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Question: I am a senior in high school. For four years I have been a member of the marching band at my school---four years of commitment to an organization of 150 kids, four teachers and 100 parents working from August to June of every school year. For four years, my mom has been there for me---never complaining and never receiving a "Thanks, mom." My mom is pretty much a supermom and, unfortunately, it took me some seventeen years to realize it. "Driver" is probably a more appropriate name for her. Every concert, every competition, every football game, my mom was there with a smile, and always stayed to watch. When she couldn't be there, she would be waiting for me when the bus pulled in to the school's parking lot. She actually enjoyed arriving at the school at 10:30 at night just for me to tell her that I was going out with my friends and that I needed twenty dollars instead of a ride home. Now that I'm a senior, I have my own car and drive myself to my football games and concerts. My mother still comes to watch me. Recently, my band was invited to play for a celebration. When the bus pulled up to the flagpole in front of my high school, I had the strangest feeling. Something was missing. I found myself nervously searching for my mom in the parking lot. I needed to tell her I didn't need a ride home; I was going out. I then realized my mother was at home and probably in bed. I never realized how much I took her for granted until she wasn't there. When I got home that night, I woke her up and told her I loved her and I missed her. I told my mom that I really appreciated all the times she had driven me back and forth. I told her I was glad she embarrassed me all those times, because I knew that it just meant she loved me, too. My mom looked back at me with tears and a big smile. The author realized his mother's love when _ . A. he was a child B. he graduated from senior high school C. he couldn't find her one day D. his mother was sleeping Answer: C Question: Pocket money Most British parents give their teenagers pocker money. Teenagers get between PS7 and PS20 a week. They spend it on fast food, designer clothes, the cinema, concert, magazines and mobile phones. Lazy parents? 37% of parents pay teenagers to clean the lounge, 66% of parents pay teenagers to take the rubbish out. Lazy teens? 51% of teenagers don't make their beds before they leave home.Only 13% of teenagers wash the car for money.Some parents even pay their teenagers to do their homework. Equality? Not yet! Boys get more money than girls for most odd jobs.For washing the dishes, boys get about PS4 and girls get about PS1. And if you need some more money? Teens get an extra PS250 a year out of their parents on top of pocket money!About 50% of teens get gifts of money from their grandparents.Go to Mum if you need extra money!She gives more than Dad. Where you live makes a difference! Parents in prefix = st1 /Scotlandand the North of England give most pocket money. Spending 51% spend their money on clothes.39%buy cosmetics, juwellery and toiletries.Less than 40% of teenagers save any money.Here are some children who tell us about their pocket money:I get PS30 a month, I have to take the rubbish out and tidy my room. --Emma,15, Edinburgh .I get PS10 a week. But I have to clean the car, hoover the house and load and unload the dishwasher. I usually save the money. --James, 12, Sheffield..I getPS7.5 a week.I have to be "good" but I don't have to do any jobs for the money. --Lain, 13, Cardiff.I getPS5 a week. But our neighbors go away a lot and they give me PS25 a week for looking after their cats. --Richard, 13, Belfast Who most probably gets the most money for a whole year according to the passage? A. Richard B. James C. Lain D. Emma Answer: A Question: Tony is reading an advertisement in a magazine. It is about different evening classes or weekend classes. The Learning Centre, Garden City We have evening and weekend courses on ... test preparation friends and meeting people jobs and making money cooking and language learning Some of this month's courses: 1. Get good grades! Do you forget information and do poorly on tests? In this course, learn to... * remember more (95 percent of what you read). * think quickly and read fast (400 words per minute!). * do well on tests and get high scores. 2. Find true love...today! Are you single and shy? Is it hard for you to talk to people? In this course, learn to... talk to people; start a conversation with a man or woman. be more friendly and outgoing. * understand a person's body language. 3. You are on TV! Many actors get their start in television. You can too! In this course, learn to... * act in TV ads. * use your voice on the radio. * get TV and radio jobs. 4. Cook delicious and healthy food! Are you interested in cooking? Do you want to keep healthy? In this course, learn to... * keep a balanced diet. * cook delicious traditional Chinese food. * make western-style food. This course is also online al www. dffh. net. cn. After taking course 1, you can't _ . A. think quickly B. improve your memory C. remember everything you read D. finish reading a 200-word passage in 30 seconds Answer: C Question: A rich woman begins to learn painting . When she is sixty years old, she loves it very much. She paints and paints. After ten years, there are lots of pictures in her workroom, and she thinks they are very good. One day, the old woman is badly ill in bed, but she doesn't forget her pictures. She says to his grandson, Hand, "I want to give my pictures to a school, then the students will remember me. But which school do you think is the best, my dear?" "Well," says the little boy, "You'd better give them to the blind school!" The old woman wants to give her pictures to _ . A. a blind school B. her grandson C. a school D. her grand-daughter Answer: C Question: Blind from birth, I have never had the opportunity to see myself and have been completely dependent on the image I create in the eye of the observer. To date, it has not been narcissistic. There are those who think that since I can't see, I obviously also cannot hear. Very often people will talk with me at the top of their lungs, pronouncing each word very carefully. _ , people will also often whisper, thinking that since my eyes don't work, my ears don't either. For example, when I go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for assistance to the plane, he or she will invariably pick up the phone, call a ground hostess and whisper: "Hi, Jane, we've got a 76 here." On the other hand, others know that of course I can hear, but believe that I cant talk. Often, therefore, when my wife and I go out to dinner, a waiter or waitress will ask Kit if "he would like a drink" to which I respond that "indeed he would". The toughest misconception of all is the view that because I can't see, I can't work. I was turned down by over forty law firms because of my blindness, even though my qualifications included a cum laude degree from Harvard College and a good ranking in my Harvard Law school class. Fortunately, this view of limitation and exclusion is beginning to change... When people talk to the writer, they usually . A. talk softly B. talk loudly C. take pity on him D. feel worried about him Answer: B
The idea for the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone came to Joanne Kathleen Rowling in 1990. It took her seven years to finish writing it. During those seven years she had a number of jobs, including one job as an English teacher in Portugal. Rowling sent the book to four publishers before one of them bought it. She was very happy to sell her book because it was her life's dream to be a published writer. Before she sold her book, Rowling was living in a small apartment with her daughter and was so poor that she could not afford heat in the winter. Harry Potter became very successful with children and adults in England. The book also really took off in the United States. After her second and third books were published, the three Harry Potter books filled the top three places on many newspapers' lists of best-sellers. Then the books were made into popular movies. Without question, Rowling's life had completely changed, in just three years. Harry Potter books have now sold more than 30 million books around the world and have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. In 1997, Rowling was earning PS70 (about US$110) a week. By the end of 2001, she had earned over PS150 million ($250 million), making her one of the most successful female writers of all time. Rowling's dream was _ . Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world. Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as"the entertainment industry"or"show business." The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system creates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life. The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business--referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing--the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high--creates feelings of insecurity for many. The influence of business in the U.S. is evidenced by the fact that _ . Paragraph 1 Scientists have learned a lot about the kinds of food people need. They say that there are several kinds of food that people should eat every day. They are: (1) green and yellow vegetables of all kinds. (2) citrus fruits and tomatoes; (3) potatoes and other fruits and vegetables; (4) meat of all kinds, fish and eggs; (5) milk and foods made from milk; (6) bread or cereal , rice is also in this kind of food; (7) butter, or something like butter. Paragraph 2 People in different countries and different places of the world eat different kinds of things. Foods are cooked and eaten in many different kinds of ways. People in different countries eat at different times of the day. In some places people eat once or twice a day; in other countries people eat three or four times a day. Scientists say that none of the differences is really important. It doesn't matter whether foods are eaten raw or cooked, canned or frozen. It doesn't matter if a person eats dinner at 4 o'clock in the afternoon or at eleven o'clock at night. The important thing is what you eat every day. Paragraph 3 There are two problems, then, in feeding the large number of people on earth. The first is to find some ways to feed the world's population so that no one is hungry. The second is to make sure that people everywhere have the right kinds of food to make them grow to be strong and healthy. According to the scientists, which of the following groups of food is the healthiest for your lunch? Three-dimensional printers are fast becoming everyday devices in the United States. Three-D printers are used to make everything from automobile parts to bone replacements for human patients. American research scientists are now working on creating replacements for living tissue. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have been working on creating and manufacturing living tissue since 2003.This process is called biofabrication . It requires special printing equipment and a special kind of ink. Traditional printers require ink to produce an image or design on a piece of paper. For their three-D printer, the South Carolina researchers prepare complex nutritious solutions they call bio-inks. Bio-inks are made of proteins and glucose , which normally provides energy for most cells of the body. The researchers also add living cells taken from the animal that will receive the new, printed tissue. The bio-inks are then added to a device that researchers call the Palmetto bio-printer. Sarah Grace Dennis is one of the researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina. She says new technology, like the Palmetto bio-printer, is a great help to the biofabrication process. The bio-inks are placed in three dispensers , containers, inside the printer. Lasers control both the position of the printing surface and the places where the bio-ink is released. Michael Yost is a leader of the research team. He says the printing process is fully automated-- machine-operated. He says that the Palmetto bio-printer makes it possible to create complex tissue types. The researchers say bio-printing is still experimental. But they hope in a few years they may be able to print tissue to replace damaged human organs. But there are still some problems which need to be solved. Some scientists worry about how to get blood to the replacement tissue. The flow of blood is important to keep the printed tissue alive. Michael Yost hopes that more people will believe in the benefits of biofabrication. "Tissue biofabrication is a reality, and it is a reality now, and if you come here and you get to see it. You will get to see it. You can't touch it, but you will see it and think this is real. And this is really human." The passage mainly tells us about _ . Tea to the Chinese is like coffee to the Americans. It's something that they can't live without. Chinese tea has a history of more than 5,000 years. It was most popular during the Tang Dynasty. China has many kinds of tea. White, yellow, green, oolong , black and dark tea are the six main kinds. People in different places drink tea in their own way. People in Guangdong and Fujian love to drink "Kung Fu Tea" in small tea cups. They clean the teapot first with boiling water to warm it up. Then they fill the teapot with tea leaves before putting in the boiling water. In Beijing, people love jasmine flower green tea. In Tibet, butter tea is a popular drink to build up energy. There are rules to follow when we serve tea to others. Most importantly, remember to make the cup only seven-tenths full. If the cup is too full, it makes the cup too hot for them to hold. What is the most important rule when serving tea to others?
The film The Tides of Kirawira, which won two prizes at a recent television festival, was made by Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone. The couple are inprefix = st1 /Englandto visit friends and family before heading back toTanzaniafor their next film. Their work takes them to some of the world's least-known areas but they still find themselves drawn back toEngland, particularly toCornwall, where their work and personal relationship developed. "We met in London when Mark was studying biology and I was at the Royal College of Art studying photography," says Victoria. "We both learned to dive at the same pool inLondonand went on diving weekends in the country. It was a terrible place, freezing cold, where we dived in wet suits full of holes. But that is where our relationship developed." After completing their studies they took part in the management of a conservation area in the mouth of the River Fal in Cornwall. "We were shocked. Nobody seemed to understand the river's ecological importance. So we thought, why don't we make a film to show people what a special place it is? Neither of us had any experience of filming but we took part-time jobs until we had enough cash to buy an underwater camera and some film." A television company agreed to provide money for the work and the film they produced about the underwater life of the River Fal was shown on television and won a number of prizes. By then, they both knew they wanted to work with wildlife in distant places around the world. Alkan Root, a famous East African wildlife film-maker, asked them to work for him. That was seven years ago and the job took them to the Serengeti to film crocodiles. Their films, Here Be Dragons andDevil Fish, were very successful. "We love Africa but we have to come back to Englandevery year," saysVictoria. "We need to return to see our friends and family. For us, Africa is temporary andEnglandmeans permanence. It's the difference between living in a tent inTanzaniaand a house inCornwall. We are lucky... we have the best of both worlds." The purpose of filming in the River Fal was to _ . Answer: Last winter vacation, our class went to Xiangshan for a trip.Though the weather was a little cold, it was sunny. At six in the morning we met at the school gate.We took a bus there.On the bus, our monitor told us an interesting story.The story was about an interesting man.Then three girls in our class sang songs.We were very happy. At about seven thirty we got there.It was a beautiful mountain.There were many visitors.Then we started to climb the mountain.The boys had a climbing race .Li Ming won the first prize.He got a blue hat.At about nine o'clock we met a famous singer.Qi Hui and Ma Yan even got his autographs.They were very excited. We had lunch in the mountain.We brought food from home and ate together. After lunch we went to the zoo, because the was a new member in the zoo.It was a cheetah .It came from Africa. Finally, we took the bus back to school.Although we were tired, we really had fun. They went to the mountain _ . Answer: On the whole, it's not something we parents shout about, but one in four of us does it.Hiring private tutors for our children is now widespread.And this year, as always,the Easter holidays will be peak time for tutor demand. "My husband and I tried to tutor her at home,but we found all our knowledge was out of date and we were only confusing Zarreen.We also tried a group revision course but all the children were sitting exams for different boards . On the whole we think one-two-one tuition works best and it is worth the money.In our case,Preeta is a bit like an elder sister to Zarreen and that's the most important,"says Ashan Sabri from London, whose daughter Zarreen,18,is having tuition in biology and chemistry in preparation for A-levels this summer. In fact,Preeta Datta is only six years older than her pupil and she is happy to provide extra tuition through mobile phone."Maybe Zarreen will call me two or three times a week with a question about biology or chemistry, and that's fine to me,"says Datta. The real question is:does tutoring do any good? "It's not the magic bullet,"says Professor Judith Ireson.'It's still up to the child to do the learning.If he or she isn't interested,then sending them to a private tutor won't do any good." In which case,surely it's time to break open the Champagne ?Not necessarily, says Elaine Tyrrell,head of the Rowans School. "While we recommend private tutoring for a few children whose first language isn't English,we don't encourage it for the others,"says Tyrrell."With the level of education they get here,children really ought to be able to pass the entrance exams without any extra teaching. Besides, our biggest worry is that they might just get in with the help of last-minute tutoring,but,once they actually get to that school,they won't be able to manage." It's a point worth considering.After all,who would want their child to stay at the bottom of the class? The passage is most probably written by_. Answer: Why is that tulip red? Answer: Here's one number to keep in mind during your next cell phone conversation: 50. A new experiment shows that spending 50 minutes with an active phone pressed up to the ear increases activity in the brain. This brain activity probably doesn't make you smarter. When cell phones are on, they emit energy in the form of radiation that could be harmful, especially after years of cell phone usage. Scientists don't know yet whether cell phones are bad for the brain. Studies like this one are attempting to find it out. The 47 participants in the experiment may have looked a little strange. Each one had two Samsung cell phones attached to his or her head -- one on each ear. The phone on the left ear was off. The phone on the right ear played a message for 50 minutes, but the participants couldn't hear it because the sound was off. With this set-up, the scientists could be sure they were studying brain activity from the phone itself, and not brain activity due to listening and talking during a conversation. After 50 minutes with two phones strapped to their heads, the participants were given PET scans. The PET scan showed that the left side (the side with the phone turned off) of each participant's brain hadn't changed during the experiment. The right side of the brain, however, had used more glucose, which is a type of sugar that provides fuel to brain cells. These right-side brain cells were using almost as much glucose as the brain uses when a person is talking. This suggests that the brain cells there were active -- even without the person hearing anything. That activity, the scientists say, was probably caused by radiation from the phone. Henry Lai, who works at the University of Washington in Seattle, is uncomfortable with the data related to cell phones. Holding a cell phone to your ear during a conversation is "not really safe," Lai told Science News. Lai is a bioengineer at the University of Washington in Seattle. He wrote an article about the new study for a journal, but he did not work on the study. Bioengineers bring together ideas from engineering and biology. For those who don't want to wait to find out for sure whether cell phones are bad for the brain, there are ways to talk more safely. You can have short and sweet conversations, use a speakerphone or keep the phone away from your head. What is glucose? Answer:
On the first day of school our teacher introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know.I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a little old lady with a warm smile.She said, "Hi, handsome.My name is Rose.I'm eighty-seven years old." "Why are you in university at such a YOUNG age?" I asked.She replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of kids, and then retire and travel." I knew she was joking.I was curious what might have encouraged her to be taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed of having a university education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.We became friends.Every day we would talk nonstop after class.I always enjoyed listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.And Rose easily made friends wherever she went. At the end of the term we invited Rose to make a little speech.She cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.I've learned a few secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success.You have to laugh and find humor every day.You've got to have a dream.When you lose your dreams, you die." "There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.Anybody can grow older. _ doesn't take any talent or ability.The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change..." The author considered Rose as a "time machine" because _ . A. she always came to class on time B. she made friends easily at university C. she enjoyed a long life and had lots of wisdom and experience D. she knew the difference between growing older and growing up Answer: C. she enjoyed a long life and had lots of wisdom and experience The date was like any other day in his life. After school Bill walked past the shop on the street corner. He stopped to look at the front row of shoes, and he felt sorry for himself. He really wanted to have a pair for his birthday. He sadly walked away and thought of what to tell his mother. He knew she would give him anything if she could. But he also knew very well she had little money. He decided not to go home at once, because he looked worried and he didn't want to make his mother worry about it. So he went to the park and there he sat on the grass. Then he saw a girl in a wheelchair . He found that the girl moved the wheels with her hands. Bill looked at her carefully and he was surprised to see that the girl had no feet. He looked down at his own feet."It's much better to be without shoes than without feet," he thought. It was not right for him to feel sorry and sad. He went away and smiled. He thought he was luckier in life. Bill felt so sorry and sad because _ . A. the shoes were too small B. he lost his shoes C. He was without feet D. He couldn't buy the shoes Answer: D. He couldn't buy the shoes The sun had gone behind a cloud. I was very tired and wanted nothing in the world so much as to be at home. At last I got to the gate of Hide Park. But this was worse than ever; there were buses there--high and terribly red cars, taxis and still more buses in an endless line. Everywhere there were people hurrying past or waiting to get into the buses, while I stood lost in the middle of them. I was ready to cry. In despair, I crossed the street on to an "island", where I found a policeman. I took my last bit of courage in both hands and said, "Please, sir, where is Addison Road?" He began to explain, but when he saw that I couldn't understand he became helpless, too. "Are you French at school?" A few minutes later, he smiled and raised his hand. How wonderful! The traffic stopped. Even the red buses stood still and waited until I had crossed the road. In which country do you think the story happened? A. Switzerland. B. France. C. England. D. A certain non-English speaking country. Answer: C. England. Washington: NASA has announced evidence that Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, has a saltwater ocean under its icy surface. The ocean seems to have more water than all the water on Earth's surface, according to new Hubble observation. New Hubble observations of Ganymede's magnetic field strongly suggest that the moon, which is the largest in our whole solar system, is home to a subsurface ocean. Scientists estimate the ocean is 95 kilometres thick, which is about 10 times deeper than Earth's oceans. But unlike our salty waters, Ganymede's ocean is buried under 150 kilometres of ice. While scientists have speculated since 1970s about the presence of an ocean on Ganymede------the largest moon in our solar system------ until now the only observational evidence came from a brief flyby by the Galileo spacecraft, which didn't observe the moon long enough to confirm a liquid ocean. This discovery marks an important milestone, highlighting what only Hubble can accomplish. In its 25 years in orbit, Hubble has made many scientific discoveries in our own solar system. A deep ocean under the icy surface of Ganymede opens up further exciting possibilities for life beyond Earth. Scientists have already confirmed the existence of an ocean on Europa, another moon orbiting Jupiter, and NASA has announced plans to send an unmanned mission there searching for the life that might come with liquid water. Hubble is a telescope that orbits Earth, but because of its impressive gravitational analyses it can be used to study the inside of far distant planets. Using these same principles, scientists could theoretically detect oceans on distant planets as well. What can we learn about the Ganymede from the passage? A. It is a planet with the largest moon in our whole solar system. B. Its ocean adds to people's excitement about life beyond Earth. C. It will be used by NASA as a base for the Hubble telescope. D. Its liquid ocean was first proved by the Galileo spacecraft. Answer: B. Its ocean adds to people's excitement about life beyond Earth. Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea.People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches. Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it. At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea.Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added.She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk. At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o'clock stopped her getting "a sinking feeling" as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea-time was born. This passage mainly discusses _ . A. the history of tea drinking in Britain B. how tea became a popular drink in Britain C. how the Britons got the habit of drinking tea D. how tea-time was born Answer: A. the history of tea drinking in Britain
Question: One Saturday morning Ann was going on business. Before starting, she took her son Sam to her friends, Bill and Kate, and asked them to look after him for the day. Sam, an independent boy of six years old, had black hair and was wearing a pair of jeans and a bright yellow shirt. At eleven o'clock Bill took Sam into town. Sam walked along behind Bill, looking at the windows of all the shops they passed. After lunch they went to the park and walked about. The whole place was very crowded. Bill stopped to buy some chocolate. When he turned round to give some to Sam, the boy wasn't there. Bill ran round calling Sam, but he couldn't find him. About an hour later, just in front of a shop, he saw the black hair, the pair of jeans and the bright yellow shirt. The boy looked as if he was waiting for someone to come out of the shop. Bill ran across the road, took the boy by the hand and hurried off, as it was quite late. The boy began to cry and pull hard, but Bill, who didn't know much about children, couldn't understand a word the boy was saying. All the boy made was a lot of noise. When they got home at last, Bill went straight to the kitchen, with the boy still crying. At the door Bill stopped with an amazed look. There, sitting at the kitchen table with Kate, was a small boy with black hair, in a pair of jeans and a bright yellow shirt. What did Bill buy for Sam? A. Ice-cream. B. Milk. C. Chocolate. D. Sweets. Answer: C Question: You speak,write a letter,and make a telephone call. Your words carry a message. People communicate with words. Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you raise your hand in class,the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions. You shake your head,and people know you are saying "No". You nod and people know you are saying "Yes". Other things can also carry messages. For example,a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the wall of your school helps you to find the library. Signs on doors tell you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of signs around you and that you receive messages from them all the time? People can communicate in many other ways. An artist can use his drawings to tell about beautiful mountains,about the blue sea and many other things. Books are written to tell you about all the wonderful things in the world and also about people and their ideas. Books,magazines,TVs, radios and films all help us to communicate with each other. They all help us to know what is going on in the world and what other people are thinking about. (Notes: communicate ;sign ,) Can we communicate with each other without words? A. No, it's impossible. B. No, we can't. C. Yes, sometimes we can. D. Yes, we always do so. Answer: C Question: A person takes a page out of a book and crumples it, so the page is A. flat B. smooth C. torn D. round Answer: D Question: We have all heard the old phrase "attitude is everything", and that phrase is certainly true.Your attitude can have a great impact on your personal motivation, so it is important to keep a positive attitude no matter what challenges you face. As a matter of fact, keeping your attitude positive in the face of difficulties is the motivation tip that most successful business owners will tell you.The most successful business owners, from Sam Walton to Bill Gates, have all been able to triumph in the face of unpleasant situations.It is those successful business owners who tell you that attitude is everything.But how you deal with that knowledge will determine your level of success. One of the most important ways to carry out "attitude is everything" is to observe who you associate with and who you surround yourself with.That is because when you surround yourself with negative people, their negative attitudes will infect you.So keeping your associates, colleagues, co-workers and friends as positive as possible is a great way to put the phrase "attitude is everything" into practice. Whatever you decide to do in life, your attitude will have a great effect on the success you achieve.Success , whether in the world of business or in your personal life, is directly related to your attitude, and the attitude you bring to your work.A positive attitude will help you achieve greater success in your job, no matter what your current level of employment. What's the best title for the text ? A. Attitude Determines Your Success B. Motivation Tips From Successful People C. Ways To Deal With Unpleasant Situations D. Making Friends With Positive People Answer: A Question: Which of these will take the LONGEST time to observe? A. One moon-phase cycle B. One ocean-tide cycle C. An acorn growing into an adult tree D. A caterpillar becoming a butterfly Answer: C
An earthquake in the Earth's crust under the ocean releases sound waves. Which statement accurately describes how the sound waves spread? A. They spread in all directions away from their source. B. They remain trapped near the source by water pressure. C. They travel mostly horizontally along the ocean floor. D. They travel mostly upward toward the surface of the water. Answer: A A new study has found no evidence that sunscreen, commonly used to reduce the risk of skin cancer, actually increases the risk. Researchers from the University of Iowa based their findings on a review of 18 earlier studies that looked at the association between sunscreen use and melanoma . They said that they found _ in studies that had reported associations between sunscreen use and higher risk of melanoma. Most health experts believe that by protecting the skin from the harmful effects of the sun, sunscreen helps prevent skin cancer, which is increasing in incidence faster than any other cancer in the United States. But questions have been raised about sunscreen and whether it may have the opposite effect, perhaps by allowing people to remain exposed to the sun longer without burning. The researchers said that among the problems with some earlier studies is that they often failed to take into account that those people most at risk for skin cancer--people with fair skin and freckles , for example--are more likely to use sunscreen. As a result, it may appear that sunscreen users get cancer more often. The studies, which generally relied on volunteers to recall their sunscreen use, were also unable to prove how well the products had been applied, said the new study. We can learn from the passage that _ . A. sunscreen users get skin cancer more often B. the volunteers have proved the effect of sunscreen C. the new study was based on the experiences of volunteers D. the number of skin cancer patients is increasing in America Answer: D Inventors are always looking for ways to make our lives easier, greener and a lot more fun.Take a look at 2010's biggest and coolest breakthroughs in science and technology.What in the world will inventors dream up next? Superhero Suit Have you ever dreamed of becoming a superhero? Dream no more.There's a real Iron Man suit, XOS 2, which provides the power to lift 200 pounds with ease .It was designed to help the military with heavy lifting.One person in the suit could do the work of three soldiers. Up, Up and Away! It took him 30 years to develop it, and now Glen Martin's invention is ready to take off.The Martin Jetpack allows its operator to fly 8,000 feet into the air.Unfortunately, you can't soar through the skies too long.The jetpack holds only about 30 minutes' worth of fuel. Hardworking Robot The EMIEW2 robot is the perfect office helper.Need a document delivered? No problem! It can also guide visitors to their destinations.The three-foot-tall robot can identify different human voices and respond to commands.One day, it may serve as a receptionist or a security guard. Green Machine Say goodbye to gasoline! The AirPod car runs on air power.That means this car won't pollute.A high-pressure air tank can fill the car in minutes.The three-wheeler can travel about 130 miles between fill-ups. Beef Power All aboard the beef train! Amtrak's Heartland Flyer runs partly on fuel that is made from cow fat.The goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 10%.The train travels between Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Fort Worth, Texas. Robo-Guard EMILY is a robotic, four-foot-long buoy .She can swim through riptides at up to 24 miles per hour.Her inventor, Tony Mulligan, says that's 15 times as fast as human lifeguards! EMILY is powered by a tiny electric pump and operated by remote. Which invention can carry you in the air? A. Heartland Flyer. B. EMILY. C. XOS2. D. Martin Jetpack. Answer: D Charlotte's Web is a popular American children's book about the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte. The writer, E.B. White, shows that a real friend will help you even though he or she has nothing to get from doing so. In the book, Charlotte is always helping Wilbur. She spins words into her web to save Wilbur's life, even though spinning the words is tiring and difficult for her. Charlotte is a true friend. She helps Wilbur for only one reason - she cares about him. Templeton, the rat, on the other hand, is not a real friend to Wilbur. Templeton only helps others when there is something in it for him. When he is asked to help save Wilbur's life, he says "no" at first. Later on, he agrees to help, but only because he wants to keep eating Wilbur's meals. At the end of the book, Wilbur learns the true meaning of friendship. He helps Charlotte to save her babies. He does this not for other reasons, but because he cares about his friend. Reading this book lets me know how important it is to help others. Being a good friend means being there when you are needed. What does Charlotte do to save Wilbur's life? A. She spins words into her web. B. She provides food for Wilbur. C. She asks other friends to help. D. She makes a house for Wilbur. Answer: A In a large forest with many animals, there are only a small number of bears. Which of these most likely limits the population of bears in the forest? A. supply of food B. type of tree C. predation by carnivores D. amount of suitable shelter Answer: A
Jim, a young farmer, was once put into prison . One day, he got aletter from his mother. "I'm so worried about our farm,"she wrote. "It'stime to plant potatoes. I can't dig all the fields by myself. Jim read the letter and became sad. "What can I do?" he thought. Then he had a good idea. He wrote to his mother, "Don't dig the fields, there's a pot of money in the earth. Don't plant potatoes until I come home. " Some days later, Jim got another letter from his mother. It said, "Two days ago, about ten men came to our farm and dug all our fields. I can't understand it. It looks as if they were looking for something. What shall I do?" Jim smiled when he read his mother's letter. He wrote a letter to his mother at once. It was very short. Guess what it would say? Why did Jim smile when he read his mother's second letter? A Because he would go home soon. B Because the men didn't find the money. C Because his mother could plant potatoes. D Because he got another letter from his mother. Answer: C Hello, boys and girls. I have a photo. Let's have a look at it. This is me. My name is Jack. I'm in No.1 Middle School. This is my mother. She is a Chinese teacher. And this is my father. He is tall and strong. He is an English teacher. My mother and my father are not in my school. Look at the girl. She is my sister, Mary. She is clever. Mary has a dog. It's Spotty. Spotty is my good friend too. All of us are very happy. Jack's mother is _ . A a Chinese teacher B an English teacher C at No. 11 Middle School D at home Answer: A It's seven fifty in the morning . The students are coming into the classroom. A boy is opening the window. Some of the students are laughing and talking. Some others are laughing to them. Some are reading books.Some are doing their homework. Miss White is standing behind the teacher's desk. She is writing on the blackboard. Lucy and Lily are wearing their new dresses today. Mary is cleaning her desk. Jim is helping her. They all look happy. What are John and Tom doing? Oh, dear! They are still playing football on the playground. Which of the following is not right? A Mary is cleaning the teacher's desk B Jim is helping Mary. C John and Tom are still playing football. D The students all look happy in the morning. Answer: A That summer an army of crickets started a war with my father. Dad cared for insects no more than Mamma, but he could tolerate a few living in the basement. Mamma was a city girl and she said a cricket was just too noisy. Then to support her point she wouldn't go to bed. She drank coffee and smoked my father's cigarettes and paced between the sofa and the TV. Next morning she threatened to pack up and leave, so Dad drove to the store and hurried back. He sprayed poison from a jug. When he was finished he told us that was the end of it. For a couple of weeks we went back to find dead crickets in the laundry. He suggested that we'd all be better off to hide as many as we could from Mamma. I fed a few dozen to the cat who I didn't like because he scratched for no reason. However,soon live crickets started showing up in the kitchen and bathroom. Mamma was upest because she thought they were the dead crickets coming back,but Dad said these were certainly new ones. He fetched his jug of posion and sprayed all over until the whole house smelled of posion, and then he sprayed the basement again. A couple of weeks later, when both live and dead crickets kept turning up, Dad emptied the basement of junk. Then he burned a lot of old newspapers and magazines which he said the crickets had turned into nests. While we ate supper that evening, the wind lifted some flames onto the wood pile. The only gasoline was in the lawn mower's fuel tank but that was enough to create an explosion big enough to reach the house. Once the roof caught, there wasn't much anyone could do. After the fire trucks left, Mamma took the others to Aunt Gail's. I helped Dad and Uncle Burt carry things out of the house and pile them by the road. We worked into the night and we didn't talk much, while all around the noise of crickets broke our silence. The author's father burned the old newspapers and magazines because he thought _ . A they were no longer useful B the crickets were afraid of fires C they became the home of crickets D the dead crickets came back to life Answer: C Winter solstice, as the name shows, means the coming of winter. As an important solar term in the traditional Chinese calendar, it is also a traditional holiday for Chinese, which is also called "", "","", etc. Generally, winter solstice occurs between December 21st and 23rd. According to the traditional Chinese calendar, five days constitutes a pentad and three pentads constitutes a solar term. One year is divided into twelve periods and twelve climates which are regarded as twenty-four solar terms. The Winter Solstice is one of twenty-four solar terms. On this day, in the Northern Hemisphere the period of daytime is the shortest of the year and the period of night is longest. . In Northern China during winter solstice there is a custom of eating dumplings. There are _ solar terms in a year. A twelve B five C twenty-four D thirty-one Answer: C
The following is the instruction to the people who have to take this medicine. Dosage: Adult twelve years old and over take two teaspoonfuls as needed, not more than fifteen teaspoonfuls per day. Children six years old to twelve years old take half the adult dosage, not more than seven teaspoonfuls per day. Warning: Do not overtake this medicine unless directed by a doctor. Children under six years old and persons with high blood pressure, heart disease do not take this medicine. This preparation may cause _ . So do not drive or operate machinery while taking this medicine. Long- time cough is dangerous. If relief does not occur within three days, discontinue use and go to see your doctor. According to the instruction of this medicine, for purposes of dosage, an adult is a person of _ . A. six years old B. seven years old C. twelve years old D. none of the above Answer: D Will you be playing some music at work? Music is particularly popular in the medical profession, especially among surgeons . A recent survey shows that 90% of surgeons in the UK put music on the sound system in the _ during operations. Plastic surgeons play the most music; it appears that ear, nose, and throat specialists the least. But it isn't only in surgeries where music is popular. In another recent survey, one-third of the 1,613 people said they listen to music while working. And 79% of them said that humming along improves their job satisfaction or productivity. Is listening to music at work a good idea? Yes, say the experts. Many surgeons say that music helps to create a "calm atmosphere", and a third of them added that it avoids getting bored! Also, listening to music raises the levels of a brain chemical that can help people focus. Office workers say it improves job satisfaction. Several studies suggest that it's also good for hospital patients. Those listening to music through headphones during surgery require less anesthetic , up to 50% less in some cases, and recover more quickly afterwards. "Sure, music reduces anxiety before surgery," says Zeev Kain, an anesthetist at Yale University. So, what type of music should we be listening to? Surgeons from the previous survey preferred rock, pop music and classical. And hip-hop is popular too. However, whatever the kind, it appears that self-selected music is the best choice. Pennsylvania State University research showed that when people chose their own music there was more stress reduction . And other researchers found that when listening to self-selected music, surgeons did the maths faster and more accurately than when they were listening to music chosen for them. The surveys mentioned in the passage show _ . A. music is popular in some professions B. most surgeons in the UK are fond of singing C. office workers learn a lot from listening to music D. fewer than half of the people listen to music at work Answer: A Many of Nalade Resorts' hotels have Kids Club with special facilities for young children, making holidays more relaxing for parents and undoubtedly more pleasant and interesting for youngsters! Kids Club in Beau Rivage (9 a.m. to 10 p.m.) The club has a lovely atmosphere, with a large room for activities and a fenced, grass play-area outside. The qualified hostesses really know how to get on with children, as they look after and entertain youngsters from 3 to 12. Activities are adapted according to children's ages and talents and include: Glass-bottom boat trips to see the brightly colored games Drawing and painting Making things and a whole host of indoor games Learning how to snorkel and water-ski A baby sitting service is also available on request, for a fee. Children's dinner is served in the main restaurant at 6:30 p.m. Kids Club in Legends (9 a.m. to 10 p.m.) Three qualified hostesses entertain youngsters from 3 to 11 years old. For children under 3, a baby sitting service is also available on request, for a fee. Children's lunch is served between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. in the main restaurant or in the Kids Club depending on the day. The children have dinner in the main restaurant between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Kids Club in Les Pavillons (9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) Friendly, experienced, well-trained staff keep youngsters from 3 to 11 happy and occupied throughout the day and evening. Activities include: Learning the local dance, the Sega Gathering crabs on the beach by torchlight Making things and a whole host of indoor games Learning to play a traditional musical instrument A special children's dinner is served from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Baby sitting service can also be provided, for a fee. Kids Club in Diva The ideal arrangement for both parents and their youngsters! Qualified staffs look after children aged from 3 to 11 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and organize a whole range of activities to keep them busy and happy. Children have dinner between 6 and 7 p.m. A baby sitting service is also available, for a fee. We know from the passage that _ . A. the staff in all hotels can get along well with the youngsters B. all the hotels open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. C. all the hotels provide baby-sitting service for fee D. parents have to play with their children in the activities Answer: C From the earliest times,man has been interested in art.People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures. Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris,France.The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries. The Louvre has not always been a museum.The first building was a fort .In 1190,it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower.It had a _ to keep out his enemies. Over the years,the number of buildings around the castle grew.By 1350,the castle was no longer needed as a fort.The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens. During times of peace,new treasures were brought in.During days of war,many treasures were stolen,and the buildings were damaged. When Francis I became king of France in 1515,he brought in artists from many countries.One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy.Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is the best known painting in the museum today. In 1793,the Louvre became a public museum,just as it is now.It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy. Which of the following is not true? A. The Louvre used to be a fort a very long time ago. B. French kings and queens once lived in it. C. The Louvre was taken by enemies in 1190. D. Many treasures were brought into the Louvre over the years. Answer: C There are more to enjoy in the city this summer than beaches. Some of Toronto's biggest attractions have new and exciting features for summer 2014,both indoors and out. Here's a look at what's new this summer. Art Gallery of Ontario If you are looking to get some culture, there's plenty to see and do at the Art Gallery of Ontario, including art exhibits and collections from around the world. Right now there's Picasso: masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso, Paris>> which runs until April 26. Canada's Wonderland Just outside the city limits is Canada's wonderland, the biggest theme park in Canada. This year sees a lot of new additions to the park, most notably Leviathan, one of the world's longest and tallest roller coasters. There is also an interactive dinosaur park,stage shows for the kids and the Splash Works water park. Cosa Loma The city's only historic castle is a great place to take the kids for a day of exploration through the castle grounds, gardens and stables. The venue has many events going on throughout the year, and this summer's activities include archery course and Teddy Bear picnics for kids ages two and up. Black Creek Pioneer Village The village features people dressed up for the 19th century, living the old fashioned way. There are gardens, farms filled with domestic animals and more than 30 historical buildings to explore. During the week visitors can tour the grounds, meet with historians, practise Victorian traditions, taste samples, in the brewery and more. The site has activities on holidays,like a Revolutionary War Re-enactment and BBQ on Father 's day and a Canada Day celebration. Toronto Zoo The Toronto Zoo has more than 5, 000 animals on display, including some new faces this year. A polar bear cub named Hudson made his debut in March, and starting in May, there is a pair of rare White Lions in the African Savannah section. Be sure to stay for informative talks and presentations from the animal handlers, presented daily. Which of the following does NOT agree with the passage? A. Hudson is the name of a white lion. B. Leviathan is a tall and long roller coaster. C. Casa Loma has a historic castle in the city. D. Tourists can see many kinds of animals in the Toronto Zoo. Answer: A
Dear Mom and Dad, I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school master is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer. The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed. As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room .I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away. Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste--paper basket. It caught fire. There was a curtain near the waste --paper basket. It caught fire too. Soon the whole room was burning. The master phoned the fire brigade . The school is a long way from the town and before the fire brigade arrived, the whole school was on fire. The master said that the fire was all my fault and I must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars. I'm very sorry for this. Much love Sarah Why did Sarah write to his parents? Answer: "Drink your milk. It's good for you!" You've probably heard that many times, and it's true. Milk contains calcium , which is necessary for keeping bones and teeth healthy and strong. The US government even requires milk as part of the National School Lunch Program, saying that students should drink one cup of fat-free or low-fat milk every meal. However, a group of doctors asked the government to take it away from the lunch program. The US 'Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says, "Milk is high in sugar, fat and animal protein," all of which have negative effects on health. The PCRM says there are better and healthier ways to get calcium such as eating beans, broccoli, cereals and tofu. Orange juice and soymilk that have calcium added to them also supply the nutrient. "One of the only reasons people prefer milk is that it is going to help build strong bones," says Dr Neal Barnard, president of the PCRM. But milk may not be the best way to get calcium your body needs. Of course, calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth, but there are other things that affect your bone strength, such as genes, how much vitamin D you take in, and getting an hour's worth of exercise every day. Some people disagree with the idea that milk isn't important. Keri Gans, an American Dietitian, says "I don't think it's irresponsible to take this beverage that children enjoy it very much, especially among those who are unable to meet their nutrient needs for the day, and remove it from the lunch line." The U.S government is now considering the request of the PCRM, but a decision may be a long way off. Meanwhile, Marion Nestle, a professor puts it best: "Milk certainly has nutrients. Other food has the same nutrients. It's just food. As with other food, too much might be a problem." The PCRM proposed that milk be removed from the lunch program because _ . Answer: American actress Marisa Tomei won an Academy Award for her work in the 1992 movie My Cousin Vinny. People laughed when they saw her film character telling a boyfriend that they need to get married. Why marriage? Because her biological clock is ticking and she wants a baby. "Well I hate to bring it up because I know you got enough pressure on you already. But...we agreed to get married as soon as you won your first case(law case). Meanwhile, ten years later...my niece...the daughter of my sister is getting married. My biological clock is ticking like this (stomp, stomp, stomp). And the way this case is going...I ain't never getting married." "Lisa, I don't need this. I swear to God I don't need this right now." Using it this way, a biological clock means the time in a woman's life when she is able to bear children. In the not-so-distant past, most people thought that when a woman reached her 40s it was too late for her to have children. The time on her biological clock had run out. Well, that has changed. These days some women are resetting their biological clocks. They are giving themselves more time to have children. Make no mistake. Being a "Single Mother by Choice" is very different from younger women who find themselves pregnant, perhaps not by choice. Generally speaking, single mothers by choice are older and well educated. They are usually financially secure and successful in their careers. So, they have the money. What they may not have is a partner. This is the place in life where writer Kerry Reichs found herself several years ago. She says she did not plan to become a single mother. She says she just did not find the right partner. "Well, I think I had a set of standards for the partner I was looking for and I didn't meet anyone that fit those standards. And, at 39 I found myself single, without children and I wanted them very much. So, I made the difficult decision that I could do this on my own. According to the passage, what is a biological clock? Answer: It was the first snow of winter -- an exciting day for every child but not for most teachers. Up until now, I had been old enough to dress myself, but today would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher, had been through brst snow days many times, but I think she may still remember this one. I managed to get into my wool snow trousers. But I struggled won my jacket because it didn't fit well. It was a hand-mc-down from my brother, and if made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes, At least my hat and scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots . In her calm, motherly voice she said, "By the end of winter, you will all be able to put on your own boots." I didn't realize at the at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence . I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected grown-ups to do all the work. After much pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too. I announced, "They're on the wrong feet." She struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again. "They're my brother's boots, you know," I said. "I hate them". Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn't an annoying little girl, She struggle with me, she asked, "Now, where are your mittens ?" I looked into her eyes and said, "I didn't want to lose them, so I hid them in the toes of my boots. The little girl was more satisfied with her _ . Answer: When I was 14, I decided to make some pocket money by mowing lawns in summer. I worked hard because that was my first part-time job. After working for one week, Mr Miller said that he had no money for me. Oh, dear! He wouldn't pay for my work! That surprised me greatly. I argued with him, and then I went back home. My parents told me not to complain about Mr Miller. He was in difficulties. Then my mother call up Mr Miller and they talked about something on the phone. A few days later, my mother asked me to return to Mr Miller's garden, because he was too weak to look after it. When I came back, Mr Miller said, "Sorry, I have no money, but I can do something for you." He played CD for me. Hearing the beautiful music, I was so interested in it that I forgot the money and did the work with pleasure. At last, Mr Miller gave me a ticket to a concert. After that, I became very interested in music. And now, I have been a popular musician. I should thank Mr Miller greatly. The beautiful music from the CD made the author _ . Answer:
Mr. Whitcomb Judson was a really clever man. He invented a special train that was pushed along by air and in 1893 he invented something like a zip that could be used to open and close clothes. It could be used on men's trousers and on ladies' dresses. He did not call his invention a 'zip' but everybody says that he was the 'Father of the Zip'. Mr. Judson tried to sell his invention but no one wanted it because it did not work very well. A Canadian changed Mr. Judson's invention and made it better. He made a zip that worked very well in 1913.This is the same zip we use today. _ was called "Father of Zip". A Mr. Whitcomb Judson B The Canadian C Whitcomb's father D Whitcomb's son Answer: A. Mr. Whitcomb Judson Some weight-loss camps, which are rare in China just a few years ago, have sprouted in Beijing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, and other cities. Today about 15 percent of adults, or 200 million Chinese, are reportedly overweight. Of these, 90 million--about 7 percent--are obese . Experts say the obesity epidemic is spreading to children, though more slowly than in adults. The trend, they say, will have a huge impact on the health of China's citizens and economy. "We're seeing a very large proportion of children and adolescents who are quite heavy and aren't moving much," said Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor. Popkin carries out an ongoing health-and-nutrition survey of 16,000 households in China. He says more kids today are overeating and putting on weight "quite quickly". In just ten years China's childhood obesity rate has doubled, with the greatest gains coming in urban areas. "In big cities it's a big problem." Some experts blame the extra fat on a range of factors, many of them tied to China's rapidly changing economy and culture. The diets of Chinese adults and children are far higher in calorie-laden meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, fats, and sugars than ever before. In addition, kids--especially city dwellers--are more sedentary today and spend more time indoors in front of homework, television, computer games, and the Internet. Shuwen Ng, a health economist, says that kids in China now have pocket money, and they spend a portion of it on junk food. Ng adds that advertising and peer groups influence kids' food choices. Certain foods, such as new candies or fast food, have attractive features. China's childhood obesity rate still lags that of the United States, where some 15 percent of kids are said to be obese. But the long-term effects are equally serious. What's the best title for the passage? A Chinese Childhood Obesity Explosion B Weight-loss Camps in China C Obesity Explosion's Impacts On Chinese Economy D Obesity Explosion In China And America Answer: A. Chinese Childhood Obesity Explosion C What historical site impresses you most? I've always been fascinated by the pyramids in Egypt.A few years ago I braved a long queue and climbed through a narrow passage to reach the main chamber deep inside one of them.Like millions of other tourists, I marveled at stone-walled rooms full of the magic of this ancient civilization. But popularity might be the destruction of such archaeological treasures.Take Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings for example.It lay untouched for more than 3,000 years until the British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered it in 1922.Now more than 1,000 people a day walk through it. But as more and more people visit, the temperature and humidity inside the tomb change.As a result, the beautifully decorated plaster is coming away from the rock. In order to preserve its heritage, a replica of the monument is being opened about 1 kilometer away from the actual burial site.Specialists have recorded every detail of Tutankhamun's tomb and used the data to recreate it. Adam Lowe from the organization behind the project says the copy is identical to the original.He believes visitors will want to become part of the force that protects it rather than a force that is leading to its destruction.So they won't mind seeing a replica. But for historian Tom Holland, a copy is still a copy.He believes that although preservation is important, there is something unique about places like Tutankhamun's tomb.He says it was built by people who believed in the world of the spirits, the dead and the supernatural.You don't have to believe in a god or gods to feel a place is consecrated and has a particular quality that can't be reproduced. What about you? Would you visit a replica of a monument rather than the original to help preserve it? What may account for the destruction of some archaeological treasures like Tutankhamun's tomb? A Climate change. B Copies. C Popularity. D Thieves. Answer: C. Popularity. When I started a degree in English language, I hadn't intended to study abroad, not to mention starting learning German. But having recently returned from my year abroad in Germany, I can say that making the effort to learn the language really enriched my experience. With language translation technology advancing all the time, it's convenient to rely on Google Translate and smartphone apps without having to learn the language. But a second language shouldn't be a luxury . Researchers have discovered that much language learning can increase the size of your brain in as little as three months. From my own experience, learning the language lets you travel beyond the well-known tourist paths, gain a real student experience and widen your social network beyond the international circle. The process of learning German abroad was completely different from my language course at university, where students sat quietly and stumbled through spoken exercises. Instead, language learning abroad was energetic and part of my lifestyle - from chatting with sales assistants to preparing speeches with course mates. It meant being part of the local area. Visiting language exchange cafes - where international and German students meet to improve their European language - was a great way to practice in a relaxed space and meet a wide range of people. Not being afraid to make mistakes is important to learn a language. By giving up that comfortable phrase " _ " (I speak only a little German), I made progress and it was praised by friends and locals alike. Germany has a lively theater scene and learning the language meant I was able to get more entertainment and an understanding of German culture. Even when it comes to eating out, knowing the language works to your advantage. In more than a few traditional German restaurants, the English menus didn't contain all the dishes listed on the German menus. Learning the language has saved me from getting on the wrong train, after last-minute platform changes were announced in German. So why not learn the local language in your year abroad? It'll improve your employability while letting you take part fully in local life. How does the writer develop his or her argument? A By explaining reasons and results. B By listing the advantages. C By comparing different methods. D By providing scientific discoveries. Answer: B. By listing the advantages. A letter of reply is sometimes a most treasured thing. Here is a story that tells about this common and natural human feeling. The busiest woman in Labrador during one bitter cold Christmas not very long ago, was an Australian nurse named Kate Austen. But Nurse Austen was not too busy to write with a long, friendly letter for every gift of food or clothing received for poor villagers in the north of Australian. Among the gifts was a box of knittings for children, knitted and sent by a woman in Toronto. Nurse Austen, was busy, and not feeling too well that winter. She could have written just ordinary routine notes of acknowledgement. But that was not her way. She sat down and wrote the woman in Toronto a real letter telling all about the village, and the names of the children who were wearing the knitted gloves and caps, and what they said when they got them, and how they looked when they wore them. She wanted the woman who had knitted and sent all those lovely knittings "to see how much happiness and warmth she had created." Not long after, she received the following answer from Canada. Dear Miss Austen, Your letter made me happy. I did not expect such a full return, I am eighty years old, and I am blind. There is little I can do expect knit, and that is why I knit so many caps and sweaters scarves. For sixty years I have been making up missionary packages of such clothing or food or medicine or book as I could collect. But never before in all that time have I had a personal letter picturing the village and telling me who is wearing the clothing and what they said. I did not suppose that ever in my lifetime I should receive a letter like that. My God bless you. Sincerely yours, Laura N. Russell ,. _ knitted and sent a box of knittings for the poor in Australian. A Kate Austen B Laura Russell C An Australian mother D The writer Answer: B. Laura Russell
