title for this passage? A. A Lost Ear B. A Busy Cleaner C. A Falling Knife D. A forgetful Man Answer: A. A Lost Ear
Some students think it difficult to learn English well. That's because they don't find the right way. I think reading is very important for students. The more you read, the better you'll understand. Reading is helpful to listening, speaking and writing. If you often read English aloud, you'll improve your listening. On the other hand, listening a lot can help you to read better. Reading English everywhere when you are free, if you wish. You can get a lot of knowledge when you read. Sometimes you need to express your ideas, you can either speak or write. That means you are using what you learned from reading. The same as Chinese, the more you read, the better you can write. If you want to remember something, you should read again and again. So from now on, you'd better do more reading. It's a good way to learn English well. Some students think it difficult to learn English well because _ . they don't find the right way How Super Are Supermarkets? Buying e week's groceries is tiring. You want to get it over and done with quickly, so you head for the nearest supermarket, you find everything you need under one roof, and you feel glad that those days of going in and out of different shops in the high street are over. Supermarkets seem to be a big plus. There is a downside, though. In the UK 90% of all the food people consume is bought at 5 different supermarket chains. This makes these companies extremely powerful, which lets them use their huge buying power to squeeze small suppliers to get the best deal. Milk is a good example. Supermarkets like to use things like milk, which is the top of almost everyone's shopping list to attract customers. To offer the lowest price possible to the consumer, the supermarkets force dairy farmers to sell milk at less than the cost of production. Supermarkets guarantee their good profits while farmers are left struggling to make ends meet, and the taxpayer pays to support the system without even knowing it. It would be nice if local grocers supported local agriculture. But for the big supermarkets this just doesn't make sense. Supermarkets don't want little farmers thinking they can decide prices. So supermarkets have started a global search for the cheapest possible agricultural produce. In many supermarkets it is difficult to find anything which is produced locally. UK farmers used to grow a lot of apples. Not anymore. In 1999 36% of apples were imported. By 2015 the figure had risen to 80% and the domestic production of apples had fallen by two thirds. The consumer might just be happy to get a reasonably priced meal made up of foods from Thailand, Spain, Italy and Zambia, but we should also bear in mind the Influence on local producers. Then there's packaging. Supermarkets like everything to be packed and wrapped so it can be piled neatly on shelves. Supermarkets produce nearly 10 million tons of waste packaging in the UK every year, of which less 5%is recycled. Some supermarkets make sure that large recycling bins are obvious in their car parks, showing that they are environment-friendly. But that is just an image. When a new supermarket is planned there are claims about the number of new jobs that will be created. Unfortunately, the number of jobs lost in the area is larger than the number of new positions in the supermarket. On average each new supermarket leads to the loss of 276 jobs. However, the modern world is all about shopping, and the freedom to buy whatever you what, so it would be impossible to stop people shopping at some particular kind of shop. But some measures do need to be taken when small suppliers lose profits, local producers suffer, sea levels rise and jobs are lost, anyway, we can't just care about a free car park and special offers. According to the passage, supermarkets keep price advantage by _ . importing foreign products There was a man playing the piano in a bar. He was a good piano player and always performed in this bar. People came in just to hear him play. But one night, a customer told him that he didn't want to hear him just play the piano any more. He wanted him to sing a song. The man said, "I don't sing." But the customer was persistent . He told the bar manager, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want that man to sing!" The manager shouted across the room, "If you want to get paid, sing a song. Our customers are asking you to sing!" So he did. He sang a song. A piano player who had never sung in public did so for the first time. And everyone was surprised by his song "Mona Lisa". He got lots of applause that night. He had such a talent for singing, but _ for the past years! If without such a chance, he may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. However, now he has become one of the best-known singers in America. You, too, have skills and abilities. Maybe your "talent" is not as great as the singer above, but it may be better than you think! And with effort, most skills can be improved. So, in your life, you should be brave enough to try doing different things and find out what talents you really have! Why did the man start to sing? Because the manager asked him to sing at the request of a customer. Mary Cassatt was born in Pennsylvania in 1844. When she was seven, her family moved to Europe. They wanted their children to understand European ways and the people who lived there. They travelled a lot and she had visited many countries by the time she was 10 years old. After four years they returned to America. In those days, women didn't have professions, and there were very few women artists. Her family did not approve when she decided that she would become an artist. She studied first in Philadelphia. She happened to be in Chicago in 1871 when the huge fire broke out there. She lost many of her paintings in that fire. She went to Paris to study painting. She met Camille Pissarro there. He taught her Impressionism, a method of painting where the artists used small strokes of unmixed color1s to create an image. She once said of Pissarro that " _ " because he was such a good teacher. She spent a lot of time at the Louvre Museum copying paintings of the famous artists. In 1874, her sister, Lydia, came to live with her in Paris. Lydia was her best friend and posed for many of Mary's paintings. Three years later, her parents came to Paris, also to live with them. Lydia became very ill and died from a disease. Mary missed her very much. Her parents became elderly and she cared for them, but she still found time to paint. One of the more interesting works of Mary Cassatt is her painting, Portrait of Mrs. Curry, Sketch of Mr. Cassatt. Though she never had children of her own, she loved children and painted portraits of the children of her friends and family. She became known as the painter of mothers and children. She lost her sight due to cataracts in her eyes in 1914 and was not able to paint during the later years of her life. From the passage, we can learn that Cassatt _ . became famous as the painter of mothers and children. The World Health Organization has for the first time expressed "cautious optimism" that the growth in new Ebola cases in West Africa may be slowing down. Bruce Aylward, who is in charge of the WHO response to Ebola, said in Geneva that he was particularly encouraged by evidence of a downward trend in Liberia, one of the three worst-affected countries. The WHO's official total number of Ebola cases has reached 13,703 - a big jump from the10,141 cases it reported four days ago. But Dr Aylward said that was mainly the result of the data being updated with old cases, rather than new cases arising. "Do we feel confident that the response is now getting an upper hand on the virus? Yes, we are seeing a slowing rate of new cases, very definitely," Dr Aylward said. However, Dr Aylward also urged people not to celebrate pre-maturely over any apparent downturn in the epidemic . "I'm terrified that the information will be misunderstood and people will think Ebola is under control," he said. Any reduction in the battle against the virus might lead to "an oscillating pattern where the disease moves up and down". The improvement in Liberia seems to be due to a combination of more treatment facilities, better contact tracing and safer burial practices, together leading to fewer new infections from Ebola patients. In Sierra Leone the number of cases continues to increase in some areas. "We're still seeing this thing _ in parts of Sierra Leone," Dr Aylward said Tracing the progress of individual patients, the WHO estimates an overall death rate of 70 percent, though people who receive treatment in a well-equipped clinic are slightly less likely to die. The WHO plans to set up 56 Ebola clinics with 4,700 beds in West Africa. Of these 15 clinics with 1,050 beds are already operational and another 22 clinics are expected to open during November. Meanwhile, two former NATO secretaries-general and dozens of leading European politicians have urged the alliance to send troops, aircraft and ships to west Africa to help contain the Ebola crisis. Which of the following didn't contribute to the improvement in Liberia? data updated with old cases
Our school is No 1 Middle School. It is not big, and it has a short history, but I'm lucky that I am a student of this school. Ten years ago, there were not any teaching buildings and not a library in our school. The playground was so small that we could only play basketball there. Now great changes have taken place in our school in the past ten years. There are three modern teaching buildings and there four modern computer classrooms. We have computer studies every week. On the left side of the school stands a modern lab building. On the right side of the school there is also a modern building--the library. In the library there are 20 thousand books and magazines. We can go to the library to borrow books and magazines at any time. We have built a new playground. It is much bigger than before. We can play not only basketball but also football and many other sports there. There are a lot of flowers, grasses and trees in and around our school. We usually take a walk or chat with our classmates after lunch and supper between the flowers and trees. We always feel very happy. In a word, our school is more and more beautiful and modern. We love our school. The school looks like _ . A not big but modern and beautiful B big, modern and beautiful C very small but modern and beautiful D not big but modern and beautiful with a long history Answer: A Living in a foreign culture there are many times when I realize that my perspective on life is drastically different from those Koreans I interact with on a daily basis. This past week I have been greatly challenged to change my perspective and here is why. My dream in life is to become a doctor, one who changes the world. But last week I opened an email from UBC that contained the words "regrets", no interview. I didn't get an interview to medical school, thus will not be entering school for September 2009. My immediate reaction was one of extreme disappointment and anger--mostly directed at myself for not working hard enough, for not seeking out the opportunities necessary to have a good application, for simply not being good enough. My mind was full of hopelessness and despair that left me with no desire to further seek for the dream that I've held for quite a time now. During the past week two things happened. At church our pastor mentioned perspective in a section of his sermon . He stated that when we take our eyes off ourselves and realize God's greatness, our circumstances will be seen through a new perspective. The second thing that reminded me to look at perspective was reading a book. The Mitford Series is so good if you are looking for books to read. So last night I was reading and one of the main characters (who is a priest) is trying to figure out what to say at church. His sermon ended up saying "In everything we give thanks." It is easy to give thanks when we feel successful in life. It is easy to give thanks when we receive a blessing. But seriously, who in their right mind says thanks for the financial problems I have? In the first pastor's view, when we face disappointment or despair, we should _ . A turn to God for help B say thanks to it C see it in another way D praise others for it Answer: C Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. "Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting creatures," William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word "habit" carries a negative meaning. So it seems contradictory to talk about habits in the same context as innovation . But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks. Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try, the more creative we become. But don't bother trying to kill off old habits; once those _ of procedure are worn into the brain, they're there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately press into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads. "The first thing needed for innovation is attraction to wonder," says Dawna Markova, author of The Open Mind. "But we are taught instead to 'decide', just as our president calls himself 'the Decider'." She adds, however, that "to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities." "All of us work through problems in ways of which we're unaware," she says. Researchers in the late 1960s discovered that humans are born with the ability to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally , collaboratively and innovatively. At the end of adolescence, however, the brain shuts down half of that ability, preserving only those ways of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life. The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us use our innovative and collaborative ways of thought. "This breaks the major rule in the American belief system--that anyone can do anything," explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book This Year I Will ... and Ms. Markova's business partner. "That's a lie that we have preserved, and it fosters commonness. Knowing what you're good at and doing even more of it creates excellence." This is where developing new habits comes in. The purpose of the author writing this article is to persuade us _ . A to give up our traditional habits deliberately B to create and develop new habits consciously C to resist the application of standardized testing D to believe that old habits conflict with new habits Answer: B As you know, the great American writer Jack London was often in need of money when he began writing his books. He worked hard but it didn't help him. Once he promised a New York magazine to write a story for it, but he was busy at that time and could not keep his promise. The boss of the magazine wrote letters to Jack London several times to ask him to send the story. At last he went to Jack London's room and left a note . "Dear Jack London, if I don't get the story in twenty-four hours, I'll come to your room and kick you downstairs, and I always keep my promise." Jack London read the note and answered, "Dear Dick, if I could do my work with my feet like you, I could keep my promise, too." Jack London _ when he began to write his books. A had much money B didn't have enough money C didn't worry about money D didn't need any money Answer: B Rubber will keep A heat from spreading B Balls from bouncing C Wheels from rolling D pucks from sliding. Answer: A
There are some topics that readers never grow bored with, and the search for a suitable partner is one of them. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, first published in 1813, tells the story of five young women, all of whom are looking for a husband. In order to fully understand the novel, the readers must know that at the time when Jane Austen was writing, if a family was not rich, the daughters needed to marry well in order to live a comfortable, independent life. That is the reason why Mrs Bennet, the mother of the five girls, is so eager to have her daughters married. The heroine of the story is Elizabeth Bennet, and as in all good romantic novels, she and Darcy, the man she finally marries, remain separate until the very end of the story. The wealthy Darcy is a proud, unsociable man, and when Elizabeth hears that he has insulted both her and her family, she dislikes him very much. Poor Darcy then falls head over heels in love with Elizabeth, and has to work terribly hard to persuade her to change her mind about him. He succeeds of course, and they live happily ever after. Set at the turn of the 19th century, the novel is still attractive to modern readers. It has become one of the most popular novels and receives great attention from literary scholars .Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramas and a lot of novels and stories modeling after Austen's memorable characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide. Jane Austen is rightly famous for her style. Her sentences have a wonderful rhythm , and she makes such clever, true comments about people. It is not surprising that Pride and Prejudice has lasted. According to the passage, Pride and Prejudice _ . A. inspired many other novels and many plays have been produced based on it. B. was first published in 1813 and sold 20 million copies soon C. tells a sad love story which moves generations of readers D. is set at the turn of the 19th century and not well received worldwide Answer: A Coffee has been a part of people's lives for thousands of years, and today it is still one of the favorite drinks in the world. Many people in the world begin their busy day by drinking a cup of or several cups of coffee. They have always said that a cup of coffee in the morning helps them begin their day in the right way. So they say a cup of coffee is necessary for them in the morning. Do you know what in the coffee makes our bodies and brains active? It is caffeine . Caffeine may increase a person's mental and physical abilities . For example, two cups of coffee will make you breathe faster and _ body heat. All this makes you heart beat faster, and doctors warn that this may be a little dangerous. Caffeine is found in tea, coffee, chocolate and some other foods. A little caffeine is probably not harmful. But much caffeine can make people nervous and sleepless. Caffeine is found in _ . A. tea and water B. fish and meat C. coffee and jam D. coffee, tea and some other foods Answer: D LAST week, the College Board announced that it was revising the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) in an effort to make it more acceptable to test-takers, teachers, college admission officers and the public more generally. Test-takers who receive lower scores than they have hoped for are likely to be concerned about their academic future. It's no wonder that it's hard to discuss the test without negative feelings. The SAT isn't perfect. Like any test, it can be misused, and may reflect unequal educational opportunities. Even before the announcement of the SAT's redesign, experts were discussing the test's limitations. Writing in The New Yorker, Elizabeth Kolbert described its questions as limited: "Critical thinking was never called for, let alone curiosity or imagination." But the SAT provides an effective measure of a person's ability to reason through verbal and mathematical materials, a skill required in college. Although there are conflicting reports on the issue, a study published in the journal Educational and Psychological Measurement in 2011 found that the SAT can meaningfully add to the prediction of a student's first-year college academic performance, above his grades in high school alone. The fact that the SAT can help predict this is, to me, an astonishing achievement that cannot be ignored. We cannot afford to ignore tests because they fall short of perfection or make us uncomfortable. But there's a better way to make the SAT more acceptable in the long run: We should expand the types of tests we use so as to more fully reflect what students can do. What if, in addition to the SAT, students were offered new tests that measured more diverse abilities? For future artists or musicians, there are tests that measure creative thinking --a largely ignored ability by the SAT. For future engineers, there are tests that measure their sense of space. And new measures of "personal intelligence" -- the ability to reason about a person's motives, emotions and patterns of activities -- may also tell us something important about students' self-knowledge and understanding of others. According to the text, the author may disagree with the idea that _ . A. the SAT can at some point predict how a student will do in the freshman year of college academically B. the SAT helps measure students' ability of reasoning through their creativity and imagination C. the SAT will be more acceptable if creative thinking, sense of space and personal intelligence are tested as well D. the SAT has many limitations and it may make a difference to students' educational opportunities Answer: B Not very long ago, the question would have seemed absurd. Now it is on the lips of respected scientists; MPs are beginning to talk of "a war on sugar", and even England's chief medical officer has said sugar may have to be, like the old enemy tobacco, taxed in order to protect the nation's health. There came a time in the evolution of public attitudes to smoking, when the doctors had been shouting for long enough that the public was broadly aware of the risks and the only question left,for Government was: what should we do about it? Some believe we are now at the same point in our attitudes to sugar. Others - largely but not only representatives of the food and drink industry - say the entire debate has been skewed, by those who spread stories deliberately to make people nervous. More or less everyone agrees that eating too much sugar is bad for you. There is also no doubt obesity is a growing problem which is putting a significant, avoidable burden on the NHS by increasing the rates of diabetes, heart disease and other long-term conditions. But to what extent is sugar - rather than saturated fats, or salt, carbohydrates or proteins, or any of the other devils of modem diets - the cause of obesity and how much should we worry about it? Yesterday, hopes of achieving anything resembling clarity from the World Health Organisation (WHO) were confused once again, which, widely expected to reduce the recommended sugar intake by a half in new draft guidance, instead said it would continue to recommend that sugar make up no more than 10 per cent of the energy we consume, while adding that cutting this to five per cent would have "additional benefits". The decision will now go out to public consultation. Simon Capewell, professor of the University of Liverpool, said that he suspected "dirty work" on the part of food and drinks companies might lie behind the WHO's less than resounding message. "The food industry say Govemment has no business interfering in families, we must protect personal choice," Professor Capewell said. "We say there is no personal choice. At the moment, a mother can walk into a supermarket with a choice of four tomato soups - with three, or four, or five teaspoons of sugar in them. She has a choice of thousands of ready meals - with five, or six, or even nine teaspoons of sugar in." WHO has changed its idea mainly because A. it thinks the danger of sugar to health is overemphasized B. it finds it safe to take in as much sugar as people do now C. it believes certain amount of intake of sugar does us good D. it has been put under pressure by food and drinks companies Answer: C "If you want to see a thing well,reach out and touch it!" That may seem a strange thing to say.But touching things can help you to see them better. Your eyes can tell you that glass ball is round.But by holding it in your hands,you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is.You can feel how heavy the glass is. When you feel all these about the ball,you really see it. With your skin,you can feel better.For example,your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket.You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand,too. You can even feel sounds against your skin.Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music. All children soon learn what "Don't touch!" means.They hear it often.Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up.In shops,we touch things we might buy,such as food,clothes and so on.To see something well,we have to touch it. The bottoms of our feet can feel things,too.You know this when you walk on warm sand,cool grass or a bad floor.All feel different under your feet. There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin.Feel the shoes on your feet,the clothes on your body,the air on your skin.At first,it is not easy to feel these things.You are too used to them! Most museums are just for looking.But today some museums have some things to touch.Their signs say,"Do touch! There you can feel everything on show.If you want to see better,reach out and touch.Then you'll really see!" Which of the following can be the best title of the story? A. Touching by Feeling B. To See or to Feel C. To See Better -- Feel D. Ways of Feeling Answer: C
The World Bank estimates there are about 650 million mobile phone users in African countries south of the Sahara Desert. That is greater than the number of users in the United States and European Union. Samia Melhem worke for the World Bank to increase information technologies in Africa. She says mobile phones are the fastest growing technology on the continent. "Faster than TV, definitely faster than electricity. More people have access to mobile phones and therefore communication. More people have internet access today in Africa than they have access to water, clean water, or even sanitation .So we can say that this has been the most significant revolution in terms of changing the African landscape and how people live their daily life." CNN television recently named seven ways of life it says have been revolutionized because of mobile phones. They include political activism, education, entertainment, disaster management, agriculture and health. Another area is banking. Reports say half of more of the adults in Gabon, Kenya and Sudan use mobile money. Rene Mendy sells goods in the streets of Dakar, Senegal. But he never had enough money to open a bank account. Now he uses a mobile phone banking service called Orange Money. With his telephone, he can add or take out as little as one dollar. He can make payments and send money to family members who live far away. Orange Money says it serves four million customers in ten countries. The World Bank's Samia Melham notes that the French company is facing competition from other mobile banking services. "The mobile banking is a huge trend. And people in the West don't understand it, because most people have bank accounts and they have credit cards. It-mobile banking-is the instant possession fo cash at a much lower cost. The cost is the cost of sending an SMS, which is almost nothing compared to what traditional transfer agents, like Western Union, would charge-10 dollars or more for a particular money transfer." The most significant revolution refers to _ . Why would a bear eat so much that his fat wobbles when he walks? New research says 35 percent of the deaths of children worldwide are caused by hunger. The research is from poor to middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Robert Black from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in prefix = st1 /Marylandwas the leading writer of the research. He says more than 3.5 million mothers and children under five die in poor countries each year because of hunger. He says more than two million children die from underdevelopment, either before or after birth. Millions of others who survive face a lifetime of disabilities or early death. And the effects are not just physical. Poor brain development can limit economic success as children become adults. Then the cycle of poverty and hunger often repeats for their children. Doctor Black says hungry children are also more likely to have conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease as adults. He says the studies show that food programs need to place the greatest importance on the first two years of life. Hungry children can suffer the whole life damage from age two. So it is high time to improve their diets. Diets should include foods rich in vitamin A and other useful things. The researchers say early help like these could reduce child deaths by 25%. The research has faced some criticism . A medical aid group says the researchers underestimate the number of child deaths from hunger. The researchers say there are findings that support this treatment but more studies are needed to compare it to hospital care. What can we learn from this passage? While in Banff, make time for a walk around town. A special treat is to go up the mountainside on the Banff Gondola for a surprising view of the valley below. Here is The Pines, whose cook has developed a special way of mixing foreign food such as caribou, wild boar, and reindeer with surprising sauces. Best time to visit is during the off-season, from early May to mid-June, or in October. This way you can avoid sharing the highway with mobile homes which can be pulled by cars. But whatever the season, take some lunch with you from Banff, because there are only a few food stops on the road. Forty minutes north of Banff, side by side with the Banff National Park, sits world-famous Lake Louise. This surprisingly small body of water is attractive with towering mountains around it. Glaciers, huge masses of ice, moving very slowly against rocks, produce what is called glacier rock flour, making its water dark to see. It is worth taking a walk around the grounds of the Chateau Lake Louise, another beauty, proud of its early 20th century history. Back on the road, and it's time to continue north past the astonishing Columbia Icefield, then turn off the highway and take the short road to the base of the Athabaska Glacier. You can rent ice cleats and do some climbing or do a more pleasant snowmobile tour. Either way, you can enjoy endless beautiful sights. Finally you'll reach Jasper, the usual turning around the place for the Banff-Jasper loop . It's worth riding the Jasper Skytram, and be sure to visit the wonderful Jasper Park Lodge, also dating back to the 1920s. If you can have lunch there, do it. The restaurant has an adventurous menu and their wine list would put a smile on any visitor's face. Besides the beautiful sights in Jasper Park Lodge, visitors to Jasper can enjoy themselves by _ . SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND Captain Goodfellow Do you children enjoy interesting stories funny games, and exciting dance? Captain Goodfellow will be ready to teach a11 these things to children at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10:00, free. morning at 10:00 Free. Walking Tour of the Town Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and leam about local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes! Films at the Museum Two European films will be shown on Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898. International Picnic Are you tired of eating the same kind of food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and not expensive. Noon to 5 :00 p. m. Take me out to the Ballgame It's October, and tonight is your last chance to see the Red- birds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It might be cold... don't forget sweaters and jackets. Do you want to hear "The Zoo"? "The Zoo", a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first US. Concert tomorrow night at 8 Rose Hall, City College. You can probably eat Chinese, Italian and Arab food _ .
Your next Saturday night takeaway could be brought to you by a robot after a major food delivery company announced plans to use automated vehicles to transport meals. Europe's biggest online takeaway food company Just Eat has partnered with Starship Technologies to deliver food with robots on the streets of London later this month. "Nobody has ever done deliveries with land-based robots," said Allan Martinson, the chief operating officer of Starship. The robot courier can travel up to 4 miles per hour for about 10 miles. It uses a GPS signal and nine cameras to navigate . Instead of a person arriving at their door, customers could find themselves receiving a notification on their phone that says a robot is on its way and a code to unlock the automated courier. "Put the code in, the robot opens up, and there's your food," said David Buttress, chief manager of Just Eat. The robot, which has so far been tested in Greenwich, Milton Keynes and Glastonbury, costs PS1 to transport within 3 miles, compared with the PS3 to PS6 it costs for a human courier. To date 30 robots have driven nearly 5,000 miles without getting into an accident or finding themselves picked on by passers-by. They have driven in more than 40 cities around the world, including London and Tallinn, Estonia. An initial worry was how the public would react to robots. But Martinson said the public has been calm when passing the delivery machine on the streets. "The most surprising reaction has been the lack of reaction," said Martinson. Another significant fear was that people would disrupt the robots, or try to steal them and their contents. To prevent this, the robot is fitted with nine cameras, two way audio, and movement sensors that send a warning if it is lifted off the ground. And it opens only with a pass code provided to the customer via a notification. "It's much easier to shoplift than it is to steal a robot," said Martinson. The test of Starship robots shows that _ . Answer: People in Australia love koalas and take care of them. They have set up places for them to live safely. No one can kill them for their pretty fur . When a koala is born, he has no fur. And he is not as big as your little toe ! The mother koala has a pocket in the front of her body. The baby goes into this warm pocket. There he stays for six months. The koala could not live without a special kind of tree. The tree gives him both his home and his food. For most of the day the koala sleeps in the tree. At night the koala looks for food. He may go miles to find it. He likes only the _ and the leaves of the tree. He eats nothing else. And he eats more than two pounds each night!How lovely the koalas really are! What is the text mainly about? Answer: Team building games can be fun for teenagers. They can also be tools for strengthening the group. There are many levels of team building exercises. Let's look at some activities that can help you build a stronger team. Pass the Clap Pass the Clap works well as a beginning activity to help your group get to know each other. Have the participants stand in a circle. One person starts the clap and then turns to face the person next to him. As they are about to make eye contact, they clap together. That next person now has the clap and he has to pass it on. Continue to pass the clap around the circle. Blindfolded Birthday Blindfolded Birthday works well after people have become a little more familiar with each other. Everyone puts on a blindfold. Then, without talking, they have to line up in order of birthdays. Two Truths and a Lie Two truths and a Lie can be played anytime in the group's operations. Have the participants sit in a circle. Each person is supposed to tell two truths and a lie about themselves. The group has to guess which is the lie. Human Knot Human Knot is an activity best played after your group has gotten quite familiar with each other, because there can be a lot of touching going on. Everyone gathers in a circle. They put their right hands in the middle of the circle. They grab someone else's hand. Then the left hands go in the middle and they grab someone else's hand. The group is now knotted up. The object of Human Knot is to untie the group without letting go of any hands. Which game is suitable for both strangers and familiars? Answer: Recently, I happened to hear a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter prepared to leave. They hugged and the mother said "I love you and I wish you enough." They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she was going to cry. I tried not to disturb her but she welcomed me by asking "Have you ever said goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes," I replied. "But may I know why this is the final goodbye?" "I am ill and she lives so far away. It's highly possible that the next trip back will be for my funeral " she said. "When you were saying goodbye, I heard you say 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means?" "That's a wish that has been handed down from past generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused for a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we say 'I wish you enough', we want the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to be with them". Then turning to me, she shared the following: "I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. "I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more." What is the article mainly about? Answer: Though "nanometer" is now a fashionable term all over the world,few people know exactly what it is.It has become a new favorite of manufacturers and sellers in recent years.Many "high-tech" products bearing the name "nano" have entered the market,bringing more mysterious feeling to surprised consumers. Nanometer is a very small length unit of measure,and is very small.One millimeter is 1000 micrometers,and one micrometer is 1000 nanometers.That is,one nanometer is one billionth of a meter.Nano materials are solid materials composed of particles or crystallites of less than 100 nanometer in size.Then,is a cup made of nano material really any different from an ordinary cup in function as far as how it works? Are nano cups really so wonderful?A reporter went to the Institute of Nanomedicine,which is the first such institute of such a sort in the world and the only one in China,specializing in researching the investigation of the application of nano technology into medicine. Ji(director Institute of Nanomedicine): A water molecule is composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom.It can be alterchanged only by special manipulation of the atoms.The material constituting the cup can have a nanometer particles size of the nano level.But it cannot change the chemical and physical properties of the water contained in it.The water in the cup is still water.When people drink it,it will produce no special effect on human body. Prof.Ji told the reporter,so far,the investigation of nano materials is still confined in the laboratory.No commercial micro products can be produced yet.With the present level of science and technology,the time of everyday goods age of daily use articles made of nanometer materials is still years away. The commodities labeled with nano marks in the market now are only traditional products coated with a thin layer of nanometer material,which makes them _ . Prof.Ji explained that nano cup is a real cup.It can also be included in the list of nano products in a certain sense.But the nano cup has not changed its property and function as a cup.It is not a magical medicine for curing and health care. Which of the following does not show that nano cups are different from ordinary cups? Answer:
Lee's mother Sun became unexpectedly pregnant while married to a disabled man. Doctors told her that because of a medication she had been taking her child would not be normal. She chose to continue with the pregnancy and in 1985 in Seoul, South Korea, little Hee Ah Lee was born with only two fingers on each hand, disfigurement of her legs, and slight brain injury. The hospital told Sun that she could not care for the child at home and her relatives wanted her to place the child for adoption in a foreign country. Sun, however, thought her baby would live a successful life. When Lee was a pre-schooler, Sun wanted her daughter to take piano lessons for two reasons. One was that she felt it would help her strengthen her hands so she could hold a pencil. The other was that she felt that if she could master the piano, she could master anything. For six months piano schools turned them down and then the one teacher who did accept the task got discouraged and wanted to quit. It was a three-month contest of wills between mother and daughter that led to a conflict in which Sun actually threw her daughter on the floor in frustration. But Lee got back up on the piano bench and for the first time played a children's song. That was the turning point and one year later Lee won the grand prize in a piano concert for Kindergartners. It was at the age of 7 that Lee won Korea's 19th National Handicap Conquest Contest and was presented with her award by the President of Korea. Lee has won numerous awards, and is a widely traveled concert pianist with more than 200 appearances. Her first album titled "Hee-ah, a Pianist with Four Fingers" was released in June, 2008. Lee speaks highly of her mother for challenging her to master the piano and said that although her training was difficult, "As time went by, the piano became my source of inspiration and my best friend." What was probably in Lee's mind when on the floor? A Learning piano was too difficult for her. B Life was unfair to her. C She would try her best to learn piano. D Her mother didn't love her any more. Answer: C. She would try her best to learn piano. We are so used to having a cup of tea before heading off to work, during work or after getting back from work. Tea breaks are more like a custom that takes place regularly several times a day. This tea break tradition has been happening during the past 200 years or so. Tea just happens to be a wonderful drink for most of us. The day simply feels incomplete without a hot cup of tea. However, is tea good for you? In 2006, the papers were flooded with the news of research showing that drinking 2-3 cups of tea a day is as beneficial as drinking water, with even some additional health benefits. Another report published in November 2009, stated that drinking up to eight cups of tea a day is good for you. The research conducted by nutrition expert Dr. Carrie Ruxton, debunked the popular stories about caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee and cocoa. According to Dr. Ruxton, the caffeine present in tea tends to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes. She says that drinking 8 cups of tea a day gives the drinkers "the best levels of health-giving substances" present in tea and other caffeinated drinks. Contrary to popular belief that tea does not contain more caffeine than coffee, it actually contains almost half the amount. Caffeine is a natural thing found in many types of food and drink. It's also something that can give you a much needed lift for a demanding and tiring afternoon ahead. Research shows that proper amounts of caffeine are safe for most people. So why not take full advantage of your tea breaks at work, or make time for afternoon tea while out shopping at the weekend? And remember that tea is not just a great drink, but it helps to keep you looking and feeling healthy. Caffeine in tea _ . A can make you energetic B gives you a good rest C may cause heart attacks D is more than that in coffee Answer: A. can make you energetic It took me more than 10 years to realize that the world has no shortage of fashion designers who have the ability to make trendy and elegant garments, but that it is badly in need of, simply, clothes designers. My own definitions would set fashion and clothing greatly apart. It is a fact that, in the shopping malls, there are plenty of beautiful garments whose unpredictability makes our life color1ful and interesting. You are almost convinced: You can buy whatever you dare to think. There is no doubt that fashion designers are usually with high qualifications. They study fashion trends, select color1s, and make sure the final production of their designs is done properly. However, as experience grew with age, my attraction to arts became ever stronger. I have a strong desire for clothing to stand as does paint to the painter, as does stone to the sculptor, as a simple and particular language of an individual creation, which draws the audience from an appreciation of the surface to deeper thoughts with the world of the soul. I believe that the most meaningful creative motives should arise through caring for other people, the great care of humanity--a concern for human feeling and spirituality. _ , but it is bigger than love, and it is unconditional. I believe the greatest works of art can touch the deepest and strongest parts of human feelings and the world of the spirit, and only these works can be the memories of history, preserving the most valuable feelings that have ever existed, and inspiring a greater awareness of ourselves. I am not satisfied if people only appreciate clothing if it merely satisfies their desire. I believe clothing could be a specific creative language for communicating ideas and thoughts, for inspiring you and shaping your behavior. Those clothes fashioned out of necessity possess a power that can continue to exist across the ages. This is what I have tried to achieve, the clothing to return to its original simplicity, the clothing to help people regain the natural sense. The true fashion today should not follow the trends. It should instead uncover the extraordinary in the ordinary, for I believe the pleasure you get from the clothing is not its price, but its spirit. The writer indicates that the primitive clothes are made as a result of _ . A respect for nature B spiritual value C necessity D simplicity Answer: C. necessity Growing strawberries in pots The best way to start growing strawberries is to buy pot-grown strawberry plants m spring:5 plants are plenty for a hanging basket and 10 for the average 13 inch-sized pot. Plant them immediately in soil-based compost and they will produce a modest crop in their first year.The second year should see a bumper crop,followed by a slightly lower yield the third summer .Then start again with fresh stock . Careful watering and feeding are essential If you are to harvest a good crop,you must never let the compost dry out, particularly when the fruit is forming and ripening;if you do.most of your crop will drop offe bush almost immediately. Water well then leave the pots for up to 3 weeks,until they reach the point of drying out be careful not to overwater them during the winter months. Pruning apple trees A one-year-old tree is known as a "maiden".It has a single stem when purchased.Immediately after planting, cut it back by about half to leave 4 good buds at the base of the stem..This will force growth from the base or the plant during the summer. In the second year ,prune in winter by cutting all side branches back by about one-third, Make sure each cut is made cleanly just above an outward-facing bud.In the third and fourth years, new side branches will have emerged from the previous year's growth.Cut back all these new side branches by a third, pruning to an outward-facing bud. *By the fifth year the tree should have a well-balanced shape.From then on ,cut back all new branches by one-third in winter.Remove any diseased wood and broken branches, and ensure the centre is open to air circulation Cutting back all side branches by a third is to _ A remove the diseased and broken branches B keep the whole tree open to air circulation C force the apple tree to grow from the base in winter D help the apple tree to form a well-balanced shape Answer: D. help the apple tree to form a well-balanced shape Watercolour is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colours found in the earth with water. Fresco , one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolour. It is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster . Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelo's heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few know that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolour painting in the world. The invention of oil painting by the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go down-hill, and for the next several centuries watercolour was used mainly for doing sketches or as a tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolour as a serious art form. The English have a widely-known love for outdoors and also small private pictures. The softness of watercolour had a remarkably strong attraction for them. The popularity of watercolour continued to grow until the twentieth century. The United States passed England as the center for watercolour, producing such well-known watercolour artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth. In the 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought _ . A watercolour was softer, and thus better B oil painting lasted longer, and was better C watercolour wasn't fit for finished works D watercolour was too hard to use in any works Answer: C. watercolour wasn't fit for finished works
It's eight o'clock and the time for Morning New Highlights . One person was killed and two were injured in a car accident just thirty minutes ago. Cause of the accident is not yet found out. A great fire swept through a storehouse next to the Fulton River early this morning, causing about $3,000,000 in damage. The fire which broke out at about 2:30 was finally put out at 5: 30. That was the Morning News Highlights, Dan Verne reporting. How many pieces of news are reported in the short passage? A. Two. B. Three. C. One. D. Four. Answer: A. Two. One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations showing how it was used. This was a huge task. So Murrary had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American Surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as "Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire," 50 miles from Oxford. Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next years, he became one of the staff's most valued contributors. But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally insane. Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds. In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend. Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient. Why did Dr. Minor refuse to visit Oxford? A. He was shut in an asylum B. He lived far from Oxford C. He was busy writing a book D. He disliked traveling Answer: A. He was shut in an asylum One day ,a woman got on a bus with a child in her arms. The woman sat down next to _ The old woman took a look at the child and said in a low voice to her husband," Look at the child. He's so ugly ." The woman heard what the old woman said and began to cry. She cried and cried and no one could stop her. When the bus came to a stop, a young man got on the bus with some bananas and sat at the back of the bus. He saw the woman crying, so he went over and said to her," Oh, come, please don't cry any more. You look very ugly when you are crying." The woman didn't stop crying. Instead, she cried even harder. The young man didn't know what he could do. Suddenly he noticed the bananas in his hand and had a good idea. So he said again to the woman, "Well, if you stop crying, I will give your monkey some bananas to eat." The woman began to cry on the bus because _ . A. she felt very sad B. she took the wrong bus C. she didn't get off at the right stop D. she lost her purse Answer: A. she felt very sad How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments-mostly for entertainment purposes-is fair and respectful? Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals.How ever, most zoos remain "collections" of interesting "things" rather than protective habitats .Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural bones. Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species , but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals' natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty.Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species' name, diet, and natural range .The animals' normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don't usually take care of the animals' natural needs. The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise.These results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoophobia.A worldwide study of zoos found that zoophobia is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages.Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain. Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered.Captive breeding of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild.Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out.In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers.Haven't we seen enough competitions to name baby animals? Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them.Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals' natural habitats. Although he argues against zoos, the author would still agree that _ . A. zoos have to keep animals in small cages B. most animals in zoos are endangered species C. some endangered animals are reproduced in zoos D. it's acceptable to keep animals away from their habitats Answer: C. some endangered animals are reproduced in zoos Mr. Green is quiet and doesn't like talking with people .He likes reading newspapers and using the Internet.He hardly ever exercises. Sometimes he watches soccer or basketball games on TV. He likes coffee very much and drinks it three times a day . Mr. Green is a bank clerk . It's a busy but boring job. He works with people and money every day .So he always feels tired after work. He likes to get enough rest and goes to bed early after dinner.Usually he goes to bed at 8:30 in the evening and get up at 6:30 in the morning. Mr. Green is very happy with that .But Mrs. Green isn't ,because Mr. Green always talks in his sleep. One morning , Mr. Green sat at table and had breakfast. Mrs. Green asked him, "Why do you always talk in your sleep?" Mr. Green said, "Because I have few chances to talk in the day time." The next morning after their children all went to school, Mrs. Green asked Mr. Green angrily , Why did you scold me in your sleep last night ? "Because I don't have the courage to do it when I'm awake ." Mrs. Green was angry with Mr. Green because _ . A. he didn't go to work B. he didn't talk to the night before C. he didn't take the children to school D. he scolded her in his sleep the night before Answer: D. he scolded her in his sleep the night before
If you are living in the city, have you ever thought of going to live in the country for a change? Many people want to move from the country to the city because they think life in the city is more exciting and better than that in rural areas, especially young people who like new and modern things. Often people feel that they can find the latest styles only in the city. Other people are interested in technological things and high-tech jobs and think they can find them only in a big city. If they want to find a job, especially a good position in a company, they feel they have to live in a city. To get these jobs, they are willing to _ many of the disadvantages of city life such as heavy traffic and pollution. However, it is now possible to enjoy a higher quality of life in the countryside and still enjoy some of the advantages of living in the city. Nowadays, travel is fast and information is available on the Internet, so many people are able to do their work in home offices. Because they have e-mail and personal computers, they don't have to be in big cities to do their business. It is not important where they actually work because the results of their work can be sent everywhere with technology. Now they can enjoy life in the countryside and still be able to do good business and successful careers. What is the author's opinion? A. She / he prefers to live in the countryside rather than live in the city. B. She / he prefers to live in the city rather than live in the countryside. C. She / he likes both city life and countryside life. D. It is not clear which life she / he prefers. Answer: A A blue hole is a flooded sea cave with a hole that opens up at the land's surface. These cave systems form in carbonate rock, often on islands. Some blue holes have very special rock formations and water chemistry. Far below sea level, they contain some of the harshest environments on Earth, with no oxygen and no light. Yet these areas are filled with life forms that have adapted to the extreme conditions. Information gathered from these blue holes is helping scientists to increase their understanding of biology, archaeology and geology. But exploring these blue hole environments brings danger as well as discovery. Blue holes get their name from the color1 some have when seen from the air. The color1 is usually a reflection of the sky on the water. But not all of these cave systems have blue surfaces. Some contain dark or muddy water. Blue holes are the result of erosion in which water breaks down rock. Rain falling thousands of years ago contained chemicals which slowly wore away at the limestone landmass. These holes were later filled with sea water as the sea level changed. The rising and falling of sea levels and the mixture of salt and fresh water further wore away at these cave formations. Blue holes are vertical caves. But they can also have horizontal cave formations that may be hundreds of meters long. These flooded cave systems can be found in the ocean, or they can be found inland. Ocean caves are affected by tides, so they always have water movement. But blue holes on land are very still. They have several layers of water, chemicals, and bacteria. The top layer of fresh water comes from rainfall. This layer acts like a cap on top of the layered mixture, and keeps out oxygen from the atmosphere. The fresh water floats on a denser layer of saltwater. Underneath this is a layer of poisonous hydrogen sulfide, produced by bacteria living in the water. Underneath this layer is anoxic seawater -- water that does not contain any oxygen. Underwater caves are probably one of the least explored ecosystems on the planet. One reason blue holes have not been fully explored is that they can be extremely dangerous. There are many safety rules that divers must follow to help ensure their survival. First, divers must have training and experience to swim in these caves. Those who explore a cave for the first time must establish a thin rope called a guideline. This line helps them to safely enter and bring more than one set of breathing equipment in case one device fails. Meanwhile, they must pay careful attention to their air supply. The rule is to use a third of their air to enter the cave, a third to exit, and a third for emergencies. For most explorers, though, the possibility of discovery in these cave environments makes the experience worth the risk. You can jump into what looks like an insignificant little hole in the ground, and come out with information that's of value to many different disciplines, Scientists are interested in these caves because oxygen-free conditions there are similar to those on Earth long ago, before oxygen existed on our planet., as well as similar to space. The exploration of blue holes can help us _ . A. discover moue energy resources B. understand the origin of life on Farth C. learn about the movements of seawater D. get ready for the exploration of the ocean Answer: B President Barack Obama rode a bicycle at the White House Science Fair on April 22. But it wasn't an ordinary bike. As he pedaled, the President stayed in place, while the energy from his pedaling powered a water filtration system. He was testing an invention created by a team of 14 students from Northeast High School, in Oakland Park, Florida. Payton Karr, 16, and Kiona Elliot, 18, attended the fair as representatives of the project."We were hoping President Obama would ride the bike, but we didn't actually expect him to," Payton told TFK. " It really meant a lot." Kiona agreed. "It was pretty awesome to see the invention, which was invented by a group of 14 high school students and one teacher, along with the help of community members, got the interest of the leader of our nation," she said. The project was an idea that came about after one of the Northeast students, Kalie Hoke, visited Haiti after the terrible 2010 earthquake and saw how difficult it was to find clean water. The students invented a portable , bicycle-powered emergency water filtration system, which can provide 20-30 people with drinking water in a 15-hour period. The teens hope their invention will one day be used by relief organizations like the Red Cross. " They can take it to places after natural disasters so that water can be clean for the people there," said Payton. Payton and Kiona were among the 100 students from more than 40 states invited to the third annual White House Science Fair, in Washington, D.C., which is also attended by leaders in science and education. President Obama started the event in 2010 to _ students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths)."Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, you ought to be recognized for that achievement," Obama said when he first announced the fair. President Obama praised the projects during a speech to attendees after the fair. "The science fair projects of today could become the products and businesses of tomorrow," he said. "If you're inventing things in the third grade, what are you going to do by the time you get to college?" We can know from the last sentence in the passage that President Obama _ . A. wanted the youth to have big dreams B. encouraged the youth to go to college C. worried the young inventors would do nothing in college D. believed the young inventors would have a promising future Answer: D Traveling by train is usually not easy in China. It can be hard to get a ticket. When you're traveling to the railway station, you look at your watch, for you are afraid you will miss your train. But there is good news for people traveling between Beijing and Shanghai. Construction on the express railway between the two cities started just before the Spring Festival of 2008. When it is finished by 2013, taking a train will be as easy as taking a bus. "There will be trains every several minutes. Buying a ticket, getting through the checkpoint and taking your seat, will take just 10 minutes," said an engineer. There may be high-speed trains running at 350 kilometers an hour. The travel time between the two cities will _ from 10 to about 5 hours. The trains will carry twice the present number of passengers. The new line will be 1,318 kilometers long and go across specially built bridges. It will run along side the present line. There will be 21 stations in Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu. "The cost of traveling by the express railway may be around 800 yuan. That will be more expensive than an ordinary train, but cheaper than by air." Said Zhang Xiaoling, a Jiangsu government official. According to Zhang, the higher price is caused by the large cost of the railway project. At about 200 billion yuan, the project may be even more expensive than the Three Gorges Project . The express railway between Beijing and Shanghai will be finished _ . A. at the end of this year B. before the Spring Festival of 2008 C. by 2013 D. in about 5 years Answer: C Carol and Susan are very good friends. They are in the same class at school and they often go to each other's home on Sunday. Now they are both eight yeas old. Carol's mother has got a new baby. Carol is very glad to have a little sister, so she is always talking about her to Susan. At first Susan is very interested in the new baby because she does not have any brothers or sisters. But after some time she begins to get tired of Carol's keeping on talking about it. She also feels a little jealous of her friend. One morning when the two girls meet at the school gate, Carol says to Susan cheerfully , "Do you know, Susan, my baby sister has put on about half a pound in weight this week?" "That is not very much," answers Carol. "I know a baby that puts on ten pounds a day." "Oh, that can't be true!" answers Carol. "Whose baby is it?" "An elephant's," says Susan. Why do Carol and Susan often go to each other's home? Because _ . A. they are in the same class B. they are good friends C. they like to talk about babies D. they are in the same study group Answer: B
Maricel Apatan, 22, stands in the kitchen of the Edsa Shangi-La Hotel in Manila, preparing to decorate a cheesecake. It would seem to be a routine task for a cake chef, but Maricel is no ordinary chef -- she has no hands. Maricel has come a long way since the day in September 2000 when she and her uncle were attacked near their farm. Fortunately, both of them survived, but the 11-year-old girl lost her hands. In 2004, she entered a Manila training centre for people with disabilities. She learned how to write and do housework and, more importantly, came to terms with her disability. After graduation from high school, she took a two-year Hotel and Restaurant course and _ even though she was the only disabled student in the course. After she moved back to Manila to continue her studies, the media started reporting on this determined young woman. She didn't shy away from the attention. "I wanted others living with disabilities to believe it's possible to live a normal life," Maricel says. After managers at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel saw Maricel on television, they hired her as part of the hotel's Care for People project. She has also accomplished her goal of inspiring others. One of them is Ronelyn Calumpiano, a 21-year-old with cerebral palsy . She saw Maricel on television and was moved by her confidence. Ronelyn will soon start classes and is already planning a career in IT. Maricel's three younger sisters have moved to Manila. She pays for the rent of their small apartment, while their parents look after their family farm in Mindanao. "It is difficult to make ends meet but I don't lose hope. I believe anything is possible if you dream, work hard and pray." Which of the following is NOT true about Maricel? Answer: Different people have different colors of skin . Some have black skin. Some have yellow skin, and some have white skin. There's a woman in America. Her skin is orange. It's the color of orange juice. Why does she become orange ? She eats too many tomatoes , carrots and squashes . She eats many orange things. That's why she becomes orange. The woman doesn't want to be orange. She goes to the doctor . The doctor says, "Don't eat any orange things again! Eat some green things. " The woman does so ,and she isn't orange now. The woman's skin is orange because _ . Answer: When Jason's parents saw him for the first time, they were shocked .This lovely little baby with shining blue eyes and curly hair was born disabled . But soon the young couple accepted this fact: Jason's arms are just half without hands and his legs aren't fully grown either. They even forgot to think of him as disabled. At the age of six, he told his mother he wanted to get down from the prosthetics and play with other kids. This was the last time Jason had worn them. He now has an electric wheelchair , but he never uses it at home or when it is easy for him to move using only his body. Jason learned handwriting and coloring at school, holding the pen between the ends of his arms. He also learned to eat with forks at home. When he was ten, he fell in love with football. He never had a pair of shoes in his life because of the shape of his feet. He only wore socks on the football field. He never won a match, but he refused to give up. His strong arms and body, as well as some fantastic ways made him a respected player on the school team. He went to a famous university after high school. Now Jason still faces many _ in life, but he will make you believe that you can do what he has done. "Never be afraid of any difficulty", Jason often encourages others in his speeches. Which of the following is not TRUE? Answer: Being less than perfectly well-dressed in a business setting can result in a feeling of discomfort. And the sad truth is that "clothing mismatches" on the job can ruin the day of the person who is wearing the inappropriateattire --and the people with whom he or she works. Offices vary when it comes to dress codes. Some businesses have very strict standards for office attire, while others maintain a more relaxed attitude. However, it is always important to remember that no matter what your company's attitude is, you are working in a business environment and you should dress properly. Certain items may be more appropriate for evening wear than for a business meeting, just as shorts and a T-shirt are better suited for the beach than for an office environment. Your attire should reflect both your environment and your position. A senior president has a different image to maintain than that of a secretary. Like it or not, you will be judged by your appearance. This is never more apparent than on "dress-down days", when what you wear can say more about you than any business suit ever could. In fact, people will pay more attention to what you wear on dress-down days than on "business professional " days. Thus, when dressing in "business casual" clothes, try to put some good taste into your choices, recognize that the "real" definition of business casual is to dress just onenotch down from what you would normally wear on business-professional attire days. Remember, there are borders between your career and our social life. You should dress one way for play and another way when you mean business. Always ask yourself where you are going and how other people will be dressed when you get there. Is the final destination the opera, the beach, or the office? Dress properly and you will discover the truth in the principle that clothes make the man--and the woman. When you're in doubt, it's safe to be on the side of dressing slightly more traditionally than the situation demands. What is the passage mainly about? Answer: When going through major life changes, like changing careers, I would change the people with whom I spent the most time. We've all gone through periods when the people in our lives have changed--graduation, moving to a new city, getting a new job, joining a new club, etc. I don't think I need to convince you just how much influence other people can have over your identity. If you've ever experienced a major switch in your people environment, then you know that you change as well. Most people don't make these choices consciously, though. You might consciously decide to spend more time with a certain friend, or you may ask someone out on a date to begin a new relationship. But few people choose their existing friendships deliberately. _ . People are always dropping into and out of each other's lives. Associations grow into friendships, and friendships fade into associations. You don't get rid of anyone. The truth is that in order to make room for new people and new experiences, you may need to loosen up some of your existing connections. What about loyalty? Shouldn't you always be loyal to your friends? Once you have a close friend, even if his influence on you is slightly harmful, shouldn't you stick by him? Loyalty to a friend sometimes means having to let go. It means being loyal to his highest and best self as well. If someone is destroying his health by smoking, for example, you aren't showing loyalty by smoking right along with him. True loyalty sometimes requires that you break damaging connections, get yourself back on solid ground, and then decide what you can really do to help your friend. It can take a lot of courage to tell someone, "I'm sorry, but I can't have you in my life anymore." But even though this might seem like a selfish act at times, it's often the best thing for the other person, too. If a relationship is holding you back in some way, understand that it's also hurting the other person. For example, if you work for a violent boss, your acceptance of that situation is considered to be silent approval, encouraging your boss to continue to behave violently. When experiencing major life changes, people may _ . Answer:
My name is Max. I am twelve years old. I have many friends. Most of them are as old as I. Some are older. Some are younger. My best friend is Bill. He lives near me. We go to the same school and we are in the same class. Bill helps me with my math homework. I help him with his English homework. Bill is taller than me. He is quite fat. He doesn't like sports, so he doesn't get much exercise. We both have black eyes, but Bill's hair is longer. I like sports and I play football or go swimming every day. Every Sunday morning Bill and I play computer games. Sometimes I win. Sometimes he wins. ,,2B. Max and Bill both like to _ . 1 On Friday, January 14, 2005, my cousin, Kara Rose, came into the world. 2 She looked perfectly healthy from the outside, but on the inside, the doctors had failed to discover a serious problem. 3 She often had trouble breathing and then turned blue. 4 The doctors found that Kara had been born without part of her heart. 5 They didn't think she would live long enough to leave the hospital. 6 When she was four days old, she had her first operation. 7 My family stayed together during this hard time, hoping everything would turn out for the best. Kara's strength and determination to live were strong. Eventually, she could go home. We all waited patiently for new technology that could give Kara a new heart. When she was eighteen months old, her parents took her to a famous surgeon who performed a series of operations. There was no guarantee she would make it through the operation, but she succeeded. Kara grew stronger every day, and it was not long before she was well enough to be around people. She had an amazing character and always wore a sweet smile. When she fell asleep against my body, happy and content, I realized how valuable life really is. As I took her in my arms with her warm breath against my neck, I decided to live every day of my life to the fullest. This child, who is 15 years younger than I, has gone through more suffering and pain than I ever have. I admire her strength and determination. Kara has taught me that no matter how bad things seem, they can work out in the end. Knowing this small, beautiful child has made me a stronger person, I now believe that difficulty can be beaten. Which of the following statements is TRUE? A company is designing a new laptop computer. The computer must not exceed a certain weight. Which of the following is the most likely reason to have a weight restriction for the computer? 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. What is the best title for the passage? One of the greatest warriors of history, Genghis Kahn, came from the Mongolian people. He controlled many countries in Asia and Europe because of his bravery and leadership in battle. This time period was known as the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th and 14th centuries. Genghis decided to go hunting one day and many of his warriors went with him. Genghis had his favorite hawk on his wrist. The hawk was trained to fly high in the air to look for game like deer, rabbits or wild birds. When his bird flew to the ground, Genghis would follow it and shoot the wild game with his arrows. It was his favorite hobby. This particular day, game was hard to find. Toward evening, Genghis sent all the men home and decided to go another way by himself. He even let his hawk go, thinking it would fly home as well. He became thirsty so he stopped by some rocks where he noticed water was dripping. He took a cup from his pack and filled it slowly. When he put it to his mouth, he was surprised for his hawk came and spilled all the water in his cup. He thought this was very unusual so he filled the cup again. The hawk rushed down and knocked the cup free from his hand. Genghis was now thirsty and angry. As he filled the cup a fourth time, he drew his sword to stop the bird interrupting him. As the bird flew down, Genghis killed it but his cup fell deep into the rocks in the scuffle . He decided to crawl up the rock of the mountain to find the source of the water. He found a pool and noticed a huge poisonous snake was dead in the water. He realized the hawk had saved his life. His anger had caused him to kill his favorite bird. In his despair , he promised to make sure of everything before he would become angry again. This passage may most probably be found in _ .
Which of these supports an item that works together in large numbers and is greater than the sum of its parts? Answer: membrane Which of the following distinguishes the organisms in the kingdom Fungi from other eukaryotic organisms? Answer: Fungi obtain nutrients by absorption. The UN weather agency warned on Tuesday there was a good chance of an "El Nino" climate phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean this year, bringing droughts and heavy rainfall to the rest of the world. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said its modeling suggested a "fairly large potential for an El Nino, most likely by the end of the second quarter of 2016". The El Nino phenomenon occurs every two to seven years, when the trade winds that circulate surface water in the tropical Pacific start to weaken. WMO pointed out Tuesday that since last December, trade winds had weakened and there had been a significant warming of the waters below the surface in the central Pacific. "While there is no guarantee this situation will lead to an El Nino event, the longer the trade winds remain weakened, and subsurface temperatures stay significantly warmer than average, the higher chances are," it said. Two thirds of climate models predicted that the phenomenon would begin sometime between June and August, with one-fifth suggesting it could start as early as May, and the remaining predicting no El Nino this year, it said. It is often followed by a return swing of La Nina, which is characterized by unusually cool ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. "El Nino has an important warming effect on global average temperatures," Jarraud cautioned, stressing that combined with warming from greenhouse gases such events had "the potential to cause a sharp rise in global average temperature". According to the text, what might be the percentage of no "El Nino" this year? Answer: 13%. The air hostess was in a small kitchen at the back of the plane, preparing the plates for lunch, when a little old lady came and spoke to her, "Could you please tell me," she asked, "where is the ladies' lavatory in the plane?" "Yes, madam," said the air hostess and smiled. "It is right at the other end of the plane---at the front." The little lady went too far. She walked all the way to the front of the plane, opened the door in front of her, and saw the captain of the plane and the other officers. They were all busy with their work and did not see her. She went out again, shut the door and returned to the air hostess. "Oh, didn't you find it, madam?" the girl asked her. "Yes, I did," said the little lady. "But there are four men in the ladies' lavatory watching television." Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: The old lady didn't find the ladies' lavatory. In Japan,Luffy is more popular than Harry Potter.Luffy is the main _ of One Piece <<>> ). The book came out in 1997. One Piece tells the adventures of Monkey D.Luffy,a 17-year-old boy.He got supernatural abilities by eating magical fruit.Luffy's dream is to find the world's biggest treasure , One piece. Then he wants to become the next Pirate King. To make his dream come true,Luffy has to reach the end of the most dangerous ocean:the Grand Line .Luffy travels with a group of brave pirates called the Straw Hats.On his way,more people join the group.They even have a cook,a soldier and a musician.They also fight with other pirates on their way. Many Chinese teenagers are One Piece fans.Yang Peiqi,14,from Shenzhen says he thinks reading One Piece is great fun and he also likes the theme of the story,- dreams and friends. When did One Piece come out in Japan? Answer: In 1997
Question: One day, I heard an American boy say to a Chinese student of English, "You speak very good English." But the student answered, "NO, no. My English is very poor." The foreigner was quite surprised at the answer. Thinking he had not made himself understood or the Chinese student had not heard him clearly, he said, "Yes, indeed, you speak very well." But the Chinese student sill kept saying "No." In the end the American boy could not understand and didn't know what to say. What's wrong with the student's answer? He didn't accept a compliment in the same way as the American people do. He should answer "thank you" instead of "no". He really understood what the American boy had said, but he thought he should be modest .In the west, people will feel proud and confident when they are praised. So if someone says the dishes you have cooked are very delicious, you should say "Thank you". If someone says to a woman "You look so beautiful with the new clothes on." She must be very happy and answer "Thank you". In our country we think being modest is a virtue and being proud is a bad thing, but in my opinion, being confident does not mean being proud, so sometimes you should be confident instead of being modest. If you are modest and say, "No, I'm afraid I can't do it well" while working in a western country, the others may think that you really cannot do it. If you often say "No", you will certainly be looked down upon by others. If asking for a job, one says something like "Yes, I can certainly do it" instead of "Let me have a try", he or she will expect to get it. So in the west, you should be brave to show your self-confidence! Why was the American boy surprised at the Chinese student's answer? A. Because he was expecting the Chinese student to say "Thank you". B. Because he wouldn't like others to say "No". C. Because he could hardly hear what the student had said. D. Because he wondered whether the student could really speak good English. Answer: A Question: "Beating is a sign of affection,cursing is a sign of love." Many may not expect to hear the words of the old Chinese saying in these modern times--with parents wealthier and better educated than they have ever been--but experts say they still ring true. Today,it seems,Chinese parents are more likely to send their children to precollege military academies in the United States in the hope that some tough love will pave the way to success. "Good education doesn't mean letting your children enjoy privileges,especially our boys." said Song Wenming,an entrepreneur in Jinhua,East China's Zhejiang province. "They should be raised in tough conditions to know what to fight for in the future." In August,Song sent his 17yearold son to Valley Forge Military Academy (VFMA) in Pennsylvania. And _ ,even though it takes a lot of money--around $48,000 per year--to send a child to a strict military school. Statistics show that an increasing number of Chinese students have been registering with such academies. A few years ago,there were no Chinese students at Valley Forge. Today,there are 28. "All of the Chinese students at Valley Forge came from wealthy families;some of them were spoiled." said Jennifer Myers,director of marketing and communications at the school. Song's only son,Song Siyu,had a rocky start during his first six weeks at the school. The teenager said he went to the school voluntarily but did not expect it to be as difficult. Now,three months later,he has perfected the art of taking a bath in 35 seconds,finishing a meal without looking at his food,and making his bed with precision. He can even take criticism,no matter how unreasonable. "The training is hard but I know it is good for selfdevelopment of individuals." said Song Siyu. "The endless training and scolding are just ways to build up our character;they are not personal." But his enthusiasm is not universal. Ten of the 13 Chinese students who joined the academy this year have transferred to other schools. But for those who stick with it,there is a reward for all the hard work. Song Siyu got some achievements in the military school except _ . A. taking a bath in a short time B. improving his character C. taking unreasonable criticism D. having his meal with his eyes closed Answer: B Question: Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger , but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater. Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages . Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs. Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too In the United States , a family of four can use 1. 5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there's a lot we can do to lower the number. You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher only when it is full . Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away. What can be inferred from the text? A. All water shortages are due to human behavior. B. It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs. C. There is much we can do to reduce family size. D. The average family in America makes proper use of water. Answer: B Question: Car needs gas to run as your body needs food to work for you. Eating the right kinds of food is very important. A good eating habit can help your body grow strong if you take care of what you eat. There are four main food groups altogether. The _ group has food like milk, cheese and sour milk. The other three groups are the meat and fish group, the fruit and vegetable group, and the bread and rice group. Each meal should have at least one food from all four main groups. With all of these foods together, you will be given enough energy during the day. It is easy to get into bad eating habits. You may eat your breakfast in a hurry to get to school on time or you may not have time for a good lunch. It may be easier to eat fish and chips for your supper all the time. But you will find yourself tired and you will not be able to think quickly. Watching what you eat will help keep your body healthy and strong. It is also good to take some exercise. It will help you eat more if you take a walk or play games in the open air. Having good eating habits with some exercise is the key to your health. According to the passage, which of the following diets do you think is the best one? A. Eggs, tomatoes and chicken. B. Milk, bread, cabbages and beef. C. Corn, fish, ice cream and pork. D. Rice, beancurd ,fish and chicken. Answer: B Question: We know that cigarette smoking kills. So, producers made electronic cigarettes as a safer smoking choice - safer than tobacco. Although e-cigarettes contain the drug nicotine like cigarettes, they do not use tobacco and you do not light them. They are powered by battery . However, if e-cigarettes are so safe, why has the United States Center for Disease Control(CDC) seen an increase in telephone calls about e-cigarette poisonings? The answer is children. Most of the calls are from people worried about children who have played with the devices, In the period of one month this year, the Center said 215 people called the Center with e-cigarette concerns. More than half of these calls were for children aged five and younger. The devices had made them sick. Tim McAfee is director of the Center's Office on Smoking and Health, He says the problem is regulation. Meaning, the U.S. federal government does not control e-cigarettes even though they contain liquid nicotine. Mr.McAfee adds that liquid nicotine is a well-known danger. Mr.McAfee explains that nicotine poisoning happens when it gets into the skin, gets into the eyes or is swallowed. It can cause stomach pain or a sense of unbalance. And too much nicotine can kill, Tim McAfee says e-cigarettes do not create the level of risk to people that tobacco products do.He notes that almost 500,000 Americans die each year from cigarettes. "So, cigarettes are the winner in that contest." E-cigarettes do not contain hundreds of harmful chemicals that are found in real cigarettes. So, the U.S.Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak has suggested that e-cigarettes may be a useful tool for adults trying to end their tobacco use. But McAfee worries that teenagers may think electronic cigarettes are harmless. They could become addicted to the nicotine and then start smoking real cigarettes. In other words, he fears that for young people fake e-cigarettes could be a "gateway" to the real thing. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A. the CDC wants to develop a better type of e-cigarettes B. the government is in favor of the use of e-cigarettes C. Surgeon General Boris D. smokers most probably can't quit smoking using e-cigarettes Answer: B
With winter fast approaching, flu season is here. People can easily catch the flu bug and they try to fight it with western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine or some homemade secret recipes. Yet some of these strategies are ineffective or even harmful, the best way to counter the flu is to protect us from contracting it. So here are some good habits to protect people from contracting flu from the very beginning. During the day, keep the bedroom window open to let fresh air in. Wash your face with cold water in the morning and wash your feet with hot water in the evening. This practice can help boost blood circulation and improve the body's resistance. Do some exercises in the morning. such as jogging or shadowboxing for 10 minutes. Rinse your mouth with salt water or tea every morning and every evening. This can help kill flu bacteria, clear phlegm and keep the mouth fresh. Wear more clothes when it's cold and take some off when it's warm Get a bottle of vinegar or Chinese white wine at hand and smell it now and then. Their pungent smell can help people get refreshed and improve their body's resistance. * Drink two kinds of beverages before going to bed, which can help people stay away from the flu: soup made of radish and vinegar, and tea made of fresh ginger . *Close the doors and windows and put a pot of boiling vinegar in the room Vinegar steam is a good way to kill flu bacteria in the air. According to the passage, we can know that the best way to fight the flu is to _ . avoid getting it at the very beginning Although the Samoan Natives have long claimed to be the indigenous people of their islands, holding firm to the belief that Samoans were birthed by special creation in Samoa, it has been theorized by many linguists, based on linguistic commonalities as well as archaeological findings, that migrants from Southeast Asia arrived in the Samoan Islands approximately 3500 years ago, settling in what has come to be known as "Polynesia" further to the east. Early contact with Europeans was established in the 18th century. Christianity was formally introduced with the arrival of missionaries in August 1830. During the early 20th century the Samoan Islands were divided by Germany, Great Britain and the USA. Tutuila and Aunu'u islands were claimed by the USA. The western islands became German Samoa. In 1914, New Zealand forces captured the islands from Germany, thus becoming Western Samoa. Western Samoa regained its independence on January 1, 1962. Samoans are notable in rugby. Despite its small population, the island of American Samoa produces disproportionately a large number of world-class American football players. Samoan Mosi Tatupu was a member of NFL team the New England Patriots. Samoan Troy Polamalu was a member of the NFL team the Pittsburgh Steelers until he retired after the 2014 football season. Traditional Samoan tattoo proves the strong ties many Samoans feel for their culture. Samoans have practiced the art of tattooing for over 2,000 years. To this day, a man's tattoo widely covers from mid-back, down the sides, to the knees. A woman's tattoo is not quite as wide or heavy. The geometric patterns are based on ancient designs, and often indicate rank and status. Here is the process of tattooing. The tattoo master dips his cutting tools into black ink made from burnt shells, and then punctures designs into the skin. The cutting tool consists of a short piece of bamboo or light wood with a piece of tortoiseshell bound at right angles at one end. A little bone comb is bound to the lower broad end of the tortoiseshell. The larger the comb, the greater the area on the skin is covered with fewer strokes. The process takes days, and is sometimes partially accomplished over longer periods, with recovery in between. The author introduced the sport item "rugby" in Samoa with a tone of _ . respect All students need to have good study habits . When you have good study habits, you can learn things quickly. You also remember them easily. Do you like to study in the living-room? This is not a good place because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, like your bedroom. A quiet place will help you only think about one thing, and you will learn better. Before you begin to study, do not forget to clean your desk. A good desk light is important, too. You are feeling tired easily if there is not enough light. You should remember to _ before you study. clean the desk Astronauts aboard the space station celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine , sweat and water got from air. They said "cheers," clicked drinking bags and toasted NASA workers on the ground. The urine recycling system is needed for astronaut stations on the moon and Mars. It also will have NASA money because it won't have to ship up as much water to the station by space shuttles or cargo rockets. Besides, it's important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six. The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November by space shuttles Endeavour, but it couldn't be used until samples were tested back on earth. So when it came time to actually drink up, NASA made a big deal of it. The three-man crew stood holding their drinks and congratulated engineers in two NASA centres that worked on the system. "This is something that had been the stuff of science fiction," American astronaut Michael Barratt said before taking a small mouthful. "The taste is worth trying." The new system takes the combined urine of the crew from the toilet, moves it to a big tank, where the water is boiled off, and the vapor is collected. The rest of the urine is thrown away. Then the water vapor is mixed with water from air, and then it goes through filters . When six crew members are aboard it can make about six gallons from urine in about six hours. "Some people may find the idea of drinking recycled urine distasteful, but it is also done on earth, but with a lot longer time between urine and the tap," said Marybeth Edeen, the space station's national lab manager. The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after the 2004 Asian tsunami. What did Edeen say about recycled urine and the recycling system? It takes a longer time on earth to make water from urine than in space. Teen Travel with Global Teen Ever thought about traveling in Italy? Or a teen travel program in Spain? Our summer travel program for teens is one adventure you cannot pass up. Experience Europe and tour Spain, France, Austria, Germany, Italy, or other European countries. Come to enjoy our summer travel program for teens that will have you touring and experiencing cultures unlike anything you have done before. For example, Teen Travel Italy gives you wonderful tours of splendid cathedrals, adventures in Italian history, and the experience of your young life that you don't want to miss! Teen travel programs through Global Teen give you the best courses and activities on the web. The travel programs are offered in varying lengths. Teen Travel Italy is a minimum of two weeks, but for the teenager or high school student, it can last for the whole summer break. The summer travel program for teens is a great way to experience the culture of another country and provides more than the usual summer camp experience. Most teenage students who take advantage of our travel opportunities are in high school. They do a teen travel program in the summer at a language camp either in Europe or Latin America to experience another culture. Travel with Global Teen this summer! Have an adventure at one of our language camps, experience the culture of a foreign country and have the time of your life this summer! By writing the text, the author tries to _ . persuade teens to join a teen travel program
In a single writing, Painter contracted with Farmer to paint three identical barns on her rural estate for $2,000 each. The contract provided for Farmer's payment of $6,000 upon Painter's completion of the work on all three barns. Painter did not ask for any payment when the first barn was completely painted, but she demanded $4,000 after painting the second barn. Is Farmer obligated to make the $4,000 payment? A. No, because Farmer has no duty under the contract to pay anything to Painter until all three barns have been painted. B. No, because Painter waived her right, if any, to payment on a per-barn basis by failing to demand $2,000 upon completion of the first barn. C. Yes, because the contract is divisible. D. Yes, because Painter has substantially performed the entire contract. Answer: A. No, because Farmer has no duty under the contract to pay anything to Painter until all three barns have been painted. English words don't stay the same. People need new words for new ideas and new inventions. Some new words come into use, and some old words are used in a new way. English can change by borrowing words from other languages. The word "tomato" was borrowed from Mexico, and "tea" came from China, and so on. Now a great many new space and science words are being borrowed from other countries, too. New words can be created in other ways. For example, some can be created by adding two words together. "Weekend" and "cookbook" are made up of two parts. Sometimes new words are shorter forms of older words. The word "photo" was made from "photograph" by cutting off the end of the longer word. "Plane" was made by cutting off the front part of "airplane". The names of people and products can become new words. Our "sandwich" was named after a man named Sandwich and "sello " was a name given by the company that first made the product. New English words are needed because _ . A. people use old words in a new way B. people need a new way to speak C. the world is changing in a different way D. new ideas and new inventions come about quickly Answer: D. new ideas and new inventions come about quickly Americans get some of their news and entertainment from public television and radio. These public media receive money to operate from private citizens, organizations and government. Many of their programs are educational. But most of the American media are run by businesses for profit. These privately owned media have changed greatly in recent years. Newspapers, magazines and traditional broadcast television organizations have lost some of their popularity. At the same time, online, cable and satellite media have increased in numbers and strength. So have media that serve racial groups and those communicating in foreign languages. In general, more media than ever now provide Americans with news and entertainment. At the same time, fewer owners control them. Huge companies have many holdings . In some areas, one company controls much of the media. One dramatic change in American media is the increased success of cable television. It comes into most homes over wires. It does not use the public airwaves to present programs, as broadcast television does. Like broadcast television, most cable television programs perform advertisements. This is true although people must pay to see cable television in their homes. Thirty years ago, few people had cable. Today, about sixty-eight percent of American homes have cable television. Television by satellite also is gaining popularity. Over the years, traditional broadcast organizations have tried to appeal to as many watchers as possible. Many cable companies, however, present programs for one special group of viewers. For example, there are cable stations for people who like books, cooking, travel, golf or comedy. Which of the following properly shows the change in these privately owned media? A. Newspapers are getting more popular. B. Satellite media is getting more popular. C. Traditional media also serve racial groups. D. Some media make their programs in foreign languages Answer: B. Satellite media is getting more popular. The more bees a dandelion entices the more it A. gets written about B. succeeds in reproducing C. becomes a rose D. becomes wine Answer: B. succeeds in reproducing Dear Lily, Welcome to our school for a visit. I am very glad to tell you how to get to our school. Here is the _ . When you walk out of the station, please turn left, walk on and pass a crossing. You should walk on till the first traffic light and turn right. Then you will find a park on your left side. Walk along the street and pass the park. Then you will see a bank. Across from the bank is a narrow lane .Just go into the lane and walk about 100 meters, and you are sure to get to our school gate, at which the board reads No.1 Middle School in both Chinese and English. Yours, Li Ming What does Li Ming do? A. He is a doctor. B. He is a student. C. He is a bank clerk. D. He is a guide. Answer: B. He is a student.
Scientists have found that human eyes are more likely to be damaged by UV rays while skiing in the snow-covered areas than sitting on the beach, according to a report by the UK newspaper The Telegraph. The researchers at Kanazawa Medical University, Japan and American company Johnson conducted the study together. They looked at the effects of light reflection on newly fallen snow on a ski trail (a rough path) in Ishikawa District, northern Japan. They compared the results with the levels of UV rays on a sand beach in southern Japan's Okinawa District. They found that on the beach, eyes are exposed to a daily 260 kilojoules of UV a square meter compared to 658 kilojoules in snow-covered areas. The findings are supported by the Japan Meteorological Agency. According to the agency, the reflection rate of UV light on beaches is often between 10 and 25 percent, compared to 80 percent in the new snow areas. The amount of light increased 4 percent with a 300-meter rise in height. Most of us know that UV rays can harm the skin. That's why we wear sunscreen on our skin before we get out in the sun. But many of us may not realize that UV rays are also harmful to the eyes. If your eyes are exposed to large amounts of UV radiation over a short period of time, you may experience a kind of sunburn of the eye, which is harmful. Your eyes will become red and feel a strange feeling. They may be sensitive to light. Fortunately, this is usually temporary and seldom causes permanent damage to the eyes. Long-term exposure to UV radiation, however, can be more serious. Scientific studies and researches have shown that exposure to small amounts of UV radiation over a period of many years increases the chance of eye damage, which could lead to total blindness. What will the passage most probably talk about next? A. Never ski on newly fallen snow in Japan. B. Take some measures to protect your eyes while skiing in new snow areas. C. Wearing a hat can provide protection while skiing in new snow areas. D. Go to hospital to have your eyes examined. Answer: B. Take some measures to protect your eyes while skiing in new snow areas. The last few days before Christmas passed quickly and it was soon Christmas Eve. That night when everyone went to bed, Bunny couldn't sleep. He still couldn't think of what he wanted his special Christmas gift to be. He wondered how Santa Claus would know what to bring him if he didn't know himself. As he was sitting up in bed , Bunny heard a big noise on the roof and a sound downstairs. It was Santa Claus, he realized. Bunny jumped out of bed and raced down the hall to the stairs hoping to have a look at the old man with his own eyes. By the time Bunny reached the bottom of the stairs, though, everything was again silent .Beautiful gifts were piled under the Christmas tree, but Santa Claus was gone. He looked for him for a few minutes, but it was already too late. Bunny turned to climb back upstairs when he heard a cry. "Hello," said Bunny. "Is somebody there?" He was answered by another cry. Bunny looked around the big pile of gifts to see what was making the noise. Right under the tree was a funny looking brown animal with big feet and sad eyes. Bunny might have mistaken it for a dog, if it hadn't been for the antlers on its head. "Are you a reindeer?" asked Bunny. "Yes," replied the animal, "my name is Ralph." "And you were pulling Santa's sled ?" "I was until I got air-sick," replied Ralph," I'm afraid I wasn't _ the job. Now I'm stuck here and I don't know how to get back to the North Pole." "Well, if you like, you can stay with us as a friend," said Bunny. As he made the offer, Bunny suddenly realized the gift he wanted from Santa Claus was a new friend! Why couldn't Bunny fall asleep on Christmas Eve? A. He had a lot of things to do. B. He wanted to take a look at the reindeer. C. He was disturbed by a big noise . D. He was thinking of what gift he would get. Answer: D. He was thinking of what gift he would get. Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self- respect? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized as "honor" help you create this life of good feelings. Here's an example to show how honorable actions create happiness. Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item. If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk's mistake, we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement. Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune. On the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item, the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty. We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul. Then, what is it to do with our sense of happiness? In the first case, where we don't tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen. Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief. In the process, we would lose some peace of mind and self-respect. We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted, since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends. We damage our own reputations by telling others. In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk's attention causes different things to happen. Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable. Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect is increased. Whenever we take honorable action we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility. There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions. Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions. Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence. And it's easy to think and act honorably again when we're happy. While the positive cycle can be difficult to start, once it's started, it's easy to continue. Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which is important for our happiness. According to the passage, the positive action in the example contributes to our _ . A. self-respect B. financial rewards C. advertising ability D. friendly relationship Answer: A. self-respect Do your parents ever say, "act like a lady" or "be a gentleman" to you? But in the eyes of today's teenagers , what should a lady or a gentleman be like? Let's take a look. What is a gentleman? The girls have their ideas: Huang Xiaoyu of Guizhou: A gentleman doesn't always get angry . He wants others to be well and happy. He is always ready to help. There is a boy in my class and I think he is a gentleman. If I don't do well in the English exam, he will say, "You will do better next time." That makes me feel happy. Chen Tingting of Shenzhen: A gentleman always says, "Ladies first" When students clean up the classroom, he does the heavy work. He lets girls go into rooms first. There are no gentlemen in my class. When there is something to eat, the boys in my class always get them before girls! What is a lady? Boys tell us what they think a lady is: Wu Yifan of Dalian: A lady is quiet and kind, but she's not shy and she can talk about her ideas in front of others. To me, Dong Jie, a film star, is a lady. She is pretty and kind. She does a lot for others. Wang Lichao of Tianjin: A lady is not just beautiful but clever. She never says bad words. She is quiet and kind to others. I don't think there is a lady in my class. Most of the girls are " ", I think. What does Huang Xiaoyu think a gentleman will do if she doesn't do well in the English exam? A. He will say "You'll do better next time". B. He will get angry. C. He will say "You're so careless ." D. He will laugh at her. Answer: A. He will say "You'll do better next time". Widgets are manufactured wholly from raw materials mined and processed in the state of Green. The only two manufacturers of widgets in the United States are also located in that state. However, their widgets are purchased by retailers located in every state. The legislature of the state of Green is considering the adoption of a statute that would impose a tax solely on the manufacture of widgets. The tax is to be calculated at 3% of their wholesale value. Which of the following arguments would be LEAST helpful to the state in defending the constitutionality of this proposed state tax on widgets? A. At the time widgets are manufactured and taxed they have not yet entered the channels of interstate commerce. B. The economic impact of this tax will be passed on to both in-state and out-ofstate purchasers of widgets and, therefore, it is wholly nondiscriminatory in its effect. C. Because of the powers reserved to them by the Tenth Amendment, states have plenary authority to construct their tax system in any manner they choose. D. A tax on the manufacture of widgets may be imposed only by the state in which the manufacturing occurs and, therefore, it is not likely to create the danger of a multiple tax burden on interstate commerce. Answer: C. Because of the powers reserved to them by the Tenth Amendment, states have plenary authority to construct their tax system in any manner they choose.
Going to outer space is a little like going camping. You have to carry with you all the food and equipment you need for your trip, so your food can't be too heavy or hard to prepare. Plus, there are no refrigerators to keep food cold and fresh. Food with all the water dried out is lightweight and doesn't spoil. So, many space foods are dried on Earth and stored in special packets. Some taste good right out of the packet. On earth, gravity is the force that keeps your feet on the ground and your sandwich on your plate. But there's no gravity in space. To keep food from floating away, astronauts on the Space Shuttle attach the packets to a special tray. The tray can be fixed to a wall or to the astronaut's lap. To prepare their food, astronauts use liquid forms of salt and pepper. The liquid sticks to the food better. Regular salt and pepper would float away, maybe up an astronaut's nose. Liquids float right out of cups and glasses, though. So astronauts drink everything from a small bag with a straw that can be closed. Astronauts say that most space foods taste pretty good. Some, such as apples and pudding, are the same as the foods you eat on Earth. Astronauts eat tortillas instead of bread because they make fewer crumbs . Floating crumbs could get stuck in equipment or an astronaut's eye. Your body used food in space the same way it does on Earth. Your body must deal with waste in space too. During takeoff the landing, astronauts can't leave their seats to go to the bathroom. They wear diapers under their spacesuits instead. The Space Shuttle has a bathroom the size of a small closet. The toilet has bars that keep astronauts from floating away. A strong flow of air is used instead of water to flush waste down the toilet. Back on Earth it's flushed away-or sometimes studied by scientists. What is the passage mainly about? A. Astronauts' hard life in space. B. How astronauts go to the bathroom. C. The various foods astronauts eat in space. D. How astronauts eat and deal with waste in space. Answer: D Water can be a liquid, a solid or a gas. When it is a solid, it can be as hard as stone. When it is a liquid, it can run through your fingers. When it is a gas, you may not see or feel it. Water can change from a solid to a liquid or to a gas easily. This is why we always have fresh water. Now let us find out how it does. The heat of the sun turns liquid water into gas from the oceans, seas, rivers and lakes. The heat also turns liquid water into gas from the ground, the plants and the animals. Water in the gas rises and turns into clouds in the air. When the clouds come near a mountain, they rise high. As the clouds rise, they get cooler. The higher they rise, the cooler they become. Then more and more water gas turn into water drops. In this way, the drops of water in the clouds get bigger and bigger. Then they fall to the earth as rain. , When the water is a _ , we may not see or feel it. A. liquid B. soild C. gas D. snow Answer: C Good training plays an essential role in the development of an efficient workplace. Ensuring that employees receive the appropriate skills training for their job is the type of preparation that future success in business is predicated on. Seeking out experienced guidance better enables businesses to compete and succeed. Gainful employment is made even more worthwhile with help from Train to Gain. Funded by the Government, Train to Gain is a service that's managed by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Its purpose is to help businesses throughout England to choose the best and most suitable training to meet the needs of their particular environment and a competitive global marketplace. Train to Gain is responsible for introducing employers to independent and experienced Skills Brokers who identify and form a range of services vital to a productive working atmosphere. These Skills Brokers offer advice, match any training needs identified with training providers and will ensure that training is delivered to meet business needs. Train to Gain Skills Brokers review and analyze the employer's business needs to assess what skills are needed both now and in the future. The next step is the selection of the right training providers and the choice of how and when the training is delivered. A Train to Gain Skills Broker will recommend the best funding options available to the business and Train to Gain may even provide some funding itself to organizations. Over 43,000 companies have already engaged with the Train to Gain service. As a result, more than 175,000 employees have begun their training with over 77,000 first full Level 2 achievements over the past 12 months. By the end of 2013 it is expected that over 500,000 learners will have achieved a first full Level 2 qualification through Train to Gain. The service will increase the opportunity for employees from a low skills base to reach Level 2 and beyond. For more information about Train to Gain, visit traintogain.gov.uk, call 0800 015 55 45 or visit a Skills Broker in your area. Which of the following is the best title of the passage? A. How to be a Successful Businessman B. The Way to Succeed in your Business C. Train to Gain can Help your Business Succeed D. Good Training is Essential in Workplace Answer: C After helping Barack Obama sweep to victory in the US election, the president-elects motto of "change" was Friday declared character of the year by a monk at one of Japan's most respected temples. Using a calligraphy brush to write the single character on a wooden platform as tourists looked on, Seihan Mori, chief monk at Kiyomizu temple in the ancient capital of Kyoto, declared "change" to be Japan's character of the year. The event was hosted by a Kyoto-based group that promotes the use of "kanji," the Chinese characters used in the Japanese language. The public sent in 111,200 nominations for the kanji of the year. Of those, a majority 5.42 percent approved of "change," followed by "gold," suggesting the Beijing Olympics, and "fall" to show the global market decre.ase. "I think it is an expression of the Japanese peoples wishes to see political, economic and societal changes, as they were impressed by Mr. Obama's message of change," Mori said. He added that climate change also drew people attention to the significance of "change". The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation(JKATF) has been conducting a poll on the year's kanii each year since 1995. Last year's top choice was 'Nise' (fake). Which of the following is true according to the passage? A. The chief monk at Kiyomizu temple decided the kanji of 2008. B. 3 kanjis are nominated for this year's poll. C. "gold" is also selected the kanji of the year. D. The kanji event has been hosted by JKATF for more than 10 years. Answer: D Different countries have different customs in giving presents. In China you must never give a clock to a Chinese person, because the sound of the word for "clock" is similar to the sound of "death". Also, don't wrap(......) a present in white, black or blue paper, because they are the colours for funerals . Don't give a knife, because something sharp can cut a friendship. In Russia if you give flowers as presents, you have to give an odd number of them (one, three, five, etc.) because even numbers of flowers are for funerals. In Germany if you are invited to dinner, flowers are good presents to take to your dinner hostess , but don't take her red roses because it means you are in love with her. Don't take thirteen of anything because it's an unlucky number. Don't take an even number of anything, either. Don't wrap your presents in white, brown, or black paper. According to the passage, _ must never be given to Chinese people as presents. A. flowers B. clothes C. food D. clocks Answer: D
Question: Once upon a time there was a cowgirl named Callie. Callie was the most beautiful cowgirl in all the land. She rode a beautiful horse. Her horse was brown. There are plenty of other horses. There are black horses, white horses, and red horses, but Callie's brown horse was the only horse in the world. Callie lived in a beautiful house with her husband. Her husband's name was Henry. Henry was a very good farmer. He grew tomatoes. His neighbor grew corn, potatoes, and bananas. His neighbor's name was David. David had a son named James who played in Henry's field. One day James fell and Henry almost ran him over with his horse. It was very scary. James was very careful when playing in the field. His dad told him never to play in the field again and he listened. Henry was very sorry for scaring him and sent him a basket of tomatoes. What did Henry grow? A. Potatoes B. Tomatoes C. Bananas D. Corn Answer: B. Tomatoes Question: Scientists fear rising energy bills may lead to an increase in obesity after discovering a link between poorly-heated homes and higher body -fat. Researchers from the University of Stirling's Behavioural Science Centre set out to explore claims that warm indoor temperatures have contributed to rising obesity levels in winter.Instead, the team found that people who live in well-heated homes are more likely to have low body mass index levels while those who keep their heating turned down or off tend to be heavier. Dr Michael Daly, behavioral scientist and senior lecturer, said: "We set out to investigate the scientific claims that cooler indoor temperatures help us maintain a healthy weight by pushing our bodies to use up more energy. In fact, the research suggests people may eat less and burn more energy when in a warmer indoor environment. The 13-year study, published in the journal Obesity, involved more than 100,000 adults across England. Researchers found reduced weight levels among people living in homes heated to above 23degC(73F), which involved about 15,000 of the households studied. Dr Daly said: "As national gas bills continue to rise faster than the rate of inflation, this research suggests the obesity could worsen where heating is turned down below comfortable levels or off for long periods to cut costs." This is not just about people who live in well-heated homes being in the financial position to afford more expensive low-calorie foods, exercise classes and sporting activities, and therefore finding it easier to maintain a low BMI level.The study took age, sex, social class and other factors into account. "The comfortable temperature of 20degC -23degC is where we feel comfortable in our clothes and are neither hot nor cold.At temperatures above this, we use more energy and we eat less because our appetite is affected." Which of the following can be the best title for the passage? A. Obesity links to poorly-heated homes B. Well-heated home's contribute to obesity C. Obesity--- A weighty problem in England D. Rising energy bills help maintain a healthy weight Answer: A. Obesity links to poorly-heated homes Question: Crazy Festivals Mike the Headless Chicken Festival In 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen attempted to cut off the head of Mike, a chicken, so his wife could cook it up for dinner. However, the bird didn't die and lived another year and a half, making regular trips to the fair, where people paid a quarter to see the amazing headless chicken bird. Today, the spirit of Mike the headless Chicken is celebrated with a two-day May festival in Fruita, Colorado, which includes live music, a golf tournament , and lots of tasty chicken. Roswell UFO Festival In the summer of 1947, a flying saucer crashed on a large farm outside the town of Roswell, New Mexico. The government says it didn't come from outer space, but many top UFO researchers believe it did. Knowing a good thing when it crashes in their backyard, the citizens of Roswell celebrate the even every July with a three-day festival that features a costume contest, a parade and other activities. Be careful, though ---- that _ little person next to you could be from another planet. World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup The rattlesnake, a poisonous American snake, severs an important function in nature by keeping small pets under control, but when their numbers grow too large, they can cause serious problems for farmers. That's why every March the residents of Sweetwater, Texas, host a three-day festival to connect with the town's annual rattlesnake hunt. Visitors can learn about rattlesnakes, take a bus tour of their natural habitat, participate in a rattlesnake eating contest and so on. BugFest Every September, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh sponsors a daylong festival that focuses on something most people try to avoid: insects. Visitors can hold bugs that are not native, cheer on racing insects and learn about beekeeping. But the highlight for many is Cafe Insecta, where bugs are the main ingredient in a variety of tasty dishes. Llord Olsen cut off the chicken's head because _ A. his family wanted to eat it. B. he wanted to sell its meat at the fair. C. his family wanted to celebrate a headless chicken festival. D. he wanted to make money by showing a headless chicken. Answer: A. his family wanted to eat it. Question: From Britain to the Middle East and China, engineers and architects are pushing the boundaries of possibility as they strive to create the biggest and the best. Here are recently-selected seven wonders-to-be in the modern world which are near completion. Among these, Beijing Daxing International Airport ranks the first and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge ranks the third. No.1 Beijing Daxing International Airport, China Beijing Daxing International Airport, which is set to be the biggest airport in the world, is designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The new Terminal One will have a radial-like plan, designed to reduce passenger travel distances. The construction of the new airport started in 2015 and it is planned to be put into use in 2019. No.2 Kingdom Tower, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Adrian Smith, the architect who has designed the highest structure in the world, the 829.8 m-high Burj Khalifa in Dubai, is now working on his new project which will smash his own record by this over-a-kilometer-high Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. No one can be sure about the exact date of its completion but most probably the project will be ended in 2019. No.3 Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, China At about 50 km long, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will take the title of the longest water span in the world from another China's bridge in Jiaozhou Bay. The construction started in 2009 and will complete the first session in 2017. No.4 Chernobyl reactor, Ukraine The engineers of the USSR who fought to bring the Chernobyl disaster under control built a concrete sarcophagus to cover the hole that had opened up above the destroyed reactor. A new steel arched structure is being built, to be rolled on rails over the reactor, from which point demolition work can begin using cranes suspended from the new roof. Most possibly it will be finished in 2020. No.5 Hotel Abraj Kudai, Mecca Every hajj, Mecca receives more than two million pilgrims from all over the world. New buildings are being built to accommodate these pilgrims. The Abraj Kudai cluster of towers will hold more than 10,000 hotel rooms. It is expected that the construction work will be put an end to in 2017. No.6 Crossrail, London Crossrail is built to link east and west London through the sewers, cables, and the city's foundations. After its completion in 2017, it is expected to alleviate traffic jams in London. No.7 Grand Stade FFR, Paris Grand Stade FFR is designed especially for the French Rugby Federation. The stadium can accommodate 82,000 fans and is dotted with retractable pitches (a marked out area of ground on which a sport is played). A retractable roof apparatus is capable of turning the stadium into a giant interior. Hopefully the fans can gather there to watch thrilling matches in 2018. Which of the following can be completed the earliest? A. Grand Stade FFR, Paris. B. Crossrail, London. C. Beijing Daxing International Airport, China. D. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, China. Answer: B. Crossrail, London. Question: Hello, I'm Linda. This is a photo of my friend's family. Her name is Jane. These are her parents, Jeff Brown and Emily Brown. Those are her brothers, Harry and Dick. Is that her grandfather? Yes, it is. His name is Henry. . Jeff and Emily are _ parents. A. Linda's B. Rick's C. Henry's D. Jane's Answer: D. Jane's
A kind of little cars may take the place of today's big ones many years later. If everyone drives such cars in the future, there will be less pollution in the air. There will also be more space for parking in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. The little cars of the future will cost less. Driving will be safer, too, since these little cars can go only 65 kilometers an hour. The cars of the future will be fine for going around a city, but they will not be useful for a long way. Little cars will go 450 kilometers before they need to stop for more gasoline . If big cars are still used with the small ones, two kinds of roads will be needed in the future. Some roads will be needed for the big, faster cars and other roads will be needed for the small, slower ones. ,. There is much pollution in the air today because _ . A. people drive big cars B. people drive little cars C. small cars will go 450 kilometers before they need to stop for more gasoline D. the usual size of cars today is too small Answer: A. people drive big cars The US will seek to expand its own oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices , President Obama says . New contracts for exploration will be signed in non-protected areas of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico. In his weekly speech , the President insisted the US could reduce its need for imported oil and improve safety. Using his speech to tell Americans that he understood their concerns about rising prices, President Obama focused particularly on the price of fuel, which has risen in recent months. US consumers have historically enjoyed cheap fuel , but have seen prices rise in recent months even though US oil production in 2010 reached its highest level for seven years. Although the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was serious, Mr Obama said the Gulf remained a key part of the country's future energy supply. The President's proposals come after Republicans introduced a series of proposals that would expand and speed up oil and gas production. The White House has criticized the Republican proposals for safety reasons , but Mr Obama was clear in his speech that he felt safety and environmental standards could be maintained even though production might rise. " I believe that we should continue to expand oil production in America --even as we increase safety and environmental standards ,"he said. "As a nation, we should be investing in the clean, renewable sources of energy that are the solution to high gas prices." Mr Obama has previously called for a step-change in energy policy, saying the US must move towards getting 80%of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035. Which of the following is NOT included in Mr Obama's speech? A. The dependence on imported oil. B. Improving safety standards C. The reason for the rising oil prices . D. Expanding oil production. Answer: C. The reason for the rising oil prices . As a father, I always do my best to help my son, Peter. I like to help him with his study. I encourage him to join team sports. I send him to the summer camp if he wants to go. I also teach him to be both a good student and a useful man. He used to make me feel proud. I often thought he was the best son and I was the best father in the world. However, things changed two years ago. It was Peter's 12th birthday. My wife and I bought him a computer as a present. We thought it was necessary for him to learn how to use a computer in the modern world. We knew that some children were addicted to computer games and that they didn't study or work at all. Someone said that computers and the Internet were bad for children, but I didn't worry about it. I trusted my son. I believed that he could control himself. Peter did very well at first. He played computer games, but for only two hours every week. Most of the time he studied or wrote articles on the computer. We felt very happy to see that. When we finally learned that Peter was also addicted to computer games, it was too late. He didn't like studying at all. He no longer joined team sports. Sometimes we even couldn't find him at night. He spent several days and nights at the Internet cafe. We tried everything to help him, but nothing worked. What should we do? How long did Peter play computer games at first? A. About two hours every day. B. About two hours every week. C. About two hours every month. D. The whole day. Answer: B. About two hours every week. This is a list of the origins of some slang words or phrases that we all use regularly.These words are common in almost all English speaking nations. Cool Who hasn't used this word at least once in their life when speaking highly of something? This meaning of the word is ly new in English,but not as new as you might think.The earliest record found so far is from 1884 in the phrase"Dat's cool!" Kick the Bucket This means"to die".Many people consider the term to have come from a guilty man standing on an upturned bucket which was then kicked out from under his feet leaving him to hang,but there is no written evidence that this is the case.In fact,it is more likely from a different type of bucket entirely.In butchery ,when a pig was killed it would be hung from a pole.It is mostly likely that in his death throes ,the pig's feet would bang against the rail to which they were tied.Therefore,kicking the bucket was a term referring to the last actions of the pig before he finally died. Bob's Your Uncle Bob's your uncle generally means that something is simple or easy or a"job done".It is most likely that this phrase came about as a result of nepotism .In the late 1800s, Lord Salisbury(first name Robert)was prime-minister of Great Britain.After his third term he was _ by his nephew Arthur.Arthur had been made Chief Secretary of Ireland in 1886. Suspicions arose that Robert was favoring his nephew Arthur.The term"Bob's your uncle"could be used at the time as a reference to this charge of nepotism. If you want to praise something,the slang words or phrase you may use is"_". A. Cool B. Kick the Bucket C. To Die D. Bob's Your Uncle Answer: A. Cool I am Zhang Qiang. On weekends I often watch TV with my friend, Guo Peng. My favourite movie star is Baotian Lee .He is a great actor. He has a movie, Magical Doctor Xilaile(<<>> ).It's a very successful comedy. I think it's great fun. Guo Peng likes Michele Yan best. He likes her famous movie , Sleepless Night. It's a thriller. I don't think it's great. In fact, it's boring. Guo Peng also likes comedies. He often tells me, "Comedies are really fun!" My father likes them, too. He even wants to be a comedy artist! _ doesn't like Sleepless Night. A. Zhang Qiang B. Guo Peng C. Guo Peng's father D. Zhang Qiang's father Answer: A. Zhang Qiang
A good way to pass an exam is to work hard every day in a year. You may fail in an exam if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the exam. If you want to be good at English, you have to read stories in English, and to speak English as much as possible. A few days before the exam you should go to bed early. Do not go to bed late at night studying. Before you start answering in the exam, read carefully over the question papers, and try to understand the meaning of each question. When you have finished your exam, read over your answers. Correct the mistakes if there are any and be sure that you don't miss anything out. A. B.C.D,. (5,2,10) When people have finished the exam, they should _ . Answer: make sure that they don't miss anything out Martin was returning to work in his London office after spending two weeks with his brother in New York.He was coming back with a heavy heart.It was not just that it was the end of a wonderful holiday; it was not just that he invariably suffered badly from jet lag ; it was that Monday mornings always began with a team meeting and,over the months,he had grown to hate them. Martin was aware that colleagues approached these meetings with hidden agenda ; they indulged in game playing; and he knew that people were not being honest and open.The meetings themselves were bad enough-there was all the moaning afterwards at the meeting like"I could have improved on that idea,but I wasn't going to say". As this morning's meeting began,Martin prepared himself for the usual dullness and boredom.But,as the meeting progressed,he became aware of a strange background noise.At first,he thought that he was still hearing the engine noise from the aircraft that had brought him back to London.But,as he concentrated on the noise,it became a little clearer. He realized,to his amazement,that he could actually hear what they were thinking at the same time as they were speaking.What surprised him,even more than the acquisition of this strange power,was that he discovered that what people were saying was not really what they were thinking.They were not making clear their reservations.They were not supporting views which they thought might be popular.They were not contributing their new insights.They were not volunteering their new ideas. Martin found it impossible not to respond to his new knowledge.So he started to make gentle interventions,based more on what he could hear his colleagues thinking than on what he could hear them saying."So,John,are you really saying...""Susan,do you really think that?""Tom,have you got an idea on how we could take this forward?"They looked at him,puzzled.In truth,he felt rather proud of his newly-acquired talent. As the meeting progressed,it was clear to him that each member of the meeting was learning how to hear the thoughts of the others.The game playing started to fall away; people started to speak more directly; views became better understood; the atmosphere became more open and trusting. The meeting ended.As people left the room,Martin found that he could still hear what they were thinking."That was the best meeting we've ever had.""All meetings should be like that.""In future,I'm going to say what I think". What do we know about this Monday morning's meeting from the passage? Answer: Martin led people to express their real thoughts with the meeting progressing. Go to church, then have a big lunch, then go out to play while mum does the housework. That was a typical British Sunday in the 1960s. But things now could not be more different. Some British sociologists recently studied the typical British Sunday. They found that people get up later and do less housework than they did 40 years ago. They are far more likely to be out shopping or enjoying themselves than cooking Sunday lunch. Sunday mornings were busy 40 years ago. Most women caught up on their weekly housework and cooked a nice lunch. They seldom allowed themselves any "leisure" until afternoon, after the dishes were cleaned. Then there would be another rush to the table between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm for tea. But now, Britons can have brunch at the restaurant. Fewer people bother to cook themselves. "You only have two free days a week. You don't want to have to waste one because there is nothing to do but watch boring TV," said Elizabeth Biggs, 25, a producer in London. "On Saturday you are recovering from the week," Biggs added. "Sundays are the last chance for the weekend -- you want to get as much as you can out of the day before you have to go back to work." In the past, British women usually did their shopping during the week, while the husband was at work. "Now men seem to do that as much as women," said Jonathan Gershuny, a professor who took part in the study. Men also do more housework now on Sundays. Back in the 1960s, men were far more likely to spend Sundays out of the house -- at the pub or playing football -- before lunch. Which of the following is NOT true? Answer: British women did their shopping on Sundays in the past. I believe I've gotten this more than once. One lady told me she thought I was 12 and even told her 14-year-old daughter the same. I saw lots of surprised faces because people were told I was actually 19 years old. I'm actually 19 years old, which isn't much of a problem. I'm like the oldest of my friends and the shortest, which is pretty funny. That's probably one of the reasons I fit in so well with them. I volunteered at a weekend school teaching young children. Parents always looked me up and down like "why is this 13-year-old girl teaching my child?!??!?" I guessed it was because I'm also petite ,and I didn't know whether I had a childish face...??? Sometimes I found it funny, sometimes I found it annoying . But I just shrugged it off at last. You know, soon enough people got to know me and then realized I was not actually a 13-year-old girl. This short thing used to be a problem for me, though. I was very very small when I was younger, so kids would _ me. When I was 12, 8-year-old girls would look down at me like "I CAN'TBELIEVEYOU'RETWELVE!" I had always wanted to be tall. But now that I'm older, I got used to it, and I actually love it. You know, I'm fun sized! How old is the writer now? Answer: 19 Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house. There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl into the house."Look!In comes one,"she said to the man in the house. The thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside,"She found me when I was just in." But the thief outside didn't believe him,so he said,"Let us two try to crawl into the house together."At that time two mice happened to crawl into the house,too. The woman saw the mice and shouted,"In come two,catch them!" The two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in the house said,"You saw them come in but where are they? I will catch them tonight."The two thieves started running away at once. The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the womanwere ploughing in their fields. The rein broke and the woman came home for a rope. She saw two men selling sweet potatoesand wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn't wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said,"How they look like the two of last night."The man said,"I asked you to fetch a rope,why don't you hurry for it?"The two thieves ran away quickly without their sweet potatoes. Which of the following statements is FALSE? Answer: The man let the woman go home for a rope,which would be used for catching the thieves.
We know, painkillers in a tablet can make your headache go away, and antibiotic from a tube can prevent your cuts from becoming infected. Can medicine come in chicken eggs? A team of scientists from Scotland says "yes." They've kept some special chickens that lay eggs with disease-treating drugs inside. These drugs are made of molecules called proteins. Animals make thousands of proteins--they're the main ingredients in skin, hair, milk, and meat. Since animals can make proteins easily, they're good animals for making protein drugs. Researchers have already made cows, sheep, and goats that pump out protein drugs in their milk. But chickens are cheaper to take care of, need less room, and grow faster than these other animals. "Those qualities could make chickens a better choice to become living drug factories." says Simon Lillico of the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh, Scotland. Lillico and a team of researchers changed chickens' DNA--the code that tells cells how to make proteins--so that the birds' cells made two protein drugs. One drug can treat skin cancer, and the other treats a nerve disease called multiple sclerosis. The scientists changed the chickens' DNA so that the birds made these drugs only in their egg whites. This protects the chickens' bodies from the drugs' possible harmful effects and makes it easy for scientists to collect the drugs. These special chickens can pass on their drug-laying abilities to their chicks. So far, the Scottish researchers have kept five generations of drug-producing chickens. But the scientists need to improve these chickens. The chickens don't make enough drugs to treat people yet. Once the researchers perfect their technique, you might eventually take your medicine from chicken eggs. Which of the following is Not True according to the passage? Answer: Chickens can produce the best quality of drugs among the drug-producing animals. Hello, my dear friends, today here's a funny cartoon for you! It is a Chinese cartoon. Its name is Happy Sheep and Big Big Wolf. In this cartoon, there are some sheep and three wolves. Happy Sheep is the leading role. He likes playing football and running. He runs faster than the other sheep. Pretty Sheep likes making clothes and growing flowers. She is very beautiful. Lazy Sheep is clever. But he doesn't like doing sports. He likes sleeping best. Force Sheep is stronger than the other sheep. Warm Sheep is the class monitor at school. Slow Sheep is 68 years old. He is old. He is the village head. Every sheep has a lovely pet. Big Big Wolf wants to eat sheep. Red Wolf is Big Big Wolf's wife. She is very bad. Banana Wolf is nice. He is the friend of the sheep. He likes eating bananas very much. Pretty Sheep likes _ . Answer: making clothes There is a lion in a forest. Every day he goes about to look for food. The small animals in the forest are all afraid of him. Not far from the forest there are four bulls( ). They are good friends, and often go about together. The lion tries many times to catch them, but can't do so. Every time he comes near, the four bulls stand together to fight him. So he can do nothing to him. One day the bulls have a quarrel( ). After that each of them goes his own way. When the lion sees this, he is happy. He catches one bull and eats him up. Then he catches another. One by one he catches all the four bulls and eats them up. Does the lion want to eat the bulls? Answer: Yes,he does. Ever since he got into the Hong Kong film industry in 1994 with He's a Woman, She's a Man, Hong Kong director, Peter Chan has been one of the industry's most powerful voices. Later in 1996, another milestone Comrades: Almost a Love Story came into being. Chan's latest film, American Dreams in China is a carefully-calculated film with an eye toward opening the mainland cinema market. American Dreams in China is a film purely for Chinese audiences, but how it plays there remains to be seen. It sends the right messages, but whether that's enough to make it a hit is everyone's guess. Mainland audiences aren't quite that easy to "speak" to. The film began during the period of economic reforms in China in the 1980s. The bookish farm boy Cheng Dongqing (Huang Xiaoming), the ambitious and confident boy Meng Xiaojun (Deng Chao) and the poetic Wang Yang(Tong Dawei), were three friends at university in Beijing and preparing for American visa interviews. Wang was the first to be _ the visa but he gave it up for his western girlfriend, and Cheng was repeatedly denied. Only Meng actually got a study visa. As he was leaving, he told his friends that he wouldn't come back. Several years later, Cheng and Wang built a successful school, New Dream, from the ashes of Cheng's misfortune(his girlfriend got a visa too, and Cheng lost his university teaching job) and Wang's ability to connect with students often through Hollywood movies. In America, Meng suffered a lot. Disappointed, he went home and joined his friends at New Dream. Later, the three friends' relationship became worsened, but finally was improved under the weight of their common goals. When the three men made preparations for American visa interviews, how many was/were offered a visa? Answer: Two There are some new students in my class this term. John is from Tokyo. He speaks Japanese very well. Mike comes from New York. He is twelve years old. Kathy's hometown is Paris. David lives in Toronto. He is now in our city with his parents. And the tallest girl, Vicky is from Brazil. She likes soccer very much. The other forty students are all Chinese. They get on well with each other. There are _ students in our class. Answer: forty-five
Hello, I'm Frank. I'm twenty-four years old. I live in Shanghai now. There are many tall buildings, big houses and busy streets in this city. My flat is on the eighth floor of a ten-floor building. There is a nice park. In the morning, there are many people doing exercise in it. My flat is small. It has no kitchen. There is only one bedroom. It looks nice and tidy. My favorite place is the balcony . I often sit on the balcony to have a rest . I work in a restaurant on a busy street. It is a good place to meet friends and taste nice food. I'm always busy cooking food and making coffee for the customers . When I'm free, I'll help the waiters clean the chairs and tables. Sometimes I feel a little tired, but I'm happy here. The flat is on the _ floor. eighth One day, I had a bad toothache. I couldn't eat anything. So I went to see the dentist. " What's wrong with your teeth? " asked the dentist. " I have a toothache. " I told him. " Let me see your teeth ...... Um, there's a hole in one of the teeth. Do you eat a lot of sweet food? " The dentist asked me. " Yes, I do. I often eat ice cream, biscuits, chocolate and I often drink cola and milk with sugar, " I told him. " All these are bad for your teeth. You must eat less sweet food and brush your teeth at least twice every day. Now let me fill your bad tooth. " What was wrong with the write? She had a toothache. Whether we find a joke funny or not largely depends on where we have been brought up.The sense of humour ismysteriously connected with national characteristics.A Frenchman ,for instance, might find it hard to laugh at Russian joke.In the same way, a Russian might fail to see anything amusing in a joke which would make an Englishman laugh to tears. Most funny stories are based on comic situations.In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a worldwide request.No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say ,Charlie Chaplin's early films.However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from America, has recently come into fashion.It is called "sick humour".Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent (cause by force)death or serious accidents.Many people find this sort of joke distasteful.The following example of "sick humour" will enable you to judge for yourself. A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas.From the moment he arrived there, he kept on pestering his doctor tell him when he would be able to go home.He was afraid of having to spend Christmas in hospital .Though the doctor did his best, the patient's recovery was slow.On Christmas day, however, the doctor consoled him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good.The man took heart and, sure enough , on New Year's Eve he was able to hobble along to a party.To compensate for his unpleasant experiences in hospital , the man drank a little more than what was good for him.In the process, he enjoyed himself and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals.He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg. The point of the joke taken to explain "sick humour" is that _ . no sooner was the out of hospital than he had to go back in again. Here are some tips on how to keep you,your belongings and your money safe during traveling. After all,it'd be a shame to spend all that time finding the best price for your trip,only to lose your cash and credit cards to a thief. Don't let others know that you are new here. You're a tourist. You know that,but you don't want anybody else to know that. Don't unfold your big map on a busy corner. Don't ask strangers on the street for directions. Learn your route ahead of time,and step into a business for directions whenever possible. Avoid flashing your Lonely Planet guidebook around,or publicly referring to your language dictionary when traveling abroad. Keep your friends close and your money closer. A lone traveler equals easy pickings for a seasoned criminal. If you are traveling alone,try to hide that fact. Stick with groups whenever possible and keep information sharing with chatty cab drivers and the like to a minimum. Another thing you don't want to advertise:where you keep your money. A fanny pack may be convenient,but it means "I'm not from around here!" If you have a purse,keep it close to your body,preferably under an item of clothing like a jacket or a sweater so that thieves can't steal it. Be sure that your wallet is in a securely fastened pocket. Or go like 007 with a hidden money belt. How cool is that? Be careful,even in your hotel room. Never blindly answer a knock at your door. If the knocker identifies himself as a hotel employee,call the front desk to confirm. Always make sure your hotel door completely closes when entering or exiting. Don't leave your valuables lying around when you leave for the day. That hotel safe is there for a reason! Who is this passage written for? Tourists. My name is Susan. I am a junior high school student. I like my school and my friends. I like my school because we have good teachers. They teach us many things. But then, I don't understand lots of things about school. I don't understand why we have to take so many tests . I have to take a heavy school bag with many books in it. I may have a test anytime. I don't like taking tests all the time. I wonder if I like my school life. It is hard for me to answer this kind of question. On one hand I am not happy because there are so many tests in the school; on the other hand I am happy because I can learn a lot and I can make good friends in school. . Does Susan really like her school life? It's hard to say if she likes it.
The Greeks had long kept certain more or less formal relations with the people of Macedonia . The Macedonians from their side had kept themselves well informed about conditions in Greece. Now it happened, just when Sparta and Athens had finished their disastrous war, that Macedonia was ruled by an extraordinarily clever man named Philip. He admired the Greek spirit but he looked down on the Greek lack of self-control in political affairs. It angered him to see a perfectly good people waste its men and money upon fruitless quarrels. So he settled the difficulty by making himself the master of all Greece and then he asked his new subjects to join him on a voyage which he meant to pay to Persia in return for the visit which Xerxes had paid the Greeks 150 years before. Unfortunately Philip was murdered before he could start this well-prepared expedition . The task of avenging the destruction of Athens was left to Philip's son Alexander, the beloved pupil of Aristotle, wisest of all Greek teachers. Alexander left Europe in the spring of 334 BC. Seven years later he reached India. In the meantime he had destroyed Phoenicia(,), the old rival of the Greek merchants. He had conquered Egypt and had been worshipped by the people of the Nile valley as the son and heir of the Pharaohs . He had defeated the last Persian king -- he had overthrown the Persian Empire, he had given orders to rebuild Babylon -- he had led his troops into the heart of the Himalayan mountains and had made the entire world a Macedonian province and dependency. Then he stopped and announced even more ambitious plans. The newly formed Empire must be brought under the influence of the Greek mind. The people must be taught the Greek language -- they must live in cities built after a Greek model. The Alexandrian soldier now turned school-master. The military camps of yesterday became the peaceful centres of the newly imported Greek civilisation. Higher and higher did the flood of Greek manners and Greek customs rise, when suddenly Alexander was stricken with a fever and died in the old palace of King Hammurabi of Babylon in the year 323BC. His Empire did not long survive him. A number of ambitious generals divided the territory among themselves. But they too remained faithful to the dream of a great world brotherhood of Greek and Asiatic ideas and knowledge. They maintained their independence until the Romans came. It can be implied that Philip organized a voyage to Persia_. A. to pay a return visit B. to avenge the destruction of Athens C. to start a well-prepared expedition D. to spread Greek culture Answer: B A young man is sitting by the road. He is eating something. A policeman is coming over. At once the man gets up quickly and runs down the road. The policeman runs after him. Te man runs very fast, but the policeman runs faster. After a few minutes, the policeman catches him. "Where are you going?" says the policeman. "You must be a criminal if you run like that when you see a policeman." "No, no," says the man. "I'm not a criminal. I'm just too fat, you see, and the doctor tells me I must always run fast after eating." "I see," says the policeman. "You're running to help to lose weight." A _ is coming. A. bus B. man C. friend D. policeman Answer: D Everyone knows that there's not enough land in Hong Kong. If you go there by air, you will land at Kai Tak Airport. It was built out into the sea. It is in the part of Hong Kong called Kowloon. Kowloon is one of the two big islands in Hong Kong. The other island is Hong Kong itself. You can get there by ship or through a tunnel under the sea. The population of Hong Kong is more than six million. Chinese and English are spoken by many people there. Clothes, computers, radios, televisions are made in Hong Kong. It is a shopping center. You can buy all kinds of things there. Hong Kong is also a beautiful city. It is a good place for traveling. People from all over the world visit Hong Kong every year. You can watch dog-racing and motor-racing there. When you are hot and tired, you may rest in the small cool gardens. There are also a lot of tall buildings with comfortable rooms to live in. If you enjoy eating out, you can easily find a good place for delicious food. Foods of different flavors are served in Hong Kong. Which of the following sentences is NOT TRUE according to the passage? A. Kai Tak Airport is in Kowloon. B. There're a lot of big islands in Hong Kong. C. Many people in Hong Kong speak Chinese and English. D. Hong Kong is a beautiful city for traveling. Answer: B Monday.....oh, I don't like Monday because I will have to go back to school again after the weekend. Tuesday is not so bad. I usually play tennis with my friends after school. On Wednesday evening I don't go out. I stay at home and do my homework. I like Thursday because the next day is Friday. I always go out on Friday -maybe to the cinema. I love the weekend. On Saturday I stay in bed until lunchtime, and I sometimes go to the shops in the afternoon. In the evening we go to a club--there are good bands there every Saturday. Then on Sundays I go to my friend's house or she comes to mine. I usually visit my grandmother for an hour in the afternoon. Then the weekend is over and it's Monday.... And I feel bad again! The writer doesn't like the Monday because _ A. Monday is the first day of a week B. he just spent a happy weekend C. Monday is the first school day of a week D. he will have many lessons on Monday Answer: C Hi! I am Jack. I am thirteen years old. I'm an English boy. Now I'm in China with my parents. I go to a middle school in Tianjin. This is my school day. I get up at half past six. I go to school at seven o'clock and I go to school in my dad's car. I want to walk to school, but the school is far from my home. I usually eat breakfast in the car. School starts at half past seven in the morning. We have five lessons in the morning and we have four lessons in the afternoon. I go home at six o'clock. I eat dinner at seven o'clock. I do my homework at half past seven. After that, I play the guitar. I go to bed at nine thirty. This is my school day. It is happy! Classes start at _ in Jack's school. A. 7:00 B. 7:30 C. 8:00 D. 8:15 Answer: B
Last year when Tom graduated from school, he came to Taibei. He didn't like to work on his father's farm and hoped to find a job in a big city. He went from one company to another but no one wanted him. With little money left, he got to the station, sad and tired. All he wanted to do was go back to his small town. It was very late at night and the station was full of people. They were waiting to buy tickets of the last train. He bought the last ticket, and he was very happy. At that time, a woman with a crying baby walked to him and asked him to sell her the ticket. He gave her the ticket because he thought they needed it more than he did. After the train left, he sat on the bench and didn't know where to go. Suddenly, an old man came and said, "Young man, I have seen what you did to the woman. I am the owner of a big company. I need a good young man like you. Would you like to work for me? Tom didn't take the train because _ . he gave his ticket to the woman Scores on a national test released on November 1 show that students in the U.S.A. have improved in math over the last two years, but mostly stayed the same in reading. This year, 422,000 fourth graders and 343,000 eighth graders took the exams between January and March. Students were asked to read grade-appropriate materials and answer questions for the reading test. For the math test, students answered questions about geometry, algebra, number properties, measurement and other topics. The U.S Department of Education released the scores in a report called The Nation's Report Card (NAEP). This year, students earned the highest scores ever recorded on the math exam, which has been given since 1990.Fourth graders scored an average of 241.That is a one-point increase from 2009and a 28-point increase from 1990. Eighth graders made similar progress. Then average score this year was 284,up one point from 2009 and 21 points from 1990. In reading, fourth graders scored an average of 221 points, the same average score since 2007.That score is four points above those from 1992, when the first reading test was given. Eighth graders scored an average of 265 points, up one point from 2009 and five points from 1992. Education experts say reading is a harder subject to improve in the classroom than math. While math is largely learned in classrooms, reading results depend on how much kids read outside of school and how much they read in other subjects, such as history and science. On the NAEP, math scores were the highest among students who have limited use of calculators during math lessons, compared with students who have unlimited use or no use. Reading scores were the highest among students who said they read for fun on their own time almost every day. What can we learn from the passage? Reading is hard to improve in the classroom because that requires students to read a lot outside of school. One year ago, I worked at a Chinese traditional medicine store. Business was not bad. Every day we mixed medicinal herbs for patients, so the store was always full of a strong herbal smell. After I had worked there for a time, a boy of 13 or 14 started coming and sitting on the stairs outside the store for a while every day. It seemed strange to me. "Do you like the herbal smell?" I asked him one day. "I grew up with this kind of smell," he said. He told me that his mother took herbal medicine for years, so he could mix herbs for his mother when he was very young. He mixed the herbs with deep love, hoping his mother would get better as soon as possible. "Is your mother well now? I asked. He shook his head. "My mother passed away three years ago." Looking up into the sky, he went on: "When I first passed by here and smelled the herbs, I thought of my mother. It is comforting to remember those days when she was alive. So I come here every day to sit for a moment. When I sit around this smell, I feel as if my mother is still alive and is waiting for her medicine in her room. We can tell from the story the boy _ . missed his mother very much Cities could soon be looking after their citizens all by themselves thanks to an operating system(OS) designed for the metropolis. The Urban OS works just like a PC operating system but keeps buildings 9 traffic and services running smoothly. The software takes in data from sensors dotted around the city to keep an eye on what is happening. In the event of a fire the Urban OS might manage traffic lights so fire engines can reach the blaze swiftly. The idea is for the Urban OS to gather data from sensors buried in buildings and many other places to keep an eye on what is happening in an urban area. The sensors monitor everything from large scale events such as traffic flows across the entire city down to more local phenomena such as temperature sensors inside individual rooms. The OS completely bypasses humans to manage communication between sensors and devices such as traffic lights, air conditioning or water pumps that influence the quality of city life. Channeling all the data coming from these sensors and services into a over-arching control system had lots of benefits, said Steve Lewis, head of Living Plan FT-the company behind Urban OS.The system can help with monitoring patients at hospitals. Urban OS should mean buildings get managed better and gathering the data from lots of sources gives a broader view of key city services such as traffic flows, energy use and water levels. " If you were using an anatomy analogy, the city has a network like the nervous system, talking to a whole bunch of sensors gathering the data and causing actions," said Mr.Lewis. " We distribute that nervous system into the parts of the body--the buildings, the streets and other things. Having one platform managing the entire urban landscape of a city means significant cost savings, implementation consistency, quality and manageability, he added. "And it' s got local computing capacity to allow a building or an automotive platform to interact with people where they are, managing the energy, water, waste, transportation, logistics and human interaction in those areas." That' s dealt with by the building itself, with the devices very locally talking to each other to figure out what' s the best solution for the current dilemma. The Urban OS can benefit the citizens because it can _ . provide the latest information for them What is a disadvantage of using moving water to produce electricity? The local ecosystem may be disrupted.