What is your body language saying to your children? What is their body language telling you? I had the honor of hearing Jan Hargrave speak the other day. She is one of four body language experts in the US. Jan Hargrave says we lie with the right side of our brains, so it is our left hand that gives us away. A person touching his nose, pulling at his ear or rubbing his eye with his left hand might be lying to you. Also, a person who, in any way, crosses any fingers might just be lying. That, she says, is a holdover from childhood, when we crossed our fingers to signal that we didn't mean what we were saying. When children squint their eyes, move their body away from you, or can't seem to make good eye contact, you may need to ask for a little more clarification. But just as important, children learn early how to read our body language when they are conversing with us. Here are some acceptance signals to let them know you are interested when they are talking to you. Lean towards them. Make good eye contact and smile. Open your arms. Let your hands relax with the palms showing: an open, upward palm always show acceptance. If your legs are crossed, make sure you are not crossing them away from your child. These are important because they signal to your child that you are focused on them and are accepting and welcoming them into your world. By paying attention, we can open those lines of important communication with our children and we can see the truth more clearly. I think it would be a mistake to use these tools to lie, but we need to be aware of the signals we are giving so we can show people that they really do matter to us. Which of the following does NOT show acceptance to people? A Smile while making eye contact. B Open your arms to them. C Relax your hands with the palms showing. D Cross your leg away from them. Answer: D Many people love going on a trip by plane, because planes are fast. But an airport is usually far away from the city, and it usually takes hours to get out of the airport and into the city. You have to get there and wait for the plane to _ for hours. You can not open the window, and you can not have delicious food. I like travelling by train. I think trains are the safest . Train stations are usually in cities. When you are late for a train, you can catch another one. You can walk around in the train and look out of the window. You can see many interesting things on your way. I know it takes some time. I also like cars. You can start your trip when you want to, and you don't need to get to a station. You can carry many things with you, too. But sometimes there are many cars on the road. Which of the following is right? A Usually you need to spend hours getting out of an airport and getting into a city. B You can not see anything from a window when you are on a train. C A car never stops at a train station. D There are always too many cars on the road. Answer: A This is a picture of Kate Green's family. In the picture we can see her grandparents, herparents, her brother Mike and her. Her grandparents are on the chair. Mr Green and Mrs Greenare behind them. Mike is under the window. Kate is on the floor. What's behind Kate? It's a cat. It's black and white. Where is the cat? A On the floor. B Under the window. C Behind Kate. D On the chair. Answer: C In an age dominated by new media and the Internet, there are so many alternative ways of learning.Gone are the days when, if we couldn't make it into a classroom, the only real option was to pick up a book, or when audio materials consisted of bad quality cassettes or sporadic radio and TV programmes.With the appearance of broadband access to the web, we have a whole new learning domain at our fingertips.Sophisticated learning materials in the form of text or high-quality audio are now available at the touch of a button, and tests and assignments can be submitted and marked online.Questions and learning, studying away from the classroom has never seemed easier.Yet many teachers would argue that face-to-face contact between teachers and students is an essential part of the language learning experience.Enter the concept of blended learning, an approach to education which seeks to combine the best of new technology and actual human contact. Advocates of blended learning argue that an approach to study which combines the benefits of new technology with the best aspects of face-to-face (often abbreviated to F2F) teaching, will achieve better results.For example, there are some aspects of study, like practical sessions, dealing with more subjective questions, or meeting the needs of an individual student, which require face-to-face human interaction, whereas the more mechanical aspects of learning, such as answers to clear-cut questions, can be managed simply and effectively in a remote environment using new technology. Blended learning approaches have proven especially appropriate in language learning.For example, in an ELT (English Language Teaching ) environment, a simple scenario might be a classroom session where a teacher asks a group of students to use a wiki to create a text. Students then go away and compose and edit the text remotely.During the next F2F session, the teacher express his opinion about their work. What is the main idea of this passage? A Blended learning is an effective learning approach. B More and more people will use Internet-based learning materials, C There are so many different ways of learning for people to choose in today's world. D Blended learning methods have proven to be effective except in language learning. Answer: A Teaching and research are supported by the University's extensive collections--the Yale University Art Gallery, the Yale Center for British Art, the Peabody Museum of Natural History, and the Collection of Musical Instruments. All the collections are open to the public. Yale University Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery, founded in 1832, today houses a collection that has grown to rank with those of the major public art museums in the United States. Its two connected buildings house ancient, medieval, and Renaissance art, Near and Far Eastern art, archaeological material from the University's excavations , Pre-Columbian and African art, works of European and American masters from actually every period, and a rich collection of modern art. Across the street, the Yale Center for British Art, which was opened in 1977, holds the largest collection of British art and illustrated books anywhere outside the United Kingdom. Peabody Museum of Natural History Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History, founded in 1866, contains one of the great scientific collections in North America. Among its holdings are the University's comprehensive mineralogical and ornithological collections, the second-largest repository of dinosaur artifacts in the United States, and the largest undamaged Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus ) in the world. The Peabody is truly a working museum, where public exhibition, research, conservation, teaching, and learning intersect . Yale Center for British Art Institutions like the Art Gallery, the Center for British Art, and the Peabody Museum hold only a portion of the treasures in the University's collections. From paintings by Picasso, to pterodactyl remains, to a 1689 tenor viol in the Collection of Musical Instruments, Yale's possessions are meant to be accessible to the communities they enrich. Collection of Musical Instruments Exhibitions are also frequently mounted at the following venues on campus: Art + Architecture Gallery (School of Architecture), Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Green Hall Gallery (School of Art), and Sterling Memorial Library, including the Arts of the Book Collection. We can learn from the passage that in Yale, _ . A collections are partly open to the public B there are many venues just for exhibitions C collections are from art museums in the US D exhibitions are frequently mounted on campus Answer: D
The Ministry of Construction has released the names of the first group of 20 national parks, including 9 Suzhou classical gardens: Zhuozheng Garden, Liu Garden, Wangshi Garden, Huanxiu Villa, Lion Grove, Yipu Garden, Ou Garden, Tuisi Garden and Canglang Pavilion. National parks refer to the famous city parks and gardens. Suzhou classical gardens are parts of China's precious cultural heritage (all the 9 gardens are on the list of World Cultural Heritage) as well as a necessary part of the life of Suzhou citizens, not to mention they are also world-famous tourism resorts . In fact, their unique historical and cultural background serves to contribute to their ranking among national parks. The earliest classical gardens in Suzhou can date back to the Song Dynasty. However, the gardens impress their visitors not only with their age-old history but also with their _ scenes, particularly Canglang Pavilion, Zhuozheng Garden, Lion Grove and Liu Garden, the most famous four that represent different styles of dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing. In 1978, an imitation of a Suzhou classical garden was set up by Chen Congzhou (the author of the book Suzhou Classical Gardens) in the City Museum of Art in New York, US, which was the first time ever to directly introduce Chinese ancient architecture to Westerners. The first imitation of a Suzhou classical garden was set up in _ . A. London B. New York C. Paris D. Tokyo Answer: B. New York Do you enjoy seeing the stars twinkling at night ? Or do you love the ocean and sea, diving and racing with lovely dolphins? With heavy burdens on their shoulders, teenagers find it hard to pull out. Even if they are free, they prefer to occupy themselves with computer games or watching TV. How to get children away from screens is a great concern for parents. Now there is some good news for those concerned parents and teachers. A campaign is being launched to encourage children to surrender 30 minutes of screen time a day to head for the great outdoors. The newly formed Wild Network - a collaboration of nearly 400 organizations - is attempting to attract youngsters away from television and computer screen and into fields, woods and parks. Organizers say it is the UK's biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play, and claim it could help improve fitness, mental alertness and general well-being. A documentary film, Project Wild Thing, will herald the launch at more than 50 cinemas across the UK from Friday. It looks at the increasingly fragile link between children and nature. Members of the network include the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS sustainable development unit. Andy Simpson, chairman of the Wild Network, said: "The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation. Time spent outdoors is down, roaming ranges have fallen drastically, activity levels are declining and the ability to identify common species has been lost." Suggestions of how to get more time in nature include collecting conkers , camping or snail racing, and observing autumn colour on trees. From January, the network will aim to make suggestions to politicians on how government can do more _ This is not the first time the message of less screen, more play has been brought up. Children in the 1980s were entreated to do the same by the BBC TV series Why Don't You, which somewhat confusingly called on its viewers to "switch off your TV set, and go do something less boring instead". What is the main purpose of the campaign in UK? A. To save 30 minutes for watching TV programme each day. B. To encourage children to play outdoors. C. To see the documentary film, Project Wild Thing. D. To teach students how to learn more efficiently in schools. Answer: B. To encourage children to play outdoors. A student is visiting a local limestone quarry and finds fossils of seashells. The quarry is located hundreds of miles from the ocean. The fossils best indicate that A. this area was once below sea level. B. global temperature changed over time. C. erosion took place after a flood. D. volcanic activity affected the area. Answer: A. this area was once below sea level. For eighty four days old Santiago had not caught a single fish. At first a young boy, Manolin, had shared his bad fortune, but after the fortieth luckless day the boy's father told his son to go in another boat. From that time on, Santiago worked alone. The boy loved the old fisherman and always helped him with money and food. Usually, they would talk about the fish they had taken in luckier times or about American baseball after supper, while at night, alone in his cottage, Santiago dreamed of lions on the beaches of Africa, where he had gone years before. _ On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago set off to fish before dawn. Two of his baits were fresh tunas the boy had given him, as well as sardines to cover his hooks. Then he set his lines which went straight down into deep dark water. As the sun rose he saw other boats in toward shore. A bird showed him where dolphins were chasing some flying fish. This time Santiago saw tuna jumping in the sunlight. A small one took the hook on his line. Pulling the fish aboard, the old man thought it a good fortune. Toward noon a marlin, a common fish in the sea, started eating the bait which was one hundred meters down. Gently the old man played the fish, a big one, as he knew from the weight on the line. At last he struck to settle the hook. The fish did not come out of the surface. Instead, it began to pull the boat to the northwest. The old man followed it. _ It was cold after the sunset. When something took one of his remaining baits, he cut the line with his knife. Once the marlin leaned suddenly, pulling Santiago forward on his face and cutting his cheek. By dawn his left hand was cramped . The fish had headed northward; there was no land in sight. Hungry, he cut pieces from the tuna and chewed them slowly. That morning the fish jumped. Seeing it, Santiago knew he had hooked the biggest marlin he had ever seen. Then the fish went down and turned toward the east. Santiago drank a little water from the bottle during the hot afternoon. Close to nightfall a dolphin took the small hook he had rebaited. He lifted it aboard, careful. After he had rested, he cut meat from the dolphin and kept also the two flying fish he found in its stomach. That night he slept. He awoke to feel the line running through his fingers as the fish jumped. Feeding line slowly, he tried to tire the marlin. After the fish slowed its run, he washed his cut hands in sea water and ate one of the flying fish. At sunrise the marlin began to circle. Faint, he worked to bring the big fish nearer with each turn. _ The fish was two feet longer than the boat. No fish like it had ever been seen in Havana harbor. An hour later, he sighted the first shark, a fierce Mako, and it came in fast to chase after the dead marlin. The old man struck the shark with his harpoon. The Mako rolled and sank, carrying the harpoon with it and leaving the marlin bloody. He knew the smell would spread. Watching, he saw two sharks closing in. He struck at one with his knife and watched it sliding down into deep water. The other he killed while it tore at the flesh of the marlin. When the third appeared, he thrust it with the knife. The other sharks came at sunset. At first he tried to beat them with the tiller from the boat, but his hands were bleeding and there were too many in the sea. In the darkness, as he steered toward the harbor of Havana, he heard them hitting the boat again and again. But the old man thought only of his steering and his great tiredness. He had gone out too far and the sharks had beaten him. He knew they would leave him nothing but the stripped skeleton of the big marlin. All lights were out when he sailed into the little harbor and beached his boat. He could just make out the white backbone and the upstanding tail of the fish. _ In his cottage he fell on his bed and went to sleep. Why did the man feel that he could be lucky this time? A. Because a small tuna took the hook on his line. B. Because he dreamed about the American lions. C. Because he saw many flying fish were chased by the dolphins. D. Because a lot of sharks followed his boat. Answer: A. Because a small tuna took the hook on his line. Dear Mr Rupp, The day I met you was the first day of high school. We liked each other immediately. You gave me a lot of advice over the next four years, like how I should get my ass to Berkeley where I belonged. I'm still there, by the way. I wish you were still around, too. I remember your laugh, which would start with a rough guffaw and end with a hacking smoker's cough that would make even the most rebellious teenager swear to lay off the cigarettes. I remember the way you didn't lower your standards, yet still refused to give up on us. You were tough on us, and we were tough on you. Love is tough sometimes. The last time I wrote you a letter, it was 2005---four years after I graduated. I had just become a teacher, like you, and it had given me a new appreciation for the work you did with countless high school students over the years. It's hard to say what I'll miss the most about you. There are simply too many memories to sort through those four years, and it hurts to think you'll never read this letter. I want to believe that you knew how much you meant to your family, your students, your community, and your colleagues, but that would be a lot of realization to handle, even for you. You changed the lives of everyone around you. Even now, you are reminding me to cherish life and its brevity and beauty, and to tell the people I love how much they mean to me before it is too late. Dear teacher, dear mentor, and dear friend----I miss you and all that is about you. God bless you in Heaven. To infinity and beyond, Teresea When did the author meet her teacher---Mr Rupp? A. In 1997 B. In 2001 C. In 2005 D. In 2009 Answer: A. In 1997
Does technology pose a threat to the purity of Chinese language? Many Chinese use instant messenger tools such as MSN or QQ, listen to music on MP3 players and log on the Internet using ADSL--most without knowing the literal Chinese translation of the abbreviations . But they don't have to, as many English letters have become part of the local vocabulary. A dozen abbreviations including GDP, NBA, IT, MP3, QQ, DVD and CEO are among the 5,000 most-frequently used words in the Chinese media last year, according to a report on the 2006 Language Situation in China. The report said some parents are so keen on English letters that a couple tried to name their baby "@", claiming the character used in email addresses reflects their love for the child. While the "@"is obviously familiar to Chinese e-mail users, they often use the English word "at" to pronounce it "ai ta",or "love him". The study collected more than 1 billion language samples from newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and websites. The annual report is jointly compiled by the Ministry of Education and the State Language Commission. "Nowadays, more and more English abbreviations are being used in Chinese, making them an important part of modern language," said Hou Min, a professor at Communication University of China. "The abbreviations have gained popularity because of the ease of usage," Hou said. For example, DNA is much simpler to use than its Chinese version. "As more Chinese people learn foreign languages, especially English, in recent years, using abbreviations has become a trend among educated people," she added. Some language scholars fear such usage will contaminate the purity of Chinese and cause confusion in communication. Why does the author use the example of a couple who tried to name their baby "@"? A. To show Chinese is badly polluted by English. B. To express the couple's love for the child. C. To indicate "@"is a very common sign among the e-mail users. D. To show some people are very enthusiastic over English letters. Answer: D Climatic conditions are delicately adjusted to composition of the Earth's atmosphere. If there were a change in the atmosphere -- for example, in the amounts of atmospheric gases -- the climate would probably change also. A slight increase in water vapor , for example, would increase the heat-keeping capacity of the atmosphere and would lead to a rise in global temperatures. The level of carbon dioxide, CO2, in the atmosphere has an important effect on climatic change. Most of the Earth's incoming energy is short-wavelength radiation , which tends to pass through atmospheric CO2easily. The Earth, however, reradiates much of the received energy as long-wavelength radiation , which CO2absorbs and then goes toward the Earth. This phenomenon, known as the greenhouse effect, can result in an increase in the surface temperature of a planet. An extreme example of the effect is shown by Venus, a planet covered by heavy clouds composed mostly of CO2, whose surface temperatures have been measured at 430~C.If the CO2 content of the atmosphere is reduced, the temperature falls. According to one respectable theory, if the atmospheric CO2concentration were halved, the Earth would become completely covered with ice. Another equally respectable theory, however, states that a halving of the CO2concentration would lead only to a reduction in global temperatures of 3degC. If, because of an increase in forest fires or volcanic activity, the CO2content of the atmosphere increased, a warmer climate would be produced. Plant growth, which relied on both the warmth and the availability of CO2, would probably increase. As a consequence, plant would use more and more CO2. Eventually CO2levels would decrease and the climate, in turn, would become cooler. With reduced temperatures many plants would die; CO2would thus be returned to the atmosphere and gradually the temperature would rise again. Thus, if this process occurred, there might be a long-term oscillation in the amount of CO2present in the atmosphere, with regular temperature increase and decrease. Some climatologists argue that the burning of fossil fuels has raised the level of CO2in the atmosphere and has caused a global temperature increase of at least 1degC. But a supposed global temperature rise of 1 degC may in reality be only several regional temperature increases, restricted to areas where there are many meteorological stations. Other areas, for example, the Southern Hemisphere oceanic zone, may be experiencing an equal temperature decrease that is unrecognized because of the shortage of meteorological recording stations. The discussion of climate in the passage suggests that _ . A. climate is perfectly stable B. we are unable at present to measure global temperature changes precisely. C. the only cause of regional climatic fluctuations is the change in CO21evel in the atmosphere D. slight regional temperature changes can be considered an abnormal feature of the environment Answer: B Once there was a boy named Fritz who loved to draw. He drew everything. In the morning, he drew a picture of his cereal with milk. His papa said, "Don't draw your cereal. Eat it!" After school, Fritz drew a picture of his bicycle. His uncle said, "Don't draw your bicycle. Ride it!" At nighttime, after he finished washing his face, he drew a picture of the toothpaste on the sink. His mama said, "Don't draw the toothpaste. Brush your teeth!" One day Fritz got a splinter in his foot. It hurt. He wanted to take the splinter out. But first, he drew a picture of his foot with the splinter in it. He said, "Now I can remember what my foot looks like with a splinter in it." Then he took the splinter out all by himself. He told his friend Stephen that he took the splinter out all by himself. Stephen did not believe him. Fritz showed him the picture. Then Stephen believed him. What did Fritz draw first? A. the toothpaste B. his mama C. cereal and milk D. his bicycle Answer: C A 15-year-old boy was injured in a car accident when the car he was traveling in was hit by a truck at a street corner. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital. The doctors said it appeared that the boy had nothing more serious than a broken left leg, but there was a possibility that the boy might have some inside injuries. The boy was conscious when he was sent to the hospital. Luckily, his mother, who was driving, was uninjured. She said that the truck appeared so suddenly that she thought she was going to die. She turned her car sharply to the left, and the truck hit it on the passenger side. [:] The driver of the truck was a 50-year-old man who was unemployed and it was clear that he had been drinking because the police found 18 empty beer cans inside his truck. However, the man _ drinking even if he had failed the police test for drinking, saying, "No, I haven't drunk anything." When asked to touch his nose , ears, and mouth with his eyes closed, he was unable to touch any part of his head. So the police put him into the back seat of a police car. But the man kept crying, "Mabel, where is my Mabel? I can't find her now. I want my Mabel." The police asked him if Mabel was his wife. He said, "She's my dog, my dog! Where's my baby?" Later in the day, the police found a dog with a ring around her neck, on which was written "Mabel" half a block away from where the accident happened. Perhaps the man was looking for his pet dog after drinking when the accident happened. As a result, the man was taken to the city jail for driving after drinking and it seemed that Mabel would be left alone. Which of the following is true about the accident ? A. The boy's mother was injured. B. The boy was driving the car. C. A car ran into a truck at a corner. D. The truck driver drank beer. Answer: D I left home to support my sister in her efforts to present a music festival. She lives on the other side of the world, and I went to visit her, not wanting to leave and feeling like I was leaving home against my will. However, I wanted to show her my support because she is my only sister. So I boarded the plane in mid-August, and hated the long flight. I arrived, tired and hungry. I had left my husband of 2 years, alone, in our old New Orleans house. I was all set and ready to perform for my sister for the music festival on Sunday morning when I received a call from Chicago. The hurricane was predicted to hit our city, and many people had already _ , but my husband chose to stay behind. He could not get a call to me on the other side of the world, but he could call his cousin in Chicago. He gave his cousin a message for me, that he would be just fine, and not to worry. As the day wore on, I finally took the stage in front of hundreds of Europeans, and I realized, thanks to CNN, that New Orleans was under water. I performed, hoping that my husband would survive. And I performed perfectly. The audience stood and applauded. I left the stage and went straight to the TV. I saw the street sign near my home, of Humanity Street, but nothing below it, except water. In the days that followed, I found out that my house, my car, my clothes, my furniture, everything that I'd left behind was gone...but not my husband. He survived by riding on the rear bumper of a VW bus, holding on to the overhead luggage rack, in the pouring rain, down the highway from New Orleans, half-way to Baton Rouge. The rest of the journey was a long walk, but he survived. By the first week of September, I flew back to the Baton Rouge airport, and hugged my husband. Since then, our relationship has grown deeper; we have completely rebuilt our house, bought a new car, bought new furniture and new clothes and joined an inspirational, spirit-filled community. What might be the title for the passage? A. Lost it All, Gained Even More B. Once Gone, Never Returned C. Caught in the Hurricane D. Trapped in a Dilemma Answer: A
A robot is a computer-controlled machine that is programmed to move and handle objects. Robots are able to perform repetitive tasks more quickly, cheaply, and accurately than humans. In 1995, about 700,000 robots were used-including over 500,000 in Japan, about 120,000 in Western Europe, and about 60,000 in the United States-all in the industrialized world. Many robots applications are designed for tasks that are either dangerous or unpleasant for human beings. Now, robotic technology can be used in more and more fields. Experts say in the future robots will be able to make new highways, constructsteel frameworks of buildings, clean sewage , and such physical work. Besides, another possibility is the development of robotic technology in medical surgery operations. Perhaps the greatest changes in future robots will improve from their increasing ability to reason. The field of artificial intelligence is moving rapidly from university labs to practical application in industry, and machines of a new kind of robots are being developed, _ can perform something involved in the process of understanding and planning, such as the management of a battlefield. Even the control of a large factory will be performed by intelligent computers. And there might be a possibility that these computers can design and make robots of their own. Is there anything dangerous involved in this artificial intelligence progress then? Robot technology has been making people nervous ever since it was invented. Is it unreasonable to worry that robots will someday become too clever? Is it impossible that these human-like robots will start to think and plan for themselves? Will robots take over the world and force humans to give them energy to survive? Which of the following do experts say robots won't be able to do in the future? A. Take care of roads. B. Be used as medicine. C. Used as underground pipeline cleaner. D. Take up jobs of building construction. Answer: B. Be used as medicine. Dear Mom, We had a nice time in the park last week, Mom, but you left the day before yesterday. Where did you? What happened to you? When we were together, we went shopping, flew kites, went swimming ... You bought me a T-shirt in a store. You helped me with my homework. And you made sandwiches for me. We also slept together every night. You never said you would leave me. I began to look for you when I found you left, but I failed. Mom, thank you for teaching me so much. I hope to see you again. It's time for bed. I miss you! Yours, Jim From the passage we know _ . A. the writer's family is poor B. the writer's father is ill C. the writer's father died D. the writer felt happy when he lived with his mother Answer: D. the writer felt happy when he lived with his mother Imagine you are in a jumping contest. Animals and insects can also enter this contest. But they might just leave humans in the dust! The first event is the long jump. The human athlete is Mike Powell. In 1991, he jumped nearly 30 feet, which is the world record for the long jump. That is about five times his own height. His competitor in the long-jump contest is a frog named "Rosie the Ribbiter." Rosie set the world record for frogs in 1986 by jumping more than 21 feet. Her record has never been broken by any other frog. Compared to Mike Powell, Rosie's jump is not that amazing. But wait! Rosie is only about 10 inches long when her legs are stretched to their full length. She can jump more than 25 times her size. Rosie, the frog, wins the long-jump event. The next event is the high jump. Javier Sotomayor, the world record holder, can jump a bar 8 feet high. That is about as high as the ceiling in most homes. Looking around for someone to challenge his record, Javier might need a magnifying glass . The next _ is a tiny insect called the spittlebug . The spittlebug can jump 28 inches into the air. It is only a quarter-inch long, less than the width of a pencil. If the spittlebug were the same size as Javier, it would be able to jump 600 feet into the air. That is like a human jumping over a building 55 stories high! Though the humans lose the "jumping contest," their competitors would probably agree that Mike and Javier are still pretty excellent athletes. If only Rosie and the spittlebug could speak! How does the author develop the text? A. By giving instructions. B. By making comparisons. C. By following the order of time. D. By following the order of importance. Answer: B. By making comparisons. Children are delight, they are our future. But sadly, hiring someone to take care of them when you're going to work is getting more expensive by the year. Earlier this month it was reported, that the cost of involving an infant or small kid at a childcare centre rose 3 percent in 2012, faster than the general cost of living. There are now large strips of the country where daycare for an infant costs more than 10% of the average married couples' income. This is not necessarily a new trend, but it is somewhat puzzling me. The price of professional childcare has been rising since the 1980s. Yet during that time, pay for professional childcare workers has stood still. Actually caregivers earn less today than they did in 1990. Considering that labor costs are responsible for about 80% of a daycare center's expenses, one would infer that stable wages means stable prices. So who is to blame for higher child care costs? Childcare is a carefully regulated industry. States lay down rules about how many children each employee is allowed to watch over, the space care centers need per child, and other details. And the stricter the regulations are, the higher the costs will be. In Massachusetts, where childcare centers must hire one teacher for every three infants, the price of care averaged more than $ 16,000 per year. In Mississippi, where centers must hire one teacher for every five infants, the price of care averaged less than $5,000. Unfortunately I don't have all the daycare center regulations, but I wouldn't be surprised if as the rules have become more complicated, prices have risen. The tradeoff might be worth it in certain cases; after all, the health and safety of children should probably come before cheap service. But certainly, it doesn't seem to be an accident that some of the cheapest daycare available is in the least regulated South. What is the author's view on a daycare service? A. Caregivers should receive regular professional training. B. Less complicated rules about childcare might lower costs. C. It is vital to strike a balance between quality and costs. D. It is better for different States to learn from each other. Answer: B. Less complicated rules about childcare might lower costs. "Tom? Are you in bed yet?" called Mrs.White. There was no answer. Mrs. White put down her book and went to her 14-year-old son's room. Tom was sitting in front of a bright computer screen on which a motorbike was running fast. "Oh, Tom. You're still playing on that computer game. You must stop now, it's half past eleven. If you don't go to bed soon, you'll be very tired tomorrow, " said Mrs. White."But I've nearly won the game, " Tom said to Mrs. White. She could see the excitement on his face. She sat down beside him."You're always playing on the computer. You spend more time on this machine than on your homework. " Today more and more families have computers. Parents hope computers can help their children improve their study at school. But many of their children use computers to play games and watch videos instead of studying. We often see that computer net bars are crowded with people, especially young boys. They spend a lot of money competing with the computerized machines. The more they lose, the more they want to win. The result is that they don't want to work or study. In some countries, even scientists hate computers. They say computers cause millions of people to lose their jobs or cause them a lot of trouble. Computer game addiction is a serious problem in social life. Something has to be done to solve the problem. How did Mrs. White feel when she saw her son playing late? A. She felt excited. B. She felt happy. C. She felt worried. D. She felt wonderful. Answer: C. She felt worried.
Throughout history, people have been interested in knowing how language first began, but no one knows exactly where or how this happened. However, we do know a lot about languages, the languages of today and also the languages of earlier times. There are probably about three thousand languages in the world today. Chinese is the language with the most speakers. English, Russian and Spanish are also spoken by many millions of people. On the other hand, some languages in the world have less than one hundred speakers. There are several important families of languages in the world. For example, most of the languages of Europe are in one large family called Indo-European. The original language of this family was spoken about 4,500 years ago. Many of the present day languages of Europe and India are modern forms of the language of 4,500 years ago. Languages are always changing. The English of today is very different from the English of 500 years ago. In time some even die out completely. About 1,000 years ago English was a little -known relative of German spoken on one of the borders of Europe. If a language has a lot of speakers or if it is very old, there may be differences in the way it is spoken in different areas. That is, the language may have several dialects. Chinese is a good example of dialect differences. Chinese has been spoken for thousands of years by many millions of speakers. The differences between the dialects of Chinese are so great that speakers of Chinese from some parts of China cannot understand speakers from other parts. Many European and Indian languages _ . Answer: Fifty people died, over 11,000 were injured, and 100,000 houses were heavily damaged or destroyed in an earthquake that struck North China's Hebei Province. The quake, measuring 6. 2 on the Richter scale (6 .2) , hit the area 220km northwest of Beijing at 11: 50 a. m. on January 10, 1998. Scientists made a report of the recent quake. They said that the area of northwestern Beijing, the joint of Shanxi and Hebei Provinces and the Inner Mongolia were most easily attacked by earthquakes measuring 6 to a bit over 7 on the Richter scale. However, scientists did not see the recent earthquake earlier. Clouds covered a large area in the northern part of North China before the earthquake and experts say that this prevented satellites from correctly watching the temperature at the correct altitude . Experts say that in the last ten years, about 305 earthquakes have taken place in China with 9 measuring over 7 on the Richter scale, 60 measuring over 6, and 236 measuring over 5. Tens of thousands of people died or were injured. Loss valued over 10 billion yuan. When the earthquake attacked the area, most people there were unlikely to _ . Answer: 1Art exhibition: The 16th Asian International Art exhibition from Dec.18, 2005 to Jan.10, 2006 at the Guangdong Museum of Art. The exhibition will highlight over 300 works from Japan, Korea, China Mainland, China Hong Kong, China Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippine, Indonesia and Australia. RMB 70, 90, 100 Booking Tel: 88677766 2Concert: Christmas Concert performed by German organist Thorsten Macder and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Yu Feng. RMB 80,120,180,230 8pm on Dec 23 Symphony performing Hall. Guangdong Xinghai Concert Hall. Booking Tel: 87352222 3Thailand cuisine festival: In the Greenery Cafe at Garden Hotel from Dec.20, 2005 to Feb 20,2006. Booking Tel: 87675443 4Performance: At Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall; 8pm on December 6,7,9 RMB 100,160,200,260 Tel: 89785656 If you want to enjoy yourself on December 7, you will probably dial the telephone number _ . Answer: Jenny, I often think if I am as important to you as you are to me. We had an unhappy time yesterday. I really felt sad after it and almost apologized to you. However,you could still laugh and talk with others like nothing had happened. I suddenly realized that I was not that important to you. You didn't even realize that I was angry and sad. What's more,you even forgot my birthday this year. Goodbye,my friend. I have closed my feeling toward you. It is sad to say goodbye,my friend. But it is meaningless for us to be friends any longer. Lucy Dear Lucy, I'm sorry that I hurt you so much yesterday. But here is something I really need to tell you. I never thought the quarrel we had yesterday was as serious as you thought. I just felt tired and didn't feel like going shopping. Susan and Lily are also my good friends. I couldn't pretend not seeing them when they passed by. I also couldn't let them know I was blue because of the quarrel. I didn't want them to feel sad just because I was sad. I'm your best friend,but I don't want to be your only friend. I don't want to be with you all the time because sometimes I need to have my own time. I want to spend some time with my other friends and my brother. Please try to make more friends. You will feel much happier if you have more friends. And remember,I'm your best friend forever! Jenny After reading Jenny's letter,we learn that _ . Answer: Blind photography sounds strange.But a striking exhibition of photographs in California argues that it develops as a result of the contemporary art.The show "Sight Unseen", at the California Museum of Photography until Aug.29, includes everything: underwater scenes, landscapes, abstracts and everything else you might expect from a "sighted" photographer. How do the blind take their photographs? Some rely on assistants to set up and then describe the shots , and others just point and shoot in the right place."Just like any good artists," says McCulloh."They have their unique ways of operating." One participating photographer is Pete Eckert, an artist with multiple degrees in design and sculpture who only turned to photography after losing his vision in the mid-1990s.He opens the shutter on his camera and then uses flashlights, lights, and candles to paint his scene on film.A former fashion photographer in Chicago, Weston, lost his vision due to AIDS in 1996 and focuses on images of destruction and disability.His photos are also a star of the show. What do gallery-goers say? "I was very impressed by it.The technique and experience was amazingly different," says John Hesketh, a printmaker in Anaheim."You never have a sense of feeling sorry for these people because they've worked very hard to prove their value." Beyond the praise, however, the exhibition also makes a great example for disabled people everywhere.That point was explained in early May during a discussion on the TV show.At the very end of the talk, one attendee expressed his opinion."This exhibition is extraordinary and revolutionary for many reasons.I think that by being an artist with a disability, you are continuing the work of those people who fought for basic civil rights to gain access and to have a voice.In that way, it's so wonderful that your photographs say it all." What is people's reaction to the blind photography show? Answer:
Scottish Islands Airports Many of the larger Scottish Islands have airports on the smaller islands. This makes island travel a lot easier across from the mainland of Scotland and between islands. Flying over the islands gives you a bird's-eye view on clear days. Orkney Islands Airport Kirkwall Airport is 3 miles east of Kirkwall itself. Scheduled flights largely by Loganair/British Airways to and from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness Sumburgh on Shetland are serviced by Kirkwall Airport. The inter - island flight between Papa Westray and Westray is the shortest scheduled flight in the world lasting a mere 2-3 minutes! If you make the journey you get a certificate to prove you've made it. Outer Hebrides Airports Western Isles Stornoway Airport, four miles east of the town, is the main airport for flights to the Western Isles. Flights to Stornoway run direct from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. There are two other airports serving the Outer Hebrides islands. Benbecula airport is on the west coast of the island.Barra Airport is actually on a beach--the only beach airport in the world handling scheduled flights. Islay Airport Islay has its own small airport. British Airways/Loganair schedule regular flights to Islay from Glasgow International Airport. Islay Airport is on the south west of the islands beside a seven mile beach. There is a gift shop at the air- port. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9 am-12:30 and 1:30-6:15 pm; Sat 9:30-10:30 am; Sun 5:30-6:30 pm. The Oban to Colonsay Air Service You can now fly direct to the Isle of Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides from Oban Airport. Flights between Oban and Colonsay operate twice daily on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Extra flights between Oban Airport and Colonsay also run during termtime on Saturdays and Sundays. Which of the following airport is the only beach airport offering scheduled flights? A Kirkwall Airport B Stornoway Airport C Barra Airport D Islay Airport Answer: C If you are visiting England, you will notice that English have many customs and traditions that are different from those in China. This guide provides help for anyone visiting England for the first time. Standing in the queue English people like to form queue.They think it is the fair way to behave.People wait in a queue in shops and at bus stops.People will think you are very rude if you don't join the queue. Please, Thank You, Excuse Me and Sorry It is good manners to say "please" and "thank you".If someone is in your way and you would like them to move, say "excuse me" and they will move.If you bump into someone or you are in their way say "sorry".They will probably say "sorry", too, even if it was your mistake.Saying "sorry" does not always mean you think you were wrong.Someone it is just a polite thing to say. Meeting a new person When people meet for the first time, the usual custom is to shake hands.The next time you meet that person, you can just say hello.English people don't usually hug or kiss unless they know each other really well. Talking to people English people find it difficult to start conversations with strangers.They like to be private so if they are on buses or trains, they usually sit as far away from other people as possible.If you want to start a conversation, the topic that English people are always happy to talk about is the weather.So you need to be able to say "Isn't it warm (sunny/windy/wet/foggy) today?" or "Do you think it's going to rain/clear up?" This is much better than asking about politics, religion or how much people earn! What's the main idea of the article? A Differences between England and China. B The guide help. C The manners and traditions in England. D How to visit England for the first time. Answer: C Life comes in a package. This package includes happiness and sadness,failure and success,hope and _ . Life is a learning process. Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us a better person. With each passing day we learn to deal with kinds of situations. Love plays an important role in our life. Love makes you feel wanted. Without love a person could become cruel. In the early stage of our life,our parents are the ones who show us with unconditional love and care, they teach us about what is right and wrong,good and bad.. But we always tend to take this for granted. It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands and becomes sensitive to others feelings. Happiness achieved by bringing a smile on others face gives a certain level of fulfillment.Peace of mind makes you feel happy. No mind is happy without peace. We realize the true worth of happiness when we are sad.Sadness comes from the death of a loved one or the failure .But all of these things will pass away. Failure is the way to success, and it helps us to touch the sky,teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way. Success brings in money,fame,pride and self-respect. Hope is what keeps life going. Parents always hope their children will do well.Hope makes us dream.Hope builds in patience.Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour,because after every night there is a day. Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and is beyond our control.Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dull. _ What's the general meaning of the last sentence of the whole passage? A What you only can choose is to work hard every day. B If you work hard today, you will have a better life in the future. C When choosing between "today" and "tomorrow", you'd better enjoy tomorrow better. D Enjoying a better tomorrow is your only choice. Answer: B As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford is a unique and historic institution. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. From 1878, academic halls were established for women and they were admitted to full membership of the University in 1920. Five all-male colleges first admitted women in 1974. St Hilda's College, which was originally for women only, was the last of Oxford's single sex colleges. It has admitted both men and women since 2008. By 1200, the town of Cambridge had at least one school of some distinction. Then, in 1209, some scholars settled there. By 1226 the scholars were numerous enough to have set up an organisation, and seem to have arranged regular courses of study, taught by their own members. From the start there was conflict between the town and the students. Students, usually aged about fourteen or fifteen, often caused disturbances; citizens of the town, on the other hand, were known to overcharge for rooms and food. King Henry III took the scholars under his protection as early as 1231 and arranged for them to be sheltered from exploitation by their landlords. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1861 in response to the increasing industrialization of the United States, MIT adopted a European university model and stressed laboratory instruction in applied science and engineering. The current 168-acre campus opened in 1916 and extends over 1 mile (1.6 km) along the northern bank of the Charles River basin. On April 29, 1911, Tsinghua Xuetang began its first term of study, and from that year on, the Tsinghua's anniversary has fallen on the last Sunday of April. Following the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan in 1937, Tsinghua University, Peking University and Nankai University combined to form the National Southwest Associated University in Kunming. After the war, Tsinghua University moved back to its original Beijing campus. When the University of Cambridge was set up, _ . A there were too many scholars B students were mostly adults C King Henry III gave much help D the town people were very friendly Answer: C Every year, World Blood Day is celebrated by blood services worldwide on 14 June, the birthday of Nobel Prize winner Karl Landsteiner, the man who discovered the ABO blood group system. If you have every thought of becoming a blood donor, just register to do it. And you should never worry about the donation. Just under a pint (around 470ml) of blood is taken at one sitting. This amount is no more than 13 percent of your total blood volume, and is quickly replaced by your body. It may come as a surprise, but whole blood is only rarely used. Different blood components are used to treat a range of conditions. None goes to waste. Read blood cells are frequently used to replace heavy blood loss after an accident, surgery or childbirth. White blood cells and antibodies are used to help people fight infections if their immune system doesn't appear to be responding to antibiotics . Plasma ,the straw-coloured fluid which carries the blood cells and contains proteins, are used to treat burned patients. First-time donors should be aged between 17 and 65, weigh at least 50kg and be in good health. If you have donated before, you can start being a donor again up to your 70th birthday. Although most people are able to give blood, some people who pose health risks or are at a higher risk of having come into contact with an infectious disease are no tasked to be donors. Pregnant women or those who have had a baby in the last 9 months should not donate blood. Blood has a very short shelf life. Some blood components can be kept longer than others, for instance red blood cells will keep for 35 days but platelets for only five. Remember, you should wait at least 16 weeks before donating blood again. What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage? A To teach people how to be a blood donor B To give people the knowledge of blood donation C To advise people to benefit from blood donation D To remind people of the importance of blood donation Answer: B
This is a picture of a classroom. The classroom is big and clean. You can see a teacher's desk, five desks and six chairs. You can see a girl and a boy, too. Three books are on the teacher's desk. A pencil box is on the desk. Two pens and two rulers are in the pencil box. A schoolbag is under a chair. A ball is on the floor. The girl is Linda; she is 11. The boy is Mike, he is 12. They are in Class Two, Grade one. They are friends. Their teacher is Miss Green. She is not here. Mike and Linda are _ . Answer: friends The horsepower was first used two hundred years ago. James Watt had made the world's first widely used steam engine. He had no way of telling people exactly how powerful it was, for at that time there were no units for measuring power. Watt decided to find out how much work one strong horse could do in one minute. He called that init one horsepower. With this unit he could measure the work his steam engine could do. He discovered that a horse could lift a 3,300-pound weight 10 feet into the air in one minute. His engine could lift a 3,300 pound weight 100 feet in one minute. Because his engine did ten times as much work as the horse, Watt called it a ten-horsepower engine. Watt wanted to find a way _ . Answer: to tell people exactly how powerful his steam engine was If you are sitting, please stand up. Move your legs. Touch your toes if you can. Do anything but sit. New research shows that if you cut down on the time you spend sitting, you might live longer. Sitting less than three hours a day might extend your life by two years. Cutting television time to less than two hours a day can add one point four years to life. The human body is designed to move. The fact is just the opposite. Modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely give us the chance to move around. We sit while we're eating; we sit in the car; we sit while we are watching TV. And most of us sit for many hours at work. Sitting is something we do all the time. On average, Americans sit for four and a half to five hours a day. But that does not make sitting good for us. Though you may exercise often, that does not mean you can sit for the rest of your waking hours. We can't throw away physical activity. _ is extremely important. Even if you exercise for 30 minutes a day, what goes on in the other 23 and a half hours a day is also very important. Changes are coming to some offices, especially in the design of desks. A "standing desk" lets people stand while they work. Another new design is called the "treadmill desk". It is an exercise machine that lets you walk slowly in one place. Even some U.S. schools begin to experiment with desks that are part bicycle to keep children moving. Many companies may not buy a standing desk for everybody. However, they may get five standing desks or a treadmill desk for their employees and put them in a certain place where people can go for an hour a day to answer their emails or talk on the phone. Experts suggest some other activities: take a walk at lunchtime; walk to the offices and talk directly instead of emailing colleagues. All these activities may help you live longer. What can we learn about sitting? Answer: People usually have to sit for a long time nowadays. What should we do if a fire happens? Look at the following. 1. Shout----Shout as loudly as you can ,because people may be asleep. 2. Call 119----Never try to put out a fire yourself. Tell 119 where you are and what is on fire. 3. Keep down close to the floor----There's less smoke down there, so it's easier to breathe and see where you are going. 4. Test the door---- the door is cool, open it carefully. If the door is hot, don't open it! Try to find a different way out. 5. Get out---- not stop to pick up anything. A fire can become very big in afew seconds! 6. Don't use the lift ----ways use the stairs. The lift may go wrong and keep you inside. 7. Don't go back---- if you have left your pet or favorite toy inside, don't go back for it. Animals have a very good sense of smell. They often get out of building before people. If the door is hot, we should _ . Answer: find another way out California, once regarded as a leader in the United States for its public higher education system, ranks next to the last in the U.S.for its number of adults with at least a high school diploma, according to the report, titled "California at the Edge of a Cliff," released by the California Faculty Association. Meanwhile, the state's investment in public higher education has dropped over the past three decades, and now ranks 22nd in the country.That's despite having the country's largest public higher education system, the report said. "It's a collapse ," said Thomas Mortenson, author of the report, who is an independent analyst living in Iowa and a senior scholar at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education in Washington, D. C. "Ranking 49th out of 50 states is an indication that shows the quality of the state's educational has become much worse in recent decades." Mortenson said in the report.As of 2007, California ranked 14th in the United States in terms of college educated members of the workforce over 25 years of age, a drop from eighth place in 1981, the report showed. Mortenson said that California has never been the state of high status in education and economy while other states have made greater gains in building a college-educated workforce. The California Faculty Association is using the report's findings to criticize Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed funding cuts for education. Struggling with a 14.8-billion-dollar state budget deficit , Schwarzenegger has proposed a combination of sales tax increases, borrowing and major budget cuts, including cutting billions of dollars from the state's education budget. From the passage we can infer that _ . Answer: California had higher quality in higher education in the past
All the ponds in an area dried up during a drought. The population of which of the following animals that live in the area is most affected by the drought? A. deer B. frog C. hawk D. squirrel Answer: B. frog Yao Ming was born in China in 1980. In his last season with the Shanghai Sharks, he scored 32.4 points per game. Now the big man from China is helping the Houston Rockets in the NBA. He is the son of two great basketball players and learnt how to play basketball when he was young. Now, as one of the stars in the NBA, he is working hard to make his dream come true and show the world that Chinese basketball players love this game too! Pele was a football player that everyone knew. He was born in Brazil in 1940. He started playing for Santos when he was only 16 and he didn't retire(v)until 1977. He played for Brazil 111 timesand he scored 97 internationalgoals. Pele came from a poor family. He started playing football in thestreet, like many people around the world do. He was soon picked to play for Santos and quickly became an international person. Steffi Graf was born in Germany in 1969. She won the tennis semi-final(n)at Wimbledon in 1985 when she was only 16, but she lost the final to another great tennis player, Martina Navratilova. People were surprised by the strength and power of her game. She soon became a famous tennis player and she has won most of the main matches several times. From the passage, we know that _ . A. Steffi Graf was bornin Wimbledon in 1985. B. Steffi Graf won the tennis final when she was only 16. C. Martina Navratilova was also a tennis player. D. Steffi Graf has won few of the main matches since 1985. Answer: C. Martina Navratilova was also a tennis player. A boy leaves a circuit in the wall open, then when he goes to turn on the lights A. it fails B. it succeeds C. it shines D. it works Answer: A. it fails Last year in the UK at least 45 people died and 900 more were injured in car accidents where drivers were using their mobile phones. Yet many people continue to use them while driving even though it' s dangerous. Research has shown that it is difficult to concentrate on driving and talking at the same time. It can even be more dangerous than driving after drinking too much. A recent study found that when drivers were talking on their mobile phones, their stopping times were 30 percent slower than when they had drunk too much - and nearly 50 percent slower than when they were driving normally. It also found that drivers talking on mobile phones were less able to control their cars than drunk drivers. And talking isn't even the most serious problem, but texting is. Unbelievably, another recent study reported that 22% of adults admitted they had sent a text message while driving at least once in the past month. An average text message takes 90 seconds to write and send. That means for one and a half minutes a driver is looking at their phone's screen and not at the road. The arrival of new smart phones such as the iPhone will only make things worse as they will allow users to do more things than ever before. Using a mobile phone while driving puts others' lives at risk. No matter how well we drive, if another driver is*not careful, we are put in danger by their actions. Such drivers are selfish, careless and should have their driving licenses cancelled. There is no doubt that mobile phones can be fun and are useful, especially when you're in trouble. But there is no need to use them while driving. Just wait until you stop or you will probably get into trou-ble of your own. According to the passage ,if a driver needs 10 seconds to stop when driving normally, they will need _ seconds to stop when talking on a mobile phone. A. 12 B. 13 C. 14 D. 15 Answer: D. 15 Anna owned Blackacre, which was improved with a dwelling. Beth owned Whiteacre, an adjoining unimproved lot suitable for constructing a dwelling. Beth executed and delivered a deed granting to Anna an easement over the westerly 15 feet of Whiteacre for convenient ingress and egress to a public street, although Anna's lot did abut another public street. Anna did not then record Beth's deed. After Anna constructed and started using a driveway within the described 15-foot strip in a clearly visible manner, Beth borrowed $10,000 cash from Bank and gave Bank a mortgage on Whiteacre. The mortgage was promptly and properly recorded. Anna then recorded Beth's deed granting the easement. Beth subsequently defaulted on her loan payments to Bank. The recording act of the jurisdiction provides: "No conveyance or mortgage of real property shall be good against subsequent purchasers for value and without notice unless the same be recorded according to law." In an appropriate foreclosure action as to Whiteacre, brought against Anna and Beth, Bank seeks, among other things, to have Anna's easement declared subordinate to Bank's mortgage, so that the easement will be terminated by completion of the foreclosure. If Anna's easement is NOT terminated, it will be because A. the recording of the deed granting the easement prior to the foreclosure action protects Anna's rights. B. the easement provides access from Blackacre to a public street. C. Anna's easement is appurtenant to Blackacre and thus cannot be separated from Blackacre. D. visible use of the easement by Anna put Bank on notice of the easement. Answer: D. visible use of the easement by Anna put Bank on notice of the easement.