In our life, there are always some days that will never be forgotten. This was one of those days, a day when we were on a hike, I became my children's hero. This event happened the first summer after we moved to the mountains of Colorado. Wanting to enjoy the beauty of the mountains, my wife and I planned a day hike to the Brown's Creek waterfall. The kids were excited--a day hike, a chance to experience a waterfall, and a day spent with Dad and Mom. Our hike would take us up the Brown's Creek trail and after about 3 miles the waterfall would be on our left. After slowly climbing the first mile, the trail took us through a beautiful grassland and across the creek a couple of times. We decided to turn back before reaching the waterfall, mostly because we were tired and still didn't know how much farther _ was. While crossing the creek by walking on a downed tree trunk, our little Izzie fell into the creek and immediately started moving up and down in the current . Immediately, I jumped into the creek after her. I managed to grab her and push her to the bank. But now, I was the one in need of being rescued. I thought this might be the end and I wasn't sure if I could hold on. Then, I heard the voice of the love of my life, my wife's voice. She shouted loudly--Stand up! Stand up! With the last bit of strength I had, I stood, and walked out of the creek. The kids showed little concern for my health; they were looking after Izzie, now safe in their arms. But I did hear one of the kids say: Thanks Dad, for saving Izzie. You're our HERO! As we walked back down the trail, I enjoyed a rare, but one of those sweet moments in life, that I wouldn't trade for anything on earth. I didn't care about my wet clothes, the squish of water in my boots, or the embarrassment of nearly drowning in water; none of that mattered. I just walked along following my family, with my head held up, my shoulders back and my chest pushed out proudly enjoying the fact that, at that moment in time, on that particular day in life, I was my children's hero. The children were happy probably because _ . People usually check whether their keys, wallets and phones are with them before going out . But many people in China now have one more important thing to take -- a face mask . They hope that it can protect them from polluted air. Since January, many cities in China have seen a lot of foggy days.In Beijing, only five days in January were free of smog . It is dirty air that looks like a mixture of fog and smoke caused mainly by smoke from cars and factories in cities. Poor air has done harm to people's health, especially for children and old people. They fall ill easily and the hospitals are full of the the patients of respiratory problems. To respond to the air problems, the Chinese government and many Chinese people have started to take action. Beijing announced plans to use cle an fuel in government vehicles and plant trees. It also asked citizens to set off fewer fireworks for celebrations. Three students from No.4 High School in Beijing wrote a report to advise how to fight the air pollution. They suggested that cars with large emissions should not be allowed to use and factories should be closely watched. We hope more people will join us in making a difference. With all our efforts , the blue skies will certainly return for good. What are the main factors for PM2.5 according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences? One day in spring four men were riding on horseback along a country road. These men were lawyers, and they were going to the next town to attend court. There had been a rain, and the ground was very soft. Water was dripping from the trees, and the grass was wet. The four lawyers rode along, one behind another, for the pathway was narrow, and the mud on each side of it was deep. They rode slowly, and talked and laughed and were very cheerful. As they were passing through a group of small trees, they heard a great fluttering over their heads and a weak sound made by small birds in the grass by the roadside. "Stith! Stith! Stith!" came from the leafy branches above them. "Cheep! cheep! cheep!" came from the wet grass. "What is the matter here?" asked the first lawyer, whose name was Speed. "Oh, it's only some old robins !"said the second lawyer, whose name was Hardin. "The storm has blown two of the little ones out of the nest. They are too young to fly, and the mother bird is worried about them." "What a pity! They'll die down there in the grass," said the third lawyer. "Oh, well! They're nothing but birds," said Mr. Hardin. "Why should we bother?" "Yes, why should we?" said Mr. Speed. The three men, as they passed, looked down and saw the little birds fluttering in the cold, wet grass. They saw the mother robin flying about, and crying to her mate. Then they rode on, talking and laughing as before. In a few minutes they had forgotten about the birds. But the fourth lawyer, whose name was Abraham Lincoln, stopped. He got down from his horse and very gently took the little ones up in his big warm hands. They did not seem frightened, but cried softly, as if they knew they were safe. "Never mind, my little fellows," said Mr. Lincoln "I will put you in your own cozy little bed." Then he looked up to find the nest from which they had fallen. It was high, much higher than he could reach. But Mr. Lincoln could climb. He had climbed many a tree when he was a boy. He put the birds softly, one by one, into their warm little home. Two other baby birds were there that had not fallen out. All cuddled down together and were very happy. Soon the three lawyers who had ridden ahead stopped at a spring to give their horses water. "Where is Lincoln?" asked one. All were surprised to find that he was not with them. "Do you remember those birds?" said Mr. Speed. "Very likely he has stopped to take care of them." In a few minutes Mr. Lincoln joined them. His shoes were covered with mud; he had torn his coat on the thorny tree. "Hello, Abraham!" said Mr. Hardin. "Where have you been?" "I stopped a minute to give those birds to their mother," he answered. "Well, we always thought you were a hero," said Mr. Speed. "Now we know it." Then all three of them laughed heartily. They thought it so foolish that a strong man should take so much trouble just for some worthless young birds. "Gentlemen," said Mr. Lincoln, "I could not have slept tonight, if I had left those helpless little robins to die in the wet grass." Abraham Lincoln afterwards became very famous as a lawyer and statesman. He was elected president. Next to Washington he was the greatest. What can we learn form the passage? Mrs. Hunt comes back from work. She tells Mr. Hunt about a nice dress. "I see it in the shop every day," she says "and..." "And you want to buy it?" says Mr. Hunt. "How much is it?" "Two hundred and sixty dollars." "Wow, two hundred and sixty dollars for a dress? That's too much!" But every evening when he comes back, Mrs. Hunt only speaks about the dress, so at last he says, "Oh, buy the dress! Here is the money!" She is very happy. But the next evening, when Mr. Hunt wants to have a look at the nice dress, Mrs. Hunt says "I don't want to buy it." "Why not?" he asks. "Well, it's still in the window of the shop after a week. So I think no one wants this dress. And I don't want it, either." Why doesn't Mrs. Hunt want to buy the dress at last? Biotic forces can cause changes to the surface of Earth. Which is the best example of living organisms causing weathering?
It's that time of year again. The lead-up to everyone's favorite holiday -- Christmas! Usually Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day all the stores open early and offer the best discounts to their customers. Interestingly, people push to buy the cheapest products, just a few hours after giving thanks for the things they have. Usually televisions and laptops are the most popular products on Black Friday. People are willing to wait for hours for their favorite stores to open because they want very much to get the items they need. This year I decided to go out and grab a bargain at one of these sales, just to see what it is like. After a delicious Thanksgiving meal, I drove to the mall around half an hour before the stores opened. Already there were people lining up and waiting outside. Some had even prepared themselves with tents and hot chocolate to stay warm in the cold weather. I entered the store, but I wasn't looking for anything specific. I just walked around the store checking out the prices. I bought some cheap clothes, while other people were _ their shopping carts with tons of different items. Some people come to the Black Friday sales for the products, and others come to enjoy the experience. However, some stores can be a little dangerous during Black Friday. Every year there are always some cases of people fighting over the small number of goods. This year Wal-Mart learned its lesson and made the sales last longer. They made sure customers came for the first hour, got what they wanted and then left quickly. Why does the author say some stores can be dangerous? Because there are fewer products than needed. Which of the following correctly orders part of a fish's respiratory system from the least complex to most complex? cells -> tissues -> gills Educational Camps 2011 21st Century Princess Program: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday, July 23-27. For girls 12-15. Girls learn hair care, good manners and the importance of inner beauty. Homewood Suites by Hilton, 2001 E. Highland Ave., Phoenix. $495. www. homewoodsuites. hilton.com. (623) 848-1844. Barrow Institute Summer Camp: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, July 23 through Aug. 3. For ages 12-14. Activities include exploring laboratories and researching the effectiveness of treatments and medicines. July 23-27 for beginning students, and July 30-Aug. 3 for advanced students. Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix: $195-$220: www. thebni, com.(602) 716-2028. Digital Kids World Summer Camp: 9 a.m.--4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, July 30 through Aug. 17. For kids 6-14. Choose from a variety of technical classes, such as comic book design and video game design. Morning and afternoon camps held in weekly sessions . Digital Kids World, 5070 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. $150 weekly for kids 6-9; $225 weekly for kids 10-14. www. digitalkidsworld, com.(602) 445-3925. Kids Advanced College Program: Mondays through Thursdays, July 30 through Sept. 19. For ages 8-14. Classes include lively computer design, engineering and writing. Prices and times vary. Paradise Valley Community College, 18401 N. 32nd St., Phoenix. $99--$379. www.pvc.maricopa.edu. (602) 787-6804. Camp Zoo: Mondays through Fridays, July 30 through Aug. 13. For ages 4-14. Younger kids work with smaller animals, basic care giving and art projects, while older children explore animal medicine. Morning, afternoon, evening and full-day sessions available. Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. $153-$280 per week. www. phoenixzoo.org. (602) 273-1341. If Mary, aged 12, wants to learn how to behave well, which of the following will she choose? 21st Century Princess Program. Researchers in the field of psychology have found that one of the best ways to make an important decision, such as choosing a university to attend or a business to invest in, involves the use of a decision worksheet. Psychologists who study optimization compare the actual decision made by people to theoretical ideal decisions to see how similar they are. Proponents of the worksheet procedure believe that it will yield optimal, that is, the best decisions. Although there are several variations on the exact format that worksheets can take, they are all similar in their essential aspects. Worksheets require defining the problem in a clear and concise way and then listing all possible solutions to the problem. Next, the relevant considerations that will be affected by each decision are listed, and the importance of each consideration or consequence is determined. Each consideration is assigned a numerical value to reflect its importance. A decision is mathematically calculated by adding these values together. The alternative with the highest number of points emerges as the best decision. Since most important problems are multifaceted ,there are several alternatives to choose from, each with unique advantages and disadvantages. One of the benefits of a pencil and paper decision-making procedure is that it permits people to deal with more variables than their minds can generally comprehend and remember. On the average, people can keep about seven ideas in their minds at once. A worksheet can be especially useful when the decision involves a large number of variables with complex relationships. A realistic example for many college students is the question "What will I do after graduation?" A graduate might seek a position that offers specialized training, pursue an advanced degree, or travel abroad for a year. A decision-making worksheet begins with a concise statement of the problem that will also help to narrow it. It is important to be clear about the distinction between long-range and immediate goals because long-range goals often involve a different decision than short-range ones. Focusing on long-range goals, a graduating student might revise the question above to "What will I do after graduation that lead to successful career?" The author states that "On the average, people can keep about seven ideas in their minds at once" to explain that _ . human mental capacity has limitations In 1638, John Harvard donated some money and about four hundred books to a new university. This was the beginning of the library at Harvard University. The gift was so important that the university was named for John Harvard. Thomas Bray began the first free lending library in the late 1600s. He set up more than 30 or these libraries in the American colonies. However, the idea for this kind of free library ended when Bray died in 1730. In 1731, Benjamin Franklin and some friends started the first subscription library in the United States. In a subscription library people pay money to become members, but they may _ the books without paying again. In the United States, every child had a free education. This idea soon led to free libraries. One of the first libraries that used tax money to buy books was a library in Peterborough, New Hampshire. This library was set up in 1833. The reading does not say it, but we can guess that _ . there were free schools in the United States before there were free libraries
By knowing what kind of learner you are,you can organize your study to best suit your particular way of learning. Visual learning style These learners like to draw,build,design and make things.They like looking at pictures and enjoy jigsaw puzzles and mazes.They tend to think in pictures rather than words. Verbal learning style These learners are very good at listening and are often very good speakers and story tellers.They think in words rather than pictures.They like to read and write,and usually have good memories for such things as names,dates and places. Logical learning style These learners are very logical. They easily recognize numerical and word patterns and look for logical connections between ideas.They like to figure things out for themselves and love solving problems.They enjoy working with abstract ideas. Bodily learning style These learners like to move around a lot and to touch objects and people.They often wave their hands around when they are talking.They are good at physical activities,such as sport and dancing,and they enjoy making things with their hands. Naturalistic learning style These learners love to be outside.They are interested in nature and are usually fond of animals.They are often involved with nature conservation groups.They are excellent at planning picnics and other outdoor activities.They like to understand how things in nature work. Music learning style These learners appreciate music.They are usually good at singing or playing musical instruments and can often compose music.They are often very sensitive to noises around them and are sometimes easily distracted by background noises. Interpersonal learning style These learners like to be surrounded by people.They usually have lots of friends and like to join groups and clubs.They ale often the leaders of any group they join and they are very good peace makers. Intrapersonal learning style These people are quite happy in their own company.They spend a lot of time thinking about things such as their dreams and hopes and their relationships with other people.They prefer to work alone and to follow their own interests. The best title for this passage would be _ . A How Should You Learn? B How to Learn Best C Choose Your Style D Learning Styles Answer: D. Learning Styles Phase changing occurs when A water is poured into a glass B cake is left to cool on the counter C jello mix is refrigerated D turkey is sliced into pieces Answer: C. jello mix is refrigerated The Exterminating Angel Director: Luis Bunuel Country/Date : Mexico/1962 (black and white) Introduction : A party is organized in a high class society house. Many people are drinking and eating. It's getting late, but nobody is leaving. Even though the door is open, people seem to be locked in the house. They can't leave either the day or on the following days. So a rescue began. The Net Director: Irwin Winkler Country/Date: U.S.A./1995 Introduction: Angela Bennettt is a computer programmer who has devoted her life to computers and the Internet. She spends hours and hours in front of the screen. She does everything over the Internet, and she has some close friends in a chat room, though she has never talked to her neighbors. Kung Fu Panda Director : Mark Osborne & John Stevenson Country/Date : U.S.A./2008 Introduction: The leading character is a panda whose name is Po. He is lazy first but he has a great dream----to be a kung fu master. To make his dream come true, he goes to a faraway temple to learn kung fu from a master. However, one of his brothers, Tai Long wants to become the kung fu master, killing many of his brothers even the master. So Po fights against Tai Long and defeats him, The film is good especially for kids. Life is Beautiful Director: Roberto Benigni Country/Date : Italy/1998 Introduction: In 1939, during World WarII in Italy, Guido, a hopeful man, the main character fell in love with Dora, and they got married. Five years later, their lives changed. Guido and Joshua were taken by the Nazis to a concentration camp and Dora also went there with her husband and son. At that place, Guido tried his best to save his son's life in a special way. Which film is black and white? A The Exterminating Angel. B The Net. C Kung Fu Panda. D Life is Beautiful. Answer: A. The Exterminating Angel. Countries must learn to share water fairly if they are to prevent warring over water as population growth and climate change make it ever more scarce. Farming uses 70 percent of the fresh water taken from the world's lakes and rivers and need from farms is set to increase by 14 percent in the next 30 years. Water conflicts can happen in water-stressed areas among local communities and between countries. The lack of instruments for water sharing _ already difficult conditions. In the absence of clear rules, things will not be organized or arranged in order and power plays an important role. While humans drink between 2 and 5 litres of water a day, it takes 1,000-2,000 litres to produce a kilogram of wheat and up to 15,000 litres to produce a kilo of grain-fed beef. The daily consumption of water per person is a thousand times more than the consumption through drinking. Already 1.1 billion people lack clean water and, with the world's population set to grow from 6.5 billion to 8 billion by 2025, 1.8 billion people will face water scarcity by then. Global warming will exacerbate the problem, especially in poor, dry areas. To improve cross-border cooperation on water use, the 10 countries on the Nile are negotiating a water-sharing agreement which the Food and Agriculture Organisation hopes will be a model for other areas where the scarce water can be shared out peacefully. Which of the following may be the reason for water conflicts? A The lack of clear rules. B That farming consumes too much water. C That too much water has been wasted. D Environmental pollution. Answer: A. The lack of clear rules. A small town in Tasmania, an island off the south coast of mainland Australia, is making itself an environmental role model by becoming the country's first plastic bag-free town. Since April 28, Coles Bay's population of 175 and its tourist shoppers have been using reusable paper or cloth bags to carry their shopping. Ben Keamey, a local businessman who supports the bag ban, said it would cut the amount of waste and prevent damage to native wildlife that try to eat the plastic. "Most businesses here come from the tourism and that's all based on the environment, so people were pretty supportive," he said. Every year Australians use more than six billion plastic bags. More than half of these come from the supermarket. Since it takes years for the bags to biodegrade , tens of millions end up polluting the environment. They kill about 100,000 sea-birds and animals, which mistake bags for food, every year. Only in the past few months have major Australian supermarkets begun cutting on their use of plastic bags. Environmental groups are pushing for a plastic bag fee like that in Ireland. There, since plastic bags cost 10 pence (about 1 yuan) each, their use has been cut by 90 per cent. Pollution caused by plastic bags is a big headache for countries all over the world. As early as 1999, Beijing said that only plastic bags of certain thickness could be used. This was to encourage them to be used again and again, since an average of six million plastic bags are used there every there every single day. Which of the following statements is NOT true? A Plastic bags kill many animals in Australia each year. B Most Australian supermarkets have begun cutting on their use of plastic bags. C People at Coles Bay think poor environment may affect their tourism. D You have to pay for the plastic bags if you go shopping in Ireland. Answer: B. Most Australian supermarkets have begun cutting on their use of plastic bags.
A girl signals her friend by shining a flashlight on a mirror. Her friend can see the signal because Answer: light energy can be reflected from one object to another In 1992, when Xi Jinping worked in Fuzhou, he came across a newspaper report about "My Guling," written by a Chinese student studying in the United States. The report described an American couple who tried in vain to revisit a southern Chinese town called Guling, where the husband, Milton Gardner, had spent 10 years of his childhood before moving back to the United States in 1911. Gardner, who later became a professor of physics at the University of California, had been longing to revisit Guling since 1979 when the diplomatic ties between China and the US were set up. But he had never made the trip due to his failing health. According to the newspaper, Gardner kept uttering "Kuling, Kuling" in the final hours of his life. After he passed away, his wife Elizabeth Gardner decided to carry out the dying wish of her husband and since then made several trips to China in an attempt to find the small town that her husband had so much affection about. Her efforts ended in vain as she had few clues about the exact spot of the town. But a Chinese student lodging at the Gardners' recognized the small town as Guling near Fuzhou City from postmarks on some old mails of late Mr. Gardner. The student wrote an article about Gardners' story and sent it to the People's Daily, one of the major newspapers in China. "After I read the story, I immediately contacted Mrs. Gardner through the departments concerned and invited her to visit Guling," Xi told the media. Thanks to Xi's arrangement, Mrs. Gardner finally arrived at Guling in August 1992. She met there with nine childhood friends of her husband, all of whom were over 90 years old at that time. It was a happy occasion for Mrs. Gardner, who was later awarded the honorary citizenship of Fuzhou City, Xi recalled. "She said that she would value this bond of friendship between her husband and the people of China, because after seeing for herself the beautiful Guling and the warmth and goodwill of the Chinese people, she now understood why her husband had been so deeply attached to China." "I believe there are many such touching stories between our two peoples," said Xi. According to the passage, Mr. Gardner _ . Answer: was deeply impressed by Guling's people and environment Cambridge graduates are the most employable in the world,according to a global league table.The ancient university is the best at producing graduates who are'ready to work',a poll of major employers found. Oxford slipped to fourth place in the rankings having taken top spot last year.Harvard and Yale--part of the US'Ivy League'of universities--were second and third respectively. Five British universities were ranked in the top 20--one more than last year--and 12 were in the full list of 150. But the UK as a country came third--behind the US and Germany--when companies were asked to name the best nation for producing work--ready graduates. The table--the Global Employability University Ranking published by the International New York Times--also showed that universities in Asian countries were rapidly _ on their western counterparts . Asian universities claimed 20 percent of the top 150 places in 2014 compared with only 10 percent when the tables were first published in 2010. The other British universities in the top 20 were University College London,in 14th place,Imperial College London,in 15th,and Edinburgh,18th. The table showed the gap between a small number of top UK universities and less famous institutions. Laurent Dupasquier,managing partner at Emerging,a French human resources consultancy,said:"The top tier players.global brands (which tend to be all American and British).continue to lead,while other Anglo--Saxon universities,those that are mainly regional players,tend to develop less well,with an average of five places lost in comparison with last year." "Like the Premier League ,the champions have an international community of students and think internationally,unlike their more locally oriented counterparts." The table was made following a survey of 2,500 major companies in 20 countries.Employers were asked to rank universities against a range of criteria including their production of graduates who are ready to work and their links with business. The study claimed that'the days of ivory towers are over'. Why do regional UK universities tend to develop less well this year? Answer: They lack international students and think locally. Lin Feng is a student of Class One, Grade Seven. He likes basketball very much. He often plays it after school. And he often goes home late. His home is not far from school. And his mother knows _ . So she doesn't worry about him. One Saturday morning Lin Feng goes to a shop with his mother. The shop is very big. There are many things in it. It sells clothes, food and books. Then his mother says to him, "What do you want?" "I want a red blouse." says Lin Feng. "a red blouse?" asks his mother. "You can't wear a red blouse." Lin Feng smiled, "OK, please get me basketball clothes." What's Lin Feng's favorite sport? Answer: Basketball. Mrs Young was eighty. Her husband died when she was fifty - three and he left her an old car he had had for six years. She learned to drive and loved very much. She liked driving very fast, and was proud of the fact that she had never been caught for a driving offence . Then one day she nearly lost her record . A police car followed her, and the policeman in it saw her pass a red light without stopping and she was taken before a judge. The man looked at her and said that she was too old to drive a car, and the reason why she had not stopped at the red light was most probably that her eyes had become weak with old age, so that she had simply not seen it. When the judge had finished what he was saying, Mrs Young opened her handbag she was carrying and took out her sewing. Without saying a word, she chose a needle with a very small eye , and threaded it at her first try. When she had finished it, she took the thread out of the needle again and handed both the needle and the thread to the judge, saying, "Now it's your turn. I suppose you drive a car, and that your eyesight is good." The judge took the needle and tried to thread it. After trying six times, he had still not done it. At last he had to set the old woman free and her record remained unbroken. Mrs Young's car was _ years old. Answer: 33
Question: Andy the lion lived in Africa. He was a happy lion, and he liked to lay in the sun all day. One day when Andy got hungry, he thought about strawberries. He had never had a strawberry before. "Oh," he thought, "strawberries must be very tasty." He thought about how red they were, and how sweet they must taste. "I have to have a strawberry," said Andy. So Andy went to talk to his friends, to find out if they had any strawberries. He walked to a big field where he saw his friend Billy the Bison. Andy asked Billy if he had any strawberries. "No, I don't," said Billy, "All I have is a banana." Andy was sad, because he really wanted a strawberry, but he wouldn't stop there. Andy walked to the river to find his friend Charlie, the duck. It was a long way to walk, but Andy really wanted a strawberry. When he finally got there, he asked, "Do you have any strawberries?" "No," said Charlie, "I only have is an apple." This made Andy really sad, but he wouldn't stop there. Andy knew that he only knew one other friend who might have a strawberry, and that was David the Elephant. So he walked and walked and walked until he was finally at his friend David's house. Andy was tired, but wouldn't give up. Andy asked, "Do you have any strawberries?" David said, "Yes! Help yourself." Andy was excited, and finally tasted his first strawberry. Andy thought it was tasty. What fruit did any really want to eat? A. Strawberry B. Apple C. Watermelon D. Banana Answer: A. Strawberry Question: Opposite the winter solstice, the summer solstice features A. longer daylight B. less daylight C. brighter fires D. more darkness Answer: A. longer daylight Question: People have always wanted to speak with animals. There are many books about this, especially children books. Now there are also movies, such as Dr. Doolittle. When you watch animals, it seems clear that they can communicate with each other. Many people wonder why people can't also communicate with them. Scientists know how some animals communicate. Bees, for example, use their bodies. They do a kind of dance to give information about food. Birds, on the other hand, share information with sounds. They use certain sounds to protect their homes and to stay together when they fly. Some male birds use lovely songs to attract a female . Other animals communicate with both body movements and sounds. For example, dogs wag their tails when they are happy, and they bark when they are excited. People used to think it was possible to teach human language to animals. Parrots and other birds, for example, can learn to say words. But the birds just repeat the words. They don't understand them. Some American scientists tried to teach English to chimpanzees , close s of human beings. However, this was impossible. Chimpanzees can't move their mouths the right way. They could never learn to speak like people. Then scientists tried to teach human language to chimpanzees in other ways. Some tried with American Sign Language (ASL). Others tried with a simple computer. But chimpanzees could only learn to use a few words. They could never learn to use grammar. Their brains are very different from the brains of human beings. Now some scientists are studying the same points between human and animal language. In fact, some animals use sounds like people do. Dogs, for example, use an unpleasant, low sound to tell other dogs to stay away. People, too, use that kind of voice to say the same things. A dog's noisy bark communicate that something is happening. People use the same high tone when they shout, "Watch out!" Scientists want to understand the language of other animals, such as whales and bears. To do this, they go out to the animals' natural homes. They watch the animals for days or even years. They take pictures and make tape recordings and share the information with other scientists. In this way, they hope to learn more about the way animals communicate, and maybe someday we'll be able to communicate better with them. Dogs and people use _ . A. words when they communicate B. different sounds to mean the same thing C. a low sound to keep others away D. a high sound to keep others away Answer: C. a low sound to keep others away Question: The New Year is the time to buy a new calendar . Yet it can take a lot of time just to choose the right one. There are lots and lots of choices. There are small ones. Big ones. Calendars sit on a desk. Calendars hang on the wall. Calendars are carried around. In one way all calendars are the same. They all list the same days of the year in exactly the same order. Calendars have become popular gifts because many are filled with beautiful pictures. Some have pictures of famous art works. It is like hanging a different painting on your wall each month. You can even learn from calendars. They often give information about their subject--such as famous writers or American Indians or flower gardens. There are calendars about food and about beautiful places in the world. Calendars about sports and about movies. Funny calendars with popular cartoon characters. For pet lovers, there are calendars with pictures of cats doing unusual things. Three hundred sixty-five of them--one for each day of the year. There are calendars with pictures of cars, too. There are even calendars for children who can draw the pictures themselves. Some people do not just look at their calendars. They use them to write down important things they must remember, like meetings or doctor's appointments. Busy people can buy small calendars to carry around to help them organize and plan their life. Since there are so many choices, you must spend your time choosing your favourite calendars. To a dog lover, what kind of calendars does he want to buy? A. Calendars with pictures of dogs. B. Calendars with famous art works. C. Calendars about movies. D. Calendars about beautiful places. Answer: A. Calendars with pictures of dogs. Question: John moved into a new house. He was very happy. He had an old cat and a young cat. He liked them very much, He thought, "I must let my cat go in and out of my house when I'm not at home." He had an idea. One day, a friend came to see him and saw two holes in his door. One is big, the other is small. "My dear friend," he said, "It's a very nice house, but why are two holes in your door of the new house?" "To let the cat in and out, of course." John said. "But why are there two holes? Is one hole all right?" "How can a big cat go through the little hole?" said John. "That's right. But can't a little cat go through a big hole?" The friend laughed. Which one is right? A. John thought clearly before he made the holes. B. John liked the small cat better, so he made a small hole for it when there was a big hole. C. John thought his idea was right before his friend asked him. D. John doesn't like his cats. Answer: D. John doesn't like his cats.
Vienna--Although Iraq's decided to stop oil deliveries , the 11-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will not increase production to make up the shortfall caused by Iraq. The 11 oil ministers decided to meet again on July 3 to discuss the effects of the Iraq temporary stop. The organization's president Charkid Khelil of Algeria said after the meeting that stocks were high and prices were stable and that quota increases were not necessary. The EU Commission has also expressed concern about Iraq's output stop. A speaker said OPEC had to take all possible measures to keep or lower the oil price. Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister Ali Al-Nuaimi had earlier said that there would not be any shortfall of oil in the market. The organization had already taken steps to fill the gap , he said. OPEC Secretary General Ali Rodriguez added that the period of the Iraq stop to export was not known, so other exporters were not going to lift quotas yet. If the market was destabilized , a suitable response would be made. Iraq stopped delivery of crude oil on Monday to protest against the UN Security Council's decision to extend the oil-for-food program by only a month, instead of the normal six-month renewal . Just before the Vienna meeting, oil prices had gone up, with a barrel of OPEC crude selling for 27.05 dollars, up from 26.81 dollars last Friday. And north sea oil was at 29.26 dollars Monday evening. OPEC wanted the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars and achieved that in January and March by reducing 2.5 million barrels per day off quotas. The attitude the EU Commission took towards Iraq's output stop is _ . A. indifferent B. concerned C. passive D. surprising Answer: B. concerned Congress passed a bill prohibiting the President from granting a pardon to any person who had not served at least one-third of the sentence imposed by the court which convicted that person. The President vetoed the bill, claiming that it was unconstitutional. Nevertheless, Congress passed it over his veto by a two-thirds vote of each house. This act of Congress is A. constitutional, because it was enacted over the President's veto by a two-thirds vote of each house. B. constitutional, because it is a necessary and proper means of carrying out the powers of Congress. C. unconstitutional, because it interferes with the plenary power of the President to grant pardons. D. unconstitutional, because a Presidential veto based upon constitutional grounds may be overridden only with the concurrence of three-fourths of the state legislatures. Answer: C. unconstitutional, because it interferes with the plenary power of the President to grant pardons. In our daily lives, Wechat is really hot now. Many people express themselves, exchange ideas and deliver information by Wechat. There are a number of reasons for Wechat to be popular. To begin with, Wechat is a cheap way of communication, which cuts down a great deal of the cost made by phone calls. Next, Wechat is to the taste of the most of people. Its attractive and lots of functions are loved widely. What's more, convenience also leads to its popularity. It is _ no matter where we are. However, it has problems, too. First of all, our IDs might be revealed when we use Wechat and we could be in danger. Secondly, we may spend more time on Wechat instead of with our family. As a result, relationship could break down. The last problem is that our attention might be drawn too much and sometimes we may find it difficult to focus on study. There is no doubt that Wechat will improve as time goes by. So let's look forward to the better Wechat and have more fun with it. How many problems you may have by using Wechat according to this passage? A. 1. B. 2. C. 3. D. 4. Answer: C. 3. When I was two years old, something happened which I have never forgotten. It was early spring, and there was a light mist over the trees and fields. The other young fellows and I were feeding at the lower end of the field when we heard the distant cry of dogs. The oldest among us lifted his head to listen. "There are the hounds ", he said, and immediately raced off. The rest of us followed him to the top of the field where we could see several fields beyond. Soon the dogs were all racing down the field next to ours, making a loud "yoyoyoyo" sound. After then came men on horses, some in green coats. Suddenly, the dogs became silent and ran around with their noses to the ground. "They've lost the smell of the hare." said the old horse. "Perhaps it will escape." But the dogs began their "yoyoyoyo" again and came at full speed towards our field. Just then a hare, wild with fear, ran towards the trees. The dogs jumped over the stream and ran across the field, followed by the huntsmen. Six or eight jumped their horses over the stream, close behind the dogs. Before the hare could get away, the dogs were upon her with wild cries. We heard a terrible scream, and that was the end of the hare. One of the men picked her up and held her by the leg. She was covered in blood, but all the huntsmen seemed pleased. I was so greatly surprised that at first I did not see what was happening by the stream but when I did look, I saw a sad sight. Two fine horses were down, one in the stream struggling to stand up and the other on the grass with one of his legs broken. One rider, who seemed unhurt, was climbing out of the water, but the other lay quite still. "His neck is broken," said my mother. "I can't understand why men are so fond of this sport. They often hurt themselves and ruin good horses, all for one hare that they could get more easily in other ways. But we are only horses, and don't know why men do these things." They carried the dead rider to our master's house, and then came back to the black horse on the grass. The animal was in great pain and one of his legs was broken. Someone ran to our master's house and came back to the horse with a gun. Soon after there was a loud bang and a terrible cry, and the black horse did not move any more. The writer probably holds the view that _ . A. hunting is a nice outdoor activity B. it is dangerous to hunt wild animals C. hunting dogs are good helpers to huntsmen D. human beings should treat animals well Answer: D. human beings should treat animals well More sunlight will be absorbed by A. a daffodil with curled leaves B. a rose with tiny leaves C. a peony with wide, smooth leaves D. a daisy with thin, short leaves Answer: C. a peony with wide, smooth leaves
Poole sued Darrel for unlawfully using Poole'sidea for an animal robot as a character in Darrel's science fiction movie. Darrel admitted that he had received a model of an animal robot from Poole, but he denied that it had any substantial similarity to the movie character. After the model had been returned to Poole, Poole destroyed it. In order for Poole to testify to the appearance of the model, Poole A must show that he did not destroy the model in bad faith. B must give advance notice of his intent to introduce the oral testimony. C must introduce a photograph of the model if one exists. D need do none of the above, because the "best evidence rule" applies only to writings, recordings, and photographs. Answer: D Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than it is today. People didn't have modern machines. There was no modern medicine, either. Life today has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. Water pollution has made our rivers and lakes dirty. It kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us talk louder and become angry more easily. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution. It's bad to all living things in the world. Cars, planes and factories all pollute our air every day. Sometimes the polluted air is so thick that it is like a quilt over a city. This kind of quilt is called smog. Many countries are making rules to flight pollution. Factories must now clean their water before it is thrown away, and they mustn't blow dirty smoke into the air. We need to do many other things. We can put waste things in the dustbin and do not throw them on the ground, there will be less pollution. Rules are not enough. Every person must help to fight pollution. What is the biggest problem in today's life? A Water pollution B Air pollution C Noise D Pollution Answer: D Are you an optimist? Do you look at your glass and see it as half full? Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining and that things generally turn out for the best? Do you believe that if something is meant to be, it will be? If you reply "yes" to all of these questions, then you are an optimist. You probably are enthusiastic, cheerful and outgoing. You may be successful at work and in love. But you may be misguided because things don't turn out for the best. You may believe that when one door closes another one opens (for example, you may fail to obtain a new job; another chance will come around soon). Wrong. When one door closes, another door slams in your face. That's bitter reality. Now a book has been published which confirms what pessimists have suspected all along. It's called The Positive Power of Defensive Pessimism. Its author argues that defensive pessimism can lead to positive results. Defensive pessimism is a strategy used to manage fear, anxiety and worry. Defensive pessimists prepare for the things by setting low outcomes for themselves. They carefully consider everything that may go wrong and plan for ways to handle these problems. And this gives them a sense of control. Lawrence Sanno, a psychology professor, says, "What's interesting about defensive pessimists is that they tend to be very successful people, so their low opinion of the situation's outcomes is not realistic. They use it to motivate themselves to perform better." So far, so good. _ . Defensive pessimists prepare carefully and consider what might go wrong, whether at work, on date or even in a sports game. It makes sense to have a back-up plan. There are many sayings in English urging caution. For example, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." And "Don't count your chickens until they hatch." To have a confident and optimistic approach to life's problems is good. But listen to what Woody Alien, the American comedian says, "Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem." There are pros and cons to being an optimist and a pessimist. Don't feel bad if you see the glass half empty. You are a realist. But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full. The writer would probably describe himself as _ . A an optimist B a defeatist C a realist D a scientist Answer: C 500 years ago in Britain, the burning of coal was increasing in cities like London. Coal was used in factories and also used to heat homes. Coal, when burnt makes a lot of smoke, which makes the air very dirty. About 200 years ago, the Industrial Revolution began in Britain. Factories were built, and even more coal was burnt. Air pollution was becoming a really big problem. Smoke and fog together make smog . Smog was a big problem in London's winter. Because of the cold weather, more coal was burnt to warm houses and this made more smoke. When smog stayed over a city, it became really hard to breathe and see clearly. In 1952, the Great London Smog happened and more than 4,000 people died because of the smog. New laws were made in 1956 and 1968 to stop such sad things from happening again. These laws were called the Clean Air Acts. These laws were made so that air would become cleaner. The laws encouraged people to use less coal or _ other fuels such as gas. Factories started using tall chimneys so that the smoke would go high up in the sky and no longer cover cities, and new factories were built in the countryside. Smog appeared less often and the air became cleaner. Which is the best title for the passage? A Air Pollution in Britain in the Past. B How to Make the Air Cleaner. C Smog Is Bad for the Environment. D New Laws to Stop Air Pollution. Answer: D Have your parents ever inspected your room to see if you cleaned it properly? Imagine having your entire houses, garage, and yard inspected at any time -- with no warning. Inspections were a regular part of lighthouse living, and a keeper's reputation depended on results. A few times each year, an inspector arrived to look over the entire light station. The inspections were supposed to be a surprise, but keeper sometimes had advance notice. Once lighthouses had telephones, keepers would call each other to warn that the inspector was approaching. After boats began flying special flags noting the inspector aboard, the keeper's family made it a game to see who could notice the boat first. As soon as someone spotted the boat, everyone would do last-minute tidying and change into fancy clothes. The keeper then scurried to put on his dress uniform and cap. Children of keepers remember inspectors wearing white gloves to run their fingers over door frames and windowsills looking for dust. Despite the serious nature of inspections, they resulted in some funny moments. Betty Byrnes remembered when her mother did not have time to wash all the dishes before an inspection. At the time, people did not have dishwashers in their homes. In an effort to clean up quickly, Mrs. Byrnes tossed all the dishes into a big bread pan, covered them with a cloth and stuck them in the oven. If the inspector opened the oven door, it would look like bread was baking. he never did. One day, Glenn Furst's mother put oil on the kitchen floor just before the inspector entered their house. Like floor wax, the oil made the floors shiny and helped protect the wood. This time, though, she used a little too much oil. When the inspector extended his hand to greet Glenn's mother, he slipped on the freshly oiled surface. "He came across that floor waving his arms like a young bird attempting its first flight," Glenn late wrote. After he steadied himself, he shook Glenn's mother's hand, and the inspection continued as though nothing had happened. If the inspector had opened the oven door, he would have seen _ . A an empty pan B many clean dishes C pieces of baked bread D a cloth covering something Answer: D
Chen Zhengshan has a special classmate, his 63-year-old grandma. His grandma began to look after him 10 years ago. Chen got a bad illness when he was three. His mother left the family. His father couldn't work. So his grandparents began to look after him. Chen had to take five kinds of medicine every day and it cost the family more than 1,200 yuan every month. Chen couldn't speak well. Some boys often laughed at him at school. He was very sad. In 2008, his grandma decided to go to school with him. She asked the school to let her do so, but the teachers didn't agree. In 2009, she made it,because the teachers were moved by her love. The teachers also asked students to help the boy and collected more than 600 yuan for him. The grandma planned to go to school with her grandson until he got well. She said,"My boy who likes playing the piano is as clever as the other children." ,. How is the life for Chen Zhengshan? A. Relaxing. B. Busy. C. Boring. D. Difficult. Answer: D I think that I am very lucky because I have a lot of friends. My best friend is Mai. She is 16 years old. She is 2 years older than me. We live in the same village. She is my neighbor and we are now classmates, so we have been friends for so long. Mai is tall and thin. With long black hair, she has got an oval face with big bright eyes, a high nose and a small mouth. Mai is very beautiful, especially when she smiles. She is always helpful, polite and honest . When her friends have difficulties, she always tries her best to help them. Although we have the same hobbies and interests, we have different personalities . I am sociable and enjoy telling jokes. My classmates think that I'm rather outgoing .Unlike me, Mai is quite serious and prefer quietness to noise.However, we can keep secrets together, so we are close friends. Mai is one of the best students in my class and she works hard. I like doing homework with her. She always tries her best to help me with my studies. I think as time goes by, our friendship will be deeper and deeper. The writer may be _ years old. A. 6 B. 14 C. 16 D. 18 Answer: B Mr. Ellis is very old. He has seen many changes in his home town. He knows that things are different now. But he never forgets the old days. He likes to talk about them. He often talks about his favourite birds, the robins (----). "When I was a boy, these houses were not here. There were wide fields and tall trees. Every spring robins would come. Thousands of them would fly up to the north from the south. They spent the winter in the south. Some would build their nests in the trees near our houses. Then people started to cut down trees, and they built more houses. The robins stopped coming. They couldn't build their nests near our houses because there were no trees." "Now there are too many houses and too many roads. There are no places for the robins. They do come any more ." _ built the nests in the trees. A. Mr. Ellis B. Some people C. The robins D. Some dogs Answer: C If you go to Brisbane, Australia, you can easily get a small book called Discover Brisbane free.Here is something about banks on page 49: ANZ Banking Group Cnr.Greek & Queen Sts ......................................................238 3228 Bank of New Zealand 410 Queen Street ............................................................ 221 0411 Bank of Queensland 229 Elizabeth Street ......................................................... 229 3122 Commonwealth Banking Group 240 Queen Street ............................................................ 237 3111 National Australia Bank Ltd 225 Adelaide Street ......................................................... 221 6422 Westpac Banking Corp 260 Queen Street ............................................................ 227 2666 Banking hours are Mon.-Thu.9:30 am to 4 pm.Fri.9:30 am to 5 pm.All banks close Sat.Sun.& Public Holidays. In Australia, the banks have their longest service hours on _ . A. public holidays B. Fridays C. Saturdays D. Sundays Answer: B In early November of 1503,during Christopher Columbus's fourth and final trip to America,his ship was seriously damaged in a storm.Columbus and his men had to live on a small island for several months while they tried to repair their ship and return to Spain. At first,the local people on the island were very kind to the European visitors,giving them allthe food and clothes they needed to survive.However,as the months passed,the local people became more and more unhappy with their guests,who were tricking and stealing from them.Finally the locals decided to stop helping.Without food or any way to leave the island,Columbus's group was soon in serious trouble. Luckily for Columbus,he had a book about the stars and planets on his ship.It described the movements of all the objects in the night sky.The book,written by a well-known German scientist,said there would be a total lunar eclipse on the evening of February 29,1504 and how long it would last. Columbus worked out the difference in time between Germ any and North America.He then had a meeting with the local leaders just before the eclipse would take place.In this meeting,Columbus told them his god was angry because the local people were no longer giving food.So his god would take away the moon to punish them.The moment Columbus finished talking,just as he had planned,the moon began disappearing. The local leaders grew frightened and quickly agreed to provide Columbus with food and anything else he wanted.But first,Columbus's god had to return the moon.Columbus told them he would have to discuss the idea with his god on his ship.Knowing the moon would stay completely hidden for about 48 minutes,Columbus returned just before the moon began to reappear.From that day on,until they finally left,Columbus and his men no longer had any trouble getting the food they needed. The local people became angry because the Europeans _ . A. looked very different B. had nothing to trade C. were cheats and thieves D. wanted to take their land Answer: C
Question: Have you heard of the story of the four-minute miles? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proves it wrong in 1954. What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when people, who do not know how to swim, fall in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learned swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not. Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam if the operator typed too fast. These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers command to your nervous system. I used a snake in my workshops of children to learn how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, said snakes were slippery, slimy and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India. Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change. The children visiting the writer's workshops might _ . A. learn how to keep off snakes B. become brave and realistic C. become clever and strong D. learn to review their beliefs Answer: D Question: You are a new manager at the American branch of your German firm in Chicago. With a few minutes to spare between meetings, you go to get a quick cup of coffee. "Hey, David, how are you?" one of the senior partners at the firm asks you. "Good, thank you, Dr. Greer," you reply. You've really been wanting to make a connection with the senior leadership at the firm, and this seems like a great opportunity. But as you start to think of something to say, your American colleague breaks in to steal your spotlight. "So Arnold", your colleague says to your boss, in such a casual manner that it makes your German soul cringe , "So what's your Super bowl prediction? I mean, you're a Niners fan, right?" The conversation moves on, and you walk silently back to your desk with your coffee. You know how important small talk is in the U. S. , and you feel jealous of people who can do it well. There's nothing small about the role that small talk plays in American professional culture. People from other countries are often surprised at how important small talk is in the U. S. and how naturally and comfortably people seem to do it--with peers,men,women,and even with superiors. You can be the most technically skilled worker in the world, but your ability to progress in your job in the United States is highly dependent on your ability to build and maintain positive relationships with people at work. And guess what skill is critical for building and maintaining these relationships? Small talk. What can you do if you are from another culture and want to learn to use small talk in the U. S. to build relationships and establish trust? Work hard to hone your own version of American-style small talk. Watch how others do it. You don't have to mimic what they do; in fact, that would likely backfire because people would see you as inauthentic. But if you can develop your own personal version, that can go a long way toward making you feel comfortable. What makes people from other countries surprised in American professional culture? A. The role small talk plays in work settings. B. American workers' attitude towards superiors. C. The special meaning of small talk. D. American workers' ability to make progress. Answer: A Question: If you go to visit London,you will see a lot of buses and cars on the road,you will also see a lot of bikes because more people travel by bike.Why? There are a lot of reasons for this.First,it's very cheap to buy a bike,and riding bikes is quick, too.You often need to wait for a bus for half an hour.When the bus comes,there are so many other buses and cars on the roads so the bus moves very slowly.The underground train is quick but very expensive. I travel to work by bus for about four years.I often arrive at work late and feel tired.Then one day , a friend of mine says, "I go to work by bike,why don't we travel together?""Because my bike's old,"I answer,"and there are so many buses and cars on the road.I feel afraid...""Don't be afraid!"says my friend,"If you follow me and we ride slowly,you will be fine." Two days later I buy a new bike.We go slowly, but we arrive at work quickly. I spend 40 minutes going by bus, but only half an hour by bike! Now I love riding a bike. And I feel healthy. Many people think my idea is good and maybe you'll see more bikes on the road in the future. Many people think in the same way as I do.That's why you see a lot of bikes on the road.Who knows,perhaps in the future we'll have roads for bicycles only.I hope so! I travel to work by bus for _ . A. a few months B. about four years C. two years D. one year Answer: B Question: Diary of a Do - It - Yourself Book This book based on Greg Hefley's own "diary" lets kids express themselves in an exciting way. In the book, kids will be asked: What was the best dream you have ever had? The worst thing you have ever eaten? The best secret you have ever heard? This Do - It - Yourself Book is unique and special because it has blank pages for readers to write their own stories and keep their own diaries. Author: Jeff Kinney List Price: $10.95 Price: $6.57 Buy it on Amazon.com. You save: $4.38(40%) Train to Somewhere Marianne, heading west with fourteen other children on a train, is sure her mother will show up at one of the stations along the way. Stop after stop goes by, and there is no sign of her mother in the crowds that come to look over the children. No one shows any interest in adopting shy Marianne, either. But that is all right. She has to be free for her mother to claim her. Then the train stopped at its final stop, a town called Somewhere... Author: Eve Bunting List Price: $6.95 Price: $6.95 Buy it on Amazon.com. You save: $0.00(0%) Chinese Children's Favorite Stories This volume of beloved Chinese stories contains a delightful selection from the rich store of Chinese legend. Discover many delightful animal characters as well as Chang'e and Guan Yin. Retold for an international audience, the stories with beautiful pictures will give children aged six to ten in other countries a chance to learn about both the tradition and culture of China. Author: Mingmei Yip List Price: $18.95 Price: $12.89 Buy it on Amazon.com. You save: $6.06(32%) The Way Science Works The perfect introduction to show how science explains the world around us! Eye-opening experiments and extraordinary photography bring science to life. Discover science in action from the principles that explain everyday facts to the theories behind the technology in today's fast-moving world. Full of facts about famous scientists, technology news and more. Author: Robin Kerrod List Price: $24.99 Price: $16.49 Buy it on Amazon.com. You save: $8.50(34%) Diary of a Do-It-Yourself Book is different from other books because you can _ . A. ask the author questions B. write your own stories in the book C. have a chance to see beautiful photos D. read many interesting stories about the author Answer: B Question: More than 200 activities have been held so far during the Chinese Language Year in Russia. It has not only made Chinese culture popular in Russia, but also improved understanding and friendship between Russians and Chinese people. More and more Russians begin to enjoy Chinese food and operas, watch TV programs to leam Chinese, and travel in China. Since the Chinese Language Year program in Russia started, so many events such as movie weeks, operas, Chinese language classes, language contests and teaching programs have been popular in Russia. Through the activities, Russian people have had a chance to leam more about the Chinese culture, literature, history and its life today. For example, the first group of 500 Russian students visited the Chinese cities of Beijing, Dalian and Qingdao. There they painted both countries' landmarks, including the Tian' anmen Square, the Great Wall, the Kremb ,the Volga River and the Red Square. When the Russian students returned, they took part in a photo contest and a writing contest to show their love for China. And Russians, especially young people, have become more and more interested in learning Chinese. To date, more than 130 universities in Russia are offering Chinese courses. More than 20 middle and primary schools have also taught Chinese as their first foreign language. _ activities have been held so far during the Chinese Language Year. A. Over 200 B. 130 C. Less 200 D. 200 Answer: A
Do you love holidays but hate the increase of weight that follows? You are not alone. Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods. Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods. With proper planning, though, it is possible to control your weight. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don't have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. The following suggestions may be of some help to you. * Do not miss meals. Before you leave home for a big dinner, have small, low fat foods. This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods. * Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables. A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full. Use a small plate ; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough. * Better not have high fat foods. Dishes that look oily have much fat in them. * Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables. * If you have a sweet tooth, try some fruits. They don't have as much fat as cream and chocolate. * Don't let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20 minutes' walk after a meal can help burn off calories . Before we leave for a big dinner, we should eat some _ . Answer: small and low fat foods New findings suggest that brainy card games such as contract bridge may temporarily raise production of a key blood cell including in fighting off illness. After 90 minutes of play, bridge players had increased levels of immune cells, according to the research reported last week. A researcher, Diamond, studied bridge players from a women's bridge club. She chose bridge players because the game includes skills stimulating a part of the brain called the dorsolateral cortex. Earlier animal research suggests that this part of the brain may play a role in the immune system. The findings are based on blood samples drawn from 12 women players. Their blood samples showed a rise in levels of white blood cells called T cells after they played bridge for 90 minutes. T cells are produced by the thymus gland and used by the immune system against diseases. The T cell count jumped significantly in eight of the bridge players, and slightly in the other four. The findings contribute to the field of neuroimmunology , whose name reflects the fact that the nervous system and the immune system are not considered separate and isolated systems. What isn't clear is whether the help to the immune system from an activity like contract bridge is lasting or temporary. It is also not clear whether the increase in T cells could finally be targeted against special illnesses. Diamond chose to study bridge players for the research because _ . Answer: this game stimulates a part of the brain that has something to do with immune system Once, a king had a great highway built for his people. Just before it was opened to the public, the king decided to have a contest . He invited his people to take part in the contest. Their challenge was to see who could travel the highway the best. On the day of the contest, some people came to the highway in fine clothing; some had fancy hairstyles or brought great food. Some young men came in their sports clothes and ran along the highway. People raveled the highway all day. But each one, when he or she completed the trip, complained to the king that there was a large pile of stones in the way that had blocked his or her travels. At the end of the day, a lonely traveler crossed the finishing line and walked over to the king. He was tired and dirty, but he showed the king great respect and handed him a bag of gold. He explained: "I stopped along the way to clear a pile of stones that was _ the road. This bag of gold was under it all. I want you to return it to its rightful owner." The king replied: "You are the rightful owner. You've earned this gold, for you won my contest." The man won the contest just because he was the only one who stopped to make the road smoother . Sometimes, the greatest prize comes not from helping yourself, but from helping others. Why could the man win the contest? Answer: Because he was willing to help others. If you travel in the city of Kunming, you can't miss the Kingdom of Little People. It opened in the summer of 2009 in the mountains in Kunming. There are tiny animals, little beautiful cottages and small furniture in the park. The big attraction of the park is the performances by little people. Many little people work in the park. Twice a day, they perform for visitors. They sing, dance and give a magic show. People who want to work in the park should be between eighteen and forty years old from any part of the country. And they should be under 130 cm in height. The creator of the park is a rich businessman. He wants the park to be like a fairyland. And he wants to do something good for _ in China. This theme park has brought together people of unusual stature . They enjoy being part of the community and impressing tourists with (......) their courage and skills. Are you interested in this fairyland? How about having a visit in the Kingdom of Little People? Which of the following is TRUE? Answer: Dwarfs have a chance to show their talent in the park. When she was twelve, Maria made her first important decision about the course of her life. She decided that she wanted to continue her education. Most girls from middle-class families chose to stay home after primary school, though some attended private Catholic "'finishing" schools. There they learned a little about music, art, needlework, and how to make polite conversation. This was not the sort of education that interested Maria or her mother. By this time, she had begun to take her studies more seriously. She read constantly and brought her books everywhere. One time she even brought her math book to the theater and tried to study in the dark. Maria knew that she wanted to go on learning in a serious way. That meant attending the public high school, something that very few girls did. In Italy at the time, there were two types of high schools: the "classical" schools and the "technical" schools. In the classical schools, the students followed a very traditional program of studies, with courses in Latin and Greek language and literature, and Italian literature and history. The few girls who continued studying after primary school usually chose these schools. Maria, however, wanted to attend a technical school. The technical schools were more modern than the classical schools and they offered courses in modern languages, mathematics, science, and accounting. Most people including Maria's father believed that girls would never be able to understand these subjects. Furthermore, they did not think it was proper for girls to study them. Maria did not care if it was proper or not. Math and science were the subjects that interested her most. But before she could sign up for the technical school, she had to win her father's approval. She finally did, with her mother's help, though for many years after, there was tension in the family. Maria's father continued to oppose her plans, while her mother helped her. In 1883, at age thirteen, Maria entered the "Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti" in Rome. Her experience at this school is difficult for us to imagine. Though the courses included modern subjects, the teaching methods were very traditional. Learning consisted of memorizing long lists of facts and repeating them back to the teacher. Students were not supposed to ask questions or think for themselves in any way. Teachers were very demanding, discipline in the classroom was strict, and punishment was severe for those who failed to achieve or were disobedient. High school teachers in Italy in those days were _ . Answer: quite strict
There is very simple way of measuring the height of a water-tower, which we cannot measure by climbing. Suppose, for example, that we wish to find out the height of the water-tower, AB, in a factory. We first of all go to where the water-tower is standing and measure a distance of, say, 25 feet from it. Then we take a stick, and stand it in the ground at the spot we have just marked. Let us suppose the stick we are using is 4 feet in height. We now walk farther away from the water -tower in the same straight line as when we measured off the distance of 25 feet. We go from the water-tower until we come to point E, where with our head on the ground, we see the top of the stick and the top of the water-tower in the same height line---that is, the top of the stick just covers the highest part of the water-tower. Every schoolboy can work out the height of the water-tower now. Suppose that the line CE is five feet. We know that the stick is 4 feet high and the distance BE is 30 feet. Thus, 5 is to 4 as 30 is to AB. To measure a water-tower in this way, _ . we have to use nothing but a stick Michael and Dick are good friends, but they like to play jokes on each other. One holiday, they decided to go to London together. They went to the station and bought their tickets. Michael got on the train first. He dropped his ticket on the platform when he got into the carriage. Dick, who was close behind, saw the ticket fall and quickly picked it up. He put it in his pocket, but didn't tell Michael. After they had been in the train for a while, they heard the conductor coming down the corridor, shouting, "Tickets, please!" Michael looked for his ticket and of course couldn't find it. "Oh dear, I can't find my ticket, Dick," Michael said. "Look for it carefully, Michael; it must be somewhere." said Dick. "No, I can't find it anywhere. What shall I do?" said Michael. "Perhaps you'd better hide under the seat; then the conductor won't know you are here." So Michael hid under the seat. At this time, the conductor came in. "Tickets, please," he said. Dick handed him tow tickets and said, "This is mine. The other is my friend's. But he prefers to stay under the seat." Michael and Dick would spend their holiday in _ . London Bali is a small prefix = st1 /islandofIndonesia, with an area of only 5,632 square kilometers. It lies to the east ofJavaIslandclosely. It is a pretty island that has many mountains and a pleasant climate. For a long time Bali was cut off from much of the world. The people of Bali were happy and had a peaceful way of life. They were not allowed to fight. At one time there had been terrible wars on Bali. Then the people decided it was wrong to fight and have wars. They made rules to keep apart those people who wanted to fight. Bali was divided into seven small kingdoms. The land around each kingdom was kept empty, and no one lived there. Since the kingdoms did not share the same borders, the people could not fight about them. On Bali, even the young were not allowed to fight. If two children started a fight over a toy, someone stopped them. When two boys argued, they would agree not to speak to each other. Sometimes they did not talk to each other for months. This gave the boys a chance to forget their anger. Families who were angry with each other also promised not speak to one another. Their promise was written down, and the whole village knew about it. If they broke their promise, they had to offer presents to their gods. What would probably happen if the people of Bali argued? They would promise not to speak to each other. A dog needs to be able to sense something visually, so it makes sure it can view Education and Training Make sure your skills are up-to-date If you're looking for a new job or you want to change your career, having up-to-date skills is the key to a successful job search and your future earning power. Choose the right training If you need training to learn new skills or enhance existing skills, make sure you got to know the following : What training program is the best for you? How will you pay for your training? You need to consider all these and more when you choose your training. Search for training providers Massachusetts school information is made available by the Massachusetts career information system (CIS). This directory includes most of the training providers and colleges in the states. The data for trade schools covers programs, admissions, schedules and costs. Descriptions for two-year, four-year, and graduate schools include information about school size, setting, programs, admissions, schedules, and costs. A link to the school's Internet home page is provided when available. Learn about the Entrepreneurial training program The Entrepreneurial training program (ETP) provides training and technical assistance to individuals with good business ideas and the desire to start their own business. Learn about Apprenticeship programs Division of apprentice training is a system for teaching highly technical skills through a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction. Also, it is responsible for promoting, developing and providing services for apprenticeship programs in the state. Many apprentice programs are in traditional building trade areas such as Carpentry, Electrical and Ironwork. In addition, apprentice programs are being developed in areas such as Information Technology, Banking and Finance, Childcare, Culinary Arts and Telecommunications. Use Online Resources Link directly to the websites of colleges and universities in the state of Massachusetts. Explore other online job databases. If you want to start your own company, you probably would turn to _ . the ETP
I was born in Brooklyn. My father was a small-business man and we never had much money. He supported the family, moved us to Merrick on Long Island, when I was 11. He just recently died at age 96. He was still driving and playing golf right to the end. He was the only guy I knew who at age 90 could shoot under his age. I guess that taught me something about perseverance. I went to the University of Michigan as an engineering student in 1960. I was standing outside the student union building when Senator John F. Kennedy made a campaign speech that essentially announced his plan for the Peace Corps. He talked about how students could provide service for the country. It was an important moment for me. After I graduated, I worked as a computer programmer for I.B.M. for two years. By then, the Vietnam War was in full swing and the draft had accelerated. I didn't agree with the war and was interested in finding alternatives. I.B.M. applied for a delay for me twice but the application failed. I went to work at M.I.T.'s Instrumentation Labs on a project designed to create a rescue vehicle for lost submarines . I thought this job would keep me out of the draft, but M.I.T. hadn't put in the proper paperwork and I got called in for my physical. The day before my physical, I broke my ankle playing tennis and, of course, my draft board didn't believe a word of it. I had to provide X-rays. I had tears in my eyes from the pain, but a smile on my face. I started John Snow Inc. in 1978 (Dr. Snow is considered the father of modern epidemiology because he traced the source of a cholera epidemic in the 1850s). We had a very clear vision of what we would be. It would not be about making the most money but having the most impact. My goal was to attract talented people who had that passion to focus on primary care, women's health, child health, and to do great work. I also run a nonprofit called World Education, which focuses on literacy. What motivates me is going to the field, either in the United States or overseas, and seeing the people whose lives we affect. I didn't grow up rich but had the advantage of growing up in the United States and getting a good education. I couldn't have started J.S.I. in many other places. And I believe there is a duty to try and assist people who are struggling against tough situations. The author wasn't enlisted into the army because _ . A. he didn't pass the physical examination B. he worked at M.I.T.'s Instrumentation Labs C. he objected to the Vietnam War D. he couldn't play tennis well Answer: A Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy. They have heavy pressures from their parents. Most students are always told by their parents to study harder and harder so that they can have a wonderful life when they grow up .Though this may be a good idea for those very bright students, it can have terrible results for many students who aren't gifted enough. Many of them have tried very hard at study but fail in the exams and make their parents lose heart. Some students feel that they are hated by everyone else and they don't want to go to school any longer .They become _ It is surprising that though most Japanese are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way .Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers' work to help their children .To make matters worse, a lot of parents send their children to those schools opening in the evening and on weekends. They only help the students to pass the exams and never teach them the very real sense of the world. Many Japanese schools usually has rules about everything from the student' clothes to things in their school bags. Child psychologists now think that such strict rules are harmful to the feeling of the students. Almost 40% of the students said that no one had taught them how to get on with others , how to tell right from wrong and how to show love and care for others, even for their parents. ,. How many students have been taught to how to get on with others? A. 40% B. 50% C. 70% D. 60% Answer: D What will man be like in the future -- in 5,000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today, for man is slowly changing all the time. Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is relatively a short period of time, so we may suppose that man will continue to grow taller. Again, in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain's capacity . As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and finally we shall need our brains more and more, and finally we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring a physical change too: the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger. Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over long period of time it is likely that man's eyes will grow stronger. On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life. But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald. Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and motions similar to our own. The change in man's size of the forehead is probably because _ . A. he makes use of only 20% of the brain's capacity B. his brain has grown larger over the past centuries C. he will use his brain more and more as time goes on D. the other 80% of his brain will grow in due time Answer: C If you choose a hot tourist spot for your holiday, you are likely to be drowned by a great number of tourists, noise and long lines. At this point you might wonder why you ever left home. Here are some tips to deal with crowds and avoid the trouble that might ruin your trip. Book Tickets In Advance Buy tickets online before you leave home, and skip the crowds and endless lines at your destination . Smart travelers can avoid the queue when visiting abroad with online ticket sales. Talk To People You can ask the travel agency and the hotel for help. Ask questions, get maps, ask about taxis, restaurants and the sites you wish to visit. These people are experts and can save you lots of time trying to find things out for yourself. Sign Up For Special Tours If there are any special events or tours being offered for your vacation, buy them in advance. Firstly they are usually cheaper bought in advance and secondly it makes sure you get booked in before they are sold out. Visit During the Weekdays We all know that most sites and events are less crowded during the week than on weekends when people are off work and the kids are out of school. Flights are also usually cheaper on weekdays than they are on weekends. Watch The Weather _ controls a lot of what we do especially for outdoor activities. Check the weather forecasts and plan your indoor and outdoor activities according to the weather ahead of time. How do you feel when you are drowned by a lot of tourists? A. Happy. B. Excited. C. Cool. D. Upset. Answer: D Which instrument should a student use to best examine bacteria? A. telescope B. hand lens C. microscope D. computer probes Answer: C
During a thunderstorm an animal is most likely going to relocate to a Letter to the Editor A heated debate is currently going on in our town. Should we allow the cinema to be constructed in the Havenswood Shopping Center? There is just one large area left to build on, and the theater would use up all of that space. Some people are excited at the idea of finally having our own movie theater. Others would rather travel ten miles to the nearest theater to keep our quiet town the way it is. They say it is enough to have Marvin's Movie Video Rentals. After all, Marvin's store keeps thousands of the latest videos. There are certainly benefits to renting videos. For one thing, you can plan your own schedule when it is convenient for you. You can relax on your sofa, and take a break whenever you need one. You can also talk to others without bothering any strangers seated nearby. In addition, it is a less expensive way to view a movie, especially if more than one person is watching the video. On the other hand, seeing a movie in a theater is an experience all its own. First, you can see the movie on a wide screen as the filmmaker intended. To be viewed on a television screen, a film must be changed in some way to make it smaller. One is the "pan-and-scan method, which involves removing some of the details in the picture. The other way, called "letterboxing, keeps the image the way it is on the big screen, with one annoying exception; because the big-screen style is wide, the same picture on a television screen must be long and narrow. Another problem is sound. The sound from a television cannot compare with the sound system in a theater. Your experience of a movie improves when you can clearly hear all of the sounds. Furthermore, at home, viewing companions often talk during a movie, which makes you miss out on what's happening in the film. Besides, having a movie theater will not mean that you can't still go to Marvin's! You will just have a choice that you didn't have before. Isn't it time for Havenswood residents like me to enjoy a little progress? In the author's opinion, the construction of a theatre will _ . The time may soon come when we say goodbye to most of the world's languages. Today humans express themselves in over 6,000 different languages. But that is quickly changing. Many scientists say that over half of these languages will disappear within the next 50 years. After 100 years, the languages used in the world will not be more than 20. Why? It is because people from different cultures live and work together much more often than before. This brings changes. The languages of the world's main culture are replacing the languages of the smaller cultures. Most international trade takes place in world languages such as English. People respect their own cultures and traditions, but when it comes to getting a job, knowing a world language is often necessary. It may mean the difference between success and failure. Technology works on the change of languages in an even more amazing way. Modern media such as radio and television give young people in developing countries much knowledge about the world. But this knowledge doesn't come in words from the mouths of their parents or the elders in their neighborhood. It usually comes in the language of a different culture. People in different cultures think it good for them to share a popular language. They can quickly share ideas and work together. Knowing the same language means easier communication and is a basis for trust. Is the death of a small local language such a terrible thing? The answer is maybe. Many cultures may have words for many useful things we know nothing about. If their languages die, their valuable wisdom may be lost forever. The future of the world's language depends on our actions now. Will we protect endangered languages or allow them to quietly disappear? Time will have the last word. By saying "Time will have the last word.", the writer means " _ ". Researchers at San Diego Zoo have been studying what has been described as the "secret language" of elephants. They have been monitoring communications between animals that cannot be heard by human ears. The elephant's call will be familiar to most people, but the animals also give out growls . Their growls, however, are only partly audible ; two-thirds of the call is at frequencies that are too low to be picked up by our hearing. To learn more about the inaudible part of the growl, the team attached (......) a microphone sensitive to these low frequencies and a GPS tracking system to eight of the zoo's female elephants. The researchers could then relate the noises the animals were making to what they were doing. Matt Anderson, who led the project, told BBC News, "We're excited to learn how they interact and contact with one another." The team has already learned that pregnant females use this low frequency communication to announce to the rest of their long gestation of over two years, in the last 12 days we see the low part of the growl, which we can't hear. This we believe is to announce to the rest of the herd that the baby is upcoming," said Dr Anderson. The researchers believe that this also warns the elephants to look out for coming danger. "You may think that a baby calf of about 300 pounds would not be as open to predation as other species," he says. "But packs of hyenas are a big threat in the wild." Female elephants are only in season for around four days every four years and these calls can be heard by males more than two miles away. By using a sensitive microphone and a GPS tracking system, the researchers wanted to find out _ Which property of a mineral can be determined just by looking at it?