Yesterday,I overheard our 9-year-old son,Aaron,talking to his friend,Zach. "Oh,God!"Zach began,looking in Aaron's closet "Where are all your toys?" "Oh,we are doing something called Simplicity plan,so I basically got rid of 80% of my stuff . " "What? Did your mom and dad make you do this?" "No, Idecided to do it because I wanted to.When I give away a lot of my things,I make room for family activities. I did it because I wanted to live differently and have less stuff in my life." "But still,why would you choose to get rid of most of your toys?" "Part of the reason is that my parents were doing it with their stuff .And my mom talked to me about it and explained how they felt happier afterwards. And I thought maybe I really had spent a lot of my time in my room playing with toys instead of spending time with my parents and sister." "Seriously?" "I feel proud because I am a person who has just what I need and not more. And I'm starting new activities like writing how I feel,reading more,and spending more time doing housework around the house." "OK.Let me get this. You have fewer toys,more housework,and you feel happier?" "Well, it's not that the housework is fun ,But I do it with my parents. We talk and connect while we are doing it, so that is the fun.And we've been doing more activities together, like reading aloud at night. And on weekends,we have conversations or go out together, instead of my dad being at his computer,my mom cleaning and me playing with my toys." After Aaron's parents got rid of some of their stuff,they _ . A. hoped Aaron wouldn't do it B. decided to buy some new stuff C. found it was good for them D. felt upset and wanted it back Answer: C. found it was good for them Sir, Last Saturday I watched the TV coverage of the latest Grand Prix motor race and could not fail to notice how much advertising there was. In particular, the leading car (and the one that eventually won) was almost constantly on the screen; it was painted to look like a packet of well-known cigarettes. Not only that, but the car was, on more than one occasion, referred to by the commentator not by the name of the driver or the motor company, but by the name of the product. However, the football team that I support is not allowed to wear shirts advertising anything when their matches are being televised. The rule preventing sportsmen and sportswomen from carrying advertisements on television is a good one. Keep it and do it. To take one example, what is the effect, I wonder, on the young and old, of the apparent connection between cigarette smoking and an exciting sport like motor-racing? L. H. Gray, London Sir, What a ridiculous situation our television companies find themselves in with regard to sport and advertising! I watched a televised football match in which the players did not carry any advertisements on their shirts, and yet there was advertising all around the ground. (Do the TV producers think we viewers are blind or something?) And when a well-known international player was interviewed after the match, both he and the interviewer referred by name to the make-ups firm! And as if that were not enough, the sports item that followed was the National Bank Golf Tournament. Advertising is all around us every day. Long live advertising, I say, and let the television companies recognize it and allow football players, athletes, racing drivers and others to wear sponsors' advertisements. At least we would all know where we were! Mrs. R. P. Laing, Bristol Both Gray and Laing agree that _ . A. sportsmen should be allowed to advertise on TV B. TV sport should allow advertising except for drink and cigarettes C. TV companies must get rid of their "double standards" D. sports commentators should be allowed to advertise Answer: C. TV companies must get rid of their "double standards" Nowadays, shopping online becomes a new way of shopping. It is getting more and more popular. Many people like doing some shopping through Internet. Why is shopping online becoming more and more popular? First, it provides lots of advantages . There are many goods on the Internet. People can find anything they want. The price on the Internet is usually cheaper than that in the store. People can save some money.Second, more and more people have their own computers and they join their computers with the Internet. So it is possible for many of them to do shopping through the Internet. People don't need to go to the shop themselves. They can save a lot of time. But, a coin has two sides. Customers can only see the pictures of the goods on the Internet. And they can't enjoy the pleasure of buying things in a large supermarket or a wonderful shopping center. Maybe shopping online makes people boring. So some people don't like this new wayof shopping. They are worried about the safety of shopping online. What's the best title of this passage? A. PeopleLikeGoingShopping B. ShoppingOnline C. HowdoPeopleShop? D. Peopledon'tLikeShoppingOnline Answer: B. ShoppingOnline I once thought that outer beauty is the only factor to become a great person.When I was young,I read many kinds of books,most of which described characters who are handsome or beautiful. So I think that being beautiful is the only way to become a success. As I grew up,the story of my best friend made me realize that outer beauty was not so important to make a person successful.She as so beautiful a girl that every classmate liked to chat with her,but she was very arrogant.In her opinion,she could get all she wanted because of her beauty, but all of her friends left her one by one! Only then did she come to know the importance of the beauty in a person's heart,which changed her attitude and she made friends again. Turning on TV,we can see many advertisements,most of which seem to give us a feeling that,physical attractiveness is the most important thing.T _ .It is surprising that more and more people,especially girls and women, try it like the first man-made beauty in China, Hao Lulu.It is a common sense that attractive people can easily find work.Most good looking guys,usually get higher scores in the job interviews. But, what is real beauty? I want to say that is inner beauty because those who have beauty in their soul are really beautiful persons. As is known, the beauty judged with eyes is temporary,so we should concentrate on inner beauty. And if we make the efforts to make our minds beautiful,we'll live a happier life. Which of the following covers the passage best? A. How do attractive persons become successful? B. Plastic surgery is the best way to make a person become more beautiful and successful. C. The key factor to find a good job is being attractive. D. Inner beauty is the real beauty. Answer: D. Inner beauty is the real beauty. Renaissance is a French word. It means "rebirth". It's a strange name for a period of history. What was exactly " reborn" during the Renaissance? To answer this question, we need to look back at the time of the Roman Empire. At this time Roman artists, scientists and writers influenced by Greek ideas were the world's most advanced. They had become skilled observers of the natural world around them, and had become experts in studying animals, plants, the human body or the stars and planets. They wrote down their ideas about what they saw, and based their theories about the world on their observations. During the fourth and fifth centuries the Roman Empire slowly broke down. Many of the Romans' art and sculptures were destroyed and some manuscripts were lost as well. But most importantly, some of the ancient attitudes were lost. A questioning approach to the world was replaced by an unquestioning one. Why did this happen? One reason was to do with the influence of the Christian Church. Through the thousand years following the fall of the Roman Empire, the Church controlled many aspects of life including education and learning. The Church ran all the universities and thought that the aim of a university should be to teach old ideas more clearly, not to introduce new ones. The scholars in the universities were expected to study God and heaven from the Bible and ancient books, rather than the world around them. Take medicine for example. The main textbook for doctors had been written by a Greek doctor called Galen more than a thousand years earlier. But when Roger Bacon, a thirteenth-century priest , said that a new approach to medicine was needed --- doctors should do their own original research instead of reading writers from the past such as Galen-the Church put him in prison. By the time of the fourteenth century, however, some parts of the Christian Church were becoming less strict about their ideas and there was a new state of mind among artists, doctors and scientist. People wanted to find out more about the world by studying it. This attitude of investigation had been common in classical scholars, and it was 'reborn' during the Renaissance. Roger Bacon was put in prison because he _ . A. gave up being a priest B. showed no respect for Galen C. did some research secretly D. challenged the Church Answer: D. challenged the Church
The government-run command post in Tunis is staffed around the clock by military personnel, meteorologists and civilians. On the wall are maps, crisscrossed with brightly colors arrows that painstakingly track the fearsome path of the enemy. What kind of invader gives rise to such high-level monitoring? Not man, not beast, but the lowly desert locust . In recent months, billions of the 3-inch-long winged warriors have descended on Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, blackening the sky and eating up crops and vegetation. The insect invasion, the worst in 30 years, is already creating great destruction in the Middle East and is now treating southern Europe. The current crisis began in late 1985 near the Red Sea. Unusually rainy weather moistened the sands of the Sudan, making them ideal seedbed for the locust, which lays its eggs in the earth. The insect onslaught threatens to create yet another African famine. Each locust can eat its weight (not quite a tenth of an ounce) in vegetation every 24 hours. A good-size swarm of 50 billion insects eats up 100,000 tons of grass, trees and crops in a single night. All $150 million may be needed this year. The U.S. has provided two spraying planes and about 50,000 gal. of pesticide. The European Community has donated $3.8 million in aid and the Soviet Union, Canada, Japan and China have provided chemical-spraying aircraft to help wipe out the pests. But relief efforts are hampered by the relative mildness of approved pesticides, which quickly lose their deadly punch and require frequent replications. The most effective locust killer dieldrin has been linked to cancer and is banned by many Western countries and some of the affected African nations. More than 5 million acres have been dusted with locust-killing chemicals; another 5 million will be treated by the end of June. On May 30, representatives of Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Mauritania will meet in Algiers to discuss tactics to wipe out the ravenous swarms. The move is an important step, but whatever plan is devised, the locust plague promised to get worse before the insects can be brought under control. The purpose for affected nations to meet in Algiers on May 30 is _ . Answer: Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California's Santa Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles from home. I couldn't reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I thought I'd just go east. A bus stopped. I got on and asked the driver how far she was going, "Ten more miles," she said. There was another bus I could take from there. This clearly was going to be a long night. I got off at the end of the route and she told me which bus to look for. After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus came up. There was no lighted number above its windshield. It was out of service, but the door opened. It was the same driver. "I just can't leave you here," she said. "This isn't the nicest place. I will give you a ride home." "You will drive me home on the bus?" I asked, _ . "No, I will take you in my car," she said. "It's a long way," I insisted. "Come on, " she said. "I have nothing else to do." As we drove from the station in the car, she began telling me a story, A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good man picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car. "I'm just passing the favor along," she said. When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn't accept. "Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along," she said. There was something wrong with the writer's car _ . Answer: When I first heard about geocaching ,I was skeptical. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like an interesting idea.I at least wanted to try it once. Having familiarized myself with how the game works,I set out in search of my first cache. My trip took me through a series of lively hutong ,past a number of small temples, and right into the courtyard of a quiet youth hotel.I spent several minutes looking around, but couldn't find anything. Just before l was about to give up,I spotted a colorful object in the crack of a wall. Could it be the hidden cache? At that moment a group of backpackers amved. According to the game's rules, people who are not in the game must not be allowed to find out about secret caches. So I pretended to make a phone call while waiting for them to leave. When the coast was clear,I grabbed the object. It was the cache! I opened it and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper with several names and celebratory messages written on it.I added my own and replaced the cache in its hiding place, ready for the next geocacher to find. It may seem like a simple game, but the idea that there are caches hidden all around us is exciting. Once you're hooked, it's easy to set yourself the goal of finding every single cache in a neighborhood or even an entire city. The real treasure, however, is not the cache itself, but the places it takes you to. Hunting for further caches has since introduced me to places which I didn't even know existed. Some are peaceful parks, while others are forgotten historical sites.A few caches have even been in places I passed regularly without giving them any thought. Now,Ifeel a much closer connection. What was the author's initial attitude to geocaching? Answer: Different from popular thoughts, colds are not caused by bad weather. Colds are caused by viruses in the body, and you are better out on the snowy day than you are in a warm room, with your friends, who just may be passing the virus around. If you feel a chill when you are coming down with a cold, you are already sick. A chill is an early sign of the cold. The virus can spread through air when a cold - sufferer coughs or sneezes. Surprisingly, this is not the most usual way of spreading, Many studies have now shown that most colds are " caught " by hands. A cold - sufferer rubs her nose, so spreading the virus to her hand. Then a friend comes to visit her. They shake their hands. The friend then gets something to eat by hand, and several days later she catches a cold. Although some parents pick up their children's tissues and carefully throw them away, they fail to wash their hands. They'll catch the colds, too. Cold viruses can also be spread by objects, for example, telephones, plates. The cold - sufferer as well as other members of the house, by washing their hands often, will stop the viruses from spreading in a way . People catch colds easily because they _ . Answer: A new report says sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting more quickly than expected. American scientists say the ice is melting even faster than computer programs had estimated. Scientists know that climate change has a major effect on the Arctic Ocean partly because sea ice is disappearing. They also know that areas of open seawater are expanding. Such areas are known to take in sunlight and increase temperatures. Scientists say this has helped to cause the loss of the Arctic's ice cover. For the study, the American scientists compared eighteen computer programs with observations made by satellites and other instruments. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change used the computer programs to prepare its 2007 estimates of climate change. The computer programs gave estimates of the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean in the month of September. September is when the Arctic has the least ice, after the warm, summer months. The computer estimates suggested an ice loss of two and a half percent for every ten-year period between 1953 and 2006. Newer studies of the Arctic have used information gathered by aircraft, satellites and ships. This information showed a loss of September ice cover of almost eight percent for every ten-year period between 1953 and last year. This means the ice is disappearing about thirty years faster than the computer programs estimated. The scientists say the programs might not have recognized the full effect of increased carbon dioxide and other gases in Earth's atmosphere. They say their study suggests the gases may have more of an effect than had been thought. It is reported that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting more quickly than expected mainly because _ . Answer:
The TV science-fiction seriesStar Trekno longer looked far-fetched as four men and four women in black space-suits locked themselves into a giant hi-tech greenhouse, known as a 'biosphere', in the Arizona desert yesterday for a two-year study of the environment. As dawn broke over the Santa Catalina mountains, the eight waved goodbye to television cameras. Edward Ross, their multibillionaire sponsor from a Texas oil family, closed the door of the $150 million structure, with its mini-ocean, marsh, desert, savanna, rain-forest and 3,800 plant and animal species designed to allow the team to recreate Earth and its ecosystems. The so-called Biosphere 2 is the latest of a dozen environmental projects started by the self-titled 'ecopreneur'. The project's main aim is to set up a self-sustaining community for possible use in a spaceship or on another planet. The crew members must plant, harvest and process their food on a half-acre farm in the seven-storey glass and metal structure, while conducting a series of experiments. 'We will be custodians of our new little world,' said Abigail Mayer, aged 31, a US marine biologist on the team, her voice choking with emotion. 'It is a brave new step.' Many scientists, however, are more than skeptical. They point out that the largest closed ecosystem which survived more than a few days was smaller than a football. It was developed at the University of Miami and contained only shrimp, algae and other micro-organisms. Critics have also accused Mr. Ross of being more interested in producing a profitable theme park than in carrying out serious scientific research. Hundreds of tourists visited the site daily in the summer before it was occupied by the team. They paid $9.95 to enter and all stopped at the souvenir shop. What's the author's attitude towards the project? Answer: Neutral. My Favorite Sweater by Bonnie Highsmith Taylor My favorite sweater grew too small. I love that sweater best of all. My grandma made it when I was three. She made that sweater just for me. I picked the yam , a special blue. The color of bluebells, wet with dew . When I was three I was very small. But now I'm five and much too tall. I have a new jacket now that's green. So I gave my sweater to our cat Queen. Queen just had kittens out in the shed . My favorite sweater is now their bed. The girl in this poem is _ years old now. Answer: 5 Welcome to City Lit About us City Lit is London's influential destination for inspiring evening,daytime and weekend courses for adults.Each year we offer thousands of part-time courses,always trying to follow new trends and the passions and interests of our learners.Most of our classes take place in our bright,modern building in Covent Garden and are taught by inspiring tutors,all of whom are leading experts and elites in their field. Our courses City Lit offers you the biggest choice of part-time courses for adults in London.Our courses range from complete beginners to university level to meet your needs.Many lead to a nationally recognized qualification.Our courses run for about 12 weeks.Our courses regularly receive five-star reviews from our learners. How to enroll It's easy to book a place on a City Lit course.Just follow the steps below or ring our enrollment line on 020 783 1 7831 if you have any enrollment questions. 1.Select a course Choose a course from over 4,000 that suits your needs. The information and advice team are on hand to help you with information about courses, careers and financial support. Opening times:Term time:Weekdays 12:00-19:00 Non-term time:Weekdays 12:00-17:00 2.Check dates &availability Book in advance to avoid disappointment.Dates,days,times and availability are shown next to each course. 3.Choose enrollment method By phone:Phone 020 7831 7831;Mon.to Fri.09:00-19:00&Sat.10:00-16:00 In person:Term time:Mon.to Fri.11:00-19:00&Sat.10:00-14:00 Non-term time:Mon.to Fri.12.00-17.00 By post or fax:Some courses require an interview before your enrollment. You can also visit http:[?]www.citylit.ac.uk/enrol to know about the information. 4.Payment&confirmation You can pay by credit card,debit card,cheque or with cash(in person only). Please ring enrollments on 020 7831 7831 or visit our enrollment counter for more information. http:[?]www.citylit.ac.uk/enrol The main purpose of the passage is _ . Answer: to tell us some basic information on City Lit Many people believe the glare from snow causes snow-blindness. Yet, dark glasses or not , they find themselves suffering from headaches and watering eyes, and even snow-blindness, when exposed to several hours of "snow light". The United States Army has now determined that glare from snow does not cause snow-blindness in troops in a snow-covered country. Rather, a man's eyes frequently find nothing to focus on in a broad expanse of barren snow-covered terrain . So his gaze continually shifts and jumps back and forth over the entire landscape in search of something to look at. Finding nothing, hour after hour, the eyes never stop searching and the eyeballs become sore and the eye muscles ache. Nature eases this irritation by producing more fluid which covers the eyeball. The fluid covers the eyeball in increasing quantity until vision blurs , then is obscured , and the result is total, even though temporary, snow-blindness. Experiments led the Army to a simple method of overcoming this problem. Scouts ahead of a main body of troops are trained to shake snow from evergreen bushes, creating a dotted line as they cross completely snow-covered landscape. Even the scouts themselves throw lightweight, dark colored objects ahead on which they too can focus. The men following can then see something. Their gaze is arrested. Their eyes focus on a bush and having found something to see, stop scouring the snow-blanketed landscape. By focusing their attention on one object at a time, the men can cross the snow without becoming hopelessly snow-blind or lost. In this way the problem of crossing a solid white terrain is overcome. The scouts shake snow from evergreen bushes in order to _ . Answer: give the men behind something to see Volcanic eruptions early in Earth's history are believed to be responsible for a large proportion of the matter now found in which Earth structure? Answer: hydrosphere
Please do not leave your valuables in your room unattended. The hotel provides safe deposit boxes at the reception desk. When you leave the hotel, please put your key at the reception desk. PLEASE DO NOT TALK TO OR DISTRACT THE DRIVER WHEN THE BUS IS MOVING. PLEASE PAY EXACT FARE. The local government has advised skaters not to go out on the central pond today. There is a danger of the ice breaking. Skaters are advised to enjoy their sport at the local indoor ice rink instead SALE Sports fans Don't miss out! Tennis rackets - down to $15 Basketballs - down to $ 10 Aerobic wear - from just $ 10 Swimwear--from just $5 First five people in the store today will meet Yao Ming . Hotel Rendezvous 30 Kings Road Swindon UK 23/04/07 Mr. & Mrs. Biggs 80 Cuscaden Road London Dear Mr. & Mrs. Biggs, We are pleased to confirm your reservation as follows: Date:21-23 June (2 nights) Room: double Rate: $120 a night Bruce likes skating, he can't _ . Answer: skate at the local indoor ice rink Which animals live part of their lives in water and part on land, and go through metamorphosis? Answer: amphibians An owl is a bird with very large eyes. Those eyes make the owl look clever. The owl can not move its eyes freely as we can. It can only look straight ahead. If it wants to look at both sides, it must turn its neck. Owls make a strange noise because the owls sleep most of the day. They usually give their cries at night. The cry sounds like " Whoo! Whoo". This strange sound sometimes frightens people at might. The cry of an owl is _ . Answer: frightening President Barack Obama speaks as he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping over international security issues during the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, March 31, 2016. While they report slow progress over major disagreements, what do average citizens in those countries think about each other? A study by the Pew Research Center offers some answers. Only 38 percent of Americans said they have a positive view of China, according to a 2015 Pew survey. And in China, only 44 percent of people surveyed gave the United States a positive rating. Americans expressed concern about the large amount of U.S. debt held by China and the loss of jobs to China. Last year, the U.S. Treasury Department said China held $1.2 trillion in U.S. government debts. People polled in China said they believe the United States is trying to prevent China from becoming as powerful as the U.S. The views reflect some of the tensions between the nations' leaders. The United States has been strongly against China's construction of artificial islands and military facilities along the disputed South China Sea. And there have been disagreements over how to respond to recent North Korean nuclear and missile tests. A joint statement from U.S. and China after Thursday's Obama-Xi meeting said both countries agreed to work together on nuclear security. The Obama administration said China has agreed to sanctions to protest recent North Korean nuclear tests. But Xi expressed opposition to a new missile defense system for South Korea, according to Chinese media reports. Such a system is being considered by U.S. and South Korean leaders to protect South Korea from a North Korean attack. At the start of his meeting with Xi, Obama said, "Of great importance to both of us is North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, which threatens the security and stability of the region." Xi said China and the United States "have a responsibility to work together." As for issues dividing the two nations, Xi said both sides could "seek active solutions through dialogue and consultation." The two leaders met during a 53-nation conference on nuclear security in Washington, D.C. According to a 2015 Pew survey, _ . Answer: Neither country was given a high positive rating from each other. I am a native of Bangladesh-a country in Southeast Asia,next to India.I came to Winona State University(USA)in the fall of 1986 and transferred to St.Cloud in 1989.During my first semester in Winona,I had a roommate named Mike.The day after I arrived,he asked me if I wanted a pop. Back home we refer to carbonated drinks as cold drinks. So, when he asked me to have a pop,I thought he was referring to popcorn. I said,very politely,"No,thank you.I am not hungry." He had a puzzled look on his face, one that I did not figure out for at least a week or so until somebody pointed out to me that pop meant soda and had nothing to do with corn. Speaking of pop,my very first night at Winona State University,Bangladeshi students took me to a restaurant named Papa John's. I ordered my meal and finally asked for a Pepsi.The waitress handed me an aluminum can. Now,back home we have only bottled pop drinks,and the only time I was exposed to a can was on an airplane. However,those cans were a bit different because one could open it by pulling on the tab,which came off.Imagine my embarrassment as I tried to use the same technique at the restaurant.Obviously,the tab would not come off when I struggled with the can,and I spilled the pop all over the table. My fellow Bangladeshi students and a few others at the nearby tables got a good laugh out of this.Finally,one of them showed me how to use that device. Bangladeshi cuisine is definitely spicier and usually hotter than Midwestern food.I conveyed this to my American friends whenever we talked about cuisine.Well,last fall,I was down in Orono,Minnesota,at my friend Steve Haack's house.He had told his mother all these horror stories about how I loved "hot" food.So,when it was time for Sunday brunch,I found out how Steve's mother had decided to whet my appetite.She baked some spicy enchiladas ,and she had used one full 16-ounce can of jalapeno peppers. Talking about hot--this thing was a burning.As I was swallowing platefuls of it in front of them,the Haack family were busy pouring milk,juice,or cold water down their throats to cool off the burning,Steve's dad said,"After this,I am going to need a big cork to plug the hole in my stomach."So saying,he went for a second helping. We do not have any snow in Bangladesh,so my first encounter with snow was during the end of the year in 1986 in Winona.I came out of my dorm one morning,and it was snowing! It seemed like a shower of little white feathers.I tried to catch them,but they would melt away almost instantly--so light, so soft,and so white. I walked around the campus and it was hardly cold. Everything seemed quieter and softer. If I should ever go to heaven and have a chance to have a window with a view, this would probably be one of the scenes I would like to see. For the past five years,Minnesota has been my home away from home.During this time I have had my share of laughs and tears,achievements and disappointments. But looking back on all these years,I can say today that if I had to do it all over again,I wouldn't change a thing. It can be inferred from the passage that_. Answer: the author enjoyed the quiet of snowfall
What is the hottest English word these years? "Selfie" may be one of them. It was even named Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionaries in 2013. The word was first used in an Australian online forum in 2002. Now, almost everybody knows it. Selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself. People usually take selfies with a smart phone and send them to a social media website. Nowadays, more and more people are taking selfies. From your best friend to your favorite pop star, selfies are taking over Renren and Sina Weibo. What makes people love selfies? Selfies can help to remember what's going on in their personal life. "Almost every day, I take a photo of myself at school, and save it in my Qzone. These photos record my happy and sad moments." said Huang Xu, 16, from Hunan. Another usual reason for taking a selfie is to share online. They hope to make friends and share their feelings with others. "During summer vacation, my classmates and I shared many selfies online. Through these photos, we got to know each other's holidays and feelings," said Wang Lin, 15, from Henan. "I'm too shy to ask someone to take pictures of me, but it's easier to do it by myself." Although taking selfies is popular among young people around the world, they should be careful at the places where they take selfies. People are warned not to take light-hearted selfies in serious places, such as in some traffic accidents. In order to protect art works, selfie is _ in some museums and galleries, too. We probably see the passage in a (an) _ . A. science book B. magazine for teenager C. instruction book D. English dictionary Answer: B. magazine for teenager Jack drives a school bus.His bus is different from other school buses because it doesn't carry children.Jack's bus takes dogs to school in the morning and brings them home at night.Jack takes the dogs to "The Dog School".There four men teach the dogs to obey and protect their owners.All kinds of dogs go to the school--large dogs,small dogs,young dogs and old dogs Jack says that young dogs are the easiest to teach,but the old ones can learn,too. Do you have a dog? Maybe it would like to go to "The Dog School". At night the dogs sleep _ . A. on a bus B. at a hospital C. at the school D. in their own home Answer: D. in their own home Teenagers who turn off the TV and sit down to family meals are less likely to suffer eating disorders . A study has connected eating together with lower rates of bulimia and anorexia . Teens used to eating around the table are less likely to take up smoking to lose weight. Researcher Barbara said, "The common belief is that teens don't want to be around their parents very much, and that teens are just too busy to have regular meals with the family." The study shows happy families have teenagers who eat with their parents often. These teens have less bad diet or dangerous eating habits. "Parents may not be able to get their family together around the table seven days a week, but if they can prepare three family meals a week, this will have a big impact on the health of teens," Professor Fiese spoke out after reviewing 17 studies on eating ways and nutrition of almost 200,000 children and teenagers. She found that teens who eat at least five meals a week with their families are 35% less likely to be "disordered eaters". The definition of disordered eating is eating too much, or eating at wrong times too often or eating very little and smoking to lose weight. Even three family meals a week helped, with youngsters 12% less likely to be overweight than those who ate with their family less often. Teens can also use family meals as a time to _ . They were also 24% more likely to eat healthy foods and have healthy eating habits than those who didn't share three meals with their family. Professor Fiese said, "Family meals give them a place where they can go regularly to check in with their parents and express themselves freely." In the past American research found children who miss out on family meals are much more likely to fight at school, drink and take drugs . ,. What may be the reason why teens don't have meals with their family? A. They are too busy to have meals. B. They have to have meals at school. C. They don't want to be with their family very much. D. They don't like the meals their parents make for them. Answer: C. They don't want to be with their family very much. We all want our skin to look good. If your skin is clear and healthy, it makes you feel better about yourself. How do you get great skin? Here arc some suggestions. Protect your skin against the sun. * If you are going outside, especially in the sun, you'd better put on sun cream about half an hour before going out in summer. * Wear a hat to protect your face. * Stay in the shade whenever you can. How to wash your skin? * Wash your body all over once a day. Use mild soap and warm water. * Wash the soap off, as it may hurt your skin. * Wash your face by using a facecloth and cleaning cream, and then wash with cool water. Twice a day is enough. What else should you do? * Remember to drink lots of water-your skin loves it. * Regular exercise is good for your skin. * Eat healthily so that your skin can get what it needs to do its job. According to the passage, you can use _ water to wash your body. A. cool B. hot C. warm D. cold Answer: C. warm When you are traveling, it's vital to know about the customs and etiquette(,)of the global village. What we consider polite behavior at home isn't always accepted outside our borders. * Etiquette of Gift Giving Gift giving should be a happy, positive experience. When selecting a present for someone in Netherlands, don't purchase fancy kitchen knives or scissors. Giving sharp, pointy objects as gifts is considered unlucky. Be careful when presenting flowers to a friend or a business partner in Russia. Yellow blooms suggest cheat or a relationship break up. Traditionally, red carnations are placed on the tombs of the dead. Writing cards or notes while visiting South Korea, be mindful of your pen's ink color1. Writing a person's name in red ink traditionally suggests that the person has passed away--an important point to remember when giving a birthday card. * Eating Customs Being early or on time is viewed as being rude, too eager or even greedy in Venezuela. If you are invited to someone's home for a meal, it's recommended that you arrive 10 minutes later than the requested time. When having a meal in Egypt, don't use the salt shaker . It's insulting to your host to spread salt on your food, which means that you find the meal terrible. Japan is a very polite nation, and their fondness for etiquette extends to the use of chopsticks. According to Japanese custom, if you're in the middle of eating, use the opposite end of your chopsticks to secure food from a shared plate. When doing business in Turkey, it's the custom for your host to pay for your meal. Requests to split the bill won't be accepted. If you would like to pay your fair share, Turks recommend inviting your host to a follow-up meal. Which of the following is tree according to the passage? A. You can use blue ink to write notes to your friend from South Korea. B. Giving a fancy kitchen knife to a friend from Russia is a good choice. C. Dining with Japanese, one can use either end of the chopsticks to get food from shared plates. D. Invited to a meal, one should arrive earlier to show respect for the host. Answer: A. You can use blue ink to write notes to your friend from South Korea.
Japan's All Nippon Airways, which has asked passengers to visit the toilet before boarding to help the environment, said Tuesday it will fit its jets with a women-only lavatory . ANA will introduce one female-only toilet per aircraft on international flights next month after a survey of women fliers identified it was the second most attractive service they wished for after being offered desserts. The rest of the toilets onboard will be for men and women as usual. "We received many comments that having a women-only lavatory would be a factor in differentiating our airline from others," said an NAN spokesman. "Many women said that they feel uncomfortable taking their time in the lavatory knowing that a male is waiting just behind them in line," he said. The spokesman denied that the new service was introduced following complaints about men soiling the bathrooms, telling reporters: "Those opinions may exist, but we do not have that data on hand". Since 2006 ANA has pursued a one - month awareness campaign each year in which it asks fliers on 38 flights and four international flights to visit the bathroom before boarding to reduce their body weight and therefore cut he plane's carbon-dioxide emissions. The airline is also planning to install "washlets" in it's aircraft-electric toilet seats with water sprays for washing-a common sight in Japan and generally a source of amusement for first-time visitors and users. The "washlets" will be installed in the Boeing777-300ER,due to begin operating in April, and the Boeing 787 fleet set to start flying this year. What would be the best title of the passage? A Women and men are equal on ANA's flights. B Women- only lavatories will be installed on ANA's flights. C Visiting the bathroom before boarding to protect environment. D ANA has pursued a one- month awareness campaign. Answer: B Colin walked slowly home from school. He looked across the hills at the little Irish fishing village. It did not seem like Christmas Eve. Perhaps this was because it still had not snowed. But Colin knew there was another reason--a reason he did not dare whisper even in his heart. He looked toward the sea. There was no ship. And seven days ago his father's fishing boat hadn't gone home in time. "I'll bring you a small sheep dog from the Shetland Isles," Colin's father told him the morning he left. But now it was Christmas Eve. Colin looked toward the lighthouse, high on the hill. For seven days, there had been no light to guide his father's ship. Colin pushed open the door of his cottage. "We'll need more peat for the fire, Colin," said his mother as he entered. "It has burned itself out. And it's near time to light the Christmas candle. Everybody in Ireland lights a candle on Christmas Eve, even when there's sadness in the house. It shows that your house and heart are open to strangers. I've two candles, one for each of us. If you gather some peat, we'll be ready for supper soon." Colin nodded and went outside. He led their donkey up the hill. But while he was staring at the lighthouse, Colin had an idea. He came to the lighthouse and knocked on the door. Mr. Duffy, the keeper, opened the door. "What's up, young man?" "Mr. Duffy," said Colin, "what did you use to light the lighthouse?" "Well, we used an oil lamp. But we've no oil to burn." "Maybe kerosene would do," suggested Colin. "Well, I suppose," Mr. Duffy thought. "But you wouldn't find even a little spare kerosene in this village. Everyone is so poor ..." Colin was gone before Mr. Duffy could finish his sentence. He ran back to the cottage. Then he ran out with four buckets. Colin could see candles glowing in nearly every cottage in the valley. A candle on Christmas Eve meant that a stranger would be welcome and given whatever he asked. He didn't stop running until he came to the first house. "Could you spare me just a half cup of kerosene from your lamp?" he asked. Colin went to every house where a candle was shining . In one hour he had filled two buckets. Slowly and painfully he carried them up to the lighthouse door. "What's this?" Mr. Duffy asked. "This won't keep the lamp burning for more than an hour or so." "I'll get more!" Colin shouted as he started down the hill. After three more long hours, Colin had gathered five more buckets of kerosene. He was on his way with the sixth pail, when the tower suddenly shone with light. The light spread toward the dark heart of the sea like a finger pointing home. Mr. Duffy had lighted the lamp! It was very late when Colin reached home. His mother jumped from her seat near the fire. "Colin, where have you been? You've had no supper, nor lighted your candle!" "Oh, mom! I've lighted a candle, and it's a big one!" Colin slept soundly that night, dreaming of candles. Suddenly, a loud shout aroused him from his sleep. "The boat! The boat was just different in the fog, lost." Colin rushed to the window. His mother was running toward the harbor. It was true! There floated his father's boat. Colin ran across the yard and raced to the harbor. He felt a wet wind on his face. It was beginning to snow. Oh, it was Christmas morning all right, falling right from heaven and into his heart! What would be the best title for the passage? A Colin's Christmas candle B A particular Christmas Eve C A light in Colin's heart D A father's fishing experience Answer: A With another invention in use, viewers will be also able to watch TV while walking to the office, taking a bus or simply waiting in line for lunch. A Beijing-based company named Innofidei Inc. claims to have developed the first mobile TV chip for the market, which can change hundreds of thousands of mobiles into micro-TVs. With this chip, people can receive TV signals on their phones and watch programs without any time or space limitations."As long as the handset terminal has a colored screen and a battery, our chip can turn it into a mobile TV," said Meng Fei, director of Innofidei's business development department. The chip can be placed into a cell phone, a PDA, an MP4, a digital camera or even a laptop. He said that this, together with plans by China's state broadcaster, would ensure the 2008 Games lives up to its promise as a "People's Olympics". "Our chips are cheap so that cell phones with them will not be much different in price from regular phones," Meng said. "CCTV will offer some free channels during the Games, so people can enjoy the Olympics for free." SARFT is planning to build a regional test network in Beijing and hopes to start trials as soon as possible. The goal is to deploy CMMB on a national level by the first half of 2008. Innofidei is now busy selling their chips to cell phone makers so that the new generation of phones reaches the market in early 2008. "Our invention successfully combines the good points of the two best-selling consumer products in history--TV sets and cell phones, " said Meng. "In the near future, soccer fans won't be tearing their hair out because they are stuck in traffic and missing the chance to see their favorite team's play." Local baseball fans, meanwhile, will be able to draw comfort from the knowledge that--both at the Olympics and afterwards--their teams will be playing on a field designed to help recycle water. We can infer from the passage that _ . A we cannot buy a mobile TV before the 2008 Olympic Games. B soccer fans will be angry when they miss the chance to see a TV program. C the baseball field will play a part in helping recycle water. D the invention of the chip successfully combines TV sets and cell phones. Answer: C In Canada you can find dogs,cats,horses,etc.in almost every family.These are their pets.People love these pets and have them as their good friends.Before they keep them in their houses,they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections so that they won't carry disease.They have special animal food stores,though they can get animal food in almost every kind of store.Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food.When you visit people's houses,they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them.You will also find that almost every family has a bird feeder in their garden.All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal.They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada.They have a law against killing wild animals.If you killed an animal,you would be punished.If an animal happened to get run over by a car,people would be very sad about it. People in Canada have many reasons to like animals.One of them might be:Their family ties are not as close as ours.When children grow up, they leave their parents and start their own life.Then the old will feel lonely.But pets can solve this problem.They can be good friends and never leave them alone.(242) The passage mainly talks about_. A how to keep disease from pets B pets in Canada C how to take good care of pets D life of the old in Canada Answer: B The Outdoor Centre Opening times Water sports: 10 a.m. -- 6 p.m. Play Park: 10 a.m. -- 5:30 p.m. Windsurfing -- One-day course Beginner windsurfing courses are offered on Saturdays and Sundays when the weather is good enough. Learning to windsurf is a lot of fun. The excitement when you sail across the water for the first time is not easily forgotten. Boards with small sails are available for beginners. Course fee: PS32 for adults; PS16 for children under 16 (this includes all equipment) One-day adventure course This is the opportunity you have been waiting for. Come and try sailing, climbing, surfing and archery . This course is intended to introduce outdoor activities to adults in a fun and leisurely manner. You do not need to be very fit or to have previous experience with the activities. All you need is to be interested. Course fee: PS22.50 Play Park The Play Park is suitable for children from two to ten years of age. It is one of the best of its type in the country. It has sand and water playgrounds, slides, large pool balls, a play castle and much, much more. Next year the center will open Play Palace and Play Ship. Summer adventure holidays Sailing, Climbing, Windsurfing, Fun Games Fee: PS50 for adults; PS30 for children under 16 Statement: Safety is of primary importance at the Outdoor Center. All staff members are fully trained in first aid, and qualified to teach the activities on offer. We also make sure that all children only take part in activities that are suitable for their ages and physical abilities. For this programme children must be able to swim 25 metres and be in good physical health. From the passage we can see that One-day adventure course _ . A costs more than the other activities B is the most dangerous of all C is not open to children D requires some experience Answer: C
On a hot African morning, Leila was lying on her stomach and an elephant was walking towards her. Leila waited. Then she pushed the button on her camera. "And I got my best photo of an elephant ever, by lying under my car," Leila explained. "I wanted to get close to the elephants, but of course this was dangerous; they had their babies with them. So every morning I used to park my car in the open near the path . They used to take the same path every morning when they left the water hole. After a week, they were used to seeing my car. So the next morning, I lay under it and got my photo!" Many of the best wildlife photos come from good planning. In Africa, photographers set up their hides near water holes. They also set up hides near forest paths, as animals use the same paths every night. For bird-watching, many lakes have hides. Inside the hides, bird-watchers can watch all day in the shade out of the wind and rain. Good wildlife photos are needed for books, postcards, magazines and newspapers. But a success rate of 1 in 20 is good. Why did Leila lie under her car on the stomach? Come to Austria! Soll is a village in the mountains in western Austria. The Post Hotel, opened by a local family, is clean and not expensive. From the hotel you can see the whole village, the forest and the mountains. Temperatures in summer are usually 20degCto 25degCin the daytime, but much cooler at night. Enjoy Thailand! When you visit Bangkok in Thailand, do not miss the early morning river boat trip to the Floating Market just outside the city. There you will find many kinds of fruits and vegetables. There you can pay for them when you sit in your boat. Don't forget your hat and sunglasses: the sun can be strong and it may be as hot as 40degCat noon! Visit Hawaii! Maybe the most beautiful place in Hawaii is Kauai. You can visit its long, sandy beaches in the south and west of the island, and mountains and forests in the north, but be careful: there are many mosquitoes , and don't be surprised if it rains in the center of the land. Daytime temperatures there are usually around 24degCto 26degCby the sea, and only a little cooler in late evening. There are _ in the north of Kauai. The planets aren't the only wanderers of the sky. There're some things even farther and longer. Long after people were no longer afraid of planets, they still thought the comets were bad objects that traveled in the sky. They were afraid that the comets would suddenly land on the earth and hurt them. But, in fact, even if a comet did hit the earth, nothing much happened. A comet is really a harmless thing. Comets have round heads and long tails , and they are very bright. Sometimes they look like heads with long hair flying with them. That's why they're called comets. Comet means long-haired. Like the stars and planets, comets are far away. But we can know its size. The head of a small comet is as wide as the Pacific Ocean. And a big comet's head is ten times as big as the earth. Its tail is millions of kilometers long. Then why wouldn't the great big thing hurt us if it hit the earth? Because it isn't solid. It's thin like cloud. Its tail is nothing but bright gas. And its head is made of small pieces and they could not hurt the earth. Some comets can be seen for a few months. Then they go away. Some of them come back in a certain number of years. Some are never seen again. Perhaps these comets that never return have broken into pieces. For some _ think that shooting stars are pieces of broken comets. From the passage we know the tails of comets are made of _ . It is an odd coincidence that in the year when the Oxford English Dictionary is being put on to a computer, which will be able to read all of it in 10 minutes, we should also be celebrating the bicentenary of the death of the last man to write an English dictionary only with single-handed-Dr. Samuel Johnson. Johnson's dictionary took him eight years from 1747 to 1755, working in the attic of his prefix = st1 /Londonhome, now one of the city's tourist sights. Then, it was like a counting house with his copyists on high stools, transcribing the works and their illustrative contexts, which he had underlined in his wide range of reading. He had six assistants and finished his task in eight years. The editor of the Oxford dictionary had 25 lexicographers to assist him and, although the first volume was published in 1884, the last supplement would not be ready until next year-101 years later. The present editor, Robert Burchfield, had put 28 years into it. Yet Johnson's dictionary was still being used until the Oxford dictionary replaced it, and it was regularly reprinted long after his death in 1784. It was written, he said, to refine the English language,"to clear it from colloquial barbarisms and licentious idioms." It certainly bore the stamp of one man's personality. Many of his definitions show his sense of humor. "Novel", for instance, is defined as "a small tale, generally of love", and"dull" is illustrated by the sentence:"To make dictionaries is a dull work." Which of the following is not true? Briana, a student at John Fenwick School in Salem County, US, has a lot of free time. The 13-year-old girl used to hang out on the streets after school. "I know it wasn't good, but I really had nothing else to do," Briana said. Briana was not alone. Many kids in her city had too much free time and nothing to do. To solve this problem, four school districts in Salem began a program called Big Brothers/Big Sisters. The program helps students make good use of their after-school time. Big Brothers/Big Sisters invites _ to help students in grades 6 to 8 build healthy relationships and take part in productive activities. The "Littles" and the "Bigs" are nicknames for students and mentors. Most mentors are teachers. The "Bigs" and "Littles" usually meet once a week. They play games, share stories and go on trips. The program has already helped many Salem students. Briana's mentor is the school principal , Syeda Woods. Woods took Briana ice-skating, to pizza parties and for a visit to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. "When I got out, I saw that Salem is a very small place," Briana said. "The program helps me experience the outside world and see many new things." Kathy Jennings, 13, said she was very shy before, but now is much more open. "In the program, I see my mentor as a big sister, not a teacher. I can tell her anything," Jennings said. "And she has taught me a lot about making good decisions. I think it will make a big difference in my life." The program of Big Brothers/Big Sisters is designed for _ .