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. Which of the following can't be used to describe the dog? Answer: Jean-Michael Lourdis was a promising young pianist. But when the young man played, it seemed to him, as if his hands were iron. He worried so much about his playing that he became oversensitive to the comments of his playing. Unfortunately, in those days, a critic was not considered a critic, unless he found something wrong. This attitude of the critics would often leave the young man ready to give up his dream and return home. He was invited to play in Helsinki. The rich, the famous, the leaders of State were all there. Jean-Michael had one of those days when everything went wrong. That night as he played, he felt as if it were the worst concert of his young life. The next day, in the newspapers, some of the comments were so unkind. The young musician was painful. That day, as he sat in his hotel room in total despair , there came a knocking at his door. He had a visitor.The famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius had come by to congratulate the young pianist on his performance. Jean-Michael asked how he thought of that and began to quote some of the newspaper critics. " Hands of iron. No imagination. Little skill. No joy. Don't you hear what they say?" he asked. Jean Sibelius looked at young Jean-Michael and said, "Remember, son, there is no city in the world where they have erected a statue for a critic." According to the passage, Jean-Michael Lourdis _ . Answer: I'd like to share a little story with you about something that happened when I was four. I remember it clearly. Our loving family dog was nearing the end of his life. My father picked him up and put him in a little bed we had made for him. Our dog, my companion, whom we had cared for, bit my father when he attempted to help him. How could he? Why? I couldn't understand it. I didn't like him anymore. I hadn't thought about that story for a long time but something that happened last week brought it back to me. I went to speak with a friend. When I knocked on the door, I met in an instant an angry look and a few harsh words. When the door was slammed in my face, I stood there shocked, and in a rush, I was reminded of my dog bit my father 20 years ago or so. What brought that story back was that same feeling of betrayal. Both stories taught me something the next day. You see, when I got up in the morning and was told my dog had died, it became clear to me that he must have been in great pain. For him to have bitten a family member, he could not have been himself. Much the same for the other story when I learned that my friend's wife had just left him. We are all beings of our environments, our opinions and feelings. And all of those things can cause you to say and do things that can't be understood by those who are not in the same situation with you. If you meet someone either behaving out of character or acting in a way that doesn't seem to fit the situation, put out your hand and be patient when you think it is least possible for him to do so. You may turn around a story that has a sad ending simply by your actions. What conclusion did the author get from the two stories? Answer: A "lost tribe" that reached America from Australia may have been the first Native Americans, according to a new theory. If proved by DNA evidence, the theory will break long established beliefs about the southerly migration of people who entered America across the Bering Strait, found it empty and occupied it. On this theory rests the belief of Native Americans to have been the first true Americans. They would be classified to the ranks of escapee, beaten to the New World by Aboriginals in boats. To a European, this may seem like an academic argument, but to Americans it is a philosophical question about identity, Silvia Gonzales, of Liverpool University said . Her claims are based on skeletons found in the California Peninsula of Mexico that have skulls quite unlike the broad Mongolian features of Native Americans. These narrow-skulled people have more in common with southern Asians, Aboriginal Australians and people of the South Pacific Region. The bones, stored at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, have been carbon-dated and one is 12,700 years old, which places it several thousand years before the arrival of people from the North. "We think there were several migration waves into the Americas at different times by different human groups," Dr. Gonzales said. "The timing, route and point of origin of the first colonization of the Americas remains a most contentious topic in human evolution." But comparisons based on skull shape are not considered conclusive by anthropologists, so a team of Mexican and British scientists, backed by the Natural Environment Research Council, has also attempted to take out DNA from the bones. Dr. Gonzales declined yesterday to say exactly what the results were, as they need to be checked, but indicated that they were consistent with an Australian origin. The skeletons found in the California Peninsula of Mexico have _ . Answer: If there is any single factor that makes for success in living, it is the ability to profit by defeat. Every success I know have achieved because the person was able to analyze defeat and actually profit by it in his next undertaking. Confuse defeat with failure, and you are doomed indeed to failure. For it isn't defeat that makes you fail: it is your own refusal to see in defeat the guide and encouragement to success. Defeats are nothing to be ashamed of. They are routine incidents in the life of every man who achieves success. But defeat is a dead loss unless you face it without _ , analyze it and leave why you have failed. Defeat, in other words, can help to cure its own cause. Not only does defeat prepare us for success, but nothing can arouse within us such a compelling desire to succeed. If you let a baby grasp a rod and try to pull it away, he will hold more and more tightly until his whole weight is suspended. It is the same reaction as should give you new and greater strength every time you are defeated. If you exploit the power which defeats give, you can accomplish with it far more than you are capable of. Defeat is valuable because _ . Answer:
Question: It's not polite to arrive at a dinner party more than 15 to 20 minutes late. The host or hostess usually waits for all the guests to arrive before serving the meal. If someone is late, the food may be spooked , and so might the host of hostess's spirit. If you will have to be late, call and tell them to start without you. It's even worse to be early !the host or hostess will probably not be ready. If you are early, drive or walk around the block a few minutes, or just sit in your car until the right time. Though it's often important to arrive at a party on time, yet on the other hand, for open houses, he host or hostess invites guests to arrive and leave between certain times, so you can arrive at any time within the times he or she gives you. It's nice to bring an empty stomach, but it's even nicer to bring a small present. The present should not cost a lot, or you might embarrass the host or hostess. Flowers, wine, or a box of candy will do fine. Never bring more as a present. In an introduction, the order of a name is (1)the given name, (2)the family name. In other words, the given name comes first. It's important not only to learn and remember names, but to repeat them often in conversation. After the introduction, we usually call friends by their given names. Older people may want you to call them by their titles and family names, such as "Mr.Jones", "Mr.Smith","Ms.Johson",or "Dr.Brown". A maiden name is a woman's family name at birth. In the United States and Canada, after a woman marries, she takes the family name of her husband in place of her maiden name. It is now becoming common, however, for women to keep their maiden names after they get married. It's nice to bring a _ present. A. cheap B. small C. good D. big Answer: B Question: Our education system was invented. There were no public systems of education before the 19th century. They all came into being to meet the needs of industrialism. So the most useful subjects for work are at the top and you were probably driven away from what you did as a kid at school--things you liked--because you would never get a job doing that. Is that right? Don't do music. You're not going to be a musician. Don't do art. You're not going to be an artist. In addition, the whole system of public education around the world is a process of university entrance. And the consequence is that many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they're not because the thing they were good at wasn't valued at school. I think we can't afford to go on that way. In the next 30 years, more people worldwide will be graduating through education than since the beginning of the history. Suddenly, degrees aren't worth anything. When I was a student, if you had a degree, you had a job. But now you need a Master's degree where the previous job required a Bachelor, and now you need a Ph.D. for the other. It's a process of academic inflation , and it indicates the whole structure of education needs changing. All the great teachers I've ever met and worked with are people who can inspire interest and curiosity and light up people's imaginations with the interests they themselves have for a particular field of work. I mean, teaching is not only a process of giving people direct instructions and information they have to memorize, it is much more than that. I believe our only hope for the future is to rethink the fundamental principles on which we are educating our children. And our task is to educate their whole being so they can face the future. By the way, we may not see this future, but they will. And our job is to help them make something of it. Things little kids like to do are not taught at school because they _ . A. are not useful for making a living B. are not challenging enough for students C. don't meet the expectation of parents D. don't fit in classroom teaching Answer: A Question: Recently we've had a popular department store open in our area. It's been the talk of the town for months. On about the third day of the grand opening, I thought I'd stop by to check it out. I noticed right away that the parking area was very busy. As I was about to exit my car, a lady was about to enter her car to leave. She was parked on the opposite side of me and there was a four way stop behind our parking areas. As the lady tried to back out to leave, some of the shoppers were extremely rude to her. They shouted and beeped their horns at the lady and she had a look of terror on her face. She looked at me and threw up both of her hands as if she didn't know what to do. I gestured for the lady to put her window down and I told her that she was doing just fine. She smiled and seemed to relax. I then became her rear view mirror as it was hard for her to see behind her while backing out of the parking space. As I watched for safety, she was able to back out enough to drive forward. At this point, she was smiling broadly!She thanked me many times. I felt that many of the other drivers weren't sympathetic enough toward. I was happy to help that lady. Besides that, who knows, we may have avoided a potential accident with this simple act of patience and kindness. Noticing the woman's difficulty, the driver _ . A. comforted her and guided her to drive out B. offered to drive her car out of the parking area C. told her to use her rear view mirror D. stood by smiling and watched her driving by Answer: A Question: Millie is a little girl who is at the age of nine. She is a pupil in a primary school. She works hard at her subjects. In class, she takes an active part in all kinds of activities. She looks smarter than her classmates. One day, she was doing her homework after supper as usual. Her father was not in. Her mother was taking a shower in the bathroom. After she finished her homework, Millie asked her mother to check it for her, but her mother didn't answer her. A few minutes later, her mother was still in the bathroom. Millie felt strange. She knocked at the door. But her mother had no answer. She pushed the door open and found her mother lying on the floor. At the same time, she smelled something terrible. It was the gas. She quickly opened the window, turned off the gas and called 120 and 110 for help. Soon some doctors and policemen came and sent her mother to the nearest hospital. Her mother was saved at last. Why did the little girl know how to do that? That was because she had learned how to save herself and others in danger in school. Why didn't her mother answer her? A. Because she was angry. B. Because there's something wrong with her mother. C. Because she wasn't at home. D. Because she is busy doing the housework. Answer: B Question: Matt is an adult. He is looking for a job. He hopes to become a clown someday. He wants to be a clown because he loves making people laugh. In order to be a clown, Matt must go to clown school. One day, Matt's friend tells him about a clown school in St. Louis. Matt becomes excited! The next day, Matt goes to the clown school in St. Louis. Matt's friend does not go with him. Matt's friend does not want to be a clown because he doesn't like to look weird. When Matt arrives at clown school, he sees a clown riding on a blue tricycle. The clown asks, "What are you doing here?" Matt says, "I want to become a clown." "Well, can you ride this blue tricycle?" the clown asked. "Yes," Matt said. He rode the blue tricycle all around the clown school. In the classrooms, in the gym, and in the lunchroom. "You have what it takes to be a clown," the clown said, "you are accepted to clown school." Why does Matt's friend not want to be a clown? A. He doesn't like to make people laugh. B. He doesn't know where the clown school is. C. He doesn't like Matt. D. He doesn't like to look weird. Answer: D
Newspapers in Great Britain _ greatly in their ways of carrying the news. There are serious papers for those who want to know about important happenings everywhere, both at home and abroad. There are popular newspapers for those who prefer entertainment to information. The London newspaper that is best known outside Great Britain is probably the Times. It began in 1785, and is well accepted for believable news and serious opinions on the news. It calls itself an independent paper, which means that it does not give its support to a particular political party. Its leading articles give the opinions of the editors, not those of the owners of the paper. Letters to the editor are printed in the newspaper. These parts of the Times are always interesting. Most of the letters are serious subjects. But from time to time there will be long letters on the subject which is not at all serious, perhaps on a new fashion of dress, or the bad manners of the young people, compared with manners of thirty years ago. If you want to get pleasure, please buy yourself _ . Answer: a popular newspaper Brenda Jensen said the operation was a great success which had saved her life. Thirteen days after the surgery she said her first words, "Good morning, I want to go home." It is the first time a voice box and windpipe have been transplanted at the same time and only the second time a voice box has ever been transplanted. Ms. Jensen, 52, had been unable to speak on her own since her voice box was damaged during surgery in 1999. Since then, she has been unable to taste or smell food, could breathe only through a hole in her windpipe and could talk only with the help of an electronic voice box. In October, surgeons at the University of California Davis Medical Centre removed the voice box and 6cm of the windpipe from a donor body. In an 18-hour operation, this was transplanted into Ms. Jensen's throat and the team connected it to her blood supply and nerves . Professor Martin Birchall from University College London, who was part of the surgery team, said: "We've learned that we can repair nerves to make even very complex organs function again. It'll open the door to better facial transplants and will be extremely important as tissue engineering develops. " A voice box transplant might be life changing, but it is not life saving. Everyone who receives a transplant must take drugs to control the immune system for the rest of their lives. These drugs can reduce life expectancy, so they are normally set aside for life saving procedures. One of the reasons Ms. Jensen was a suitable person for this transplant was that she was already taking immune controlling drugs after a kidney-pancreas transplant four years ago. Professor Peter Belafsky, part of the surgical team, said, "Brenda was an exceptional candidate for the transplant because she was highly motivated. Anyone who's met Brenda knows that she is a strong and determined person with a great outlook on life in spite of the many physical challenges she's faced over her lifetime. Ms. Jensen was a suitable person for this transplant because she was _ . Answer: strong-willed and prepared (The Guardian): More UK universities should be profiting from ideas A repeated criticism of the UK's university sector is its noticeable weakness in translating new knowledge into new products and services. Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be assured, despite an annual PS40m spent by the Department of Health on all kinds of research. However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UK shows that, from a relatively weak starting position, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialization activity. When viewed at the national level, the _ (interference) of the past decade have helped transformed the performances of UK universities. Evidence suggests the UK's position is much stronger than in the recent past and is still showing improvement. But national data masks the very large variation in the performance of individual universities. The evidence shows that a large number of universities have fallen off the back of the pack, a few perform strongly and the rest chase the leaders. This type of uneven distribution is not strange to the UK and is mirrored across other economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25% of universities are receiving 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and license income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which are research-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialization work creates differences between universities. The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximize the impact of their research efforts. Their purpose is not to generate funds to add to the bottom line of the university or to substitute other income streams. Rather, these universities should be generating the widest range of social, economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share their expertise (expert knowledge or skill) in order to build greater confidence in the sector. Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialization spilling out of our universities. On the evidence presented in my report, there are three dozen universities in the UK which are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialization work. If there was a greater coordination of technology transfer offices within regions and a simultaneous (happening at the same time) investment in the scale and functions of our graduate schools, universities could, and should, play a key role in positioning the UK for the next growth cycle. What does the author think of UK universities in terms of commercialization? Answer: They still have a place among the world leaders. The Process of Ageing At the age of twelve years, the human body is at its most vigorous. It has yet to reach its full size and strength, and its owner his or her full intelligence; but at this age the possibility of death is least. Earlier, we were infants and young children, and consequently more vulnerable ; later, we shall undergo a progressive loss of our vigour and resistance which, though vague at first, will finally become so steep that we can live no longer, however well we look after ourselves, and however well society, and our doctors, look after us. This decline in vigour with the passing of time is called ageing. It is one of the most unpleasant discoveries which we all make that we must decline in this way, that if we escape wars, accidents and disease we shall eventually "die of old age", and that this happens at a rate which differs little from person to person, so that there are heavy odds in favor of our dying between the ages of sixty-five and eighty. Some of us will die sooner, a few will live longer -- on into a ninth or tenth decade. But the chances are against it, and there is a virtual limit on how long we can hope to remain alive, however lucky and physically strong we are. Normal people tend to forget this process unless and until they are reminded of it. We are so familiar with the fact that man ages, that people have for years assumed that the process of losing vigour with time, of becoming more likely to die the older we get, was something self-evident, like the cooling of a hot kettle or the wearing-out of a pair of shoes. They have also assumed that all animals, and probably other organisms such as trees, or even the universe itself, must in the nature of things "wear out". Most animals we commonly observe do in fact age as we do, if given the chance to live long enough; and mechanical systems like a wound watch, or the sun, do in fact ran out of energy in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics . But these are not similar or equivalent to what happens when man ages. A run-down watch is still a watch and can be rewound. An old watch, by contrast, becomes so worn and unreliable that it eventually is not worth mending. But a watch could never repair itself -- it does not consist of living parts, only of metal, which wears away by friction . We could, at one time, repair ourselves -- well enough, at least, to overcome all but the most instantly fatal illnesses and accidents. Between twelve and eighty years we gradually lose this power, an illness which at twelve would knock us over, at eighty can knock us out, and into our grave. If we could stay as vigorous as we are at twelve, it would take about 700 years for half of us to die, and another 700 for the survivors to be reduced by half again. What does "ageing" mean according to the passage? Answer: It refers to a gradual loss of vigor and resistance. Researchers are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people's depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. "No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated ," Edwards points out. "The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution." In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activities before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner. "I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice," says a seventy-year-old lady. "When I'm watching TV, he'll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own." The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns. "At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog because it was metal and not furry," Beck says. "But it's amazing how quickly we have given up that belief." "Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more valuable health helper. They will record their masters' blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people's minds." What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs? Answer: It is easier to keep at home.
Connecting with Patients Dr. Paris often treats several generations of a family over many years. "He's seen us through two births, one operation, multiple earaches, a broken wrist and a recovery from a serious traffic crash," says Jill Farrow, a 43-year-old lawyer whose first visit to Dr. Paris was as a teenager. During the birth of her younger son, Farrow began bleeding badly. Dr. Paris managed to solve the problem in a delicate procedure. "Twenty years ago, she probably would have died," he says. Today, when he performs school sports physical examinations for the Farrow boys, 10 and 11, he is always reminded that lives are changed forever by doctors just doing their jobs. To be a mix of country doc and somewhat adventurer, the 55-year-old family physician moved to Hailey after completing his residency . He hoped to practice medicine there and ski at nearby Sun Valley. Unfortunately, the only job opening was for an emergency-room doctor in Missoula, Montana, 300 miles away. Dr. Paris took it. "I'd ski all day and then drive all night to be in Missoula for a 48-hour shift," he recalls. "I'm lucky to be alive." Knowing he couldn't keep up with his eight-hour commute , he began taking flying lessons. In 1981, Dr. Paris joined a small medical practice in Hailey, a former mining town with a population at the time of 2,109. As Hailey grew in the shadow of Sun Valley's booming popularity, Dr. Paris's own practice expanded to seven physicians, including his wife, Kathryn Woods, who is also a family doctor. They met in 1986 at a certification exam in Denver when, in a room full of men in stodgy suits, Woods arrived wearing a Lycra biking outfit and carrying the front wheel of her bicycle (which she couldn't lock up outside). Dr. Paris asked her out on the spot. In 1989, they married. What Jill Farrow says is to indicate _ . A. how weak the bodies of her family B. how hard it is to be a doctor C. how brilliant the physician's skill is D. how easy it is to deal with such problems Answer: C. how brilliant the physician's skill is While reading a book in English, every few lines of text, you run across a word or two that you don't know. You look up every new word in the dictionary. Bad move. All that does slow you down. Even electric or CD -ROM dictionaries can get in the way of your reading progress. A dictionary is like a road map. It can help you if you get lost and point you in the right direction. But if you stop to look at the "map" each time you take a step, you'll get nowhere fast. On your English learning "journey", a dictionary can be a helpful "travel companion "--if it is not overused. To help you start thinking in English, use an English-to-English dictionary. Otherwise, you will always depend on your native language and end up translating in your head. A good dictionary can help you do more than just find the meaning of a word. It can help you verify spelling, check word forms and grammar usage, find example sentence and learn pronunciation. Some dictionaries even provide exercises to teach you how to use their resources. Take time to get to know your dictionary. Learn the pronunciation symbols. Understand what the abbreviations mean. Try to master the important grammar rules. Look for charts, diagrams and lists might be useful in the future. You will discover how helpful it can be to make friends with your dictionary. And as they say, "A friend in need is a friend indeed." According to the passage, which statement can lead you to believe? A. The more you use a dictionary, the better you can understand the article. B. The more you use a dictionary, the faster you may read. C. The more you use the resources in a dictionary, the more you can benefit from it. D. The better a dictionary is, the more expensive it is. Answer: C. The more you use the resources in a dictionary, the more you can benefit from it. The Cost of Higher Education Individuals should pay for their higher education. A university education is of huge and direct benefit to the individual. Graduates earn more than non-graduates. Meanwhile, social mobility is ever more dependent on having a degree. However, only some people have it. So the individual, not the taxpayers, should pay for it. There are pressing calls on the resources of the government. Using taxpayers' money to help a small number of people to earn high incomes in the future is not one of them. Full government funding is not very good for universities. Adam Smith worked in a Scottish university whose teachers lived off student fees. He knew and looked down upon 18th-century Oxford, where the academics lived comfortably off the income received from the government. Guaranteed salaries, Smith argued, were the enemy of hard work; and when the academics were lazy and incompetent, the students were similarly lazy. If students have to pay for their education, they not only work harder, but also demand more from their teachers. And their teachers have to keep them satisfied. If that means taking teaching seriously, and giving less time to their own research interests, that is surely something to celebrate. Many people believe that higher education should be free because it is good for the economy . Many graduates clearly do contribute to national wealth, but so do all the businesses that invest and create jobs. If you believe that the government should pay for higher education because graduates are economically productive, you should also believe that the government should pay part of business costs. Anyone promising to create jobs should receive a gift of capital from the government to invest. Therefore, it is the individual, not the government, who should pay for their university education. The author thinks that with full government funding. A. teachers are less satisfied. B. students are more demanding. C. students will become more competent. D. teachers will spend less time on teaching Answer: D. teachers will spend less time on teaching American doctors say that mothers who smoke cigarettes before their babies are born may slow the growth of their babies' lungs. They say reduced lung growth could cause the babies to suffer breathing problems and lung diseases later in life. Doctors in Boston, Massachusetts studied 1,000 children. The mothers of some of the children smoked, while the other mothers did not. Doctors found that the lungs of the children whose mothers smoked were 8% less developed than the lungs of the children whose mothers did not smoke, and that the children whose mothers smoked had 25% more cold and breathing diseases than other children later in life. Another recent study found that children had a greater chance of having lung cancer if their mothers smoked. The study also showed that the danger of cancer increased only for sons and not for daughters, and that the father's smoking did not affect a child's chance of suffering from lung cancer. Which of the following is the best title of the passage? A. Effects of Smoking B. Smoking is Harmful C. Mothers, Don't Smoke D. Lung Cancer Answer: C. Mothers, Don't Smoke All you need to participate in home exchange is a house! You don't need to compare values of the houses or search for a _ partner in the case of a home similar to yours. It just requires identifying a home where you and your family can stay comfortably in the place you wish to visit. You need to search for a person or a family with whom you would be comfortable exchanging your home with,for a short period of time. In home exchange,you would be taking care of other people's home,as well as enjoying the country while they would be doing the same from your home. People who have traveled a lot would know that the most expensive part of traveling is paying hotel bills. In many cases, vacations cannot last for long mainly because of the high accommodation expenses. Holiday home exchange is one of the most simple and intelligent ways to cut down an accommodation expenses. It is an equal trade for bath the families and enables both to enjoy the advantages of a home while traveling to another country. Home exchanges have become very popular in major cities in the United Kingdom as it allows you to benefit from time-share. Mostly, people participating in home exchanges prefer to involve their friends or neighbors to entertain their visitors, by providing the home exchange visitors with information regarding the local sightseeing attractions. Many families with children try to swap houses with families who have children of the similar age group. It saves time and energy that is often exhausted in carrying around a number of toys and equipment. The individual traveler often finds house swapping a great way of relaxing in the comforts of a home after a tiring day of sightseeing and can spend more time to get to know the area better. The most suitable title for the passage is _ . A. Home Exchange for Your Holiday B. How to Find the Best House C. Everyone Loves Exchanging Homes D. Tips for Your Trip Answer: A. Home Exchange for Your Holiday
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. What is the best way for a woman to appear young according to the writer? A. Dressing up. B. Reading and learning. C. Feeding the flower. D. Making up. Answer: B An example of a circuit would be A. rock climbing B. running C. dimming a bulb D. swimming Answer: C Our children grew up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Even my husband and I sometimes ate one secretly at late night with a glass of milk. It was too delicious and tasty. My mother-in-law was the jelly maker in this family. The jelly was made of either grape or blackberry. The only job I did to the jelly making was to save baby food jars , which my mother-in-law would fill with the tasty gel , pack them up and send back to our home. For the past 22 years of my married life, whenever I wanted to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for ourselves, all I had to do was reach for one of those little jars of jelly. It was always there. This past December, my mother-in-law passed away. Among the things in the house to be divided by her children were the remaining canned goods in the pantry . When my husband brought his jars home, we carefully put them away in our pantry. The other day I reached in there to get jelly for a quick sandwich, and there _ was. Sitting all alone on the far side of the shelf was a small jar of grape jelly. As I picked up the jar, I suddenly realized something that I had failed to see earlier-this was the last jar we would ever have from my mother-in-law. Although she had been dead for nearly a year, so much of her had remained with us. Our children had never known a day without their grandmother's jelly. It seems like such a small thing, and most days it was something that was ignored. But today it seemed a great treasure. No longer was it just a jar of jelly. It was the end of a family tradition. I believed that as long as it was there, a part of my mother-in-law would always live on. What can we know about the author in making jelly? A. She could make baby food by herself. B. She could only collect baby food jars. C. She helped her mother fill the jars with the tasty gel. D. She sent the jelly jars home with her husband. Answer: B Lavender is a beautiful yet tough plant that grows in heat and dust. It has narrow, hairy leaves and a plentiful supply of oils to protect it from drying out. It has been cherished by all cultures alike, not only for its fine smell but also its valuable medicinal properties , since 3000 B.C. Lavenders are a small plant group containing about 50 different species Today, "true" lavender can be found growing wild in Italy, France, on the eastern coast of Spain and right into North Africa. It is also commonly found in cultivated form throughout the rest of Europe, as well as in India, China, Australia, the U.S.A. and other countries. Most lavender is cultivated at the latitudes of 40-45 degrees north and south of the equator. Lavenders is popular in part because it is so useful. Its essential oil is a very safe oil which can be used for first-aid as well as for a wide variety of common problems such as skin complaints, muscular pain and childhood illnesses. It is recognized for its antiseptic qualities, its ability to drive insects away, and its usefulness in washing. It is also one of the most popular oils for cosmetics and perfumes. Lavender is also known for flavouring teas, cocktails, desserts and cakes, and is often added to salt and pepper to create the very famous Herbes de Provence spice mixture. Its colour and smell have also made lavender a garden favourite for centuries, Finally, dried lavender has long been used as a spice to scent homes and closets. Which of the following is NOT true, according to the text? A. Lavender grow along the equator. B. Wild lavender can be found in North Africa. C. Lavender's oil is used in cosmetics. D. Lavender's oil can be used to protect the skin. Answer: A In the age of reality television.success isn't the only way to the public eye.Failure can also create fame,just like William Hung,21,a native of Hong Kong. Hung recently has made an agreement with US-based entertainment firms Koch Records and Fuse Music Network.They wilt publish a full-length record,titled"The True Idol"on April 6. The idol is a civil engineering student at the University of California at Berkeley He did a version of Ricky Martin's"She Bangs"on the television show"American Idol 3",on January27.The Fox TV singing contest searches for pop stars among ordinary people.In the case of Hung,however, his act was so bad that the judges cut him off in mid-act.Hung's response,"I already gave my best,so I have no regrets at all."That's good,because any common person would have found plenty to regret:The off-key singing.The blue Hawaiian shirt worn with pants pulled up too high The terrible dancing The hips jerking to a beat that did not belong to the song,maybe not even to this planet.It was,by all accounts,bad. But,it was this very bad act that sold well. Marc Juris,president of Fuse,explained it this way,"Every one of us is happily guilty of singing our favorite song at the top of our lungs with complete freedom.completely oft-key and completely unworried That's what William did and immediately won the hearts of America." Whatever it is,for the moment it is big.Three websites devoted to Hung have gone up on the Internet in the past few weeks.Versions of his performance have been remixed with hip hop and techno-music and have made it to the top 10 request list at a Chicago radio station. So,what does Hung think of this? "There were all these people saying things about me A lot were saying I was very courageous and that I was great on the show, but some didn't have much respect for me and some were kind of mean." Now he says he's not so sure whether to distance himself from the glamour or to accept it Returning to normal hasn't been easy. What is the main idea of this passage? A. Sometimes an idol behaves quite foolishly. B. Hung's performance attracted the public eye. C. How an unsuccessful person became famous. D. Success sometimes does not require hard work. Answer: C
When you're having a holiday, one of the main questions to ask is which hotel or apartment to choose. However, when it comes to France, you have another special choice: treehouses. In France, treehouses are offered to travelers as a new choice in many places. The price may be a little higher, but you do have a chance to _ your childhood memories. Alain Laurens, one of France's top treehouse designers, said, "Most of the people might have the experience of building a den when they were young. And they like that feeling of freedom when they are children." Its fairy-tale style gives travelers a special feeling. It seems as if they are living as a forest king and enjoying the fresh air in the morning. Another kind of treehouse is the "star cube". It gives travelers the chance of looking at the stars shining in the sky when they are going to sleep. Each "star cube" not only offers all the comfortable things that a hotel provides for travelers, but also gives them a chance to look for stars by using a telescope. The glass roof allows you to look at the stars from your bed. ,. You may have the chance to live in a treehouse when you visit _ . Answer: France I had worked long and hard on this project. Knowing it was finally completed gave me great satisfaction. "Perfect!"I said "Now, all I have to do is to keep the dogs off it."I went about setting . Up barriers using old fence, deck chairs, planters, and anything I could find so as to avoid footprints both on the oil paint and our carpet . It worked perfectly . Just before returning to the house and to a much needed shower, I took one last look at this fine work of art. "What is that?"I said. "Where did that come from ?" Clearly marked and evenly spaced across the entire area, the tiny marks ran in straight lines. .I carefully stepped to our flower garden. It was there I found several of the small markings. Now, almost frozen in place by this shocking discovery, I remained in position so as to prevent further damage to my work.. Just then, off to my left, it appeared. A chipmunk . He was as surprised as I was . We stood there face to face looking at each other, wondering who would make the first move . The warm , humid air was now getting the best of me . Sweat now ran freely over my head, and in poor timing into my eyes . I reached up to rub them and when I opened my eyes he was gone . My only satisfaction was in thinking that when he returned home he tracked oily footprints into his own home . And , hoping he was married , his wife would not let him live it down for the rest of his life . I stood up, shook my head, laughing about it and walking into my house. Yes, I tracked oil on the carpet. I am married. My wife will not let me live it down for the rest of my life . We can conclude from the passage that _ . Answer: the author was quite satisfied with his project "ONE in every 50 Shanghai women has cancer, a total of more than 140,000 women currently living in the city, and cancer statistics are based on citizens with permanent residency ," officials from the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention said ahead of International Women's Day on Friday. However, they said the city's rate of cancer in women was rising slowly along with its rising number of elderly people. Early screening for breast, colorectal and cervical cancers can help prevent 30 percent of cancer cases. Breast, colorectal, lung, gastric and thyroid cancers are the five most common cancer forms among women, with breast cancer accounting for 16 percent of Shanghai's new cases each year and colorectal cancer 13 percent. Cervical cancer, although only the 12th leading cancer in women in Shanghai, is particularly common among women between 25 and 54 years old. Dr Zheng Ying, director of the center's tumor prevention and control department, said , "breast, colorectal and cervical cancers accounted for 32 percent of female cancers". He added, " However, the three types of cancer can be detected and treated properly through early and regular screening. Our main target of women's cancer prevention education this year is breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer."The prevention and control of colorectal cancer will be a new public health project this year with the city government promoting a community-based screening program. Experts say women over 20 should examine their breasts every month and have annual clinical checks after the age of 35. Women over 50 should have mammograms(X) every two years. For cervical cancer, women over 20 should be checked every three years. Women over 50 years old should have annual medical checks. Zheng said anyone with a family history of the three types of cancer should be aware of the need for more frequent examinations and early screening. The five most common cancer forms among women in Shanghai are _ . Answer: Breast, colorectal, lung, gastric and thyroid cancers The brain receives information from the outside world through the sensory system.This information is collected through the eyes,the nose,the ears,the mouth and the surface of the body.It is then kept in the memory.In fact,scientists do not completely understand how the memory works but they are not sure how much information that the human brain can store.Also, it appears that the information is never lost.Very old people often remember things that happened in their childhood which have not come to their minds for sixty to seventy years.If we have kept something in our memory, it is here.But can we get it out again and use it? That is the difficulty. Some of the information we receive only goes into the Short Term Memory.We only keep this information for a minute or two,then we lose it.This temporary memory is very important in our thinking and understanding.It is used,for example,when you try to remember a name that someone told you a moment ago or a telephone number that you are going to dial .School children in class often seem to use the Short Term Memory if they are not interested in the subject.When school teachers describe this,they say that things go"in one ear and out in the other".But if a child is interested,he puts the information in his Long Term Memory, and he never loses it.Long Term Memory depends heavily on our understanding of the meaning of the information we receive. The better we understand the meaning of the information, _ . Answer: the more information we can put in our Long Term Memory Selfie is a photograph taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website. In the digital age, selfies have taken off in a way that no one could have predicted. The art of the selfie is one that lots of people have practiced and perfected in recent years. A recent study shows 91 percent of teens have posted a photo of themselves online. Some celebrities are regular selfie posters, too. It seems that selfies are more than just a trend. They are here to stay. Why are selfies so popular? The appeal of selfies comes from how easy they are to create and share. And posting selfies is popular for another reason: you can control your own image. "I like having the power to choose how I look," admits Samantha, a 19-year-old girl from Missouri, "even if I'm making a face." Actually, the most common selfie is the one where you look cute, partly because it's a quick way to get positive comments about your appearance. "If I feel pretty, I take one," says Andrew, a 23-year-old girl from Maryland, "when other people Like it, it's a mini boost of confidence." Sure, showing off a new coat or that you're at a cool event is fun, but can be a trap to fall in. There's a danger that your self-respect may start to be tied to the comments and Likes you get when you post a selfie, and they aren't based on who you are--they are based on what you look like. Seeking validation is totally normal, and it's a healthy way for teenagers to develop their identity. But with social networks, where it's easy to get quick approval almost constantly, the selfie thing can quickly go out of control. It may even start to feel like an addiction: when you get a "LIKE", you're up. But when you get nothing, your confidence can decrease quickly. Overall, opinions vary on selfie culture. It's up to you to shape the future of the habit. Ask yourself: are my selfies for fun, or do I need the comments? If you belong to the latter, it's recommended that you change your view. That could mean cutting selfies out entirely or just cutting down and making them more fun. So maybe you like to travel, or read or dance, or create crazy 3-D nail art...post them! Take it from us: it's so much more interesting. People enjoy posting selfies partly because _ . Answer: they can control how they present themselves
What environment is often green? Answer: tree zones Not many years ago,a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the south of England. He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries. When he was seventy-five, he gave PS 12,000 to the village school to buy land and equipment for a children's playground. As a result of his kindness, many people came to visit him. Among them was a newspaperman. During their talk,Johnson remarked that he was seventy-five and expected to live to be a hundred. The newspaperman asked him how he managed to be healthy at seventy--five. Johnson had a sense of humor. He liked whisky and drank some each day. "I have an injection in my neck each evening." he told the newspaperman,thinking of his evening glass of whisky. The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant. In his newspaper he reported that Johnson was seventy-five and had a daily injection in his neck. Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all over Britain,asking him for the secret of his daily injection. Which words do you think can best describe Johnson according to the passage? Answer: wealthy and humorous Trees use narrow tubes to transport water upward. Which property of water allows the water to rise in these narrow tubes? Answer: cohesion of molecules The 32ndHong Kong Art Festival,to be held early next year,will be based on the theme 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 multiple 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 February 8 to March 7,2004, the audience can choose from 111 performances of 51 programmes staged 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 spectaculars. 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 Quarter, pianists Angela Hewitt and Marc-Andre Hamelin, and saxophonist Jan Garbarek. In an effort to increase attendance, hotels and airlines are offering _ along with art festival ticket sales, most of which are at 20% and 30% discounts. For more information, please check: _ The 32ndHong Kong Art Festival _ . Answer: will be based on the theme of "family" and held for 29 days A class is modeling the differences between a unicellular organism and a multicellular organism. Which example is a model of a unicellular organism? Answer: a student getting cereal from the cabinet
Recently,CCTV journalists have approached pedestrians with their cameras,held a microphone to their mouth and asked a simple question :"Are you happy?" The question has caught many interviewees off guard.Even Mo Yan who recently won a Nobel Prize,responded by saying:"I don't know". While the question has become a buzz phrase and the Internet plays host to heated discussions,we ask:What exactly is happiness ?And how do you measure it? In the 1776 US Declaration of Independence,Thomas Jefferson set in writing the people's unalienable right to"Life,Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".Last year,235 years on,China's Premier Wen Jiabao told the nation:"Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily."At last year's National People's Congress,officials agreed that increasing happiness would be a top target for the 12thfive-year plan. US psychologist Ed Diener, author of Happiness:Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth describes happiness as "a combination of life satisfaction and having more positive than negative emotions",according to US broadcasting network PBS.This may sound straight forward enough,but it still doesn't explain what determines people's happiness. Many argue that happiness is _ and that there is no single source.It also means different things to different people.For some,happiness can be as simple as having enough cash. Researchers believe happiness can be separated into two types:daily experiences of hedonic well-being;and evaluative well-being, the way people think about their lives as a whole.The former refers to the quality of living,whereas the latter is about overall happiness,including life gods and achievement.Happiness can cross both dimensions. Li Jun,a psychologist and mental therapy practitioner at a Beijing clinic,says:"Happiness can mean both the most basic human satisfaction or the highest level of spiritual pursuit. It' s a simple yet profound topic ." Chen Shangyuan,21,a junior English major at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics,said his idea of happiness always evolves."At present it relates to how productive I am in a day,"he said."It might be linked to job security or leisure time after I graduate." Then there is the question of measuring happiness.Does it depend on how many friends we have,or whether we own the latest smart phone? Is it even quantifiable? Economists are trying to measure happiness in people's lives.Since 1972,Bhutan's GDP measurement has been,replaced by a Gross National Happiness index.It is calculated according to the peoples'sense of being well-governed,their relationship with the environment,their satisfaction with economic development,and their sense of national belonging. In 2009,US economist Joseph Stiglitz proposed "to shift emphasis from measuring economic production to measuring people's well-being".But is well-being more easily measured? From what Thomas Jefferson and Wen Jiabao mentioned in the passage,we know _ . Answer: Travelling around the world with children is difficult enough, but attempting it without using motorized transport is even more of challenge. But Dario Schworer, a 42-year-old climatologist and mountain guide, and his 33-year-old wife Sabine are on a journey to do just that. The Swiss couple want to travel across the world's oceans and climb the highest mountain on every continent to promote Earth-friendly ways of life. "We are collecting good examples of dealing with climate change and living in harmony with nature and we want to spread such ideas," Schworer said. "We want to help people affected by global warming and to inspire children for the future." Recently after having spent three months teaching children in the Everest region, the couple want to show it is possible to travel through as the world's climate zones using just human-power and forces of nature. In the 47 countries they have visited so far they have collected 22 tons of trash, taught people in Ecuador how the sun's rays can be used to clean water and inspired a person in Chile to build a house on water with recycled plastic bottles as a foundation. They have also collected trash in the mountains of Nepal with school children. So far they have communicated with 45,000 children from South America, Australia and Asia, giving presentations about the importance of recycling and using alternative energy like solar and wind power. "We need to motivate children," said Sabine. When they began their adventure in 2003 they had no children of their own. But since then two has become five: daughter Sabine is now five years old, Andri was born in Chile and baby Noe was born in Australia. _ the couple thought they would complete their travels in four years, but now, seven years later, they believe it could take seven more. "Since our belief is the need to respect nature, we travel only when conditions are good," Schworer said. The best title of the passage can be _ . Answer: In England, people don't often talk much. You can get on a bus or a train,and everyone sits looking out of the window. Often they read books and papers, but they don't talk much. When you meet English people they often talk about one thing--weather . So when you meet somebody in England, you can say, "Nice weather for the time of year!" "But it is a little cold today," somebody may answer. "But it will be a little warmer later,"you can say. Talk like this, and the English people will think," How friendly you are !" From the passage we know when you meet English people, you can say like this: _ Answer: Breathe, wave and smile. Along with more than 300 other seniors, I marched into the stadium on the afternoon of May 10. The audience burst into deafening cheers. The huge stadium shook with all the whistling and clapping. It was as if a Hollywood superstar had walked on stage. And indeed, every single senior that day was a star of the moment. Each deserved it. The seniors had been preparing for four years for this once-in-a-lifetime moment--the commencement . Seated, I waited anxiously for the opening address. As a foreign exchange student, I was not able to receive a diploma. However, I still had the wonderful feeling of being part of things. Like the other graduates, I was dressed in marron cap and gown . Our principal, Mr. Glover, delivered a short, warm greeting. The US national anthem followed and then, hands on chests, a solemn Pledge of Allegiance . Students who had excelled academically gave farewell speeches. The tears in some eyes convinced me that many had deep feelings about the occasion. It was as the class motto says, "Life brings us tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry; the smiles fade; but the memories last forever." Then came the core of the commencement. Hundreds of names were announced. Each graduate walked across the stage to receive his or her diploma from the principal. From the different cheers each graduate got, we had the funny sense that it was a kind of competition of who could cheer the loudest. To be honest, the presentation of diplomas got boring. A girl sitting next to me even started yawning. But it wasn't boring for those receiving the diploma: they would treasure the moment the principal placed the sacred brown document in their hands for the rest of their lives. A new page in the book of that person's life had turned. They were glimpsing their futures: futures of challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which would take all of their courage. Which of the following statements about the author is FALSE? Answer: prefix = st1 /Gland, Switzerland - Rivers on every continent are drying out, threatening severe water shortages, according to a new WWF report. The report, World's Top Rivers at Risk, released ahead of World Water Day (22 March), lists the top ten rivers that are fast dying as a result of climate change, pollution and dams. "All the rivers in the report symbolize the current freshwater crisis, which we have been signalling for years," says WWF Global Freshwater Programme Director Jamie Pittock. "Poor planning and inadequate protection of natural areas mean we can no longer assume that water will flow forever. Like the climate change crisis, which now has the attention of business and government, we want leaders to take notice of the emergency facing freshwater now not later." Five of the ten rivers listed in the report are in Asia alone. They are the Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, Ganges and Indus. Europe's Danube, the America'sLa Plataand Rio Grande/Rio Bravo, Africa's Nile-Lake Victoria andAustralia's Murray-Darling also make the list. Dams along the Danube River -- one of the longest flowing rivers in Europe -- have already destroyed 80 per cent of the river basin's wetlands and floodplains. Even without warmer temperatures threatening to melt Himalayan glaciers, the IndusRiverfaces scarcity due to over-extraction for agriculture. Fish populations, the main source of protein and overall life support systems for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide, are also being threatened. The report calls on governments to better protect river flows and water allocations in order to safeguard habitats and people's livelihoods. "Conservation of rivers and wetlands must be seen as part and parcel of national security, health and economic success," Pittock adds. "Emphasis must be given to exploring ways of using water for crops and products that do not use more water than necessary." In addition, cooperative agreements for managing shared resources, such as the UN Watercourses Convention, must be ratified and given the resources to make them work, says WWF. "The freshwater crisis is bigger than the ten rivers listed in this report but it mirrors the extent to which unabated development is _ nature's ability to meet our growing demands," says Pittock. "We must change our mindset now or pay the price in the not so distant future."(373) According to the passage, which of the following is not the cause of severe water shortage? Answer:
Watch for us on TV THIS summer, many Beijing middle school students had a different kind of vacation. Instead of hanging out with friends or traveling, they were training hard for the National Day celebration. To mark the special anniversary of China this year, the students performed a group dance in a big parade on Tian'anmen Square on October 1. Students were training from 7:30am to around 10:00am or from 4 pm to 6:30pm. It was to avoid the summer heat. They wore white hats, T-shirts and dark-blue trousers. The hats and T-shirts were printed with a red logo, the number '60". The first week of training was PE. Students practiced standing and squatting . Then they moved on to practice the group display. The use colored sheets in the shape of flowers as a prop . When we watch the parade on TV we will see them making colorful patterns with them. What do the students think of their unusual summer? "Sometimes we find it a bit tiring." says Lu Wenqi,13."But most of us think it's a great honor to take part in such an important celebration." Li Hui, 15, thinks the same as Lu. She says her classmates are seldom late for training. "It's a wonderful chance for us,' says Li. "When my parents were in college, they also took part in a national day celebration. Now it's my turn!" By Wang Min 21st Century Teens staff What is the main idea of the passage? A. It's a wonderful chance for the students to take part in such an important celebration." B. The students are seldom late for training. C. Their parents also took part in a national day celebration. D. Now it's my turn! Answer: A I was riding my special motorbike this past weekend and stopped at a convenience store. As I was getting my wheelchair off the back, a man watched me from his car and I noticed a wheelchair in his back seat. We spoke for a moment and I asked him about the wheelchair. He answered that it was for his daughter. "Well, do you think she would like to go for a ride on my motorbike with me?" I asked. He seemed shocked that a total stranger would ask him this. He thought about it for a second and said, "OK, as long as I can follow you." He introduced me to Amy and he sat her on my back seat. Her father followed me for a few miles and she talked non-stop about what she wanted for Christmas. As we came back to the convenience store, she said, "This ride is the best Christmas present I could ever receive. I have been in a wheelchair my whole life and didn't know I could do this." I told her about some of the other things I do (ski, travel the world by myself, etc.). As her father was taking her off my bike, she turned to him and said, "Oh Daddy, I'm going to be OK. Mr. Bryant does all kinds of things, and I will too." Her father turned away as a tear of joy rolled down his cheek. He hugged me and said, "I was sitting here praying for a gift for Amy that would encourage her. She often felt that her life was dull compared to other children. God answered my prayer just now. Now I pray that God will bless you for your gift to Amy today." I believed what he said. Being kind and thoughtful to others, we can be an answer to prayer. What can we know about the author? A. He was a disabled man. B. He usually drove too fast. C. He worked in a convenience store. D. He often helped people who were in trouble. Answer: A 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". When is alcohol not able to get? A. At 9: 00 pm B. At 10: 00 pm C. At 11: 00 pm D. At 12: 00 pm Answer: D All natural resources on Earth are either renewable or nonrenewable. Whether a resource is renewable or nonrenewable depends on how fast or slow the resource is replaced. If the resource is used faster than it is replaced, then the resource will, in time, disappear. Which statement describes the use of a renewable natural resource? A. A home burns natural gas for heat. B. A city burns coal to generate electricity. C. A farmer plants different types of crops to protect the soil. D. A construction crew builds a road from rock, sand, and gravel. Answer: C Frank Lloyd Wright probably is the greatest architect that the United States has ever produced. He was very gifted and had a natural ability to design buildings. His buildings were not only beautiful, but they were also practical and useful. They fit their purposes very well. Wright's churches, for example, make people feel like thinking and praying. His office buildings make people enjoy working, and his houses make people feel comfortable at home. However, Frank Lloyd Wright's beautiful, practical and useful buildings are not the only reason that he is famous. There is another reason. Frank Lloyd Wright is called the greatest American architect because he started an American style in architecture. Most of the architecture in the United States before Wright was really European, not American. Wright's buildings do not look like old European buildings. They have their own style. Wright's ideas about style are still used in the United States and in other parts of the world. The most important idea in Frank Lloyd Wright's Style of Architecture is that a building must fit its purpose and the land around it. His houses are often called "grass-land houses" because their lines are similar to the lines on the grassland. Both the lines of the grassland and the lines of Wright's house are parallel to the horizon, the place where earth and sky seem to meet. They are horizontal lines. Most European style houses, in contrast, have many vertical lines that form 90degangles with the horizon. The best title for this passage would be _ . A. The Differences between the American and European Styles in Architecture B. "Grass-land"" houses Designed by Wright C. How to Make Your Houses More Beautiful D. The Influence of Wright on American Architecture Answer: D
Question: Is there intelligent life on other planets? For years, scientists said "no." or "we don't know." But today this is changing. Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are astronomers . They believe intelligent life exists somewhere in the universe. They also think we sill soon contact these beings(;). Why do Shostak and Barnett think intelligent life exists on other planets? The first reason is time. Scientists believe the universe is about 12 billion years old. "This is long enough for other planets to have intelligent life," say Shostak and Barnett. The second reason is size--the universe is huge. "Tools like the Hubble Telescope have shown that there are at least 100 billion galaxies," says Shostak. "And our galaxy, the Milky Way, has at least 100 billion stars. Some planets going around these stars might be similar to Earth." In the past, it was hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe. But now, powerful telescopes allow scientists to discover smaller planets--the size of Mars or Earth--in other solar systems. These planets might have intelligent life. Have beings from space already visited Earth? "Probably not," says Shostak. "It's a long way away. However, intelligent beings may contact us in other way, such as radio signals . In fact, they may be trying to communicate with us now, but we don't have the right tools to receive their messages. However, this is changing. By 2025, we could make contact with other life forms in our universe and we might help each other." Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are _ . A. astronomers B. farmers C. singers D. drivers Answer: A. astronomers Question: Cities do not appear on the earth randomly, nor do they grow in a random fashion. They develop as the result of a complex interplay of environmental and social factors. Several factors in the natural environment determine the location of cities. Large cities, for example, are generally not found in inhospitable zones. Most major cities developed from villages and towns that grew up along shorelines, rivers, or railroads. The growth pattern of an urban settlement is also influenced by factors in the natural environment. For example, mountains must be skirted, lakes must be avoided, and housing and industry must be placed conveniently near water and raw materials. Social factors also influence the appearance and development of cities. For instance, a city may be established as a result of a political decision : prefix = st1 /Brazilcreated the new capital ofBrasiliain the midst of the jungle in order to stimulate the economic development there. Ideas about architecture and town planning also influence urban growth patterns. For instance, the pattern ofManhattanis the product of a planning decision made in 1811. Besides, the actual use to which land is put often depends on economic factors, because owners tend to devote their land to the use that gives them the greatest gain. The location of particular social group is also influenced by ecological factors. Certain kinds of land use , such as parking lots , may quickly generate a disliked area and result in a mass departure of the original inhabitants. The location of the neighborhoods of different groups is thus related to such factors as their income and to their feelings of group unity or prejudice against outsiders. Social inventions such as the automobile and mass transit systems also influence urban patterns. If workers have to walk to their factories every day, their homes must be near the workplace, but if they can drive to work , they can easily live fifteen miles away. If large numbers of the urban labor force move away from the city centre , services and facilities will tend to follow them , perhaps leaving the city centre greatly changed. The example that shows the influence of political decisions on the location of a city is the location of A. Manhattan in New York B. The new capital of Brasilia of Brazil C. Los Angles D. London Answer: B. The new capital of Brasilia of Brazil Question: When a song is played your ears can A. change the source B. rearrange the pitch C. hum the tune D. perceive the rhythm Answer: D. perceive the rhythm Question: Women consistently lie on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter to make their lives appear more exciting, a survey has found. The survey was asked to carried out by Pencourage, a new anonymous "diary-style" social media website. Researchers found that at least one in four women exaggerated or twisted what they are doing on social media once a month. The survey of 2000 women found they mostly pretended to be out on the town, when in fact they are home alone, and beautify about an exotic holiday or their job. The most common reasons for women to write _ included worrying their lives would seem " boring", jealousy at seeing other people's more exciting posts and wanting to impress their friends and acquaintances. Psychologists suggested that as people attempt to stay connected on social media, they can in fact be left more isolated. They also said that the more we try to make our lives seem perfect, the less perfect we feel. According to the OnePoll survey, one third of women surveyed admitted to dishonesty on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter at some stage. Almost one in four admitted to lying or exaggerating about key aspects of their life online between one and three times a month while almost one in 10 said they lied more than once a week. Nearly 30 percent of women lied about "doing something when I am home alone", almost a quarter overstated their alcohol consumption while one in five were not truthful about their holiday activities or their jobs. Almost one in five women even lied about their "relationship status". "We work very hard presenting ourselves to the world online, pretending and attempting to be happy all the time which is exhausting and ultimately unfulfilling," said Dr Michael Sinclair, a leading British consultant psychologist. "Leaving out the less desirable imperfections of our lives from the conversations with our 'friends online leads to less opportunity to feel empathized with, resulting in a greater sense of disconnection from others. " According to the passage, women tend to lie on social networking sites because _ . A. they have little fun in their daily lives B. they are not satisfied with their present life C. they want to entertain their friends and acquaintances D. they don't want to go out and communicate with others Answer: B. they are not satisfied with their present life Question: But what is teacher quality? How can one measure it reliably? An analysis is issued on a sample of data from a Texas school district. Experts argue convincingly that teacher effectiveness should be measured by students' gains on standardized tests: Mr. Smith is probably a better teacher than Ms. Brown if his students consistently improve their test scores more than hers do. Though this approach is appealing, there are tricky issues. For example, what if Ms. Brown teaches in a school where students score so high there is little room for improvement? The authors try to correct for this problem, as well as other sorts of measurement issues, to generate a measurement of teacher effectiveness. The paper is primarily concerned with how this measure is related to other observable characteristics. The first finding is that there is a large variation in teacher effectiveness: some teachers consistently have a larger impact on their students' achievement than others. Second, easily observable characteristics like having a master's degree or a passing score on the teacher certification exam are not correlated with teacher effectiveness. Then what does matter? The most important single influence is experience: first-year teachers are much less effective than others. The second year is significantly better, and by the fourth year, _ . It is not entirely clear whether this experience effect is learning by doing (the more you teach, the more effective you become) or survival of the fittest (those who are not good at teaching tend to drop out early.) From my reading of the paper, both effects appear important and there is no simple answer. The data do suggest, however, that teacher effectiveness is pretty clear by the end of the second year, so the information to make an informed decision is available at that time. The authors also investigate the contentious issue of racial matching of students and teachers. Here they find strong evidence that minority teachers tend to be more effective with minority students. Again, it is unclear whether this is because of a role model effect (students respond better to a teacher of their own race) or an empathy effect (teachers empathize better with students of their own race) or something else entirely. The authors also look at teacher mobility. There is some evidence that teachers who quit teaching or switch schools tend to be below average in effectiveness. This is consistent with the survival-of-the-fittest model. The author of this passage holds the view that _ . A. teachers will perform better with time passing B. ineffective teachers should leave earlier rather than later C. teacher's effectiveness is apparent after a couple of years D. a master's degree will improve teacher's effectiveness Answer: A. teachers will perform better with time passing
LaMar Baylor, an American performer in the Broadway musical, spends most of his time in New York City.But since 2011, he has also spent weeks in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.There, he teaches dance to boys who live on the street.His teaching is part of an effort by the Rebecca Davis Dance Company.The project helps young people learn more about dance and learn how to behave in a classroom environment. Rebecca Davis and LaMar Baylor teach ballet to street children in Kigali, Rwanda.The children have lost all of their families.Some have been in prison; others have sold their bodies for sex.Dance classes provide the children with structured learning and self-expression that they've never had before. Rebecca Davis is the founder and director of the dance company.She got the idea for the project after visiting Rwanda in 2008.There she met a large number of street children who were dancing, and she thought that dance could be used to get them off the street and into a safe place.She believes that learning to dance is a step toward education.She says children can take classes in information and technology after they have learned to attend classes and follow directions. Boys who have done best in the classes win scholarships and are sent to the Sunrise Boarding School.About 30 boys have won this kind of financial aid. As for LaMar Baylor, he knows from his own experience how dance can lead to a better life.He is from Camden, New Jersey.Camden has sometimes been called America's poorest and most dangerous city.He now thanks dancing for saving his life. The Rwanda program is the largest one set up by the Rebecca Davis Dance Company, and Ms.Davis has also set up dance programs in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Guinea.About 2,000 children in the three countries have taken part in the project since it was begun in 2010. The dance project aims to _ . Learners report two main difficulties in reading, which may be linked. There are too many unknown words and as a result reading is simply not a pleasure. For some students, even reading in their own language is a chore. Having a wide vocabulary is essential to making sense of written language. Of course, this is a circular argument, because the more you read the more vocabulary you learn and the more words you know the more easily you can read. Don't make the mistake of reading with your dictionary beside you, looking up every single new or doubtful word. This is laborious and prevents you from practicing the skill of prediction. Sometimes in reading you find a word you know but the sense doesn't seem to fit in. This is not surprising because words have so many meanings and degrees of meaning. What is more, part of their meaning is shaped by the words around them. Keep looking at the surrounding words and asking yourself "what sort of meaning would make sense here?" The more that people study the reading process, the better they can pass on to language learners a range of advice to choose from. People have learned to read in all kinds of ways. Here is some information that could help you plan to be a better reader in the foreign language you are studying. 1)Work out the general meaning first When people read in a new language they often feel they must take a detailed approach, focusing on every word, particularly those they don't know. They read as if they were using a microscope, looking carefully at each of the small pieces(the individual words), but not necessarily seeing the whole picture at first. This is called the "bottom-up" approach. Other readers try to look first at the big picture(the "top-down" approach), attending to individual bricks only as necessary, a process that involves some intelligent guesswork. Generally this second approach is recommended by successful learners. 2)Interactive reading Another way of thinking about reading is to describe it as an interactive process, where the text brings something to you and you bring something to the text. Readers bring together all their knowledge of the world with what they see on the page in front of them. That is why, when reading in our own language, we don't need to read every word. We add meaning which is not actually stated. 3)From supported reading to independent reading Language learners start by needing considerable support as they read. Textbooks supply this support in the form of introductions that summaries the contents, glossaries, pictures, explanations of new grammar points. In your reading you need to move gradually from this support to reading more the text itself. . Successful learners recommend _ . Droughts are common in Kenya . Before ,they came every 10 years ,but now they seem to be hitting us more often and for a longer time . We gave the droughts names :"longoza"was the drought when many animals died ; there was the drought of the "planes" because food was dropped from the air by planes; and one particularly bad drought was called " man who dies with his money in his fist ",because ,even if there was money , there was simply no food to buy . I was born in 1951 in Machakos. From what my mother tells me , when I was 7, there was a serious drought . I clearly remember the terrible weather and the hunger. I can't tell you how many times I went to bed without eating . " I slept like that ," is how we described it . I can't count the number of days when " I slept like that," or describe the feeling of going to sleep hungry ,knowing I'd wake up and there would still be no food for breakfast. My father would leave early in the morning carrying a little basket to ask for food on credit . Each night he would return home around 10:00p.m. My mother would try to encourage me by telling me to keep the water in our pot boiling so that when my father arrived we could quickly cook any food he brought in the already prepared water . I would keep the fire burning and the water boiling , along with the hopes that we would eat that night. But my father would arrive frustrated and empty -handed. And I would sleep like that. Why would the author keep the fire burning and the water boiling? Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year that starts on April 13 annually. It's also callled the "Water Festival" because people believe that water will wash away bad luck and make people fresh. On the day, we spinklesmall drops of water to bless monks and elders. Their hands are spinkled with perfumed water. In addition, this festival is for rain because it is the hottest season. Nowadays, during the Songkran Festival, people always wet down everybody who walks past their houses or walks down the streets with cups or buckets of water. Everyone gets wet, but it is all in a spirit of friendliness, blessing and fun. People who get wet actually do not get angry because they know that it is traditional. People will go to the temples to batheBuddha imagesand give special food to the monks. People do good things such as fish or birds and other animals releasedfrom their cages. On this day, everywhere in Thailand, people celebrate and enjoy the festival, especiallly in the northern part of Thailand. We can see many foreigners join in the events and enjoyed this festival with Thais. Everybody also enjoys public events such as beauty contests, parades, and marching bands. The Water Festival gives us freshness, happiness and fun because the weather is very hot. I hope everyone will travel to Thailand and enjoy this festival. When Thai New Year comes, people think it _ to make others wet through. Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, U.S.A.,is in the central part of the state, on the Santa Fe River, which flows into the Rio Grande 35 kilometres west of the city. More than two thousand metres above sea level, it lies in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with the Ortiz Mountains to the southeast. Santa Fe was founded in 1609 by the Spanish on an old Indian village.In 1680 the Indians seized the place but only held it for twelve years before the Spanish retook it. The city remained under Spanish rule until Mexico won its independence in 1821. From then on it was a Mexican city until 1846 when it was taken over by American troops. With a population of 48,953, Santa Fe is now the second largest city in the state. Because of its sunny weather, rich history and surrounding mountains, it is a good place for holiday makers. Besides hunting and skating in the mountains people enjoy shopping in the Indian and Spanish shops, which brings a large income to the city every year. In summer there is an international opera season when operas are shown in a partly-roofed ,open-air theatre daily for people from all over the world. Santa Fe was under the rule of the Mexicans in _ .
All of us love music; we just differ in the kind of music we like to play and listen to. Music plays a huge part in our life. Even when we were still inside our mother, we heard music. Babies easily fall asleep when they hear lullabies and most mothers believe that making their child listen to music at an early age can develop their musical skills. Aside from improving sleep quality and making us feel relaxed, music also helps develop our brain. Studies have proven that musical education or training helps develop the left side of the brain which is responsible for processing language. We easily remember things when we link them to a particular song and this can help them get good grades especially in math since they can link the songs they sing to the elements of math. Music can also cure people. These days music is used to help treat depression , high blood pressure, brain injuries and many other problems. Most of all, according to researchers, music can help improve people's memory, if not totally bring it back. Doctors play the favorite songs of their patients to help them recall things. Music is also used to reduce pain after a person receives a surgery. Music also affects the way we live and get along with other people. Creating music together with people in a band can help a person learn how to communicate well with other people. Music activities provide enjoyment for children and adults alike. They have fun making music together with friends and at the same time learn how to sing or play a musical instrument. Music really has amazing effects on us; it may be physical, emotional, social, or psychological . Make sure to enjoy life by listening to your favorite music along with your family and friends. What does the passage mainly talk about? The effects of music on us. Here are some of the movies that inspire you to travel. The Lord of the Rings The story is about Frodo, his friends and their adventurous journey through Middle Earth. Filmed in about 150 locations all over New Zealand, this traveling movie shows its beauty. From the rolling hills of Matamata to the volcanic retrion of Mt Ruapehu, this is the best movie o see New Zealand . Also, this travel movie might have the only distinction of being inspired by ravel too. The director of the movie Peter Jackson first read the novel on a train going from ellington to Auckland when he was just seventeen. Indiana Jones. The Complete Adventure Collection Indiana Jones and travel are inseparable. Everyone remembers the red line on the world map that shows up on screen when he flies. The Egypt scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark were filmed in Tunisia. Temple of doom was filmed mostly in Sri Lanka and Macau. The Last Crusade was filmed in Italy , Spain and Jordan including an excellent view of Petra. Unlike the other, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was filmed almost entirely in the United States. However, their shots of Iguazu Falls are amazing. Romancing the Stone and jewel of the Nile This movie series focuses on a romance writer Joan and her adventures with a soldier of fortune named Jack. In Romancing the stone Joan goes to Colombia to save her sister who was kidnapped . In the sequel Joan goes to the fictional kingdom of Kadir set somewhere in the Middle East. Romancing the stone's scenes were shot mostly in Mexico. For Jewel of the Nile, the scenes were mostly shot in France and Morocco. The Telented Mr Ripley Tom Ripley is a working class young man. Through a case of mistaken identity, he is asked to go to Italy to convince a wealthy businessman's son to come home. This travel movie starts in New York and heads to the fictional resort of Mongibello . The last section of the movie is filmed mostly in Rome and Naples. The locations are beautiful. They also did a good job of showing Italy as it looked in the 1960s. From paragaph 2 we can know that the story of The Lord of the Rings _ . caught the director's attention while he was travelling Americans think much about time. From childhood they learn to value time. They are taught to be on time to go to school, to work and to do everything. When they are having a good time, they say that time goes easily. When a person is dying, they say he is living on a borrowed time. Time is money. Time is knowledge. Time is everything in America. A working American has to work hard for eight hours a day or forty hours a week. This is the working time. In his free time, he also works hard for more money. Even on Saturday and Sunday he also works hard as usual. In the street you can hardly see a man walking slowly. They walk very fast. In fact, they are running. They love time because time can bring them money and lots of things. But sometimes they also hate time , because they feel they have become servants of the clock . Americans think it wrong _ . to be late for school In Polk's negligence action against Dell arising out of a multiple-car collision, Witt testified for Polk that Dell went through a red light. On cross-examination, Dell seeks to question Witt about her statement that the light was yellow, made in a deposition that Witt gave in a separate action between Adams and Baker. The transcript of the deposition is self-authenticating. On proper objection, the court should rule the inquiry admissible for impeachment and as substantive evidence. It was late in the afternoon, and I was putting the final touch on a piece of writing that I was feeling pretty good about. I wanted to save it, but my cursor had frozen. I tried to shut the computer down, and it seized up altogether. Unsure of what else to do, I yanked the battery out. Unfortunately, Windows had been in the midst of a crucial undertaking. The next morning, when I turned my computer back on, it informed me that a file had been corrupted and Windows would not load. Then, it offered to repair itself by using the Windows Setup CD. I opened the special drawer where I keep CDs. But no Windows CD in there. I was forced to call the computer company's Global Support Centre. My call was answered by a woman in some unnamed, far-off land. I find it annoying to make small talk with someone when I don't know what continent they're standing on. Suppose I were to comment on the beautiful weather we've been having when there was a monsoon at the other end of the phone? So I got right to the point. "My computer is telling me a file is corrupted and it wants to fix itself, but I don't have the Windows Setup CD." "So you're having a problem with your Windows Setup CD." She has apparently been dozing and, having come to just as the sentence ended, was attempting to cover for her inattention. It quickly became clear that the woman was not a computer technician. Her job was to serve as a gatekeeper. Her only duty, as far as I could tell, was to raise global stress levels. To make me disappear, the woman gave me the phone number for Windows' creator, Microsoft. This is like giving someone the phone number for, I don't know, North America. Besides, the CD worked; I just didn't have it. No matter how many times I repeated my story, we came back to the same place. She was calm and polite. When my voice hit a certain decibel , I was passed along, like a hot, irritable potato, to a technician. "You don't have the Windows Setup CD, ma'am, because you don't need it," he explained cheerfully. "Windows came preinstalled on your computer!" "But I do need it." "Yes, but you don't have it." We went on like this for a while. Finally, he offered to walk me through the use of a different CD, one that would erase my entire system. "Of course, you'd lose all your e-mail, your documents, your photos." It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache. "You might be able to recover them, but it would be expensive." He sounded delighted. "And it's not covered by the warranty !" The safe began to seem like a good idea, provided it was full. I hung up the phone and drove my computer to a small, friendly repair place I'd heard about. A smart, helpful man dug out a Windows CD and told me it wouldn't be a problem. An hour later, he called to let me know it was ready. I thanked him, and we chatted about the weather, which was the same outside my window as it was outside his. It can be inferred from the passage that the differences between the Global Support Centre and the local repair shop lie in all the followings except _ . setup CDs
Body language is a very powerful tool of communication, not only between people but in the animal world as well. In many instances, we produce idioms (,)which are all understandable by borrowing examples from animal communication. For example, we know that a frightened cat will arch its back high in rigid curve . From this starting-point we might hear the expression, "He gets my back up!" meaning "He makes me angry." In the same manner, we know that many animals, if challenged by attackers, will not turn and run away because this will encourage the attacker to attack them more forcefully. Instead, they will move backwards slowly to get out of harm's way, always still facing their attacker.We call this action " _ " and it can be used just as well with humans as with animals. In the case of humans, however, the back-off may not be physical but oral, as in using a kinder tone of voice and gentler words instead of fighting against the attackers. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text? A. To learn knowledge, humans must learn from animals. B. Both humans and animals have body languages. C. Both humans and animals have ways of escaping from danger. D. "Backing off " means keeping away from your enemies. Answer: A. To learn knowledge, humans must learn from animals. The government of prefix = st1 /Norwayis planning to build an unusual storage center on an island in the Arctic Ocean. The place would be large enough to hold about two million seeds. The goal is to present all crops known to scientists. The British magazine New Scientist published details of the plan last month. The structure will be designed to protect the world's food supply against nuclear war, climate change and other possible threats. It will be built in a mountain on the NorwegianislandofSpitsbergen. The mountain is less than one thousand kilometers from the North Pole, the northernmost position on earth. An international group called the Global Crop Diversity Trust is working on the project. The director of the group, Cary Fowler, spoke to New Scientist. He said the project would let the world rebuild agriculture if, in his word, "the worst came to the worst". Norwayis expected to start work next year. The project is expected to cost three million dollars. Workers will drill deep in the side of a sandstone mountain. Temperatures in the area never rise above 0oC. The seeds will be protected behind concrete walls a meter thick and high-security door. The magazine report says the collection will represent the products of ten thousand years of farming. Most of the seeds at first will come from collections at seed banks in Africa, Asia and Latin America. To last a long time, seeds need to be kept in very low temperatures. Workers will not be present all the time. But they plan to replace the air inside the storage space each winter. Winter temperatures on the island are about eighteen degrees below 0oC. The cold weather would protect the seeds even if the air could not be replaced. Mr. Fowler says the proposed structure will be the world's most secure gene bank. He says the plant seeds would only be used when all other seeds are gone for some reason. Norwayfirst proposed the idea in the 1980s. But security concerns delayed the plan. At that time, the Soviet Union was meeting inRomeof the Food and Agriculture Organization. We can infer from the text that _ . A. People will get newly-developed seeds from the center every year B. The storage center will greatly promote world agriculture C. Norway had meant to build the storage centre about 20 years before D. There haven't been any seed storage centres in the world before Answer: C. Norway had meant to build the storage centre about 20 years before It is most difficult for parents to decide whether to have a second child or not. It is often heard that a single child is like to be a lonely child. There are no other children in the family for the child to talk or play with. An only child is not able to get along well with children of his age. Some parents regretted making the decisions to have only one child. But the number of parents choosing to have only one child is increasing in many parts of the world. In the US, for example, more than14 percent of women between 18 and 34 plan to have just one child. The same can be seen in the UK. In Japan, the average number of children born per family had gone down to 1.42 by 1996. For some single-child parents, especially who are busy working every day, time and energy seem to be _ . They don't have enough time and energy to share with more children. For other people, money is their first consideration. Many couples in Japan choose not to have large families as the cost of supporting a child up to the age of 18 reaches around US$160,000. According to the passage, why is a single child likely to be lonely? A. Because his parents don't love him. B. Because he doesn't have holidays. C. Because he doesn't have a brother or a sister to talk or play with. D. Because there are other children in the family. Answer: C. Because he doesn't have a brother or a sister to talk or play with. City Varieties The Headrow, Leeds. Tel. 430808 Oct. 10 - 11 only A Night at the Varieties. All the fun of an old music hall with Barry Cryer, Duggle Brown, 6 dancers, Mystina, Jon Barker, Anne Duval and the Tony Harrison Trio. Laugh again at the old jokes and listen to your favourite songs. Performances: 8 pm nightly. Admission L5; under 16 or over 60: L4 York Theatre Royal St. Leonard's Place, York. Tel. 223568 Sept. 23-Oct. 17 Groping for Words-a comedy by Sue Townsend. Best known for her Adrian Mole Diaries, Townsend now writes about an evening class which two men and a woman attend. A gentle comedy. Performances: 8pm Admission: First night, Mon.: L2; Tues-Fri: L3.25-5.50; Sat.: L3.35 -5.75. Halifax Playhouse King's Cross Street, Halifax. Tel. 365998 Oct. 10 - 17 On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson. This is a magical comedy about real people. A beautifully produced, well-acted play for everyone. Don't miss it. Performances: 7:30 p. m. Admission: L2. Mon.: 2 seats for the price of one. Grand Theatre Oxford Street, Leeds. Tel. 502116 Oct. 1 - 17 The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13. Sue Townsend's musical play, based on the best-selling book. Performances: Evenings 7:45pm. Oct. 10 - 17, at 2:30 pm. No Monday performances. Admission: Tues-Thurs: L2 - 5; Fri. & Sat. : L2 - 6 Which play will be shown for the longest period? A. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 B. A Night at the Varieties. C. Groping for Words. D. On Golden Pond. Answer: C. Groping for Words. London has become a cycle friendly zone after the launch of a new bike hire scheme. It has been designed to encourage more people to cycle in and around central London. So how does it work?First you have to sign up to the scheme to be sent a key. The key will unlock one of the bikes,which are kept at docking stations in and around central London. You have to pay an access fee for the key and then you pay as you go,for the length of time you use the bike. Transport for London,which runs the scheme,are hoping to have 6,000 bikes and 400 docking stations in place by the end of the year. The new hire system is hoping to ease congestion in London and is expected to create up to 40,000 extra cycle trips a day into the city centre. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the scheme and said London had been "filled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as commonplace on our roads as black cabs and red buses". However,there have been a few problems since the scheme was launched last Friday. On the first day some people found they couldn't dock their bike properly and their usage of the bike had not registered. Transport for London did admit they had been expecting a few "teething problems" and have said they wouldn't charge for the first day as a "gesture of goodwill". Some other people have criticized the lack of docking stations and locks for the bikes as well as the price it costs to hire the bicycles. Despite the comments,the green-thinking London Mayor still seems very positive about things,saying,"My campaign for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a big pedal-powered push forwards." London Mayor boris Johnston launched the new bike scheme in order to _ . A. reduce the air pollution of the city B. encourage the citizens to take exercises C. deal with the city's traffic problems D. increase employment opportunities Answer: C. deal with the city's traffic problems
Question: In eighteen seventy-seven,the American government decided to move the Nez Perce Indians from their land. The government had set up a reservation for them in Idaho. Chief Joseph did not want to leave the land. It was holy ground. It contained the bones of his father and mother. But,like his father in earlier times,Chief Joseph knew it would be hopeless to stay and defend the land. There were too few Indians to win a war against the white men. And so in June of eighteen seventy-seven,the Nez Perce left their home in the Wallowa Valley. They left quickly. They were able to take only a small part of what they owned,and just a few cattle and Appaloosa horses. When the Indians reached the Snake River,the water was very deep and ran very fast with melted snow from the mountains. Chief Joseph and his people made boats from sticks and dried animal skins to cross the river. While the Indians were busy,a group of white men came and stole some of the cattle waiting at the edge of the river. The other chiefs demanded that Joseph call a meeting. Two of the chiefs,White Bird and Toohoolhoolzote,spoke for War,but Joseph held different opinion. Some of the young men in White Bird's group were very angry. That night,they rode into the countryside and killed eleven white persons. During all his years as chief,Joseph had tried to keep the peace. Now he saw there was no hope. Although he and his young men had taken no part in the killings,he knew that the white men would blame all of the Indians. Chief Joseph said,"I would have given my own life if I could have undone the killing of the white men." Many Nez Perce fled. Chief Joseph remained,because his wife was about to have a baby. After she gave birth,he and his family joined the others in White Bird Canyon to the south. Joseph wanted to lead the people to safety in the flat lands of Montana. But the United States army quickly sent horse soldiers to follow them. They were extremely tired when they reached White Bird Canyon. An Indian--carrying a white flag--walked forward to meet them. A soldier shot him. With that shot,war between the Nez Perce and the United States began. From the passage we can infer that _ . A. conflicts often happened between the Indians and the white B. Chief Joseph was afraid of white men C. white men often killed some Indians D. Chief Joseph knew it would be hopeless to defend the land Answer: A. conflicts often happened between the Indians and the white Question: I was 230 pounds this spring and I decided to get down to a healthier 200.In a house full of food,including snacks bought for my 7yearold sons,I had a hard time cutting calories. Then I noticed my neighbors were having diet meals .I decided to do the same,knowing I would never be able to stick to a diet if I had to do the buying and cooking myself. I was looking for food that I could afford but I might take a diet more seriously if it hurt me in the wallet. After online searches,I decided to compare the offerings of four companies:Zone Manhattan,Chefs Diet,NuKitchen and eDiets. All four would send the meals to my door. Three send food daily,while eDiets sends a large package once a week. There were dozens of companies I could have chosen.Research suggests that the economic crisis has made diet programs less _ .Consumers prefer doityourself diets with foods bought from the supermarket. NuKitchen regards itself as the "personal chef".I ordered the fiveday plan ($230.53) and the taste was disappointing. I neither lost nor gained weight on the food. eDiets promises "healthy,delicious meals sent to your door".I ordered five breakfasts,five lunches and five dinners. My total cost was $119.70,or less than $25 a day. Overall,the food from eDiets was better than that from NuKitchen. Chefs Diet charged $380.99 for seven days,making it the most expensive of the four services.I never tasted anything terrible,but I never tasted anything that made me want to renew for a second week. Zone Manhattan charged $349.80,with tax,for a week's supply of food,or about $50 a day.I liked the food so much that I lost six pounds in the first four days on the diet. Which of the four companies' food cost the least daily? A. Zone Manhattan's. B. Chefs Diet's. C. NuKitchen's. D. eDiets'. Answer: D. eDiets'. Question: The sun is a huge, hot, bright star. It is important because without it there would be no life on Earth. The sun gives us light and heat. All living things need light and heat from the sun to live. Plants need light and heat to grow. They use the light from the sun to make food. We cannot make our own food, but plants can. All the food we eat comes from plants in a food chain which starts with the sun. For example, Animals need sunlight, too. Just like us, their food comes from a food chain which begins with the sun and the plants. sun- leaf- caterpillar -bird sun- seaweed -small fish- whale Sunlight means we can see during the day. If there was no sun, it would be dark all the time. Even when the sky is cloudy, the sunlight is very strong and it shines through the clouds. What are the two main things the sun gives us? A. Light and heat. B. Heat and eggs. C. Corn and light. D. Wheat and bread. Answer: B. Heat and eggs. Question: Lisa has a pet cat named Whiskers. Whiskers is black with a white spot on her chest. Whiskers also has white paws that look like little white mittens. Whiskers likes to sleep in the sun on her favorite chair. Whiskers also likes to drink creamy milk. Lisa is excited because on Saturday, Whiskers turns two years old. After school on Friday, Lisa rushes to the pet store. She wants to buy Whiskers' birthday presents. Last year, she gave Whiskers a play mouse and a blue feather. For this birthday, Lisa is going to give Whiskers a red ball of yarn and a bowl with a picture of a cat on the side. The picture is of a black cat. It looks a lot like Whiskers. What does Whiskers like to do? A. Sleep in the sun and drink creamy milk B. Play C. Drink D. Sleep Answer: A. Sleep in the sun and drink creamy milk Question: Daniel Defoe (about 1660~1731) was an important novelist in the English literature . When he was young, he served as a soldier and had been to Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At the same time, he went in for politics. He cared much about the development of capitalism . He had written a lot of articles against it and he was put into prison twice for that. It was not until he was nearly sixty that he began to write the famous novel Robinson Crusoe, which was published in May, 1709. It spread so rapidly that the story was known to _ very soon. Robinson Crusoe can be divided into three parts. The first part is about Crusoe's three voyages, the second part about his hunting, hiding in caves farming and his hard struggles against nature on a small island, the third part about the things which happened after his return from the island. The second part is the body of the novel, in which Robinson's characters are clearly shown. Defoe wrote his novel in a simple style and his language is easy to understand. His novel-writing set a milestone of the modern English novel. In his later part of life, he was in poor health and lived very poorly. He died on April 24th, 1731. Daniel Defoe was _ and the writer of _ . A. an Englishman; "A Tale of Two Cities" B. an American; "A Million Pound Note" C. a Frenchman; "The Lost Necklace" D. an Englishman; "Robinson Crusoe" Answer: D. an Englishman; "Robinson Crusoe"
It's well-known that meditation has many benefits, but do you know how to practice it for a beginner? Set a proper scene Find a space for meditation.It should be private and quiet.Make sure the temperature is comfortable.Sit on a cushion if the floor is uncomfortable.You may play soft music if you like. Take a moment to loosen up.Remember that the goal of meditation is to relax.Loosen your clothing, remove your shoes and have a good stretch.Do your best to ease any muscle tension that might keep you from achieving relaxation.Make an effort to relax your facial muscles. Focus on your breath Sit down in the space you've prepareD. Close your eyes and breathe.Each time you breathe in, count "one".Each time you breathe out, count "one".The idea is to strengthen being in the moment -- the last breath doesn't matter, and the next one doesn't matter; only this one matters. Feel your breath inflate your lungs and push on your diaphragm .Feel how sweet it is to _ the fresh air.As you do this, your body will gradually begin to relax and all of your attention will be centered within your minD. Return to real life Once you feel fully centered in your mind, allow yourself to gradually drift back to real life.Move your fingers and toes and slowly wake your body up.Open your eyes and remain there for a few minutes until your senses come back, and then slowly stand up. Even if you can't make it fully into your mind, you still get some benefits from it.If you want to feel better, you just need to practice.Set about 10 minutes around the same time every day and repeat this exercise. To gain greater benefits of meditation, beginners are advised to _ . Spending more than two hours a night doing homework leads to better results in English,math and science, according to a major study (by Pam Sammons, England) which has tracked the progress of3,000 children over the past 15 years. Spending any time doing homework showed advantages, but the influence was greater for the students who put in two to three hours a night, according to the study published by the Department for Education in England. The scientists who did the research say their study empbasizes what students actually do rather than how much work the school has set. Pam Sammons, a professor of education at Oxford University, said that time spent on homework showed the influence of the school-if children were expected to do homework and if they enjoy their subjects. "That's one of the reasons Indian and Chinese children do better.They put more time in it." he added. It's also reported that students who enjoyed school got better results. "Schools could make sure children had a better experience by improving the school environment, making school work interesting and making children feel supported by teachers." Sammons said. It is suggested that children aged 5 t0 7 should be set one-hour homework a week, half an hour a night for 7 t0 11-year-olds. Secondary schools were encouraged to set up two hours a night for 14 t0 16-year-olds. "Head teachers should make their own homework policy ," the government says. Which of the following sentences is TRUE according Io the passage? A women went shopping for a dress to wear to her party. She asked her parents to come along but her dad was busy. Her mom joined her and brought a pear to eat later on as a snack. They went to the first store and the woman tried on a dress. It cut off right at the knee. She liked the dress so much she bought it. When they went back to their car they saw a bug had splashed on her window. They thought nothing of it and wanted to go eat breakfast since it was nine in the morning. Instead the restaurant was cooking peas. The mom asked the cashier why they were cooking peas. The cashier said because it was opposite day. The woman and her mom wanted to eat the peas and bought steaks as well. They were liking the peas and steak so much. After eating, they got a vanilla milkshake and went to more stores to shop for fun. What was the woman shopping for? One day an old man is selling an elephant. A young man comes to the elephant and begins to look at it slowly . The old man goes up to him and says in his ear, " Don't say anything about the elephant before I sell it, then I'll give you some meat." "All right," says the young man. After the old man sells the elephant, he gives the young man some meat and says, " Now, can you tell me how you find the bad ears of the elephant?" " I didn' t find the bad ears," says the young man. "Then why do you look at the elephant slowly?" asks the old man. The young man answers, "Because I never see an elephant before , and I want to know what it looks like." The young man _ . China started late in network technologies and has lagged behind for years. With the rapid development of wireless technologies, the concept of the Fifth Generation (5G) mobile communication system started to emerge . Although the development of 5G network technology in the international community is still in the research stage, a number of foreign countries and organizations are working on it. In order to catch up with the pace of the times, China also needs to have its own place in such a competitive environment. Compared with 2G, 3G and 4G, 5G is not independent and brand-new. It is a combination and further development of present mobile communication technology. Besides the speed upgrade, 5G will also meet the requirements of large bandwidth, super high capacity, super dense site, super high reliability and whenever and wherever possible assess. There are some rapid changes in China's telecom space. With the 3G network now widely used, and 4G just around the corner, China is now preparing to enter the 5G era. China has started research and development on the 5G network, and plan to launch the network testing by around 2020. It's expected that a unified standard will be adopted globally with the 5G technology. "Under a same standard, different enterprises can be connected, and form a competition environment. Therefore, we can guarantee that enterprises can gain reasonable profits, and at the same time provide faster, better, more convenient and cheaper services to consumers." Wu Ku, Director of Dept. of Science & Tech., MIIT said. Wu Hequan from Chinese academy of engineering said, "5G will make it possible to connect one million devices to the so-called Internet of Things within one square meter. In the future, it will also be available on high-speed trains moving as fast as 500 kilometers per hour. In the area of the Internet of Vehicles, it can be used in unmanned vehicles, assisted driving and the management of smart cities." Wu believes China's future Internet will be faster, more intelligent and more reliable. Chinese government pays more attention to the development of 5G and adopts a more open attitude. With the joint effort of the industry, China will play an increasing important role in the global 5G development. After reading the passage, we can infer that _ .
In March 1987, I started a new magazine called Creating Excellence. It was a very proud moment for me. I'd worked hard for over a year to create it, and the premiere issue was a real success. Shortly after we mailed 25,000 copies, I received one in the mail. But this one wasn't as beautiful as the ones we'd sent out. It was marked in red ink correcting the grammatical errors in it. A talented editor had read the issue carefully and found more errors than I could have imagined. I felt _ A magazine called Creating Excellence should be perfect in its content . The stories were good, but the errors this woman had found showed that we were far from being excellent. At first, I was upset with my editor for not having caught more mistakes, and also upset with the woman who seemed to have taken pleasure in pointing them out. Later, I was upset with myself for not having employed a better editor. Then I realized that I had to face up to my mistakes. I called the woman who had shown me that we were not so excellent. I thanked her for taking the time to read our magazine so carefully. As painful as it was, I accepted responsibility for it. Then I offered her the job of editing our publication. The result was a great improvement in it; we could now be very proud of our magazine. From this I learnt that an upsetting moment could be an opportunity to see the truth, and accepting responsibility could help to prevent one making the same mistakes for a second time, and to make "excellence" a reality. What do we learn from this passage? Answer: Roger was a thief,but he wasn't very clever. When he was in school, he stole apples or oranges from other children. Sometimes he stole pencils or books from other children. But he always got caught. The teacher spoke to Roger's parents and they tried to stop him from stealing things, but Roger wouldn't stop. He kept stealing. When he was older, he began to steal from stores, but he was still stupid. Once, he went into a store wearing the clothes he had stolen the day before. The still had the price tags on them, and the store manager called the police. They warned him that he would go to jail if he didn't stop stealing. Then Roger decided to rob a bank. He planned everything. He got some gloves so that he would not leave fingerprints, and a mask so that no one would _ him. " But what if they recognize my voice?" he thought. He decided to write his message on a piece of paper so that he wouldn't need to speak. He found an old envelope and wrote "give me all the money" on the back of it. He got a toy gun and went to the bank. He put on his musk and his gloves( and showed the note to the bank clerk. The clerk gave him all the money, and Roger ran out of the bank and went home. Ten minutes later he heard a knock on the door. It was the police. They had come to arrest him for robbing the bank. " How did you find me so quickly?" asked Roger " It was easy," said the police." Your address was on the envelope!" What is something Roger did not steal? Answer: I am a middle school student. My name is WeiFang. I'm thirteen now. I study at No.52 Middle School. I am in Class 3, Grade 1. There are twenty boys and twenty-three girls in my class. We have four lessons in the morning and two in the afternoon. We like English very much. There are _ students in her class. Answer: A student is given three toys by his teacher and is asked to find out the differences. All the three toys seem to be the same in shape, size and material. After careful observation, the student finds out holes in the toys. The first toy has holes in the ears. The second toy has holes in one ear and the mouth. And the third toy has only one hole in one ear. Then the student puts a needle in the ear hole of the first toy. The needle comes out from the other ear. When the needle is put in the second toy's ear it comes out of the mouth. And when the needle is put in the third toy's ear, it does not come out. The first toy means those people around you who make you think that they are listening to you and caring for you. But they just pretend to do so. After listening, as the needle comes out from the other ear, the things you said to them are gone. So be careful while you are speaking to this type of person around you, who does not care for you. The second toy means those people who listen to you and make you think that they care for you. But as the needle comes out from its mouth, these people will use your things and the words you tell them against you by telling them to others for their own purpose. For the third toy, the needle does not come out from it. These kinds of people will keep the trust you have in them. They are the ones you can depend on. Which toy means the people you can trust? Answer: Warwick New York Hotel This hotel offers you stylish rooms in a quiet neighborhood, just a short walk from some of New York's business streets. It's small. Family-owned hotel with 16 rooms. They provide not only comfortable rooms but also warm smiles and friendly greetings. The Westpark Inn The Westpark has 90 rooms and is close to Manhattan tourist centers. The hotel's rooms have been recently painted. On the Internet many travelers say it is below the usual standard and should be avoided. If you want to save money, you may have a try. The Affinia Hotel The Affinia is a good choice for experienced business travelers, families and international visitors. The 80 guest rooms are stylish and modern with good furniture. Guests who need more space might like the hotel's rooms. All the rooms have a kitchen. The 60 Thompson The 60 Thompson, with 100 beautiful guest rooms, is a stylish hotel in the heart of SoHo. Good use of dark wood and full-wall leather headboards give the hotel warmth. Guests can enjoy fine food in the hotel's Kittichhai restaurant and cocktails at Thom's Bar. How many guest rooms are there in the Affinia Hotel? Answer:
No one knows for sure when advertising first started. It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them. That led to the concept of specialization, which means that people would specialize, or focus, on doing one specific job. Let's take a man we'll call Mr. Fielder, for example. He did everything connected with farming. He planted seeds, tended the fields, and harvested and sold his crops. At the same time, he did many other jobs on the farm. However, he didn't make the bricks for his house, grind the wheat for his flour, or cut his trees into boards. He also did not make the plows , the work boots, or any of the other hundreds of things a farm needs. Instead, he got them from people who specialized in doing each of those things. Suppose there was another man we shall call Mr. Plowright. Using what he knew about farming and working with iron, Mr. Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier. Mr. Plowright did not really like farming himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows. Perhaps, he thought, other farmers will trade what they grow for one of my plows. How did Mr. Plowright let people know what he was doing? Why, he advertised, of course. First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers. That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the shop door. It was probably all the information people needed to find Mr. Plowright and his really good plows. Many historians believe that the first outdoor signs were used about five thousand years ago. Even before most people could read, they understood such signs. Shopkeepers would carve into stone, clay, or wood symbols for the products they had for sale. A medium, in advertising talk, is the way you communicate your message. You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols. The second medium was audio, or sound, although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today. Originally, just the human voice and maybe some kind of simple instrument, such as a bell, were used to get people's attention. A crier, in the historical sense, is not someone who weeps easily. It is someone, probably a man, with a voice loud enough to be heard over the other noises of a city. In ancient Egypt, shopkeepers might hire such a person to spread the news about their products. Often this primitive form of advertising involved a newly arrived ship loaded with goods. Perhaps the crier described the goods, explained where they came from, and praised their quality. His job was, in other words, not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today's world. What probably led to the start of advertisement? A. The discovery of iron. B. The specialization of labor. C. The appearance of new jobs. D. The development of farming techniques. Answer: B It's time to take a spring trip. Do you know how the kids in different countries spend their holidays? Children in China When spring comes, children want to be outside, so some schools usually organize a spring trip for them. It could be a trip to a mountain. There, children can climb mountains, fly kites, enjoy flowers and so on. Sometimes their teachers take them to the Martyrs' Park. Students can put some flowers on the graves . Children in Japan In April, while the Chinese enjoy winter jasmines, the Japanese are enjoying cherry blossoms. This is the best time of the year for children to take a trip. They take picnic lunches, sing and dance under the trees. Children in the UK They have many great choices when it comes to the school trip. They can visit the seaside or a theme park. One of the most special places to go is the bird center. These children can see ducks and other birds. The people at the center are scientists. This means they can teach children about habitat of the birds. The kids spend time in a beautiful place and also learn something about the natural world there without textbooks. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. No schools in China organize a school trip. B. In Japan, August is the best time for children to take a trip. C. In the UK, the people at the bird center are scientists. D. Kids in the UK can learn nothing about the nature without textbooks. Answer: C On August 5 at 10:31 p.m. PST, a rover named Curiosity touched down safely on the surface of Mars, and I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat. My name is Clara, and when I was in Grade 6, I won the essay contest NASA held to name its next Mars rover. The essay I wrote was not even 250 words long, but somehow it was enough to change my life. I still remember that cold December day, sitting in a science class. I'd finished a worksheet early and decided to get a Time for Kids magazine off Mrs. Estevez's bookshelf. It was the 2008 Invention Issue, but that wasn't the only thing that caught my eye. In the magazine, there was an article about a girl who named the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The article also talked about the essay contest NASA was holding to name its next Mars rover. Before I even knew anything else about it, a single word flooded my 11-year-old mind: Curiosity. I couldn't wait for the bell to ring so I could get started on my essay. That afternoon, I raced home from the bus stop, sat down at the computer and typed until my fingers ached. It turned out that I was just in time. A few days later, and the contest would have closed. Five months later, shortly after I had turned 12, I was watching a National Geographic special on mammoths when the phone rang. My mom answered, and immediately, a wide smile spread across her face. When she told me that I had won, I was happier than I could ever remember being, I screamed and ran up and down the stairs and all around the house. I completely forgot about the mammoths and did not even remember to turn off the TV until it was really late. Curiosity is such an important part of who I am. I have always been fascinated by the stars, the planets, the sky and the universe. I remember as a little girl, my grandfather and I would sit together in the backyard for hours. He'd tell me stories and point out the stars. My grandfather lived in China, thousands of miles away from my home in Kansas. I loved the stars because they kept us together even when we were apart. They were always there, yet there was so much I didn't know about them. That's what I love so much about space. No matter how much we learn, it will always possess some mystery. In the past, space exploration may have been a competition to see who got somewhere first or the fastest. But now, it is one of the few things that bring people together. Science is a language that needs no translation. It doesn't matter where you're from or what you look like - you just have to have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning in order to succeed. People often ask me why we go to faraway places like Mars. Why do we explore? My answer to that is simple: because we can; because we're curious; because we as human beings do not just stay holed up in one place. We are constantly wondering and trying to find out what's over the hill and beyond the horizon. The curiosity rover is more than just a robot. It is more than just a titanium body and aluminum wheels. Curiosity represents the hard work, passion, love and commitment of thousands of people from all over the world who were brought together by science. Science is so awesome. It is breathtaking and mind-blowing; and sometimes, it's just a little bit crazy. The discoveries we make about our world are incredibly humbling. They move us forward and have the potential to benefit all of mankind. This December it will be four years of my life that have been tied to Curiosity in some way. I've met so many amazing people through this experience, from scientists to engineers to administrators to volunteers. Their devotion and enthusiasm inspire me greatly. My journey with Curiosity and the MSL mission team has shaped the person that I am today, as well as the person I would one day like to become. I am deeply grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to have this amazing adventure. And to you, I hope your curiosity takes you far. The writer mentions her grandfather in order to show that _ . A. she missed him very much. B. he knew a great deal about space C. he influenced her to love the stars D. she treasured their happy moments Answer: C A proverb says :"Time is money."But in my opinion, time is even more valuable than money. Why? Because when money is spent ,we can earn it back .However when time is gone ,it will never return .This is the reason why we must value time. There is no doubt that the time we have is unusually limited. So even an hour is extremely precious. We should make full use of our time to do useful things .As students we must not relax our efforts to engage in our studies so as to serve our society and our nation in the future. But it is pity that there are a lot of people who do not know the importance of time .They spend their valuable time smoking, drinking and so on. They do not realize that wasting time is equal to wasting a part of their valuable life. In a word, we should get into a good habit of saving time. Do not put off what can be done today until tomorrow. Laziness will not only bring us failure but also lead us to the road of poverty. When we say "Time is money."we mean _ A. Time is equal to dollars, pounds... B. Time is gold . C. Time is valuable . D. We must spend time in buying goods Answer: C Dogs can be worried and pessimistic just like people, researchers report in a new study in Current Biology. And they aren't talking about basset hounds : those dogs just look as if they expect the worst. What the scientists say is that dogs that exhibit anxiety when left home alone by their owners may have bigger problems -- they may be in a permanent bad mood. This pessimistic outlook may not otherwise be easily apparent in a dog's other characteristics, like running speed or learning ability, the study reports. Dogs are similar to humans in the role that emotional state plays in decision making, said Michael Mendel, a veterinary scientist at the University of Bristol and the study's lead author. The study's researchers looked at 24 dogs in shelters in Britain. They placed the dogs in isolated settings and observed their reactions -- many barked, jumped on furniture and scratched at the door. Then they placed bowls in two rooms. One bowl contained food, while another was empty. After training the dogs to understand that bowls can sometimes be empty, and sometimes full, they began to place bowls in ambiguous locations. Dogs that quickly raced to the locations were more optimistic, and in search of food. Those that did not were deemed pessimistic. The more separation anxiety a dog expressed while in isolation, the more likely the dog was to have a pessimistic reaction, the researchers found. The study carries an important message for dog owners, Dr. Mendel said. Dogs that express serious anxiety when alone may need treatment, as it could be a sign of unhappiness and instability. In the study, many dogs barked, jumped and scratched because _ . A. they couldn't find the bowl with food in it B. they were left alone C. they needed to be treated D. they wanted to be active and optimistic Answer: B
Do you know S.H.E.? It is a singing group from Taiwan, China. Three girls are in it. They are Seilina, Hebe and Ella. Their Chinese names are Ren Jiaxuan (Seilina), Tian Fuzhen (Hebe) and Chen Jiahua (Ella). Look! Here is a photo. Silina is very nice. Her hair is long. She is not short and not tall. Ella looks like a boy. She is medium built . She has short hair. She is cool! Hebe is a nice girl. She isn't tall. She is medium build, too. Her hair is not long. Where is S.H.E. from? Qixi Festival, the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's Day that fell yesterday, was not only a disappointment for forgotten lovers, but also for businessmen left with empty pockets. The cold reception has prompted cultural experts to seriously worry that the lovers' festival, marked for generations since the Han Dynasty(206 BC-AD 220),is dying out. Some have even called for legislation to make the festival a legal --Chinese Lovers' Day, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar year. But the effectiveness of such a measure is in doubt, although efforts to preserve traditional festivals deserve highly praise. A growing number of traditional Chinese festivals, such as the Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, share the same fate of the Qixi Festival. Young people are showing less interest in traditional culture as symbolized by these festivals.Even if all traditional festivals are finally made legal, the risk of them becoming purely formalized celebrations with little meaning is not removed.If the younger generation fails to identify with the cultural significance of these holidays, there is little that can be done. While complaining about traditional festivals' fading appeal, decision-makers should reflect on cultural protection. Undeniably, our country has done a bad job of preserving culture and traditional festivals, compared to neighbouring Japan and the Republic of Korea(ROK). The 2,500-year-old Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The traditional customs and ceremonies of the occasion, which originated in China, have been better preserved in the ROK. Only a few years ago did China begin to realize the significance of preserving intangible cultural heritage when the ROK planned to apply to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to list its version of the Dragon Boat Festival as an important example of intangible culture. Concern about the traditional holidays also reminds people of the growing influence of foreign cultures as the country opens wider to the outside world. With traditional festivals becoming less important and imports such as Christmas and Valentine's Day gaining widespread popularity, the public including cultural professionals have tended to measure traditional Chinese festivals in economic terms. Business rather than culture has begun to play a dominant role. More and more people are preoccupied with how much money can be made during the holidays. In fact what makes traditional festivals unique and what keeps them alive is their cultural elements. After all, it is unique culture that contributes to the world's diversity with globalization. It is implied by the writer that traditional Chinese festivals should be measured _ . Because a logging company has been working here the area has more We are always using body language in our daily life. When we have a conversation with someone, we may be using more body language than words. However, the same body language may mean different things in different countries. That's why people sometimes do not understand each other correctly. Pointing to one part of the body can mean differently in different cultures. For example, in the USA people point to their heads when they think someone is clever. However, in Europe it means 'He or she is stupid or something is wrong with his or her head'. In our Chinese culture, nodding our head up and down means 'yes' and shaking our head from side to side means 'no'. However, in parts of India, Greece and Turkey, it means just the opposite . In England or the USA, when you raise your hand and make a circle with the thumb and the second finger, it means 'You're all right or Everything is OK'. However, if we do this in France or Belgium, it means 'You're worth zero'. In Greece or Turkey, we should not make this gesture . Or we are thought to be very rude. The meaning of gestures can also change over time. In the 1960s, the V sign meant 'peace'. However, during World War II, it meant 'victory'. In Greece, it is a very insulting sign. Though the meaning of body language is different, there are some expressions having the same meaning throughout the world, such as smiling and crying. In France, if you raise your hand and make a circle with the thumb and the second finger, it means _ . The researchers used a national long-term survey of adolescent health to investigate the relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in 2000. As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio. Media use totaled an average of five and one-half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV. Seven years later, in 2007, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was twenty-one. The researchers say they did not find any such relationship with the use of other media such as movies, video games or radio, etc. But the study did find that every extra hour of television meant an eight percent increase in the chances of developing signs of depression. Young men were more likely than young women to develop depression given the same amount of media use. The study didn't explore if watching TV causes depression. But one possibility is that it was taking time away from activities that could help prevent depression. Last December, the journal Social Indicators Research published a study of activities that help lead to happy lives. Sociologists from theprefix = st1 /UniversityofMarylandfound that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to he socially active, to read, attend religious services and to vote. The result of the research seems to prove _ .
Beauty: For lovers and fans of the arts. Beauty is a necessary magazine in your spare time. It brings you academic articles written by internationally famous scholars , yet with easy-to-understand examples, as well as information on exhibitions and sales all over the world. World Weekly: It gives you a global view with articles from four of the world's most famous newspapers. Read the news from different views and draw your own conclusions on the stories influencing our world. Try it for six months for just $30. Besides, you can get a free copy of World Weekly 2012. New View: Full of excellent writing and photography, it covers one key subjects each month, from human rights to poverty to environment. Reports from around the world provide you with an all-sided world view. Besides, you can be told lots of fresh reports and the latest stories on world events and activities. The Week: It is the only summary giving you the best of British and foreign newspapers in just 35pages. Designed to be read in just 1 hour. Try it now with 13 copies for just $25. If you decide it's not for you , just tell us within 3 weeks and you can get your money back within 10 work days. will probably provide you with articles about music and paintings. A New View B World Weekly C Beauty D The Week Answer: C. Beauty A video is very popular on the Internet these days. It's South Korean star PSY's Gangnam style <<style>> video. He stands above Justin Bieber and becomes the most popular singer on YouTube. In fact, the video sets the Guinness World Record in YouTube history. Gangnam Style was put onto the Internet on July 15,2012.What's catching the eyes in Gangnam style is PSY's special dance moves, funny horse riding poses and dancing in a towel. Many people may not understand the Korean language, they are still interested in the video The video also has many different versions now. The song has topped the iTunes charts in 31 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The song tells us the rich people's lifestyle in today's Gangnam Block, South Korea. Psy looks at here as Seoul's Beverly Hills. The song tells us _ . A the way to live as the rich B the way to sing as the poor C the way to dance as the poor D the way to sleep as the rich Answer: A. the way to live as the rich After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack on the tennis court, my world crashed around me. I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of earning a living, caring for the children and just _ . 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, and frankly I was uneasy. One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big beautiful German shepherd on our doorstep. He gave every indication that he intended to enter the house and make it his home. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement until the next day. The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German's owner, but with no results. German, meanwhile, actually made himself part of the family. Saturday night he was still with us, sleeping in the basement. On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. When we stopped to get gas at a local station, we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. He settled down in the back for the ride to the picnic. Monday morning I let him out for a run while the children got ready for school. He didn't come back. As evening came and German didn't appear, we were all disappointed. We were convinced that he had gone home or been found by his owner, and that we would never see him again. We were wrong. The next Friday evening, German was back on our doorstep. Again we took him in, and 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 and we took comfort in his strong, warm presence, and we felt safe with him near us. Each week, between German's visits, I grew a little stronger, a little braver and more able to cope; every weekend I enjoyed his company. Then one Monday morning we patted his head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. He never came back. We never saw or heard of German again. I think of him often. I believe German was sent because he was needed, and because no matter how abandoned and alone we feel, somehow, somewhere, someone knows and cares. We are never really alone. Which is the best title for the passage? A We are not alone B Love from a dog C Raising a dog can be beneficial D Keep up when in trouble Answer: A. We are not alone She handed me a five dollar bill through the car window, then turned and walked away. I don't know her name, nor where she was going ,but I know I will never forget that stranger who generously saved me from a lot of frustration and prevented me from walking a mile or more to my destination. That day My husband, Leo, and I were already a half hour late for an important conference . We had taken the wrong fork in the expressway, and found ourselves stuck in traffic that was blocked for four miles due to a serious accident. When we finally were able to exit, we tried to find parking lots near the hosting hotel. But they were all full. Not expecting this, neither of us had brought change; all we had was a twenty dollar bill. When we did find some space in a lot two blocks away from the conference, we were unable to pay the automatic box for parking. So we needed five dollars. We asked several people approaching the pay box if they could change a twenty. "No", "No", "No" were their answers. So, _ , we walked back to our car, got inside, and started to back out. We were going to look for other parking spot on the street that would surely have taken us a longer distance away. Just then, one tapped on the window on the passenger side. It was a short, medium-built woman, who was all bundled up in jacket and scarf, wearing jeans and boots. Surprised, I was reluctant, at first, to roll the window down. What could she possibly want? I lowered the window just enough to hear what the woman had to say. Through the window, she shoved a five dollar bill. "I don't have change," she said, "but here is an extra five dollar bill. Use it to pay for your parking spot." I was floored! Was this woman, whom I'd never seen before, actually giving me this much money? Yes, that was exactly what she was doing! She wouldn't take the check I offered her for the cash. She just walked away. Why was the author unhappy to roll down the window? A She was frustrated for coming too late. B She feared the woman would beg for money. C She didn't expect to be disturbed by strangers. D She didn't know what the woman would do. Answer: D. She didn't know what the woman would do. Model Time A model is a small copy of a building, vehicle ,machine etc, especially one that can be put together from several parts. If you like models, then this will be the place for you . From model trains, planes and cars to rockets and boats, we've got them all! To find others who can share your interests, and to get more information, please call 88563219. Sports Club Sports Club offers you many different ways to keep healthy. You'll never get bored. Our Program & Service Department is always working in new ways to keep you strong and happy . For more of it , visit _ Keypals International Club KIC is a fun club started by kids, for kids aged 8 to 16. KIC tries to help kids understand different cultures through emails and other activities . KIC has members from 40 different countries. For more of it, visit _ Kids Art Club Kids Art Club offers drawing and painting classes to children aged 7 to 14. Classes are small and we have to have only six learners each class. All classes are taught by Jim Todd who has worked in the art field for over twenty years. For more information, please call 886766213. If your friend is interested in painting, he may join _ . A Heart Painting Club B NYC Painting Club C Charnwood Drawing & Painting Club D Kids Art Club Answer: D. Kids Art Club
If you have time, if you love sunshine and swimming, why not come to Australia to have a lovely holiday? You will enjoy every minute of being here. Of course, there is still some information that you have to know before you come. The sun In Australia, you can see many kinds of plants and animals and many beautiful views. However, you should be careful. Our sunlight is very strong and you may get sunburn, If you want to go out, you had better wear a hat and a shirt with collar and long sleeves and don't forget to take your sunglasses and sun cream, Don't look at the sun directly. Swimming We have so many beautiful places to swim, beaches, lakes, rivers and _ . Most of our public beaches have lifesaving service. Yellow and red flags tell you the area that you are advised to swim in. If there are no flags or lifeguards on the beach, you'd better ask the local people before you go into the water. Banks and money Banks are usually open between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Monday to Thursday and 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Travellers can change money at all the banks and some of the larger hotels. . If you want to go out in Australia, you should _ . A. wear a hat in yellow or red B. take sunglasses and sun cream C. look at the sun because it's beautiful D. take an umbrella because it's always rainy Answer: B. take sunglasses and sun cream When it comes to cultural heritage protection, the Grand Canal of China is probably the world's greatest project of its kind. The big inland waterway system in the north-eastern and central eastern plains passes through eight of the country's present-day provinces. The Canal runs from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang Province in the south. Constructed in sections from the 5th century BC onwards, it was designed as a means of communication in the 7th century AD. The Canal is the world's greatest civil engineering project before the Industrial Revolution. The Grand Canal reached a peak in the 13th century, providing an inland navigation network consisting of more than 2,000 kilometers of artificial waterways, linking five of the most important river basins in China, including the Yellow River and the Yangtze. It entered a bid as a UNESCO cultural heritage site in 2008. The Grand Canal cultural square is located in Beijing's Tongzhou district. Ever since the Yuan dynasty 800 years ago, the Tongzhou section of the Grand Canal has been the life blood of Beijing. Grain and building materials were all transported to meet the endless demands of the big cities. Even today, the Grand Canal plays a major role in the lives of its citizens. "I grew up near the Grand Canal. In the past the waterway was a lot narrower, but now it's nice and wide and bridges are built over it. I think if the bid for world heritage status succeeds, it will greatly make Tongzhou more famous in the world, especially with Tongzhou aiming to be a sub-center of the capital Beijing," a citizen said. The result of the bid is set to be released next week, and no doubt it will certainly make it into the history books if the Canal is listed as a world heritage site. What can we infer by reading the passage? A. Tongzhou used to be the capital of the Yuan dynasty. B. Most citizens living in Tongzhou depend on the Canal. C. Tongzhou will benefit if the Canal is made a heritage site. D. Some citizens think the Canal not to be a cultural heritage item. Answer: C. Tongzhou will benefit if the Canal is made a heritage site. I am off on a trip on my own. Yes ! Alone! I can't wait to get going to Europe to see some cities I really want to visit. It is great because I can choose what I want to do in each city. I am going to travel by train on the Eurorail. The train trip was fast and the views of the countryside were amazing. Now 1 am in Salzburg, Austria. The quiet hills of Austria are a great place to relax. The movie The Sound of Music was filmed around this area. Mozart, the famous musician, was from here. I listened to some of his classical music. The train ride to Amsterdam was a long one. It gave me time to write some postcards to send back home. Amsterdam is a fun city, full of friendly locals and many tourists. I spent the whole day visiting the art museums here. The museum about the famous Dutch artist Van Gogh is filled with history and beautiful art. I took a boat ride and saw local people in traditional dress. I even got to taste some delicious Dutch cheese. Copenhagen, Denmark, is one of the safest places in the world. I spent a busy and nice day at the Tivoli Amusement Park. It is a huge park which even has concerts and dance shows. Hans Christian Anderson, a famous writer of children's books, was born in this city. I found a lovely bookshop and bought two of his fairy tale books, The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling. My travels alone are done! What an adventure this trip has been! I love it. The passage is probably taken from the _ part of a magazine. A. Food B. Travel C. Society D. Business Answer: B. Travel In October 1961 at Crowley Field in Cincinnati Ohio an old deaf gentleman named William E. Hoy stood up to throw the first ball of the World Series. Most people at Crowley Field on that day probably did not remember Hoy because he had retired from professional baseball 58 years earlier in 1903. However he had been an outstanding player and the deaf people still talk about him and his years in baseball. William E. Hoy was born in Houckstown Ohio on May 23, 1862. He became deaf when he was two years old. He attended the Columbus Ohio School for the deaf. After graduation he started playing baseball while working as a shoemaker. Hoy began playing professional baseball in 1886 for Oshkosh(Wisconsin) of the Northwestern League. In 1888 he started as an outfielder with the old Washington Senators. His small figure and speed made him an outstanding base runner. He was very good at stealing bases during his career. In the 1888 major league season he stole 82 bases. He was also the Senators' leading hitter in 1888. Hoy was clever and he threw right-handed and batted left-handed. On June 19,1889 he threw out three batters at the plate from his outfield position. The arm signals used by judges today to show balls and strikes began because of Hoy. The judge lifted his right arm to show that the pitch was a strike and his left arm to signal that it was a ball. For many years people talked about Hoy's last ball game in 1903. He was playing for Los Angeles of the Pacific Coast Winter League. It was a memorable game because Hoy hit a wonderful ball which won the game. It was a very foggy day and therefore very hard to see the ball. In the ninth inning with two men out, Hoy managed to catch a fly ball to make the third out in spite of the fog. Los Angeles defeated their opposition and won the game. After he retired Hoy stayed busy. He ran a dairy farm near Cincinnati for 20 years. He also became a public speaker and traveled giving speeches. Until a few years before his death he took 4-10 mile walks several mornings a week. On December 15, 1961 William Hoy died at the age of 99. This passage is mainly about _ . A. a deaf player devoted to the game of baseball B. baseball game rules and important players C. the rise in the social position of the deaf people D. where the baseball judge hand signals came from Answer: A. a deaf player devoted to the game of baseball Depression is a serious problem today.Depression causes workers to be unproductive,causing companies and countries to lose billions of dollars.One expert says that depression is like cancer because it is "widespread,costly and deadly".Depression hits one person in five around the world. Although people have believed depression to be a problem among the rich and educated,studies show that depression is a problem among everyone. Over any six-month period,between five to seven percent of the world's population will be suffering from a serious depression. suicide rates among people suffering from the disease in its extreme,or clinical form were 80 percent higher than in the population at large,and sufferers were four times more likely to have heart attacks. People who suffer from depression often have problems sleeping,getting up on time,and doing work productively. Depression,which researchers agree has its origin in the genes ,brings loss of confidence and ability to concentrate-making it impossible for employees and managers to work efficiently. Depression is made more serious in China by Chinese's inability to face it.Many people believe that depressed people are either weak or lazy. Besides,there is no good treatment,with few specialists available. "Most patients in China just don't get help,"a Chinese doctor says."In my hospital.I have to see 30 or 40 patients in a morning,just have time to say "Hello how do you feel?" In Western countries,people are not afraid to admit that they have depression,but most do not tell it to their boss,because they fear that their boss would fire them. "In my experience,aging bosses are the most willing to admit they have it. Because they feel the most secure about themselves,"an American doctor says. Hopefully,in the near future,people around the world will be able to admit that they have depression so that they can get the right treatment. Depression becomes more serious in China because of. A. the understanding of the problem B. the lack of treatment and doctors C. their unwillingness to tell it to their boss D. the doctors' careless work Answer: B. the lack of treatment and doctors
Rocks folded over and over which developed A. tall areas B. wet rivers C. large trees D. grassy yards Answer: A Attention! Students ! Beach party comes ! We are going to have an outdoor party at the National Park on July 15. Activities: 1. Ride bikes from the Student Center to the beach. 2. A picnic on the beach. 3. Swimming and sailing contests. What to bring: sun cream, sunglasses, hats, swimsuits, hiking shoes and personal items. Deadline for signing up : Sunday, July 8 Fee: 200 per person. Meet at the Student Center at 10:00 am, July 15 P. S:All the food will be offered by the Students' Union. Students don't need to bring _ . A. swimsuits B. sunglasses C. food D. hiking shoes Answer: C WHEN a woman took the seat beside me on a plane, I felt uncomfortable. She had to lower herself slowly, squeezing her body into the small space. "My name is Kelly. I'm from Canada. Where are you from?" She waved a hand in front of my face. "China," I said as I shook her hand unhappily. Kelly kept talking to me. She was very thoughtful. When we were served drinks and meals, she made sure that I had enough room in my seat. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable with my elephant size!" she said sincerely. I couldn't help but let down my guard. As we talked, I was surprised by her wise words. She had read many books and was very smart. I asked her if she ever thought about losing some weight. "Aren't you worried about the diseases that come with being overweight?" "Not at all. I eat healthy and walk regularly," she said. "I believe in my heart, the people who get diseases are the ones who worry. You see advertisements from exercise centers that read, 'Free yourself from your extra baggage, so you are free to be yourself.' You're free only if you're comfortable with who you are!" I suddenly realized that Kelly was the most beautiful and clever woman I had ever met in my life. Why was the writer unfriendly to Kelly at first? A. She was not good at making friends. B. She was not in a good mood that day. C. She hoped to enjoy the trip alone. D. She felt uncomfortable with Kelly's big body. Answer: D Green is cited for contempt of the House of Representatives after she refuses to answer certain questions posed by a House Committee concerning her acts while serving as a United States Ambassador. A federal statute authorizes the Attorney General to prosecute contempts of Congress. Pursuant to this law, the House directs the Attorney General to begin criminal proceedings against Green. A federal grand jury indicts Green, but the Attorney General refuses to sign the indictment."Which of the following best describes the constitutionality of the Attorney General's action? A. Illegal, because the Attorney General must prosecute if the House of Representatives directs. B. Illegal, because the Attorney General must prosecute those who violate federal law. C. Legal, because ambassadors are immune from prosecution for acts committed in the course of their duties. D. Legal, because the decision to prosecute is an exclusively executive act Answer: D Peter and I are good friends. Peter is an American boy. I am a Japanese girl. He is thirteen. I am twelve. We are in the same class,Class Two. Peter has a nice clock. He likes it very much. He puts it on his desk. Every morning it wakes him up . I have a new watch. It looks beautiful. I wear it every day. It tells me the time. I have _ . A. a purple clock B. an old watch C. a new watch D. a nice clock Answer: C
Many people go to school for a good education. They learn languages, history, maths and other lessons. School education is very important and useful. Yet no one can learn everything from school. No matter how much a teacher knows, he cannot teach his students everything they want to know. His work is to show his students how to learn. He teaches them how to read and how to think. So, much more is to be learned outside school by the students themselves. It is always more important to know how to study by oneself. It is quite easy to learn something in a language or a formula in maths,but it is difficult to use a formula in finding the answer to a maths problem . Great inventors do not get everything from school but they can invent many things and change the world a lot. Though Thomas Edison invented many things he didn't have much school education. How do they do all these? Because they know how to study. A lot of things are not taught in the classroom. They get knowledge from books outside school. They work hard all their lives, and the most important thing is that they know how to use their head. What should a student learn to do from school? A Try to remember more knowledge and formulas. B Try to learn how to read and how to think. C Try to remember what the teachers teach. D Try to invent the world. Answer: B. Try to learn how to read and how to think. Do you know Marc Yu . He is very famous . He is only nine years old. He is a Chinese American. His mother is from Macao. He likes music very much and he has great musical talent . He can play forty pieces of classical music now. After hearing Mary Had a little Lamb one time at the age of three, he began playing it on the piano. Before that, he didn't learn the piano at all. He started to take the piano lessons at the age of three. His first public performance was at the age of three , too. Now he can play great music for people on the stage. He wants to be a famous musician like Lang Lang in the future. He likes LangLang very much. Lang Lang is his idol. How old is Marc Yu? A 9 B 3 C 7 D 8 Answer: A. 9 A micro-scratch test is able to determine which rock formations deep inside the earth's sub-surface are the hardest and how resistant the formations are to being A scratched, fractured or otherwise deformed B transformed into different minerals C melted and otherwise liquified D scratched with ice breakers Answer: A. scratched, fractured or otherwise deformed Once there was an 11-year-old boy who went fishing with his father in the middle of a New Hampshire lake. On the day before bass season opened, they were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then the boy tied on a small silver lure and put it into the lake. Suddenly he felt that something very big pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass. The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 p.m.--two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. "You'll have to put it back, son," he said. "Dad!" cried the boy. "There will be other fish," said his father. "Not as big as this one," cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were in sight in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father's voice that the decision couldn't be changed. He threw the huge bass into the black water. The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish. That was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect in New York City. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place. And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish ... again and again ... every time he has an ethical decision to make. For, as his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult. How did the boy feel when the huge bass was thrown into the water? A Excited. B Embarrassed. C Disappointed. D Annoyed. Answer: C. Disappointed. Music probably isn't the main reason for where you choose to eat something, but restaurant owners put a lot of thought into what they play. In a recent article about music's role in restaurant design, author Mark Brandau details the different ways sound influences sales. Here are a few "notes" to keep in mind the next time you need to pick a restaurant: It's someone's job to design playlists. Restaurant owners hire experts to build music playlists for different times of the day. A restaurant owner says, "Lively songs encourage quick dining and faster table turns at meal time." What you hear at lunch won't be what you hear at dinner. And what you hear after dinner will be something totally different. If a restaurant wants to increase late-night sales, music is very important to creating the right atmosphere. Music builds brands . Nick Vojnovic, president of Little Greek, had been in the business for 20 years. He began to realize how important music is to the restaurant experience after listening to a manager from The Cheesecake Factory speak about using music to develop brand identity. Where have you heard that before? Restaurants may be using the same music providers. Ambiance Radio provides playlists for Little Greek in Florida, and also Schlotzsky's and Union Square Cafe in New York City. Vojnovic, who started his business at Chili's, pointed out that years ago, background music was changed only once per quarter. Music helps restaurants choose diners. Brandau explains that some restaurants would like to turn up the music, not to bother certain groups of customers, but to stay true to their main diners. If college kids are a restaurant's main diners, the restaurant will surely play music that makes older people feel uninvited. We can learn from the passage that _ . A the restaurant owners often play music they like B Mark Brandau is an expert at designing restaurants C some restaurants use music to influence people who eat there D at meal time restaurants should play slow music to help diners relax Answer: C. some restaurants use music to influence people who eat there
For many years there's been a debate about rewarding our children. Does it work? Is it effective? Some people think we should establish a standard with our kids and give them something for meeting this standard as a reward. Punishment is given out in much the same way, but it's used when certain standards of performance, behavior, etc. have not been met. Kids will often become more dutiful when threatened with punishment, and work harder when promised a valuable reward. The problem is what happens when you aren't around. To develop responsible, self-disciplined kids, parents need to promote certain ideas. One of these ideas is that everyone pitches in and helps in your family, even if someone is not crazy about helping. Another idea is that there can be enjoyment in doing any task if we choose to make it so. When a task is for a worthy cause (our family can enjoy the house more because I have helped clean it), and when parents are cheerful about their chores, this message can have a big impact. This is how we help our kids develop a sense of responsibility. When our children develop this responsibility, they'll be more disciplined, and they'll control their emotions better. When we give rewards to our kids, we reduce the sense of responsibility. We also create children who may temporarily perform to a certain standard, but who aren't likely to continue the performance without the carrot hanging in front of them. "Rewards and punishment can change behavior for a while, but they cannot change the person who engages in the behavior, at least in the way we want," said Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards. "Good values have to be grown from the inside out." Parents can help give their children a sense of shared responsibility and discipline which can last a lifetime. The real rewards that your children receive will be their readiness for the complex and demanding world that waits for them-- a world that rewards those who have learned the secrets of discipline and responsibility. So keep those shiny rewarding to yourself, and _ . According to the passage, Alfie Kohn would agree that parents should_. Spoiled for choice? That's likely how you'll feel after a mere day in Athens. The secret is in not trying to do everything. Instead, take in a couple of the tourist highlights and then get a feel for this attractive capital. An ancient sight The Acropolis always comes out at the top of the list of things to see in Athens. The most famous of the western world's ancient sights continue to impress tourists as they climb the marble steps and stand before the graceful Parthenon. Views from up here are amazing. A slow wander Plaka is the city's oldest neighborhood, resting on the slopes of the Acropolis with cafs and fascinating architecture. The streets are perfect for getting lost in, giving wanderers the chance to discover cafs and bars where they can down some strong coffee among locals. Plaka is at its best in the early evening. Acropolis House Pension is a preserved 19thcentury house that gives guests a glimpse into a Greek home. A market scene Varvakios Agora is Athens' central market. Locals come here to shop and look for everything needed in a Greek kitchen -- from olive oil to meat. This is a look at local life as well as a window into Greek cuisine. The meat market is also home to some of the city's best pubs, feeding traditional food to crowds of customers from all walks of society. A splash of nightlife Athenian nights are filled with music, dancing and dining. Perivoli Tou Ouranou is a club with a strong atmosphere. Filled with the sounds of violins and guitars pelting out traditional blueslike music, it's sad but also beautiful and lively. Which of the following is the best time to visit Plaka? Today Newtown is a very clean place. But many years ago, there were millions of rats in Newtown. They attacked the cats and dogs. Sometimes a lot of them knocked down a man or woman walking home at night. The rats were very big in size and they hurt many people. The government ordered everybody to kill rats. Most people were lazy, so they did not kill many. Then the government decided to pay some money for each dead rat. That made the people very happy. They killed thousands of rats every day. A government officer put all the dead rats in a big pile . Sometimes a man brought hundreds in one day. After two weeks there were not many rats in the city, but people still brought many rats to the government office. The government officer thought that people were stealing dead rats from the pile. He ordered his men to dig a deep hole and put the rats in it. Soon there were no more rats, and the government did not pay any more money. The people killed rats _ . Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6. In Korea the school day is long--typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. _ leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 p.m. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of selfstudy a night. The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cutthroat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different. However, there are some similarities between Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the 1970s, Finland's education system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation. The students spend the least time in school in _ . James and his wife went to Beijing Restaurant for dinner at 7:00 pm. On April 1st, 2005, while they were eating, a waitress came to tell them that the two men at the next table were film-makers and that they would like to have a talk with James. James agreed. One man came to sit down next to him and said that they were making a film named "The Magic Gloves." The story was like "Harry Potter" and they were looking for an actor to play a magician. They would like to invite James to have a try. James was excited, "Many people think I look like Patrick Steward." However, as he was going to leave China in 3 days, he wanted to try out after dinner. The man agreed. At 9:00 pm, when James asked for the bill so that he could go with the film-makers, the manager of Beijing Restaurant said sorry to him with a smile, "It's April Fool's Day joke! Your meal is free. Thank you." James completely forgot about it but when he found that he was fooled, he didn't leave at once. The waitress asked him if he needed some help. James said, "I was fooled once. I'm afraid the meal is not free. I am waiting for the bill to see if it is another joke." Which of the following is true?