WASHINGTON--There are more than 222 million TVs in American homes. And it would make Frank Vespe very happy this week if every one was turned off. Vespe is head of the TV--Turnoff Network, the Washington organization behind TV Turnoff Week. For TV Turnoff week, American kids are encouraged to go one week without watching TV. This year it runs from April 23 to 29. "Our real meassage here is to see what lift is like without TV and then make watching TV a conscious decision,"said Vespe. Vespe said that most of the kids who go without television for a week go back to watching, but not as much."They watch more selectively. They do more things as a family. It helps them put TV in its place. One kid who is turning off her television is Sarah Foote, 9, of Virginia." Sarah admits it won't be too hard to give up TV. She's allowed to watch only educational television, and her favourite show from last year isn't on any more. Of course, there are plenty of good things about TV: programmes can be entertaining, even educational. Even so, some experts aren't sure TV Turnoff Week is the answer. "Too much TV is not good. A little bit of TV for young kids is good because it adds to their vocabulary. The bottom line is moderation ,"says Susan Neuman, a university educator who studies kids and reading. Neuman says the real problem is that parents do not keep track of what their kids are watching. They do not set limits on TV viewing. Also, in some families, TV might be the only thing there is to do. What message does Sarah have for other kids? "It's a very good idea. I survived a whole week without TV. It also teaches you to enjoy time doing different things and not being sucked into something on TV, because you do not want TV taking up all of your time,"Sarah said. As Vespe said in this passage, turning off TV a week can help children_. A forget to watch TV programmes B improve their habits of watching TV C place TV sets out of their bedrooms D have part-time jobs after school Answer: B. improve their habits of watching TV Homosexual couples in New York are being married for the first time after Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law permitting same-sex marriage in the state last month. But such marriages, though now legal in New York, remain controversial . So many couples wanted to be married on Sunday, the first day of legal homosexual marriage in New York City, that local officials announced a lottery to determine qualification. New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, herself openly gay, witnessed the first two ceremonies of same-sex marriage. She says the same-sex marriage law supports equality. "A law that says every family is as good as every other family; that every family is based on love, and is exactly the way God wants it to be," she said. Margie Phelps announced same-sex marriage as a crime against God. She and other Christians from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas came halfway across the country to say marriage is defined by Holy Bible. "The pattern is one man and one woman for life to have children who you raise in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," she said. David Schwartz, a traditional Jew, believes every human being has free choice and the power to rule over their desires. He considers homosexual desire to be wrong. "There's one God in heaven and earth, and he has ordered for all mankind that they should limit their affections to relationships between a man and a woman in the context of marriage," he said. Douglas Robinson and his partner of 25 years, Michael Elsasser, were in the first group to be married in Manhattan. Robinson says the United States allows religious views to coexist with(...) what he believes is a civil right of same-sex marriage. "You can have different opinions. This is a tent, some people call it a mixture of various different cultures and opinions and the like, so God bless America, and we are proud to be Americans," he said. Margie Phelps believes God will punish New York City for permitting what she believes to be moral decay. Meanwhile, Nevin Cohen and Daniel Hernandez showed off their marriage certificate. But they said they will not be going on a honeymoon. They say they need to be at work in New York on Monday. According to the passage, same-sex marriage _ . A has raised a storm of objections and all the Americans object to it B is legal and accepted by the public in USA C is permitted in New York now, but still remains controversial D is merely legal in New York and Manhattan Answer: C. is permitted in New York now, but still remains controversial A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane gas from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking. Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas, Martin Orrill, said customers wouldn't notice any difference as the gas is purified to the highest standard and has no smell. The gas is produced at a sewage treatment works plant in Didcot. The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks. The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria digest the sewage, with the aid of enzymes to speed up the process. The digestion process produces methane, which can be burned to drive machines to produce electricity, or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity. Partners in the Didcot project, British Gas, Scotia Gas Networks, and Thames Water, all hope to expand the process to other towns, and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned. One of these projects, in Manchester, could be supplying 500 homes with biomethane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery wastes to around 235 families. The Didcot project cost PS2.5m and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies. An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020. The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually. If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology, they could supply gas for up to 350,000 families. Which of the following is true of the biomethane gas? A It's mainly made from rotting plants. B It's an environmentally friendly gas. C Its production process is too long. D It's easily recognized by the customers. Answer: B. It's an environmentally friendly gas. Gail Mirabella works as a dog trainer for a circus . She used to train her dogs to do _ when she was a kid. Finally, her hobby turned into her job. Several days ago, she talked to Time Magazine reporter, Cameron Young, about her love for dogs. Reporter: Did you always want to be a dog trainer in a circus? Mirabella: When I was a little kid, I did my first dog show, a kid's dog show. And I took first place . From then on, I knew I wanted to work with dogs, but who would know I'd be in a circus? Reporter: Did you have any dogs growing up? Mirabella: Of course. I had a white dog when I was a little baby. Three years later, it died. And then we got two family dogs. On my fourteenth birthday, my uncle bought me a dog. It was a big dog. Reporter: How long does it take you to train a dog, one month, half a year or one year? Mirabella: That depends on the dog. I have thirteen dogs and I let them all play together, but I do a lot of special work with each dog. They know I am their owner because I do all the feeding. Reporter: If you aren't a dog trainer, what will you be? Mirabella: A dog. Just joking. I will probably still work with animals. Who bought Mirabella a dog for her 14th birthday? A Her grandpa's brother. B Her brother. C Her father's brother. D Her cousin. Answer: C. Her father's brother. The word "death" is a word many Chinese friends tell me I should not say aloud. They advise me to avoid the word because only speaking of it may bring ill fortune. I deeply believe, however, that to know how to live, we must also know how to die. The problem is how we talk about death. Like everyone in Taiwan this week, I have had "Tomb Sweeping Day". I am proud to be part of a people whose culture sends millions of families to cemeteries on this special day to share memories and endless love. Today, eight days after the death of Pope John Paul II, millions of people of all backgrounds still grieve his passing away. He was a deeply human person who knew how to laugh and show emotions, a writer with a gift for words a leader who appealed to us by the sheer light of his love for life. On the same day and only hours before the Holy Father left us, a friend of mine named Veronica McBride died of cancer in a small Wisconsin city. My friend Veronica was 52 years old. She was an attractive, humorous young woman who, as the saying goes, "never married". She published several humor books with her mother, Mary McBride. She enjoyed traveling, and for years sent Christmas card photos of herself standing beside monuments or odd animals. She fought cancer for five years. She joked about her treatment keeping her pretty because it kept her thin, and told me she didn't mind losing her hair because of . "I get to wear nice wigs!" The last time I saw Veronica was when I visited her family on a sunny day in August in 2003. When she burst into the front door later and saw me in the living room, she ignored me completely in her hurry to hug her newest baby nephew, leaving me shaking my head in laughter at her. As we look to the significance of the Holy Father and his life, surely we must also keep our eyes open to see the wonder and goodness in ordinary people who show us how to live and how to die. The purpose of the article is _ . A to memorize his friend Veronica B to talk about the significance of life and death C to teach us how to face life and death D to compare his friend and the Holy Father Pope John Paul II Answer: C. to teach us how to face life and death
Scientists at Harvard University and Bates College find female chimpanzees appear to treat sticks as dolls, carrying them around until they have children of their own. Young males engage in such behavior much less frequently. The new work by Sonya M. Kahlenberg and Richard W. Wrangham, described this week in the journal Current Biology, provides the first evidence of a wild nonhuman species playing with dolls, as well as the first known sex difference in a wild animal's choice of playthings. The two researchers say their work adds to a growing body of evidence that human children are probably born with their own ideas of how they want to behave, rather than simply mirroring other girls who play with dolls and boys who play with trucks. Doll play among humans could have its origins in object--carrying by earlier apes , they say, suggesting that toy selection is probably not due entirely to socialization. "In humans, there are obvious sex differences in children's toy play, and these are remarkably similar across cultures," says Kahlenberg. "While socialization by elders and peers has been the primary explanation, our work suggests that biology may also have an important role to play in activity preferences." In 14 years of data on chimpanzee behavior at the Kibale National Park in Uganda, Kahlenberg and Wrangham counted more than 100 examples of stickcarrying. Some young chimpanzees carried sticks into the nest to sleep with them and on one occasion built a separate nest for the stick. "We have seen juveniles occasionally carrying sticks for many years, and because they sometimes treated them rather like dolls, we wanted to know if in general this behavior tended to represent something like playing with dolls," says Wrangham, a Professor at Harvard. "If the doll hypothesis was right, we thought that females should carry sticks more than males do, and that the chimpanzees should stop carrying sticks when they had their first child. We have now watched enough young chimpanzees to prove both points." What does a female chimpanzee do with sticks? She treats them as dolls. For several days I saw little of Mr. Rochester. In the morning he seemed much occupied with business, and in the afternoon gentlemen from the neighborhood called and sometimes stayed to dine with him. When his foot was well enough, he rode out a great deal,and all my knowledge of him was limited to occasional meetings about the house, when he would sometimes pass me coldly, and sometimes bow and smile. His changes of manner did not offend me, because I saw that I had nothing to do with the cause of them. One evening, several days later, I was invited to talk to Mr. Rochester after dinner. There was a smile on his lips, and his eyes were bright, probably with wine. As I was looking at him, he suddenly turned, and asked me, "Do you think I'm handsome, Miss Eyre?" The answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I realized it: "No, sir." "Ah, you really are unusual! You are a quiet, serious little person, but you can be almost rude." "Sir, I'm sorry. I should have said that beauty doesn't matter, or something like that." "No, you shouldn't! I see, you criticize my appearance, and then you stab me in the back! You have honesty and feeling. There are not many girls like you." I thought to myself that he might have too. He seemed to read my mind, and said quickly, "Yes, you're right. I have plenty of faults. I went the wrong way when I was twenty-one, and have never found the right path again. I might have been as good as you, and perhaps wiser. I am not a bad man, take my word for it, but I have done wrong. It wasn't my character, but circumstances that were to blame. Why do I tell you all this? Because you're the sort of person people tell their problems and secrets to, and because you're sympathetic and give them hope." It seemed he had quite a lot to talk to me. He didn't seem to like to finish the talk quickly, as was the case for the first time. "Don't be afraid of me, Miss Eyre." He continued, "you don't relax or laugh very much, perhaps because of the effect Lowood school has had on you. But in time you will be more natural with me, and laugh, and speak freely. You're like a bird in a cage. When you get out of the cage, you'll fly very high." From what Mr. Rochester told Miss Eyre, we can infer that he wanted to _ . tell her his life experience Ted Turner, achieved high goals and great success by the time he was 43. Best known for his CNN, Ted Turner launched a second nationwide all-news network, Headline News, purchased the Atlanta Braves baseball team, and became the world's best yachtsman at the America's Cup in 1977. In 1982 Ted Turner was named by Forbes one of the 400 richest people in the US. He was named Time magazine's "Man of the Year" in 1992. How did Ted Turner accomplish all of this at such a young age? Ted Turner's father, Ed, was a self-made millionaire who demanded that his only son try to achieve similar success. He instilled in the boy a strong belief that hard work was good. Besides reading a new book every two days, Ted Turner was also charged rent at home during summer vacations from boarding school. Ed Turner was a strong influence in his son's life. As a child, Ted Turner lived a very lonely life, often separated from his family. During World War II, his father served in the Navy. Ed Turner took his wife and daughter with him so they could live nearby but left his 6yearold son behind in a boarding school in Cincinnati, Ohio. When Ted Turner was in the fifth grade, his father enrolled him in a military academy. Even though Turner had friends at school, it didn't make up for the absence of his parents and sister. Eventually Ted Turner enrolled at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He attended college off and on, became involved in sailboat racing, and became a member of the U.S. Coast Guard for a while. In his early twenties, he became general manager of one of his father's branch offices -- the Turner Advertising Company in Macon, Georgia. Two years later after his father's suicide, Ted Turner took over the company. He soon discovered that he was more skilled than his father in managing the business. During the next twenty years, Ted Turner worked hard to accumulate enough power and money to fulfill his father's dream. Reflecting on his father's death, however, Ted Turner realized that it was dangerous to put too much emphasis on material possessions. He decided to use his hard-earned influence to serve the public. Concerned about the environment, Ted Turner established the Better World Society in 1985. The purpose of this organization was to produce documentaries to educate people about pollution, hunger, and the danger of building weapons of mass destruction. In 1986 Turner began sponsoring the Goodwill Games to promote world peace. The Turner Tomorrow Awards were created to encourage writers and thinkers to focus their attention on solving world problems. The Turner Family Foundation was established in 1992. Which of the following best describes an important change in Ted Turner's life? H e revised his view of the world and his responsibility in it. Mr. Green works in a high school. He likes reading and often borrows some books from the library. He keeps reading newspapers after supper. So he knows much and teaches well. His students loves him very much. Mike, his little son, is only nine. He also likes reading books. And he often asks his father some questions. Mr. Green always answers difficult ones. One day Mike read something about phones and he was interested in it. He asked his father a few questions, and his father answered all. His father said, " Fathers always know much, but sons always know little!" The boy thought for a minute and said," I don't agree with you." "Oh? Why?" Mike didn't answer but asked, "Who invented the phone?" "Bell." answered Mr. Green. "Why didn't his father invent them?" Looking at his son, Mr. Green didn't know how to answer it. From the story ,we know that Mike is a _ boy. clever 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. Britons stranded at sea or in flooded homes could find a real-life prince riding to their rescue. Prince William announced on Monday that he is to train to be a full-time pilot with the Royal Air Force's Search and Rescue Force (SARF). William, who is currently a Lieutenant in the Army's Household Cavalry Regiment , will transfer to the RAF and begin an 18-month training course in January 2009. If successful, he will become a fully operational Search and Rescue pilot in 2010, flying Sea King helicopters at one of the six SARF units based in Britain. "The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying," the prince, who spent two weeks with a SARF team while on work experience in 2005, said in a statement. "Joining Search and Rescue is a perfect opportunity for me to serve in the Forces operationally, while contributing to a vital part of the country's Emergency Services." It means he will follow a similar career to that of his uncle, Prince Andrew, who was a Sea King helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands war. The Search and Rescue teams' main duty is to recover RAF personnel but in peacetime they mainly respond to civilian emergencies, dealing with more than 1,000 calls a year. The units deal with incidents ranging from helping those trapped by sudden major floods to rescuing people lost while out walking on hills. William, who has spent the last year on secondment to the various branches of the military to prepare for his future role as head of the armed forces, received his RAF wings following a four-month stint with the service earlier this year. However, his time with the RAF was clouded when the Defense Ministry was forced to fend off criticism for allowing the prince to fly military helicopters to a bachelor party for his cousin and to the family home of his girlfriend Kate Middleton. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . either Andrew or William is interested in flying
Beijing's broadened ban on smoking in public places took effect Thursday, adding force to the effort to hold a smoke-free Olympics. The new rules extend existing anti-smoking regulations to more places, including fitness centers, cultural relic sites, offices, meeting rooms, dining halls, toilets and lifts. Restaurants, Internet cafes, parks, and waiting halls at airports, railway stations and coach stations are required to set up smoking areas. Hotels will have to offer smoke-free rooms or floors, but the regulations do not specify a proportion. However, some restaurant owners have complained that it would be difficult to have a separate smoking room as required by the new regulations. "We plan to issue specific rules to solve this problem as soon as possible," Rao Yingsheng, vice-director of the Beijing Committee for Patriotic Public Health Campaign, was quoted by the Beijing News as saying Thursday. He said small restaurants without a separate room should set aside at least 70 percent of their area for non-smokers. He also said customers and restaurant owners would be asked for their thoughts on the new rule. Local authorities dispatched about 100,000 inspectors to make sure the ban was being enforced Thursday. Everyone has the right to dissuade people from smoking in public places, Liu Zejun, who works for the Beijing committee, said. "Citizens are encouraged to expose those who refuse to obey the rule by calling the free telephone line 12320," Liu said. People caught smoking in forbidden areas will be fined 10 yuan ($1.40), while enterprises and institutions that violate the ban will face fines of between 1,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan. Smoking was forbidden in hospitals, kindergartens, schools, museums, sports venues and other places before the new regulations took effect. From Oct 1 last year, the city also banned smoking in its 66,000 cabs, and imposed fines of 100 yuan to 200 yuan on drivers caught smoking in taxis. China has pledged a cigarette-free, green Olympics. This year's event will be the first non-smoking Olympic Games since the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), of which China is a signatory , went into effect in 2005. The passage mainly tells us _ . A. There will be more places where smoking is forbidden. B. More people should give up smoking. C. Broadened ban on smoking in public places took effect in order to set up a non-smoking Olympic Games. D. Those who smoke at public places will be fined. Answer: C Certain moths are able to experience incomplete metamorphosis by A. skipping cocooning B. eating more fruit C. flying further D. breeding quickly Answer: A Actually we have known a lot of examples and meaningful words to support the fact that we should try our best to ease the bad impression of others. Just like the old saying goes, we should give a better assumption to the one than we think he was. But many of us always fail to do this. Take the situation of my class for example. Right at the beginning of the first semester when we were freshmen we all showed great favor to each other. And when there was an activity that needed some people to join, we would be willing to attend whether it was interesting or not. And we were really like brothers and sisters, and our class was just like a family, a warm family. But now, I feel tired of those meaningless activities not only because of the boring activities themselves but also the cool response of our classmates. I think the reasons why the passion of most classmates is so low may be as follows: To start with, many of us take part in more than one organization, which will certainly make us tired. Also, in the study fields, many of us may find that our courses are sometimes difficult to understand or comprehend, especially the specialized subjects. Moreover, "history" teaches us that if one does not study hard, it is possible to fail in the exams. So it is a big and good excuse to say that "I do really want to attend, but I have a lot of homework to do, so..." Last but not least, some people believe that some of our leaders should not be regarded as a leader, maybe I should say we, as leaders, lost the reputation, support and trust of yours. At least I am the warm-hearted one, although I cannot promise you that your advice will be adopted surely, at least I will spare no effort to "give" you the right to be heard, and to serve you. Be active to show your talents and abilities and to create a better image of our class. Most important of all, work painstakingly for a better condition that we should have reached. We can infer from the passage that the writer must be _ . A. a supporter of activities B. a responsible teacher C. a top student in class D. a devoted class leader Answer: D A small man with a fat stomach got on the train at the last station before the frontier . He carried a paper bag. And four feet ducks could be seen under the cover. The man found an empty seat, put the bag in the middle of the floor, took out a newspaper and began to read. Then a policeman came in. Of course he saw the bag with ducks' legs at once and said, "Whose is that bag?" Nobody answered. The policeman repeated the question, and said, "I'll have to take it away from the owner. Food mustn't be taken out of the country." "Well, then," said the small man with a fat stomach. "Hurry up and take it. We want to go home." The policeman took the bag and went on to the next carriage. At the next station, when they were safely across the frontier, the small man got up, smiled at the other passengers and said, "I hope they'll enjoy the ducks' feet. The rest of the bag had nothing but rubbish in it." Then he opened his coat and pointed to another bag he was carrying under it. It was tied tightly over the stomach, which was not really fat. "I have the rest of the two ducks here," he said. With these words, he got off the train. But while he was happily walking to the exit with the bag in his hands, a policeman came up to him, saying, "Hey, man! Foreign food mustn't be brought in." In the end the small man _ . A. failed to take his food home B. crossed the frontier with two paper bags C. took the ducks safely home D. hid his ducks under his coat again Answer: A A farmer had a cow. He took very good care of this cow and one day when it was ill, he was very worried. He telephoned the vet. "What's the problem?" The vet asked him when he arrived. "My cow's ill" the farmer said. "I don't know what the matter with her is. She's lying down and won't eat. She's making a strange noise." The vet looked over the cow. "She's certainly ill," he said, "and she needs to take some very strong medicine." He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into his hand and said, "Give her these. The pills should make her better" How should I give them to her?" the farmer asked. The vet gave him a tube and said, "Put this tube in her mouth, then put the pills in the tube and blow. That will make it." The next day The farmer sat outside his house and looked more worried. "How's your cow?" the vet asked." No change," the farmer said, "and I am feeling very strange myself. I did what you said, I put the tube in the cow's mouth and then put two pills down it." And?" the vet asked." The cow blew first, and blew the pills to my mouth." the farmer said. ,. What medicine did the vet give the farmer?. A. Bottle of pills B. A long tube C. Two pills D. A small box Answer: C
Question: There was once a rich old _ ) in England who lived a very rich life. When King John, who was the worst king that England ever had, heard of the way in which the abbot lived, he decided to stop it. So he sent for the old man and said, "Your fault is clear, and unless you can answer me three questions within two weeks, your head shall be cut off, and all your money shall be mine. Firstly, you must tell me just how long I shall live. Secondly, you must tell me how long I shall ride round the whole world, and lastly, you shall tell me what I think." The abbot went to Oxford and Cambridge for help but not one of the teachers in the great schools could. At last, sad and sorrowful, he rode towards home. Then he met his shepherd and told him all that had happened. "Cheer up, good master. I think I can help you out of your trouble." The shepherd dressed himself up with great care and looked just like the abbot. Then he went to the king. "How long shall I live?" "You will live until the day that you die, and not one day longer." "How long shall I ride round the world?" "You must rise with the sun, and you must ride with the sun until it rises again the next morning. As soon as you do that, you will find that you have ridden round the world in twenty-four hours." "What do I think?" "You think that I am the abbot. But, to tell you the truth, I am only his poor shepherd, and I come to beg your pardon for him and for me." The king laughed long. "Very well then, you have won the old abbot a free pardon from King John for this joke." Which of the following can be used to describe the shepherd? A. Loyal. B. Wise. C. Honest. D. Hard-working. Answer: B Question: Evidence that living things have evolved over hundreds of millions of years can be found in A. particles in the air B. rocks containing fossils C. tree rings from recently logged trees D. chemicals in human hair Answer: B Question: The crust under everyone's feet is A. a tribe of human-like beings that live underground B. the best pizza crust around C. the ice that forms in cold regions D. the outer covering of the third planet from the sun Answer: D Question: Michael Jordan is the most famous basketball player in the world. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He didn't like to talk to other people about himself. He was also very short. He didn't play very well when he joined the basketball team in his high school at first. But the next year things changed greatly for him as he grew much taller. Michael Jordan became famous when he joined the university basketball team in North Carolina. Michael used his speed and strength to reach the basket again. He played so well that people called him "Air Jordan". After college, Michael became a basketball team member in the Chicago Bulls. The NBA was very surprised at this high-flying player. He was named "Rookie" of the year in 1985 and "Most Valuable Player" in 1987. He once set a record by getting 63 points in one game. He began to become famous in _ . A. the university basketball team B. the NBA C. his high school at first D. the Chicago Bulls Answer: A Question: During all this time, I never stopped thinking about escape . When I travelled across to the other side of the island, I could see the other islands, and I said to myself, "Perhaps I can get there with a boat. Perhaps I can get back to England one day." So I decided to make myself a boat. I cut down a big tree, and then began to make a long hole in it. It was hard work, but about six months later, I had a very fine canoe . Next, I had to get it down to the sea. How silly I was! Why didn't I think carefully before I began to work? Of course, the canoe was too heavy. I couldn't move it! I pulled and pushed and tried everything, but it didn't move. I was very unhappy for a long time after that. In my sixth year on the island, I did make myself a smaller canoe, but I did not try to escape in it. The boat was too small for a long journey, and I did not want to die at sea. The island was my home now, and I was just happy to be alive. A year or two later, I made myself a second canoe on the other side of the island. I also built myself a second house there, and so I had two homes. I kept food and tools at both of my houses, and also wild goats. There were many goats on the island, and I made fields with high fences to keep them in. They learnt to take food from me, and soon I had goats' milk to drink every day. I also worked hard in my corn fields. And so, many years went by. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? A. The writer made himself a smaller canoe in his sixth year on the island. B. The writer made fields with high fences to keep many wild goats in. C. The writer didn't try to escape because he had two homes on the island. D. The writer knew the canoe was too small for a long journey across the sea. Answer: C
Time magazine named Russian President Vladimir Putin its "Person of the Year" for 2007 on Wednesday, saying he had returned his country from chaos to "the table of world power" though at a cost of democratic principles. He doesn't care about civil liberties; he doesn't care about free speech; he cares about stability. But Putin, 55, is enormously popular in Russia, presiding over a resurgent economy based on income from oil and natural gas. On the other hand, stability is what Russia needed and that's why Russians adore him. Time magazine said on its Web site that Putin, the son of a factory worker had led Russia with persistence, a sharp vision and a sense that he showed the spirit of "Mother Russia". The selection came days after Putin announced a plan to hold onto power after his term ends next year. Putin said on Monday that if his close ally ,Dmitry Medvedev, won the presidency, he would serve as Medvedev's prime minister. "Putin has put his country back on the map. And he intends to redraw it himself,"Time said. "He will continue to lead his country as its prime minister and attempt to transform it into a new kind of nation, beholden to neither East nor West." Time said the person of the year distinction, which it has awarded since 1927, is not an endorsement or a popularity prize but a recognition of the individuals and forces that shape the world. "At significant cost of, the principles and ideas that free nations prize, (Putin) has performed an extraordinary _ of leadership in placing stability on a nation that has rarely known it and brought Russia back to the table of world power. For that reason, Vladimir Putin is Time's 2007 Person of the Year," the magazine said. Time had earlier selected four other Kremlin leaders for the distinction: Stalin, who was chosen twice, Nikita Khrushchev, Yuri Andropov and Mikhail Gorbachev. What can we inter from the passage? Answer: Russia, including the former Soviet Union, has been one of the major countries named person of the Year so far. Why Melbourne ? Having long lived in the shadow of Sydney ,Melbourne has become a Mecca for fashion and design and cultural centre of Australia, with an enjoyable programmed of festivals. What to see? The City center's grid system of streets conceals a maze of lanes and turn-of-the-century arcades where you will find the best cafes, bars and boutique shopping. The hidden secrets tour (00613 9329 9665,hiddensecretstours.com) guides will make sure you find what you're after ,whether it is fashion ,art and design or wine. From $34 per person. Where to eat ? Melbourne is a paradise for gourmands and its top chefs use fresh produce and have a talent for the experimental .But for something different , indulge your culinary senses with an Australian Wine Tour Company trip. Departing from the city centre daily .You will taste wines at four of the region's best vineyards. It costs from $48 per person, including all wine tasting, lunch and a visit to Damien Chandon (00 613 9419 4444.austwinetourco.com.au). Where to stay ? The nunnery is an old convent on the edge of the city .It has double rooms with breakfast from $54 per night (00 613 9419 8637, nunnery. com.au). How to get there ?Qantas (0845 7747 767,qantas .com.au)flies from Heathrow to Melbourne twice daily from $766 return , including taxes. More information Contact the offical tourism site for Melbourne at visitmelbourne .com/uk. Use the links below for more on Destination guide : Melbourne Click here for our Melbourne page If you are interested in Australian wines, you will have to pay $ _ Answer: 48 Vehicle exhaust contains a form of pollution called particulate matter. Technologies are being developed to reduce the amount of particulate matter in exhaust. A vehicle that produces less particulate matter would have the greatest impact on which aspect of human health? Answer: respiratory health January 16, 2014 - We know the saying "The early bird gets the worm", but today you're going to learn about the interesting saying "The early fish gets the bird." An African tigerfish was seen jumping out of the air and catching a flying bird. The African tigerfish has bright red fins and very sharp teeth. There have been rumors this kind of fish preys on birds since the 1940s, but no one was able to catch _ . "The whole action of jumping and catching happens so quickly that after we saw it, it took all of us a moment to really understand what we had just seen," said Nico Smit from Environmental Sciences and Management at North-West University. Smit and his research team saw it at a lake in the Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa during summer. They found about 20 fish feeding on birds in the morning. Those birds may be out early to look for food, but we will never know for sure! The tigherfish _ . Answer: has very sharp teeth Rivers are one of our most important natural resources . Many of the world's great cities are located on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river running through it that plays an important part in the lives of its people. Since the beginning of history, people have used rivers for transportation. The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. To the people of India, the Ganges is great, but it is also important for transportation; ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in southeastern Asia. The greatest of all for navigation , however, is the Amazon in Brazil . It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand miles up it. Besides transportation, rivers give food to eat, water to drink, water for crops, and chances for fun. In order to increase the supply of water for crops, engineers sometimes build a dam across a river and let a lake form behind the dam. Then people can use the water not only to irrigate their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and industries. However, large cities and industries that are located on rivers often cause problems. As the cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with chemicals and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits of these natural resources. Which is NOT true according to the passage? Answer: The Nile is in India.
As a professor at a large American university,there is a phrase that I hear often from students:"I'm only a 1050."The unlucky students are speaking of the score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test(SAT),which is used to determine whether they will be admitted to the college or university of their choice,or even if they have a chance to get a higher education at all.The SAT score,whether it is 800,1100 or 1550,has become the focus at this time of their life. It is obvious that if students value highly their test scores,then a great amount of their self-respect is put in the number.Students who perform poorly on the exam are left feeling that it is all over.The low test score,they think,will make it impossible for them to get into a good college.And without a degree from a _ ,they fear that many of life's doors will remain forever closed. According to a study done in the 1990s,the SAT is only a reliable indicator of a student's future performance in most cases.Interestingly,it becomes much more accurate when it is set together with other indicators-like a student's high school grades.Even if standardized tests like the SAT could show a student's academic proficiency ,they will never be able to test things like confidence,efforts and willpower,and are unable to give us the full picture of a student's potentialities .This is not to suggest that we should stop using SAT scores in our college admission process.The SAT is an excellent test in many ways,and the score is still a useful means of testing students.However,it should be only one of many methods used. The purpose of the SAT is to test students' _ . A. strong will B. academic ability C. full potentialities D. confidence in school work Answer: B There is one word that is on the lips of Americans , day and night , "Sorry". One time as I was walking on the street , a young man ran by hurriedly , brushing against my handbag . Even as he continued on his way , he turned back and said "sorry" to me . Even in a rush , he didn't forget to apologize . One day , after I bought some apples , the salesman was giving me the change , but I wasn't ready for it , and a coin dropped on the ground, "I'm sorry ," he said while bending down to pick it up . I was puzzled --why would he apologize when it was my fault ? Another time , I stepped on a man's foot in an escalator . At the same time , we both said "sorry" . I thought it interesting : was it really necessary for him apologize ? Later on , an American friend explained to me that according to the American ideas, the escalator is public place which everyone should be able to stand in . After someone occupies a position in the escalator , making it difficult for someone else to find a place to stand in , isn't it necessary to express an apology ? During my stay in America , I gradually realized that when friction occurs in daily life , Americans don't care much about who is responsible . If someone is troubled , a "sorry" is always necessary . Even if the other person is hurt , the "sorry" would cool tempers . Perhaps this is why I never saw anyone quarreling on the buses , subways or streets in America . When the salesman gave me the change , _ A. I purposely didn't want to accept it from the salesman B. the salesman purposely didn't want to pass it to me C. I was slower to accept it than the salesman to give it to me D. the salesman was slower to give it to me than I could accept it Answer: C There was once a traveling reporter who was doing a story on the small towns in the Midwest of America. She was particularly interested in the social structures, how men and women got along, and what happened at these large dance parties. She got into a town a few days early, knowing that people would be coming in from all the nearby towns to take part in a fantastic dance party. The night of the dance came, and she did the best that she could go unnoticed, because a good reporter didn't want people to know she was doing a story. She was watching, moving around to different tables and places, and she noticed that as the evening went on, a certain phenomenon was taking place. She noticed that the ladies often got together at the end of a dance and that they talked about the "idiot" who asked them to dance. They complained about this, that and the other and talked about how nobody knew anything, just making cruel remarks and gossiping about the men and the event. But she noticed there was one woman. Even though she was sitting amongst the other women, she was not doing anything like that. She had a pleasant manner. She had a bright smile on her face, and she was not saying anything negative about for any reason at all. She decided she needed to talk to this lady so she walked up and introduced herself. She said, "I've noticed that unlike everyone else at this dance, you just seem to be having a good time. I was just wondering why it is that you're able to sit here and do what you do." The young woman looked at her and said, "I only dance with the partners I want to dance with. If somebody comes up and I don't want to dance with them, I just say I want to have a rest. Enjoying yourself is not difficult." Which word can best describe most of the ladies at the dance party? A. Excite. B. Clever C. Polite D. Dissatisfied. Answer: D Go, known as Weiqi in China and Baduk in South Korea, was viewed as the last game where humans can defeat machines. Lee Se-dol, one of the greatest Go players, has won 18 world championships for 21 years of his professional career. AlphaGo, a computer program developed by Google's DeepMind, beat the European Go champion, an achievement that was not expected for years in October, 2015. The match between Lee and AlphaGo was seen as a representative game between humans and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The match of the century drew great attention from news organizations, Go fans and the general public across the world as well as in South Korea. Go originated from China more than 2,500 years ago. It involves two players who take turns putting markers on a net-shaped board to gain more areas on it. One can occupy the markers of the rival by surrounding the pieces of the other. Go is considered to be a lot more complex than chess where artificial intelligence scored its most famous victory to date when IBM's Deep Blue beat grandmaster Gary Kasparov in 1997. But experts say Go presents an entirely different challenge because of the game's incomputable number of move options. In other words, the computer must be capable of human-like "intuition" to win. "I was very surprised because I did not think that I would lose the game," said Mr. Lee.He said AlphaGo's early strategy was "excellent" and that he was shocked by one unconventional move it had made that a human never would have played, which he believed directly resulted in his loss. AlphaGo is proud of a deep learning capability to learn for itself and discover new strategies by playing games against itself and adjusting neural networks based on a trial-and-error process known as reinforcement learning. In spite of his loss, he did not regret accepting the challenge. "I had a lot of fun playing Go and I'm looking forward to the future games," he said after AlphaGo won 3-0 in a five-game match. "Playing against a machine is very different from an actual human player. Normally, you can sense your rival's breathing, their energy. And lots of times you make decisions which depend on the physical reactions of the person you're playing against. With a machine, you can't do that", Lee said. What did Lee think was the cause of his loss? A. AlphaGo had an excellent strategy and unconventional moves. B. He couldn't sense AlphaGo's breathing and energy in the games. C. He made decisions depending on the rival's physical reactions. D. The designer of AlphaGo was a talent who couldn't be defeated. Answer: A Stop wasting your time thinking of reasons for your failures. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow. The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created: the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice. You cannot be successful without first developing your self-confidence. Your level of self-confidence is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-confidence are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are always victims. They are leaves tossed by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather. You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible. Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence. In all areas of your life, whether they are financial, physical, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it. You are on the road to success. People with low self-confidence are compared to leaves because they _ . A. don't have the power to face their lives B. are ready to change their minds C. can't exercise control over themselves D. are easily affected by windy weather Answer: C
When the plane was waiting at the airport,a big snake climbed up the steps and into the plane. It went to sleep under the pilot's seat. Nobody noticed. Soon the passengers get on the plane and it took off. A little girl called Mary took out a whistle and began playing. But none of the passengers liked the music. They got the stewardess to ask the girl to stop. The sound of the plane's engines woke up the snake. It put its head out and looked around the captain's room. When the captain saw the snake, he was so frightened that he could hardly breath. He was so afraid that he could not control the plane. The plane began to swing from side to side. The stewardess told the passengers what was happening and ask them to calm down. Mary was not afraid. She ran to the captain's room with her whistle and began to play the slow tune . At once the snake followed her. The girl returned to her seat and the snake lay on the floor beside her. Dancing to the music. When the plane landed the airport the snake was taken in a net to a zoo near Mary's house. She often went to visit the snake. The snake _ the music Mary was playing. A liked B didn't enjoy C was frightened by D became afraid of Answer: A. liked All students need to have good habits : When you have good study habits, you can learn things quickly. You can 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 study, do not forget to clean your desk. A good desk light is important , too. You'll feel tired easily if there is not enough light. The living room is not a good place for study because it is too _ . A quiet B noisy C good D clean Answer: B. noisy In today's world, we rely on computers as never before.They are used for everything from ordering a pizza to running hospitals and military defense systems.Banking and credit card information is stored and accessed by computers.So what happens when a computer gets infected with a virus? One effect is that people's access to their e-mail accounts is cut off.A more serious possible consequence is that billions of dollars could be lost. A virus is a computer program that copies itself onto other programs and infects them. Similar to an easily spread disease, a computer virus goes from computer to computer, either adding to or changing the tasks a program is designed to do. The first computer viruses were created in the mid '80s and had varying effects.Some caused files to be deleted, or made the letters on the screen appear to fall off.Others displayed a specific message once the computer was turned on. Viruses today are much more widespread and dangerous than ever before.Perhaps the most damaging to date has been the "I Love You" virus."I Love You" appeared in May 2000 and has possibly been the most destructive virus in terms of monetary loss. The virus is released when an attachment to a fake e-mail message is opened.By changing the names of files on computers, "I Love You" makes them difficult to access.It also searches for important personal information, including passwords, which it sends to a web site for others to see. It is estimated that more than 45 million people in 20 countries have had their computers infected by the "I Love You" virus.Some say the cost of repair and lost business has been more than US$10 billion. If you own a computer, it is important to keep it in good health by installing an anti-virus program.If updated frequently, it will protect your e-mail access-not to mention your wallet. Which of the following is the best way to guard against virus? A To load an up-to-date anti-virus program into our computer B Not to use an e-mail account, C To upgrade our computer. D Not to use the Internet. Answer: C. To upgrade our computer. It was Mother's Day. A man stopped his car at a flower shop to order some flowers. He wanted the shopper to send the flowers to his mother, who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car, he found a young girl sitting on the road crying. He asked her what was wrong and she replied,"I want to buy a red rose for my mother, but I only have seventy-five cents. A rose costs two dollars." The man smiled and said, "Come into the shop with me, and I'll buy you a rose.' He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers. As they were leaving, he offered to drive the girl home. She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother." She brought him to a cemetery , where she placed the rose on the grave. The man was moved. He returned to the flower shop, picked up the flowers he ordered, and drove two hundred miles to his mother's house. Today is the day for your mother. Send a flower to your kind and beautiful mother. The girl was crying on the road because _ . A she was hungry B she got hurt C she couldn't afford a rose D she couldn't find her way home Answer: C. she couldn't afford a rose Being less than perfectly well-dressed in a business setting can result in a feeling of great discomfort that may well require treatment to eliminate (remove). And the sad truth is that "clothing mismatches" on the job can ruin the day of the person who is wearing the inappropriate attire --and the people with whom he or she comes in contact. Offices vary when it comes to dress codes. Some businesses have very high standards for their employees and set strict guidelines 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 regarding what you wear, 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 vice president has a different image to maintain than that of a secretary or sales assistant. Like it or not, you will be judged by your personal appearance. This is never more apparent than on _ , 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 wardrobe choices, and recognize that the "real" definition of business casual is to dress just one notch down from what you would normally wear of 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. Unless you are sure what to wear, it pays to dress slightly traditionally than the situation demands. Which of the following statements is true? A Every company has strict rules regarding office dress. B You can wear whatever you like if your company doesn't have high standards for it. C You should dress according to the business setting even when there are no fixed rules. D In companies with relaxed rules on office dress, you can't spot a manager among others. Answer: C. You should dress according to the business setting even when there are no fixed rules.
Question: Two of the hardest things to accomplish in this world are to acquire wealth by honest effort and, having gained it, to learn how to use it properly. Recently 1 walked into the locker room of a rather well-known golf club after finishing a round.It was in the late afternoon and most of the members had left for their homes. But a half-dozen or so men past middle age were still seated at tables talking aimlessly and drinking more than was good for them. These same men can be found there day after day.and,strangely enough,each one of these men had been a man of affairs and wealth,successful in business and respected in the community.If material prosperity were the chief necessity for happiness, then each one should have been happy. Yet,it seemed to me,something very important was missing,else there would not have been the constant effort to escape the realities of life through scotch and soda. They knew, each one of them,that their productivity had ceased .When a fruit tree ceases to bear its fruit,it is dying.And it is even so with man. What 1s the answer to a long and happy existence in this world of ours? I think I found it long ago in a passage from the book of Genesis which caught my eye while I was looking through my Bible. The words were few,but they became memorably impressed on my mind:"In the sweat of the face shall you eat the bread." To me,that has been a challenge from my earliest recollections (memories).In fact,the battle of life,of existence,is a challenge to everyone.The immortal words of St.Paul,too,have been and always will be a great inspiration to me.At the end of the road 1 want to be able to feel that I have fought a good fight,I have finished the course,I have kept the faith. What is implied in the passage by the writer? A. To use wealth properly,eat,drink and be merry. B. Where there is a will,there is a wav. C. As life is but like a dream,a man is like a fruit tree. D. If you cease to struggle,you cease to live. Answer: D Question: Bob is eleven years old. One day, his friend Jenny said to him, "I'm going to have a birthday party on Saturday. Bob, can you come?" Bob asked his mother, and his mother said, "Yes, you can go. " On Saturday afternoon, his mother said to him again, "Now, Bob, when you go to the party, you must be polite , and don't ask for food until someone gives it to you. " "All right, Mom. " Bob said, and he went to Jenny's house by bike. There were many children at the party. They played games for about an hour, and then Jenny's mother gave them some food, but she forgot Bob and didn't give him any. After a long time, he took up his plate and said loudly, "Does anyone want a nice clean plate?" Why did Bob take up his plate? A. Because he wanted others to look at his clean plate. B. Because he had a nice clean plate. C. Because he wanted some food. D. Because his plate was very clean. Answer: C Question: A federal statute prohibits the sale or resale, in any place in this country, of any product intended for human consumption or ingestion into the human body that contains designated chemicals known to cause cancer, unless the product is clearly labeled as dangerous. The constitutionality of this federal statute may most easily be justified on the basis of the power of Congress to A. regulate commerce among the states. B. enforce the Fourteenth Amendment. C. provide for the general welfare. D. promote science and the useful arts Answer: A Question: Many people think it is very exciting and admirable to be an actor. The actors often wear the most beautiful and fashionable clothes and they can make a lot of money. Many people like them and they have so many fans. But in fact, the job of an actor can be very tiring and hard. To make good movies, for example, action movies, the actors need to go to some remote places. There they don't have good places to stay or nice food to eat. They often have to get up early and go to bed very late. When they are too busy, they don't have time to sleep or relax. It's very hard. The actors find it difficult to sleep well or relax because _ . A. they don't like sleeping. B. they are too hungry to sleep well C. they sleep in clod rooms D. their job is too busy Answer: D Question: As a result of pollution, Lake Erie, on the borders of the USA and Canada, is now without many living things. Pollution in water is not simply a matter of "poisons" killing large numbers of fish overnight. Very often the effects of pollution are not noticed for many months or years because the first organisms to be affected are either plants or plankton . These organisms are the food of fish, birds, and other creatures. When this food disappears, the fish and birds die too. In this way a whole food chain can be wiped out, and it is not until dead fish and water birds are seen at the river's edge or on the sea shore that people realize what is happening. Where do the substances which pollute water come from? There are two main sources, sewage and industrial waste. As more detergent is used in homes, more of it is finally put into our rivers, lakes and seas. Detergents harm water birds by breaking down the natural substances which keep their feathers _ Sewage itself, if not properly treated, makes the water dirty and prevents all forms of life in rivers and the sea from receiving the oxygen they need. Industrial waste is even more harmful since there are many highly poisonous materials in it, such as copper and lead. So if we want to stop this pollution, the answer is simple. Sewage and industrial waste must be made clean before flowing into the water reservoirs. It may already be too late to save some rivers and lakes, but others can still be saved if the correct action is taken at once. Which of the following things is /are harmful according to the passage? A. Industrial waste and chemicals B. Water in the river C. Coal and wood D. plastic Answer: A
One day I was waiting in line to check out at Wal-Mart. Like a lot of people who want to get through a checkout line, my thoughts were on speed, nothing more. The line I was standing in wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier. There stood a man in his seventies. Of average build, he wore glasses and a nice smile. I thought, "Well, he's an old guy and it probably takes him a little longer to get the chores done." For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before he began scanning the items they were purchasing. Sure, his words were the usual, "How's it going?" But he did something different--he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation. I thought it was strange, but I guess I had grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of a robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don't give any thought to the question and just mumble something back. I could say, "I just found out I have six months to live,'' and someone would reply, "Have a great day!'' This old cashier had my attention. He seemed genuine about wanting to know how people were feeling. And after giving them the change, the old cashier looked the customers in the eyes. "I sure want to thank you for shopping here today, ''he told them. "You will have a great day. Bye-bye." The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some shy grins .All had been touched by his simple gesture in a place they never expected. What is special about the old cashier according to the author? He _ . A. worked hard at his old age B. had usual conversations with customers C. gave customers the right change D. listened to people attentively Answer: D They lived thousands of miles apart, and both died in 1616. This has led to a lot of studies comparing their works,which are still important to this day. To mark the 400th anniversary of Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare's deaths, an exhibition called Dialogue Across Time and Space: Homage to Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare is being held across 26 Chinese Cultural Centers in different countries from Sept 1 to December. Shakespeare's plays are always found in the British school curriculum, while Tang's best-known opera, The Peony Pavilion , continues to be performed worldwide. Both were "great men in the circle of world drama', according to Aoki Masaru, who put the work of Shakespeare and Tang together in his 1943 book A History of Chinese Literary Thought. Both shared a love for a journey of self-discovery. The difference is that Shakespeare's work shows people of all backgrounds and classes, while Tang's dramas come form a more aristocratic background. Tang's lines were sung mostly in family theaters. Shakespeare, however, had to sell tickets to whoever would buy them. That probably affected their writing styles. Though few can touch Shakespeare's range and richness of work, there is one area in which Tang's work may have been better. That's in the use of dreams, not only to tell a story, but also to explore ideas. The Peony Pavilion is set in the world of the characters' dreams, especially Du Liniang, the young lady who has not seen or gotten to know Liu Mengmei when she falls in love with him. After Liu has dreamed of her, he finds her portrait three years after her death and can't stop thinking about her. But for Du, a dream is a path to the freedom that young women of ancient China normally didn't have - the freedom to love someone without their families getting in the way. Shakespeare also famously used the stage to look at Philosophy in A Midsummer Night's Dream . But in a sense, the dream was Tang's stage. We can conclude form the article that _ . A. Shakespeare's works are much more popular among students than people of other age groups B. The difference in their writing styles is rooted in their living environments C. Shakespeare never used the idea of dreams in his dramas D. Tang's work is more about the lives of the upper class Answer: D This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store where I am employed as a shop assistant. When you took my bag, I don't know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there's not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the PS5 was useful to you. If you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book. Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid, so it won't be of much use to you. Actually I don't care about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don't suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that! I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book. There were all kinds of papers and notes that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you. I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you? Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn't even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather shoulder bag. You probably threw it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We've looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop. I'm not really angry with you. I know how the pressures of modern life can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged their shoulders. "It happens all the time," they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I've lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, "Why? Mummy, why us?" I couldn't answer that question. I wonder if you can. Why does the author write the letter? A. To give the thieves a serious warning. B. To express her affection for her valuable bag. C. To call people's attention to their belongings. D. To complain about the fall of morality. Answer: D Learning English has a powerful effect on the type of job you can get. If you don't speak English well, you won't find many jobs, and yes, you'll earn much less money. Only 2% of company managers can't speak English! Your family can also benefit from you learning English. And you can learn with them, helping each other as a family. Children have up to a 40% better chance of finishing high school if their parents speak English well. If you speak English better , you'll find more jobs--- good jobs. Or you can get a promotion and earn more money. Learn how the Beehive can help you find the right job. School. Children go to their parents when they need help with school. If you speak better English, you can help your child with homework and you can also talk to teachers and other parents. Health. Most doctors and pharmacists in America only speak English, and if you can explain what the problem is and understand what the doctor is saying, you'll get better sooner! On the Beehive, you can find cheap, free medical help or find important information for your family. Education. With a little more English, you might be able to take your high school diploma (GED), go to a vocational school to learn a profession or even go to college! Find out what type of education is right for you, and how to do it. It is never too late! Money. If you understand what people tell you at the bank, a store or a lawyer's office, nobody will be able to cheat you! With more English, you can save more, send more money to your family and even start your own business. Don't wait! Find an English course now! And remember, with the Beehive you can practice English and find a good job, open a bank account or find a doctor! The Beehive is written very clearly so you can make life better. Many people are doing it! If you want to learn English well, where should you learn? A. Most doctors and pharmacists in America. B. A vocational school for practical English. C. Colleges for special English. D. The Beehive for an English course. Answer: D My grandparents were married for over half a century, and played their own special game the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word "shmily" in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving "shmily" around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more. They dragged "shmily" with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever was preparing the next meal. "Shmily" was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. There was no end to the places where "shmily" would _ . Little notes with "shmily" were found on car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were put inside shoes and left under pillows. "Shmily" was written in the dust upon the mantel and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents' house as the furniture. It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents' game. Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love --- one that is pure and enduring . However, I never doubted my grandparents' relationship. It was based on passionate affection which not everyone is lucky enough to experience. But there was a dark cloud in my grandparents' life: my grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside. But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone. "Shmily." It was written in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother's funeral bouquet . As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother's coffin and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came: S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You. According to the passage, the author _ . A. thought the game was meaningless B. believes everyone can experience true love C. doubted the existence of true love at first D. sometimes left "shmily" around the house Answer: C
Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy,but this one is clean and cool.Fox Point is a very new 47unit living building in South Bronx,one of the city's poorest areas.Twothirds of the people living there are formerly homeless people,whose rent is paid by the government.The rest are lowincome families.The boiler room has special equipment,which produces energy for electricity and heat.It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air,reducing carbon emissions while also cutting costs. Fox Point is operated by Palladia,a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy people.Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP),which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers. ECP has created national standards for healthy,environmentally clever and affordable homes which are called the Green Communities Standards.These standards include water keeping,energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials.Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%,which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs.Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy. Michael Bloomberg,New York's mayor,plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for 500,000 New Yorkers.Almost 80% of New York City's greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings,and 40% of those are caused by housing.So he recently announced that the city's Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (DHPD),whose duty is to develop and keep the city's supply of affordable housing,will require all its new projects to follow ECP's green standards. Similar measures have been taken by other cities,such as Cleveland and Denver,but New York's DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country.(2010*,B) What is an advantage of the buildings meeting the Green Communities Standards? A Lower running costs. B Costing less in construction. C Less air to be lost in hot days. D Better prices for homeless people. Answer: A When Ben Franklin was only a boy,he always wanted to know about things. He was always asking his father and brothers "What?"and "How?" and "Why?" They couldn't always tell him what he wanted to know. When they couldn't tell him,Ben tried to find out for himself. Many times Ben did find out things that no one knew before. The other boys would say,"That Ben Franklin!He's always finding out something new!" Ben lived close to the water.He liked to go there to see the boats. He saw how the wind blew them across the water. One day Ben said to himself,"Why can't the wind help me float across the water?And I'm going to try." Ben got his big kite.He took hold of the kite string and ran with it.The wind took the kite up into the air. Then Ben jumped into the water. The wind blew the kite high into the air.Ben began to float across the water. Soon he was on the other side, _ . One boy shouted,"Look at Ben floating across the water!His kite takes him to the other side without any work!" "Yes," said another."He's always finding new ways to do things." When he was only a child,Ben _ . A liked to fly a kite by himself B always asked easy questions C always liked to play with water D always liked to find out how things worked Answer: D For many of us, cartoon strips are simply one of our pastimes. The popular Japanese manga provides us with an escape from reality into a world of fantasy, adventure and romance.With much less text and pictures running for pages, it fits perfectly into today's fast, throwing away city lifestyle. But Tsai Chih-chung,a famous Taiwanese illustrator , doesn't agree.He believes cartoons can be a bridge connecting traditional Chinese culture and wisdom with the modern world in a much wittier and more acceptable way. He has interpreted Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius,Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi and made their works accessible to a global audience. He has also produced two books about Zen , introducing oriental philosophy. His cartoons are humorous yet full of wisdom and are admired as an easy way to learn Chinese classics. After avoiding the public for ten years, Tsai made a comeback in late April with seven new works. But does his age, 61, work as a gap between him and his young readers? Tsai doesn't think so. The topics he has covered range from philosophy in a time of individuality to the learning and memorizing techniques used at school. "Every child is a genius and has the potential beyond his own imagination, " he said. If popular Japanese manga is purely for entertainment, Tsai's work, to a large extent, is to light the power of thinking in a light-hearted way. Tsai uses differenr forms of water to refer to people. In his eyes some people are like an ocean, some are like vapor, while others may be ice or rain. But in essence they share a similarity-human being's forever chasing for the true and the good. "The person who thinks over life issues is not necessarily a scholar or a philosopher," he said. "I've dedicated my whole life to thinking and individual freedom, not making a living." In Tsai Chih-chung's opinion, cartoon _ . A connects traditional Chinese culture and wisdom B helps connect Chinese classics with modern world C uses a wiser and acceptable way to draw cartoons D builds up a bridge between cartoons and illustration Answer: B Which of the following devices relies on electromagnetic radiation in the radio wave region of the spectrum for operation? A sun tanning lamp B electric light bulb C cellular telephone D electric toaster Answer: C As many as one in five US teenagers have some degree of hearing loss, according to researchers. They say the problem is growing. "Teenagers really don't pay attention to how much noise they are exposed to ," Josef Shargorodsky of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston told Reuters. "Often people won't notice it, but even very little hearing loss may influence language development," said Shargorodsky, one of the researchers. The study compared surveys from the early 1990s and the mid-2000s. Each included a few thousand teenagers. In the first survey, about 15 percent of teenagers had some degree of hearing loss. Some 15 years later, that number had risen by a third, to nearly 20 percent. "This certainly is big news," said Alison Grimes, an ear doctor. "Hearing loss is very common in old people," Grimes said, but she added that it was worrying to see it happen in the younger age group. In babies and young children, hearing problems are known to slow language development. The science is less clear for teenagers, but it is easy to imagine how being hard of hearing could influence learning, said Grimes. The reasons for the rise are still unclear. When researchers asked teenagers about noise exposure - on the job, at school or from activities, for example - the teenagers didn't report any change. But Shargorodsky said that might not be true. "We know from before that it is difficult to ask this age group about noise exposure - _ " Few people would call it noise when they listen to music on their MP3 player, for example. "There is a difference between what we think is loud and what is harmful to the ear," said Grimes. Although it's not clear that the MP3 players cause teenagers' hearing loss, Grimes said it was still a good idea to turn down the sound and take short breaks from listening. Which of the following is true according to the passage? A Hearing loss may lead to slow language development. B Hearing loss in old people is as common as in young people. C Researchers have already found some causes of hearing loss. D Teenagers know MP3 is harmful, but they can't stop listening to it. Answer: A
It's 2035. You have a job ,a family and you' re about 40 years old ! Welcome to your future life. Getting ready for work, you pause in front of the mirror. "Turn red," you say. Your shirt changes from sky blue to deep red. Tiny pre-programmed electronics are rearranged in your shirt to change its color1. Looking into the mirror, you find it hard to believe you're 40. You look much younger. With amazing advances in medicine, people in your generation may live to be 150 years old. You ' re not even middle-aged! As you go into the kitchen and prepare to pour your breakfast cereal into a bowl, you hear, "To lose weight, you shouldn't eat that," from your shoes. They read the tiny electronic code on the cereal box to find out the nutrition details. You decide to listen to your shoes. "Kitchen, what can I have for breakfast?" A list of possible food appears on the counter as the kitchen checks its food supplies. "Ready for your trip to space?" you ask your son and daughter. In 2005 only specially trained astronauts went into space -- and very few of them. Today anyone can go to space for day trips or longer vacations. Your best friend even works in space. Handing your children three strawberries each, you add, "The doctor said you need these for space travel." Thanks to medical advances, vaccination shots are a thing of the past. Ordinary foods contain specific vaccines. With the berries in their mouths, the kids head for the front door. It's time for you to go to work. Your car checks your fingerprints and unlocks the doors. " My office. Autopilot. "you command. Your car drives itself down the road and moves smoothly into traffic on the highway. You sit back and unroll your e-newspaper. The latest news downloads and fills the viewer. Looking through the pages, you watch the news as video film rather than read it. What changes the color1 of your shirt? A. The mirror. B. The shirt itself. C. The counter. D. The medicine. Answer: B 2016 is the Year of the Monkey. Monkeys are so smart and cute, and so many people like them. They have become a part of culture. Here are some stories to help you learn more about them. New stamps for the year The China Post Group made special stamps for the year. They made two styles. On the first one, a monkey hangs on a branch , holding a big red peach. This means to give luck to people. On the other stamp, a mother monkey holds two monkey babies in her arms. It shows the happy reunion of families. The monkey stamps were for sale on Jan.5th. Monkey show In China, there is an ancient drama called Monkey Show. It tells the story of Monkey King. When actors perform, they will paint "monkey faces" with colors. Red is the main color. Interestingly, they don't draw eyebrows . Influence on personality In Chinese culture, the monkey is a symbol of wisdom. Those who were born in the Year of the Monkey are said to be smart and outgoing. They are also said to have strong leadership and social skills. They can solve all kinds of problems in life and be kind to others. Fun Fact Did you know? The world's smallest monkey is the finger monkey. It is only 10cm tall. They live in the Amazon rainforest of South America. Amazingly, they can turn their heads 180 degrees. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. Actors learn how to paint "monkey faces" from Monkey Show. B. Those born in the Year of the Monkey are thought to be friendly. C. Stories about the Year of the Monkey is the culture of many countries. D. The finger monkey which is 180cm tall is the smallest in the world. Answer: B Can you become a creative person? Can you learn to come up with great ideas or learn to create new things? The answer is yes. The first step to becoming creative is to remove the words "I am not creative" from your vocabulary. Seriously, do not say them or do not say them even inside your head. Now you need to start looking what other people are doing. The more you see what they are doing, the more you can get a feel for how they think, and how they come up with creative ideas. Find a way or a place where you feel totally relaxed. This is important so you can let your mind come up with ideas. Write them down as you get them. For me a relaxing place is outside in nature where it is quiet and sunny, or when I take a long drive in my car by myself. The last step is to write down a few ideas every day. Repeat the process of reading and observing what similar people are doing and how they are being creative, finding a relaxing place to write down your thoughts, and writing down a few ideas every day until you start seeing this kind of results you are happy with. It may take a few weeks to a few months, but this is the training process you need to put your mind through to become creative. Remember, looking at things from different angle can also make a big difference to creativity. Question the way that everyone else is doing something using the same method and see if being different and doing it another way will produce something cool. It can be inferred that _ . A. creativity is a gift people are born with B. not everyone can be creative C. it is a piece of cake to be creative D. creativity can be gained through practice Answer: D In US, the potato is one of the most widely consumed crops. French fries are commonly found in typical American fast-food burger joints and cafeterias. French fries were introduced to the US when Thomas Jefferson served them in the White House during his presidency from 1801 t0 1809. Potato chips are popular with consumers as well. The humble potato is more than just a kind of food. In many ways it's part of the American pop culture. Let's take a look at some pop culture potatoes. Mashed Potato dance The Mashed Potato dance is a craze that began in 1962. The name of the dance came from the song it accompanies, Mashed Potato Time, performed by American R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp. The move vaguely resembles that of the Twist dance style, by Sharp's fellow Philadelphian, Chubby Checker. Hot Potato! Hot Potato! is an action puzzle video game released in 2001. In the game the player must drive a bus and clear the road of alien potato beings. The potato beings are either red or blue; when two like-colored potatoes touch each other, they disappear. .Over the years, Hot Potato! has received mostly positive reception from critics. Mr. Potato Head Mr. Potato Head is an American toy invented by George Lerner in 1949. The toy consists of a plastic potato model and a variety of plastic parts like hands, feet, ears and mouths. In 1952, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy advertised on television. This commercial revolutionized marketing and caused a boom that solidified this toy's place in American pop culture. What can we infer from the text? A. French fries were popular in US when first served in the White House. B. Mashed Potato Time came from Mashed Potato dance. C. Players can play Hot Potato! on their phone. D. Mr. Potato Head can be taken apart. Answer: D "Fire! Fire!" What terrible words to hear when one wakes up in a strange house in the middle of the night! It was a large, old, wooden house and my room was on the top floor. I jumped out of bed, opened the door and stepped outside the house. There was full of thick smoke. I began to run, but as I was still only half-awake, instead of going towards the stairs I went in the opposite direction. The smoke grew thicker and I could see fire all around. The floor became hot under my bare feet. I found an open door and ran into a room to get to the window. But before I could reach it, one of my feet caught in something soft and I fell down. The thing I had fallen over felt like a bundle of clothes, and I picked it up to protect my face from the smoke and heat. Just then the floor gave way under me and I crashed to the floor below with pieces of burning wood all around me. I saw a doorway in fire, then I put the bundle over my face and ran. My feet burned me terrible, but I got through. As I reached the cold air outside, my bundle of clothes gave a thin cry, I nearly dropped it in my surprise. Then I was in a crowd gathered in the street. A woman in a night-dress and a borrowed man's coat screamed as she saw me and came running madly. She was the Mayor's wife, and I had saved her baby. He put the bundle over his face and ran in order to _ . A. save the baby B. call for help C. protect his face D. run quickly Answer: C
A traveler hurried down to the hall of an American hotel and went to the cash-desk. He had just 15 minutes to pay his bill and get to the station. Suddenly he remembered that he had left something in his room. "Look here, boy," he said to the bellboy, "run up to my room and see if I have left a parcel on the table there. Be quick about it." The boy ran upstairs. Five minutes passed. The traveler was walking up and down the hall, looking very angry. At last the boy appeared. "Yes, sir," he reported to the traveler," you have left the parcel there, it's right on the table in your room." The traveler asked the boy _ . A to go upstairs B to look for his parcel C to fetch the parcel he had left in his room D only to see if the parcel was on the table in his room Answer: C. to fetch the parcel he had left in his room Molly Boylan is one of the most successful business women in Canada after setting up her cosmetic company Blazes in 1992. Though she is very successful, she says that she finds it harder every year in balance her business with her family life. She sometimes feels that her two children know more about their baby---sitter than they do about her. Molly employs around eighty people in her factory and warehouse, and ten others in her two new fashion stores, but her newest employee is the most important one for her. After years of worrying about her business more than her family, she has decided to make Sally Pamonte new general manager in her company. Molly will still _ decision- making, and she's going to stay in touch with the people who work for her, but Sally is going to look after day-to-day running of the business so that Molly can spend more time with the kids. The new arrangement is going to start on Monday, and both of them are already excited about it. Sally says, "I'm very nervous, actually, but I'm sure Molly will help me a lot in the early days, even though I hope she feels she can trust me not to make too many mistakes." Molly, on the other hand, seems quite relaxed about the whole thing. "I know that Sally's going to be a very nice manager." she says, "She's only been here a couple of days and she's already shown me how to work out a few problems we were having. The best thing though is that I feel a hundred times happier than I've been in years. I mean, I honestly can't remember the last time I felt as relaxed as this, and my kids are really excited about my being at home more. To be honest, I wish I had made this decision years ago." Sally seems to be a good manager because _ . A she has set up a new Blazes B she keeps in close touch with the workers C she has been able to solve a few problems D she has been working for the company since 1992 Answer: C. she has been able to solve a few problems An American spacecraft is moving closer to a dwarf planet called Ceres . The American space agency's Dawn spacecraft is set to reach the planet-like object in March. Space agency scientists will then place Dawn in an orbit around the dwarf planet. Agency scientists want to know more about ice on Ceres. The spacecraft will gather clues about whether Ceres may have once had conditions to support life as we know it. Dawn left Earth more than seven years ago on a trip to explore Ceres and another dwarf planet, called Vesta . Both dwarf planets are in the main belt of asteroids , a group of large objects, between the planets Mars and Jupiter. Marc Rayman is the chief engineer and director of the Dawn mission. Scientists call Vesta and Ceres "protoplanets ". Mr. Rayman says they were in the process of becoming full-size planets when, in his words, "their growth was terminated ." Scientists believe Ceres is made of rock, and covered with ice. The Dawn mission is based in Los Angeles, California. Scientists there send second-by-second commands to the spacecraft. They direct its every move, including telling it what pictures to take. Dawn will make a map of the dwarf planet. It will also try to discover how Ceres' surface has changed. Carol Raymond is the deputy principal investigator of the project. He says Dawn made an unexpected discovery while orbiting Vesta. "Instead of being bone dry, which we expected, there were _ on the surface of Vesta that showed significant amounts of water bound in the rocks and possibly even free water that could have flowed on the surface in the past." She says that if Earth's water came from wet worlds like Vesta and Ceres, then life could have developed there, too. If Dawn finds that the environment of Ceres could have supported life, scientists may seek to explore the dwarf planet with other scientific instruments. Dawn will gather information about Ceres until the middle of 2016. It will then continue to orbit the small planet. Which of the following about spacecraft Dawn is true? A It was sent into space in 2008. B It is orbiting around the dwarf planet Ceres. C Its destination is just the dwarf planet Ceres. D It will gather information about Ceres until early 2016. Answer: A. It was sent into space in 2008. 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. Which is considered the luckiest family in Denmark? A The family which throw dishes at the neighbor's door. B The family which pours water onto the neighbor's door. C The family which has no broken plates. D The family with the tallest tower of broken plates, glasses or cups. Answer: D. The family with the tallest tower of broken plates, glasses or cups. In April this year, lots of bags full of small change were seen at bus stops in Tianjin. They were made for passengers to turn their notes into small change. And such an idea came from four students from Zhongbei Middle School, Tianjin. "People will surely feel worried when they take a bus without coins. We just want to do something to help them," said Wang Yongcun, 15, one of the four students. The four boys spent their whole weekend making the change bags. After that they went to see the number of the passengers at each bus stop near their school, and then chose the top six stops to put the bags. Many people think that the four boys have really done a good job. But, things didn't go as the boys thought. Two days later, they found that the money was gone, and that even the bags were taken. It really made them sad but they would not give up. Their classmates and teachers came to help them in time. They put their pocket money in bags again. And the teachers also taught them to make better change bags. They tried their best to do it. The four boys feel very happy because they have done something good for the passengers. Their warm hearts are moving. More and more people are beginning to join in the activity. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A The idea of small change bags came from four boys. B The passengers refused to put money in the bags. C The teachers gave up when the bags were taken. D The small change didn't help the passengers much. Answer: A. The idea of small change bags came from four boys.
Once upon a time in a land far away, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything:animals, spiders, insects... One day while walking through the woods the nice old man found a cocoon of a butterfly. He took it home. A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly. What can we learn from this story? A Man can never go against nature. B It's necessary to live with some difficulties. C One cannot help others without thinking twice. D Mankind should take good care of insects. Answer: B Making greener choices and encouraging healthy lifestyles can promote your health and benefit the environment. Here are some guidelines to follow: Choose foods thoughtfully Americans have never had such a variety or abundance of food to choose from. Besides so many choices, we now hear about our "food print", the amount of land needed to supply one person's nutritional needs for a year. Do we buy cherry tomatoes from Mexico or tomatoes grown locally in a hothouse? Do we get the Granny Smiths from the farmers' market or the supermarket? Is organic produce healthier for us and the planet? These are very complex issues that require analysis of many criteria, including the energy used in producing and transporting the food, as well as the type of soil and methods of raising the food. Despite the complexities, there are some general guidelines you can follow. For instance, eat less meat or eat low on the food chain. Your doctor may have recommended you to restrict your consumption of red meat because of its too much fat content. Beyond that, there are environmental reasons, too. Raising food animals contributes substantially to climate change because a meat-based diet requires more land, energy and water than a plant-based one. _ Drinking plenty of fluids is significant during hot weather or when exercising. But is bottled water the way to go? You may not think so when seeing the true costs. Based on a survey, manufacturing the 30-plus billion plastic water bottles can produce more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide and use three times the amount of water in the bottle. Adding in transportation, the energy used comes to over 50 million barrels of oil equivalent . Consequently, skip the bottled water and drink tap water, both at home and at restaurants. Additionally, bottled water is not necessarily cleaner than tap. In Paragraph 2 the author puts forward three questions mainly _ . A to prove Americans have less food to choose from B to show us the shopping habits of most Americans C to indicate Americans tend to buy food from abroad D to remind people to reconsider their food purchase Answer: D We can see waste everywhere in the school. Some students ask for more food than they can eat and others often forget to turn off the lights when they leave the classroom. They say they can afford these things. But I don't agree with them. Waste can bring a lot of problems. Although China is rich in some resources , we are short of others, for example, fresh water. It is reported that we will have no coal or oil to use in 100 years. So if we go on wasting our resources, what can we use in the future and where can we move? Think about it. I think we should say no to the students who waste things every day. Everybody should stop wasting as soon as possible. In our everyday life, we can do many things to prevent waste from happening, for example, turn off the water taps when we finish washing, turn off the lights when we leave the classroom, try not to order more food than we need and so on. Little by little, we will change everything. We can stop waste one day, if we do our best. From the passage we know that some students often _ in the school. A eat too much B don't work hard C waste things D throw rubbish everywhere Answer: C It's Friday morning in the year 2025, and you're running late. You got distracted watching the music video that as playing in the corner of your bathroom mirror while you were brushing your teeth. How will you get to your office at Mega Giga Industries on time? A quick check of your Internet-connected refrigerator magnet tells you your train which travels at speeds up to 250 miles an hour as it electromagnetically hovers above its guide track is a bit behind schedule, too. So you decide to drive your environmentally-friendly hydrogen fuel cell car instead or rather _ . It's programmed to know the way, and it will get you there without speeding, getting lost, or crashing. Sealing into your office chair, which changes color to match what you're wearing, you pick up yesterday morning's newspaper. Printed on reusable electronic paper, it instantly rewrites itself with today's headlines. Now it's time for your big meeting. Uh-oh! You've left your handwritten notes at home. No problem! The digital ink pen you used has stored an electronic copy of what you wrote. Your wrist watch videophone suddenly rings. Your best friend's face pops up on the organic light-emitting diode screen asking what you're doing this weekend. Will you slap on your 3D contact lenses and play virtual soccer with the US Olympic team? No, no. Your friend says, so you have to take the new nanotube elevator (made of microscopic fibers many times stronger than steel) 60,000 miles into space. Could this scene really take place in just a couple of decades? The researchers who are currently developing all this stuff think so. These things may be as common in 20 years as cell phones and DVD players are today. From the passage we know that _ . A you can read the newspaper on TV B the newspaper is printed on the used paper C the newspaper can update by itself D the newspaper is put in the changeable chair Answer: C The following are letters to the editor of a school newspaper Dear editor, I'd like to express my opinion about grades. Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades. Fortunately, most educators are becoming aware of the fact that students have different interests and abilities. I understand that grades are useful, but grades often limit creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to pursue music, dramatics and sports. Grades force an arbitrary standard of success on everyone. I do not demand as some extremists do, that grades be removed immediately. However, I do believe that less emphasis should be placed on grades. I hope that someday grades will become optional at Village High School. Magdalena Smith Drama Club Dear editor, I'd like to say something about grades. Let's face the facts about grades. Grades perform three basic functions. First, grades motivate students to work at their highest level of competence. Second, they act as a reward for hardworking students and as a punishment to students who do not work hard. Finally, grades are used as an effective standard by which to measure student achievement. Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university. I've spoken with a number of students who have jobs, and most of them say that they were hired primarily on the basis of their grades. My grades helped me land a part-time job and will help me get into university next year. I think grades are extremely important at Village High School. Simon Harper Science Club We can learn Simon Harper _ . A believes in the benefits of good grades B is concerned about students' creativity C doesn't work too hard at his studies D supports students' interests and abilities Answer: A
Marie Curie, born in Sklodovka, Poland in 1876, led a hard life as a girl. Her parents, both teachers, had small salaries and were quite poor, especially after her mother stopped teaching to raise five children and take care of her poor health. Marie's mother suffered from tuberculosis and died of it when Marie was ten. When Marie was small, she showed great interest in science. She loved to study and hoped to become a scientist when she grew up. Her parents encouraged her interest in science. Excellent as she was in her studies, she couldn't go on with the advanced education she needed because Poland was then ruled by Russia and women were not permitted to go to college. In order to continue her education, she smoothed away many difficulties and entered Paris University. she lived a simple life and studied hard, so she graduated with the highest grades in her class. After graduation, she was engaged in scientific research in Paris University. There she met Pierre Curie, whom she married later. Pierre joined her in her research into an unknown phenomenon radiation, which a certain scientist had declared the uranium gave off. The Curies spent several years trying their best to find the element that produced radiation. Finally they succeeded in 1902. Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes, one for physics in 1906, together with her husband and another scientist who had also contributed to the research, the other for chemistry herself in 1911.Marie Curie was a scientist of great achievement, and the first woman ever to be honoured in the Nobel Prize history. The fact that proves Marie was the best student in her class is that _ . A classic joke goes like this: A nurse rushes into an exam room and says, "Doctor, doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room." The doctor says, "Tell him I can't see him." Pretty simple, right? Here's how I tell it: "A nurse--her name is Joyce--feels a presence in the waiting room. She looks around but sees nothing. She jumps up from her desk, carefully replaces her chair, and runs down the lavender-hued hallway to the doctor's office. She knocks on the door. No response. He's not there. Where can he be? She continues down the hall, admiring a lithograph of an 18th-century Mississippi paddleboat along the way." By this time, my audience has left, but I soldier on. "She bursts into the exam room and says, 'Doctor, doctor!' The doctor, I should mention, is a urologist with a degree from Ohio State, which is where my nephew ..." You get the idea. I'm an embellisher. I can't leave a simple gag alone. I'm not the only joke-challenged member of the family. My sister's worse than I am. Her problem: She can't remember them. "'A nurse rushes into an exam room and says...'Uh, let me start all over again. 'A nurse rushes into a waiting...'No, it's not the waiting room. She just came from the waiting room. Let me start all over again. 'A doctor rushes into...' No, wait..." My uncle's different. He's guilty of taking a perfectly fine joke and selling it as the second coming of Oscar Wilde, "Okay, this is a good one. Ready? No, really, ready? Okay, fasten your seat belts. Ready?'A nurse...'Got it? A nurse? Okay, ready?'A nurse rushes into an exam room and says, "Doctor, doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room."' Now, this is where it gets funny. Ready?" No one is ever ready, so they leave before he gets to the punch line. My father's on Wall Street, so he hears all the jokes before they hit the Web. And he lets you know he knows them all by telling you all of them. He also knows that most people don't like jokes. So he slips them in under the radar: "I was chatting with Ben Bernanke the other day. You know Ben, don't you? The Fed chief? Anyway, we were reviewing the Fed's policy on long-term interest rates, and he told me it had evolved into its current iteration only after a nurse rushed into an exam room and said, 'Doctor, doctor, there's...' Hey, where are you going?" My brother Mark understands that the secret to good joke telling is to know your audience. When he entertained my grandmother's bridge club one evening, he made it a point to adapt the joke to them: "A beautiful blonde nurse rushes into a consulting room..." No one in my family has ever finished this joke. But as bad as it is not to be able to tell a joke, there's something worse: not being able to listen to one. Take my cousin Mitch for example. "Why couldn't the doctor see him?" he asked. "Because he's invisible," I said. "Now, I didn't get that. I thought the doctor couldn't see him because he was with a patient." "Well, yeah, okay, but the fact that the guy was invisible..." "Could the nurse see him?" "No. She's the one who said he was invisible..." "How'd she know he was there?" "Because he..." "When you say he was invisible, does that mean his clothes were invisible too?" Here's where I tried to walk away. "Because if his clothes weren't invisible," Mitch said, stepping between me and the exit, "then the doctor could see him, right?" "Yeah, but ..." "At least his clothes." "I guess..." "Unless he was naked." "Okay, he was naked!" "Why would he go to his doctor naked?" Next time you see my family and someone is telling a joke, do yourself a favor: Make yourself invisible. Which of the following is true according to this article? Many people are concerned about the state of the earth in terms of its energy supplies and changing climate.The clear message broadcast by all responsible governments is that every person has a part to play.Here are some detailed instructions. 1.Prevent pollution by disposing of all your litter and waste in the correct,legal way,such as using onstreet waste receptacles when you are out and about,or putting it in your domestic rubbish can when you're at home.Follow local procedures for normal waste disposal.Contact your local authority for advice on disposing of unusual waste items,such as paint and computer parts. 2.Recycle all materials that can be processed by your local authority.Place plastics,metals,paper and glass in the correct collection receptacles.Donate unwanted items to the charities that are happy to accept good condition clothing,furniture and even automobiles. 3.Look after reserves of water by making sure you turn off the tap after use and by repairing leaks and drips.Purchase waterefficient appliances.Take showers instead of baths.Gather rainwater for garden use and use your lawn sprinkler less often or not at all. 4.Save energy by choosing Energy Star products.Turn these off,as well as lights,when you don't need them to be on.Use air condition and heating less often.Make sure your home is insulated correctly to maintain a steady temperature. 5.Reduce the amount of the material you use.Print emails occasionally or not at all rather than printing them every time.You buy new things when you actually need them rather than on a whim .Organize a car pool with friends to use fuel efficiently. In a word,we should try to use the world's resources efficiently to protect the environment. When you have a walk in the park,you _ . In today's class, we'll learn how to send birthday e-cards to friends anywhere in the world without leaving our classroom. I'll show it to you on 123 Greetings, which is one of the most popular e-card websites. Step 1: Surf the Internet and go to 123 Greetings. Click "Happy Birthday" Step 2: Make your e-card. After clicking the card you want, you'll see a menu. Step 3: Add your text in the box. Step 4: Enter your e-mail address. Then enter your friend's e-mail address. Step 5: Click "Send", and your birthday e-card is on its way. This passage is most probably from a(n) _ class Jane was running late. Jane, 25, had a lot to do at work, plus visitors on the way: her parents were coming in for Thanksgiving from her hometown. But as she hurried down the subway stairs, she started to feel uncomfortably warm. By the time she got to the platform, Jane felt weak and tired---maybe it hadn't been a good idea to give blood the night before, she thought. She rested herself against a post close to the tracks. Several yards away, Tom, 43, and his girlfriend, Jennifer, found a spot close to where the front of the train would stop. They were deep in discussion about a house they were thinking of buying. But when he heard the scream, followed by someone yelling, "Oh, my God, she fell in!" Tom didn't hesitate. He jumped down to the tracks and ran some 40 feet toward the body lying on the rails. "No! Not you!" his girlfriend screamed after him. She was right to be alarmed. By the time Tom reached Jane, he could feel the tracks shaking and see the light coming. The train was about 20 seconds from the station. It was hard to lift her. She was just out. But he managed to raise her the four feet to the platform so that bystanders could hold her by the grins and drag her away from the edge. That was where Jane briefly regained consciousness, felt herself being pulled along the ground, and saw someone else holding her purse. Jane thought she'd been robbed. A woman held her hand and a man gave his shirt to help stop the blood pouring from her head. And she tried to talk but she couldn't, and that was when she realized how much pain she was in. Police and fire officials soon arrived, and Tom told the story to an officer. Jennifer said her boyfriend was calm on their 40-minute train ride downtown-just as he had been seconds after the rescue, which made her think about her reaction at the time. "I saw the train coming and I was thinking he was going to die," she explained. How did Tom save Jane?
Editor Henry Slocum, I read your May 10th article in the local newspaper Honesdale Times about electronic books, or e-books, with great interest. You made several good points about the disadvantage of e-books. You may have overlooked, however, some of the ways in which they are superior to traditional books. Yes, e-books are expensive, but they are also convenient. In addition, due to their environment-friendly nature, e-books have the potential to change our planets for the better. E-books, for anyone who is unfamiliar with the term, are about the same size and shape as regular books. They have a large screen in the middle, however, this screen shows the reader a page of the text that has been downloaded from a computer. Once the reader has finished reading the page on the e-book screen, he or she scrolls down to see a new page. The process continues until the entire book has been read. As you pointed out, Mr. Slocum, it's great to lie on a warm, sandy beach with a book. You can do that just as easily with an e-book as you can with a traditional paper book. In fact, because e-books are so light, you can carry themselves. Say, for example, that you like to read on the bus. Which would you rather carry with you---a heavy 800-page novel, or an e-book that weighs only a few ounces? Another important advantage is offered by e-books as well. They are more environment-friendly than traditional books. At present, thousands of trees cut down each year to meet the publishing industry's demand for paper. Books that don't sell are eventually returned to the publisher and destroyed, This terrible waste could be avoided if everyone used e-books, which require no paper. Sincerely, David Eng The main purpose of the letter is to _ A. explain how to read e-books B. honor the person who invented e-books C. scold publishers for wasting so much paper D. provide evidence that e-books are a good idea Answer: D At just six years old, Joey Kilpatrick is Australia's unofficial hide-and-seek champion after he hid in a bedroom cupboard for eight hours while playing his favorite game,causing a big rescue operation. The determined little boy's disappearing act led to a careful search, including nice police officers, five State Emergency Service volunteers, tracker dogs and almost all of the people of the town of Goombungee. His mother, Chris, says she called the police when Joey disappeared one afternoon after telling his older brother, Lachlan, 14, that he was off to play hide-and-seek. "I called the two boys for dinner," Chris says. "After about 20 minutes I started to worry, I was shouting to Joey, 'OK, we can't find you, time to come out!'" But there was no sign of her little boy. Within minutes of Chris calling the police, the policemen started one of the biggest ground searches in the town's history. "I was really frightened. I rang my husband, Kris, who works out of town, and he immediately hit the road, calling me every 10 minutes." Chris recalls."They searched the house from top to bottom; everyone was out looking for him. When a neighbor asked if I'd checked the water tank, that's when reality hit. I was afraid." After hours of searching the town, confused police decided to search the house one more time. "I just sat there waiting," Chris says, "Then a strange feeling came over me, and I rushed into the bedroom and put my hand on a pile of blankets in the cupboard. As I pulled then out,there he was---asleep and completely not realizing what was going on! I've never held him in my arms so hard." Senior officer, Chris Brameld,from Goombungee police,says he is glad that Joey's game had a happy ending: "When we realized he was safe, we agreed that it didn't get much better than that!" And young Joey promises that next time he won't be so intent on finding the best hiding place. "I want to say sorry to the policemen and to Mummy for scaring them," he says, "I promise next time I'll hide where they can find me and I won't fall asleep!" What did the boy's mother do when she couldn't find her son? A. She checked the water tank. B. She called the police and her husband. C. She turned to her neighbor for help. D. She searched the town from top to bottom. Answer: B Dear Mrs. Smith, I was a students of yours in Grade Six, and I hope you still remember me. I'm writing this letter because I want to let you know that the school year with you was important and special to me. It made a big contribution to my life. I know I was very quiet in your class, and you never said much to me. But you did something that made a big difference in my life. You see, all through my first year in school, I hated to read. Books were just words that had very little to do with me, and I was bored by them. I'll never forget the first day of Grade Six when you took out a thick book and began to read the story to our class. Your voice seemed to change with the people in the story, I couldn't wait until after lunch when you would read to the class. You read us all kinds of wonderful books. During the summer after my year in your class, I missed hearing the stories you would read. So one day I picked up a book and read it all on my own. I found out that I could make the words interesting, too. I love to read! Thank you for opening the world of books for me. Yours, Jenny Which is NOT TRUE in the story? A. The teacher often said much to Jenny. B. The teacher did something important in Jenny's life. C. The teacher opened the world of books for Jenny. D. The teacher read them all kinds of wonderful books. Answer: A What might happen in an Earthquake? A. It is the start of the Olympics B. Cats come out of the crack C. Jimmy may need to move D. A magical god comes out Answer: C What is the mass number of an atom with 17 protons, 17 electrons, and 18 neutrons? A. 17 B. 34 C. 35 D. 52 Answer: C
Being lonely in the crowd might seem ridiculous. But according to a recent survey, the situation is all too common. Loneliness and other anxiety problems - worrying about life's pressures - can even lead to self-murder. An article in China Daily gave no reason for this other than the usual blaming of the post-80s generation. According to a high level official, young people suffering from discouragement are mostly "spoiled and have not been taught to be independent, responsible and express 'thank-you'." Well, how do you like that? First, I don't think China's youth are exactly spoiled. They certainly have more things than their parents did, but a lot of the money spent on them is for their education including various extra classes. Discouragement and anxiety are now the fastest growing challenges in modern societies. We sense a lack of close friends who can talk to honestly and openly. In 1985, a US study found that one in ten people did not have such a friend. In 2006, it was one in four. It's easy to see the connection between loneliness and discouragement. But what actually causes this increasing loneliness? Surely, with Internet social networking sites such as Kaixin, we have more friends than ever. A new study has shown that the more time teenagers spend in front of computers, the less close they are to friends and family.Kaixinor QQ may be fun but it lacks meaning, compared to personal connections in the real world. And then there are those endless online games popular with young Chinese but increasingly there are more interesting choices. For example, new sports such as skateboarding are starting to catch on in bigger cities, as is playing music in a band. These creative hobbies are done in a group and thus friendship can be stronger. Hopefully young people will also be drawn out of the Internet cafes and interactive computer games that in fact fail to recreate a real and interactive experience. According to the high level official, it is easy for teenagers lacking independence and responsibility to _ . A suffer from loneliness and anxiety B play endless online games C cause adoption of self-destruction D worry about life's pressures Answer: A Every year, as Spring Festival draws near, most Chinese people will get excited to make preparation for the most important festival and make plan for the winter break. It is a little like Christmas in the United States, but there are some differences between the two festivals. Both the major Chinese and the major Western holidays come during the cold season, and special food is expected. In western countries, cookies and cakes begin just after Thanksgiving in November and show up everywhere. Turkey, potatoes and other food come later. Similar thing happens in China. Entering lunar December, most families will make shopping plans for _ and food is certainly one of the most important things to be considered. At the end of the month, both parents in each family will be very busy---the father is busy buying food while the mother is busy cooking. A deeper similarity is tradition. Christmas, as the letters "Christ" suggests, began as a holiday to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. Many people pray on this day. In China, people living in cities or towns, though they don't plan to sow seeds this month, still celebrate on the big day for farmers. Followers of both holidays are also different from each other. While Chinese people travel to the homes of elder relatives, Americans usually call or send cards. Westerners prefer Christmas carols to fireworks. In Christmas, many family gifts come together instead of one by one, since adults may have only one day free to celebrate. But the most curious difference is about students. Chinese students going home for Spring Festival sometimes report that they get bored by the end of vacation, yet American students seldom get bored around Christmas and western New Year. Not everyone enjoys classic holiday traditions. Students in western countries may get upset, as too much homework, travel or bad family relations may destroy the short holiday season. In China, more and more college students choose to travel or work during the winter holiday instead of going home to stay with their families. It's against the tradition but many people accept it. What does the writer mainly want to tell us in this passage? A Food in different festivals. B Differences between two festivals. C Festivals in China and western countries. D Traditional celebrations in different countries. Answer: B Which of the following is an instinctive behavior? A geese leave colder regions B a human boy learns to speak French C a chicken learns to play fetch D an eagle eats trash Answer: A When a predator population decreases in an environment, what happens to other populations? A prey numbers will boom B the amount of prey will go down C new predators will arrive D all populations will increase Answer: A We all know the saying, "One's enemy is one's own anger and one's calmness is the friend of oneself." Anger is the root cause of many bad outcomes. We all know of damage that anger has caused us. There are many old stories that tell us the bad effects of anger. But the question is whether we should never experience anger and lead lives like sages ?I do not think the answer is a firm yes. Everyone should have this emotion and be able to use it in a wise way. In other words, it is also known as controlled aggression. We see a lot of this kind of controlled emotion when we watch athletes in action. If an athlete has the right amount of aggression, the game or the battle is half won. The other half can be won by his skills. Controlled aggression or anger also plays an important role in a person's career and life. During the courses of a person's career, people who hold high positions need to exercise this emotion called anger in a professional and right manner. For getting the work done well, it is important for you to make use of positive aggression or controlled anger. We can extend this to our daily lives as well. If the parent is not strict at times, children will behave in a wrong way and do not develop as they are expected. Teachers have to exercise this emotion in a wise way to make the students gain knowledge in an effective manner. All in all, if one is able to use the emotion called anger in a controlled manner, it will lead to the smooth development in his life and career. According to the author, controlled aggression or anger _ . A is our enemy B is known to all C doesn't have an effect on us D does us good Answer: D
Even if he is not the most liked comedian in China today, his popularity certainly has risen the fastest within the last two months. He's "Little Shenyang", who came into national fame overnight after his appearance on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala. With his funny cross-dressing, unique northeastern accent and superb imitative skills, Little Shenyang has obvious talent to support his rise to fame. Hundreds of video clips of his shows have been posted on YouTube and other online video sites, and his performance fees reportedly grew 50-fold in just a few weeks. He has, at the same time, become one of the most controversial of entertainers. Many have doubted his artistic potential, pointing out that his shows were repetitive and lacked creativity, a key to continued comedic success. Others belittle the style of humor, saying it's too crude and appeals only to less-educated people. His defenders were just as up in arms. Many media commentators and bloggers said that his quick rise to star proved the broad appeal of his art form. He became a national champion not because of his "northeastern hick " humor, they argued, but because he represented something new on TV, something with a grassroots feel that appealed to millions of ordinary people. Now, does Little Shenyang really deserve his star status? From the passage, we can infer that _ . A Little Shenyang is the most popular comedian in China. B Few people like Little Shenyang's performance. C Little Shenyang earns a lot of money now. D The author thinks little of Little Shenyang. Answer: C Long long ago, There was a tree and some grass . The grass grew next to the tree. The tree was very tall and the grass was short. The tree often _ the grass. One day, the tree said to the grass, "You are weak . Even the grasshopper is too heavy for you." The tree also said that it was big and strong. No strong wind was able to blow it down. The tree laughed at the grass. But the grass didn't get angry. The grass only said, "I'm not afraid of the wind." That night, there was a strong wind. The wind blew down the tree. The tree was very poor. It was thrown on the ground. But the grass was still there. The wind couldn't blow down the grass. It even danced in the wind. ,,. Which of the following is true according to the passage? A The wind blew down the grass. B The wind didn't blow down the tree. C The grass was afraid of the wind. D The wind threw the tree on the ground. Answer: D Hi Hongbo, I'm so glad to read about the changes talking place in your city. It's really good news that you can travel by subway in Xi'an, though there's only one line there. Here in London we have twelve lines. By the way, we don't use the word "subway" here. It's American English. We call it "the Underground", instead. The London Underground is very famous. It's famous for several reasons. First of all, part of the underground railway today is the oldest in the world, which opened in 1863. Secondly, the London Underground is also the first line to have electric trains, in 1890. Thirdly but not the last, the London Underground is the second largest metro system in the world, after the Shanghai Metro. There are 270 stations in the Underground and it has 402 kilometres oftracks . What's more, the city of London itself helps make the transportation system famous! I've got a few photos to help you build a clear picture of the Underground in my city. They are together with this mail. In your email, you also said workers were building more lines. I'm sure your city is developing fast. Maybe you can send me a few photos of your city today. I really want to see the changes taking place there. I'm happy for you to live there in an ancient city with such a new look! So much for now. I'll write soon again. Best wishes! Where is the writer from? A From London B From Shanghai C From Xi'an. D From New York Answer: A Many people have wondered what makes the oceans rise and fall on the word's beaches twice a day. Those tides are caused by the force of the Moon's gravity and the rotation of the Earth. Gravity acts on the center of any solid object. The Earth is mostly molten rock, but compared to the oceans, we can think of it as a solid object. As you know, the oceans are fluid and lie on the surface of the Earth. When the Moon is overhead, the oceans are four thousand miles closer to the Moon than the Earth's center is. Because the oceans are closer, the Moon pulls harder on the water than on the Earth. This stronger pull makes the water bunch up a little under the Moon, creating a high tide. At the same time, the oceans on the opposite side of the Earth are four thousand miles farther from the Moon than the Earth's center is. The Moon's pull on this water is weak. This water bunches up because it is "left behind"(making another high tide) as the Earth is pulled slightly towards the Moon. When the waters bunch up on these two sides of the Earth, they draw water away from the other sides of the Earth, which creates the low tides. As the Earth rotates, different parts of the land and oceans pass through the high-tide and low-tide zones. And that makes the waters on our coasts go up and down. Which of the following facts can be inferred from the passage?. A Low-tide zones are near to high-tide zones. B The oceans of the Earth are a whole body. C High-tide zones are separated from low-tide zones. D The Earth's surface is 4000 miles away from the Moon. Answer: B Every year gray whales swim a 10,000 miles round-trip, from the cold waters near Alaska, down the coast of North America to the warm waters near Mexico, and back again. It is one of the longest migrations of any mammal. All day, all summer long, in the cold waters near Alaska, gray whales eat and eat. Instead of teeth, gray whales have baleen, they are used to getting food from ocean water. They get big mouthfuls of muck from the ocean floor, then push that muck right back out through their baleen. The mucky water flows through, but tiny animals get trapped in the baleen and _ . When the water starts to freeze, the whales begin their long trip south. They swim night and day, without stopping to eat or rest. During the long journey, migrating whales may push their heads out of the water to see where they are. Two months later, the whales reach Mexico. Babies are born here in warm, shallow waters called lagoons. Ocean lagoons have no food for the adults, but the babies are safer here than in the open seas. All winter the babies grow big and strong. In spring first the dads and teenagers leave the lagoons, then the moms with babies. Migrating gray whales swim close to shore, especially moms with babies. The ice is melting up north, and it's time for the hungry whales to make the long journey back to their summer feeding grounds. During their long journey to Mexico, gray whales _ . A always swim under the ocean B find food to supply their energy C face the colder and colder water D travel to the lagoons without a break Answer: A
Located in the forests near the village of Harads in northern Sweden, the Treehotel opened its doors in the summer of 2010 and offers six guest rooms.Owners, Britta and Kent Lindvall, invited designers and architects to create a series of unique tree houses that reflect the growing popularity of ecologically-themed holidays. There's the Mirrorcube, a 4x4x4 meter aluminum box in mirrored glass.Accessed via a footbridge, the Cabin is suspended from the surrounding pines on a steep bank, affording views of the Lulea River.Both these rooms sleep two people while the Nest (covered in branches), the Blue Cone (which is actually painted red) and the UFO (a spaceship skewered by pines) all have enough room to sleep a family of four. The Treehotel was built after they saw a 2008 Swedish documentary called "Tradalskaren" (The Tree Lover) that tells the story of three men who build a tree house near Harads in an attempt to rediscover their rural roots after years of living in a city. The Lindvalls, who already owned and ran a nearby guesthouse, saw the chance to create a different kind of holiday experience."When the film was over, interest in the original tree house grew so we decided to build our own, closer to our place," Kent Lindvall said."The plan for next year is five new rooms.We also plan to build a chapel so people can get married up there." Open all year round, the Treehotel might attract only _ during the winter as temperatures typically dip to around minus 15 degrees Celsius.But brave travelers will be rewarded with stunning snowy landscapes as well as a "Three Sauna" and under-floor heating in every room delivered by renewable energy. What can we learn about "Tradalskaren ? A It introduces the way of building treehotels. B It is about experience of returning to nature. C It aims to attract holidaymakers to the Treehotel. D It is about Britta and Kent Lindvall's life experience. Answer: B. It is about experience of returning to nature. English is a very interesting language. It has borrowed words from many other languages. Immigrants coming into the United States have contributed many words to the language, which have kept their original pronunciation. "Coolie" and "kowtow" were taken from the Chinese language, "kamikaze from the Japanese, "shampoo" from India, "blitz" from German, "amigo" and "Los Angeles" from Spanish and so on. Many students have studied English for years, some as many as eight. However, some students still have difficulty in speaking fluent English. Some know many words but are unable to _ them when native speakers use them. In our Oral English classes we will focus on speaking and listening to native English speakers. For this reason, because we are trying to train your ears to hear English and your mouths to speak intelligible English, we will have a rule that ONLY ENGLISH will be spoken in our English classes. Anyone speaking Chinese in class will be required to pay a fine in order to encourage the speaking and understanding of English. If teachers enter a classroom and discover that anyone is speaking Chinese, they will require everyone in the room to pay the fine. It is everyone's job to enforce the English-Only rule. It is for your benefit. It is because we want to accustom your ears to hearing English. Other subjects may be learned solely from books but the only way to learn a foreign language is to SPEAK IT! Students are often nervous about speaking in class at first but we hope to make the classes fun, so you will forget your nervousness and learn to speak out. Enjoy your classes. The article is probably aimed at _ . A Japanese students B German students C Chinese students D Indian students Answer: C. Chinese students There's a story told about an elderly lady in Arkansas.The state voted to increase welfare payments to the poor.Hoping for a tear-jerker story,a television interviewer went into the back hills where many welfare recipients lived. The old woman he chose to interview lived in a one-room shack :cold in winter;hot in summer.Her bed was a few rough planks nailed together,with a pine-needle mattress.A couple thin blankets,and a fireplace,did little to protect her from the cold. Her furniture,a table and two chairs,were fashioned from the same rough wood as her bed.Some shelves held a few cans of food from the general store.a three mile walk down the road.Several jars of preserves and a few squash completed her larder . She had no fridge or freezer.The fireplace provided heat for cooking.With no phone or television her only connection with the outside world was an old radio that pulled in two or three local stations on a good day. The old woman had one convenience, running water.A crystal clear stream.flowed a short distance behind her home. A small garden near her back door provided fresh vegetables during the summer,and some squash and turnips for the winter.A tidy flower garden brightened the front of her house. The television crew arrived and set up their big expensive cameras.Their mobile station. broadcast pictures of the woman and the place she called home. Eventually the interviewer asked the old woman,"If the government gave you $200 more each month,what would you do with it?" Without hesitation the woman replied,"I'd give it to the poor." How did the woman get water? A From the tap. B From a stream. C From a spring. D From a well behind her house. Answer: B. From a stream. Going on a road trip? The St. Louis Arch, Statue of Liberty and Golden Gate Bridge are normal tourist sites. But if you prefer offbeat destinations, check out the following road-side attractions. World's Largest Ball of Paint Alexandria, Ind. In 1977, Michael Carmichael set out to create the biggest ball of paint anywhere. Starting with a baseball as a center, he painted layer after layer of paint day after day, year after year. The ball weighs more than 1,300 pounds, with more than 20,000 coats of paint, which is recognized by Guinness world Records. Visitors can paint the ball themselves and become part of history. The Museum of Dirt Boston, Mass. The museum is the idea of Glenn Johanson. Labeled glass bottles contain such treasures as dirt from the Great Wall of China, as well as sand from a desert in Saudi Arabia and Omaha Beach in France. Best of all, the cost of seeing this museum is dirt cheap: It's free. Mount Horeb Mustard Museum Mount Horeb, Wis. It's heaven for hot dog lovers! This museum claims to have world's largest collection of prepared mustard . Its more than 4,100 bottles of spices come from 60 nations, including Turkey and Tibet. Visitors learn the history of mustard, from how it's made to how it's advertised and sold. The museum's creator, Barry Levenson, loves mustard so much, he even puts it on ice cream! Paper House Rockport, Mass. Swedish immigrant Ellis Stenman was much ahead of his time in 1922, when he started to build a two-room house almost entirely out of newspaper. At the time, people didn't give much--if any --thought to recycling paper. In fact, "recycling" wasn't even a Word yet. The house is framed with wood, but the walls are made of 215 layers of newspaper. In all ,he used about 100,000 newspapers. What can be inferred from the passage? A Michael must have the largest ball in the world. B Ellis could be seen as a pioneer in his time. C Lots of hot dog lovers will travel to Alexandria. D Glenn must have paid a visit to China. Answer: B. Ellis could be seen as a pioneer in his time. IPhone owners are vainer and spend more on clothes and grooming than those who have BlackBerrys and Android phones, new research claims.BlackBerry owners earn the most and are more likely to have long-term relationships, while people with Android handsets are most creative and the best cooks. The study, carried out by TalkTalk Mobile, surveyed 2,000 owners of the three major smartphone brands to determine whether the choice of handset was an extension of their personality. The study rated users in various walks of life using a point scoring system including personalities, daily habits and the type of industries they work in. Other results from the study found that people with an iPhone are more _ and generally consider themselves more attractive than those with other handsets. They are most likely to describe themselves as adventurous, bright and are most likely to work in media, publishing and education. They also believe their boss rates them highly. Apple owners also tend to have done more travelling and are the most active on social media sites. BlackBerry owners were found to be the least punctual , but despite putting in the least hours at work they are the most active phone user--sending more texts and making more calls in the average day than any other phone user. They are more social and have more friends overall. They also earn nearly two and a half thousand pounds a year more than other smartphone owners, with an average salary of $27,406. BlackBerry users classed themselves so loud and mainly work in the health, finance or property sectors. They were also found to drink more tea and coffee each day than any other phone user. Android owners were found to watch more TV than others and drink the most alcohol--consuming more in an average week than iPhone and BlackBerry drinkers. They have the most jobs in engineering, the government and public services and environmental services. They have the best manners and are more shy and relaxed than their counterparts. Dan Meader, Director of Mobile at TalkTalk, said,"Many of us have our mobile phones on us almost constantly so they do become an extension of us in many ways. It's interesting to see then how the choice in handset may reflect different aspects of personality and the results do show some unusual difference What were Android users found to be like? A Loud. B Brave. C Polite. D Confident. Answer: C. Polite.