Great Yarmouth is an English seaside town situated at the mouth of the River Yare, about 120 miles to the northeast of London. Around 5 million people visit Great Yarmouth every year, making it one of Britain's most popular seaside resorts. Formerly the home of one of the most profitable fishing industries, Great Yarmouth is a busy and very popular seaside resort. Undoubtedly, one of the most popular attractions is Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, a historic free entry pleasure park, which draws annually 1.5 million visitors. The two piers , Britannia Pier and Wellington Pier, both contain family-orientated entertainment. As well as the usual thrills one would expect on a classic British seafront, Great Yarmouth also has a quieter side, with a fascinating heritage quarter to explore. Not many people know that Great Yarmouth has the most complete city walls after York, with heritage walks to help you discover this medieval attraction along with several museums and houses dating back to many centuries. If ghost walks are more your cup of tea, Eerie Tales and Yarmouth Yarns is the tour for you. Great Yarmouth is also a centre for the North Sea oil and gas industry and increasingly for offshore wind power. The Great Yarmouth Outer Harbour is a huge development currently taking place which can see larger ships coming to the town. The Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival in September each year celebrates Great Yarmouth's maritime heritage. Over the past few years, Great Yarmouth has seen significant construction spending to improve and modernize the popular seafront area and to ensure it is linked to the town centre. Regent Road has a brilliant ceiling of light which is lit up in the evenings and is now a lovely street leading from the town centre to the seafront area. What's the best title for the passage? Answer: A dreaming tourist place -- Great Yarmouth For many parents , raising a teenager is like fighting a long war ,but years go by without any clear winner . Like a border conflict between neighboring countries ,the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do? Both sides want peace ,but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict . In part ,this is because neither is willing to admit .any responsibility for starting it . From the parents' point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents' complete unreasonableness. And of course . . Both feel trapped In this article. I'll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things . Examples include the color of the teen's hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom ,the preferred style of clothing , the child's failure to eat a good breakfast before school ,or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends .Second ,blaming.The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong . Third , needing to be right ,It doesn't matter what the topic is -politics. The taws of physics ,or the proper way to break an egg -the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong .for both wish to be considered an authority--someone who actually knows something -- and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately , as long as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other ,they'll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress Parents and teens want to be right because they want to _ . Answer: gain respect from the other The Andes Mountains in South America formed when an oceanic plate shifted beneath a continental plate. Which other landforms are usually associated with this type of plate boundary? Answer: ocean trenches Credit cards let people buy things now and pay for them over months or even years.But some people get deep into debt:Some banks have terms and charges that can make it harder for people to pay off that debt.In the United States,there are calls for stronger government supervision of the credit card industry. _ In 2004,Americans had about $800 billion in credit card debt.Now they own about $968 billion. Critics say banks made it too easy to get credit cards.But that may be changing.The crisis in the housing and credit they call markets is beginning to affect the credit card industry.More payments are late.Charges for late payments are a growing source of profit for banks.But late payments can also signal bad debts. The central bank,the Federal Reserve,says twothirds of American banks have recently reported tighter lending requirements.Many people report having their credit limits reduced without warning. Some lawmakers are concerned that cardholders do not have enough protections from what abusive policies.These include actions like raising interest rates because of an unrelated event.Also,banks may raise the chances of a late payment by changing monthly payment dates for credit cards. According to a survey,82% of Americans think credit cards provide a valuable service.But a majority,58%,say they do not trust credit card companies.And three out of four think the government should regulate the industry more closely.Three out of four people feel there is always some condition that makes a card less appealing than the company made in scared.And a little more than half say they have had a card that was not as good as they expected.But close to 80% say no one really reads the terms and conditions when they sign up for a credit card. What can we know from the text? Answer: People should be more careful when applying for a credit card. All of us have taken an instant dislike to someone, and then felt guilty about being too judgmental. But now it seems we should place more trust in our first impressions. Most people can accurately judge a total stranger following a short meeting, according to scientists. And in general, the more confident the people are, the more likely they are to be correct in their assumptions. Jeremy Biesanz, who led a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia, said: "Many important decisions are made after very brief encounters -- which employee to hire, which person to date, which student to accept". Although our first impressions are generally accurate, it is necessary for us to recognize where they may be not good enough. The researchers arranged for two groups of more than 100 people to meet in a meeting. Much like speed-dating, the volunteers spoke to everyone in their group for three minutes each. At the end of each three-minute chat, they were asked to rate each other's personalities, and how well they thought their impressions "would _ someone who knows this person very well". To find out what the person was "really" like, the scientists had his friends and family fill out his personality reports. Generally speaking, the more confident the volunteers felt in accurately rating another's personality, the closer their ratings were to those of the other person's friends and family, the researchers said. However, the participants with the highest accuracy were those who rated themselves moderately accurate -- those highly confident of their judgment were less successful. The scientists concluded that, although we know people are different from each other, a good judge of character knows that in many ways people are mostly alike. For example, almost everyone would prefer being kind to being unfriendly. Therefore, while first impressions can be generally accurate, they are not conclusive in working out whether somebody really is "better" than someone else. What topic is the passage mainly concerned with? Answer: Our first impressions on a stranger are usually accurate.
Of the six-billion-plus people in the world,600 million live on islands.In other words,one in ten of the world's population is an island dweller.This is not so hard to imagine when you consider that more than 200 million people live in Indonesia alone--and about 60 million more live on the island of Britain. No island,or group of islands,is the same.Indonesia,for example,is a nation which consists entirely of islands,nearly 14,000 of them,of which 6,000 are inhabited.Britain is a small, crowded island,with a population density of 243 people per square kilometer,almost twice as much as China.Britain is also the only island in the world which is connected to a continent by a tunnel,the Channel Tunnel between southeast England and North France. If you ignore Australia,which is an island-continent,the largest island in the world is Greenland,an unusual name for a place which is almost permanently covered in ice! On the other hand,Iceland,which is Greenland's ly near neighbor to the east,is much greener. Why is this?Iceland is far enough north,like Greenland,to be entirely covered by ice,but more than one third of Iceland is volcanically active.Magma,which is molten volcanic rock below the surface of the ground,heats the terrain above it,keeping it green.The story goes that an early settler from Iceland gave Greenland its name in order to encourage more people to live there! Even the smallest islands have a story to tell.The remotest inhabited island in the world is Tristan da Cunha,which is in the South Atlantic Ocean.Fewer than 250 people live there and they are all related to each other,with only seven surnames between them.The island capital has the romantic name of Edinburgh of the South Seas. According to the text,islands contain _ . Contrary to most people' s idea, the air in Coastal cities can be far from fresh and healthful, said a report recently published. University of California Professor Mark Thiemens led the research team. His team. report blames ships that release dirty smoke by burning low-cost, high-sulfur fuel. They directly measured smoke released from a ship. They also tested air at the end of the Scripps Pier .The area is just north of San Diego, which is both a major city and port. The Scripps Pier is also close to waters with heavy shipping traffic and the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles has the third largest port in the world. Primary sulfate is produced when a ship burns fuel called bunker oil. Bunker oil contains a Large amount of sulfur. Most sulfur released by ships burning bunker oil is a gaseous pollutant--sulfur dioxide. After a time, sulfur dioxide becomes sulfate in the atmosphere. The researchers say this primary sulfate may be only a small part of what ships produce. Professor Thiemens said no one had really expected that ships would be responsible for so many , particulates .He said the extremely small particles ( )are especially threatening. They measure only one and one half microns in size., A micron is one millionth of a meter. The researchers say the particulates can travel long distances because they stay in the atmosphere longer than other pollutants. Professor Thiemens noted that the air of Los Angeles influenced air quality in San Die -go. That distance is almost 180 kilometers. , Primary sulfur particulates can also threaten human health. When people breathe, the particulates stay in their lungs. Other scientists have said that up to 60,000 people around the world die each year from dirty ship smoke. Other gaseous pollutants from ships include nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide. Earlier this year, a United Nations' report said gases from ships produce more than one billion tons of carbon dioxide every year. Ships are not governed under the Kyoto Protocol, the agreement that establishes limits for gases linked to climate change. But international rules requiring ship fuels that burn cleanly are to become effective in 2015. It is generally thought that _ The current Ebola outbreak in western and central Africa has infected at least 3,069 people, including 1,552 dead, making it the largest outbreak in history. Ebola is a deadly virus --about 60 percent of people infected with it have died. How is Ebola doing its harm? When a person becomes infected with Ebola, the virus damages the body's immune cells, which defend against infection, said a researcher at Lancaster University. But if a person's immune system can stand up to this attack, then he is more likely to survive the disease. The patients that survive it best are those who don't get such a bad disadvantage in immune system. But if the body isn't able to get rid of this attack, then the immune system becomes less able to regulate itself. This means the immune system is more likely to run out of control, leading to a drop in blood pressure, multi-organ failure and eventually death. What are the common symptoms of the disease? Fever. Headache. Joint and muscle aches. Weakness. Diarrhea. Vomiting. Stomach pain. Lack of appetite. Chills. Rash. Redness in the eyes. Hiccups. Cough. Sore throat. Chest pain. Difficult breathing or swallowing. Bleeding inside and outside of the body. How to prevent the spread of Ebola? Ebola can be spread primarily via direct contact with patients, specifically the blood and fluids of an infected patient. We should avoid contact with infected patients and objects such as clothing, bedding, and needles used by them. Avoid areas where infections have been reported. For now, the disease has only been confirmed in central and West Africa, four cases in America and Europe. Avoid eating wild-caught bush meat. Researchers have suspected that the disease came to humans via animals, probably through the meat of primates . If you're in an area where the disease has been reported, avoid purchasing, eating, or handling wild game to stay on the safe side. Wear protective medical clothing if you're around infected patients. Extreme caution is necessary. Hospital workers must use masks, gloves, goggles, and gowns, which needed to be worn at all times if you're around infected patients. How Do People Survive Ebola? Doctors don't know for certain who will survive Ebola, and there is no specific treatment or cure for the disease. Although in the minority, some people do recover from infection. Our suggestions include: Maintain your electrolytes and body liquid. Sports drinks can be used. Monitor your blood pressure and control it if necessary. Dropping blood pressure may be a serious sign of infection. Breathe in an oxygen-rich environment. Quickly address any symptoms of infection. Be honest about when and where you're feeling pain. It is true that _ . Discover News magazine of science devoted to the wonders and stories of modern science, written for the 41-45 ADBCA Cover Price: $59.88 Price: $19.95 ($1.66/issue) You Save : $39.93 (67%) Issues : 12 issues/12 months Self Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc., Selfis a handbook devoted to women's overall physical and mental health. Every issue contains usable articles such as "Style Lab", in which wearable clothes are mixed and matched on non-models and the "Eat-Right Road Map", with tips on how to eat properly. Cover Price: $ 35.86 Price: $15.00 ($2.5/issue) You Save: $ 20.86(58%) Issues: 6 issues/12 months In Style In Style is a guide to the lives and lifestyles of the world's famous people. The magazine covers the choices people make about their homes, their clothes and their free time activities. With photos and articles, it opens a door to these people's homes, families, parties and weddings, offering ideas about beauty, fitness and in general, lifestyles. Publisher: The Time Inc. Magazine Company. Cover Price: $47.88 Price: $23.88($2.38/issue) You Save: $24.00(50%) Issues: 10 issues/12 months Wired This magazine is designed for leaders in the field of information engineering including top managers and professionals in the computer, business, design and education industries. Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc., Wiredoften carries articles on how technology changes people's lives. Cover Price : $ 59.40 Price : $ 10.00 ($1.00/issue) You Save: $49.40(84%) Issues: 10 issues/12 months Those who are interested in management and the use of high technology would probably choose _ . Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said. "Can we write him a letter?" She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes." My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked. "No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for. "Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face. She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining. "Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three." The balloon, carrying my letter, darted upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds. Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary. I prayed to be a balloon. In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like?
Why do people run? That is, why do thousands get up early and put their knees and ankles and hearts and lungs through the hell of 10,000 meters on the roads? For those who stick with it and are lucky, they get into another world: a state of physical and mental grace reached when their blood is racing through every vein . And in Austin, those who long to get better, even when they know it's impossible, hang on Gilbert's every word. Gilbert's methods are simple. It's all about form: how the arms move and the feet land. He pushes his students hard. When they feel like they're about to die, they look at Gilbert's scars -- the burns along his right arm, and then to his right leg, where the flames ate down to the bone. Whatever they feel, how bad, really, could it be? "He gets people to believe in themselves," says Lisa Spenner, one of the _ , who are crazy about Gilbert. "He treats everyone like they're amazing." If Gilbert is their savior, they are his saviors too. "Eventually, I realized I had to help people. When I help people, I feel good," he says. Gilbert's right leg was so badly burnt that the knee was stuck at a 90-degree angle. The doctor said it would take six months to heal. Frustrated, Gilbert got on a bike. The biking led to walking, which finally led to running a year after he had been left to die. In truth, runners don't race other runners. They race against themselves to conquer their wills. So Gilbert spent the spring and summer of 2007 trying to do that, racing men faster than he is, knowing it would make him better. Gilbert's students, of course, keep rooting for him, though sometimes they wonder, "How much better can he get?" After all, they see him as more than just a runner and a coach. He's a flesh-and-blood symbol: the daily struggle to show what you're made of. What do we learn about Gilbert after reading the passage? He has determination and strong will-power. Once upon a time, there was a lion and a mouse. One day, when the lion was sleeping, the mouse ran onto his face. The lion woke up. He was very angry and caught the mouse. "I will eat you!" the lion said angrily. The mouse cried out,"If you do not kill me, I would be happy to give you a reward ."The lion laughed at the idea. He did not think a little mouse could help such a big strong animal like himself. But he still let the mouse go. After a few days, it happened. The lion was caught by hunters' net. He tried his best to leave, after half a day, but he still couldn't get out of the net. He was very sad, he thought he was dying. At that time the lion felt something nibbling(,) on the ropes. It was the mouse. Just before dark, the work was done. There was a hole in the net. The lion got free through the hole. He was very happy and thanked the mouse, "My friend, you have saved me. I will never _ the power of small animals like you." From then on, the lion and the mouse became friends. Which is NOT wrong from the passage? The lion ran away with the mouse's help. One day in l965, when I worked at View Ridge School in Seattle, a fourth-grade teacher approached me. She had a student who finished his work before all the others and needed a challenge. "Could he help in the library?" She asked. I said, "Send him along." Soon a slight, sandy-haired boy in jeans and a T-shift appeared. "Do you have a job for me?" he asked. I told him about the Dewey Decimal System for shelving books. He picked up the idea immediately. Then I showed him a stack of cards for long-overdue books that I was beginning to think had actually been returned but were misshelved with the wrong cards in them. He said, "Is it kind of a detective job?" I answered yes, and he became working. He had found three books with wrong cards by the time his teacher opened the door and announced, "Time for break!" He argued for finishing the finding job; She made the case for fresh air. She won. The next morning, he arrived early. "I want to finish these books," he said. At the end of the day, when he asked to be a librarian on a regular basis, it was easy to say yes. He worked untiringly. After a few weeks I found a note on my desk, inviting me to dinner at the boy's home. At the end of a pleasant evening, his mother announced that the family would be moving to neighbouring school district. Her son's first concern, she said, was leaving the View Ridge library. "Who will find the lost books?" he asked. When the time came, I said a reluctant good-bye. I missed him, but not for long. A few days later he came back and joyfully announced: "The librarian over there doesn't let boys work in the library. My mother got me transferred back to View Ridge. My dad will drop me off on his way to work. And if he can't, I'll walk!" I should have had an inkling such focused determination would take that young man wherever he wanted to go. What I could not have guessed, however, was that he would become a wizard of the Information Age: Bill Gates, tycoon of Microsoft and America's richest man. What was the boy told to do on his first day in the library? To find out the books with wrong cards in them. Dear Abby, I'm a helpless mother.My son Tom is 15 years old.I find that the older he grows,the less we talk.I feel very sad and I really need help. My first problem is about his hobbies.He spends almost all his spare time on computer games.When he gets home.he always turns on the computer and closes the door.I'm getting worried about him,especially when his English teacher tells me he always gets low marks in the English exams. Second,he likes new technology,but I don't have enough money and I can't afford all the things he wants. Recently,I've found that he is always alone.I've never seen him talking to his friends on the phone or going out with anyone on weekends.That is the last problem I have. What should I do to help him?Please give me some advice. A helpless mother The helpless mother has _ problems. three When Lady Gaga releases a new, pleasing and easily remembered single, it quickly goes around the world. Now scientists have discovered the same thing happens with the songs of another creature----the humpback whale. The mammals become absorbed by new tunes just like people do, and the most popular original whale songs spread globally like hit singles. Male humpback whales are famed for the loud, long and complicated songs they make during the mating season. Each song lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and the males can sing nonstop for 24 hours. At any one time, all the males in a population sing the same song. But a study shows that this song changes over time and spreads around the oceans. Dr. Ellen Garland of Queensland University, said: "Songs move like cultural communication from one population to another, causing all males to change their song to a new version." Researchers recorded songs from six neighboring populations of whales in the Pacific over a decade. They found that new versions of the songs appear over time and always spread from west to east. It takes two years for songs that appear in the waters off Australia to be heard in French Polynesia. Most of the new songs contain material from the previous year mixed with something new. " It would be like getting an old Beatles song together with U2," she said. " Occasionally they completely throw the current song out of the window and start singing a completely new song". Dr. Garland believes that a small number of whales may migrate to other populations carrying the new songs with them, or that they are heard by passing whales. The researchers suspect whales adopt new songs to make themselves distinct. Dr. Garland said: " we think this male search for new songs is in the hope of being that little bit different and perhaps more attractive to the opposite sex." According to the text, we can learn that _ humpback whales in the west change their tunes first.
I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft lip, and when I started to go to school, my classmates were constantly laughing at me. I couldn't even blow up a balloon. When my classmates asked, "What happened to your lip?" I'd tell them that I'd fallen as a baby and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. Then I entered the second grade, and Mrs. Leonard's class. She was round and pretty. Everyone loves her. But no one came to love her more than I did. And for a special reason. The time came for the yearly "hearing tests". I was nearly unable to hear anything out of one ear. So I cheated. I had learned to watch other children and raised my hand when they did during group testing. The "whisper test" required a different trick: each child would go to the door of the classroom, turn sideways and cover one ear with a finger. And the teacher would say something very quietly from her desk, which the child would repeat. Then the same thing was done for the other ear. Nobody checked to see how tightly the untested ear was being covered, so I pretended to cover mine. My turn came. I turned my bad ear to her, covering the other ear with my finger, and then gently backed my finger out enough to be able to hear. I waited, and then heard the words that God had surely put into her mouth; seven words that changed my life forever. Mrs. Leonard, the pretty teacher I loved, said softly, "I wish you were my little girl." What might be the best title for this passage? Answer: A Small Expression of Love Which of the following is formed when two elements combine chemically? Answer: a compound Do you ever fight with your little brother or sister? How would you like to travel around the world with them in a musical group? Sisters Johanna and Klara Soderburg are doing just that in their band, First Aid Kit! The two sisters are sweeping the world with a perfect mix of pop and folk music. The Soderburg sisters come from Sweden. Their music sounds like music from the 1960s. They both play several instruments. And, since they are sisters, their voices fit together perfectly! Like many other teen stars before them, the two girls got their start on the website, YouTube. Their singing caught the attention of a Swedish musician. It wasn't long before people all over the world discovered their music! The sisters don't just sing or play instruments; they also write their own music and design all of their album art!They have worked very hard, and they _ four new songs at the beginning of 2011! If you want to hear the songs, check out their music in YouTube for yourself! Listen to see why First Aid Kit is your new favorite band! What do you know about Johanna and Klara Soderburg? Answer: They are a famous musical group now. Last Thursday, a young woman saved an elderly man from a burning house on Garden Road. The young woman's name is Kitty and she works in a clothes shop. The elderly man, Daniel, lives just opposite the clothes shop. On Thursday afternoon, Kitty looked out of the window. She saw some smoke coming from Daniel's house and rushed over to see what was happening. The house was on fire and Daniel was inside. Kitty quickly called the fireman on 999. Then, she ran into the house to save Daniel. She found Daniel in his bedroom and he was frightened. Kitty helped Daniel out to a safe place. Five minutes later the fireman arrived and they put out the fire. No one was hurt. The next day, Daniel said,"I am so grateful to Kitty. She saved my life."Daniel also said,"In the future, I will be more careful. I don't want another fire in my house." Kitty saved _ from a burning house. Answer: an old man By 2012,the world may need to cope with as many as 50 million people who have fled their homeland,not for political or economic reasons but because the environment has been so badly changed that it cannot support life. The statement has been released by the United Nations to mark UN Disaster Reduction Day. More people are made homeless by environmental disasters than by war,according to the research by the Red Cross. That reality is proved by the earthquake in Pakistan. The widely publicized disaster has brought aid from the global community,according to Janos Bogardi,director of the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security. "If we can move swiftly in and give them a new start where they are,then they may stay in the area. Otherwise,they become environmental refugees. Environmentalrelated migrations are most acute in SubSaharan Africa,but they also affect millions of people in Asia and India. Meanwhile,the United States is witnessing increased pressure from victims of mismanaged and worsening soil and water conditions in Mexico and Latin America." he says. Janos Bogardi says these refugees suffer from the impact of gradual environmental change--global warming,sea level rise,air and water pollution and more intense storms,floods and droughts that degrade the land. This is a slow process,but unfortunately a process that is very difficult to go backwards once final damage is done. Janos Bogardi says they are calling on the global community to recognize the serious situation of environmental refugees and to work together to lessen the impact of environmental disaster. What may be the best title of the passage? Answer: Environmental refugees--an international problem
Sarah's New Kitty "Meow." Sarah eyes opened wide when she heard that sound coming from the basket her mother was holding. "Mama, what's that sound? It sounds like a kitty!" she said to her mother as she tried to reach the basket. Her mother was holding it up too high for Sarah to reach. "Sarah," her mother said, "remember I told you that maybe we can get a pet if you could take good care of it? Well, you're seven years old now and I think you're ready for a special present." Sarah's mother set the basket on the floor. Sarah fell on her knees with a big grin on her face. She slowly lifted the yellow kitty and held its soft little body next to hers. Sarah gave the kitty a little kiss. Then she rubbed its head and neck. Soon it started making gentle sounds. "Why is the kitty making those funny sounds?" she asked her mother. "Oh, that's called purring. It's the sound kittens make when they're happy," her mother said. "Can I give it a name?" Sarah asked. "Sure. It's a girl kitty, but choose any name you like." her mother said. Sarah thought about it as her mother got two small bowls and placed them on the floor. Then she put water in one bowl and kitten food in the other bowl. "Okay, Sarah. Let's see if the kitty is hungry." Sarah put the kitty on the floor and it walked over to the food bowl. It quickly started to eat the food. Sarah laughed at the kitten and said, "I know. I'm going to name you Kitty." What did Sarah's mother have in the basket? Answer: Dear teachers, do you want to find pen pals for your students? Boys and girls, do you want to find your own e-pals ? Here is some advice on how to make e-pals. First, take a look at www.spoton.de community . Click on international pen pal sites to find some of our favorite international e-pal and pen pal web sites. Do not forget: some e-pal services are not free and some are safer than others. Remember to read a web site safety warning before you join! KidFu (www.kidfu.com) says it is the safest place online for kids to chat, play games and make friends. Get your parents to help you register and then you can write things about yourself or read what other kids have written. There are also chat monitors that make sure that the online chat rooms are safe and friendly. KidFu costs money, but the first month is free. If you join Epals (www.epals.com), you can choose a pen pal among 65,000 kids from 191 countries. You can also find information about how teachers can get pen pals for their pupils. Or if you want to start sending e-mails right now, go to Europa Pages (www.europapage.com/ penpal-form.html). Lots of young people have written their names, interests, home countries and their e-mail addresses. Just click on a name and start writing! If you want to choose a safe web site, you can click on _ . Answer: Apple is to open a research lab in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, according to Tim Cook, its chief executive, as it seeks to boost sales in the country and improve ties with the authorities. Beijing has been encouraging foreign technology companies to carry out more high-end work on the mainland as part of efforts to revitalize local industry. It will be Apple's second facility in China. It already has a new research and development facility in Beijing. The two R&D centers were "aimed at strengthening relationships with local partners and universities as we work to support talent development across the country", Apple said in a statement. A closer relationship with the Chinese authorities has been a priority following setbacks for the US technology company this year. The iPhone has been losing market share to high-end handsets made by local competitors including Huawei, Vivo and Oppo, which topped the rankings in the second quarter, while Apple languished in fifth place, according to Canalys data. Analysts said the announcement of the R&D centre was Mr. Cook's latest attempt to gain favour with Beijing, following the US group's $1billion investment in Didi Chuxing, the Chinese car-hailing company, in May. Apple has had to change its approach in China as it faces rising nationalism and high-quality local competition, according to Ge Jia, a tech blogger, who wrote yesterday: "It's time for Apple to cast aside their pride." "Their previous strategy of only selling devices to China without leaving anything behind is not working any more and they are starting their process of localisation in China through the Shenzhen lab." What caused Apple's sales in China to fall? Answer: My friend Matt and I arrived at the Activity Centre on Friday evening. The accommodation wasn't wonderful,but we had everything we needed(beds,blankets,food),and we were pleased to be out of the city and in the fresh air. On Saturday morning we met the other ten members of our group. Cameron had come along with two friends,Kevin and Simon,while sisters Carole and Lynn had come with Amanda. There were some other members I didn't know. We had come from different places and none of us knew the area. We knew we were going to spend the weekend outdoors,but none of us was sure exactly how. Half of us spent the morning caving while the others went rock-climbing and then we changed at lunchtime. Matt and I went to the caves first. Climbing out was harder than going in,but after a good deal of pushing, we were out at last. Though we were covered with mud,we were pleased and excited by what we'd done. ,. This passage mainly talks about _ . Answer: During a career planning class, Brenda Fabian asked how many students use Facebook, a popular online networking community for college students. Almost everyone in the room raised a hand."Then I asked how many knew that employers are reviewing Facebook for hiring purposes,"says Fabian,director for Center for Career Services at Susquehanna University."No hands were raised, and their faces revealed the students' surprise." Although some parents do keep track of their teen's online activities,most teenagers don't realize that websites may be monitored by schools,prospective employers or anyone else who might be interested in the teenager's lifestyle not just today but anytime in the future. Most of us don't realize that the information that gets posted on the Internet may be deleted,but it doesn't disappear permanently."The stuff is there forever,"says Jamie Riehle,director of Web Publishing at Lycos."It is backed up on servers and doesn't go away." As company recruiters,college admission officers,law enforcement personnel and parents become more Web savvy ,it becomes even more vital for teenagers to be cautious when posting any information on their websites. Even though sites that are private can be seen only by a preselected list of friends,there are companies that,for a fee,can dig deeper into cyberspace and find anything. Even government officials who thought that deleting email would exonerate(......) them from wrongdoing are discovering that,on the Web,there is no such thing as private or gone forever. Steven Rothenberg,president and founder of College-Recruiter.com,suggests that teenagers think of their Web posts as tattoos . "Inherently ,there is nothing wrong with them if they are private,"he says."But if they are visible or offensive, it can affect the way others see you." The information posted on the Internet _ . Answer:
When performing an experiment for a science fair, what should be done if the data do not support the hypothesis? Answer: Check for errors and run the experiment again. 79 Mayfair Road Plumton, Kent October 10th Dear Rosemary, I was very glad to get your letter this morning. I really ought to have written to you---it was my turn, I know----but I have been terribly busy. The children seem to take up all my time. I am thinking of sending Ann to a nursery school. She'll be four next month. Baby has just started to walk and doesn't give me a moment's peace. But you know what it is like! How are all your children? I'm sure they love living in the country. I'm afraid we can't come over to see you next Sunday, as you suggest. Tom's mother is coming to spend the day with us. What about the Sunday after that----- the twenty-second? We are free that day and should love to come. We're longing to see your house. Let me know, then, if the Sunday after next suits you. May we come for lunch? We'd like to leave fairly early in the evening to avoid the heavy traffic on the roads. Love from us all, Edna What doesn't give Edna a moment's peace? Answer: That her baby has just started to walk What could a poem writer and a movie director share? More than you think! Langston Hughes began writing poems in high school and soon became one of America's greatest writers. Most of his writing is about his experiences as an African American. He wrote poems about people who worked hard through life but still found things to be happy about. He wrote plays and books about justice for all people, and he wrote kids' books, too. The Sweet and Sour Animal Book is a book of his animal poems. Pictures and photos were used in the book. "Hold fast to dreams" is a line in a famous Hughes poem. That's exactly what he did throughout his life. When Steven Spielberg was in middle school, he wanted to make a film. He had an idea for a movie, but no money. He started a tree-planting business and made his film with the money he earned. Spielberg never stopped making films, even after many film schools refused him. Today he is one of the most popular and important filmmakers in the world. His movies are about people who are adventurous , brave, kind. His characters often fight for what is good. Some of his films are about his Jewish background, such as Schindler's List. Spielberg once said, "I don't dream that much at night because I dream for a living." In different ways, both Hughes and Spielberg have encouraged people of all ages to reach for their dreams. Which of the following is Langston Hughes' writing not about? Answer: The fair treatment of animals. Just as the English language has changed quickly in the previous century, so has the use of it. After the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was founded in 1927, the particular style of speech of the BBC announcers was recognized as standard English or Received Pronunciation (RP) English. Now, most people still consider that the pronunciation and delivery of BBC announcers is the clearest and most understandable spoken English. English has had a strong relationship with classes and social positions. However, since the Second World War there has been a clear change of attitude towards speech snobbery , and marks of class distinction such as styles of speech have been gradually diminishing, especially in the younger generation. By the end of the 1960s, it had become clear that it was not necessary to speak standard English or even correct grammar to become popular, successful and rich. The fashionable speech of the day was no longer the special right of a special class but rather a defiant expression of classlessness. The greatest single influence of the shaping of the English language in modern times is the American English. Over the last 25 years the English used by many people, particularly by those in the media, advertising and show business, has become more and more mid-Atlantic in style, delivery and accent. In the 1970s, fashion favored careless pronunciation and a language full of jargon, slang and "in" words, a great quantity of which couldn't be understood by the outside world. What is considered modern and fashionable in Britain today is often not the kind of English taught in schools and colleges. It can be concluded from the passage that _ . Answer: there has been a great change in the English language in the previous century Robert is thirteen years old now , but he still remembers one day ten years ago, when he tried to get a bottle of milk from the fridge. The bottle fell to the floor and the milk spilled all over the floor. When his mother came into the kitchen , she didn't shout at him"Oh, Robert, it is _ . Well ,would you like to play in the milk for a few minutes ?" she said. Robert was very surprised ,but he began to play in the milk quickly, after a few minutes, his mother said ," You know ,Robert, when you make a mess like this ,you have to clean it yourself ." He then cleaned the milk with his mother. His mother then said, "It's hard to take a big bottle with your two small hands. Here is another bottle .Let's see how to find a better way to take it." The little boy learned that if he took the bottle near the top with both two hands , he could do it easily . Robert also learned that it wasn't always bad to make mistakes .It was just the mistake that helped him to learn new things. What a good lesson!! What's the best title for the passage? Answer: Learning from the mistakes
Korean culture is really exciting right now. The Korean Wave is sweeping Asian countries including China. Young people are going crazy about Korean TV dramas, Korean pop songs, taekwondo and the Korean language. The Korean Wave started a few years ago with the TV series "Winter Sonata". This love story is still popular. People, especially girls, like the beautiful story and handsome actors like Bae Yong Jun . In the music world, Korean girls are making themselves heard in China. You can often find big Korean names like Baby Vox, S. E. S and Finkle at the top of the Chinese music charts . The Korean Wave has also made young people want to try the clothes and hairstyles of pop stars, too. Not only that. Now some girls in China are having plastic surgery to change the way they look. People say some beautiful Korean stars have had plastic surgery. These stars don't make plastic surgery look shameful . Are all the faces of beautiful Korean girls not real? Find out for yourself when you next visit South Korea. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?. A Winter Sonata tells a very famous love story. B Young people like Korean pop stars' clothes and hairstyles. C Chinese girls also want to try plastic surgery. D Korean pop stars think plastic surgery is shameful. Answer: D Cans can be taken to a place known as A the ocean B scrap yard C shot with BBs D buried Answer: B Michael Jackson's personal doctor was found guilty on Tuesday of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's drug-related death in 2009 - but may not spend much time in jail. Dr. Conrad Murray, 58, was led away in handcuffs after the jury in Los Angeles convicted him guilty. Dozens of fans outside the court erupted in cheers and some burst into tears. "Justice was served. Michael is with us," said Jackson's brother Jermaine. Murray faces up to four years behind bars when he was sentenced on November 29 but may spend only months in LA's overcrowded prisons. Murray did not admit guilty for giving the "Thriller" singer a fatal dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol - normally used in surgery that ruled the main cause of his death at the age of 50.. The judge ordered Murray, who had been free on bail for two years, held in prison until his sentencing. The doctor did not speak at the six-week trial. Jackson's mother Katherine and sister Rebbie cried silently at the result. Other family members in court included his siblings La Toya and Randy, along with his father Joe. I am," Katherine Jackson said when reporters asked if she was pleased. Murray admitted giving Jackson a small dose of propofol to help him sleep. but his lawyers argued the singer was dependent on the drug and likely gave himself an extra fatal dose and swallowed a handful of sedatives without Murray's knowing. Prosecutors said Murray was to blame for administering the drug in a home setting, failing to monitor Jackson, delaying a call to emergency services and failing to tell medical personnel he gave the singer propofol. Judge Michael Pastor said Murray was "now a convicted person who has been considered the causative factor in Michael Jackson's death." Pastor said the doctor should be imprisoned before being sentenced to protect public safety. Conrad Murray seemed to think that_. A he was the main cause of Michael Jackson's death. B the judge was unfair for him. C the dose of propofol wouldn't cause the singer to die. D his lawyer didn't try his best. Answer: C In the old days, children were familiar with birth and death as part of life. This is perhaps the first generation of American youngsters who have never been close by during the birth of a baby and have never experienced the death of a family member. Nowadays when people grow old, we often send them to nursing homes. When they get sick, we send them to a hospital, where children are forbidden to visit terminally ill patients - even when those patients are their parents. This deprives the dying patient of significant family members during the last few days of his and it deprives the children of an experience of death, which is an important learning experience. Some of my colleagues and I once interviewed and followed about 500 terminally ill patients in order to find out what they could teach us and how we could be of more benefit, not just to them but to the members of their families as well. We were most impressed by the fact that even those patients who were not told of their serious illness were aware of its possible result. It is important for family members, and doctors and nurses to understand these patients' communications in order to truly understand their needs, fears and fantasies. Most of our patients welcomed another human being with whom they could talk openly, honestly, and frankly about their trouble. Many of them shared with us their great need to be informed, to be kept up-to-date on their medical condition and to be told when the end was near. We found out that patients who had been dealt with openly and frankly were better able to deal with the coming of death and finally to reach a true stage of acceptance prior to death. Children in America today are deprived of the chance _ . A to learn how to face death B to visit their family members C to look after patients D to have access to a hospital Answer: A Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was difficult for her to climb stairs. She was soon out of breath. "I suppose I had better go to the doctor," she thought. She went to the doctor and told him her problem. "I'm not at all surprised, "he said. "It's clear what your problem is." He examined her and then gave her some advice. "If you don't do what I say, Mrs. Parker," he said, "you will have a heart attack. It could kill you." Ellen was very worried as she left the doctor's. She knew that she had to take his advice but that it would not be easy and it would take time. The next day she went shopping. The first shop she went into was a butcher's shop . "I'd like ten pounds of steak , please," she said. "Certainly, madam," the butcher replied and went into the cold room and found a large piece of steak. He brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and placed it on the scale . "That's just under ten pounds," he said. "That's big enough," Mrs. Parker said. The butcher worked out the price. "At $4. 99 a pound that will$49. 50, please. Would you like me to cut it up into smaller pieces for you?" "Oh, I don't want to buy the meat," Mrs. Parker said. "If you don't want to buy it," the butcher replied angrily, "why did you ask me to get it for you?" "My doctor told me that I am overweight and have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what ten pounds of flesh looked like." What was Ellen Parker's real problem? A She ate too much steak. B She weighed too much. C The doctor did not know. D She could not walk very quickly. Answer: B
Question: Buckingham Palace has a history that dates back over 500 years and has changed hands on numerous occasions, however, much of the building that remains standing today is from the original structure built in the early 1700's. In the beginning Buckingham Palace was originally known as Buckingham House. However, in 1762 George III liked the house so much that he bought it for 28,000 and renamed it "The Queen's House". The reason for this was down to the fact that he bought the house to give to his wife Charlotte. Shortly after he did this, work soon began in order to remodel the house with the help of Sir William Chambers. This trend then continued with the accession of George IV in 1820 when he decided to reconstruct the house but he still used it for the same purpose that his father did. One of the biggest physical changes to the house occurred several years later when the king had a change of mind. It was in 1826 that King George IV set about transforming the house into what it is known today, Buckingham Palace. He did this with the help of an architect known as John Nash. The work that Nash carried out involved doubling the size of the main block through adding a new suite of rooms on the garden side facing the west. He then faced this with mellow Bath stone, which reflected the French neo-classical influence favored by George IV. Many of the rooms that Nash added still remain pretty much unchanged today. The palace as it stands today acts as not only the London residence of Her Majesty the Queen but also the administrative headquarters of the Royal Household. It is in fact one of the few working royal palaces that remain in the world today. The state rooms are extensively used by the Queen as well as members of the royal family as a way of receiving and entertaining guests on state, ceremonial and official occasions. George IV reconstructed Buckingham House probably to _ . A. please his own wife B. satisfy his son C. sell at a good price D. honor his old father Answer: A Question: Booking opens for Beckett Shorts on September . BY TELEPHONE For credit card booking. Calls are answered . BOX OFFICE 01789 295623 9 a.m.~ 8 p.m. (Mon.~ Sat) 0541 541051 (24 hours , 7 days , no booking charge ) BY FAX For credit card booking . Please allow at least 48 hours for reply , if required. BOX OFFICE 01789 261974 or 01862 387765 BY POST Please enclose a cheque or credit card details together with an SAE or add 50 p to the total amount to cover postage. Please send to the Box Office , RST, Stratford-upon-Avon , CV37 6BB. . What is a useful number to call at 11 a.m. Sunday ? A. 01789 295623. B. 0541 541051. C. 01789 261174. D. 01862 387665. Answer: B Question: Biomass energy , often forgotten as promising alternative to oil, received its day in the sun with the gathering of the Bio-Energy World Congress and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, late in April, 2007. Nearly 1700 scientists, businessmen and policy-makers, one-quarter from the foreign nations, gathered for a week to discuss various means of squeezing usable energy out of trees, crops, sea plants and urban waste. Biomass energy in the prefix = st1 /United Statescontributes 2.5 percent of the total supply, but this amount can be doubled by 2017 and then doubled again by the year 2027. Eight percent of Sweden's energy supply, for example, is presently coming from wood and pulp remaining. Swedenintends to raise this percentage by more intensive harvesting of waste food lying around in forests, and through the planting of so-called energy forests of fast-growing trees such as willow. Brazilis frequently pointed to as a nation with a major successful investment in energy coming from grains: it presently runs 330,000 automobiles on a water and alcohol mixture, replacing 10 percent of its previous oil supply. Brazilian representatives at the conference said they wish to double this in five years, with a final goal of total replacement. Most of the cars are built at the factory to use the mixture, while older models are changed through low-cost government programs. Of the total supply twenty years later, biomass energy in the U.S.will be _ . A. 5% B. 10% C. 15% D. 20% Answer: B Question: This afternoon, I spoke with Governor Daniel Malloy and FBI Director Mueller. I offered Governor Malloy my condolences on behalf of the nation, and made it clear he will have every single resource that he needs to investigate this horrible crime, care for the victims and their families. The majority of those who died today were children--beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them--birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. Among the fallen were also teachers--men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams. So our hearts are broken today--for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost. Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children's innocence has been torn away from them too early, and there are no words that will ease their pain. As a country, we have been through this too many times. Whether it's an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago--these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children. And we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics. This evening, Michelle and I will do what I know every parent in America will do, which is hug our children a little tighter and we'll tell them that we love them, and we'll remind each other how deeply we love one another. But there are families in Connecticut who cannot do that tonight. And they need all of us right now. In the hard days to come, that community needs us to be at our best as Americans. And I will do everything in my power to help. Because while nothing can fill the space of a lost child or loved one, all of us can extend a hand to those in need--to remind them that we are there for them, that we are praying for them, that the love they felt for those they lost endures not just in their memories but also in ours. How many gun shootings has the speaker mentioned? A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Five. Answer: D Question: Yorkshire, England was the setting for two great novels of the 19th century. These were Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. The youngest sister, Anne, was also a gifted novelist, and her books have the same extraordinary quality as her sisters'. Their father was Patrick Bronte, born in Ireland. He moved with his wife, Maria Bronte, and their six small children to Haworth in Yorkshire in 1820. Soon after, Mrs. Bronte and the two eldest children died, leaving the father to care of the remaining three girls and a boy. Charlotte was born in 1816. Emily was born in 1818 and Anne in 1820. Their brother Branwell was born in 1817. Left to themselves, the children wrote and told stories and walked over the hills. They grew up largely self-educated. Branwell showed a great interest in drawing. The girls were determined to earn money for his art education. They took positions as teachers or taught children in their homes. As children they had all written many stories. Charlotte, as a young girl, alone wrote 22 books, each with 60 to 100 pages of small handwriting. Therefore, they turned to writing for income. By 1847, Charlotte had written The Professor; Emily, Wuthering Heights; and Anne, Agnes Grey. After much difficulty Anne and Emily found a publisher , but there was no interest shown in Charlotte's book. (It was not published until 1859.) However, one publisher expressed an interest in seeing more of her works. Jane Eyre was already started, and she hurriedly finished it. It was accepted at once; thus each of the sisters had a book published in 1847. Jane Eyre was immediately successful; the other two, however, did not do so well. People did not like Wuthering Heights. They said it was too wild, too animal-like. But gradually it came to be considered one of the finest novels in the English language. Emily lived only a short while after the publication of the book, and Anne died in 1849. Charlotte published Shirley in 1849, and Villette in 1853. In 1854 she married Arthur Bell Nicholls. But only a year later, she died of tuberculosis as her sisters had. We know from the text that_. A. Jane Eyre was published in 1847 B. Charlotte Bronte wrote 22 books in all C. the Bronte sisters received good education D. Patrick Bronte helped his daughters with their writing Answer: A
Basketball Statistician Help Wanted The Athletic Department is looking for students to help assist staff during the Fall 2016, Winter 2016-17 and Spring 2017 semesters. Students in this position will be keeping live statistics during basketball games. Students must meet all of the following requirements: Good computer skills Available evenings and weekends Knowing basketball rules and statistics Students interested in working for the Athletic Department should contact the Athletic Coordinator at their respective campuses. TP/SS Athletic Coordinator, Michael Simone,240-567-1308 Rockville Athletic Coordinator, Jorge Zuniga,240-567-7589 Springfield Athletic coordinator, Gary Miller,240-567-2273 Germantown Athletic Coordinator, GavriChavan, 240-567-6915 When will the job start? A. In May 2016 B. In May 2017 C. In September 2016 D. In September2017 Answer: C. In September 2016 When trees are harvested, the trees A. are lacking in leaves B. need to be replaced or numbers go down C. are tiny and irrelevant D. are smaller and less Answer: B. need to be replaced or numbers go down Good morning, everyone! I'm Miss Li. I am an English teacher. There are 24 boys and 22 girls in my class. This is Betty. She's an American girl. She likes football. This is Tony. He is an English boy. He likes basketball. His favourite day is Saturday and yellow is his favourite colour. He likes spring because it's warm. This is Li Daming. He's Chinese and he likes table tennis. White is his favourite colour. He likes flowers and flying kites in spring, so spring is his favourite season. Tony's favourite day is _ . A. Saturday B. Monday C. Tuesday D. Wednesday Answer: A. Saturday Some parents are worrying that their children wouldn't like meals. In fact, most children are usually ready to eat almost anything that is offered to them. A child often likes food unless it is badly cooked. Never ask a child whether he likes or dislikes a food, never discuss likes and dislikes in front of him or allow anybody else to do so . If the father says that he hates fat meat or the mother refuses some vegetables in the child's hearing, he may copy this action. Parents should agree to the fact that he likes everything and he probably will . At meal times, it is a good idea to give a child a small part at one time rather than give him as much as he may eat all together. Do not talk too much to the child during meal times, but let him get on with his food. And do not allow him to leave the table at once after a meal , or he will soon learn to eat his food hurriedly so he can hurry back to the toys in his room . Never coax or make a child eat, or he will think he eats for you. Don't you think it is the same with study ? Which of the following is a good action before a child during meal times? A. To discuss the food a parent dislikes. B. To talk a lot to the child. C. To ask a child what food he likes or dislikes. D. Never discuss likes or dislikes of food. Answer: D. Never discuss likes or dislikes of food. One day a red rose blossomed in a forest. A pine tree not far away said, "You're so beautiful! I wish I could be lovely like you. " The rose said, "I am the most beautiful plant in the forest. " Then the rose looked at a cactus and said, "Look at that ugly plant. It is full of thorns !"Sometimes, the red rose would look at the cactus and say, "This plant is useless. I'm sorry I am his neighbor. " Summer came and the plants and animals needed water, but no rain fell. One day the rose saw some birds stick their beaks into the cactus and then fly away. The red rose asked what the birds were doing. The pine tree explained that the birds got water from the cactus. The pine tree told the red rose, "You can also drink from it. The birds can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help. " The red rose felt _ , but she still asked the cactus for help. The cactus agreed kindly and the birds filled their beaks with water for the rose's roots. Later on, the rose never gave her opinion about anyone by look again. From the passage, we know that _ . A. the pine tree was awful B. the cactus was helpful C. the birds were more beautiful D. the rose couldn't get water in the end Answer: B. the cactus was helpful
Question: Once upon a time, a doting mother asked Albert Einstein what she should read to her son to help him grow up as brilliant and intelligent as the famous scientist. "Fairy-tales," he said, wisely nodding his head. Why? Why would Albert Einstein -- the Nobel Prizes winning physicist recommend reading fairy-tales? Was he joking? All the evidence suggests he was deadly serious. He also said, "When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking." Childhood is one of the factors that blur the distinctions between the self and other objects. Thus fantasy stories appeal to children and appear to make sense to them. There are several commonly accepted genres of fantasy, "Animal Fantasy" which centers around the lives of lovable talking animals and "Modern Fantasy" which focuses on adventures in other worlds and magical events. I am inclined to add a third genre "Human and Animal Fantasy", which mixes human and animal characters. Another genre of fantasy may be "High Fantasy" which features heroes who combat evil and save the world from destruction. Fantasy feeds a child's imagination and encourages creativity. The enjoyment that the genre engenders promotes reading and enhances literacy. Moreover, the fantasy genre may be used for teaching purposes. For example: A story about cruelty to animals would limit appeal to a child; however a fantasy celebration of closeness between the children and their pets may give an element of excitement as the children are able to save animals from someone with cruel intentions. Children love the Harry Potter series, and if they only see the movies they miss a great opportunity to develop their reading skills by spending time with the lovable young wizards and witches of the Hogwarts community. A student who likes reading about heroes will probably read _ . A. Animal Fantasy B. Modern Fantasy C. Human and Animal Fantasy D. High Fantasy Answer: D Question: When former American President Bill Clinton traveled to South Korea to visit President Kim Young Sam, he repeatedly referred to the Korean president's wife as Mrs. Kim. By mistake, President Clinton's advisers thought that Koreans have the same naming customs as the Japanese. Clinton had not been told that, in Korea, wives keep their family names. President Kim Young Sam's wife was named Sohm Myong Suk. Therefore, she should be addressed as Mrs. Sohm. President Clinton arrived in Korea directly after leaving Japan and had not changed his culture _ . His failure to follow Korean customs gave the impression that Korea was not as important to him as Japan. In addition to Koreans some Asian husbands and wives do not share the same family names. This practice often puzzles English-speaking teachers when talking with a pupil's parents. They become puzzled about the student's correct last name. Placing the family name first is common among a number of Asian cultures. Mexican naming customs are different as well. When a woman marries, she keeps her family name and adds her husband's name after the word "de", which means "of". This affects how they fill in forms in the United States. When requested to fill in a middle name, they generally write the father's family name. But Mexicans are addressed by the family name of the mother. This often causes puzzlement. Here are a few ways to deal with such difficult situations: don't always think that a married woman uses her husband's last name. Remember that in many Asian cultures, the order of first and last names is reversed . Ask which name a person would prefer to use. If the name is difficult to pronounce, admit it, and ask the person to help you say it correctly. What can NOT be inferred from the text? _ . A. Wives do not keep their family names in Japan. B. Different countries have different naming customs in some way. C. Naming custom will not cause any puzzle among Asian countries. D. The naming custom in Korea is different from that of Japan. Answer: C Question: Ternang, Mon, more than 10, 000 people were made homeless in Ternang after six days of continuous heavy rain. The wooden bridge across the river has been swept away, . The town is cut by flood waters. At the fifth mile Jalan Tengku, the water is not two metres deep. It is closed to all traffic. Motorists going south are advised to use Jalan Hisamuddin. Flooding first appeared at mid - afternoon yesterday along the river banks. People moving to higher ground were just in time to escape from the flood. Most of the people had to leave their possessions behind. Helped by the army, police, Red Cross Society, the whole town was moved out of danger. They are new houses near the town ofprefix = st1 /Tulang. "Everything possible is being done to help the unfortunate people, " a government official said, " In fact, money, food and clothing have begun to come in from organizations and people. " According to the latest reports it is still raining heavily at Ternang. The whole town is expected to be totally covered. So far nobody has been reported dead. The flood is expected to _ . A. go down B. cause more rain C. get worse D. kill more people Answer: C Question: By installing the software, you acknowledge that you have read all of the terms and conditions of this agreement and agree to be bound by them. Click "YES" and continue to install the game. If you do not agree to the terms of this agreement, click "NO" and directly return to the entire package to the place of purchase for a full refund . LIMITED LICENSE: You may use this software for your own use, but may not sell or reproduce the software in any way. You may use one copy of the software on a single computer. You may not network the software or use it on more than one computer at the same time. OWNERSHIP; COPYRIGHT: Title to the software, patents, copyrights, and all other property rights shall at all times remain entirely with Great Games. Software is protected by law and by international treaty. You may not cause or permit the software to be disclosed, copied, modified, adapted, or otherwise reduced to human readable form. LIMITED WARRANTY : Great Games warrants for a period of ninety days from the purchase of this copy of the game that the software is free from errors or defects that will seriously interfere with the operation of the software as described in the Documentation. If you believe you have found any such error or defect in the software during the warranty period and are in the United States, call Great Games' helpline at 800-383-2647 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. midnight, Monday through Friday, holidays excluded, and provide your Product Number; or if you are outside the United States, send your original software disc to Great Games at 3281 N. Risk St., Ocala, FL, 32410. Include your return address and Great Games will replace the disc within a reasonable period of time. What can you do with the software as a user? A. You are free to use the software in the first 90 days. B. You can adapt the software and get pay from "Great Games". C. You can install one copy of the software on only one computer. D. You can get your money back if you are not satisfied with the game. Answer: C Question: An object can be seen if it reflects light toward what? A. visual organ B. eye spy C. feet D. brain Answer: A
Once upon a time if we wanted to make a phone call or wait for someone to contact us, we had to sit at home or at our desks. There were public phones in the street of course, _ . And of course you had to bring a lot of coins to pay for the calls. So people didn't phone their friends as often. Mobile phones, these small pieces of electronic equipment which allow us to talk with friends and family while we are on the move, have greatly changed the way we live. Before the age of the mobile phone, our loved ones would sit around worried sick if we were late coming home. There were no quick calls to tell mum that there would be additional guests coming for dinner. We would have to depend on notes left on fridges or desks to communicate messages. But mobile phones have also had a negative effect and what people don't seem to realize is that we've lost something very valuable: our privacy. Now our friends and family can contact us wherever and whenever they want to. We can never get away from them. The way people communicate with each other is totally different now. It's difficult to have a conversation face-to-face with a friend without being disturbed every couple of minutes by the ring of their phones, ,most people don't see anything wrong in having a long conversation on their mobile phone while forgetting all about the person sitting opposite. It seems the art of real conversation may be dying. Of course, people could leave their mobile phones at home or even switch them off but no one ever does that. Why not? Because the worrying thing is we can't live without our phones. We've become communication addicts, unable to spend even a few minutes out of contact, in case we miss something 'important'. What does the writer think about life before mobile phones? A Life was less convenient. B People were more punctual. C Things were more relaxed. D Everyone managed very well. Answer: A Levi Strauss, who was born in 1830 and went to the USA at the age of 17, sat in the saloon and drank his beer slowly. He began to think. Business was not good. Nobody wanted to buy anything. He thought about the canvas and the pots and pans on the wagon. Then he remembered the hole in Hank's trousers. Suddenly, he had an idea -- "pants", he jumped up and shouted, "Everyone needs pants." He hurried to a tailor and gave him all his canvas. "I want you to make pants with this canvas," he said. "Can you do that?" "Yes, of course," said the tailor, "What name is it?" "Strauss, Levi Strauss." It was the beginning of jeans. Now more than a hundred years later, people wear jeans all over the world and everyone knows the name of Levi Strauss. In the 1860s, farmers, rail-road workers, cowboys and miners helped to develop the new land. Life was hard. They worked for long hours in all kinds of weather. They wore trousers made by Levi Strauss. They were the first people to wear jeans in America. Jeans first came to Europe with the American soldiers during World War II. Soon, workers in Europe were wearing them. Workers liked them: they were cheap, hardwearing and practical. They were not popular with young people generally until the late 1950s and early 1960s. It came suddenly. It started in America and it crossed the Atlantic quickly. It was a new kind of music, a new kind of dance. Rock' n Roll. The king of Rock' n Roll was Elvis Presley. Teenagers loved him. At home he wore a T shirt, an old leather jacket and blue jeans, so more and more teenagers began to wear jeans. They liked them tight. The best title for the passage can be _ . A Levi Strauss, First Man to Invent Jeans B The Best Trousers -- Jeans C How Jeans Comes Out And Spreads D Reasons for Jeans' Spreading Answer: C Many people like traveling (going to other places). Modern traffic is fast, so going to different places becomes very easy. If you want to travel, you must be healthy. But do you know how to keep healthy when you are traveling? The following information is important for you. Before leaving: Wear comfortable shoes, a hat and sunglasses. Do some exercise for weeks or months before you leave. While traveling: Be sure not to eat dirty food or bad fruit. Drink clean or bottled water. Find time to take a good rest. The writer tells us how to _ when you travel. A walk fast B eat too much C wear shoes D keep healthy Answer: D 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 got her teeth checked. Apparently,she's not alone. According to some parenting experts, kids are easily addicted to a benefitproducing system of parental rewards and bribes --not all ice creams, candies and cool toys.Some parents are offering their children novel prizes just to 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. The intended readers of the passage are _ . A children B parents C doctors D teachers Answer: B A class with tens or even hundreds of thousands of students might sound like a teacher's bad dream. But a big idea in higher education these days is the massive open online course, or MOOC. Some universities offer free, non-credit MOOCs available to anyone in the world. Others charge for courses and provide credits. The idea is still developing. So far, most massive open online courses are in computer science, technology, mechanics and engineering. For example, students around the world are taking a free course called "Building a Computer Search Engine." Two computer scientists, Sebastian Thrun and David Evans, are offering this course throughudacity.com. There are no education requirements for the course. The students watch short videos. Then, says Mr. Evans, they take informal quizzes after the videos each week for six weeks. DAVID EVANS: "Quizzes are part of the lecture to keep students engaged and keep them thinking, for students to be able to check that they understood what we covered. Those are not graded and students try those as often as they wish. They can repeatedly watch the videos and take the quizzes whenever they want." Students receive homework. They join online groups to exchange questions and answers about the course. The teachers hold office hours to answer questions that the students have voted to send them. They also present their own questions and observations to the students in order to help them make a deeper impression of the course. The students take a final examination to show where they rate in the class Everyone who finishes the course receives a grade and proof of completion. Top students get letters documenting their work. Mr. Thrun started Udacity, which supports free MOOCs.Udacityhopes to make a profit in the future by connecting possible employers with interested students. On his Stanford homepage he says he wants to " _ " education. "Education", he says, should be free, accessible for all, anywhere and any time According to the passage, the students who take the course Building a Computer Engine _ . A will take an informal quiz every day B learn mainly by watching short videos on the Internet C can ask the teachers any question about the course anytime on the Internet D will get a grade and a proof of completion if they do well in the final examination Answer: B