I'm trying to be a writer, but I can't even start. What should I do? Abraham, Nebraska There are many ways to come up with ideas, one of which is to write down a list of your experiences, as well as things from your imagination. When you want to write, look in the notebook for ideas. Books for writers often have good suggestions, too. One we like isSpilling Ink: A Yong Writer's Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. Perhaps your library has it. My classmates keep asking about a new movie I've seen. But I don't want to spoil it for them. What should I do? Corinne (by e-mail) You could ask your classmates whether they are sure they want to know and if they insist, go ahead and tell them. You may be able to give them a general idea of the movie without revealing details of the ending. I'm going to a soccer camp for youth, but I'm not sure if I'm good at soccer or if I'll make friends. Louise, New Hampshire Soccer camp is for people who share an interest in the sport. No matter what a person's ability is at the beginning, it's likely that everyone will leave camp with improved skills. Sharing a common interest may make conversations easier. Smile, be friendly, and have a sense of humor. Before long, you may find that you've made some good friends. Someone invited me to a birthday party. When I got there, kids were doing stuff I'm not interested in, like watching scary movies. I told them my mom would pick me up, so I just left. Was I rude for doing that? Sam (by e-mail) You just did the right thing and that isn't being rude. We hope you'll talk with your parents about this. They're probably proud of what you did. They may have other suggestions for you, too. Talk about different situations that might come up and what would be the best way to handle them. The answer to Sam's question shows what Sam did is _ . Answer: Morocco is located at the northwest of Africa and is bordered in the north by the strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic Ocean keeps the west and the north of the country more temperate . The country also offers the broadest plains some of which run along the Atlantic Ocean and the highest mountains in North Africa including the Atlas Mountains. Starting with the symbol of Morocco, Marrakech is a beautiful city that has remained unspoiled by the volume of tourists that flock there each year. One of the finest monuments in Morocco is greatly benefited by this amount of tourism. Actually their high volume contributes in a positive way to preserve one of the greatest monuments of Morocco. Fes is the third largest city in Morocco and is the capital of the Fes-Boulemane Region. It is separated into three parts, Fes el Bali more commonly known as the old walled city, now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fes-Jdid and the Ville Nouvelle. Fes el Bali is believed to be the largest car-free urban area in the world. Fes is a splendid place to visit to heighten the senses with the colours, smells and sounds. Casablanca is an enormous city which is near the capital of Morocco and a place where any European would feel at home. Casablanca was made famous by the movie and gives the impression of being a romantic place. Unfortunately like many other popular cities around the world, it is crowded, noisy, and polluted, a far cry from the romantic ideal of the film. Because it has the biggest port, Casablanca being the important city of Morocco, has everything that the tourists need. Asilah is a city situated on the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the most stunning old cities of Morocco. The city is set along the cliffs which make it beautifully presented and an ideal place to continue adding to its economy by the fishermen. The economy is also reliant on the trading of cattle, sheep and cereal. If you are having a holiday in Morocco during August then you will be fortunate enough to experience one of Asilah's cultural festivals where you can enjoy the lively music and wonderful paintings. If you want to live conveniently while you are on vacation, which city in Morocco could you choose? Answer: Janice is an American engineer working in Nanjing. She and her husband George, who is teaching English at a university, have been eager to get to know Chinese people better, so they were pleased when Liu, Janice's young co-worker, invited them to her home for dinner. When they arrived, Liu introduced them to her husband Yang and asked them to sit down at a table containing eight plates of various cold dishes. Half an hour later she came back and sat down and the three began to eat. Yang came in from time to time, putting hot dishes on the table. Most of the food was wonderful, though neither George nor Janice could eat the fatty pork, and there was much more than they could eat. They kept wishing Yang would sit down so they could talk to him. Finally he did sit down to eat a bit, but soon it was time to go home. Janice and George felt slightly depressed by this experience, but returned the invitation two weeks later. They decided to make a nice American meal and felt lucky to find olives, crackers , tomato juice, and even some cheese in the shop. They put these out as appetizers . For the main course they prepared spaghetti and a salad. When Liu and Yang arrived and began to have dinner, they took small tastes of the appetizers and seemed surprised when both George and Janice sat down with them. They ate only a little spaghetti and didn't finish the salad on their plates. After a while, George cleared the table and served coffee and pastries . Yang and Liu each put four spoons of sugar into their coffee but didn't drink much of it and ate only a bite or two of pastry. After they left, George and Janice were upset. " We left their place so full but they're going to have to eat again when they get home. What went wrong? Why did the American couple feel a bit depressed after dinner at Liu's home? Answer: Jack is the name of a game. It is quite popular with children. To play jacks, you will need a small ball and ten small metal objects called jacks. The rules for this game are quite easy. To begin with, put the ten jacks on the floor or ground in front of you. Toss the ball high, pick up one jack and then catch the ball. Keep the jack in your hand and go on to pick up the other jack one at a time. You lose your turn if you do not catch the ball, or if you do not pick up a jack, or if you drop any of the jacks from your hand. When you finish all the ten jacks, you now try to do the same thing again but with two jacks at one time. This is more difficult, of course. You lose your turn if you make any of the above three mistakes or if you do not pick up two jacks each time. If you want to finish the first and second parts of the game, you have to pick up jacks _ . Answer: If California were not already so famous for Sillicon Valley and Hollywood, it might be well-known for the groups of water-technology firms in its San Diego County. The reverse-osmosis (RO) spiral module, the technique that supports turning seawater and waste-water into drinkable stuff, began in San Diego in 1964. Today dozens of firms in the area supply many of the world's approximately 13,000 RO plants in places from the Persian Gulf and Israel to Australia and China. Southern California itself, however, has not so far been a big user of its own technology. This is surprising, given that the whole American south-west faces a water problem. But now as the climate gets warmer and the population increases, there is more agreement that the existing infrastructure, consisting of vast pipes that carry water from the Sacramento Delta in the north and the Colorado River in the east, will not be enough. In places such as San Diego, which has inadequate and salty groundwater and currently imports 90% or its water, the answers must be greater conservation, reusing as much water as possible, and getting most of the rest from the sea. The first part, conservation, has been widely accepted by the public. San Diego today uses less water with a larger population than it did in 1989, the year water consumption peaked. The second part, water recycling has been a hard sell, because of an unpleasant factor. Americans still use the term "toilet-to-tap" for recycling, even though properly treated waste-water is nowadays completely clean. Singapore made its programme acceptable in part by renaming it as NEWater. This is where desalination comes in, which means taking the salt out of salt water. A firm called Poseidon Resources is now close to building the biggest desalination plant in America behind a power station by the beach in Carlsbad. The power plant sucks in 304m gallons of seawater a day for cooling, so Poseidon plans to change 104m gallons a day by using the RO spiral module. Lots of people like the idea. Once fully running in 2015, the plant could produce 10% of the region's water. And there are plans for more desalination plants. Many places would need to take much less water from the endangered Colorado River. But a few people hate it a lot. Joe Geever, an expert in biology, says desalination uses too much energy and that Poseidon plant would kill too much sea life. He understands that there is a role for desalination, he says, but would rather not have it right there, right now, and on this scale. Which of the following is WRONG about the RO spiral module according to the passage? Answer:
Tourism probably started in Roman times. Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman Empire. But when the empire broke down,this kind of tourism stopped. In the early 17th century, the idea of the "Grand Tour" was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel .They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The "Grand Tour" was an important part of young people's education--but only for the rich. In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to" take the waters". They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns. In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea. And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier. Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to far away countries. The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them. Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything--plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food--and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour and modern tourist industry was born. The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949.But tourism did not take off until 1978.In 2002,the industry was worth 500 billion yuan and became an important part of China's social development. _ played the most important role in the tourism development. Transportation In the southern part of America, when somebody has a birthday, often family or friends, or both, will arrange a party. The party could be elaborate and include a meal or may be simple with a birthday cake and drinks. One does not plan, nor give, one's own birthday as is the custom in some cultures. At a party there is usually a decorated cake, often with the words "Happy Birthday" and with the name of the person written on the top of the cake. Sometimes there is also one candle for each year of the person celebrating the birthday before the cake is cut. While blowing out the candles, the person makes a wish for something pleasant. Usually those invited to a birthday party will bring a gift for the person honored. Gifts given by friends do not have to be expensive, but the family of the birthday person will spend whatever they can afford on a gift. Christmas parties also are very popular in the South. Often this is the only time during the year that some people see acquaintances . These parties can be elaborate or simple, ranging from a buffet to a reception called "open house ". If you are invited to one of these, you don't need to take a Christmas gift, as it is not customary to take the hostess a gift every time you are invited to a party or a meal. However, if you wish to take a gift, it should only be something useful and inexpensive and should be given to the hostess at the door as you enter the party. Usually gifts of Christmas food treats are the most appreciated. Which of the following is true? If you take a gift to a Christmas party, you'd better take something useful and inexpensive. A hobby is not a job or a school subject. A hobby is something you enjoy doing in your spare time. It's not something you need to do. It's just fun. Some people make model ships, keep pets, plant flowers, play computer games or chat on the Internet. Some paint pictures or dance to music. Some collect everything from stamps to seashells ... People take up hobbies because they think these activities can bring them many things like happiness, friendship and knowledge. Anyone, rich or poor, old or young, sick or well, can have a hobby. A hobby will make your life colorful. ,. How many hobbies are mentioned in this passage? 8. Scientists claim that the continents of South America and Africa were once a single landmass. All of the following observations support this claim except similar fish live in the ocean off the coasts of these continents. Did the endangered animal--pandas in China's Wolong Reserve know that Monday's earthquake was coming before it hit? A British tourist, who was watching the pandas as the earthquake hit, offered a deep observation. He said, "They had been very lazy, just eating a little bit of bamboo then, and all of a sudden they were moving rapidly around their pen and looking back. They must have sensed something was wrong." Some scientists say animals can sense danger by discovering subtle or sudden changes in the environment. When the tsunami hit in 2004, there were reports that elephants in Sri Lanka fled to higher ground well before the waves crashed into the coastline. Panda researcher Marc Brody says some animal species, such as elephants who are known to hear low frequency sound waves, hear things very quickly and may get an early warning. Some animal species have a greater awareness of shaking in the ground than humans, so they may sense smaller _ before a big earthquake. The tourist said, "We were looking forward to seeing the pandas, but we were not sure whether the pandas were going to come out of the pen or not, So we were waiting for that to happen when we heard this huge noise which is just what you can't describe. What was it like? It was just a huge noise and the land was shaking underneath you. Certainly it was a terrible experience to be standing there going through the earthquake." Form the passage we can conclude that the author _ . was frightened by the earthquake
Question: I'm Wang Ping. I'm in Beijing. I like healthy food. I have milk and fruit for breakfast; rice , chicken and vegetables for lunch; vegetables, fruit and salad for dinner. Here is what my friends like eating. Let's have a look! Zhang Jian(inBeijing)Like: Li Ming(inShanghai)Like: Zheng Hui(inBeijing)Like: ,. What doesWang Ping have for lunch? A. Milk and fruit. B. Rice, chicken and vegetables. C. Chicken and hamburgers. D. Vegetables, fruit and salad. Answer: B Question: Mrs. Jones is waiting for an important telephone call, but she has no vegetables at home, so she leaves the baby and says to her five-year-old son, "I'm going to the shops, Jimmy, and I'll be back in a few minutes." While she is out, the telephone rings, and Jimmy answers. "Hello," says a man. "Is your mother here?" "No." answers Jimmy. "Well, when she comes back, tell her Mr. Baker telephones." "What?" says Jimmy. "Mr. Baker, write it down B-A-K-E-R." "How do you make a B," asks Jimmy. "How do I make B? Listen, little boy, is there anyone else with you? Any brothers or sisters?" "My brother Billy is here." "Good, I want to talk to him, please." "All right." Jimmy takes the telephone to the baby's bed and gives it to Billy. When their mother comes back, she asks, "Does anyone telephone?" "Yes," says Jimmy, "a man. But he only wants to talk to Billy." There is no _ in Mrs. Jones's house. A. money B. vegetables C. milk D. people Answer: B Question: Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of US technology giant Apple, has died at the age of 56. Mr Jobs had announced he was suffering from cancer in 2004. Apple said he had been "the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives" and had made the world "immeasurably better". Tributes have been made by technology company bosses and world leaders, with US President Barack Obama saying the world had "lost a visionary ". "Steve was among the greatest of American innovators ---- brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it," said Mr Obama. A statement from Mr Jobs's family said they were with him when he died peacefully on Wednesday. "In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he loved his family deeply," they said, requesting privacy and thanking those who had "shared their wishes and prayers" during his final year. Apple said the company had "lost a visionary and creative genius and the world have lost an amazing human being". Tim Cook, who was made Apple's CEO after Mr Jobs stood down in August, said his predecessor had left behind "a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple". Flags are being flown at half mast outside the Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, while fans of the company have left tributes outside Apple shops around the world. The heads of other leading technology companies have also paid tribute, including Microsoft boss Bill Gates, who said "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been a great honour. I will miss Steve very much." Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg thanks Mr Jobs for "showing that what you build can change the world" while Sony Corp president and CEO Howard Stringer said: "The digital age has lost its leading light." South Korea's Samsung, which is involved in a case with Apple over patents , admired Mr Jobs for his "Completely new and different changes to the IT industry". Who became Apple's CEO after Mr Jobs? A. Tim Cook B. Howard Stringer C. Mark Zuckerberg D. Barack Obama Answer: A Question: My father woke me up early one summer morning when I was fourteen and announced: "Get up. You're going with me to cut grass." The idea that my father thought I was old enough to help him in his business made me feel proud and excited. From sunup to sundown, my father, my younger brother and I worked in the large yards in a rich part of Atlanta, Georgia. By the end of the day I was tired out, but I felt good. I had put in a hard day's labor and had earned $ 6 One day my father found some leaves I'd missed and pulled me aside. "Clear away these leaves!" he said firmly, "and don't make me have to do it again." The message was clear. Today I value the importance of doing a job right the first time. It will never fail to impress the person you are working for. After two years, my father told me and my brother that he felt we were old enough to do lawns on our own. Every Saturday during our last two years of high school, we set out early in the morning with the same desire and drive we had gained while working under our father. Taking care of lawns was not exciting or high-paying, but that didn't matter. It taught me that any job was a good job and that whatever I was paid was more than I had before. A newspaper reporter once asked me how someone could possibly live on a forty-hour-a-week minimum pay. "My father has never worked just forty hours a week, and neither have I," I replied. "If you're only working forty hours, you probably don't want to do any better than you are doing." In every job I've held from doing lawns to washing dishes, I have learned something that helped me in my next job. If you work hard enough, you can learn from any job you do. Why did the writer feel proud and excited when asked to cut grass? A. He was old enough to help his father. B. He became important to his father's business. C. He was able to take care of large yards. D. He could earn $6 that day. Answer: A Question: The expression "keeping up with the Joneses" was first used in 1913 by a young American Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself: he began earning $125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. Young Momand was very proud of his riches. He got married and moved with his wife to Long Island, outside New York City. But just moving there was not enough. For when Momand and his wife saw that their neighbors belonged to a country club they too joined a club. And when he saw that rich people were expected to ride horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave grand parties for their new neighbors. It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. Momand and his wife could not do that. The race ended for them when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an inexpensive New York City apartment. Momand later said that his experience had been a cruel awakening for him. However, he was able to see the funny side of it. He looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with their neighbors. He decided that this would make good stories for many papers across the country. He called it "Keeping up with the Joneses", because "Jones" is a very common American name. "Keeping up with the Joneses" came to mean keeping up with the people around you. Momand's stories appeared in different newspapers for over 28 years. People never seem to tire of keeping up with the Joneses. That is one reason why they read the "right" books, go to the "right" universities and eat in the "right" restaurants. But no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead. The funny side Momand saw in his experience was _ . A. he moved back to a cheap place B. he was not alone in keeping up with his neighbors C. he made a mistake in following other people's examples D. he cared too much about what others thought of him Answer: B
Among the many things that Brisbane , Australia, does really well, the care for kids is the best one. Here is a list of places that will be suitable for your kids. Swimming pools Simple way for happiness: mix kids with water. Of course, this is a choice for the hot summer months. Parks Free outdoor fun: it's suitable for kids of all ages. It's a place for parents to let kids run wild. The Children's Art Centre The Children's Art Centre has been very popular. Kids' favorite here is some exhibitions specially designed for children. But we must pay some money. South Bank Parklands South Bank Parklands has everything you need to keep kids amused. Take them for a swim at the man-made beach. On weekends, go through the arts market or go to a cheap movie. South Bank Parklands often gives free performances too. Roma Street Parkland Close to bus transport, this parkland is easily accessible . It's ideal for kids of all ages. Younger kids can take a trip on the Jelly Bean Express, a 1.3 km trackless train ride around the parkland. Free entry and open every day. What does the text mainly talk about? A. Brisbane--a beautiful city in Australia. B. How to travel in Brisbane. C. Famous parks and activities in Brisbane. D. Some interesting places for kids in Brisbane. Answer: D Taking photographs at a birthday or a wedding has become as natural as blowing out candles or cutting the cake. But our obsession with recording every detail of our happiest moments could be damaging our ability to remember _ , according to new research. A study has shown that taking pictures rather than concentrating fully on the events in front of us prevents memories taking hold. Dr. Linda Henkel, from Fairfield University, Connecticut, described it as the "photo-taking impairment effect". She said: "People so often pull out their cameras almost mindlessly to capture a moment, to the point where they are missing what is happening right in front of them. When people rely on technology to remember for them--counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves--it can have a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences." Dr Henkel and her team carried out an experiment in a museum, to learn if taking pictures of the exhibits was hindering the ability of visitors to remember what they had seen. A group of university students were led on a tour at the Bellarmine Museum of Art at Fairfield University and were asked to either photograph or try and remember objects on display. The next day their memory was tested. The results showed that people were less accurate in recognizing the objects they had photographed than those they had only looked at. It was found that their memory for the details of the objects they had photographed was poorer. Henkel's lab is currently investigating whether the content of a photo, such as whether you are in it, affects later memory. She is also researching whether actively choosing what to photograph might influence what we remember. Previous research suggests that reviewing photos we have taken does help us remember the objects, but only if we take the time. "Research has suggested that the sheer volume and lack of organization of digital photos for personal memories discourages many people from accessing and recalling them. In order to remember, we have to access and interact with the photos, rather than just collect them," said Dr Henkel. What is the "photo-taking impairment effect"? A. Some unhappy events may impair the effects of photos. B. Taking photographs of objects ruins one's memory of them. C. The effects of photos are strongly affected by bad cameras. D. Memories last forever when people take the photos they like most. Answer: B What is the E-mail The e-mail, which is also called email, stands for "electronic mail". You can send messages in only a few seconds by e-mail. On the Internet there are many powerful computers called "servers" to help people send and receive emails. The sending and receiving servers are just like post offices. If you want to use the email service, you have to open at least an email account called a "mailbox", just like we set up a mailbox in a post office. Some mailboxes are provided free of charge by ISPs, which you can get when you open an Internet account. Most widely used mailboxes are provided free by the ISPs, and anyone can apply for one even if he has no ISP account. How to apply for a free mailbox? First you have to connect to the Internet and go to the homepage of the ISP providing free mailboxes. Then you'll find an icon showing "apply for a free mailbox", click the icon, an agreement about the rules for using the free mailbox will appear. If you want to go on, click the icon "I agree". Then you have to fill in a form about your basic personal information, and the name and pin of the mailbox. The pin is the key to the mailbox. After finishing these, you'll get a mailbox like this: your name @ mail server, for example: jack@ 163. com. The mailbox is separated into two parts by a separator "@", which is read as "at". The former part is the name of the mailbox. The latter is the domain name of the mail server. All mails to you will be received by the server and put into your mailbox. You can read this mail on any computer in the world as long as you have the name and pin of the mailbox. Here is an email address ecpjyb@ecp.com.cn. What is the name of the mailbox? A. ecp. B. ecp.com.cn C. com.cn D. ecpjyb Answer: D Jim found a job in a shop two years ago. Mrs. White, the shopkeeper trusts the able young man and pays him more. He's happy and works harder. Once Jim knew a beautiful girl called Mabel at a friend's party. They danced for several times and the girl was deeply in love. But Mabel's parents didn't agree to marry their daughter to a poor young man. So they began to travel in America and didn't let the girl come back to London. She wrote a letter to Jim and told him about it. Of course the young man hadn't enough money to go to see her. He was so sad that he began to drink. It was Saturday one day. Jim didn't go to work. He came to a bar and sat down to drink. Just then an old friend of his came in. He asked him to drink with him. Crying, he told Mike all and the young man felt sorry for him. After a while they were both drunk and left. Mike wanted to take his friend home. When they passed a zoo, they went in and walked to a cage in which there were two tigers. Having seen them, a tiger roared. Mike was afraid and said, "Let's go. Let's go. It's dangerous to stand here." "I don't think so," said Jim. " I'm watching TV now". Jim was _ . A. American B. French C. Australian D. English Answer: D "This is the third time that you have been late , Julia . Why?"Mr. Malone stopped Julia as she walked by his desk. Julia explained , "I'm sorry . I was cleaning the tables in the science room . Someone spilled the chemical , so cleaning took me longer than usual . " Mr. Malone replied . "I've talked to you about your lateness . I am afraid you won't be able to go with us in the field trip .""But..." Julia cried . Mr. Malone stopped her . "Unless your parent comes in to discuss this with headmaster and me , you won't be attending . " After dinner , Julia found the courage to talk to her dad . She told about the messy science tables and how her science teacher would deduct points from their daily grades if they did not clean up . Her friends' next class was on the opposite side of the building . Since her class was nearby , Julia volunteered to help clean up so that her friends would not be late . Then she explained how this would prevent her from attending the school trip . Her dad watched her for several seconds . Finally , he simply said , "I'll be there right after school ." The next day after school , Julia walked to the office . Her father and Mr. Malone were already there . Mrs. Thompson , the headmaster , spoke , "Julia , why were you cleaning the science tables alone ?" Julia answered slowly ,"I guess no one wants to clean up , and I don't want my friends to get into trouble . ""But you got yourself in trouble . "Mrs. Thompson said . Julia nodded . Julia's dad continued , "You're still responsible for breaking the rules ; even if it was for a good reason . Do you have any ideas for a punishment ? " Julia shook her head hopelessly . "Normally , your lateness would prevent you from attending some school activities . However , I have considered the reason and will allow you to go on the trip . "Mrs. Thompson said . Julia jumped out of her seat , repeating , "Thank you , thank you , thank you ! ""Don't be too excited . You'll have a one-day detention for each lateness . "Mrs. Thompson warned , "I hope you won't be late again . " "No , madam , I won't ." Julia replied , smiling from ear to ear . Mr. Malone stopped Julia because _ . A. she was late for class again B. she didn't finish her experiment C. she was absent form science class D. she didn't clean up the classroom Answer: A
Machines in the home have a short history. Sewing machines, washing machines and tumble dries are common enough today, but a hundred years ago few people could even imagine such things. However, inventors have designed and built a wide range of household machines since then. In most cases the inventor tried to patent his machine, to stop anyone copying it. Then he tried to produce a lot of them. If the machine became popular, the inventor could make a lot of money. In 1790 the first sewing machine was patented. The inventor was an Englishman called Thomas Saint. There was nothing to match his machine for forty years, and then someone built a similar device. He was a Frenchman, Bartelemy Thimonier. Neither of these early machines worked very well, however. It wasn't until 1846 that an inventor came up with a really efficient sewing machine. He was an American, Elias Howe and his machine was good enough to beat five skilled sewing women. He didn't make much money from it, however. The first commercially successful sewing machine was patented by Isaac Singer five years later. Today, we take washing machines for granted, but there was none before 1869. The revolving drum of that first machine set a pattern for the future, but it was crude by today's standards. The drum was turned by hand, and needed a lot of effort. Eight years passed before someone produced an electric washing machine. The world had to wait even longer for a machine to dry clothes. The first spin-drier was another American invention, patented in 1924; but it was 20 years before such machines were widely used. It was yet another American, called Bissell, who introduced the carpet sweeper. He patented the original machine back in 1876. It didn't pick up dirt very well, but it was quicker than a dustpan and brush. Thirty-six years later, even the carpet sweeper was old-fashioned: modern homes now have a vacuum cleaner with an electric motor to suck the dust. Whose sewing machine could do far more than the work that was done by five skilled sewing women? A. Thomas Saint's. B. Bartelemy Thimonier's. C. Elias Howe's. D. Isaac Singer's. Answer: D As they migrate, butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may use some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind. Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights. To their surprise, though, the insects weren't passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example, most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes. Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn't always go with the flow. If breezes weren't blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions to compensate(, ). Many migrating birds do the same thing. The study also found that butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along. By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help farmers decide when to spray their crops. What's the main idea of the text? A. Insects migrate with the seasons. B. The wind helps insects greatly in migrating. C. Windsurfing insects have real direction. D. Scientists have trouble in observing insects. Answer: C I have a new hero. It is G. M. Hennen. I found him in the old newspapers as I was doing my research for the column A Look Back in History. In 1958, he retired as a newspaper carrier from the Sherman Herald Democrat. He was 77 years old and had delivered four million copies of the Democrat. He had gone through 17 automobiles and had thrown on average 400 newspapers a day, six days a week. He drove 100 miles a day, including the day he collected. Before he was a newspaper carrier, he was also a teacher and a construction worker. He opened the first motor delivery route in the newspaper's history. Driving a Model T Ford, his route consisted of Pottsboro, Gordonville, Sadler and Southmayd. Before he started in delivery, he solicited subscriptions riding horseback over the county. Mr Hennen had only one wreck in 30 years. The car spun out of control and flipped on its top. That didn't stop him. A man with a truck used a tow rope to flip the car back over and tied the doors shut, leaving Mr Hennen to continue on his way. Now _ that _ was _ determination! Mr Hennen told of the time his headlights went out as he was delivering newspapers. He borrowed a kerosene lantern from a farmer to light the way and continued his route. What a story! I complain when I have to drive to work when it is snowing, and I only have to travel three miles. I could never be that tough. Which of the following jobs did Mr Hennen NOT serve as? A. A newspaper carrier. B. A teacher. C. A construction worker. D. A doctor. Answer: D At night, bats fly through the air, catching hundreds of insects and other small animals. But during the day, they hardly move at all. Instead, bats pass the time hanging upside down from a secret spot. There are a couple of reasons why bats rest this way. First of all, it puts them in a position for takeoff. Unlike birds, bats can't fly into the air from the ground. Their wings don't produce enough lift to take off from a dead stop, and their hind legs are so small and underdeveloped that they can't run to build up the necessary takeoff speed. Instead, they use their front claws to climb to a high spot, and then fall into flight. During the hours when most enemies are active, bats gather where few animals would think to look and most can't reach. This allows them to disappear from the world until night comes again. There's also little competition for these resting spots, as other flying animals don't have the ability to hang upside down. Bats have a unique physiological adaptation that lets them hang around this way without using any energy. For you to hold your fist around an object tight, you contract several muscles in your arm, which are connected to your fingers by tendons ;as one muscle contracts, it pulls a tendon, which pulls one of your fingers closed. A bat's talons close in the same way, except that their tendons are connected only to the upper body, not to a muscle. To hang upside down, a bat pulls its claws open with other muscles. To get the talons to take hold of the surface, the bat simply lets its body relax. The weight of the upper body pulls down on the tendons connected to the talons, causing them to hold tight. Therefore, the bat doesn't have to do anything to hang upside down. Why can bats hang upside down easily? A. Because their upper body is light. B. Because they have strong muscles. C. Because their talons are linked to muscles tightly. D. Because their tendons are linked to their upper body. Answer: D Hello! I'm Tom. Here is a photo of my friend. His first name is Mark. His last name is Hand. He is English. His school ID card number is 19922.My school ID card number is 12299. That's interesting . Look at the photo! He is in a black and red jacket. His backpack is blue, and his watch is yellow. A baseball is in his hand .His telephone number is 235-3577. Mark has a _ . A. green watch B. black and red jacket C. yellow jacket D. black backpack Answer: B
As a boy, Sanders was much influenced by books about the sea, but by the age of fifteen he had decided to become a doctor rather than a sailor. His father was a doctor. So he was often with the doctors and got along very well with them. When he was fourteen, he was already hanging around the hospital where he was supposed to be helping to clean the medicine bottles, but was actually trying to listen to the doctors' conversations with patients in the next room. During the war Sanders served in the army as a surgeon . "That was the happiest time of my life. I was dealing with real sufferers and on the whole making a success of my job." In Rhodes he taught the country people simple facts about medicine. He saw himself as a life-saver. He had proved his skill to himself and had a firm belief that he could serve those who lived simply, and were dependent upon him. Thus, while in a position to tell them what to do he could feel he was serving them. After the war, he married and set up a practice deep in the countryside, working under an old doctor who hated the sight of blood. This gave the younger man plenty of opportunities to go on working as a life-saver. When he was a small boy, Sander was influenced by books about _ . Answer: The English love sports.One of the popular games in England is cricket .But cricket doesn't change much these years.For some parts of England, the eight months of the football season is more important than the four months of the cricket season. Most middle schools have sports fields and boys usually play rugby or football in winter and cricket in summer.While school girls play tennis or baseball in summer and basketball or hockey in winter ,boys seldom play basketball.The more popular grown-up games are golf and tennis. A lot of people play them. The British also like watching horse racing, but few show interest in bike racing. Britain is the home of many modern popular sports. . Middle school boys often play rugby or football in _ . Answer: On the way to school, a school bus driver stops the bus in front of a washroom and then he goes in. But the bus doesn't stop. After the driver gets off, the bus begins to run down the road, and there are 27 students on the bus. Luckily ,the 11-year-old student, David, goes to the driver's seat and begins to drive the school bus. He can't stop the bus, but he drives the bus away from a car. At last, he stops the bus near a shop and everyone is all right. A woman worker in the shop sees the whole thing. She says the bus nearly runs into a river. We do not know how the boy stops the car. David is very quiet about the accident , but he is a hero. "If he doesn't drive the bus, all the students will go down into the river with the bus." says a teacher in the school. What is the passage mainly about? Answer: Swiss International Air lines(SWISS)will introduce daily non-stop flights between Beijing and Zurich. The new service to the financial center of Switzerland is expected to start on Dec.12,2012,which marks an expansion of services for the Chinese market.In May 2008,SWISS already started direct flights to Shanghai. The first flight to Europe has a special price of 2,680 yuan,which does not include taxes and fuel surcharges. "I am delighted the airlines of Switzerland can contribute to growing economic ties between the two countries with new daily flights scheduled,"says SWISS CEO Harry Hohmeister. "We are witnessing a growing demand for tourist travel in both directions." Apart from Shanghai and Hong Kong,Beijing will be the third Chinese destination for SWISS. The new route marks a return to Beijing for SWISS:the airlines previously flew to the Chinese capital as late as June 2003. SWISS will initially operate its new daily non-stop Beijing-Zurich flights with an Airbus A340-300(219 seats)and Airbu: A330-300(236 seats)air-crafts. The modem SWISS business class offers the most suitable comforts since the seats can be adjusted into a two-meter-long bed. Seating firmness and softness can be adjusted thanks to air cushions. With the introduction of the new SWISS service from Beijing,the Lufthansa Group Airlines may attract more Chinese customers when traveling to Europe. SWISS.Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines already connect five Chinese cities with Europe and beyond. This airlines group is the leading European airlines network in the Chinese market. In the summer of 2011,the Lufthansa Group operated 78 weekly flights from China including Hong Kong to Europe. SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group as well as a member of the Star Alliance,the world's biggest airlines grouping. What is the passage mainly about? Answer: Mr .Smith is an Englishman. He teaches English well.His English classes are very interesting.He likes us and we like him,too. Mr Smith has two children--Tom and Lucy.Tom is seven and his sister Lucy is four.Tom goes to school but Lucy doesn't. Mr Smith likes to wear a T-shirt and jeans .Football is his favorite sport.After school we often have a basketball match.Sometimes Mr Smith watches and joins us.He plays basketball just for fun. , How many sons does Mr Smith have? Answer:
Much meaning can be conveyed, clearly, with our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak. Do you have such kind of experience? In a bus you may look at a stranger, but not too long. And if he is sensing that he is being stared at, he may feel uncomfortable. The same is in daily life. If you are looked at for more than necessary, you will look at yourself up and down to see if there is anything wrong with you. If nothing goes wrong, you will feel angry toward other's stare at you that way. Eyes do speak, right? Looking too long at someone may seem to be rude and aggressive. But things are different when it comes to stare at the opposite sex. If a man glances at a woman for more than 10 seconds and refuses to avert his gaze, his intentions are obvious. That is, he wishes to attract her attention, to make her understand that he is admiring her. However, the normal eye contact for two people engaged in conversation is that the speaker will only look at the listener from time to time; in order to make sure that the listener does pay attention to hat the former is speaking, to tell him that he is attentive. If a speaker looks at you continuously when speaking, as if he tries to dominate you, you will feel disconcerted. A poor liar usually expose s himself by looking too long at the victim, since he believes the false ides that to look straight in the eye is a sign of honest communication. In fact, continuous eye contact is confined to lovers only, who will enjoy looking at each other tenderly for a long time, to show affection that words cannot express. Evidently, eye contact should be done according to the relationship between two people and specific situation. If two persons exchange eye contact gently for long, what is probably their relationship? A. Father and son. B. Strangers. C. Lovers. D. Teacher and student. Answer: C. Lovers. We can begin our discussion of "population as a global issue" with what most person mean when they discuss " the population problem": too many people on earth and a too rapid increase in the number added each year. The facts are not in dispute. It was quite right to employ a similar matter that linked demographic growth to " a long, thin power fuse that burns steadily from time to time until it finally reaches the limit, and explodes". To understand the current situation, which is characterized by rapid increases in population, it is necessary to understand the history of population trends. Rapid growth is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Looking back at the 8,000 years of demographic history. We find that population have been really stable or growing very slightly for most of human history. For most of our ancestors, life was hard, often nasty, and very short. For most of human history, it was seldom the case that one in ten persons would live past forty, where infancy and childhood were especially risky periods. Often, societies were in clear danger of extinction because death rates could exceed their birth rates. Thus, the population problem throughout most of history was how to prevent extinction of the human race. This pattern is important to know. Not only does it put the current problems of demographic growth into a historical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years is not a sudden enthusiasm for more children, but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high rate of death. Demographic history can be divided into two major periods: a time of long, slow growth which extended from about 8000B.C. till approximately 1650 A.D. And a period of rapid growth since 1650. In the first period of some 9,600 years, the population increased form some 8 million to 500 million in 1650. Between 1650 and the present, the population has increased from 500 million to more than 4 billion. And it is estimated that by the year 2020 there will be 8 billion people throughout the world. One way to appreciate this dramatic difference in such abstract numbers is to reduce the time frame to something that is more manageable. Between 8000B.C. and 1650, an average of only 50,000 persons was being added annually to the world's population each year. At present, this number is added very six hours. The increase is about 80,000,000 persons annually. The reason for a rapid growth of population lies in the fact that _ . A. people are permitted to have more children B. people can live better than before C. newborn babies die less than before D. we have found the secret of longevity Answer: B. people can live better than before Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day. They don t want anyone to go shopping on that day. Buy Nothing Day is on November 29th. It is 25 days before Christmas. At that time, we see ads in newspapers and on TV telling us to "buy,buy, buy!" The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia. Now people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day. In California, USA, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don t need many toys. Last year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up in costumes to tell people that we buy too much. In Albuquerque, New Mexico,high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day. They asked restaurants in the neighbours to donate the food. They put up posters and talked to other students about it. The dinner was a big success, many students liked the idea of this new tradition. This year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day. In Albuquerque,high school students organized a dinner to _ . A. help poor people B. make money on Buy Nothing Day C. make advertisements for the restaurants D. let other people learn about Buy Nothing Day Answer: D. let other people learn about Buy Nothing Day Space is where our future is -- trips to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Most people would think that aside from comets and stars, there is little else out there. But, since our space journey started we have left so much trash there that scientists are now concerned that if we don't clean it up, we may all be in mortal danger. The first piece of space junk was created in 1964, when the American satellite Vanguard I stopped operating and lost its connection with the ground center. However, since it kept orbiting around the Earth without any consequences, scientists became increasingly comfortable abandoning things that no longer served any useful purpose in space. It is estimated that there are now over 500,000 pieces of man-made trash orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500 miles per hour. The junk varies from tiny pieces of paint chipped off rockets to cameras, huge fuel tanks, and even odd items like the million-dollar tool kit that astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn Piper lost during a spacewalk. The major problem with the space trash is that it may hit working satellites and damage traveling spacecraft . Moreover, pieces of junk may collide with each other and break into pieces which fall back to the Earth. To avoid this, scientists have invented several ways for clearing the sky. Ground stations have been built to monitor larger pieces of space trash to prevent them from crashing into working satellites or space shuttles. Future plans include a cooperative effort among many nations to stop littering in space and to clean up the trash already there. What was the first piece of man-made space trash? A. A camera. B. A tool kit. C. A fuel tank. D. A broken satellite. Answer: D. A broken satellite. Sarah came running in saying, "Look what l found. " Over the top of the paper I was reading I saw a long object that made me jump. It was a piece of snakeskin that had been shed by one of our garden snakes. 'Isn't it beautiful?" said my wide-eyed 7~year-old daughter. I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really was not that beautiful, but I did not want to disappoint Sarah. Everything children see for the first time is elementary to their sense of beauty and creativity. They see only merit and excellence in the world. "Why does it do this?" Sarah asked. I like to teach my children that there is something else going on besides what they see in front of them. "Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves," I explained. "Why do they need to renew themselves?" Sarah asked. "We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with," I said to my now absorbed daughter. "We outgrow some things and find other stuff unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin. It is probably too old, and the snake probably doesn't think it looks as smart in the skin as it once did. Like buying a new suit. " Of course, I'm sure this explanation won't suit naturalists. But Sarah got the point. As we talked, I knew that she began to understand that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, and rooms and schoolwork and creativity, and she began to see what we need to keep and what need to cast off. I was careful to point out that this is a natural process, not one to be forced. "Snakes don't peel off their skin when they feel like it," I explained. "lt happens as part of their growth. " "I see, Dad. " said Sarah. She then jumped off my lap, grabbed the snakeskin, and ran off. I hoped she would remember this. Often, in order to find our real selves underneath the layers of community and culture we are cloaked in year after year, we need to start examining these layers. We need to gently peel some away, as we recognize them to be worthless, unnecessary, or flawed ; or at best, remember the things we discard to teach us how we can improve. When Sarah asked the author whether the snakeskin was beautiful, _ A. he was shocked and jumped B. he tried to understand her point of view C. he thought that telling the truth was a merit D. he decided to teach her something about the garden Answer: B. he tried to understand her point of view
Liu Hong is from China. She is a nice girl. Her eyes are big and her mouth is small. She has a big family . Her father is Liu Jie. And her mother's name is Deng Hua. They are very nice. Liu Hong has a sister and brother(,). Her sister is Liu Hui, and her brother is Liu Bin. Liu Hui has long hair and a round face. But Liu Bin has short curly hair and a long face. They are students. , . Liu Hong and Liu Bin are _ . Answer: History, as we know, is filled with facts, with places, names, dates, and events. History is also filled with feelings, with pain, joy, excitement, and fear. Facts are set down in books, but what happens to feelings? How can you take the pain, for example, and write it into a history book? You can't. But you can put it to music. Take the blues for example. The blues started when black musicians in the South began to sing about their hard times, those times which made them feel blue. The early blues was the beginning of other musical styles, from jazz to rock and roll. Music, you might say, is a record of feelings. Of course, facts are important: the civil rights movement, the race for space, the Vietnam War. But the feelings behind these events - the pride of being black, the excitement of a rocket blast , the pain of a war - are also an important part of history. Besides the above, the writer also explains _ . Answer: A newly discovered planet looks just right for life as we know it, according to an international group of astronomers. Orbiting a star about 500 light-years away, the planet called Kepler-186f is about the same size as Earth. It orbits its star at the right distance for liquid water on the surface. That is a necessary condition for life as we know it. But it is not exactly like Earth, NASA planetary scientist Elisa Quintana said. "It's more of an Earth's cousin. It's not an Earth's twin. It shares the same characteristics as Earth, but their parent stars are very different," said Quintana. Kepler-186f orbits a star that is smaller and cooler than our sun. But, writing in the journal Science, the astronomers say the planet appears to be a closer than most of the hundreds of others discovered so far. Some are massive gas-covered giants with thick, crushing atmospheres. Others orbit too close to their stars and are too hot for life. Two planets discovered last year are in the right orbit and might be good candidates for life, Quintana says, but they are a bit bigger than Earth. "For the first time, we can actually say we now have a planet that is both Earth-sized and orbits in its star's habitable zone," she said. It may be the first time, but it probably is not the last, says Massachusetts Institute of Technology astrophysicist Sara Seager. "We've been waiting decades to understand how common habitable planets might be, and it's looking like they're really common. And this gives us excitement and motivation to take the next step," said Seager. The next step would be to look for signs of life in the atmospheres of these distant worlds. That would take a more sophisticated (;) space telescope. But budget cuts threaten that mission, says University of California at Los Angeles astrophysicist Ben Zuckerman. "In principle, we could do this in the next few decades. But in practice, because there's no money, it's not gonna happen. It's not gonna happen in my lifetime, for example." Leaving earthbound concerns behind, NASA's Elisa Quintana believes that when the next-generation space telescope is launched, it will find that we are not alone in the universe. According to Elisa Quintana, Kepler-186f _ . Answer: Philip is a school boy. On his twelfth birthday, he decided to give up eating meat. "I don't think it's right to eat animals," he said. "They live on the Earth just like us and they are our friends." Philip's parents were not happy about that. "You are a growing boy," his mother said. "You need meat. Do you want to stay short and be weak?" His mother put some beef, rice and carrots in front of him. "I want you to eat all your food now," she said. "Don't leave anything." Philip didn't want to make his mother sad. But he ate only the rice and the carrots. "You're a silly boy!" said his father. "I'm getting very angry at you." "I'm sorry, Mum and Dad," answered Philip. "I don't want you to be sad or angry. But I really don't want to eat any meat." "Then have some fish, dear," said his mother. "Oh no, I can't!" cried Philip. "Fish are living things too." "Well, you can't have anything to eat at all if you don't eat any meat or fish," said his father. The next morning Philip got up hungry. His father walked to the school with him and asked to see the teacher. "Is this what you teach the students at school?" he asked the teacher. "Philip refuses to eat meat at home. He doesn't listen to what I say." "I don't agree with Philip," replied the teacher. "But I think he's brave to do what he thinks is right. We teach the students to do that." What did Philip's mother ask him to eat when he refused to eat meat? Answer: The way Westerners communicate tends to be ly explicit and direct. In other words, Westerners tend to put most of their ideas and feelings into words, and then state these ideas and feelings clearly and openly. It is generally considered a good thing to "get to the point "and "say what you mean," and it is largely the speaker's responsibility to ensure that his/her message is stated in a way that is clear and easy to understand. In contrast , Chinese people tend to communicate in a way that is more indirect and subtle. They often view direct, explicit communication as unsophisticated or even rude. They are more likely to preserve good feelings and relationships by not saying something that might upset or offend another person. If a Westerner makes a request and a Chinese person responds by saying something like "I'll think it over", the Westerner may assume that there is a good chance that the answer will be "yes". In fact, there is a better chance that the implied answer is "no". One interesting example of the Western preference for very direct communication can be seen in what Western students are taught about how they should organize their writing. Writers are generally expected to state their point as clearly as possible, generally right at the beginning. Students are taught to begin paragraphs with a "topic sentence" that states the point of the paragraph. Also, articles should generally begin with a brief statement of the points to be made -and also conclude with a review of those same points. In contrast, in Chinese writing it is more acceptable to build up to the point rather announcing it right form the start, although it is also acceptable to state the point up front. It is important to note that Westerners are not all equally direct in their communication styles. For example, the direct communication style is more typical of Western men than of Western women. Furthermore, even in Western culture it is generally not considered good to communicate so directly that you hurt other people's feelings, offend them, or create conflict. According to the author, which of the following are more likely to communicate directly? Answer:
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or sleep restfully.It is a problem to nearly everyone at some time .A person may be awake for an hour in the middle of the night and then , next morning, feel that he hardly sleep all night Normally, worry about not getting enough sleep is the worst aspect of most insomnia.If insomnia is recurrent, however, it is important to find its causes and try to correct them, with the help of a doctor if necessary. Any of a large number of simple factors may take it difficult for someone to fall asleep or remain asleep.His matters may be too soft or too hard.If there are too many blankets on a hot night, he may be too warm; if the bedclothes are too light he may feel cold during the night.If it is not dark enough, or too noisy, this may cause difficulty in sleeping.Eating shortly before going to bed also be responsible for insomnia.Stimulating drinks, such as tea or coffee, can also keep people awake. Inability to fall asleep is sometimes a symptom of emotional or mental disorders.Insomnia may also be caused by pain and, very rarely, it can be a symptom of a physical disease. The cause of insomnia may be easy to correct.The sufferer should check the mattress, bedclothes and bedroom temperature, and make any necessary changes.An eye mask keeps out the night and ear-plugs shut out sound.He should relax for an hour or two before bedtime, perhaps by reading a book; watching TV, or taking a warm bath.If he wakes during the night he should try turning on the light and reading for a while.Taking warm milk and a biscuit or two may be helpful.Above all, he should try not to worry about sleeplessness when someone is tired enough he nearly always falls asleep. If necessary, a doctor may prescribe tranquillizers or sleeping pills.Take only the dosage he prescribes; any more is dangerous. According to the writer, insomnia is _ . A a rare problem B a sign of illness C a common complaint D a modern disease Answer: C. a common complaint In the world , football is the most popular sport. This is because many countries have wonderful teams for the World Cup. The World Cup is held every four years. To remember 2002 FIFA World Cup, children from different countries and more than 60 children from Japanese schools came together and drew a big picture called "Dream World Cups "for a few days in Japan .The children drew animals, flowers and people playing soccer under a blue bright sky. They wished each football team good luck by drawing the flags of all the countries that would take part in the World Cup in Japan and South Korea. The picture was put up in a park near a playground in Yokohama .Some football teams would have games there. Are you a football fan?The World Cup makes more and more people interested in football Teenagers like playing and watching football .Many of them love some football stars so much that they get the pictures of their favourite players on the walls of their rooms. That is the way to show their love for the World Cup as children in Japan. From the passage ,in the picture children drew many things except _ . A people playing football B pictures of some football stars C a sunny sky D flowers Answer: B. pictures of some football stars Nora, a 17-year-old American, notices that when she has to do a paper for school and researches it on the Internet, she rarely reads a whole page and does deep reading. "I'll read the beginning of a paragraph and then I'll skip the rest," she says. While Nora's mother, Martha, loves sitting down with a good book and reading carefully, her daughter may be the wave of the future. "Deep reading", or slow reading, is a process in which people think carefully while they read. With most, that means slowing down --- even stopping and rereading a page or paragraph to really understand what the author is trying to say. Last summer, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said he was concerned about what he sees as a decline in slow reading. Instant messages and 140-character tweets appear to be reducing out ability to concentrate on a single idea or theme of a book, he told Foreign Policy Magazine. It's easy to forget the benefits of deep reading in an age when anything worth doing is done fast. Experts warn that without deep reading, it is impossible to be an educated person of the world, a knowledgeable voter or even an imaginative thinker. "If you want to have a deep relationship with a text and understand a complex idea, then slow reading is a preferred style. It is good for pleasure, too. It is not a rushed experience and you can lose yourself in a text," said Canadian writer John Miedema, the author of the book Slow Reading. US' Ohlone College English professor Cynthia Lee Katona says reading is a highly social activity that builds the mind and social connections. If you read, she says, you simply know more and have more to talk about with friends, partners and people you know. Deep reading can also take a reader on a trip around the world even if they are sitting in a living room armchair, Katona says. Also, deep reading helps people develop thinking, writing and conversation skills. "If you like beautiful things, authors put words together that are really beautiful and expressive," she says. "If you want to write well--- and there are lots of reasons to express yourself clearly --- you should read." What is the main point of the article? A The importance of deep reading. B How to improve reading skills. C The benefits of different reading styles. D The secrets of a knowledgeable person Answer: A. The importance of deep reading. Banquets are usually held in restaurants in private rooms that have been reserved for the purpose. You will be met at the door and led to the banquet room. Traditionally, the head of your delegation should enter the room first. Do not be surprised if your hosts greet you with a loud round of applause. The proper response is to applaud back. Seating arrangements are stricter than in the West. Guests should never assume that they may sit where they please and should wait for hosts to guide them to their places. Traditionally, the Chinese regard the right side as the superior and the left side as the inferior. Therefore on formal occasions, the host invariably arranges for the main guests to sit on his right side. It is the host's responsibility to serve the guests, and at very formal banquets people do not begin to eat until the host has served a portion to the principal guest. Or, the host may simply raise his chopsticks and announce that eating has begun. After this point, one may serve oneself any food in any amount. Remember to go slow on eating. Don't fill yourself up when five courses are left to go. To stop eating in the middle of a banquet is rude, and your host may incorrectly think that something has been done to offend you. Drinking takes an important place in Chinese banquets. It is likely that the host will stand and hold his glass out with both hands while saying a few words. When he says the words "gan bei",which means bottoms up, all present should drain their glasses. After this initial toast, drinking and toasting are open to all. No words are needed to make a toast, and it is not necessary to drain your glass, although to do so is more respectful. When filling another glass, it is polite to fill it as full as you can. This symbolizes full respect and friendship. When the last dish is finished, the banquet has officially ended. There is little ceremony involved with its conclusion. The host may ask if you have eaten your fill. Then the principal host will rise, signaling that the banquet has ended. Generally, the principal host will bid good evening to everyone at the door and stay behind to settle the bill with the restaurateur. Other hosts usually accompany guests to their vehicles and remain outside waving until the cars have left the premises. We can conclude form the passage that _ A to stop eating halfway means that the dishes taste bad. B guests should drain their g1asses the instant they are filled C important guests are arranged to sit on the host's right side D the more you drink , the more you respect the host. Answer: C. important guests are arranged to sit on the host's right side Len owned two adjoining parcels known as Lot 1 and Lot 2. Both parcels fronted on Main Street and abutted a public alley in the rear. Lot 1 was improved with a commercial building that covered all of the Main Street frontage of Lot 1; there was a large parking lot on the rear of Lot 1 with access from the alley only. Fifteen years ago, Len leased Lot 1 to Tenny for 15 years. Tenny has continuously occupied Lot 1 since that time. Thirteen years ago, without Len's permission, Tenny began to use a driveway on Lot 2 as a better access between Main Street and the parking lot than the alley. Eight years ago, Len conveyed Lot 2 to Owen and, five years ago, Len conveyed Lot 1 to Tenny by a deed that recited "together with all the appurtenances." Until last week, Tenny continuously used the driveway over Lot 2 to Tenny's parking lot in the rear of Lot 1. Last week Owen commenced construction of a building on Lot 2 and blocked the driveway used by Tenny. Tenny has commenced an action against Owen to restrain him from blocking the driveway from Main Street to the parking lot at the rear of Lot 1. The period of time to acquire rights by prescription in the jurisdiction is ten years. If Tenny loses, it will be because A Len owned both Lot 1 and Lot 2 until eight years ago. B Tenny has access to the parking lot from the alley. C mere use of an easement is not adverse possession. D no easement was mentioned in the deed from Len to Owen. Answer: A. Len owned both Lot 1 and Lot 2 until eight years ago.