Tom was a college student. He often made excuses not to attend classes. Also he spent much of his free time playing computer games. He never went to the library to study. How time flew! At the end of the term, there was an important thing--the final exam . He was afraid of it. "What should I do?" Tom walked up and down in the room the day before the exam. He was so nervous. Suddenly, he thought of an idea. The next morning, Tom went into the exam room very early. He found a young man and took a seat next to him. "Hey you!" Tom greeted. "What?" The young man asked. "Can you help me?" Tom said politely. "Please let me copy your paper during the exam." When hearing his words, the young man just smiled but said nothing. When the bell rang, the young man stood up and came to the front, saying "It is the time for the final exam. Now I will hand out the papers to all of you and collect them in one hour." Tom sat there with his mouth wide open. Tom walked up and down in the room the day before the exam because _ . Do you like listening to English songs to learn the language ? Some students don't believe doing so can help them learn English. I have to say they think wrongly. Listening to English songs can help you learn the language better. You may ask how. Just read on. Lyrics are not easily forgotten. You listen to them over and over again throughout your life. Once you learn them, they are going to stay with you, and you are going to review them repeatedly because you enjoy them. If you learn just one song per week for a year, those are 52 songs full of new vocabulary and phrases that you will never forget. Songs give you perfect pronunciation models. As you learn to sing them, you are practicing your pronunciation, you are imitating native speakers, and you are learning how to speak better. The rhythm naturally leads to better pronunciation, better intonation , and more fluency. When you start paying attention to the lyrics, your listening skills naturally improve. Once you learn a few songs, you'll start gathering a lot of songs and vocabulary. A larger vocabulary usually means better listening comprehension. Just the fact that you start caring about the lyrics will activate your listening skills and listening to music in English will become an enjoyable learning exercise. Another huge _ is that you get to practice your grammar. Some of the most intelligent grammar questions my students bring to me come from songs. You can probably even map the entire language into pop songs and greatly improve your grammar by learning the lyrics to your favorite songs. Now we can conclude that listening to English songs can really help you learn the language well. So listen to more English songs in your free time. You can put the lyrics on your ipod or iphone and read them as you listen. Believe me, and you'll benefit a lot. What is the text mainly about ? 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. Why won't they plan to have the hotel very deep in the water? A bird that weighs twenty pounds will fly easier than a bird that weighs Jack, a bank teller, was fired by Morgan, the president of the bank. Jack decided to take revenge against Morgan, but decided against attempting it personally, because he knew Morgan was protected around the clock by bank security guards. Jack knew that Chip had a violent temper and was very jealous. Jack falsely told Chip that Chip's wife, Elsie, was having an affair with Morgan. Enraged, Chip said, "What am I going to do?" Jack said, "If it were my wife, I'd just march into his office and blow his brains out." Chip grabbed a revolver and rushed to the bank. He walked into the bank, carrying the gun in his hand. One of the security guards, believing a holdup was about to occur, shot and killed Chip. If charged with murder of Chip, Jack should be found
Many young Chinese people drink coffee when meeting with friends. Yang Lin lives in the U.S. but comes from an area in China famous for growing tea. She used to only drink tea while in China. But now, she says, she drinks both and for different reasons. "I would say ... I was a tea drinker when I was in China. But now, you know, with the influence of different holiday drinks ... I think I like coffee as well as tea now." Yang Lin says that drinking coffee for her is a social event. She and her workmates like to sit in a cafe and talk over a cup of coffee. Tea, she says, is more about family memories. She grew up in Fujian Province -- an area known for its tea. Ms. Yang says that as a child, her family would get together in the evening and talk about the day's events over a pot of tea. So now, even the smell of Fujian tea brings back these warm family memories. Voyo is another Chinese woman who now lives in Washington D.C. She says that after moving to the U.S. her tastes changed. We would call her _ , someone who now chooses to drink coffee. "I used to be a tea drinker before I came to the United States. But now I am a coffee drinker and actually getting to be a very heavy coffee drinker. Like I go from one cup a day to three cups a day and if I stop one day I will have a headache." said Voyo. The smell of Fujian tea _ . Answer: reminds Yang Lin of her family Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than it is today. People didn't have modern machines. There was no modern medicine, either. Life today has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. Water pollution has made our rivers and lakes dirty. It kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us talk louder and become angry more easily. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution. It's bad to all living things in the world. Cars, planes and factories all pollute our air every day. Sometimes the polluted air is so thick that it is like a quilt over a city. This kind of quilt is called smog. Many countries are making rules to flight pollution. Factories must now clean their water before it is thrown away, and they mustn't blow dirty smoke into the air. We need to do many other things. We can put waste things in the dustbin and do not throw them on the ground, there will be less pollution. Rules are not enough. Every person must help to fight pollution. From the passage we know that _ . Answer: people are making rules in order to fight pollution Prolonged sweating in hot weather means Answer: your organs are unable to get replenished I am one of those people who are terrible at saying no. I take on too many projects at once, and spend too much of my time doing things I'd rather not be doing. I get stuff done, but it's not always the best I can do, or the best way I could spend my time. That's why my newest goal, both as a professional and a person, is to be a quitter. Being a quitter isn't being someone who gives up, who doesn't see important things through to the end. I desire to be the opposite of that. The quitter I want to be is someone who gets out when there's no value in what he's doing, or when that value comes at the expense of something more important. We get involved in something, realize we don't want to be a part of it, but keep on going. We say "Well, I've already invested so much time in this, I might as well stick it out." A friend of mine once told me, "I knew I was an adult when I could stop reading a book, even after getting 500 pages into it." Odd though it sounds, we all tend to do this. I propose the opposite: quit as often as possible, regardless of project status or time invested. If you're reading a book, and don't like it, stop reading. Cut your losses, realize that the smartest thing to do is stop before your losses grow even more, and quit. Instead of reading an entire book you hate, read half of a bad one and half of a good one. Isn't that a better use of your time? Step back for a second. Let's learn how to say "no" at the beginning, or in the middle, and free up more of our time to do the things we'd like to be doing, and the things actually worth doing. Saying no is hard, and admitting a mistaken yes is even harder. But if we do both, we'll start to make sure that we're spending our time creating value, rather than increasing our losses. Let's be quitters together. The message the author tries to convey is to _ . Answer: learn to say no Britain's private schools are one of its most successful exports.The children of the well-off flock to them,whether from China,Nigeria or Russia :the number of foreign pupils rose by 1.4%in the last year alone. Yet foreign students,whether educated in British private schools or elsewhere,are decreasingly likely to go to English universities.According to the Higher Education Funding Council for England,307,200 overseas students began their studies in the country in 2012-13,down from 312,000 two years earlier and the first drop in 29 years.Student numbers from the rest of the European Union(EU)fell--probably a result of the increase in annual tuition fees in England from PS6,000($10,000)a year to PS9,000.But arrivals from India and Pakistan declined most sharply. In contrast to the visa system for private schools,which is extremely loose(the Home Office counts private schools as favoured sponsors),student visas have been tightened.Foreign students used to be allowed to work for up to two years after graduating.They now have only four months to find a job paying up to PS20,600 if they want to stay in Britain. This change was intended to deal with fake colleges offering two-year work visas.But it seems to have put off serious students too.Nick Hillman of the Higher Education Policy Institute says the government has sent unclear messages about the sort of immigration it wants to restrict.Australia and America,which have more relaxed entry criteria for students,are becoming more favoured destinations. Britain's student-visa system bas become more onerous overall.As a result,Britain is losing out to other countries in the contest for talent.Its unwelcoming attitude will harm its long-term development.And the drift of foreign students from leading British private schools to American colleges may have another, somewhat happier,consequence:America might become rather better at cricket . According to the passage,Britain _ . Answer: is famous for playing cricket
If you love books, then"Three Cups of Tea"will be your favorite. It will take you on an adventure to one of the highest mountains in the world. You will learn how the people and children there lived and how the writer, Greg Mortenson , helped build an education system. While climbing K2 in Pakistan, one of the world's most difficult mountains to climb, Greg Mortenson became ill and got lost. He got help in a small village. The people of the village took good care of him, feeding him and letting him sleep in a villager's house. They also gave him their best food: sweet tea. When Mortenson was fine, he found that the children of the village worked and studied outdoors. Their teacher came only three times a week and they didn't have blackboards. They used sticks to write on the ground. The day he left the village, he told them he would come back and build a school. His school would have both boys and girls. Later on, he came back and helped build a school, so the kids were able to study in the classroom with real writing instruments. That was in 1993. Today Mortenson is going to build 80 schools in Central Asia. He started a foundation called the Central Asia Institute to raise money for these schools. He has helped more than 18,000 girls receive education so far. The following are what the people of the village did for Greg Mortenson EXCEPT_. A taking care of him and feeding him B taking him to the hospital C finding somewhere to let him sleep D giving him their best food Answer: B Community service is an important component of education here at our university. We encourage all students to volunteer for at least one community activity before they graduate. A new community program called "One On One" helps elementary students who've fallen behind. Your education majors might be especially interested in it because it offers the opportunity to do some teaching, that is, tutoring in math and English. You'd have to volunteer two hours a week for one semester. You can choose to help a child with math, English, or both. Half-hour lessons are fine, so you could do a half hour of each subject two days a week. Professor Dodge will act as a mentor to the tutors-he'll be available to help you with lesson plans or to offer suggestions for activities. He has office hours every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. You can sign up for the program with him and begin the tutoring next week. I'm sure you'll enjoy this community service...and you'll gain valuable experience at the same time. It looks good on your resume, too, showing that you've had experience with children and that you care about your community. If you'd like to sign up, or if you have any questions, stop by Professor Dodge's office this week. What is the purpose of the talk? _ A To explain a new requirement for graduation. B To interest students in a new community program. C To discuss the problems of elementary school students. D To recruit elementary school teachers for a special program. Answer: B I have a rule for travel: Never carry a map. I prefer to ask for directions. Foreign visitors are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don't have names. In Japan, people use _ in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop." In the countryside of the American Midwest, usually there are not many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat . In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile." People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map: They measure distance by means of time, not miles. "How far away is the post office?" you ask. "Oh," they answer, "It's about five minutes from here." You say, "Yes, but how many miles away is it?" They don't know. People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because visitors seldom understand the Greek language. Instead of giving you the direction, a Greek will often say, "Follow me." Then he'll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office. Sometimes a person doesn't know the answer to your question. What happens in this situation? A New Yorker might say, "Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers, "I don't know." People in Yucatan think that "I don't know" is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A visitor can get very, very lost in Yucatan! One thing will help you everywhere -- in Japan, in the United States, in Greece, in Mexico, or in any other place. You might not understand a person's words, but maybe you can understand his body language. He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction. Go in that direction, and you may find the post office! The passage mainly tells us that _ . A never carry a map for travel B there are not many landmarks in the American Midwest C there are different ways to give directions in different parts of the world D New Yorkers often say, "I have no idea," but people in Yucatan, Mexico, never say this. Answer: C Tony is Allen's classmate. One day,Tony comes to Allen's home. When he sees many books in Allen's study, he says to Allen, "Allen, you have so many good books. Can I borrow a book from you?" Allen doesn't want to lend a book to his classmate and he says, "Why do you want to take my book home? You can read it here in my home. " Tony sees that his classmate is very selfish , but he says nothing. The next day, Allen comes to Tony's house and says, "Tony, you have a good garden-knife. I want to work in my garden tomorrow. Can I use it for two days?" Tony answers, "Why do you want to take my garden-knife home? You can work with it in my garden. " Tony lends _ to Allen. A nothing B a garden-knife C a knife D a book Answer: A In today's world many people seem to be hungry for money. Some of them even lose their lives for it. Money does have its most useful effect on the poor,but once a person has a rich life,a lot more money doesn't mean more happiness. If money was everything,all millionaires would have true love, true friendship,good health and a long life. However,this is not always true. Nothing else is more pleasant than the three words which are "I love you". But can love be bought?I'm afraid not. Love means to give,not to take. To every person,health and long life are probably the most precious things. Well,can health and a long life be bought with money?The answer is "No". Of all the longest living people in the world, few of them are millionaires. True friendship can't be bought either. In a word,Where money is worshiped ,money can cause brothers to quarrel,lovers to hate,strangers to fight and so on. No matter how much money you have,it is still not enough to make you a happy person if you have no one to laugh with,no one to cry for. Which sentence of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A If you haven't much money,you can't get more happiness. B You may live a long life even if you are poor. C Every year many people die in the world because their family is poor. D If you are rich,you will have less friendship. Answer: B
Dear Lily, Welcome to our school for a visit. I am very glad to tell you how to get to our school. Here is the _ . When you walk out of the station, please turn left, walk on and pass a crossing. You should walk on till the first traffic light and turn right. Then you will find a park on your left side. Walk along the street and pass the park. Then you will see a bank. Across from the bank is a narrow lane .Just go into the lane and walk about 100 meters, and you are sure to get to our school gate, at which the board reads No.1 Middle School in both Chinese and English. Yours, Li Ming What is the name of the school? School uniforms are becoming more and more popular across the U.S.A. That's no surprise,because they offer many benefits. They immediately end the powerful social sorting and labeling that come from clothing. If all students are dressed in the same way,they will not pay too much attention to their clothing,and some of them will not be laughed at for wearing the "wrong" clothes. Some people are against the strict rule of school uniforms,but they do not realize that students already accept a kind of rule -- wanting to look just like their friends. The difference is that the clothing students choose for themselves creates social barriers ; school uniforms tear those barriers down. As in other places,uniforms remind the wearers of their purposes and duties. For example,when a man or woman puts on a police uniform,he or she becomes,for a time,the symbol of law and order. The uniform means to the wearer his or her special duties and sends the same message to everyone the wearer meets. People with different jobs wear uniforms of one kind or another. For students,the school uniform reminds them that their task for the six or seven hours they are in school is to get an education. Some parents are unhappy about uniforms,saying that school uniforms will affect their children's "creativity". First,as noted above,the clothes students choose to wear do not necessarily express their individuality . They just copy their classmates. Second,students have the rest of the day to be as creative as they like. While they're in school,their job is to master reading,writing,and maths; this should take up all the creativity they have. Mastery of those skills will be good for the students to build up their creativity in every way. School uniforms are becoming more and more popular and important because _ Luke was starting his first day of day care. He was a little nervous about meeting his new teacher and all of his new friends. When his mother dropped him off, he kissed her goodbye and sat down in the green seat that his teacher showed him. He looked around the room. There were a lot of other kids there. A baby sat in a high chair sucking on a blue pacifier. A kid about Luke's age named George was drawing and tracing his hand on paper. A little girl named Mary raised her hand and asked the teacher if she could go to the toilet. The teacher walked her into the bathroom and then returned to the class. She started helping Luke get to know the other kids in the class. A little girl named Jessica tapped Luke on the shoulder and gave him some candy. He took the pink candy from her and thanked her. Luke smiled and thought, "I'm going to like it here." What was the name of the boy starting day care for the first time? If you are an auditory learner, you learn by hearing. You often learn by reading out aloud because you have to hear it or speak it in order to remember it. Here are some things that auditory learners can do to learn better. Sit where you can hear. U se cards to learn new words; read them out aloud. Read stories or material out aloud. Record yourself when you are spelling words and then listen to the recording. Study new material by reading it out aloud. If you are a visual learner, you learn by reading or seeing pictures. You like to see what you are learning. Here are some things that visual learners can do to learn better. Sit near the front of the classroom. Use cards to learn new words. Try to visualize things that you hear or things that are read to you. Write down key words or ideas. Draw pictures to help explain new ideas and then explain the pictures. If you are a tactile learner, you learn by touching and doing. You are a "hands-on" learner who likes to touch, move, build, or draw what you learn. Here are some things that tactile learners can do to learn better. Do lots of hands-on activities like doing art projects , taking walks, or acting out storie s. Use cards and put them in groups to show relationships between them. Follow words with your finger to learn spelling (finger spelling). It's OK to tap a pencil, shake your foot, or hold on to something while learning. ,. If Mike is a tactile learner, what can he do to learn better? the top layer of soil contains the most nutrients where I
Question: Shake Shack is a new kind of restaurant becoming more popular in the U S.The restaurants are not"fast food."They are known as"fast casual." Observers say Americans want more choices and fresh food when choosing where and what to eat.This trend is one reason why the fast food restaurant McDonald's has struggled financially.In the last quarter of 2014,McDonald's net income dropped by about$300 million.The January earnings report brought more bad news.Worldwide sales dropped for the eighth month in a row and even more than expected.While McDonald's is struggling to get their customers back,Shake Shack,is doing well in making money.The New York-based burger chain had a very successful IPO,or initial public offering,of shares at the end of January.On its first day of trading,Shake Shack went from$21 a share to just under$46 a share.Being part of the"fast casual"trend has helped Shake Shack.Other fast casual restaurants in the U.S.include Chipotle and Panera. Bonnie Riggs,a restaurant expert with NPD has studied Americans'restaurant habits for almost 30 years.She says one reason why Americans like fast casual food is that it's new.It is creative,it is something different and people like to try new things.Her study shows Americans made 61 billion visits to restaurants last year.Three out of four visits were to fast food restaurants,like McDonald's.Fast casual is still a small percentage of restaurant visits,but it has developed fast.Just as Ms.Riggs says,"It's growing by _ ,because they meet consumers'needs.They know it's being prepared while they wait,it's fresh,quality food,good tasting food at what they say are reasonable and affordable prices." Many Americans still like their fast food.They just are not going as often.They are finding other ways to have a meal. What is the trouble with McDonald's? A. Its share goes down to$21. B. Shake Shack has taken its place. C. It's not popular with Americans. D. Its sales and income have dropped. Answer: D Question: Zoe Chambers was a successful PR(Public Relations) consultant and life was going well--she had a great job, a beautiful life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. "The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through," she said. "After everything I'd done for the company, they dismiss me by text! I was so angry and I just didn't feel like looking for another job. I hated everything about the city and my life." Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in north west Wales. Zoe jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, then months later, she is still on the farm. "The moment I arrived at Kathy's farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay." said Zoe. "Everything about my past life suddenly seemed meaningless." Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. "It's a hard life, physically very tiring." she says. "In London I was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all I need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and on of Kathy's wonderful dinners." Zoe says she has never bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been teaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing-watching a lamb being born is unbelievable. She says, "It's one of the most moving experiences I've ever had. I could never go back to city life now " The most important reason why Zoe went to visit Kathy's farm is that _ . A. Zoe got tired of the city life B. Kathy persuaded her to do so C. Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant D. Zoe loved Wales more than London Answer: C Question: Once a man named Grand found a box of old papers in a room at the top of his house. He burned most of them, because he didn't like old things very much, But one of these papers was an old letter. At the bottom of the letter was the name of a well-known writer. "When this letter was written," said Grant, "no one knew about the writer. But now everyone knows him. Some people like to buy letters like this. I may be able to get much money for the letter if I sell it to the right man." But there were a lot of dirty marks all over the letter. "It doesn't look nice," he thought. "No one wants to buy a letter if it's dirty. I'll have to clean it." So he took a piece of cloth and some water and cleaned the letter. He worked hard and gave a lot of care. At last the letter looked better. And he was very pleased with his work. "Now it looks nice," he said to himself. "I'll be able to sell it for a lot of money." He took the letter to a shop in London where old papers of this kind were bought and sold. "I want to sell this letter," Grant said to the man in the shop. "It was written by a well-known writer. You know about these things. How much will you give me for it?" The man looked at him for a long time. "I will give you two pounds for it," he said at last. "Only two pounds!" said Grant. "But people pay ten pounds for a letter like this. And just look! I've even cleaned it to make it look nice." "I can see that," said the man. "That's the trouble. People who buy old papers like them to be dirty." Grant didn't sell the letter at a good price because _ . A. it was not an old letter B. few people knew about the writer C. it had been cleaned D. the man didn't like it Answer: C Question: Do you like travelling ?More and more students like riding bikes to travel on the road.But it may be dangerous on your trip.For your own safety ,do the following things. Wear a bike helmet and it can protect your head.Look for a helmet that fits you well.Even the best,most expensive helmet won't protect you if it doesn't fit. Wear the right clothes.They can make you feel better.And they can also protect you.Bright-colored clothes help people see you clearly-even in the daytime.Don't wear dark-colored clothes like black or brown while riding a bike. Keep the rules of the road while riding a bike.Always ride on the right side of the street in the same _ .Never change your direction without first looking behind you.Don't ride too closely to cars-the cars may stop and the doors open suddenly !Finally,don't wear earphones while riding a bike-you need to hear what's going on around you. According to the passage,which one is WRONG? A. You'd better wear a bike helmet when you travel by bike. B. Bright-colored clothes can help people find you clearly. C. You can listen to music with earphones in your ears while you are riding a bike. D. Never change your direction without first looking behind you. Answer: C Question: Smoking is harmful to our health, but many middle school students are smoking. Their teachers, parents or classmates can't stop them because they smoke anywhere they can't be seen --on the way to school, in the dormitory , or even in the washroom.And most of the students think that smoking is very cool.But I want to tell you my story and then you will see that it's wrong to smoke when you are very young. When I was a middle school student, my friends at school smoked and they asked me to have a try. So I started smoking when I was fourteen. Soon I couldn't wait to smoke as soon as I was free. After a month I couldn't stop smoking. But two years later, I felt what smoking was doing to me. I couldn't run far, I coughed every morning, and I got very weak. So I wanted to stop smoking. It wasn't easy, but now I have stopped it, and I feel better. If you smoke, you will get ill more easily, and perhaps you can't grow taller, because there is something bad in cigarettes and also you may get some bad behaviors and habits such as stealing , _ and having a fight with others. So you can see smoking is a bad habit. If you smoke, try to stop. Though it isn't easy, you must do it as soon as possible. When did the writer feel that smoking was bad? A. When he was fourteen B. When he was fifteen C. When he was sixteen D. When he was eighteen Answer: C
Question: A new school term begins, Is anything new at your school? Sichuan students are getting an extra hour to sleep in the morning. This year, Sichuan schools decided that students should start classes later. This should help them feel less tired, For Junior high schools, the first classes will begin no earlier than 8:30 am. The changes have made students happy. Liu Xian, 15, said his class was excited by the news on the first day of school. "It's so good we can get up later!" said Liu. Liu studies in Chengdu No.4 Middle School. He used to get up at 6:40 am. Now he can get up at 7:40 am because class doesn't start until 8:40 am. Wu Hongli, 15, said the new timetable is good for her health. "I used to drink coffee every night or I would feel to sleepy to finish my homework, "said Wu. "Now I can finish it without coffee."She used to get up at 6:30 am. Now she can get up at 7:30 am. Wu Hongli's mother was happy, too. She thought more sleep would help her daughter grow taller. But some parents worried that more sleep would mean less learning. There used to be five classes in the morning. Now there are only four. Many teachers, though, say the changes will help students learn better. "Students used to doze for the first two classes in the morning,"said Wu Zongping, an English teacher at Chendu No.12 Middle School. "But now they look fine and they learn much better than before." Why was Liu Xian excited at the news on the first day of school? A. There were many changes in his school. B. He could sleep one more hour in the morning. C. He could study in Chengdu No.4 Middle School. D. He would have only five classes in the morning. Answer: B. He could sleep one more hour in the morning. Question: On March 17 there will be an explosion of green colour across the world in celebration of St Patrick's Day. The Irish traditionally wear something coloured green on this day as the colour is connected with Ireland. Another St Patrick's Day tradition is for the non-Irish to make jokes about the Irish. Usually these jokes will be about Irish stupidity or their famous thirst for alcohol, or their reputation for telling tall(untrue) stories. These characteristics are all part of the famous Irish stereotype that Irishman are hot-tempered drinkers, who love to fight and will do anything to avoid a day's work. The real joke, however, is that this negative Irish stereotype still exists. The stereotype might have had some truth back in the 19th century when Irish was poverty-stricken and starving. Many Irish moved to the United States to escape famine , but there they had to compete, occasionally with their fists, for jobs and housing with other immigrant groups. It was on America's streets that the Irish earned their reputation for street fighting. However, it was far from truth today, with the exception of the drinking perhaps. Today, the Irish are admired for their story telling gifts and musical talents. It is no accident that several of the greatest writers of the 20th century were Irish. Or that many of today's most popular music groups such as singer Enya and rock band U2, are Irish born and growing. Lonely Planet readers even ranked Ireland as the friendliest country in the world. However, one bit of the Irish stereotype is true, their love for drink. Drinking in Ireland is a job, but it's not necessarily something to criticize. It was the Irish after all who created one of the world's best-loved beers, Guinness. Which of the following was created by the Irish? A. Tall stories. B. Street fighting winners C. Guinness D. Love for drink. Answer: C. Guinness Question: Which statement best explains why the Sun and the Moon appear to be about the same size in the sky? A. The Sun and the Moon have the same diameter. B. The Moon is larger in diameter and farther from Earth than the Sun. C. The Moon is smaller in diameter and is closer to Earth than the Sun. D. The Sun and the Moon are the same distance from Earth. Answer: C. The Moon is smaller in diameter and is closer to Earth than the Sun. Question: Interested in soccer? Join us now! King's School is organizing a soccer camp for children aged 12-15. Join us for 5 days of fun when you learn to play this exciting sport! When 13-17 January, 2014 (Monday to Friday) 3:00 p.m --5:00 p.m Where City Sports Hall 267 State Street Cost $ 10 each Our special service: Players from the National Soccer Team will be your coaches for the 5 days of camp! After the camp, you will be able to: * understand the rules of the game * carry the ball with your feet * pass the ball to other players using your feet * kick the ball towards the goal Please come in comfortable clothes and sports shoes. For more information, please call us at 01159515092, or e-mail us at kssoccercamp@hotmail.com.uk. Which of the following seems to be the most attractive to children? A. The camp lasts for 5 days. B. The coaches are national cocker players. C. The camp doesn't cost much. D. The camp is organized by King's School Answer: B. The coaches are national cocker players. Question: Certainly no creature in the sea is stranger than the common sea cucumber . All living creatures, especially human beings, have their features, but everything about the little sea cucumber seems unusual. What else can be said about an unusual animal that eats mud, feeds almost continuously day and night but can live without eating for long periods, and can be poisonous but is considered eatable? For some fifty million years, in spite of all its strange features, the sea cucumber has lived on its diet of mud. It is adaptable enough to live attached to rocks by its tube feet, under rocks in shallow water, or on the surface of mud flats. Common in cool water on both Atlantic and Pacific shores, it has the ability to suck up mud or sand and digest whatever nutrients are present. Sea cucumbers come in a variety of color1s, ranging from black to reddish-brown to sand-color1 and nearly white. One form even has brilliant purple tentacles . Usually the creature are cucumber-shaped--where their name comes from--and because they live in rocks, this shape, combined with flexibility, enables them to press into crevices where they are safe from animal eater and ocean currents. Although they have greedy desire for food, eating day and night, sea cucumbers have the ability to become still and live at a low metabolic rate--feeding a little or not at all for long periods, so that the living things in the ocean that provide their food have a chance to increase by a large amount. If it were not for this natural ability, they would swallow all the food available in a short time and would probably starve themselves out of existence. But the most impressive thing about the sea cucumber is the way it defends itself. Its major enemies are fish and crabs. When attacked, it forces all its internal organs in its body out into water. It also removes attached structures such as tentacles. The sea cucumber will get rid of its organs and grow itself again if it is attacked or even touched; it will do the same if the surrounding water temperature is too high or if the water becomes too polluted. According to the passage, why is the shape of sea cucumbers important? A. It helps them to protect themselves from danger. B. It makes it easier for them to move through the mud. C. It makes them attractive to fish. D. It helps them to digest their food. Answer: A. It helps them to protect themselves from danger.
Question: Paula Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday get up 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. morning school school school school school lunch pizza rice rice rice rice afternoon Yo--yo Table tennis Table tennis Table tennis football evening homework homework television homework clothes Go to sleep 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. On Wednesday evenings Paula usually _ . A. watches TV B. does her homework C. washes her clothes D. goes to see her friends Answer: A Question: Which of the following does not affect the strength of an electromagnet? A. number of times the wire is looped around the core B. size of the object being attracted by the core C. type of material in the core D. amount of material in the core Answer: B Question: This story is about a young man. He worked hard at his lessons. He was too busy. He didn't have time to rest, so he was ill. Every night, when he went to bed, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep . But he couldn't. He thought: "I must go to see the doctor." He said to the doctor. "I can't go to sleep at night." "Try counting numbers. When you reach one thousand, you'll be asleep." The next day the man came back to the doctor's office. "Well," said the doctor, "How are you today?" "Yes, he said," I tried counting one, two, three. . . up to one thousand. But when I reached five hundred and sixty-nine, I began to feel sleepy . I had to get up and drank some tea. Then I went on counting up to one thousand. But I still couldn't fall asleep. The young man couldn't go to sleep because _ . A. he didn't finish his lessons B. he worked too hard and was ill C. he was worried about his homework D. there was a lot of housework to do and he couldn't have a good rest Answer: B Question: A man walks into a doctor's office. He has a cucumber up his nose, a carrot in his left ear and a banana in his right ear. "What's the matter with me?" he asks the doctor. The doctor replies, "You're not eating properly." This is a popular joke among British schoolchildren. It reflects Britain's famous _ and satirical way of seeing the funny side of life. This unique sense of humor is often cited as one of Britain's defining national characteristics. "The famous British sense of humor has long been our most cherished national characteristic," says the British journalist Leo Mckinstry. "We have valued it above historic military victories and great works of literature, above our rich scenic landscape and our talent for invention." The British sense of humor differs from other countries because it is generally more negative. When it comes to making the British laugh, there is nothing more effective than a socially inappropriate joke. Popular British comedy shows such as Fawlty Towers, Blackadder and The office are full of sarcasm , teasing and self-deprecation . It reflects the culture where mocking, moaning and ridicule is part of everyday life. While most Britons don't take these jokes too seriously, foreigners are often puzzled by them. A recent survey found that most foreigners who visited Britain found that the British are "arrogant, unfriendly and have almost no sense of humor". Do foreigners not understand British humor or are the British just not as funny as they think they are? Mckinstry certainly thinks the British are funny. "Accusing the British of having no sense of humor is like telling Rolls-Royce that its cars are down-market." he says. Which of the following are NOT the characteristics of British humor? A. Dry and satirical B. Negative and mocking C. Encouraging and gentle D. Clever and witty Answer: C Question: There is a one-day holiday in most western countries on New Year's Day. The real celebration begins on New Year's Eve-the night before New Year's Day. There are several interesting customs in the west, and there are many differences in different countries. Though Christmas is a good time for families to get together, New Year's Day is a time for some western people to be with friends. On New Year's Day, there are always parties. At such parties, there is food, drinks and dances until New Year comes At midnight, people often say "Happy New Year! "to each other. In many western countries, _ are let off at midnight and some people like to shout aloud to drive away evil spirits. On New Year's Eve, western people don't often _ . A. say "Happy New Year" to each other B. let off fireworks C. sing a Scottish song D. shout aloud to drive away evil spirits Answer: C
Have you ever thought about seeing the world for free? Although it may sound impossible, there's a growing community that is making that dream one step closer. The community is called Couchsurfing. The idea is that people open their homes up to travelers for free, and in exchange both people will learn from each other. Instead of paying a lot of money staying in hotels, living with locals is both cheap and authentic . Maybe you'll find a hidden attraction in the city. It may be a good place where people like to visit. This is also your chance to ask what life in their country is really like. It also works as a culture exchange. For example,if you play the guitar and your host is a great cook, teach him or her how to play to say thank you for the dinner. This type of exchange is popular. But what are some manners of being a good Couchsurfer? First, be careful about cultural taboos . For example, if you eat with Indians, never use your left hand. In Indian culture, left hands are used for the toilet. Also, when you are going to leave, it's a good idea to prepare a small gift. This shows your _ to the home owner. Now, are you ready to travel like a local? Where will you surf first? What's the main idea of the passage? Answer: A community in the city. All presentations should include the beginning, the middle, and the end. The first part of your presentation should always present the problem. The middle of the presentation should present your key findings. By the end of the presentation, your audience should have a better understanding of the solution. Less is more. There's a tendency to make a presentation slide excessively complicated with flashy images, strange transitions, and too much text. These features are often unnecessary, and tend to make the viewers get bored. Instead, keep each slide short and plain, using one image to sell your idea. Using bullets is a bit of a cliche , but if you must use them, never exceed more than one line of text per bullet. Branding is the key. Whether you're stating a new business idea to investors or describing a new product to customers, you'll want your presentation to reinforce your brand's image. Use the same color1 schemes, fonts , and logos that you use on your website or company literature. There's an assumption of what a Power Point is supposed to look like, and company standards falls through the floor. Give them a break. According to a recent research, the average adult attention span for a presentation is just 20 minutes. It's always best to keep your presentation short and to the point, but if you must exceed the recommended 20 minutes, try giving your audience a moment to relax. "You can extend attention spans by giving your audience a rest," the study says. This can be done by telling a story, giving a demo, or doing something else that gives the brain a break. Practice it again and again. In the end, a great presentation will come down to the speaker's ability to capture the audience's imagination and keep their attention. The presentation and the speaker should work together and they can be complementary to each other. The best presenters won't have to look down at the notes and will never be reading from a script. A good speaker can focus on the key points and convey information well. How can you make a presentation slide not too complicated? Answer: By keeping each slide short and plain. Even while in a deep sleep, people can still learn brand new information. Sleepers soak in new associations between smells and sounds, knowledge that lingers into the next waking day, researchers report online August 26 in Nature Neuroscience. The new study is the first to show that entirely new information can get into the sleeping mind, says Anat Arzi of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. "The brain is not passive while you sleep. It's quite active. You can do quite a lot of things while you are asleep." But the results don't mean that Spanish vocabulary tapes now have a place on the nightstand. L, Researchers have tried but largely failed to find evidence that complicated information, such as new pairs of words, can make its way into the brain during sleep. Instead of trying to teach people something complicated like a new language, Arzi and her colleagues relied on the sense of smell and hearing. As anyone who has walked by a dumpster in July knows, smells can cause a nose-jerk reaction. Catching a bad smell automatically makes people inhale less, reducing the size of the inhale. But scent of fresh bread causes a long, deep inhale., rzi and her team took advantage of this reaction for their experiment. As people slept in the laboratory, the researchers delivered pleasant scent, such as shampoo. As this nice smell got into the sleepers' noses, the researchers played a particular music. Later, a disgusting smell, such as rotten fish or meat, was paired with a different music. Neither the smell nor the sound woke people up. After just four exposures to the smell-music pair during a single night, the sleepers started to automatically respond to the tones without the accompanying smells, taking in bigger breaths when the shampoo-associated tone played and smaller breaths when played the sound linked to the rotten fish smell. This new learned association lingered into the next waking day, too. Even though the sleepers had no idea they had been exposed to smells or sounds, their behavior proved that their brain had actually learned something during sleep. As before, the shampoo sound stimulated a long, deep inhale, while the rotten fish tone caused more shallow breaths. How do Arzi and her team do their research? By Answer: doing experiments DNA is the whole "map" of the human body. It is something that all human have, and it tells the body what to do. DNA is the reason that we look like our parents, because we get some of their DNA to make our own. People have been trying to understand the human body for a long time. In 1860, Mr. Mendel discovered why we look the same as other people in our family. It is because of small things called "genes" in our body. In 1953, two scientists, Watson and Crick, found out that those small parts are really messages. They're written in the DNA with a special language. In 1961, another two scientists found the first "word" that they could understand in that language. It shows how DNA tells the cell to build its parts. So far, scientists have found all the words in the DNA map, but we still do not understand what they all do. By understanding what just one "word" means, we can help to save people from several illnesses. So the more we understand, the more doctors will be able to do. Most people hope that this will help to make better medicine and help sick people. Other people worry that when we learn more "words" and and find out more information, we will use it in the wrong way, just to make people more attractive, or stop sick people getting jobs. What did the two scientists find in 1961? They found _ . Answer: the first "word" they could understand in that language For teenagers, it's great fun to explore new places and it feels like an adventure, even when you know you're not the first to have been there. But to make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles, the following tips may be helpful. Do the map reading if you're being driven somewhere. It'll be easier if you keep the map following the direction you are traveling in. Keep looking ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn, or you'll have to move to the back seat. Get a group of friends together and go exploring. You'll need a good map, a compass, a raincoat, a cell phone to call for help in case you get lost, and a bit of spare cash for emergencies. Tell someone where you're going before you set out and let them know what time you expect to be back. The purpose of the activity is in not getting lost, not in seeing how fast you can go, so always stick together, waiting for slower friends to catch up. *See if your school or a club organizes orienteering activities, in which you need a map and a compass to find your way. This can be done as a sport, with teams trying to find the way from A to B(and B to C, etc. ) in the fastest time, or simply as a spare-time activity. It enables you to be familiar with the use of maps and compass and gain some special skills. In some way, it's not only good fun, but also a great way to keep fit. What does the whole passage talk about? Answer: How to prevent people getting lost in exploration.
How to look good in a school uniform? You can look great in your school uniform, if you follow these tips: (1) Make sure the uniform is the right size for you. You will need a pair of scissors , but please, don't cut anything until you measure where you want the uniform to reach on your body. If you can find a tailor to do the job for you, it will be better. (2) Make your uniform tidy Your uniform should be taken good care of. Make sure your uniform is always tidy and clean. It helps you look smart. (3) Accessories can help. You can wear a nice watch. It will make you look beautiful and tell you the right time when you need to know. A cute hair clip can also make you, girls, look attractive. Choose a hat that matches the shape of your face or a backpack that goes well with your uniform. Also, have fun in winter by wearing colorful scarves. (4) Walk with confidence. It doesn't matter how cool your uniform is (or is not). If you are not confident, nobody will notice how great you look! We can probably read this article in the _ part of a newspaper. A. news B. sports C. life D. advertisement Answer: C. life The vitamins necessary for a healthy body are normally supplied by a good mixed diet, including a variety of fruits and green vegetables. It is only when people try to live on a very _ diet, say that when trying to lose weight, that it is necessary to make special provisions to supply the missing vitamins. An example of the dangers of a restricted diet may be seen in the disease known as "beri-beri", which used to make large numbers of Eastern people who lived mainly on rice suffer. In the early years of last century, a Dutch scientist named Eijkman was trying to discover the cause of beri-beri. At first he thought it was transmitted by a germ . He was working in a Japanese hospital, where the patients were fed on polished rice which had had the outer coverings removed from the grain, it was thought this would be easier for weak and sick people to digest. Eijkman thought his germ theory was proved when he noticed the chickens in the hospital yard, which were fed on remains from the patients' plates, were also showing signs of the disease. He then tried to separate the germ, which he thought was causing the disease, but his experiments were interrupted by a hospital official, who ordered that the rice without coverings, even though left over by the patients, was too good for chickens. It should be recooked for the patients, and the chickens should be fed on cheap, rough rice with the outer coverings still on the grain. Eijkman noticed that the chickens began to recover on the new diet. He began to consider the possibility that eating unmilled rice somehow prevented or cured beri-beri--even that a lack of some ingredient in the coverings may be the cause of the disease. Indeed this was the case. The element needed to prevent beri-beri was shortly afterwards separated from rice coverings and is now known as vitamin B. The milled rice, though more expensive, was in fact causing the disease the hospital was trying to cure. Nowadays, this terrible disease is much less common thanks to our knowledge of vitamins. The ingredient missing from milled rice _ A. was vitamin B B. did not affect the chickens C. did not result in beri-beri D. was named the Eijkman vitamin Answer: A. was vitamin B Last week I visited my friend Pete in the new home where he lives with his wife and daughter. Pete used to spend his holidays travelling the world, visiting the pyramids in Egypt or scuba diving in the Caribbean. Nowadays he prefers to spend his holidays and weekends making his house look more beautiful. Like hundreds of thousands of other British people, he has discovered the joy of DIY (Do It Yourself), which means if there are any things that need fixing around the house, he will try to do the job himself. As he showed me the new kitchen he put together by himself and the newly painted walls, I asked Pete where he got his inspiration from. He told me that his favorite source of ideas was a DIY program on TV. This got me thinking about the great popularity of DIY programs in the UK. Each major channel has at least one home or garden improving show and there's even a satellite channel completely about the subject. I guess it is not really surprising that DIY programs are so popular. Two common sayings in Britain- 'an Englishman's home is his castle' and 'there's no place like home'-show how important our houses are to us. With the present economic downturn, many people can't afford to buy a bigger house so they are looking at how they can make their house better without spending a lot of money. DIY is the perfect choice. But be careful! I read a report that said over 230,000 people were injured while doing home improvements in the UK in just one year, including 41,000 who fell off ladders and 5,800 who were seriously hurt by hammers. So I won't be going down to the hardware store. Which might NOT be shown in a DIY program on TV? A. Scuba diving B. A garden improving feature. C. Home improvements. D. Fixing things in kitchens Answer: A. Scuba diving 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. According to Neil McClelland, the spray-on liquid glass _ . A. are being tested by some industries B. are being used by various companies C. can be eaten together with hamburgers D. are widely used by train companies Answer: A. are being tested by some industries Not long ago, the only time you could see a robot was when you were reading a novel or watching a movie such asStar Wars . Today, however, a lot of things in science stories have been science facts. Robots are starting to appear in our everyday lives. These robots have different sizes, shapes, and colors. But they all have the same type of man-made "brain". Leading the robot revolution are industrial robots that work in factories. Industrial robots can do different kinds of jobs that are often boring and sometimes dangerous. Robots are also coming to American homes, though not as quickly as they are entering factories. These robots aren't as friendly and bright as those you saw in Star Wars.But, their makers say, today's home robots "walk", sense objects in their way (and sometimes knock into them), and even carry objects (which they sometimes drop). Well, nobody is perfect. We may laugh at home robot today, but some day they may see and hear better than humans do. We humans can only see certain wavelengths of light, and hear certain sounds. That's because the abilities of our eyes and ears are limited. Robots, however, need not have the same limits as we have. Robot may also be equipped with devices that pick up information humans can't. To understand what their sensing devices pick up is a hard job. Remember, man--made brains handle information, including all kinds of data, as zeroes and ones. Imagine the difficulty in trying to explain to a robot what a football looks like--using only zeroes and ones. It seems that home robots are _ . A. more widely used than factory robots B. less common than factory robots C. capable of doing any kind of housework D. free from making mistakes while performing duties Answer: B. less common than factory robots
There's a dark little joke: Rip Van Winkle awakens in the 21st century after a hundred-year sleep. Men and women dash about, talking to small metal devices. Young people sit on sofas, moving miniature athletes around on electronic screens. Airports, hospitals, shopping malls-- every place Rip goes just puzzles him. But when he finally walks into a schoolroom, the old man knows exactly where he is. "This is a school," he declares. "We used to have these black in 1906. Only now the blackboards are green." American schools aren't exactly frozen in time, but considering the pace of change in other areas of life, our public schools tend to feel like throwbacks. Kids spend much of the day as their great-grandparents once did: sitting in rows, listening to teachers lecture, scribbling notes by hand, reading textbooks that are out of date. A yawning chasm separates the world inside the schoolhouse from the world outside. The national conversation on education has long focused on reading scores, math tests and closing the "achievement gap". This is not a story about that conversation. This is a story about the big public conversation the nation is not having about education, the one that will ultimately determine whether an entire generation of kids will fail to make the grade in the global economy because they can't think their way through abstract problems, work in teams or speak a language other than English. This week the conversation will burst onto the front page, when the NCSAW releases a blueprint for rethinking American education from pre-K to 12 and beyond to better prepare students _ in the global economy. While that report includes some debatable proposals, there is a remarkable agreement among educators and business and policy leaders on one key conclusion: we need to bring what we teach and how we teach into the 21st century. Today's economy demands not only a high-level competence in the traditional academic disciplines but also what might be called 21st-century skills. What is the writer's general impression of American school children? High in the sky, a group of birds fly past. The 5-foot-tall creatures are whooping cranes, the tallest birds in North America noted for its loud call. The wild animals appear to be following much larger birds. But those aren't birds at all. They are three-wheeled aircraft called trikes , and the pilots flying them are wearing white helmets and white gowns. That plan might sound like a stupid idea, but it's not. The pilots are from an organization called Operation Migration. They are helping the whooping cranes learn to migrate, or move from one area to another when the seasons change. The cranes are endangered. In 1941,the species had dwindled to roughly 20 birds because of hunting and habitat loss. US wildlife officials counted 149 whooping cranes in November 1995,the most since the American government began taking censuses in the 1930s.Today,about 380 remain. In the fall, whooping cranes are supposed to migrate south. However, many of them don't know how. "With so few birds left, young whooping cranes typically don't have parents around to teach them," explains pilot Joe Duff. That's where the trikes come in. Each October, pilots dress up as whooping cranes and take to the skies in Wisconsin. The young birds follow them because they think the trikes are big whooping cranes. It takes about three months to reach south--with plenty of rest stops on the way. The pilots lead the cranes to refuges, or protected areas, in Florida. This spring, the birds will migrate north by themselves--no trikes needed! "It's nice because you know the birds are going to make it," Duff told WR News. It can be inferred from the passage that . What will power your house in the future? According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, it might be artificial leaves. Natural leaves can change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis . Now researchers have found a way to imitate this process. The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip with catalysts . Similar to natural leaves, it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell, using those two materials to produce electricity, located either on top of a house or beside the house. Though the leaf is shaped like a poker card, scientists stated that it is promising to be an inexpensive somtoe of electricity in developing countries. "One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology," said an American scientist, Docera. An artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf, however, is made of cheap materials, easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies, Nocera showed that an artificial leaf could operate continuously for at least 45 hours. The wonderful improvements come from Nocera's recent discovery of several powerful new, inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now, the new leaf is about 10 times more effective at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides, the device can run in whatever water is available. Hopefully, each home could possible have the access to the new application in the future. What conclusion can be drawn from the text? "Tell me again how you learned to ride a horse," I would ask my father when I was a little girl in Denmark. I was no more than four years old--too little to learn to ride a horse by myself. But I liked to hear my father tell his story. And then he would begin. "When I was a little boy, as little as you are now," he would say, "I wanted to ride the horses. But I was too small to mount a horse. So I would slip into my father's stables to be with the horses and admire them. Such big, powerful animals they were! "The gentle workhorses stood quietly in their stalls, eating their hay. I would climb up the side of one of the stalls and slide over onto the horse's back. "Then I would hold its mane and imagine us running quickly over the grasslands, down to the shore, and even into the sea. "When I grew tall enough to mount a horse," he said, "my wish came true." "You swim with the horses now," I said. "You even swim with Fiery. And he has spirit!" Everybody knew about Fiery, the great black male horse with the fierce temper, and how he behaved when he first came to the stables. He raised itself on its back legs with the front legs in the air. He snorted and kicked. He rolled his eyes. And everyone was afraid of him. Everyone, except my father. I wanted to hear more. "Now tell me how you made Fiery your friend," I begged. This was my favorite story. "Well, little Else," my father went on, "I just talked to him. I talked as a friend. You must talk to a horse like Fiery. "I'd say, 'No, little horse. No, my friend. You can't run free. You must learn to let me ride you.' "And soon Fiery began to listen. He knew from my voice that I would be his friend." So Fiery let my father teach him to carry a rider. Then Fiery would take my father across the soft green grasslands or even into the lively waters of the northern sea. I loved to see Father riding Fiery without a saddle into the sea. There they swam, Father and Fiery, out in the cold, clear water. Often I would watch them from the shore, holding tight to my mother's hand. They swam so bravely. I was so proud of them! Then Father and Fiery would come splashing out of the water and run along the shore toward us. They made a fine stop--just in time! Fiery towered over us. He tossed his head and shook sea water from his shining black coat. Father was laughing and patting Fiery's neck. And I was making a wish. I wished that someday I could have a horse, too . . . but a smaller one! Where does Else most like to watch her father ride Fiery? Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen is a great writer. He wrote many popular stories for children all over the world. April 2 is his birthday and it is also Children's Book Day. Andersen was born in 1805. When he was a little boy, his father read him a story every day. He felt very happy at that time. But his father died when he was 11 years old. Then he had to leave school. Andersen started working as an actor and singer. He loved reading books so much that he went back to school at 17. His first book _ in 1835. From then on, he wrote about one book a year for 37 years. There will be a park about Andersen's sales and life in Shanghai. If you like Andersen, you can go there to learn about his life and tales, and you can play games too. ,. Andersen was good at _ .
Question: American children have exciting after-school life, a new study says. Many junior and senior students have lots of funny things to do in their free time. More than 57% have activities every day. 82% have activities at least four times a week. American students spend their free time doing sports, or enjoying arts, music and dancing. They like to have life outside school because they can make a lot of friends during their activities. American students like to have life outside school because _ . A. activities outside school are more interesting B. they can make a lot of friends C. they don't like school life D. they are free to do anything outside school Answer: B. they can make a lot of friends Question: Until the 1980s, the American homeless population comprised mainly older males. Today, homelessness strikes much younger part of society. In fact, a 25-city survey by the U. S. Conference of Mayors in 1987 found that families with children make up the fastest growing part of the homeless population. Many homeless children gather in inner cities; this transient and frequently frightened student population creates additional problems -- both legal and educational -- for already overburdened urban school administrators and teachers. Estimates of the number of homeless Americans range from 350,000 to three million. Likewise, estimates of the number of homeless school children vary radically. A U.S. Department of Education report, based on state estimates, states that there are 220,000 homeless school-age children, about a third of whom do not attend school on a regular basis, But the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are at least two times as many homeless children, and that less than half of them attend school regularly. One part of the homeless population that is particularly difficult to count consists of the "throwaway" youths who have been cast of their homes. The Elementary School Center in New York City estimates that there are 1.5 million of them, many of whom are not counted as children because they do not stay in family shelters and tend to live by themselves on the streets. Federal law, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, includes a section that addresses the educational needs of homeless children. The educational provisions of the McKinney Act are based on the belief that all homeless children have the right to a free, appropriate education. The passage mainly deals with _ . A. the legal problems of the homeless children B. the educational problems of homeless children C. the social status of older males D. estimates on the homeless population Answer: B. the educational problems of homeless children Question: CNN news-Jan 16,2013 Protests have been going on for about a week now in the northern Irish capital of Belfast. They Started out peacefuily , bus some of them turn violent later on. There is a lot of history behind these protests,and it starts with geography, What's interesting is that Northern Ireland is not part of the republic of Iteland. It,s part of the United Kingdom, and that's what's behind this tension, Nationalists, mostly Catholic, think Northern Ireland should be part of the Republic of Ireland, Unionists, or Loyalists, mostly Protestants, wanted to stay part of the United Kingdom, The conflict between those two groups led to decades of violence ,and more than3,000 people were killed before a peace deal was signed in 1998,The protests happening now are connected to a decision regarding the British flahg ,In Belfast ,the capital of Northern Ireland ,the flag used to fly over City Halll every day of the year , Last month, local officials decided to limit that to 18 days per year. Unionists weren't happy about that . In some cases protesters have thrown concrete blocks, bricks, even weren't happy about that , In some cases protesters have thrown concrete blocks, bricks, even gasoline bombs at police ,Officers have responded by using water cannons to break up the protests. Nest up ,we are heading to the capital of China , Beijing, Experts say that city has something in common with Los Angeles; smog This gray haze is hanging in the air, making things hard to see ,Yesterday, the numbers indicating smog levels were off the charts, A uthorities warn people there to stay inside, Last year nearly 700 flights were canceled at Beijing airports because of haze and smog, Officials in China say that the air quality in the capital has gotten better since Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympics, but residents say the pollution levels have gotten worse. What's behind the tension in Belfast? A. Northern Ireland doesn't belong to the Republic Ireland B. Northern Ireland plans to break away from Ireland C. Northern Ireland intends to become independent D. Ireland is too complicated a country to be united Answer: A. Northern Ireland doesn't belong to the Republic Ireland Question: Centuries ago, man discovered that removing moisture from food helps to store it, and that the easiest way to do this is to expose the food to sun and wind. In this way the North American Indians produce pemmican(dried meat ground into powder and made into cakes), the Scandinavians make stockfish and the Arabs dried dates. All foods include water--cabbage and other leaf vegetables contains as much as 93% water, potatoes and other root vegetables 80%, lean meat 75% and fish, anything from 80% to 60%, depending on how fatty it is. If this water is removed, the activity of the bacteria which cause food to go bad is checked. Fruit is sun-dried in Asia Minor, Greece, Spain and other Mediterranean countries, and also in California, South Africa and Australia. Various methods are used, but in general, the fruit is spread out on trays in drying yards in the hot sun. Nowadays most foods are dried mechanically. The method of such dehydration is to put food in chambers through which hot air is blown at temperatures of about 110degC at entry to about 43degC at exit. This is the usual method for drying such things as vegetables, minced meat, and fish. Dried foods take up less room and weigh less than the same food packed in cans or frozen, and they do not need to be stored in special conditions. For these reasons they are invaluable to the climbers, explorers and soldiers in battle, who have little storage space. They are also popular with housewives because it takes so little time to cook them. Usually it is just a case of replacing the dried-out moisture with boiling water. According to the text, the open-air method of drying food _ . A. is the one most commonly used today B. was invented by the American Indians C. has been known for hundreds of years D. tends to be unhealthy Answer: C. has been known for hundreds of years Question: Have you ever made contact with the creative spirit, that certain something hard to describe, but full of good--and sometimes great--ideas? It is more than an occasional great thought. When we feel the moving of the creative spirit, it brings to life a style of being: a lifetime filled with the desire to invent, to explore new ways of doing things, and to turn dreams into reality. That flash of inspiration is the final moment of a process marked by unique stages--the basic steps in creative problem-solving. The first stage is preparation, when you look for any information that might be important. It's when you let your imagination run free. But one barrier is the inside voice of judgment that locks up our creative spirit within the limits of what we think acceptable. It's the voice that whispers to you, "They'll think I'm foolish," or "That will never work." But we can learn to recognize this voice of judgment and have the courage to discount its unhelpful advice. Once you have thought about all the relevant pieces and pushed your mind to the limits, you can let the problem remain and take in all you have gathered. It's a stage when much of what goes on occurs outside your focused awareness. As the saying goes, "You sleep on it." We are more open to creative thoughts from the unknowing mind when we are not really thinking of anything. That is why daydreams are so useful in the search for creativity. Anytime you can just daydream and relax is useful in the creative process: a shower, long drives, a quiet walk, etc. With luck, daydreaming will lead to a light turning on above your head, when all of a sudden the answer will come to you as if from nowhere. This is the popular stage--the one that usually gets all the glory and attention, the moment that people sweat and long for, the feeling "This is it!" But the thought alone is still not a creative act. The final stage is translation, when you take your creative thought and transform it into action; it becomes useful to you and others. Which of the following would the author probably support? A. The creative spirit means an occasional great thought. B. Others' voice of judgment allows us to ignore barriers. C. Creative problem-solving calls for barrier-free imagination. D. Daydreaming is sure to bring a sudden answer to a problem. Answer: C. Creative problem-solving calls for barrier-free imagination.
Manners nowadays in metropolitan cities like London are practically non-existence, it's nothing for a big, strong schoolboy to elbow an elderly woman aside in the dash for the last remaining seat on the tube or bus, much less stand up and offer his seat to her. This question of giving up seats in public transport is much argued by young men, who say that, since women have claimed equality, they no longer deserve to be treated with courtesy , ) and that those who go out to work should take their turn in the rat race like anyone else. Women have never claimed to be physically as strong as men. Even if it is not agreed, however, that young men should stand up for younger women, the fact remains that courtesy should be shown to the old, the sick and the burdened. Are we really so lost to all ideals of unselfishness that we can sit there indifferently reading the paper or a book, saying to ourselves "First come, first severed", while a grey-haired woman, a mother with a young child stands? Yet this is all too often seen. Older people, tired and quick-tempered from a day's work, are not angels, either-far from it. Many a brisk argument or an insulting quarrel breaks out as the weary queues push and shove each other to get on buses and tubes. One cannot commend this, of course, but on does feel there is just a little more excuse. If cities are to remain pleasant places to live in at all, however, it seems imperative , not only that communications in transport should be improved, but also that communication between human beings should be kept smooth and polite. All over cities, it seems that people are too tired and too rushed to be polite. Shop assistant's won't bother to assist, taxi drivers growl at each other as they dash dangerously round corners, bus conductors pull the bell before their desperate passengers have had time to get on or off the bus, and so on and so on. It seems to us that it is up to the young and strong to do their small part to stop such deterioration . How could you describe the tone of this passage? A. acceptable B. opponent C. negative D. encouraging Answer: D Dogs are known to chew their food once or twice, but like all organisms they can A. sense the flavor B. hate it C. choke D. sell it Answer: A The best way to start a fire is to use A. moisture deprived logs B. old branches C. green branches D. chopped logs Answer: A "So?"he said."Er...so what?""So what do you really want to do?"he asked. My father was a lawyer,and I had always assumed he wanted me to go to law school,and follow his path through life."I want to travel,and I want to be a writer."I replied. This was not the answer he would expect."Interesting idea,"he said."I kind of wish I'd done that when I was your age."I wailed. "You have plenty of time.You need to find out what you really enjoy now.Look,it's late. Let's take the boat out tomorrow morning,just you and me. Maybe we can catch some crabs for dinner,and we can talk more." Early next morning we set off along the coast. We didn't talk much,but enjoyed the sound of the seagulls and the sight of the coastline and the sea beyond. There was no surf on the coastal waters at that time."Let's see if we get lucky,"he said,picked up a mesh basket with a rope attached and threw it into the sea. We waited a while,then my father stood up and said,"Give me a hand with this,"and we pulled up the crab cage onto the deck. The cage was filled with dozens of soft shell crabs."Why don't they try to escape?" "just watch them for a moment. Look at that one,there!He's trying to climb out,but every time the other crabs pull him back in,"said my father. After several times,not only did the crab give up its struggle to escape,but it actually began to help stop other crabs trying to escape.He'd finally chosen an easy way of life. Suddenly I understood why my father had suggested catching crabs that morning. He looked at me. "Don't get pulled back by the others,"he said."Spend some time figuring out who you are and what you want in life.Think about what's really important to you,what really interests you,what skills you have.If you can't answer these questions now,then take some time to find out. Because if you don't,you'll never be happy." My father started the motor and we set off back home. Which of the following was TRUE about the son? A. He had no idea of what he wanted to do in life. B. He was expecting some resistance to his job option. C. He had always wanted to follow his father's path. D. He started worrying about his future. Answer: B Do you like dogs? Do you know the following things about dogs? The first pet dog Dogs are meat-eating animals. They belonged to the family of wolves a long time ago. About 15,000 years ago, people started keeping wolves for hunting . Over the time, the wolves began to look like dogs and they became people's pets. What a dog looks like Dogs come in different sizes, colors and shapes, but they're the same in some ways. All kinds of dogs have a set of forty-two strong teeth for eating. They have sharp claws at the end of their feet for digging up soil and holding onto the ground when they walk. They have very good eyesight. They also have high ability to hear and smell. How a dog grows A mother dog gives birth to one to twelve babies at a time. New-born baby dogs cannot see or hear until they are two weeks old. The mother dog gives the baby dogs milk. When they are four weeks old, they start eating soft food. When they're eight weeks, the baby dogs have very strong legs and they can go for long walks. How to read a dog's feelings Dogs act differently when they have different feelings. When a dog is angry, it opens its mouth and shows its teeth. When a dog is frightened, it lowers its ears and holds its tail between its legs. A happy dog always wags its tail. ,. (10) When does a dog start to eat soft food? A. When it's 2 weeks old. B. When it's one month old. C. When it's 2 months old. D. When it's 8 months old. Answer: B
LEEDS, England--A Leeds University psychology professor is researching a course to help dozens of Britons forgive their enemies. "The hate we hold within us is a cancer." Professor Ken Hart said, adding that holding in anger can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease. More than 70 people have become volunteers in Hart's first 20-week workshop in London--a course he says is the first of its kind in the world. These are people who are sick and tired of living with a memory. They realize their bitterness is a poison they think they can pour out, but they end up drinking it themselves, said Canadian-born Hart. The students meet in each group of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop with a director every two weeks. The course, ending in July, is expected to get rid of the cancer of hate in these people. "People have lots of negative attitudes towards forgiveness," he said, "People confuse forgiveness with forgetting. Forgiveness means changing from a negative attitude to a positive one." Hart and his team have created instructions to provide the training needed. "The main idea is to give you guidances on how to look at all kinds of angers and how they affect you, and how to change your attitudes towards the person you are angry with," said Norman Claringbull, a senior expert on the forgiveness project. Hart said, "I believe forgiveness is a skill that can be taught, as these people want to get free of the past." If you are angry with somebody, you should _ . A attend Hart's course B persuade him or her to have a positive talk with you C never meet him or her any longer D treat him or her positively instead of negatively Answer: D. treat him or her positively instead of negatively Two iron bars that are similarly charged will likely A pull each other B touch each other C shove each other D grab each other Answer: C. shove each other Fanny the fly was hungry. She went to the store. She saw her friend Colin the cat at the store. Colin waved to Fanny. Fanny waved back. At the store, Fanny bought ice cream, fruit, and pasta. Then she went home. She looked in her fridge. In her fridge she saw meatballs, rice, tomato sauce, and garlic. She chose to make a pasta dinner and invite all of her friends over. She invited Colin the cat and Danny the dog. She also invited Freddy the frog and Allen the alligator. Everyone arrived to a beautiful meal made by Fanny. They all ate happily. After dinner, Fanny brought out dessert. She brought out pie, fruit, cupcakes, and ice cream. Everybody ate a cupcake. Danny ate ice cream too. Allen had some pie and fruit as well as the cupcake. Colin had some pie too. Fanny told everyone to come back for dinner again. They all said goodbye and left. Fanny was happy and full. She went to bed smiling to herself. What did Fanny buy at the store? A Meatballs, rice, and fruit. B Fruit, garlic, and meatballs. C Ice cream, tomato sauce, and garlic. D Ice cream, fruit, and pasta. Answer: D. Ice cream, fruit, and pasta. A Mountain of Green Beans Another envelope in the mail. There's my name, Alexander Spencer, typed on the front. I throw it under the bed. The piles of envelopes are growing. The envelopes were applications to all the colleges I was supposed to attend. I did open the first envelope. Then I saw the application, all those blank spaces I was supposed to fill with my own writing, spaces for my name and birth date and grade average and ... statement of purpose. I looked at them for a long time. I could write for hours and not fill all those spaces. So I put the application back in the envelope. I would fill it out the next day, when I had time. But another envelope arrived. And then the pile began. The pile scares me -- it is really like a monster. All the while, I feel the weight of a million envelopes raining down on my head until my grandmother calls me and wants to know how I am. "I am overcome by too many tasks," I say. "Honey, you just take it bit by bit," she says, and she reminds me about the green beans. When I was a little kid I hated green beans. But my mom said I couldn't leave the table until I ate ten green beans. All alone at the table, I stared at the green beans for what seemed like hours. It was a mountain of green beans. I couldn't do it. My grandma came to me and asked if I could eat one green bean. "But Grandma, I have to eat ten!" She said all I had to do was to eat one green bean. One tiny little green bean. So I ate one. It was bad, but not as bad as I'd thought it would be. Then she asked me again if I could eat one. So I ate one green bean nine more times. My grandma doesn't know about the envelopes, but she tells me anyone can do one thing every day. Back in my room, I lay down on the bed. Just like I used to do when I was a little kid, I hang my head down to look at the pile of envelopes. There it is. But instead of a monster, I see a pile of green beans. Who's afraid of green beans? What do you think the author will do next? A He will fill out the applications one after another. B He will go to the college that he dreams of. C He will throw away all the envelopes. D He will eat up the green beans. Answer: A. He will fill out the applications one after another. It seems hard to watch someone yawn and not to yawn ourselves. Even reading about yawning can make you do it. Now, a new study has found why yawning has such a powerful force. Yawning when others yawn, the study suggests, is a sign of pity and a form of social connection. Kids don't develop this deeply rooted behavior until around age four, the study found. Kids with autism are less likely to catch yawns. In the most serious cases, they never do. Yawning might help doctors to see whether the children are developing rightly. The work could also lead to a better understanding of the ways that people communicate and connect. "Emotional infection seems to be a born thing that connects us together," said Molly Helt, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Connecticut. "Yawning may be part of that." Inspiration for her study came when she tried to get her own autistic son to clear his ears on an airplane. She repeatedly yawned at him, hoping he would yawn back. He never did. "The fact that autistic kids don't do it might mean they're really missing out on that emotional connection with people around them," she said. "The biggest thing people try to figure out after birth is how we become humans and understand that humans have minds that are different from others'," she added. "Autistic people never seem to understand that." Like infectious laughter and crying, scientists have found that yawning is a shared experience that promotes social connection. Helt said it could fight stress after a period of being nervous and spread a feeling of calm through a group. According to Molly Helt, _ . A humans differ from animals because they communicate with others B yawning is a kind of emotional connection among humans C emotions are infectious, but yawning is not D yawning helps clear ears on planes Answer: B. yawning is a kind of emotional connection among humans
Directions:Read the following three passages.Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D.Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read. Death is a serious theme worthy of great poets.For example, John Keats's 'When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be' and John Donne's 'Death, Be Not Proud' both discuss death in reflective ways.However, the imagery in these poems shows that while Keats believes that death can only destroy, Donne believes that death can be overcome. Keats is afraid of death, because to him death means the loss of those things that make his life worth living: 'On the shore/ of the wide world I stand alone, and think/ Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.' Earlier in the poem, Keats says that he hopes this 'Love' will be a 'high romance' with a 'fair creature.' He also says that he hopes the 'Fame' he seeks will be the result of the 'high piled books' produced by his 'crowded brain.' In other words, Keats's fear is that death is a 'nothingness' that will arrive before he can finish his life's work or find his true love. Donne has a different attitude toward death, and so the imagery in his poem is different, too.To Donne, death should 'be not proud,' because it is not 'mighty and dreadful.' Unlike Keats, Donne sees death as weak and merely a 'slave to Fate, chance, kings, and desperate men.' He also says that death is like 'rest and sleep'.Donne believes that we will all wake from the sleep of death to everlasting life, just as we wake from our normal sleep to our everyday lives.In fact, Donne believes that it is death itself that will die: 'One short sleep past, we wake forever,/ And Death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.' Keats and Donne both know that death is a prat of life, and both poets use powerful imagery to talk about that difficult theme.The differences in this imagery show two very different attitudes toward the subject, one of which is much more positive than the other.Which poet to believe is up to the reader to decide. Not surprisingly, the readers' own experiences may play a part in the way they respond to these poets' approaches.Like the two poets and their beliefs, contemporary readers also may be divided on the subject.This may explain why Keats's and Donne's poetry remains fascinating years after their won deaths. According to the passage, _ makes Keats's life worth living. Answer: 1970 was "World Conservation Year". The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world was in danger. They hoped that the governments would act quickly in order to conserve nature. Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were 1300 different plants, trees and flowers in Holland, but now only 860 remain. The others have been destroyed by modern man and his technology. We are changing the earth, the air and the water, and everything that grows and lives. We can't live without these things. If we continue like this, we shall destroy ourselves. What will happen in the future? Perhaps it is more important to ask "What must we do now?" The people who will be living in the world of tomorrow are the young of today. A lot of them know that conservation is necessary. Many are hoping to save our world. They plant trees, build bridges across rivers in forests and so on. In a small town in the United States a large group of girls cleaned the banks of eleven kilometres of their river. Young people may hear about conservation through a record called "No, One's Going to Change our World. " It was made by Scatles, Cliff Richard and other singers. The money from it will help to conserve wild animals. We shall destroy ourselves if we don't _ . Answer: Ruben lived in a small village. There was no school there and he had to study in a school in the town. It was nearly five kilometres away from his village. His father couldn't buy a bike for him and he had to go to school on foot. He got up early in the morning. Usually he had to run there in order not to miss the first class. He kept running every day and it was helpful to him. He's strong and tall now and he ran faster than any other man in his village. He took part in several sports meetings and won some medals. The young man is proud of(......)it and always wants to have a race with others. One day his mother was ill and his father told him to buy some medicine for headache in the town. The young man got there soon. There were many people in the chemist's shop while he was waiting there. And when his turn came, he could't find his money. An old woman hinted a young man had stolen it. He saw the thief had already left the shop. He ran towards him quickly. The thief found it and began to run. He was happy and tried to catch up with him. "Let's have a race and see who will run faster, "Ruben called out behind. Soon after that he caught up with the thief. But he didn't stop and went on running. At a crossing one of his friends asked, "What are you running for, Ruben? " "I'm running after a thief. " "Where's the thief, then? " "He wants to show that he'll run faster than me, but he's fallen behind!" _ , so he won some medals. [ ] Answer: American researchers have discovered that human brains and sleep patterns are confused by devices that give out bright lights. Electronics, such as laptops, mislead our minds into thinking that it is still daytime, preventing sleep and increasing the risk of _ . Sleep experts say human's natural body clock begins to rest and relax from the day between 9 and 10 pm but the use of computers confuses it. A person's brain biologically becomes awake when the sun is out because bright light after dark causes the brain to stop producing the hormone called melatonin that makes us sleepy. Researchers say blue light from devices such as iPads, which is expected to become a popular reading tool when it comes out later this month, is particularly disruptive during the night when the brain thinks it should be dark. Experts say a good book is a far better way of resting the brain and ensuring a good night's sleep because the bedside lamp light doesn't affect the brain as it does not look straight into a person's eyes. "Potentially, yes, if you're using an iPad or a laptop close to bedtime... that light can be stimulating to the brain to make it more awake and delay your ability to sleep," Phyllis Zee, a professor at Northwestern University and director of the school's Centre for Sleep & Circadian Biology, told CNN. "And I think more importantly, it could also be enough to affect your circadian rhythm. This is the clock in your brain that determines when you sleep and when you wake up. " Alon Avidan, associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of California Los Angeles, added, "I wish people would just take a boring book -- an oldfashioned book -- and read by a lamp." The bedside lamp light doesn't affect the brain because _ . Answer: One day a man saw a lady on the road. Her car broke down and she needed help. The man stopped his car and said: "I'm here to help you. You can call me Bryan Anderson." After he fixed the car, the lady wanted to pay him. But Bryan said no. He said if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the help he or she needed. A few miles down the road the lady went into a small cafe. The waitress came over. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant , but she never let it change her attitude when she served her. The lady finished her meal and paid with a $100 bill. The waitress went to get the change. When she came back, she found the lady had gone and left a note on a piece of paper: "You don't owe me anything. Somebody once helped me the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let the love end with you." Under the paper were four more $100 bills. The waitress was moved. She really needed the money, as the baby would soon arrive. Then she called her husband: "Everything will be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson." How did the man ask the lady to thank him? Answer:
Question: Recently Chinese society has seen a flowering of a new vocabulary. Perhaps the most interesting has been the division of people into tribes (zu in Chinese). The pains of the yi zu, or the ant tribe, have been well-known --- recent graduates from outside the main cities who move to urban areas, live cheaply and work hard, often in low-paid jobs. Perhaps less well-known are the ken lao zu, the bite-the-old tribe, those between 25 and 35 who are out of work, still at home and depending completely on Mum and Dad. Many of the tribes, inevitably , are made up of people looking for love. There is the jia wan zu, the marry-the-bowl tribe. These are young women searching for the most stable husbands, the ones who hold government jobs. The shan hun zu, or lightening-marriage tribe, marry fast and sometimes separate faster. They should not be confused with the yin hun zu, the hidden-marriage tribe. These are women in their 20s who hide the fact that they are married. And if you can only afford a postage stamp of an apartment, you're probably a member of the wo ju zu, the snail-house tribe. You can belong to more than one tribe. Most members of the ant tribe also belong to the ben ben zu, the rush-rush tribe, to which, in fact, most urban Chinese belong. All that rushing around can create a lot of anger, leading to the nie nie zu, the crush-crush tribe, so named because they go into supermarkets and take out their anger by standing in the passages crushing packets of instant noodles. Another famous one is the yue guang zu, or moonlight tribe, so named because the Chinese characters for "moonlight" sound the same as the phrase "spend all your monthly salary". Their parents save every coin, but life for these young people is just to spend, spend and spend. Who probably belong to the ant tribe? A. Graduates in their 20s. B. Young women looking for love. C. People between 25 and 35. D. Graduates from the countryside . Answer: D Question: SYDNEY --- Tobacco companies will be forced to use plain, logo-free packaging on their cigarettes in order to make them less attractive to smokers under laws introduced Thursday by Australia's government. The rules, which will take effect on 1 July 2012, will ban tobacco companies from including logos, promotional text or color1ful images on cigarette packages. A government health warning will be displayed instead, with the brand name at the bottom. The government also announced it would raise the cigarette tax by 25 percent, driving up the price of a pack of 30 cigarettes by about A$2.16(PS1.30). Tobacco companies immediately decided to fight it in court. "Introducing plain packaging just takes away the ability of a consumer to identify our brand from another brand and _ is of value to us," an Imperial Tobacco Australia spokeswoman, Cathie Keogh, told ABC, adding the company plans to take legal action. Retailers said the tax increase would hurt their businesses and encourage the cigarette black market. "It's a policy being pushed by some health advocates," said Mick Daly, the national chairman of Australian supermarket chain IGA. "That is a direct attack on approximately 16 percent of Australians who have made legal lifestyle choices." Time Wilson, director of intellectual property and free trade at Australia's Institute of Public Affairs, said tobacco companies were likely to demand compensation over the forced packaging changes, which could cost taxpayers around A$3 billion a year. "Under Australia's constitution, if the government basically takes someone's property rights, including intellectual property such as trademarks, they have to provide compensation," Wilson said. "I'd be shocked if they didn't seek compensation, because if it happens here, it'll happen all over the world." Opposition leader Tony Abbott said he wanted evidence that changing the packaging would reduce smoking. "I'm not in the business of defending smoking, I want to make that ly clear. But I also want to make ly clear that this is not a health policy - this is a tax grab ," Abbott said. Australia has banned tobacco ads from print, television and radio for years. Internet advertising will also be forbidden. Abbott holds the view that the main purpose of the policy is to _ . A. increase tax B. reduce smoking C. defend smoking D. improve general health Answer: A Question: Social customs differ from country to country. Does a man walk on the left or the right of a woman in your country? Or doesn't it matter? What about table manners? Should you use both hands when you are eating? Should you leave one in your lap, or on the table? The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but also share a large number of social customs. For example, in both America and England people shake hands when they meet each other for the first time. Also, most Englishmen will open a door for a woman or offer their seat to a woman, and so will most Americans. Promptness is important both in England and in America. That is, if a dinner invitation is for 7 o'clock, the dinner guest either arrives close to that time or calls up to explain his delay. The important thing to remember about social customs is not to do anything that might make other people feel uncomfortable - especially if they are your guests. There is an old story about a man who gave a formal dinner party. When the food was served, one of the guests started to eat his peas with a knife. The other guests were amused or shocked, but the host calmly picked up his knife and began eating in the same way. It would have been bad manners to make his guest feel foolish or uncomfortable. It would have been bad manners to make his guest feel foolish or uncomfortable "Bad manners" means _ . A. ugly B. dishonest C. impolite D. shameful Answer: C Question: Mitchell and his brother, Graham are biking to the store to buy lemons. They want to make a lemonade stand for their friends. In order to do this, they need to buy lemons, sugar, and cups from the store. While they are at the store, they run into their friends Jimmy and Justin. Jimmy and Justin are also brothers. Mitchell and Graham stop to talk to their friends for a bit before they go back to their shopping. After filling up their basket with the items they need to make lemonade, they go to the front of the store to pay. Once they get home, they start making lemonade and set out their table by the sidewalk. They talk to a few of their neighbors as they walk buy and some of them buy some lemonade. After sitting outside for some time, they think about making a sign to let the neighbors know that they have lemonade for sale. Mitchell gets the markers and Graham gets the sign. They work together to make the sign. After putting the sign in front of the table, they find people want much more lemonade. Later Jimmy and Justin stop by and buy some lemonade. Mitchell and Graham talk to their friends about things that Jimmy and Justin would need to do to make their own stand. After their friends leave, Mitchell and Graham count their money and choose to split the money. Each of the boys put the money in their piggy banks. How did the boys share the money they made? A. Mitchell took all the money B. They split it C. They didn't make any money D. Graham took all the money Answer: B Question: what is an electrical energy conductor? A. plastic B. stone C. plants D. swords Answer: D
Back in the early 1900s, American physician Byron Robinson wrote a book proposing an interesting theory: humans actually have two brains --- one in our heads and the other in our stomachs, and the two "communicate" all the time. Interestingly, in Chinese culture, thoughts are also related to the belly in phrases and idioms like fugao (, a draft), manfu jinglun (, a bellyful of ideas), and yiduzi weiqu (, a bellyful of complaints). This may sound a little ridiculous at first. But try to think of a time when you were extremely nervous. Chances are that you also felt uncomfortable in your stomach, didn't you? This is probably why people use the idiom "butterflies in one's stomach" to refer to being nervous. Now scientists from Canada and the US have found that our guts , if not as bright as our actual brains, are much more than just where we digest the food we eat. They also affect our emotions and even behavior, all thanks to the bacteria in them, reported Scientific American. In the study, scientists fed timid mice stomach bacteria from mice that were more active and daring. After eating the bacteria, the timid mice grew more energetic and fearless. Sure enough, when _ mice got the bacteria from timid ones, they became more anxious. The mice's behavior also changed when scientists disturbed the bacteria in their guts by changing their diets and feeding them antibiotics . "If something goes wrong in the gut, that change is reflected in the brain," Emeran Mayer, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, told The Huffington Post. The brain-and-gut connection also works in the opposite way. Scientists studied children with autism --- a mental illness that makes people unable to socialize with others --- and found that they also have a lot of stomach problems. They have fewer types of stomach bacteria and lower totals of a few key bacteria than healthy children. This research raises the possibility that scientists could treat patients with brain problems simply by feeding them the right food, which would be much more efficient than providing psychological therapy . According to CBC News, you can get "good" bacteria that lift your spirits from food like yogurt while "bad" bacteria are usually in high fat and high sugar foods. We can infer from the article that _ . Answer: diet changes can lead to mood changes Fish contains lost of omega-3 fatty acids.These fatty acids have been shown to help prevent heart disease,lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of strokes.Researchers suggest that these benefits of eating fish far outweigh the risks of getting sick from contaminated fish. Ongoing studies find that omega-3 fatty acids work magic on the brain too.Pregnant? Go out and eat fish! One study tracked a group of expectant women who ate more than 340 grams of fish per week.It turns out they gave birth to children who,years later,scored really high on IQ tests. How can you add fish to your diet? One way to begin is by replacing meat with fish in one meal a week.Instead of frying,which retains more fat,try boiling your fish in an oven or grilling it outdoors.And don't be afraid to spice up your fish.Garlic,herbs other spices can add wonderful flavors to fish. For lighter meals,keep a few cans of tuna or other fish on hand at all times.They're great for making tasty sandwiches or fish burgers.If you get hungry in the middle of the morning or afternoon,try tuna on crackers.It's hard to find a better snack.And parents,be sure to introduce fish to your children.It's important for them to get used to eating it at a young age. What does the writer point out about the women in the study group? Answer: They were going to have babies. Tim Richter and his wife, Linda, had taught for over 30 years near Buffalo, New York--he in computers, she in special education."Teaching means everything to us," Tim would say. In April 1998, he learned he would need a heart operation. It was the kind of news that leads to some serious thinking about life's purpose. Not long after the surgery, Tim saw a brochure describing Imagination Library, a program started by Dolly Parton's foundation that mailed a book every month to children from birth to age five in the singer's home town of Sevier, Tennessee. "I thought, maybe Linda and I could do something like this when we retire,"Tim recalls. He placed the brochure on his desk,"as a reminder." Five years later, now retired and with that brochure still on the desk, Tim clicked on imagination library .com. The program had been opened up to partners who could take advantage of book and postage discounts. The quality of the books was of great concern to the Richters. Rather than sign up online, they went to Dollywood for a looksee. "We didn't want to give the children rubbish," says Linda. The books reviewed each year by teachers, literacy specialists and Dollywood board members included classics such as Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day and newer books like Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama series. Satisfied, the couple set up the Richter Family Foundation and got to work. Since 2004, they have shipped more than 12,200 books to preschoolers in their area. Megan Williams, a mother of four, is more than appreciative: "This program introduces us to books I've never heard of ." The Richters spend about $400 a month sending books to 200 children. "Some people sit there and wait to die," says Tim. "Others get as busy as they can in the time they have left." What let Tim think seriously about the meaning of life? Answer: His health problem. Douglas Adams was born in Cambridge in March 1952, educated at Brentwood School, Essex and St John's College, Cambridge where, in 1974 he gained a BA (and later an MA) in English literature. He was the creator of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy(<<>> ), which started life as a BBC Radio 4 series in March 1978. Since then it has been transformed into a series of best-selling novels, a TV series, a record album, a computer game and several stage adaptations. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's success sent the book straight to Number One in the UK Bestseller List and in 1984 Douglas Adams became the youngest author to be awarded a Golden Pan. He won a further two (a rare feat), and was nominated--though not selected - for the first Best of Young British Novelists awards. He followed this success with The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980); Life, The Universe and Everything (1982); So Long and Thanks for all the Fish (1984); and Mostly Harmless (1992). The first two books in the Hitchhiker series were adapted into a 6-part television series, which was an immediate success when first showed in 1982. Other publications include Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul (1988). In 1984 Douglas teamed up with John Lloyd and wrote The Meaning of Life and their second huge success, The Deeper Meaning of Life followed in 1990. One of Douglas's personal favorites was written in 1990 when he teamed up with zoologist Mark Carwardine and wrote Last Chance to See an account of a world-wide search for rare and endangered species of animals. Douglas sold over 15 million books in the UK, the US and Australia. He was also a best seller in German, Swedish and many other languages. Douglas Adams died on Friday, May 11, 2001, in Santa Barbara, CA. He will be greatly missed by fans worldwide. Last Chance to See is a book about _ . Answer: searching for rare and endangered species of animals Have you ever remembered something with your nose? Maybe the smell of hot dogs makes you think of being at a baseball game. Or the smell of barbequed meat reminds you of a night around a fire. Scientists know that smells can make people think of powerful memories. Wouldn't it be great to somehow save those memories? _ is exactly what Mark Crames, a businessman making perfumes , is trying to do. His company, Demeter Fragrance, makes more than 200 kinds of perfumes. "Imagine every smell in the world as a musical note," Crames said. "We try to join those notes to make a piece of beautiful music." He has made many perfumes and he got the idea from plays, storms and even animals. Everyday smells mean different things to different people. "A perfume called Poison Ivy might make you think of sadness or surprise," Crames says. "But it could make another person think of a great time at summer camp." Crames produces perfumes using a high-tech method called headspace technology. This month, Crames is making scent for Tootsie Roll and Junior Mints. Not every smell can be easily copied. "One of our most needed perfumes is a little dog's breath," he says. "But it is so chemically complicated that it's very hard to get." What scent would you like to bottle? A zoo? Or grandma's old house? Crames may be able to help you bring back your memories, so all you have to do is have a smell when you want to remember. Which part of a website can this passage come from? Answer: Science.
He is not just a classical music superstar. He is a global superstar. Only 27 years old, the Chinese pianist Lang Lang has become an inspiration to tens of millions around the world. Among his dazzling long list of titles, Lang considered UNICEF goodwill ambassador the most special one. "Being a UNICEF goodwill ambassador is the best decision I have made and will definitely be the best experience in my life," Lang said in a recent interview with Xinhua at the UN headquarters in New York. "I love children very much, and playing piano for them is my favorite," Lang said, beaming with delight. Named this year by Time magazine as one of the 100 World's Most Influential People, the pianist said he hoped music could "bring children happiness and enlighten their life." Three months after his nomination , Lang went to Tanzania with the UNICEF team to visit children threatened by malaria and AIDS. Although the southeastern African country's underdevelopment and harsh living conditions surprised Lang who landed the continent for the first time, he was touched by local children's passion for music. "Most of the kids had never seen a piano before," Lang said. "When I played Chopin's nocturne or waltz to them, those who were too shy to talk to me suddenly became active and began to share with me about their dreams. How amazing it is!" "Music can bring hopes to the kids and open their mind," he said. Following his visit to Africa, Lang began to organize fundraising concerts for children. Now it has become his routine to do 15 to 20 fundraising concerts every year. Except for his efforts on fundraising, Lang also established his own international music foundation last year to assist young talents to play piano. So far Lang has chosen five children from the United States and Germany, providing them with scholarships and opportunities to perform at world-class music halls, he said. In December, he will start the selection in China where he would like to "focus more on physically challenged kids, like blind kids." The best title of the passage is _ . A Lang Lang and His Music B UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador C An Unforgettable Visit to Africa D Lang Lang's Fundraising Concerts Answer: B. UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Please come to meet a family from Canada. The girl's name is Wendy. Her family are in China now. Her father and mother work in Shanghai. Wendy's father is an office worker and her mother teaches English in a school. Wendy has two brothers but no sisters. They are all students but they are in different school. She is in Grade Eight and her brothers are in Grade Six. They love their schools. Wendy usually goes to school with her brothers _ . Sometimes their father takes them in his car. In the afternoon, they have lunch at school.They like to play with their classmates. And they often help each other. Which is NOT right? A Wendy's father works in an office. B Wendy plays with her sister's at school. C Sometimes the kid's father drives to school. D Wendy is a student in Grade Eight. Answer: B. Wendy plays with her sister's at school. You hear the comment all the time: the U.S. economy looks good by figures, but it doesn't feel good. Why doesn't ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates at least to the appearance in 1958 ofThe Wealthy Society by John Kenneth Galbraith, who died recently at 97. The Wealthy Societyis a modern classic because it helped describe a new moment in the human condition. For most of history, "hunger, sickness, and cold" threatened nearly everyone, Galbraith wrote. "Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours." After World War II, the fear of another Great Depression gave way to an economic growth. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent. To Galbraith, materialism had gone mad and would cause discontent. Through advertising, companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn't really want or need. Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unsatisfying. Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people wrongly considered government only as "a necessary bad." It's often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else is standing still or falling behind. Well, there are many undeserving rich -- overpaid chief managers, for instance. But over any meaningful period, most people's incomes are increasing. From 1995 to 2004, people feel "squeezed" because their rising incomes often don't satisfy their rising wants -- for bigger homes, more health care, more education, and faster Internet connections. The other great disappointment is that it has not got rid of insecurity. People regard job stability as part of their standard of living. As company unemployment increased, that part has gradually become weaker. More workers fear they've become " _ ," as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name. Because so much previous suffering and social conflict resulted from poverty, the arrival of widespread wealth suggestedutopian possibilities. Up to a point, wealth succeeds. There is much less physical suffering than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, wealth also creates new complaints. Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens. But the search for growth cause new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social order. Wealth sets free the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-accomplishment. But the promise is so unreasonable that it leads to many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown. Figures indicate that happiness has not risen with incomes. Should we be surprised? Not really. We've simply confirmed an old truth: the seeking of wealth does not always end with happiness. According to Galbraith, people feel discontented because _ . A materialism has run wild in modern society B they are in fear of another Great Depression C public spending hasn't been cut down as expected D the government has proved to be necessary but ugly Answer: A. materialism has run wild in modern society I stepped into my hotel room to a pleasant surprise. Lots of room surrounded an inviting king-size bed, with armchairs nearby resting against sliding glass doors that opened onto a private yard. A small dining table sat next to a kitchen with a refrigerator and coffee machine. "Wow," I thought to myself. "Nice place." I love hotels. I love to enter a clean room, hang my clothes and gaze out the window, walk out in the morning and when I return, someone else will have made the bed. I like in-room dining and the way they greet you so professionally. "Nice to have you with us again, Mr. Goldsborough." Very cool. The problem is that unless Alison travels with me, I never sleep well in hotels. I miss my family, even though Linus and Camille, at ages 4 and almost 2, find a way to interrupt even the best night's sleep at home. I'm deeply troubled by the number of parents who wake up too late with the realization: "My children grew up too fast. In the busy career and corporate rat race , I missed their childhood." What they fail to say but too often think causes me even more pain: "...and I barely even know them." A hundred years from now, no one will remember the size of your bank account, the car you drove or the size of your house. The world might differ greatly however, based on your impact in the life of a small child. If you pay attention to your significant others, make the choice to put them first. Think of one specific action that you can take, and take it. Then think of another one and take that, too. Challenge yourself to find new ways to express your appreciation and love on a daily basis. It will pay off ten-fold at home. Which of the fowling is the best title for this passage? A East, west, home is the best B Different generations, different views C Value of a person at home D Nothing Beats Family Answer: D. Nothing Beats Family The planet got warmer and warmer, and now the atmosphere is warm as well with the greenhouse effect A holding elements near B locking acid in C locking in dogs D gassing in carton Answer: A. holding elements near
I'm Rich Kleinfeldt with some financial expressions used in business and the stock market. Our first expression is "in the red." It is another way of saying that a business is losing money. In the past, numbers in the financial records of a company were written in red ink to show a loss. A business magazine recently published a report about a television company. The report said the company was still in the red, but was able to cut its loss from the year before. A profit by a business is written in black numbers. So a company that is "in the black" is making money. Another financial expression is "run on the bank." That is what happens when many people try to withdraw all their money from a bank. A "run on the bank" usually happens when people believe there is danger a bank may fail or close. Newspaper reports about a banking crisis in Russia used that expression. They said the government acted because of fears that the crisis would cause a run on the banks. "Day trading" is a system that lets investors trade directly on an electronic market system. It was the first completely computerized stock market. It sells stocks of companies not listed on any stock exchange. Many high technology companies are listed on it. Day trading companies provide a desk and a computer system to an investor who wants to trade. Individuals must provide fifty thousand dollars or more to the trading company to pay for the stocks they buy. Thousands of other investors do day trading from computers in their homes. A day trader watches stock prices carefully. When he sees a stock rise in price, he uses the computer to buy shares of the stock. If the stock continues to rise in price in the next few minutes, the day trader sells the shares quickly to make a small profit. Then he looks for another stock to buy. If a stock goes down instead of up, he sells it and accepts the loss. The idea is to make a small profit many times during the day. Day traders may buy and sell stocks hundreds of times each day. Which of the following statements is TRUE? Answer: John is six years old. He can read and write well. But he can't tell the time. He says "breakfast time", "lunchtime", and "teatime" when it is eight o'clock, twelve o'clock and four o'clock in the afternoon. His mother doesn't know how to help him. One day John's aunt, Mary, comes to see his mother. His mother tells her about that. "Let me help you. I think I can help him." When John gets home after school, Mary starts to teach him. "Can you _ , John?" she asks him. "Yes. One, two, three, four..." John says. "That's great. Now I put the longhand on twelve and the shorthand on one - that is one o'clock. I put the short hand on two, what is the time?" "Two o'clock." "Good. And on three?" "Three o'clock." It is then four o'clock in the afternoon, and John's aunt asks him, "What time is it now, John?" "Teatime, Aunt." John looks at the clock and answers. When it's twelve o'clock, John says it's _ . Answer: What statement is true? Answer: Trease owned Hilltop in fee simple. By his will, he devised as follows: "Hilltop to such of my grandchildren who shall reach the age of 21; and by 55 this provision I intend to include all grandchildren whenever born." At the time of his death, Trease had three children and two grandchildren. Courts hold such a devise valid under the common law Rule Against Perpetuities. What is the best explanation of that determination? Answer: Charles Blackman:Alice in Wonderland An Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV),Australia 10 June --12 August 2015 Venue The Ian Potter Centre Admission Free entry Charles Blackman is famous for his beautiful painting of dreams. In 1956, he heard for the first time Lewis Carroll's extraordinary tale of Alice in Wonderland -the story of a Victorian girl who falls down a rabbit hole, meets a lot of funny characters and experiences all kinds of things. At that time, Blackman's wife was suffering form progressive blindness. The story of Alice moving through the strange situations, often disheartened by various events, was similar to his wife's experiences. It also reflected so much of his own life. All this contributed to the completion of the Alice in Wonderland paintings. Illustrator Workshop Go straight to the experts for an introductory course in book illustration. The course includes an introduction to the process of illustration and its techniques, workshop exercise and group projects. Dates Sunday 17 June &Sunday 5Aug.10am--1pm Venue Gas Works Arts Park Wonderful World Celebrate the exhibition and Children's Book Week with special activities just for the day, including a special visit from Alice and the White Rabbit Date Sunday 24 June, 11am--4pm Venue Exhibition Space, Level 3 Topsy-Turvy Visit the exhibition or discover wonderful curiosities in artworks in the NGV Collection and make a magic world in a box. Alice and the White Rabbit will be with you. Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland will be screened. Dates Sunday 8,15,22,29 July, and Tuesday 24-Friday 27 July, 12noon--3pm Venue Theatre, NGV Australia Drawing Workshop Distortions of scale ( ) can make artworks strange but interesting. Find out how Charles Blackman distorted scale in his paintings to create a curious world. Then experiment with scale in your own drawings. More information upon booking. Date Friday 27 July, 10:30am-3pm Venue Foyer, Level 3 Activities concerning children's books are to be held 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 that 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 rod 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 elbow . Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached. I'll 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 high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. "Mom," I said, weeping, "none of the boys 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 faint. I peeked out from my covers 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. The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is _ . A the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep B the child's experience reminded Mom of that of her own C Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph D in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child's growth Answer: D There was once a king who had a wise advisor. The advisor followed the king everywhere and his favorite piece of advice to the king was "Everything happens for the good." One day the king went hunting and had a small accident. His foot was injured. Fortunately, he was not badly injured but as always he was forced to ask his advisor what he thought about the accident, to which the advisor replied, "Everything happens for the good." This time the king was really angry and put his advisor in prison . The king then asked his advisor, "Now, what do you think?" The advisor again answered, "Everything happens for the good." About a week later the king went on another hunting trip. As it turned out the king was caught by some cannibals and taken to their camp where he would be prepared to be their evening meal. Before putting him into the cooking pot, he was examined and the cannibals realized that the king's foot was injured. They decided to throw him back into the forests. It is the tradition for the cannibals not to eat anything that was in any way injured. It is true that everything in our lives happens for a purpose, and most often for our own good. If you think about it, all our past experiences actually happened to bring us to where we are today and make us a better person. So whatever challenges that we may face today, consider it happening to bring us to the next level. By telling the story, the writer _ . A wants us to think positively B asks us not to hunt any more C wishes us to follow others' advice D tells us the danger of hunting Answer: A Electron transport in mitochondria results in a chemiosmotic gradient of which particle across the mitochondrial membrane? A ADP B ATP C protons D neutrons Answer: C On New Year's Eve , people in Italy throw out all the old things. So there are chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the streets. In Spain, New Year comes more quietly. Everyone holds a bag of grapes . When twelve o'clock comes, people start eating the grapes. In Japan, people eat noodles on New Year's Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji . There they watch the first sunrise of New Year. In China people eat dumplings. Japanese climb Mount Fuji to _ . A look at the stars B eat noodles C see the sun coming up D have a rest Answer: C Exploit your parking space An unused parking space or garage can make money. If you live near a city center or an airport, you could make anything up to PS200 or PS300 a week. Put an advertisement for free on Letpark or Atmyhousepark. Rent a room Spare room? Not only will a lodger earn you an income, but also, thanks to the government-backed "rent a room" program, you won't have to pay any tax on the first PS4500 you make per year. Try advertising your room on Roomspare or Roommateeasy. Make money during special events Don't want a full-time lodger? Then rent on a short-term basis. If you live in the capital, renting a room out during the Olympics or other big events could bring in money. Grashpadder can advertise your space. Live on set Renting your home out as a "film set" could earn you hundreds of pounds a day, depending on the film production company and how long your home is needed. A quick search on the Internet will bring up dozens of online companies that allow you to register your home for free--but you will be charged if your home gets picked. Use your roof You need the right kind of roof, but some energy companies pay the cost of fixing solar equipment(aroundPS14,000) and let you use the energy produced for nothing. In return, they get paid for unused energy fed back into the National Grid. However, you have to sign a 25-year agreement with the supplier, which could prevent you from changing the roof. For whom is the text most probably written? A Lodgers. B Advertisers. C House owners. D Online companies Answer: C
Do you like shopping? Or does the thought of wandering round the shops fill you with terror? For some of us,shopping is an enjoyable way of spending our spare time and our money. For me.it's something I would rather avoid.Thank goodness for the Internet! It's more convenient to buy CDs,electrical items,even food,from the comfort of your sofa.But that's not the only reason:price is an important factor.We can buy goods and services cheaper online. But sometimes the problem is knowing what to buy.This has led to a type of shopping called "show rooming". Show rooming is something I've done.I will go to a shop to see,touch and try out products but then go home and buy them online at a knock--down price.I'm not alone in doing this.Research by a company called Foolproof,found 24%of people show roomed while Christmas shopping in 2013. Amy Cashman,Head of Technology at TNS UK,says the reasons for this new shopping habit are that"people are lacking time,lacking money and they want security about the products they are buying."She explains that consumers are not only shopping online at home but they are using the Internet in store or on their smartphones to shop around. But does this mean technology will kill shops? Certainly shops will change.They will have to offer more competitive prices or encourage people to buy more by giving in--store discounts or free girls. We mustn't forget that buying in a shop means you can get expert advice from the sales assistant and you can get good aftercare.It's good to speak to a real human rather than look at a faceless computer screen but at least by show rooming,you get the best of both worlds! The author's attitude towards show rooming is _ A. critical B. neutral C. supportive D. casual Answer: C. supportive When you run, you put force that is equal to three times your body weight on your feet. The human foot contains twenty muscles. This means that there is a lot that can go wrong when you run. Most sports have some kind of running or jumping So experts at many shoe companies work hard to design good sport shoes. First, a designer enters a plan for a shoe into a computer .Engineers then improve the design. A second computer designs a model for the shoe. Then a few pairs are made. Next, the shoe is tested. Different kinds of sports shoes are made for different uses. Some are made to help marathon runners save energy during a race. Some are made for the stop-and-go kind of running tennis players. But all sport shoes have one thing in common: they are designed to help people's feet comfortable during sports. Today, nearly every sport has its own special shoe designed for just the kind of running that sport needs. Why are good sport shoes welcome to people? A. Because they are comfortable to wear. B. Because they help to develop leg muscles. C. Because they help to change body weight. D. Because they are both good and cheap. Answer: A. Because they are comfortable to wear. Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy. They feel heavy pressures from their parents. Most students are always told by their parents to study harder and better so that they can have a wonderful life in the future. Though this may be a good idea for those very bright students, it can have terrible results for many students who are not gifted enough. Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have their parents lose hope. Such students felt that they are hated by everyone else they meet and they don't want to go to school any longer. They become dropouts. It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way. Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers' work to help their children. To make matters worse, a lot of parents serif their children to those schools opening in the evenings and on weekends -- they only help the students to pass the exams and never teach them any real sense of the world. Many Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students' hair to their clothes and things in their school bags. Child psychologists now think that such strict rules are harmful to the feelings of the students. Almost 40% of the students said that no one had taught them how to get on with others, how to tell right from wrong and how to show love and care for others, even for their parents. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? A. The Trouble in Japanese Schools B. The Problems of Japanese Students C. Education in Japan D. The Pressures on the Students in Japan Answer: D. The Pressures on the Students in Japan Students often meet with questions as follows: bullied by someone, worried about a weak subject, puzzled by family problems or concerned about pets at home. All the questions above may make you not concentrated on your study. Who can you turn to if you are such an unlucky student? A great person to share your thoughts and feelings with is your school counsellor . _ . They know how to listen and can help kids with life's challenges . Counsellors have special training in how to help kids solve problems, make decisions, and stand up for themselves. That doesn't mean your counsellor will wave a magic wand and the problem will go away. But it does mean he or she will help you cope with it. Coping is an important word to know. Sometimes, kids and grown-ups have difficult problems. Coping means that someone is trying to handle these problems and make things better. Your school counsellor is available for you and wants to make your school experience the best it can be. The counsellor's job is to take your problem seriously and help you find a solution. The counsellor also wants to help you learn as much as you can in class, be a contributing member of the school community, and be a positive influence on your environment. Which of the following may be the best title of the passage? A. School counsellors B. School problems C. Students' problems D. Free counsellors Answer: A. School counsellors To travel around the world is the dream of many adventurous people. But very few people can afford a global tour because hotels, food and airplane tickets are too expensive. Some people, however, have thought of some ways to realize their dreams. Laura Cody and Tanbay Theune, a couple from Britain, decided to travel around the world. They have found a good way to pay for their trips. They look after pets for rich house owners. In exchange, they can stay in the houses for free. They have looked after horses, cows, cats, dogs and fish. In two years, the couple has been to Australia, Germany, Spain and Italy. They have stayed in big cities and small villages. The home owners are usually very generous and have given them food, wine and day trips. Another person who tries to realize her travel dream is photographer Rhiannon Taylor. She travels around the world to visit, review and take photos of the best hotels. She shares the places she stays in and the food she eats on the Internet with tens of thousands of followers. With these ways of making money, traveling around the world is no longer a dream. More and more young people are thinking creatively to make their dream come true. The best word to describe the way of realizing the travel dream is _ . A. special B. creative C. rich D. adventurous Answer: B. creative
A new study suggests that early exposure to germs strengthens the immune system. That means letting children get a little dirty might be good for their health later in life. The study involved laboratory mice. It found that adult mice raised in a germ-free environment were more likely to develop allergies, asthma and other autoimmune disorders. There are more than eighty disorders where cells that normally defend the body instead attack tissues and organs. Richard Blumberg,who led the study,is a professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston,Massachusetts. He says,in 1989,medical researchers who sought to explain these diseases, first discovered that the increasing use of antibacterial soaps and other products, especially early in life, could weaken immune systems. Now, Dr. Blumberg and his team have what is the first biological evidence to link early exposure to germs to stronger adult immune systems. They say this exposure could prevent the development of some autoimmune diseases. In the adult germ-free mice, they found that inflammation in the lungs and colon was caused by so-called killer T cells. These normally fight infection. But they became overactive and targeted healthy tissue--an autoimmune condition seen in asthma and a disease called ulcerative colitis . Dr. Blumberg says the mice raised in a normal environment did not have the same reaction. He says their immune systems had been "educated" by early exposure to germs. Rates of autoimmune disorders are rising worldwide, but mostly in wealthier, industrialized countries. According to Dr. Blumberg, it might be high time that people were warned to be more careful with the early use of antibiotics and the prescription from their doctors. Rob Dunn is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He says the new study does not mean people should stop washing. "Wash your hands , but don't do it with antibacterial soap. Let your kids play in a reasonable amount of dirt and get outside and get exposed to a diversity of things", says Rob Dunn. It can be inferred from the text that _ . the abuse of antibiotics may be condemned Jesse Owens was born in Alabama in the USA, in 1913. There were ten children in his family. Jesse was the youngest. He went to school in the city of Cleveland. At school he showed he had a special talent for athletics . He could run fast. He could jump high. He could jump far. Because he was good at athletics, Jesse became a student at Ohio State University. In May, 1935 in Michigan, USA, he broke the world record for the long jump. This was his first world record. On the 25th May Jesse did something unusual. In 45 minutes he broke six world records. Some people think that this was the greatest athletics achievement ever. In 1936 Jesse went to the Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. There were only nineteen black athletes in the USA team. He won gold medals in the 100 meters race, the 200 meters race, the long jump and the relay race. Jesse was not a professional athlete. This meant that he could not get money for running. Later, he became a professional athlete. To make money he had to appear in strange races. Sometimes he had to race against horses. In 1960 somebody broke Jesse's last world record. In 1980 Jesse died. He won _ gold medals in 1936 in the Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. four Defendant was charged with attempted murder of Victor in a sniping incident in which Defendant allegedly shot at Victor from ambush as Victor drove his car along an expressway. The prosecutor offers evidence that seven years earlier Defendant had fired a shotgun into a woman's home and that Defendant had once pointed a handgun at another driver while driving on the street. This evidence should be excluded, because it is improper character evidence. American English is full of colorful expressions. One such expression is to touch all bases. There are four bases in baseball - first, second, third and home plate. When a baseball player hits the ball, he must run to each base - in order - and touch it with his foot. It is the only way to get a point. If the player hits the ball and fails to touch all the bases, the point will not be counted. The importance of touching all the bases was shown at the start of the 1974 baseball seasons. Hank Aaron was a player with the Atlanta Braves team. He was trying to find the record for hitting the most home runs . Aaron needed just one home run to be well matched with the record held by Babe Ruth, the greatest hitter in baseball history. Aaron got that home run the very first time he had a chance to hit the ball. That gave him 714 home runs - the same as Babe Ruth. After that day, baseball fans held their breath every time when it was Hank Aaron's turn to hit. When would he hit home run number 715? The wait was not long. In the second week of the season, Aaron again hit the ball over the wall. He had beaten Babe Ruth's record. But first, he had to run around the four bases. The other players on his team watched carefully to make sure he touched each one. So, to touch all bases means to do what is necessary to complete an activity. The expression is used to business and politics. No business deal or political events are really complete until you discuss all the problems involved. Or, as it is said, until you touch all bases. What does the expression "to touch all bases" mean? To do what is needed to finish an activity. Rodney Smith, Jr. started mowing the lawns in Huntsville, Alabama last fall. He used his time between classes at Alabama A&M to reach a goal of mowing 100 yards before winter. Smith has been cutting grass for free to help single moms, the elderly, and the disabled, while teaching the local youth the values that can turn boys into men. "I'm doing something positive. I want boys to follow me and be better than me," he wrote on his Facebook page. Rodney is from Bermuda. He says people there help each other and are always friendly. "That's what drives me to help people." In May this year, he was getting ready to _ his mowing service for the summer when he heard about a 93-year-old woman trying to cut grass by herself. Smith and a friend showed up to do the job for her. In November, a local TV station gave him $300, calling it a special gift for his good work. After he received the money, he used it to create the non-profit service group, Raising Men Lawn Care Service. He also started a page to collect money to buy lawn equipment and other things--including T-shirts with special logos. After I read about Rodney's story, I told my friends about him. We also planned to mow lawns for single moms, the elderly and disabled in our neighborhood. And I hope more and more young people will join Rodney's service group--Raising Men Lawn Care Service. What was Rodney Smith, Jr.'s goal last fall? To mow 100 yards for free.
Yesterday I went to the nursing home to visit my step mom's grandma. When I got there she was happy to see me. Then I heard a woman crying. It was my great grandma's roommate. The curtain was drawn so I could not see her. She started calling out a name that wasn't mine but she was definitely talking to me, begging me to go to her side of the room. Then she started begging and saying, "Please, come see me!" So I went to see her. She looked so old and weak but flashed me the biggest smile! She opened her arms wide for me to hug her so I bent low and gave her a hug. Then I sat on her bed and talked with her for a few minutes. She kept calling me by the other name but I did not correct her. She told me stories like I had been there when they happened. Eventually I went back to visit with my great grandma. Then the other woman started crying again, saying, "Please, come back." I stopped by the nurse's station and the nurse told me that the lady was suffering from Alzheimer's. I mentioned the name she had called me. The nurse told me it was the lady's daughter's name. It was a heartbreaking experience but it gave me a new perspective on life. We will all get old someday.Some of us will have broken minds like my great grandma's roommate and some of us will have broken bodies like my great grandma.But what was beautiful was the fact that both ladies,one 86 and the other 90,did not have broken spirits.As I was leaving I promised I would go back and visit the lady,even after my great grandma moves back to her home state. What's the author's attitude towards the old lady's situation? A Very satisfied. B Quite positive. C extremely sad. D Really surprised. Answer: C In most cases, drivers lose their driving licenses because they drink and drive. I have always promised myself that I will never drive if I have drunk alcohol . Still, half a year ago, I made a terrible mistake and drove after having drunk two beers at my friend's while watching a football match. I then drove my car to take another friend to his place. I thought there would be no problem because it was night and there would be no policemen on my way. But to my surprise, a policeman stopped me. I was not allowed to drive for three months and I also had to pay a fine. I told my parents nothing at the beginning, but then I had to invent a lie because I did not have the courage to tell them that I had driven after drinking and _ was the real reason why my driving license was taken away. Those three months seemed to pass very slowly for me because I was used to driving almost daily and I really needed my car quite often. I had to take a taxi and it cost me a lot of money. Then there were times when I had to ask a friend to take me to some place or another, especially if I wanted to go out of town. It was indeed a punishment for me not to have my driving license and I promised myself not to repeat this mistake again. Apart from this, being drunk while driving represents a real danger not only for the driver, but also for people in the car and for people on the street or in other cars. Therefore, I advise people to avoid drinking alcohol before driving. The author still drove after having drunk alcohol that night because _ . A he thought he hadn't drunk too much B it was too late at night for him to take a taxi C he thought he would not meet any policemen D he had promised to take one of his friends home Answer: C Body language shows all kinds of feelings and is sometimes more important than spoken language.A smile is a usual facial expression----it shows that you are friendly to others. However, it does not always mean that you are happy. A smile can hide other feelings, like anger, fear, or worry. In most countries, nodding the head up and down shows agreement, while shaking the head means that you do not agree, or that you would not like to do something. If you stand holding your arms across your chest, you may be protecting yourself---just from a conversation you do not want! If you sit looking at the person you are talking to and then turn toward to him, it shows that you are interested. If you roll your eyes and turn your head away, most likely you do not believe what you are hearing, or you do not like what you hear. Body language shows _ . A all kinds of feelings B some special feelings C nothing D only happy feelings Answer: A 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. Medication can _ . A weaken smokers' wish to smoke B clear away the nicotine in smokers' bodies C only be taken on the prescription of a doctor D stop people from becoming addicted to smoking Answer: A What do you usually do in your free time? Play sports? Watch TV? How about reading books? You must know the Chinese saying: " _ " .Books are important in our life. Reading books is good for us. It can help us know and understand the world better. It can help us get a lot of knowledge . It brings us a new and different world that we have never been before. Almost all the great men like reading, like Chairman Mao and Madame Curie. In a word, books are treasure and we must love them. But before you read, remember to choose a good one. Ask your parents or teachers about what books to read. Be sure you are interested in them. There are many different kinds of books. I like biography because I can learn something from the characters . What about you? Young friends. Please love books and read them. They are very helpful to you. What kind of books does the writer like? A Story-books. B Comic books. C Biography. D Novels Answer: C
Question: When I was 23 years old I was in a dangerous relationship with the man who was my fiance at the time. I was being physically and verbally abused on a daily basis. I was financially tied to him after he spent all my savings to pay his debts but I wanted to be free! For the longest time I was too embarrassed to tell my mother about the situation. She had warned me about him. But, eventually, I worked up the courage to tell her and she sent me the money I needed to leave. Before the money arrived, he found out what I planned to do. I was so scared of what he might do that I decided to leave without taking all my belongings and just get out of there. Then, on my way to safety, my car died! I had automobile insurance (thanks to my mom) so I called the AAA and had them pull the car to a garage. It turned out the repair was going to cost $800 and the money my mom sent hadn't arrived by that point. The owner of the garage must have known something was up because he asked what was wrong. I told him a brief version of my story and promised him I could pay him in two days. He never told me his name but I will never forget him or what he did for me that day! He fixed the car immediately and told me he would not accept any payment ---- ever! He said he had a daughter almost my age and hoped that if she ever needed help in the future then some stranger might do the same for her. Since then I have tried to help people in my own way. Now I have a beautiful 12-year-old daughter and I hope throughout her life she can help others and be helped when she needs it, like I was! The author wanted to break up with her fiance because _ . A. he was too poor to support the family B. she was badly treated by him everyday C. he owed a lot of money to other people D. her mother had warned her about him Answer: B Question: Ralph and Norton can grow to be 40 feet long and live in a tank as large as a football field.What are they? They're the only two whale sharks at a North American aquarium . You can see Ralph and Norton at the world's largest aquarium, the new Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. The aquarium's giant tanks hold eight million gallons of water and will be home to about 100,000 fish! The aquarium was designed to look like a giant ship breaking through the waves.It has 60 different habitats from the sea and five galleries , each with a different theme.About 2.4 million visitors are expected to come each year. _ " Said Jeff Swanagan, the aquarium's executive director. Ralph and Norton arrived in June, 2005 from Taiwan.They were only 15 and 13 feet long, but they may grow to be more than 40 feet long! Whale sharks are the world's largest fish.Three full-time vets will work there to make sure that Ralph, Norton, and all of the aquarium's sea life stay healthy.Students from the University of Georgia will help run the aquarium and conduct research at the animal hospital. The aquarium was paid for almost completely by a $ 200 million gift from Bemie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot Inc, and his wife, Billi."It's going to be the most unique aquarium in the world," said Marcus.Marcus said the aquarium was a "thank you" note to the city of Atlanta and the State of Georgia, where the Home Depot first opened for business. The world's largest aquarium is located in _ . A. Los Angeles B. Atlanta C. New York D. Miami Answer: B Question: We all need a vacation, whether with the entire family or your significant other. Unfortunately, many of us will not be able to follow through with vacation plans. But now, there is an alternative that is catching on rather quickly and it is called a "Staycation". A staycation is just what it sounds like, a vacation but you stay at home. It might not sound interesting, but you can turn it into a fun and relaxing getaway. Tell family and friends your plans. In their eyes you are truly on vacation and they only need to contact you in case of an emergency. Go outside; don't let the kids sleep all day. Go out and birdwatch, go fishing, explore the parks and nature, take in all you can of the outside world. You can even have a relaxing day at the beach, soak in some sun, and let the kids go swimming. Go on a picnic; have the kids fly kites. Bring some bubbles, and have a nice day with the wind blowing in your hair. Watch as the kids run and play and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Camping is another fun way to have a staycation. If you have a camping ground in your area, you can go camping for a day or two and show the kids how it is to live right in the heart of Mother Nature. Just remember, it really doesn't matter where you decide to go, whether home or away. As long as you create quality time with your family you can strengthen the _ that may have been pushed aside during all the long stressful work hours. Time is the most important thing you can give to your husband, wife and kids, enjoying every moment together, and you will have lasting memories in your hearts. What is the most important thing of taking a staycation? A. Spending quality time with your family. B. Letting your kids learn about nature. C. Giving your family relaxing time. D. Getting away from stressful work hours. Answer: A Question: Sarah looked up high. She could see the scissors up on top of the cabinet. If she could only reach them, she could cut the gum out of her baby sister's hair and her mom would never know. Her mom was still busy helping her brother take out the trash. Sarah quickly pushed a chair over to the cabinet. She climbed up on the chair and got the scissors. Then she hopped down and put the chair back at the table. Sarah ran to the bathroom and shut the door. While her sister sat on the floor, Sarah cut the gum and a big piece of Sally's hair, and then threw it into the trash. Sarah put on her dress, then she and Sally headed back to the kitchen for breakfast. Sarah had taken a drink of her chocolate milk when she heard her brother Kyle start to laugh and point at Sally's head. Their mother heard the laugh and turned around to see what was so funny. Sarah began to turn red before their mother even asked what had happened. "I did it," Sarah said in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry, Mom." Why did Sarah's brother laugh? A. He saw that Sarah wrote on the wall B. He heard Sarah tell a joke C. Sally started to tickle him D. He saw that Sally's hair had been cut Answer: D Question: I have six baskets. Three are big . Three are small . I have some pears and some oranges . I put three pears in each big basket and four oranges in each small basket . The number of oranges is my age . What are those in the small basket ? A. Nine pears B. Four oranges C. Three pears and three oranges D. Nine pears and three oranges. Answer: B
When you cut your skin, you bleed . If a person loses a lot of blood, he will become ill and may die. Blood is very important. People have always known that. At one time, some people even drank blood to make them strong! When doctors understand how blood goes around inside the body, they try ways of giving blood to people who need it. They take blood from the healthy people and give it to people who need it. This is called "blood transfusion". The blood goes from the arm of the healthy person into the arm of the sick person. But there are two problems. First, it does not always work. Sometimes people die when they have blood transfusion. Later, doctors find that we do not all have the same kind of blood. There are four groups--O, A, B and AB. We all have blood of one of these groups. They also find that they can give any kind of blood to people of group AB. But they find that they must give A-group blood to A-group people and B-group blood to B-group people. I have O-group blood and the doctor told me that I could give blood to anyone else safely. ks5u There is another problem. To give blood of the right kind, doctors have to find a person of the right blood group. Often they can not find a person in time. If they have a way to keep the blood until someone needs it, they can always have the right kind of blood. At first they find they can keep it in bottles for fifteen to twenty days. They do this by making it very cold. Then they find how to keep it longer. In the end they find a way of keeping blood for a very long time. We call a place where we keep money a "bank". We call a place where we keep blood a "blood bank". One day, when you grow up, you may decide to give blood to a "blood bank". In this way you may stop someone from dying. Or perhaps one day you may become ill. You may need blood. The "blood bank" will give it to you. The writer doesn't talk about _ in the passage. Answer: A four-wheeled robot,known as Rover,has been tested by a team at Sydney University.It was used to move a herd of cows from a field to a dairy . Researchers were amazed at how easily cows accepted the presence of the robot.They were not disturbed by it and the gathering process was calm and effective.Because the robot moved in a steady manner it allowed cows to move at their own speed,which was important in reducing injuries among cattle,said Dr Kendra Kerrisk,dairy researcher and associate professor. The robot was adapted from one that was already being used to monitor fruit and trees on farms.A team at Sydney University's Centre for Field Robotics improved the robot so that it could be put in a field with cows in order for the researchers to gather data on robot--cow interaction. The robot needs to be operated by a human but it's hoped that in the future a version can be developed that will be fully automated.As well as gathering cows a new version could also collect information useful for farmers. Using robots to get cows to the dairy will be better for their well-being."The research is in its very early stages but robotic technologies certainly have the potential to transform dairy farming,"said Dr.Kerrisk."When we have discussed this concept with farmers they have been extremely excited and we have had a series of calls and emails asking how they can get hold of one,"she added. The robot could also cut down the number of accidents involving humans on farms.Most dairy farmers in Australia use bikes to round up their cattle and they are one of the leading causes of injury.The team hopes that by using the robot to do the job instead,accident rates could fall. What's the main idea of the text? Answer: We are looking for energetic volunteers who might be willing to volunteer their time. It's a great way to build your volunteer experience, get involved in your community, meet new people and show your pride. Computer Teacher The computer teacher will be responsible for teaching older adults computer skills, including basic skills such as turning on computer or more media skills such as setting up email. This position requires patience, dedication and long hours on your feet. Computer skills needed. Ask Mandy, 01313377227. Meals on Wheels Do you have time in your schedule to make a difference in the lives of seniors in your community? Meals on Wheels drivers deliver nutritious lunchtime meals to homebound seniors on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our aim is to help seniors who are unable to go out themselves due to age or disability. A valid driver's license and personal vehicle is required. Call Lucy,(781)2727177. Tree Nursery Volunteer Tasks are different according to season, but may include: collecting tree seeds from ancient woodland, preparing seeds for sowing, planting trees and tree aftercare. Some of the work is physical and outdoors, others such as seed preparation can be done indoors. No experience is necessary, but a knowledge or interest in botany would certainly be helpful. Ask Amrita, 07748623073. Photography Volunteer If you have a talent for photography, this may be the role for you. We need someone who can take great photos for posters and websites. We especially need photos of our events and volunteers. This is a great opportunity to gain valuable work experience. You'll also gain the satisfaction of seeing your work being displayed on the National Trust website and in literature. Ask Sarah, 01248600954. If you are interested in teaching, you can get in touch with _ . Answer: Cats like climbing trees and there are logical reasons behind this behavior. Interestingly, due to some of their physical features, cats will meet trouble getting down from the trees after climbing up, which may seem unusual. There are several reasons why cats climb trees, mostly to do with defensive purposes. Cats, as predators , like to understand their environment well. As they are small animals, their scope of vision is considerably smaller. Cats often climb trees to get a better view of their surroundings to help them see any potential dangers. While cats are predators, they are also easy to get attacked from larger animals, such as dogs or even other cats. A tree often provides a safe hiding place. In the wild, cars climb up trees to give them a resting or napping place that is out of predators' range. It also helps disguise their presence. Some cats may climb trees for fun, on occasion, or possibly to work on improving their climbing abilities. Small cats frequently test out their claw skills by trying to climb up anything and everything, from bookcases to trees to a person's leg. Climbing practice is good for cats; it can improve their strength and flexibility and teach them an important defensive skill. If a cat has gotten up a tree and cannot get down, the owner may wonder why its remarkable climbing abilities only work in one direction. A cat's claws curve inward, allowing it to grip onto surfaces while going up head first. Unfortunately, this useful climbing curve does nothing to help the animal get back down again. Eventually, most trapped cats will either jump out of the tree or realize that they can get down by going tail first. Either way, a cat up a tree is usually nothing to worry about; they are intelligent animals and will figure out how to get down sooner or later. According to the text small cats like to climb a person's leg to _ . Answer: The World Bank estimates there are about 650 million mobile phone users in African countries south of the Sahara Desert. That is greater than the number of users in the United States and European Union. Samia Melhem worke for the World Bank to increase information technologies in Africa. She says mobile phones are the fastest growing technology on the continent. "Faster than TV, definitely faster than electricity. More people have access to mobile phones and therefore communication. More people have internet access today in Africa than they have access to water, clean water, or even sanitation .So we can say that this has been the most significant revolution in terms of changing the African landscape and how people live their daily life." CNN television recently named seven ways of life it says have been revolutionized because of mobile phones. They include political activism, education, entertainment, disaster management, agriculture and health. Another area is banking. Reports say half of more of the adults in Gabon, Kenya and Sudan use mobile money. Rene Mendy sells goods in the streets of Dakar, Senegal. But he never had enough money to open a bank account. Now he uses a mobile phone banking service called Orange Money. With his telephone, he can add or take out as little as one dollar. He can make payments and send money to family members who live far away. Orange Money says it serves four million customers in ten countries. The World Bank's Samia Melham notes that the French company is facing competition from other mobile banking services. "The mobile banking is a huge trend. And people in the West don't understand it, because most people have bank accounts and they have credit cards. It-mobile banking-is the instant possession fo cash at a much lower cost. The cost is the cost of sending an SMS, which is almost nothing compared to what traditional transfer agents, like Western Union, would charge-10 dollars or more for a particular money transfer." Using Orange Money, people can _ . Answer:

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