I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on "two-hour business plans". I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment. My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years' teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating. In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand. With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there's the "thousand talent scheme": this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China's research environment. It's hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this. At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It's about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It's not that simple. Which is the best title of the passage? Answer: WHY do we sometimes struggle with moral dilemmas? Why is it a crime to take certain drugs but it's acceptable to take others? Why is it wrong to create human embryos to cure diseases suffered by millions? Often, we follow rules that bring little benefit and can even be positively harmful. But the rules are not set in stone, so there is nothing to stop us getting rid of those that don't work and putting better ones in their place. Now an experiment suggests that morality isn't entirely about benefits to individuals. We also tend to make and obey arbitrary moral rules, probably as a way of promoting social consolidation . A classic psychology experiment called "trolley experiment" suggests that our minds have two moral systems, and they don't always agree. In the trolley experiment, participants are told that an out-of-control trolley could kill five people on the tracks. They must decide whether to turn it onto a second track with only one person on it. Almost everyone does it, sacrificing one to save five. But if instead you have to push one person off a bridge onto the track to stop the trolley, most people say no. That suggests most of us have a strict rule against killing people directly, even for the greater good. How are such rules formed? Although people with morality appear to _ the act of killing in the bridge experiment, most moral behavior in animals appears focused on outcomes--the death of an individual, say--rather than the death of the majority. When an animal experiences harm to help a , biologists view this as increasing the chances that the animal's genes will survive. Many psychologists think that human moral rules are an extension of this "kin selection". Kurzban of the University of Pennsylvania did the experiment further. Kurzban's team gave volunteers changes of the bridge situation. Volunteers were asked what they would do and whether their actions were morally right. 85% of them said it would be morally wrong to push one person off to save five, whether these people are brothers or strangers, confirming the idea that there is a rule against killing. However, despite thinking it wrong, 28% said they would still push a stranger off to save five, while 47% said they would push a brother off to save five brothers. "They're more likely to do this 'less moral1thing if it's to save a ," Kurzban says, suggesting kin selection is at work as well as the basic "moral rule" against killing. The experiment shows we have at least two parallel systems for deciding right and wrong: one that says some actions, like killing, are bad, and another that tells us to protect kin. So how is this helpful? Science has made great steps in explaining morality. No longer is it seen as something handed down from on high. Sacrificing yourself so as to protect your kin, for example, can benefit your family genes. Social consolidation demands we have rules, regardless of what they are, to help settle disputes quickly and peacefully. Kurzban's experiment suggests that _ . Answer: Contrary to many people believe, highly intelligent children are not necessarily certain to achieve academic success. In fact, so-called gifted students may fail to do well because they are unusually smart. Ensuring that a gifted child reaches his or her potential requires an understanding of what can go wrong and how to satisfy the unusual learning requirements of extremely bright young people. One common problem gifted kids face is that they, and those around them, place too much importance on being smart. Such an emphasis can encourage a belief that bright people do not have to work hard to do well. Although smart kids may not need to work hard in the lower grades, when the work is easy, they may struggle and perform poorly when the work gets harder because they do not make the effort to learn. If the academic achievement of highly intelligent children remains below average for an extended period, many teachers will fail to recognize their potential. As a result, such students may not get the encouragement they need, further depressing their desire to learn. They may fall far behind in their schoolwork and even develop behavior problems. IQ is just one element among many in the recipe for success--Children develop well or struggle in school for a host of reasons apart from IQ. These include motivation and persistence, social competence, and the support of family, educators and friends. Because highly gifted children solve the most varied thought problems faster and more thoroughly than those with more average talents do, they need additional intellectual stimulation while they wait for the rest of the kids to learn the basics. Two central approaches are used to satisfy the educational needs of such children: acceleration and enrichment. Acceleration means studying material that is part of the standard subjects for older students. Enrichment involves learning information that falls outside the usual subjects. A child might skip one or more grades as a way of accelerating in school. But being with older children for the entire school day--and perhaps for grade-based extracurricular activities such as sports--can make a child feel inferior in every filed outside of academics. One very bright fourth-grader who had skipped two grades remained far ahead of his classmates intellectually, but as his classmates reached adolescence, his social and other shortcomings became painfully apparent. While acceleration is not an option, or not a good one, enrichment can be. After all, school is not a race but an adventure in learning. As such, the goal is not finishing first but absorbing as much knowledge as possible in the time assigned. Thus, providing opportunities for a child to study topics outside the regular subjects can be at least as valuable as pushing him or her through the required material faster. What is the basic reason for the low academic achievement of highly intelligent children? Answer: A pulley is used to lift what on a flagpole? Answer: Singapore is a beautiful and clean country. It welcomes visitors and tourists. When you come to visit Singapore, please keep the laws of this country. Here is something that you must remember. SMOKING: Cigarette smoking is a danger to health. It's not allowed in lifts, cinemas, theatres, all government offices and on buses. If you break it, you will have to pay a fine of up to Singapore $500. LITTER: Singapore is the Garden City of Asia----clean and green. Dropping litter in public places is not allowed. You can be fined up to Singapore $500 for dropping litter----even if it is only a piece of waste paper or a cigarette end. LONG HAIR: Men visitors should not have longer hair than the top of their shirt collars . Long-haired men will be served last of all visitors in government offices. JAYWALKING: You must always use the zebra crossing. You can be fined Singapore $50 for crossing the streets less than 50 metres from a zebra crossing, These laws are also for children who are old enough to be in the street by themselves. Singapore is a beautiful and clean country. Maybe it is because _ . Answer:
From the jagged peaks of the Himalayas to the powerful Yangtze River that flows into the Pacific, China's vast terrain and varied climate make it the sixth most biologically diverse nation on the planet. Since 1998, The Nature Conservancy has been working in China's northwest Yunnan Province to protect some of the amazing natural and cultural diversity unique to this country for its future generations. In cooperation with Chinese local and state government agencies, the Conservancy established the Yunnan Great Rivers Project, which protects an area about the size of West Virginia. Did you know? China contains 10% of the world's total species. At least 15% of China's mammal species and 8% of its bird species are found nowhere else on Earth. Nearly 15,000 plant species are native to Yunnan Province. Yunnan is home to 75% of Tibetan medicinal herbs and 30 endangered species. What is the Nature Conservancy trying to do? Education for Sustainability The Nature Conservancy recognizes that environmental education is an important element of working closely with local communities to achieve sustainable conservation results. In response, the Conservancy launched a new program called Education for Sustainability which tests means of teaching and learning that combine conservation goals, social justice, and appropriate development and participation in a vision and mission for personal and social change. Promoting Green Tourism Tourism is both an environmental threat and an economic opportunity, with the potential to provide extremely needed income to northwest Yunnan. The Conservancy is working with local communities, government agencies, and tourism enterprises to develop strategies for "green" tourism which will limit the footprint of mass tourism while generating income for local people. In addition to combining tourism development and management at our five action sites, we assisted with regional marketing efforts to promote eco-tourism opportunities. Which of the following best shows the author's attitude towards tourism? Answer: Tourism is an opportunity for the economy as well as threat to the environment. Somewhere on the other side of the world, a small group of workers is busy with a life-or-death struggle.This battle isn't about self-protection, as admirable as that might be. By slaying to face the radiation and fire at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station following the earthquake and then tsunami in Japan, the 50 or so workers may have already shortened their life.They knew that would happen. And yet they stay, working in near-total darkness, pumping seawater onto exposed nuclear fuel in hopes that they can prevent thousands of tons of radioactive material going into the air, and protect the health of millions of people. Their task sounds like something out of a sci-fi thriller.They worked on the equipment in the complete darkness only by their flashlights, listening for explosions.They carry heavy oxygen tanks on their backs.They wear white, full-body jump suits to protect their bodies.Like Oscar said in "Armageddon": "Scariest environment imaginable.That's all you have to say." According to news reports, some of the 50 workers volunteered to remain behind to take charge of the fire pumps with which they're spraying seawater on the exposed fuel. It's part of the job, part of the training," an American nuclear power plant operator said. "Nobody makes a secret of the possible dangers at a place like this.If there's a problem, you don't call somebody in to fix it.It's our problem.We're the only ones who can fix it.That's just what we do." I don't know about _ , but I've never really thought of nuclear power plant workers as "guardians at the gate" --those whose jobs may at any time place them in a position to protect us, perhaps at the risk of their own lives. These are obviously guardians at the gate.In every case they're trained to respond to unknown possibilities.For them, it isn't a matter of courage --it's standard operating procedure. What do we know from the text? Answer: The workers faced a life danger. Children always did not do what their parents wanted them to do. They did the things in their own ways. But they always made their parents very happy. Old Mr. Brown had a little son named Tom. He was ten years old. He was very happy when his father wanted him to buy something for him. One day at five o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Brown gave him two pounds and let him buy some stamps in the post office. Tom was very excited, because for a long time he did not have so much money. Mr. Brown told him clearly where the post office was. He expected(,) that he would come back in twenty minutes. But nearly two hours passed, Tom did not return. Mr. Brown was surprised . "He lost his way?" he thought to himself. At seven in the evening, Tom came back with a box. He was very tired. When he saw his father, he said, happily, "Daddy, I ran out all of your money to buy a box of chocolates. It was very sweet , but didn't you think a box of chocolates was quite heavy for a little boy?" _ , so he returned home so late. Answer: He enjoyed his chocolates on the way home You can love them or hate them, but no matter which tourist destination you visit, chances are you'll see someone with their head buried in a Lonely Planet guidebook. Lonely Planet is one of the world's largest travel guide brands, publishing more than 500 different guides in eight languages.The popular brand also produces television shows, websites and podcasts all devoted to travel. Some people praise Lonely Planet books because they make traveling easy and affordable.They also save time and make sure you don't miss the best things. They also provide the reviews of hostels, hotels, restaurants and ticket information about your destination. This can be great if you're a nervous traveler, or if you haven't traveled by yourself before.If you're in a country where you don't speak the language, sometimes there's nothing better than getting into a taxi and opening up a guidebook.You simply point to a map that directs the taxi driver to a hostel that's cheap and clean, with friendly staff and cold beer. But others criticize Lonely Planet and other travel guide publishers like them.They say guidebooks take the fun and spontaneity out of traveling, and that part of the enjoyment of travel comes from the fact that anything can happen.They also regret that if you follow a guidebook, you'll end up doing the same thing and having the same experience as everyone else.You might end up seeing the same group of people over and over, because everyone is reading the same book and following the same route. Another criticism of travel guides is that they have a large impact on local communities.For example, some locals devote their lives to behaving in ways that attract tourists.They pretend to live a traditional lifestyle, wear traditional clothes and live in traditional houses in order to attract the tourist dollar. People criticize the guidebook because _ . Answer: travelers may not get the chance to have unexpected adventures Hello, everyone! My name is Steve. Lunchtime is my favorite time. I love the school lunch. Many students don't like the school lunch. They take their own lunch to school. Their mothers may make hamburgers and salad for them for lunch. Some students take leftovers for lunch. But I don't! The lunch is very _ . For only $1.3, I can eat a lot of good and healthy food. Then I take my food to my lunch table and sit with my friends. Boys don't sit with girls. We eat lunch and we like to talk about sports and TV shows . We also talk about school life : our favorite subjects, our favorite teachers and our favorite days. After our lunch, we usually play games. At school, I love lunchtime. For me it is the best time of my day! Which one is right? Answer: For Steve, lunchtime is the best time of his day.
Looking good can matter a lot when you are a teenager. Of course the budget matters a lot, too. Luckily, fashion trends in the UK mean that getting the right image doesn't have to _ . Here's a quick guide to which looks are hot this year. For girls, the 70s are back. Wide-legged jeans, platform shoes and skirts that reach the feet are again in fashion among UK teens, topped off with colored, shining eyeshadow. Girls can have fun mixing and matching bright shades. Colors like pink, orange and light yellow-green are all perfectly fit. Shorts and mini-skirts are still popular in cold weather. By wearing a pair of tights underneath ( ..), girls can stay warm as well as fashionable in the winter. How about boys? To look lively, fans of skateboards and snowboards can dress in skinny jeans accompanied by a T-shirt topped off with a baseball cap or a woolen hat. Music is often an inspiration for fashion, and hip-hop music fans like to dress in baggy jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps and sneakers. For those who can afford it, designer clothing is a must, especially if the logo is showing. What can we infer from the passage? Answer: Music can affect fashion trends. Hello!I'm Lucy. We have three new teachers this term. But I like the English teacher best. Who is she? She is Linda Smith. Do you want to know her? Linda is very beautiful. Look! She has a round face, two big blue eyes, a straight nose and a small mouth. Her hair is very long. And she is not tall and not short. She likes wearing a white dress. She looks like an angel. Linda works very hard every day. And she is strict with us, but she is kind. Her class is very interesting. In class, she is our teacher. After class, she is our friend. Ms Smith is good at ping-pong and singing. We all like her. How many new teachers does Lucy have this term? Answer: Three Yinxu (Ruins of Yin) is the ruins of the last capital of China's Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1046 BC). The capital served 255 years for 12 kings. It shows the golden age of early Chinese culture, crafts and science, a time of great prosperity during the Chinese Bronze Age . Discovered in 1899, Yinxu is one of the oldest and largest archeological sites in China and is one of the historical capitals of China and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It lies in central Henan Province, near the modern city of Anyang, and is open to the public as the Garden Museum of Yinxu. It is famous as the source of oracle bone script , the earliest recorded form of Chinese writing. The oracle bone script has recorded almost everything from dream-explaining to events such as harvests, birth of a child, the weather and the success of military campaigns. Over 3,000 tombs, 2,200 pits, and 200 houses have been dug out at Yinxu. The large number of burial accessories found there shows the high level of the Shang crafts industry. The site includes a main palace and an ancient tomb. Besides, there are a number of large buildings, at least 53 of which have been dug out. Yinxu has seen many years of research, first researched by the Academia Sinica in the late 1920s to the early 1930s and most recently by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. During which period may Yin have been the capital of Shang Dynasty? Answer: 1200 BC - 1050 BC "This past year has been one of great celebration for many. The enthusiasm which greeted the Diamond Jubilee was, of course, especially memorable for me and my family. It was humbling that so many chose to mark the anniversary of a duty which passed to me 60 years ago. People of all ages took the trouble to take part in various ways and in many nations. But perhaps most striking of all was to witness the strength of fellowship and friendship among those who had gathered together on these occasions. On the barges and the bridges and the banks of the river there were people who had taken their places to cheer through the mist, undaunted by the rain. That day there was a tremendous sense of common determination to celebrate, triumphing over the elements. That same spirit was also in evidence from the moment the Olympic flame arrived on these shores. The flame itself drew hundreds and thousands of people on its journey around the British Isles, and was carried by every kind of deserving individual, many nominated for their own extraordinary service. As London hosted a splendid summer of sport, all those who saw the achievement and courage at the Olympic and Paralympic Games were further inspired by the skill, dedication, training and teamwork of our athletes. In pursuing their own sporting goals, they gave the rest of us the opportunity to share something of the excitement and drama. We were reminded, too, that the success of these great festivals depended to an enormous degree upon the dedication and effort of an army of volunteers. Those public-spirited people came forward in the great tradition of all those who devote themselves to keeping others safe, supported and comforted. For many, Christmas is also a time for coming together. But for others, service will come first. Those serving in our armed forces, in our emergency services and in our hospitals, whose sense of duty takes them away from family and friends, will be missing those they love. At Christmas I am always struck by how the spirit of togetherness lies also at the heart of the Christmas story. A young mother and a dutiful father with their baby were joined by poor shepherds and visitors from afar. They came with their gifts to worship the Christ child. From that day on he has inspired people to commit themselves to the best interests of others. This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only son 'to serve, not to be served'. He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ. It is my prayer this Christmas Day that his example and teaching will continue to bring people together to give the best of themselves in the service of others. I wish you all a very happy Christmas. " Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the speaker? Answer: Civilization and peace. Has anyone noticed how, with the passage of time, one's relationship with one's grown-up daughters and sons becomes changed? I've been aware of this for some time but I'm not quite sure how to deal with it. Take the kitchen sink for example. Following a family get-together at my place, I walked into the kitchen to find Kate, my daughter carefully cleaning the sink. "Don't do that; what are you doing that for?" I said, unhappy about the hidden criticism. "Mum," she said, "you really ought to put your glasses on when you clean the sink. Behind the tap here was black!" But it's not just things like kitchen sinks. Another time Kate arrived to pick me up to lunch. She looked at me and then asked, "Mum, why do you use brown eyebrow pencil when your hair is grey?" A sudden memory of her, aged 14, going to her first mixed party flooded back. She had come in to say goodbye. For a moment I thought she'd been an accident. Both eyes were black. I remember suggesting that perhaps a little less eye make-up might be more effective. Now I told her, "My hair used to be brown." "It looks absurd." "Mrs. Menzies had dark eyebrows with grey hair." "Yes, but you're not Mrs. Menzies, are you?" she said triumphantly, as if that proved her point. But a recent event made me realize that something really must be done. She had returned some for a few weeks before getting married. One evening I went out on a dinner date. By the time my companion left me at the front door, it was about 2am. As I stepped in, an angry figure in a white nightgown stopped me. "Well, what time of night is this to be coming home?" she shouted. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick!" Shades of the past come back to disturb me. But what should I do about all this? Nothing, probably. Maybe, after all, it's only a stage young people are going through. The author writes the stories to prove that_. Answer: their roles changed as time passed
Hi! I'm Jack. I'm in a new school this term. Now let me tell you about my school now. My new school is big and nice. There are one thousand and four hundred students and one hundred and forty teachers in my school. I like the teachers. They are very kind to me. My classmates are very friendly , too. They teach me Chinese and I teach them English. There are trees, flowers and green grass in my school. They are very beautiful. Behind my school there is a small river. The water in it is quite clean. We can swim in it. We have no classes on Saturdays or Sundays. Sometimes I go to play football or basketball with my classmates. Sometimes I stay at home and watch TV. Sometimes I go to shops with my father and mother. We all like China. Jack _ his new classmates. A. don't get on well with B. don't like C. makes good friends with D. is going to learn English from Answer: C. makes good friends with If you live in the United States, you can't have a full-time job until you are 16 years old. At 14 or 15, you work part-time after school or on weekends, and during summer vacation you can work 40 hours each week. Does all that mean that if you are younger than 14, you can't make your own money? Of course not! Kids from 10-13 years of age can make money by doing lots of things. Valerie, 11, told us that she made money by cleaning up other people's yards. Lena, 13, makes money by knitting dog sweaters and selling them to her neighbors. Reisa said she had started taking art classes and showing her works to people. People ask her to draw pictures for them and they pay her for them. Jasmine, 13, writes articles for different magazines! Kids can learn lots of things from making money. By working to make your own money, you are learning the skills you will need in life. These skills can include things like how to get along with others, how to use technology and how to use your time wisely. Some people think that asking for money is a lot easier than making it; however, if you can make your own money, you don't have to depend on anyone else. The five dollars that you make will probably make you feel a lot better than the twenty dollars you ask for. Reisa makes money by _ . A. cleaning up other people's yard B. drawing pictures for others C. writing articles for different magazines D. knitting dog sweaters. Answer: B. drawing pictures for others a person takes a dive under the sea and feels faint, with a dart stuck to them. What might have happened? A. they encountered a cnidaria B. they must have startled a shark C. they came in contact with a whale D. they encountered the wrath of Poseidon Answer: A. they encountered a cnidaria Hand in a drawing of your favorite place in school and get a chance to win PRIZES! Your drawing may be a picure of the gate,the dining hall,the field,the classroom or even the toilet! Along with your picture,include a short description(3--5sentences)explaining why that place is special for you! All winning picture will be on show outside the school hall for the whole month of June! 1stprize--$100 2ndprize --$70 3ndprize -$50 5 Comfort prizes of $30 each Your picture can be either or black-and-white.All drawings must be handed in to your Art teacher by May 30,2015. All LCPS students are encouraged to join! Organized by: Lion City Primary School (LCPS) Prizes sponsored by: (Art Department) Lucky Books and Stationery According to the ad , all winners can get _ . A. a $100prize B. a $70prize C. a favorite place inschool D. their pictures onshow Answer: D. their pictures onshow Mr. Brown lived in a house less than two miles from his office, so he was able to drive home every day for lunch. Every time he drove home at noon, he found many cars were parked outside his house and there was no room for his own car. He had to drive somewhere else to park his car. Then he had to walk back home. This made him very angry. He had put up a board, which said, " No parking" in the garden facing the road, but nobody noticed it. People seemed to obey only a police notice with letters on a blue board: POLICE NOTICE NO PARKING Mrs. Brown suggested that he could steal a police notice. He was afraid to do so. She then suggested that he could make one just like a police notice. He said he was not the police and couldn't use the word "police". Several days later, Mr. Brown made a blue board with white letters: POLITE NOTICE NO PARKING " Oh!" Mrs. Brown said, "You told me you weren't going to use the word "police", but why do you use it now?" "Really?" he asked, "Look again." She started to laugh. "You are really clever." How many notice boards did Mr. Brown make altogether? A. Only one B. Two C. Three D. None Answer: B. Two
Question: Mr. Sankaram, a physics teacher, was known for his antics in his classroom to make the dull lessons in physics lively and interesting. Mixing different chemical drugs in the lab to become new substances in chemistry makes students excited. While studying botany or zoology, students can visit a garden or zoo. But physics limits students to listening to the boring lectures which are hard to understand. For example, why an apple dropping from a tree travels downwards but not upwards. But Mr. Sankaram's classroom antics to cause students to listen to topics such as how sound travels in air or why light travels faster than sound made him stand out from the rest of the teachers. At that time, most students in our school attended the college to please their parents, and some parents were proud of their children for simply attending a college, no-matter whether they benefited or not. They didn't study hard. But a few students were diligent and they wanted to study pre-medical courses to gain admission into the medical school. The schooling of pre-medical courses was very expensive. The college was next to the medical school. The wall separating them was about four feet high. Few tried to jump over the wall to get free pre-medical courses. Doing this was at risk of injuries and the climbing was forbidden. The college where Mr. Sankaram taught was known for unruly and naughty students. The unruly students usually sat at the back of the classroom. When a student from the back of the classroom tried to disrupt the class, Mr. Sankaram would say, "Dare you go ahead to make noise? Can you jump over the four-foot wall to get into the medical school?" The student's face went red and he became silent. In the physics class . I sat in the first row to escape from the troublemakers at the back. One day during the class. Mr. Sankaram unexpectedly asked me, "Can you jump over the four-foot wall?" I shook my head and answered, "No, sir, I couldn't jump over a one-foot wall, let alone a four-foot wall." Mr. Sankaram wasn't satisfied with my reply but waved his hand for me to sit down. He looked at me in the eyes hard and said, "If you can. Believe in yourself!" There were stories about Mr. Sankaram's past history. As a student at same college years ago, he went into much depression for some time when he couldn't get into the medical school. In fact he could have been admitted by the school by his ability of studying. Because his family couldn't afford his pre-medical courses and he didn't dare to climb the wall, he often walked back and forth along the four-foot wall talking to himself and sometimes cried over his failure. Whether this story was true or false it was passed on from year to year. So Mr. Sankaram had a nickname "four-foot." It was true that he left his dream to his students and he began challenging the students' ability to jump over the four-foot wall to get into the medical school. As a student I failed at my attempt to get admission into the medical school. In fact not all students wanted to be a doctor. And years later I ended up as a chemistry teacher at the same college. I thank Mr. Sankaram for his encouragement to me, and I am determined to follow his example to make my class interesting. Mr. Sankaram passed away years ago. He will always be remembered for his wonderful teaching techniques such as dancing movements and his encouraging words. Which subject was boring in the author's opinion? A. Botany B. Physics C. Chemistry D. zoology Answer: B. Physics Question: Can dolphins talk? Maybe they can't talk with words, but they talk with sounds. They show their feelings with sounds. Dolphins travel in a group. We call a group of fish a "school". They don't study, but they travel together. Dolphins talk to the other dolphins in the school. They give information. They tell when they are happy or sad or afraid. They say "welcome"when a dolphin comes back to the school. They talk when they play. They make a few sounds above water. They make many more sounds under water. People cannot hear these sounds because they are very, very high. Scientists make tapes of the sounds and study them. Sometimes people catch a dolphin for a large aquarium . People can watch the dolphins in a show. Dolphins don't like to be away from their school in an aquarium. They are sad and lonely . Dolphins There are many stories about dolphins. They help people. Sometimes they save somebody's life. Dolphin meat is good, but people don't like to kill them. They say that dolphins bring good luck. Many people believe this. How about dolphins' feeling in an aquarium ? A. happy B. sad and lonely C. free D. lucky Answer: B. sad and lonely Question: Research shows that childhood friendships are important indicators of future success and social adjustment. Children's relationships with peers strongly influence their success in school, and children with fewer friends are more at risk of dropping out of school, becoming depressed and other problems. Making and Keeping Friends Is More than Child's Play When 6yearold Rachel returned to school on a recent Monday morning, her eyes immediately scanned the playground for her friend Abbie. "Though they were only separated by a weekend, the girls ran right into each other's arms and hugged," recalls Rachel's mother Kathryn Willis of Gilbert. "It was like a scene from a movie." Most parents instinctively know that having friends is good for their child. Experts agree that friendship is not simply child's play, but a powerful predictor of social adjustment throughout life. A Skill for Life "Childhood friendships serve as a very important training ground for adulthood," says Dr.Robbie AdlerTapia, psychologist with the Center for Children's Health & Life Development at the East Valley Family Resource Center. Researcher William Hartup states, "Peer relations contribute significantly to both social and cognitive development." Hartup concludes that the single best childhood predictor of adult social adaptation is not school grades or classroom behavior, but rather, how well a child gets along with other children. The work of Arizona State University professor of Developmental Psychology Gary Ladd proves that being able to make and keep friends is beneficial to kids while the lack of friends is _ . Good Friendships Don't Just Happen Experts agree that it is essential for children to establish highquality friendships. But, researchers warn, these friendships don't necessarily just happen. Often, a good friendship begins with involved parents. Psychologist Dr.Lynne Kenney Markan believes kids should be taught social skills in much the same way they are taught math and reading. Bad Company Many parents worry about the quality as well as the quantity of their child's friendships. "When she was in 1st grade, her supposed 'best friend' began calling her names and threatening to hurt her," says Mindy Miller. "My daughter wasn't allowed to talk to or even look at other girls in her class. It really crushed her spirit. I told my daughter she didn't need a 'friend' like that." "I'll bend over backwards to help my son get together with a friend I think is good for him," AdlerTapia says. "I don't look at it as manipulation ,just positive parental involvement." We can learn from the passage that highquality friendship most probably results from _ . A. social skills and good study habits B. school grades and classroom behaviors C. academic success and social adaptation D. positive parental involvement and social skills Answer: D. positive parental involvement and social skills Question: The English test will be removed from China's college entrance exam by 2020, according to details of exam and admission reform revealed by the Ministry of Education. The national college exam, known as the "Gaokao" has been used to evaluate Chinese students for three decades. The Ministry of Education has worked out a plan for reforming exams and enrollment. The Ministry will solicit public opinions before its release. Instead, tests will be held several times a year to allow students to choose when and how often they sit the exam so as to ease study pressure and change China's once-in-a-lifetime exam system. The plan and suggestion for its implementation will be announced in the first half of next year. It will be piloted in selected provinces and cities and promoted nationwide from 2017. A new exam and admission system will be established by 2020, according to the education ministry. The decision has aroused a heated discussion among Shanghai educators and parents who doubted the reform would reduce the burden of learning English or if the substitute test could reflect a student's English skills and help students learn English better. "The reform shows China is learning from the West to give students more test-taking chances. But more chances might become more of a burden since Chinese students are likely to repeat the test until they get the highest score," said Cai Jigang, a professor at Fudan University's College of Foreign Languages and Literature and chairman of the Shanghai Advisory Committee for College English Teaching at Tertiary level. Yu Lizhong, chancellor of New York University Shanghai, where classes are in English and students are required to have a high standard of English, said the most important aspect of the reform lay in what to test and how to test. "As far as I see, the reform doesn't mean English is no longer important for Chinese students after it will be excluded from the college entrance exam," Yu said. "In a way, English is even more important than before since the test would only serve as reference, while every college and university, even every major, can have different requirements of a student's English skills under a diverse evaluation system." _ . The education ministry said the reform would not affect students attending the college entrance exam over the next three years. What's the purpose of the passage? A. To advise students not to devote themselves to English. B. To call on Education Department to remove English from "Gaokao". C. To support the act of Ministry of Education D. To encourage students to do as they have planned. Answer: D. To encourage students to do as they have planned. Question: What exactly is intelligence? There aren't any easy answers.Despite the progress that has been made in genetics and psychology, human intelligence has remained one of the most controversial areas of modern science,until now, that is, for the discovery of a gene linked to intelligence has made the experts think again. Robert Plomin of the Institute of Psychiatry in London and his colleagues in the US have been looking into genetic make-up.From their research, they have discovered that a slightly different gene is more common in those with a high IQ.Plomin analyzed DNA from two groups of 51 children aged between 6 and 15.What he found was that the first group had an IQ of 136, putting them in the top 5% of the population, while the other group had an average IQ of 103.An analysis of their genes showed that 32% of children in the higher group had the gene in question, while only 16% in the second group did.However, there is a lot more research to be done, and Plomin himself is cautious at this early stage.He suggests that there are probably many genes that contribute to intelligence, rather than just one. Several studies have shown a strong link between IQ and career success, although some psychologists remain unconvinced about this.Professor Michael Rowe, who has written a book called Genius Explained, is one of these."The people with the highest IQs are not usually the ones who do best in their careers." Many psychologists now believe that when it comes to intelligence, IQ isn't everything.Many alternative views have been put forward recently.One example is the idea of multiple intelligences, which was developed in the 1980s by Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner. _ offers a much broader view than the IQ theory, including creativity and communication skills as relevant factors in intelligence. Tony Buzan, brain expert and author of Master your Memory, is enthusiastic about this belief, arguing that true geniuses do indeed appear to combine high levels of each type of intelligence.He lists Alexander the Great, Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein as examples.At the same time, Buzan believes that everyone can develop their intelligence, only if they take the trouble to exercise their brain.Perhaps there's hope for us all! What might be the best title of the passage? A. The relationship between genes and intelligence B. IQ benefits a lot from high intelligence C. How to develop intelligence. D. What makes intelligence. Answer: D. What makes intelligence.
Question: One day, in an English class, the students are doing their lessons. Their teacher, a young woman, is very happy. She sings some nice songs with them and then she goes to the blackboard and writes "SMILES" on it. "This is the longest word in English, " she says to the class. A girl stands up and says, "It has only six letters. How can it be the longest word in English?" The teacher smiles and says, "Oh, look! There is a mile between the first letter and the last one. " The young teacher sings some songs with _ . A. her children B. her students C. the teacher D. the boys Answer: B. her students Question: When newspapers and radio describe the damage caused by a hurricane named Hazel,girls named Hazel are probably teased by their friends.To keep out of trouble,the Weather Bureau says, "Any _ between hurricane names and the names of particular girls is purely accidental. " Some women became angry because hurricanes are given their names,but many other women are proud to see their names make headlines.They don't even care that they are the names of destructive storms. Because more women seem to like it than dislike it,the Weather Bureau has decided to continue using girls' names for hurricanes. In some ways a hurricane is like a person.After it is born,it grows and develops, then becomes old and dies.Each hurricane has a character of its own.Each follows its own path through the world,and people remember it long after it has gone.So it is natural to give hurricanes names,and to talk about them almost as if they were alive. Public opinions make the Weather Bureau _ . A. consider the disagreement of some women B. go on naming hurricanes after women C. name hurricanes after men D. look for a new method to name hurricanes Answer: B. go on naming hurricanes after women Question: The success of Pickwick Papers made Dickens very popular. He suddenly found himself at twenty-four the most famous novelist of his day. Busy as his social life was, he worked on two novels at the same time-Oliver Twist and Pickwick Papers. He was particularly proud of Pickwick Papers, which was a huge success and was regarded as a comic masterpiece . "If I were to live a hundred years and write novels in each, I should never be so proud of any of them as I am proud of Pickwick Papers," he said. It has been said of Dickens that he grasped the imagination of' his readers because his imagination grasped himself. The people in his works were so real that they could make him laugh or cry. When writing Oliver Twist he said that he could not rest until Fagin, the wrongdoer , had been hanged. Dickens' marriage to Catherine Hagarth, with whom he had nine children, ended unhappily in 1858. He started to travel about giving readings of his works. His interest in theater gave his novels the qualities that made them suitable for reading aloud on the stage. A tiring trip to the United States affected his health. On June 9th, 1870, when he was working on a new novel, he died. Dickens had always wanted to die of working. Dickens became a famous novelist _ . A. because his social work B. with the success of Pickwick Papers C. because he was writing two novels at the same time D. when he began to give readings of his works Answer: B. with the success of Pickwick Papers Question: Do you want to know about my staying in America? It was really an eye-opening experience. In China, I had English classes five times a week. However, I didn't know how different textbook English was from daily English until I went to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut. When I first studied English, I was told to say "I'm fine" when people say "How are you?" But in America, I found that people said "I'm good" or "I'm tired." One day, someone greeted me with "What's up?" It made me _ . I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn't know what to say. To my surprise, American girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun. However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin whiter. I'm also surprised by how hard-working American students are. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard. But in America, a good student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music. A good American student spends his or her time _ . A. only in doing homework B. only on sports C. only on music D. on study, sports, music and public work Answer: D. on study, sports, music and public work Question: A young man from a village called Nawalapitiya married a young woman from Maliyuwa, a nearby village. They lived with the man's big family--his parents, his brothers, their wives and children. The family kept an elephant, in which the young woman soon took a great interest. Every day she fed it with fruit and sugar. Three months later the woman went back to her parents' home, having quarreled with her husband. Soon the elephant refused to eat and work. It appeared to be ill and heart-broken. One morning after several weeks the animal disappeared from the house. It went to the woman's home. On seeing her, the elephant waved its trunk and touched her with it. The young woman was so moved by the act of the animal that she returned to her husband's home. After the young woman left her husband's home, the elephant _ . A. returned to the forest B. was sad because it missed her C. went to look for a new home D. was sick because nobody fed it Answer: B. was sad because it missed her
English is very important in the modern world. Many people want to learn it well. Here are some things that I want to say about learning it. To learn English well, you need two things- _ and good learning methods . Passion is the more important one. Why? Because passion makes you want to learn English. Learning methods only tell you how to learn it better and faster. If you love learning English, you will learn it regularly and spend much time on it. It will also be easy for you to remember new words and grammar rules. _ For example, some people like history and know a lot about World War II. If you ask a person who doesn't like history to memorize all the facts, he probably can't do it. When you don't want to learn English, you can do the following things. First, imagine that you can talk to native speakers just as you talk in your mother language. Imagine yourself to be a manager in a foreign company. Imagine you're living in an English-speaking country. Second, use English as much as possible. This is very important. The more you use English, the better you'll learn it. English is very popular, so you can use it everywhere. You can watch American cartoons, write English diaries, and read interesting books written in English. The main idea of this passage is about _ . A the importance of learning English B English in the modern world C how to write e-mails to other people D some advice on how to learn English Answer: D John likes chocolates very much, but his mother doesn't give him. They're bad for his teeth, she thinks. John has a very nice grandfather. The old man loves John very much and sometimes he buys John some chocolates. Then his mother let him eat them. Because she wants to make the old man happy. One Sunday evening before his seventh birthday, he shouts, "Please, God , let them give me a big box of chocolates for my birthday." His mother says, "God can't hear you. Don't shout ! " "I know," says the clever boy with a smile. "But my grandfather is in the next room. And he can." When the old man buys chocolates for John, his mother usually _ . A lets him eat them. B doesn't let him eat them C makes the old man unhappy D feels happy Answer: A Which of these allows humans to walk around? A luck B glucose C magic D sand Answer: B How can you find out what is going on inside a person' s body without opening the patient up? Regular X-rays can show a lot. CAT scans can show even more. They can give three-dimensional view of body organs . What is a CAT scan? CAT stands for Computerized Axial Tomography(X). It is a special X-ray machine that gets a 360 - degree picture of a small area of a patient's body. Doctors use X-rays to study and examine diseases and injuries within the body. X-rays can find foreign objects inside the body or to take pictures of some organs inside if special things as dyes or special liquids are added to the organs to be X-rayed. A CAT scanner, however, uses a beam of X-rays to give a cross-sectional view of a particular part of the body. A fine beam of X-rays is scanned across the body and circled around the patient from many different angles . A computer analyzes the information from each angle and produces a clear cross-sectional picture on the screen. This picture is then photographed for later use. Several cross-sections, taken one after another, can give a clear "photo" of the entire body or of any body organs. The newest CAT scanners can even give a clear picture of active, moving organs just as a fast-action camera can "stop the action" giving clear pictures of what appear only mistily to the eye. And because of the 360 - degree pictures, CAT scans show 3-dimensional views of organs in a manner that was once only seen during surgery or autopsy (examining a dead body). The best title of this passage might be _ . A Modern X-ray B Three-dimensional View C Fast - moving Camera D CAT Scan Answer: D Morris was driving north on an interstate highway at about 50 miles per hour when a tractor-trailer rig, owned and driven by Dixon, passed her. The tractor was pulling a refrigerated meat trailer fully loaded with beef carcasses hanging freely from the trailer ceiling. When Dixon cut back in front of Morris, the shifting weight of the beef caused the trailer to overturn. Morris was unable to avoid a collision with the overturned trailer and was injured. The trailer had been manufactured by Trailco. A number of truckers had complained to Trailco that the design of the trailer, which allowed the load to swing freely, was dangerous. Dixon knew of the dangerous propensity of the trailer. A restraining device that could be installed in the trailer would prevent the load from shifting and was available at nominal cost. Dixon knew of the restraining device but had not installed it"If Morris asserts a claim for her injuries against Dixon, she will A prevail if the use of a restraining device would have prevented the trailer from overturning. B prevail, because Dixon is strictly liable to Morris for injuries resulting from defects in the trailer. C not prevail unless Dixon was driving in a negligent manner at the time Morris was injured. D not prevail, because Dixon was not the manufacturer or seller of the trailer Answer: A
In 1977 , a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a nineteen-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, a gentle married lady and one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world. ks5u In June 1977 , a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar , near Sandi Arabia . Doctors were unable to find out the cause of her illness, so she was flown to London and sent to Hammersmith Hospital. A team of doctors hurried to examine the baby only to discover that they, too, were puzzled by the very unusual signs of illness. While they were having a discussion about the baby's illness, a nurse asked to speak to them. "Excuse me," said Nurse Marsha Maitland, "but I think the baby is suffering from thallium poisoning ." "What makes you think that?" Dr. Brown asked. "Thallium poisoning is very rare." "A few days ago, I was reading a novel called 'A Pale Horse' by Agatha Christie," Nurse Maitland explained. "In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and all the signs are exactly the same as the baby' s . " "You are very careful and you may be right," another doctor said. "we'll carry out some tests and find out whether it' s thallium or not." Tests showed that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium. Once they knew the cause of the illness, the doctors were able to give the baby the correct treatment. She soon recovered and was sent back to Qatar. Later on it was proved that the poison might have come from an insecticide used in Qatar. Who first suggested the correct cause of the baby's illness? A. A Doctor in Qatar. B. Nurse Maitland. C. Dr. Brown. D. Agatha Christie. Answer: B. Nurse Maitland. The train started moving. There were many people of all ages. Most of them were working men and women and young college boys and girls. Near the window sat an old man with his son, who looked about thirty years old. As the train moved, the son was filled with joy because he was very excited at the scenery outside. He said in a high voice, "See, Dad, the green trees and the scenery are very beautiful!" It made the other people feel very strange. Everyone started talking in a low voice about the old man's son. A few minutes later it started raining. Raindrops fell on the travelers through the opened window. Seeing the rain, the old man's son said happily, "See ,Dad, how beautiful the rain is!" Hearing these words, a young lady became angry with the man, as the raindrops were dropping on her new clothes. She shouted at the noisy son and his father. "Can't you see it is raining? You! Old man! If your son is not feeling well, get him to a mental hospital quickly and please don't disturb us any more!" The old man's face turned red and then he answered in a low voice, "We are on the way back from hospital. He couldn't see anything at birth. Only last week he could see again. The rain and the nature are new to him. Please _ him." All the other people became quiet. What did people think of the son at first? A. lovely B. funny C. strange D. clever Answer: C. strange Seal seizes raft This seal really rocked the boat when he found himself an unusual place to hang out. After the seal came across a boat in the harbor where he lives, he fell inside and wouldn't _ for four days. "One morning the seal just pulled himself aboard," says Ed Stubbings, who owns the boat-turned-bed. Probably thinking the boat was a rock, the seal made himself at home. The seal didn't move an inch-----not even to eat or drink. Stubbings was a little worried that the 500-pound animal might sink it. Luckily on the fifth day, the seal fell back into the water and swam off. Alligator gets new tail When Mr. Stubbs the alligator swims through his pool at the Phoenix Herpetological Society, he looks like any other gator-----except that his tail is made of rubber. Mr. Stubbs is the first alligator known to wear an artificial tail. Mr. Stubbs was brought to the society nine years ago. "His tail was missing when he arrived," says President Russ Johnson. Mr. Stubbs couldn't walk or swim properly. "We showed him how to swim in the water," Johnson says. "But that hurt his back." Later, the scientists used rubber to build an artificial tail attached to Mr. Stubbs's back legs. "Once we put the tail on him, he walked with ease," Johnson says. Dog delivers papers Morgan started her "paper route" when she was young. One day as Morgan and her owner Bill set out on a walk, she spotted a rolled-up paper. To Bill's surprise, Morgan grabbed the object in her mouth, walked back to the house, and dropped it on the doorstep. Morgan enjoyed the activity so much that she wanted to deliver every paper she saw on her walks. Now three-year-old Morgan brings the paper to her owner and neighbors, even in bad weather. "Morgan has a natural instinct to carry things with her mouth," dog behaviorist Pat Miller says. "And she feels rewarded by the activity, so she keeps it up." It can be learned that Mr. Stubbs _ . A. injured his back B. lost his tail and back legs C. quickly got used to his new tail D. was found by Ed Stubbings Answer: C. quickly got used to his new tail I have known Ting for a long time. She was a friend of mine in high school. Ting used to see me as her best friend in my class because, as she said , it was easy to be friends with me . Therefore ,when we had time in school,she often came to me and we would talk about many things. Though I didn't have special feelings about this friend, _ because I didn't see the reason why I should say "no" to a friend I didn't hate. But there was a while when she came to me, and usually said nothing meaningful. I started to feel tired and then tried not to meet her. After that she never came to me. Though guilty, I started to feel free about my life and never thought of anything about her feeling. After a month or two, I heard from other friends that Ting's father had passed away six months before. I was so shocked! Then I suddenly realized why Ting had often come to me but said nothing special. She needed my company . I felt so bad about myself that I went to find her the next day. But I only found that she had moved away to another place. At that time, I found myself so selfish that I only thought of myself but didn't even try to ask a friend what happened in her life. _ because .... What does "this" mean here? A. Ting's coming to the writer. B. The things Ting said. C. The writer's own feeling. D. Ting is easy to be with. Answer: A. Ting's coming to the writer. The main function of the human digestive system is to A. break down foods for absorption into the blood B. exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs C. release energy from sugars within the cells D. carry nutrients to all parts of the body Answer: A. break down foods for absorption into the blood
Mail was usually carried west on ships that sailed around the bottom of South America and then north to California.That could take several months. So, in eighteen fifty-seven, D.C.Lawmakers in Congress in Washington wanted to make it possible to send mail all the way across the United States by land.Congress offered to help any company that would try to deliver mail overland to the West Coast. A man named John Butterfield accepted this offer. He developed plans for a company that would carry the mail--and passengers, too. Congress gave John Butterfield six hundred thousand dollars to start his company. In return, he had to promise that the mail would travel from Saint Louis, Missouri, to San Francisco, California, in twenty-five days or less. It was not possible to travel straight through because of the Rocky Mountains and the deep snow that fell in winter. So the stagecoach would travel south from Saint Louis to El Paso, Texas, then over to southern California, then north to San Francisco. The distance was about four thousand five hundred kilometers. Two hundred of these stations were built, each about thirty-two kilometers apart. The workers were to quickly change the horses or mules whenever a stagecoach reached the station. There could be no delay. Each stagecoach was to travel nearly two hundred kilometers a day. One hundred stagecoaches were built and painted red or dark green. They were the most modern coaches that money could buy. They were designed to hold as many as nine passengers and twelve thousand pieces of mail. The seats inside could be folded down to make beds. Passengers either slept on them or on the bags of mail. The cost would be one hundred fifty dollars to travel from Saint Louis to San Francisco. If a passenger was not going all the way, the cost was about ten cents a kilometer. The passengers had to buy their own food at the stations. The stagecoach would stop for forty minutes, two times a day. The company warned passengers about the possible dangers. A poster said: "You will be traveling through Indian country and the safety of your person cannot by granted by anyone but God." What can we learn from the passage? Passengers might be robbed by Indians when traveling through the West. Camp Jano India Celebrate Indian culture, languages, arts, festivals and literature. Weekly themes are brought to life through related arts, games, projects, stories and theatre in a very unique, exciting, creative, interactive and structured style. A very unique and memorable experience that kids will want to repeat! Mornings are spent with the Hindi language at the child's level. Afternoons provide the cultural elements taught in an interactive style with special emphasis on drama. Bay Language Academy We invite campers (4-12 years old) to travel and open up doors to explore past and recent civilizations through daily field trips. Cultures will be shown through customs and cooking. Lectures (6/10-8/30) will introduce/reinforce French, Spanish or Chinese and the cultures they convey. Our language summer-camp is infused with cultural activities and taught by a team of bilingual instructors. Petits Confettis Want your 3- to 5-year-old kids to experience a French camp? Come and join us for 6 weeks of French camps! Kids will be totally happy to learn French and French culture while they take part in team projects like building a tipi or making French bread. Weekly themes include cooking, arts, drama, outdoor activities, board games, music, yoga, rhymes and story time. Chinese Immersion Summer Camp This is our 11th Chinese language and culture summer camp. We take children from 6th grade. This year we continue the weekly fun themes like art, science, cooking and sports in the morning. In the afternoon, we have abacus, reading and Chinese culture lessons taught in Chinese. Our teachers are all native speakers with a lot of experience. Our weekly field trips go to different places like SF zoo, tech museums, fire stations etc. Camp Jano India can give children a memorable experience probably because _ . the activities are carried on in an interesting style Hello, I'm Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O.--The Environmental Children's Organization. We are a group of twelve and thirteen-year-olds from Canada trying to make a difference. Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg and me. We raised all the money ourselves to come six thousand miles to tell you adults you must change your ways. Coming here today, I have no hidden agenda. I am fighting for my future. I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard. I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of the holes in the ozone . I am afraid to breathe the air because I don't know what chemicals are in it. I used to go fishing in Vancouver with my dad until just a few years ago we found the fish full of cancers. And now we hear about animals and plants going _ every day. In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see. Did you have to worry about these little things when you were my age? All this is happening before our eyes and yet we act as if we have all the time we want and all the solutions . I'm only a child and I don't have all the solutions, but I want you to realize, neither do you! The Environmental Children's Organization is made up of a group of _ . twelve and thirteen-year-olds from Canada My name is Tom. I'm nine. This is my mother.Her name's Linda Johnson. Her telephone number is 13052864515.And this is my father.His name is Mike Johnson. His phone number is 13120884699.And this is my sister.What's her name?Her name is Mary. Look!The boy is my brother Nick. Mary is eight and Nick is six. My family name is _ . Johnson A home computer not only helps children master the old ways of learning, but also opens up possibilities that simply aren't available in traditional education. Some software, for example, allows kids to make decisions and see the results in different situations. The World Wide Web encourages young minds to move easily from link to link, topic to topic. The best software draws children into learning by making them curious--what if I click on this picture, drag this over here, visit that website? Knowing how to use a computer also encourages a child's confidence. Kids figure out quickly that computers are powerful, and mastering the machine makes them feel grown-up. In turn, feeling confident on a computer often translates to academic confidence. Researchers have found that attitudes toward writing, for example, improve when students write on a computer. Perhaps most importantly, computers can enrich family life. Forget the idea that computer kids are separated. Children like to use the computer with adults and other kids, asking questions and comparing results. "The Internet is a unique opportunity to bring resources home, "notes Susan Haugland, PhD, Cape Girardeau, Mo. , author of Computer and Young Children:A World of Discovery. Although the benefits of computers are real, they have disadvantages, too. Kids can lose their way, wasting hours on mindless software of violent games. Just as parents have always helped children make good choices about everything from friends to food, books to TV, now we must make sure they get the best out of computers. The passage is mainly talking about _ . the advantages of children' using computers
Sleep deprivation is an important hidden factor in lowering the achievement of school pupils, according to researchers carrying out international education tests. It is a particular problem in richer countries with sleep experts linking it to the use of mobile phones and computers in bedroom late at night. Sleep deprivation is such a serious problem that lessons have to be dragged down to a lower level to suit sleep-deprived learners, the study found. The international comparison, carried out by Boston College, found the United States to have the highest number of sleep-deprived students, with 73% of 9- and 10-year-olds and 80% of 13- and 14-year-olds identified by their teachers as being negatively affected. In literacy tests there were 76% of 9- and 10-year-olds lacking sleep. This was much higher than the international average of 47% of primary pupils needing more sleep and 57% among the secondary age group. Other countries with the most sleep-deprived youngsters were New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Australia, England, Ireland and France. High-performing Finland is also among the most lacking in sleep. Countries with the best records for getting enough sleep include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Japan and Malta. The analysis was part of the huge date-gathering process for global education rankings, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study(TIMSS)and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study(PIRLS) "I think we underestimate the impact of sleep. Our data show that across countries internationally, on average, children who have more sleep achieve higher in maths, science and reading. That is exactly what our data show," says Chad Minnich of the TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center. "It's the same link for children who are lacking basic nutrition," says Mr Minnich, based at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College. "If you are unable to concentrate, to attend mentally, you are unable to achieve at your best level, because your mind and body are in need of something more basic. Sleep is a fundamental need for all children. If teachers report such large proportions of children suffering from lack of sleep, it's having a significant impact. But worse than that, teachers are having to adjust their instruction based on those children who are suffering from a lack of sleep. The children who are suffering from a lack of sleep are driving down instruction." That means that even the children who are getting enough sleep are still suffering from this sleep-related lowering. Why are children who get enough sleep also victims? Answer: Bell Teacher Campus 2016: Cultural Talks Our talks start at 16:00 on the first week in August, and each one lasts about one hour. Each talk will be offered only once during your 4-day stay. Please sign up on the main Bell Noticeboard (Second floor, Mary Allan Building). August 1st BRITISH MUSIC, by Pete Sharma in Room 106. British music is famous worldwide. In this talk, I'll discuss what's popular and what's not right now and the top music festivals in the UK. We will listen to some of the artists and share some thoughts about singing and dancing. August 2nd LOVE ME, LOVE MY CAT, by Lis Harrison in Room 207. We will be looking at this national interest through idioms , songs, and everyday British life, and along the way covering some vocabulary for "talking cat". At the end, we'll be discussing that old topic: do we Brits treat out pets better than we treat our kids? August 3rd A GAME AS ENGLISH AS CROQUET ,by Anna Young in Room 218. First, we will look at the origins of croquet, a much loved garden game in England. We will look at simple croquet rules, and then practice time! We'll go out and play! August 4th WHY ENGLISH PEOPLE LAUGH, by Jim Scrivener in Room 117. Let me try to show you a little bit of what British people find funny. You will discover some of the most popular radio& TV comedy game shows. You probably won't find it funny at all! But you will learn a bit more about us Brits! Who will give the talk on a popular game in England? Answer: The old lady got up early to be ready for the post.Although she seldom received letters or parcels,today she was sure there would be something.Myra wouldn't forget her mother's birthday, even if she seldom wrote at other times.Of course Myra was busy.Her husband had been made Mayor, and Myra herself had got a medal for her work for the aged. The old lady was eighty today.She had put on her best dress.Perhaps Myra might come.The old lady was sure of that.Two spots of color brightened her cheeks.She was excited--like a child.She would enjoy her day. Mrs. Morrison,a social worker,had brought a card and a bunch of flowers when she came to do the breakfast.Mrs. Grant downstairs had made a cake.The little boy from the ground floor,Johnnie,had been up with a packet of candies,and offered to help her fetch the post. "I guess you'll get lots and lots of presents,"he said,I did last week when l was six." What would she like ? A pair of slippers,a table lamp,a book or a little clock.So many lovely things. She stood by the window,watching.The postman turned round the corner on his bicycle.Her heart beat fast.Johnnie had seen him too and ran to the gate.And then he gave her four envelopes.Three were unsealed cards from old friends.The fourth was sealed,in Myra's writing. "No parcel,Johnnie?" "No,granny." Maybe the parcel was too large to come by letter post.That was _ .It would come later by parcel post.She must be patient. But disappointment flooded her.She tore the envelope open unwillingly.A cheque fell to the floor like a bird with a broken, wing.Slowly the old lady bent to pick it up.With trembling fingers she tore it into little bits. What kind of work did Myra probably take? Answer: Imagine that you are the first person ever to see Hawaii. What would be the first thing you would set foot on? The beach, naturally. There are hundreds of miles of beaches on the twenty islands of Hawaii. These islands cover 1,600 miles and are about 2,300 miles west of California. Most of them are covered with fine white sand. They are thought to be among the finest beaches in the world. Another wonderful thing about the beaches of Hawaii is the water temperature. The year-round average temperature of the water at the famous Waikiki Beach is 230C! The same is true of air temperature. In fact, there are no real seasons in Hawaii. There is a difference of only two or three degrees between the hottest day of summer and the coldest day of winter. That's why the Hawaiians don't have a word for weather in their language. Perhaps the nicest thing about Hawaiian beaches are the waves. The earliest settlers in Hawaii, the Polynesians, quickly learned how much fun it was to ride the waves. They developed a sport which is now very popular on the islands called body surfing. You go out into the ocean, wait for a big wave to come towards you, jump on it, and ride it all the way to the beach. Now imagine once again that you are the first person ever to set foot in Hawaii. What do you think would be the second beautiful thing you would notice? Would it be those strange triangles rising out of the water hundreds and hundreds of meters high? What are those beautiful things? They are volcanoes , of course. These volcanoes are not just a part of the islands. They made the islands at first. Because of them the islands are still growing. The most famous volcano on Hawaii is Mauna Loa. It is the world's most active volcano. It has been erupting for thousands of years. Even when it isn't erupting, smoke comes out of the earth from a thousand little holes. In 1950 Mauna Loa erupted for twenty-three days. That erupting produced the greatest amount of lava in modern history. In 1960 it erupted again. That time it added a kilometer of beach to the island. Because Mauna Loa has erupted so often, it has become the biggest (but not the tallest) mountain in the world. These volcanoes could be dangerous to the population of Hawaii. In fact, Hilo, the second largest city in Hawaii, is built just under Mauna Loa. The volcano could erupt at any time. Most people believe that it will erupt sometime in the next twenty-five years. But the people of Hilo do not seem worried. They live with the danger as part of their lives. It can be inferred that _ according to the passage. Answer: Which conclusion should the students make from the information in the table? Answer:
LONDON (Reuters)--New faces given to a Chinese man after a bear tore off part of his face and a FrenchCaribbean man disfigured by a rare tumor show that such transplants can work and are not medical oddities ,researchers said. The findings give hope to some people with severe facial disfigurement and suggest the transplants could prove longlasting without major problems.Despite the tissue rejection in the first year after their transplants,neither men had psychological problems accepting their new faces and have been able to rejoin society,they reported. Only three people have received face transplants.The world's first was carried out on French woman Isabelle Dinoire in November 2005 after she was disfigured in an attack by her dog.In 2007,her doctors reported that she had recovered slowly and steadily,overcoming two periods of rejection. In 2006,Chinese doctors performed a face transplant on a 30yearold hit by a bear.While there were some complications with tissue rejection following the operation,two years later the man was doing well,his doctors said."This case suggests that facial transplantation might be an option for _ a severely disfigured face,and could enable patients to bring themselves back into society," Shuzhong Guo and colleagues at Xijing Hospital in China wrote. A French team described their work on a 29yearold man who suffered from Von Recklinghausen disease,an illness that changes the shape of his face."The man,who was not named,was given a new nose,mouth and chin in a 2007 operation.He began to work 13 months after the transplant has more function in his face and has not rejected the new tissue," his doctors said. "Our case confirms that face transplantation is practical and effective for the correction of specific disfigurement," Dr.Laurent Lantieri and colleagues at the HenriMondor hospital outside Paris wrote. What's the main idea of this passage? A Face transplants can work. B Face transplants help regain confidence. C Three people have received face transplants. D Disfigured people need face transplants. Answer: A. Face transplants can work. Sam was outside playing. It was very hot out and he got really thirsty. He saw that Mr. Brown was setting up a table with sodas and snacks down the street. Sam was very excited because this would solve his problem. He checked his pockets. They were empty. Where did his money go? This was a problem. In order to get a soda and snack he would need money. Sam ran home as fast as he could. He was in a rush. He passed by Jim as he was running. He asked Sam why he was running. "No time," Sam Said. When he got inside the house Sam was very happy. His money was on his dresser in his bedroom. Thank goodness. He had enough money to get a soda. Sam ran back outside, but this time he slowed down when he saw Jim. He told Jim to come with him to Mr. Brown's table. He had enough money to buy them both a soda. Who else did Sam buy a soda for? A Mr. Brown. B Jim. C No one. D His mother. Answer: B. Jim. The seasons in Australia are not like ours. When it is winter in China, it is summer there. Australia is a southern country. It is in the south of the world. June, July and August are the winter months; September, October and November are spring; the summer is in December, January and February; and March, April and May are the autumn months. The north of the country is hotter than the south. A very large part of this country has no rain at all. The east coast has rain all year, and there are no dry months. The southeast winds blow the whole year. They bring rain from the sea. There is not much rain on the west side. The southeastern part of Australia has summer rain from the southeast winds. They only blow here in summer. The southwestern part of Australia has winter rain. The west winds blow over the southwest in winter only. In summer, the southwest of the country has no rain. In the north of Australia, there is no rain in winter. The rain comes in summer. The northwest winds bring it. The southwest of the country has no rain in summer because _ . A it is dry there B the west winds never blow C the northwest winds blow D the west winds blow only in winter Answer: D. the west winds blow only in winter Colours often have different meanings in different cultures. In the U.S., people have found the following to be true. Black Black is the colour of power. It is also popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. White White is the symbol of purity. White is thought to be a summer colour. However, white shows dirt and is more difficult to keep clean than other colours. Red This is the most exciting colour. Red furniture should look very good since it will attract a lot of attention. Red cars are the thieves' favourite. Red is often used in restaurants because it is an appetite _ . This means it can make people eat more. Blue Blue is the colour of the sky and the ocean. Peaceful blue is often used in bedrooms. Studies show that weightlifters are able to lift heavier weights in blue gyms. Green Green represents nature. _ Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Yellow Sunny yellow is a cheerful colour, yet people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies cry more. Where is colour red often used? A In bedrooms. B In gyms. C In hospitals. D In restaurants. Answer: D. In restaurants. Once an old man went to see a doctor. The doctor looked him over carefully and said, "Medicine won't help you. You must have a good rest. Go to bed early, drink milk, walk a lot and smoke one cigar a day. Go to the country place for a month." After a month the man came to see the doctor again. "How are you?" said the doctor. "I'm glad to see you again. You look much younger." "Oh, doctor, I feel quite well now,"said the man. "I had a good rest. I went to bed early, drank a lot of milk and walked a lot. Your advice certainly helped me, but that you told me to smoke one cigar a day almost killed me first. It's no joke to start smoking at my age." Which of the following sentences is TRUE? A The old man was younger than before after a month B After a month, the man felt better C The doctor didn't tell him what to do D The old man felt worse after a month Answer: D. The old man felt worse after a month
Question: Mr Brown lives on Green Street now. He wants to send a postcard to his pen pal in Toronto,but he doesn't know where the post office is."Which is the way to the post office?"he asks his new neighbor Joe. "I want to send a postcard to Toronto.""The post office is quite far from here," answers Joe. "If you only want to post some letters or post cards ,you needn't go to the post office. You can put them into a mailbox down the street Where can Mr Brown post the postcard in the neighborhood? A. The post office. B. The mailbox in the post office. C. The mailbox on the street. D. His house. Answer: C Question: 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 doctor asks the woman to _ . A. eat many orange things B. eat some green food C. drink much orange juice D. eat orange everyday Answer: B Question: Here is a picture of Mr Wang's family. The man in the middle is Mr Wang, the father. The woman is the mother. They only have a daughter. Her name is Wang Jia. She is 14 years old. She is a good student in Foreign Language School. Her classmates like her very much, and her parents like her very much, too. _ is in the middle of the picture. A. Mr Wang B. Mrs Wang C. Wang Jia D. The picture Answer: A Question: Olivia and Jack are the most popular names in Britain for babies born in 2008, according to a survey made by the website . Jack has been top for 14 years since it took over from Thomas. Grace -- made famous by the Hollywood star Grace Kelly -- slipped back into third place behind Ruby, the name of singer Charlotte Church's daughter. Summer climbed 28 places from 44th to 16th. Ava -- the name of singer Myleene Klass's daughter -- also leapt 15 places to 19th. The troubles of the singer Amy Winehouse perhaps had an effect on the popularity of the name. It dropped three places to 23rd. Rebecca is also on the wane , ranking 48th. So is Courtney, which ranked 88th. Theo, obviously inspired by England's teenage football hero Theo Walcott, is among the biggest climbers in the boy's list, rising from 70th to 58th. An employee of said, "Baby names have witnessed the biggest changes over the last decade as parents are increasingly influenced by celebrities. The Bounty baby name poll also shows parents are continuing to be creative and inspirational about the names they choose for their children. Some parents want a name that's totally unique, and names such as Zebedee, Selim and Zenon are now emerging and growing in popularity. Others are simply breaking with convention and becoming bolder in their choice of names." "While politicians' names may be growing in popularity in America, British politicians don't influence our choice of names in the UK. Traditional royal names continue to be supreme in the boys' top 100," The employee said. What kind of names covers the most in the top 100 boys' names? A. Unique names. B. Creative names. C. Famous people's names. D. Traditional royal names. Answer: D Question: United States President George W. Bush is expected to issue a directive in the next few weeks. It will give the US Air Force a green light for the development of space weapons, US media reported last week. This would potentially start a new global arms race, some experts have warned. To keep that from happening, last Wednesday the White House explained that it was not considering putting weapons in space. It said it was making a shift in US space policy to allow for protection of satellites. But some defense analysts and arms control advocates argue that the policy will pave the way for the US to put both defensive and offensive weapons in space. "No one should be fooled," said Theresa Hitchens, an American weapons expert. The US is now restricted by a 1996 directive signed by President Bill Clinton. Plans for space weapons were vetoed by the Clinton cabinet. The directive emphasized the peaceful use of space , in agreement with almost unanimous global opinion. The US military has placed importance on space and has sent up numberous satellites for troop communications and to provide intelligence and data to guide bombs to their targets. The US Air Force wants to develop space- based weapons that could strike targets anywhere in the world within 90 minutes of receiving the order to open fire. These new weapons under development cover a wide range. They include hunter- killer satellites and orbiting weapons. And they use lasers, radio waves, or even dense metal tubes, known as " Rods from God", dropped from space to do the damage. There are many barriers to the setting up of this kind of program, experts say. First is the coast. It is estimated that the budget may be US $220 billion to US $ 1 trillion . The technical difficulties of developing reliable space weapons are also a problem. And, the program will draw strong criticism from around the world. Experts worry about starting a space arms race. The author's attitude towards the coming space weapon development is _ . A. optimistic B. critical C. excited D. indifferent Answer: B
Question: Last week, on a flight to Washington, I met a confident businessman who asked me about my profession when sitting himself down comfortably next to me. I told him that I am an educator, and for twelve years I have been trying to develop and promote critical thinking about learning in mainstream education. "Goodness, it must be the most difficult task in the world!" He thought for a moment. "Why do you do this?" I talked about how I had started teaching geography. I told him about the struggles of being a headmaster. And then I told him what I have come to regard as my real turning-point experience. It was back in 1984, when I visited what was known at the time as one of the most outstanding high schools on the Eastern seaboard. After two days there I was totally amazed. I had never met such a fine collection of young people, every one of them apparently confident, enthusiastic, sensitive and well able to manage their futures. I asked the principal how this had been achieved and he smiled. "We believe in functional literacy for all young people; that is, the ability to feel confident that you can handle the challenges of modern society. That confidence comes when you know that you are able to manage your own learning and will be able to handle that throughout a lifetime. And that," he concluded, "requires the highest possible skills in thinking, communicating, collaborating and decision-making." "But, for goodness' sake, those are just the skills I'm looking for among my employees," exclaimed my companion. "That's just what industry has been trying to tell the academic world for years. Instead of listening, you continue to perpetuate a set of practices which are opposite to those very skills needed in employment. You teachers think that life is about working alone on some piece of academic research in an ivory tower different from the daily routines. You just don't understand about working with confusion, nor do you accept the importance of rule-of-thumb calculations or even simple guesswork! This is the real world. There are real issues. What are you or anyone else going to do about just that?" What does the principal mean by "functional literacy"? A. The ability to read, write and make calculations. B. The ability to do every assignment on one's own. C. The ability to communicate and collaborate with others. D. The ability to feel confident in the face of challenges. Answer: D. The ability to feel confident in the face of challenges. Question: Have You Planned Three Things to Do Before You Are 18? I know most of us have a long way to reach an adult. At present, are you bored with your daily life? Here are some things you should try before you are 18,because after that it's too late. Learn to swim Seriously, this is so important that it can save your life. If you can't swim well,you won't be able to do water sports like waterskiing, surfing and diving. Even taking a boat trip will be dangerous for you. Make sure you do it. Try at least one kind of team sports Being a good team player is an important skill in life. You can't just think of yourself,but have to work well with other people. Other advantages of team sports like basketball, football and baseball are that they keep you fit and healthy, and they are also great fun. Teams usually have _ too--you'll go to lots of parties and make many friends. Collect something One of the best hobbies for under-18s is collecting things. You could collect kinds of stamps,or you could collect things that make you remember what you have done,like cinema tickets for films you have seen or emails from friends. The best way to collect is to have a special album to put your collection in and to write what each thing means to you. That way you won't forget. The writer tells us that one of the best hobbies is to _ . A. collect something B. do some water sports C. camp out in the garden D. send emails to your friends Answer: A. collect something Question: Dear Kate, You are in New York, but I am in Beijing now. China is a great country and Beijing is a big city in China. It's very beautiful. I like it very much. There are twenty-four girls and nineteen boys in our class. One of the boys is from England. His name is Bob. He likes swimming. Sue and I come from America. Sue likes playing the piano, but I like playing volleyball. I have many Chinese friends here now. They teach me Chinese and I teach them English. Chinese is not easy, but I like it. Yours Nick _ likes playing the piano. A. Nick B. Sue C. Kate D. Bob Answer: B. Sue Question: Bullied kids face a high risk of mental health problems as teens and as young adults. Indeed, kids troubled by bullying may be worse off than those who had suffered physical abuse or neglect, as the study found. Until recently, most studies of child victims focused not on bullying but on maltreatment , Dieter Wolke says. Maltreatment includes physical or emotional abuse, neglect or other behaviors that can harm a child. Wolke's team wanted to better understand bullying's long-term effects compared to those due to maltreatment. They focused on 4,026 children in the United Kingdom and 1,420 more in the United States. Information about bullying and maltreatment was collected for American children to age 13. They collected the same information for British youth up to age 16. The researchers also gathered data on each individiial's mental health as a young adult. Among the Americans, 36 percent of bullied kids had mental problems later. Those problems included anxiety, which is a state of excessive worry. They also included depression. That is a feeling of hopelessness that can last a long time. Among kids who had been maltreated by adults, 17 percent later suffered mental health problems. That was less than half the rate seen in people who had been bullied as school kids. In the U.K. group, the difference was less dramatic. Roughly 25 percent of the bullied kids reported mental health problems later, compared with about 17 percent who had been maltreated. But however you look at it, the findings are disturbing. And that's why Wolke says schools,health services and other agencies must work together to end bullying. Studies like this are important, says C.orinna Jenkins Tucker. They bring attention to the lasting impacts of bullying. Tucker does, however, question the value of comparing bullying to other types of abuse. Such an approach can make it seem like one type of bad experience is worse than the other, she says. In fact, both types have short-term and long-term effects on health. She'd like to see researchers study the big picture. They should try to understand how all ofthese negative experiences together shape children--and sometimes harm them. It can be inferred from the passage that_. A. researchers should pay less attention to maltreatment B. more bullied kids have mental problems in the USA C. a similar number of children are maltrcated in America and Britain D. either bullying or maltreatment has negative effects on chilciren's health Answer: D. either bullying or maltreatment has negative effects on chilciren's health Question: As life expectancy increases nowadays, the average person lives well beyond the age of retirement. As a result, the elderly make up an ever-increasing percentage of society, which makes it more important than ever for a real effort to be made in improving the lives of senior citizens. One way to deal with the situation would be to ensure that the elderly have enough money on which to live. Obviously, when a person stops working, they still require a source of income to cover their basic needs such as food, accommodation and heating. A clear solution to the problem is for the government to make sure that the state pension is adequate for these needs. Steps should also be taken to overcome the health problems the elderly face. The government should also provide access to the best health care available, which may necessitate paying for residential homes where the elderly can have round-the-clock nursing, or, at the very least, providing medication free of charge to all people over a certain age. The lives of old people could be improved if attempts were made to _ the problem of social isolation. If we organised trips for the elderly to community centres, visits from social workers their problem of loneliness can be reduced a lot which marks the lives of so many old people living alone and far from their families. One final suggestion, which would help enormously, is to change the attitude of the community towards its older members, who are all too often seen as a burden on society and dismissed as having little to do with modern life. We need to be taught from an early age to respect the views of old people, and appreciate their broader experience of life. This would help society as a whole, and encourage appreciation of the role that old people can still play today. According to the last suggestion, the old people _ . A. should be respected by all of us B. have to gather more life experience C. may be regarded as our heavy burden D. must change their attitude to the community Answer: A. should be respected by all of us
In 1953, the New Zealander Edmund Hillary, then 33, joined a British Qomolangma expedition led by Colonel John Hunt. Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans were the first team to attempt the summit . Despite a violent storm, they reached the South Summit -- at 28,700 feet (8,748 meters) -- by 1 p.m. on May 26. But both men knew they would run out of oxygen if they went on. They agreed to turn back. Two days later, Hillary and Norgay, set out from Camp IX at 25,900 feet to make the next attempt. At 27,900 feet they made a temporary camp on a six foot wide rock to spend the night. At 6:30 the next morning, cheered by clearing skies, the team moved out. Roped together, cutting steps with their ice axes, they inched up a steep, knife-edged ridge southeast of the summit. They reached the South Summit by 9:00 a.m. Farther up, they met a 40-foot icy rock face, which was later named the Hillary Step. "...looking up at the rock step at 29,000 feet, it really did look extremely difficult to overcome," said Hillary. But they found a narrow crack on the surface of the rock, just large enough to move inside on hands and knees, and managed to climb it by supporting feet against one side and backs against the other. Hillary said, "That was really the first moment during the whole of the expedition that I was confident that we were going to get to the top." The last few yards to the summit were relatively easy. "Then I realized that the ridge, instead of rising ahead, now dropped sharply away," Hillary said. "I looked upward to see a narrow ridge running up to a sharp point. ...and we stood on the summit." It was 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953. At what height did Hillary and Norgay set out on May 29? Answer: Solar energy for your home is coming. It can help you as a single home owner. It can help the whole country as well. Whether or not solar energy can save your money depends on many things. Where you live is one factor and the type of home you have is another. Things like insulation , present energy costs, and the type of system you buy are added factors. Using solar energy can help save our precious fuel. As you know, our supplies of oil and gas are very limited. There is just not enough on hand to meet all our future energy needs. Sooner or later Mother Nature will say that's all. The only way we can delay hearing those words is by starting to save energy now and by using other sources, like the sun. We won't have to worry about the sun's running out of energy for another several billion years or so. Besides, the sun doesn't offer as many problems as other energy sources. For example, fossil fuel adds to already high pollution levels. With solar energy, we will still need sources of energy, but we won't need as much. That means we can cut down on our pollution problems. With all these good points, why don't we use more solar power? There are many reasons for this. The biggest reason is money. Until now, it was just not practical for a home owner to put in a solar unit. There were cheaper sources of energy. All that is changing now. Solar costs are starting to equal the costs of oil and electricity. Experts say that gas, oil and electricity prices will continue to rise. The demand for electricity is increasing rapidly. But new power plants will use more gas, oil or coal. Already in some places the supply of electricity is being rationed . Solar energy is now in its infancy . It could soon grow to become a major part of our nation's energy supply. What's this passage mainly about? Answer: When Beijing is hit by smog, residents often joke that the Chinese capital needs to build giant fans to clear out the polluted air.Mountains to the north and west help trap smog in the city, and a strong wind from Mongolia is the surest way to ensure cleaner air. Beijing officials are now considering ways to help that process.Though giant fans are not on the menu, at least not yet, city planners are looking at ways to create corridors that encourage wind flow through the capital.The plan is inspired by research on urban heat islands, which shows that large buildings that block the wind are one of the causes of higher average temperatures in cities as opposed to those in the countryside. "This isn't controlling pollution.It's shifting the problem." Wang Bing, a Beijing-based author, wrote on Sina Weibo.But the plan has received some interest from residents who have grown tired of repeated periods of heavy pollution. Peng Yingdeng, an air pollution expert at the Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, told the newspaper that the plan was more likely to require an adjustment of related laws to limit building heights and numbers in some areas.Similar proposals are under consideration in other major Chinese cities including Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shenyang and Wuhan. "This kind of work to search for ways to reduce pollution is really worth applauding," the state-run news agency Xinhua said in a commentary."If scientists confirm it is effective, then we should promote it on a much larger scale." Some experts have expressed doubts whether the plan would make a significant difference.Serious pollution is usually associated with periods of little or no wind, and air corridors do little good if the wind isn't blowing, Song Guojun, an environmental science professor told The Beijing News.Solving the air pollution problem mainly requires controlling pollution sources. Why do people say "the Chinese capital needs to build giant fans"? Answer: There are many TV programs about Chinese dishes, but few are Like A Bite Of China . The seven-part documentary tell us food in different places in China. The different kinds of food on TV are from 60 places. You can see many kinds of food and they can _ your eyes and stomach. And you also learn how to make the food . That's why the program becomes so popular. However, the program is not only about food. There are many different stories between food and people. To know good stories, workers of the film spent three months doing the research and nine months filming. Liu Wen, one of the workers, says the story also shows the social transportations . "The program is like a window, it makes the world know more about China. And it helps people around the world not only enjoy Chinese dishes, but also learn Chinese culture." There were _ parts in the documentary A Bite Of China? Answer: I walked alongside my father, clutching his right hand.All my clothes were new: the black shoes, the green school uniform, and the red cap.They did not make me happy, however, as tins was the day I was to be thrown into school for the first time.I tried in vain lo convince him that I did nothing wrong all the way, but it didn't help. When we.arrived at the sate we could see the courtyard, vast and full of boys and girls.I hesitated and clung to his hand, but he gently pushed me from him."Be a man, "he said."today you truly begin your life.You will find me waiting for you when it's time to leave." I took a few steps.Then the faces of the boys and girls came into view.I did not know a single one of them, and none of them knew me.I felt I was a stranger who had lost his way.But then some boys began to glance at me in curiosity, and one of them came over and asked, " Who brought you? " "My father," I whispered. ''My father's dead, " he said simply. I did not know what to say.The gate was now closed.Some of the children burst into tears.The bell rang.A lady came along, followed by a group of men.The men began soiling us into ranks.We were formed into an intricate pattern in the great courtyard surrounded by high buildings. Well, it seemed that my misgivings had had no basis.From the first moments I made many friends and fell in love with many girls.I had never imagined school would have this rich variety of experiences. We played all sorts, of games.In the music room we sang our first songs.We also had our first introduction to language.We saw a globe of Earth, which revolved and showed the various continents and countries.We started lean-line numbers, and we were told the story of the Creator of the universe.We ate delicious food, took a little nap, and woke up to go on with friendship and love, playing and learning. Our path, however, was not totally sweet and unclouded.We had to be observant and patient.It was not all a matter of playing and fooling around. Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting.And while the lady would sometimes smile, she would often yell and scold.Even more frequently she would resort to physical punishment. The bell rang, announcing the passing of the day and the end of work.The children rushed toward the gate, which was opened again.I said goodbye to friends and sweethearts and passed through the gate.I looked around but found no trace of my father, who had promised to be there.I stepped aside to wait. The writer hesitated and clung to his father's hand when they got to the school gate because _ . Answer:
Since the time when the Romans first settled on the Danube River and built one of their most important central European forts , Vindobona, the city we now know as Vienna, has played a very important role in European history. Austria grew up around the city and developed into a strong empire . The capital became a famous place during the rule of the Habsburg dynasty. Today, Vienna is one of the most popular tourist spots in Austria as well as a major center of modern business and culture. Many different cultures have _ their cultural identities to produce the amazing Viennese culture. It is said that the most beautiful German is spoken in this old city. A city of music, cafes, waltzes, parks, cakes, and wine -- that's Vienna. Famous composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert made Vienna into a city of music. Vienna also has a lot to offer in art and architecture. Yet the bars and clubs make a trip to Vienna an unforgettable experience. Vienna's cooking diversity is also impressive. Dumpling soup, tender boiled beef and apple rolls are typical Austrian dishes. The face of the city has changed time and again due to war, victory, defeat, the death of an empire and the birth of a republic, foreign occupation , and the passage of time. Fortunately, the Viennese character --a strict devotion to the good life -- has remained solid. What can we know about Vienna in the past? Answer: Austria developed around this city. Even in early time, people could realize the important of dreams and knew that dreams gave meaning to life. Every great achievement has been the result of years of dreaming. If a person has a dream and holds fast to it, he or she will find a way to bring it into reality . Children do not have much experience or knowledge. However, they are natural dreamers. We should not laugh at them for being _ . Many great men were dreamers when they were children. One such dreamer was Thomas Edison. He used to be ostracized when he was in primary school, but his achievements were greater than everyone else's in his time. Teenagers and young people should also be encouraged to dream. The world is full of successful teenagers and young people. They dreamt big and their dreams changed their lives and even the world. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are the good examples. They have developed technology and brought great progress to human besides making money for themselves. Older people should believe that it is never too late to dream and that human mind is never too old to make dreams turn into reality. Colonel Saunders realized his dreams at the age of 67 and set up the biggest fried chicken company (KFC) in the world. To dream is a wonderful ability which can lead to wonderful results. Olympic records were broken by players who were brave enough to dream. No one is too young or too old to dream and to make dreams come true. What does the example of Colonel Saunders show us? Answer: Even older people can make their dreams come true. Which is more likely the result of a big earthquake Answer: a mountain Carl studied in our middle school three years ago. Last August his father found a job in another city and his family moved there. He began to study in the new school and we often write to each other. He often tells me something about the city where he lives now and his studies in the school. So I can know what happens to him. Last Friday Carl came to our city again. He hoped to accompany his old grandpa during the summer holiday. He was taller and stronger than before. We swam in the river outside the city together and had a picnic on the island. It surprised me that he had learnt to cook when we were traveling in the wild forest. He told me his parents were both busy and sometimes he stayed at home and he had to look after himself. "How do you like your school?" I asked. "Wonderful," said the young man." It has a tall building and there 're two chemistry labs, two biology labs and three physics ones. And its library is big and there're plenty of books in it." "I can see you are satisfied with it." "Yes," he answered. "But our geography teacher often says it himself in class." "So does our new history teacher." I said. "But he doesn't notice it. He often talks on and on in a flow of the eloquence , but none of us listens to him." _ , so he learned to cook. Answer: Carl had to do some cooking when he was alone. London will host a major exhibition of 15th-century Chinese artwork, including paintings, sculptures and porcelain, which are all from Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The exhibition will be open from Sept 18 to Jan 5. On display will be 108 cultural relics from 10 museums in China, as well as collections from the British Museum and museums in Japan, the United States and Europe. The exhibition will be in five parts to give an overview of the society. "This was a time when the political and social system of the dynasty became stable , and the country also experienced huge changes. China was in frequent contact with the rest of the world at that time, and its artists and scholars also influenced other cultures," said Yao Yu, the director of this activity. During this time, Beijing became the capital of China, and Zheng He (1371-1433) set sail and reached the shores of eastern Africa. Jessica from the British Museum, said _ an artwork may differ in different cultures. "When a Chinese audience sees a painting you see figures and stories. But we see beautiful views. " However, she added that the British public had a basic knowledge of the dynasty and many British people probably knew more about the later period of the Ming Dynasty after the Portuguese and Spanish came to China to trade. Their houses and dining tables have Chinese blue and white vases but they don't know much about the earlier period, which in China was a more culturally important period. "We'd like to take away people from the idea that China became international after the Europeans arrived. China in the early Ming Dynasty was very international. " What can we know from Jessica? Answer: British citizens know more about the later period of the Ming Dynasty than the earlier ones.
How could we live without the Internet? That's how most of us keep in touch with friends, find homework support, research cool place to visit, or find out the latest news. You can use it to do research for school, find out what movie is on near you, check out a college you're thinking about, or find a job or volunteer opportunity. Almost anything you can think of has a website about it. You've probably heard stories about people who get into trouble in chat rooms. Because users can easily _ , you may be cheated in the chat room. Everyone in the chat room looks like wearing a mask . Chat rooms often attract people who are interested in more than just chatting. They will sometimes ask visitors for information about themselves. The information might be about their families, or where they live. It shouldn't be given away. Usually, the people who request personal information like home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses use the information to do some illegal things. This might harm a person's or family's well-being. Of course, the Internet is home to millions of places you can and should visit. However, remember to protect yourself while online. The Internet is an unsafe place because _ . Answer: Your personal information may be given away. Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are busy trying to earn money in order to pay the high tuition for my brother and me. They don't act in the romantic way that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion. "I love you" is too luxurious for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine's Day is even more _ . Finally my father has a bad temper when he's very tired from the hard work, it is easy for him to lose his temper. One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I silently sat down beside her and looked at her. "Mom. I have a question to ask you." I said after a while. "What?" She replied, still doing her work. "Is there love between you and Dad?" I asked her in a very low voice. My mother stopped her work and raised her head with surprise in her eyes, She didn't answer immediately. Then she bowed her head and continued to sew the quilt. I was very worried because I thought I had hurt her. I was in a great embarrassment and I didn't know what to do. But at last I heard my mother say the following words: "Susan," she said thoughtfully. "Look at this thread. Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt strong and durable . If life is a quilt then love should be a thread. It can hardly be seen anywhere or any time, but it's really there. Love is inside." Why does the writer doubt the love of her parents? Answer: Because they hardly express their love. Chinese space trainer Wang Yuan has been chosen as one of the volunteers for the Mars-500 test project. He was very happy to be chosen and will accept the meaningful challenge Another five volunteers are all space lovers., including three Russians, an Italy-Colombian and a Frenchman. They are about to feel what it's like to travel to Mars, only without leaving the earth. They are locked up together for a year and a half under a similar condition to the red planet during the whole process. So the experiment is called Mars-500. When reporters asked what they would miss most during the 520-day special life, French trainer Charles said:"For me, it will be mainly my family, the sun and fresh air." The Mars-500 test will be in a special building in Moscow, Russia. Although the people won't leave the building, they will fell as if they are on a real trip to the Mars. The most difficult thing will be to be separated from the people that they used to live with. The trainer won't see sunsets, sunrises, won't feel rain for 18 months. That will be hard. The main task is to study the "Man and environment". It'll care about the astronauts' getting experience and physical effects. The 520-day-test is divided into three parts,the first 250days to Mars, the middle 30days of landing on Mars, the last 240 days to return to the earth. Everyone will stay there alone for a long time and will work lonely. They will have to make decisions themselves and only then report to the earth, and the earth will tell them whether they do the right thing or not. Each astronaut is preparing for the great challenge. It is learned that they will be launched early in June. And the experiment will end in November 2011. Which sentence is NOT true about the 520-day-test? Answer: Trainers are all astronauts. Well, when the huge wave hit the boat, my safety belt broke and I was swept overboard. I don't really understand how it happened, but it did. I heard someone yell out, but then my boat, Wild One, went off into the darkness and I was alone in a very rough sea. I then spent five and a half hours in the water. The place where it happened was, oh, about 50 kilometers from shore. It was likely that I wouldn't see another day, but I always thought I'd overcome the difficulties. At first I was watching out for Wild One. The rest of the crew knew I was gone, so they were sure to come back and look for me. After a while, I saw the boat's lights when it came looking for me. They were within about 300 meters of me, but the spotlight just missed me. The reason why they didn't see me was because of the huge waves. You know, I started sailing when I was seven, and started ocean racing when I was about eighteen, but I'd never been overboard before. I believed I was going to survive, but it was very cold, and as the hours passed I started to get desperate----and frozen! It was around 5 am when I saw the lights of a tanker coming towards me. I figured it was probably my last chance. At first, I thought they were going to miss me, and then they made a slight turn and I yelled out "Help!" and they heard me. Then another yacht appeared. These guys were terrific. They gave me dry clothes, and then one jumped into the bunk and hung onto me. They covered us with as much dry clothing as they could, and the guy in with me stayed to transfer his body heat to me. The author of the passage was alone in the sea NOT because _ . Answer: his boat was in the darkness Heavy rains cause flooding in a valley. Which animals would most likely thrive? Answer: otters
Do's and Don'ts in Whale Watching The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has developed guidelines for whale watching in Johnstone Strait,where killer whales are found on a daily basis each summer. It is strongly recommended that vessel operators follow these guidelines for all kinds of whales. * Approach whales from the side, not from the front or the back. * Approach no closer than 100 metres, then stop the boat but keep the engine on. * Keep noise levels down-no horns, whistles or racing of engines. * Start your boat only after the whales are more than 100 metres from your vessel. * Leave the area slowly, gradually moving faster when you are more than 300 metres from the whales. * Approach and leave slowly, avoiding sudden changes in speed or direction. * Avoid disturbing groups of resting whales. * Keep at low speeds and remain in the same direction if travelling side by side with whales. * When whales are travelling close to shore, avoid crowding them near the shore or coming between the whales and the shore. * Limit the time spent with any group of whales to less than 30 minutes at a time when within 100 to 200 metres of whales. * If there is more than one vessel at the same observation spot, be sure to avoid any boat position that would result in surrounding the whales. * Work together by communicating with other vessels, and make sure that all operators are aware of the whale watching guidelines. For whom is this text written? A Tour guides. B Whale watchers. C Vessel operators. D Government officials. Answer: C A cell phone in a vehicle can be a life-saving communication tool in case of emergency. However, actually using a cell phone while driving can be life-threatening. Studies have shown that new drivers are especially prone to have an accident when they use a cell phone while driving. The reason for this is that new drivers have less experience in concentrating on driving during distractions . Also, several studies done on teen drivers found that many teens often send text messages while driving. Since text messaging involves both the hands and the eyes, this is thought to be more distracting and dangerous than when drivers use a cell phone only for speaking and listening while driving. All drivers who use a cell phone while driving are reported to be at least four times more likely to have an accident than drivers who don't use a cell phone while driving. Such studies have inspired many countries, including the United States, to have at least some bans on hand-held cell phone use while driving. However, many people feel that these restrictions are far from enough. Hand-free cell phones were still found in many studies to distract the drivers' attention even though the drivers had both hands on the wheel . In some studies, drivers themselves admitted that they sometimes become distracted when they use any type of the cell phones while driving. Some studies have shown that using a cell phone while driving is actually just as dangerous as driving drunk! Both cases can impair the drivers' concentration as well as their reaction time to other vehicles or problems on the road. If a cell phone is used in crawling traffic such as a traffic jam, it is not as likely to cause danger as when a driver uses a cell phone at even moderate speeds on twisting and turning roads. What can we conclude from this passage? A We should use our cell phones wisely. B We should use hand-free cell phones rather than hand-held ones. C We should turn our cell phones off while driving. D We should make some laws to forbid teens to use cell phones. Answer: A Once again, rumors are spreading. Judgment Day, this time, is set to happen on December 21st, 2012. The date originated from the Mayan calendar, but actually gained popularity through the hit movie, "2012". How will the world end? And how do we know the exact date? There are many theories: A meteoroid from outer space; a solar storm; a shift in the earth's poles; bla bla bla. They all supposedly pointed to the date of December 21st, 2012. Unfortunately, none of it is true. Zhu Jin, director of Beijing Planetarium, said, "For earth itself, the end will be billions of years away from now.And for us humans, there is a very small chance that we may be affected by some astronomical factors.However, we don't have the ability to foresee such events so far.So when someone tells you the world is going to end on an exact date, it must be fake." But the truth hasn't stopped people from believing. In the sci-fi movie "2012", the director imagined the end of the world based on the Mayan calendar. The film earned nearly 770 million US dollars worldwide. Ning Hong, Hebei Province, said. "The movie 2012 did get one thing right. There are arks being made in China, But they're not being built secretly inside the mountains.They are constructed here in the courtyard of a factory." In April, Liu Qiyuan quit his furniture business and devoted himself to developing these huge round balls. He doesn't believe the end is near, but he wants to be prepared just in case. Liu Qiyuan, the "Ark" builder, said, "The concept originated twenty years ago. The Tangshan earthquake had flattened our house, so I wanted to build a shelter that wouldn't fall. Then in 2004, I saw the tsunami in Indonesia that killed so many people.Then I realized it should be something that could withstand the earthquake and float on water." Liu is hoping to use his invention as a life boat on the sea.He's planning to test his product on the water next year. It turns out that rumor, though false, is good for business. Doomsday discounts and products are hot on many online stores. While it's surely attracted attention, many complain that it misleads consumers. Their purpose is to promote products. If they believe the world is going to end, who would buy things? Money would be useless, too. Which statement is NOT true according to the passage? A The movie "2012" was very popular and a great many people watched it. B Rumors were created by businessmen to promote their products. C One theory said that the earth was to shift its two poles on Dec. 21, 2012. D Liu Qiyuan's ark was intended to survive earthquakes and terrible floods. Answer: B Pocket money Most British parents give their teenagers pocker money. Teenagers get between PS7 and PS20 a week. They spend it on fast food, designer clothes, the cinema, concert, magazines and mobile phones. Lazy parents? 37% of parents pay teenagers to clean the lounge, 66% of parents pay teenagers to take the rubbish out. Lazy teens? 51% of teenagers don't make their beds before they leave home.Only 13% of teenagers wash the car for money.Some parents even pay their teenagers to do their homework. Equality? Not yet! Boys get more money than girls for most odd jobs.For washing the dishes, boys get about PS4 and girls get about PS1. And if you need some more money? Teens get an extra PS250 a year out of their parents on top of pocket money!About 50% of teens get gifts of money from their grandparents.Go to Mum if you need extra money!She gives more than Dad. Where you live makes a difference! Parents in prefix = st1 /Scotlandand the North of England give most pocket money. Spending 51% spend their money on clothes.39%buy cosmetics, juwellery and toiletries.Less than 40% of teenagers save any money.Here are some children who tell us about their pocket money:I get PS30 a month, I have to take the rubbish out and tidy my room. --Emma,15, Edinburgh .I get PS10 a week. But I have to clean the car, hoover the house and load and unload the dishwasher. I usually save the money. --James, 12, Sheffield..I getPS7.5 a week.I have to be "good" but I don't have to do any jobs for the money. --Lain, 13, Cardiff.I getPS5 a week. But our neighbors go away a lot and they give me PS25 a week for looking after their cats. --Richard, 13, Belfast Which of the following sentences is true according to the text? A Parents are lazy so they let children do housework. B Teens are too lazy to do housework unless they are given pocket money. C The pocket money boys and girls get is not equal. D it is not right for children to ask for pocket money. Answer: C What's on TV? 6:00 Channel 3Let's Talk! Guest: Animal expert Jim Porter Channel 5 Cartoons Channel 8 News Channel 9 News 7:00 Channel 3Cooking with Cathy Tonight: Chicken with mushrooms Channel 5 MovieA laugh a Minute(1955) James Rayburn Channel 8 Spin for Dollars! Channel 9 Farm Report 7:30 Channel 3 Double Trouble (comedy)The twins disrupt the high school dance Channel 9 Wall Street Today. Stock Market Report 8:00 Channel 3 NBA Basketball. Teams to be announced Channel 8 Movie At Day's End (1981) Michael Collier, Julie Romer. Drama set in World War II Channel 9 News Special "Saving Our Waterways: Pollution in the Mississippi" Which of the following programs is most likely intended for housewives? A Let's Talk! B Wall Street Today C Cooking with Cathy Tonight D Farm Report Answer: C
Try it and see for yourself--Crossword Weaver is the leading Crossword Puzzle Creator. This crossword puzzle maker, Crossword Weaver, is the leading crossword puzzle software. Type in your words to quickly create two styles of crossword puzzles. The freeform style uses only your words. Perfect for educators, home scholars, parents, and anyone wanting their puzzle to use only their words. Or, our patented technology mixes your words with a high quality database to give you professional puzzles in just seconds! Education Discount--Get 25% Off! Teachers, parents, students, home scholars, and religious educators who are purchasing this product qualify for a 25% discount! The demo mode allows you to try the program to see if it meets your needs before you purchase it. After you purchase an unlocking code and enter the code into the Crossword Weaver demo, it will immediately become the full version. The demo version has limitations on printing, saving, and exporting. Crossword Weaver is the best program for the best price. Used by teachers, parents, puzzle lovers, businesses, newsletter editors, publishers, and newspapers all over the world! Help your students learn vocabulary, spelling, facts, and more. Easily add a puzzle to your newsletter to make it really special Quickly make gifts for that special puzzle lover in your life. New!Play your puzzles online or email to friends. New!Save your puzzles as PDF's. New!Easily export to a web site. Try it for yourself and see how Crossword Weaver can help you with all of your crossword puzzle needs. License number to unlock the demo $39.95 License number to unlock the demo plus the optional CD $39.95 + $4.95 (includes S&H) All upgrades are free. Simply download the demo for the new version and type in your unlock code again to get your new version. . As a teacher, if you want to buy Crossword Weaver with License number to unlock the demo for your school, you may save about _ . A $10 B $20 C $30 D $39.95 Answer: A SHE dresses in saggy pants and is crazy about the pop star, Rain. Bin Xue is in love with South Korean culture. The 19-year-old from Sichuan Province feels a strong connection with the neighbouring country. "The two nations have a long history of friendship and there are many similarities between them," she said. "But Koreans are iron-willed, and we could learn this quality from them." Bin is not the only Chinese deeply affected by Korean culture. A recent survey shows that most Chinese teenagers think highly of their eastern neighbour. However, Koreans do not view the Chinese in the same good light. In a recent survey, only 5.5 per cent of Korean teens thought the Chinese people friendly. The survey among high school students in China, Japan, South Korea and the United States, was conducted in 156 high schools. More than 7,000 teenagers were questioned on success, family, their self-identity , as well as their opinions about the world at large. Results showed that most Korean teens gave a low score to the Chinese for patriotism , responsibility and honesty. In their eyes, Chinese people are not hard-working and don't obey the rules. "The result is surprising, but it does reflect a real information gap between teenagers in the two countries," said Lei Li, a psychology professor from the Capital Normal University. Experts say that Chinese students' positive feelings about South Korea were a result of the booming popularity of Korean pop music. Korean movies and TV series have flooded China. And 73 per cent of the Chinese respondents said they watched Korean TV serials and cartoons. On the other hand, Lei added, Korean teenagers don't have much access to China. The survey found that only 6.7 per cent of Korean students have ever read Chinese books or news magazines or watch Chinese TV programmes.1 Professor Lei thinks that Chinese teens should give themselves a better basis for appreciating the cultures of their neighbours. It's not enough to simply enjoy their music, TV and fashion sense. "The survey shows that Chinese teens should make friends with their foreign peers . They shouldn't judge other countries by their media alone," said Lei. Luo Xi'er, 17, from Hunan Province, hopes Chinese people can improve their image. "In my opinion, it is the bad behaviour of Chinese tourists which has destroyed our image abroad," she said. The girl has read several online articles in which Koreans put Chinese tourists' bad manners under the spotlight. "I would like to go to South Korea some day and show them that most Chinese are good-mannered." Korean teens probably have low opinions of Chinese because _ . A they are friendly and iron-willed B they don't know much about China C they hate Chinese because of historical conflicts D they only watch Korean TV serials and cartoons Answer: B It's going to be a chaotic day. How do I know? It's Monday. OK, joking. But, I do predict that today will be filled with the normal last-minute tasks, fire drills, and unforeseen events. So, how do you keep yourself from being swept away in the stream of chaos? How do you remain calm while others are rushing and panicking? There's a problem... Panic! When things don't go as planned, how do you react? Are you the calm one who works to fix things? Or the one running around like Chicken Little screaming that the sky falling? Getting upset or alarmed can seem like natural reactions to a problem. Here are a few tips to kelp you remain calm in the face of the storm: * Don't Panic You are better able to find a solution if you aren't panicking. If you can keep your head when others are losing theirs, you will be able to make a dear decision in the chaos. * There Aren't Many True Emergenaes My time as a Naval Officer taught me about true emergencies. In the military, when there is a problem, people can get hurt or die. This is not usually the case when the office copier or email server goes down. Keep things in perspective. There are very few true emergencies in life. * Avoid the "Fight or Flight" When you are stressed, your body will want to go into "fight or flight." Your body was designed to keep you safe from danger, but its natural reflexes aren't always the best solution against a project gone away. Keep your emotions in check and ensure that your physical reflexes don't make bad decisions for you. * Head Into The Problem While everyone else is running away, true leaders walk into a problem. Sticking your head in the sand only makes things worse. Instead of trying to ignore the situition, get to the heart of the issue as soon as possible. Only then can you address it How Will You React? When you find yourself ready to lose it, take a step back. Ask, "In this truly an emergcncy?" Keep your head when others are losing theirs. And you'll find that you are that much closer to a solution. In order to make a wiser decision in the chaos, you should _ . A low your head B keep your head C shake your head D stick your head Answer: B Very few people look forward to and enjoy exams. That doesn't have to mean that you should be afraid of them, though. The following tips will help you get through that terrible exam period. Here are eight steps to help you during exams: 1. Make sure you know how much time you will have in the exam, and how many questions there will be. Then you can divide your time among the questions to make sure that they all get answered. 2. When you're doing an exam that involves long answers, it is a good idea to leave some space at the end of the answer so that you can add any extra comments that might come to mind when you reread your paper. 3. Don't spend all of your time only on questions that you know the answer to because you will get a worse mark for answering some questions very well and some not at all. 4. It is worth taking a little extra time to make sure that your handwriting is neat. Then the examiner will be able to read it! Try to _ spelling mistakes too! 5. The more prepared you are, the more likely you are to succeed. 6. Keep calm. If you feel yourself getting worried, take a deep breath. 7. Don't try to discuss the exam after you've finished it. If you've got different answers from your friends, there's no point worrying about it. 8. Once an exam is over, just forget about it. There is nothing more you can do about it. The best thing you can do is to go home and prepare for the next one. You can get a better mark if _ . A you spend all of your time on questions that you are not good at B you discuss the answers with your friends after exams C you go over your notes carefully for the exam D you spend most of your time on questions that you know well Answer: C Two of the most dangerous storms which hit America are hurricanes and tornadoes. They are very much feared by anyone who may live in the path of their destruction and cause millions of dollars of damage to life and property every year. If one should travel inland across the Great Plains and the Prairie states of America, one will mostly not experience a hurricane, but there is another kind of storm in the Midwest which is equally feared. It is called a tornado. Tornados are violent low-pressured storms with an intense updraft near their center which is capable of lifting quite heavy objects from the ground. A tornado,therefore, is a dark, funnel-shaped cloud containing violently rotating air. It can pick up trees and cars right into the air and even uplift heavier objects such as homes and railway cars. Like a vacuum cleaner across a rug, it sucks up into anything which may lie in its path. These storms occur most often during the summer months and are noticeable by their strong wind and lack of rain. The sky turns black as dust is sucked up into the air. Tornadoes travel normally around 60 kilometers per hour and the winds can reach 800 kilometers per hour in the most violent storms. Tornados are most frequent in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains and especially in the central plains area of the Mississippi basin where about 150 occur each year. Tornados may also strike the southern states in winter and have even seen known to develop in the northeast. Both hurricanes and tornados cause millions of dollars worth of damage each year. Today they can be predicted more easily than in the past, but they cannot be stopped or ignored. When they come, they must be endured with the hope that one survives their fury and wraths. According to the passage,a tornado _ . A is a violent low-pressured storm B is often accompanied with heavy rain C only occurs in summer and autumn D is a square cloud containing very cold air Answer: A
It was a hot summer day. My dad and I were getting ready to go out for a ride on the boat. Just then the phone call came, the call changed that sunny and beautiful day into a cold and dark one. When I saw my father answering the phone, he was crying. I'd never seen my dad cry before. My heart sank. What possibly could happen? "Max, I'm so sorry," I heard him say. That's when it hit me. I knew that Suzie had died. Max has been my dad's best friend for years. Suzie, his daughter, had a serious illness. She knew she was different from other kids. Although she couldn't live a normal life, she was still happy. When Suzie and I were little girls, we spent quite a bit of time together. When Suzie was ten, she had to live in a hospital. About eight months before she died, we talked at least twice a week on the phone until the end. Suzie was always so excited to talk to me and wanted to know everything I did and every thing I ate. When Suzie and I first started calling each other, I thought _ would be more of a burden on me, but I was completely wrong. I learned so much from her. She gave me more than I could ever give her. I will never forget her or the talks we had. I now know that I must never take anything for granted, especially my health and the gift of life. Which of the following is Not true? YOUR KIDS ARE AMAZING --especially compared with everybody else's (who seem to cry all the time). How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting. And with ones that have educational value -- because you are the boss. FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET Here is a toy that doesn't need power, and the kids have to put it together themselves. This 50-piece-puzzle set is made of soft-edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X-ray room. It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver. $135. TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL Sure, it's cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills. It has a head and legs, a magnetic hand and a tail. Suitable for little ones from 6-36 months. $19.95; tiny-love.com. ROBOSAPIEN This small, remote-control robot is really powerful. It performs 67 preprogrammed functions, including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing. You can even program your own function -- which, sadly, does not include doing windows. $99 robosapienonline.com. MINI PEDAL CAR Want a mini Cooper but can't fit the family inside? Get one for the kids. They can jump into this mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable seat, and ride away. But it could spoil them for that used car they'll be driving when they turn 16. For ages 3 to 5. $189; minicar.com (click on "gear up" then "mini motoring gear") What website can you visit if you want a baby toy for your kid? When most people think of the Olympics, they don't think of science. But in the USA, each year, students take part in a kind of competition called the Science Olympiad. It has a lot of different events. Students go there to show how much they know about the science of music, biology, chemistry and others. My best event is forestry . This time, I went to the Olympiad with my school's team. We had worked hard, but this was the state competition. It would be hard to win. The Olympiad was out of town, so we got to ride on a bus and stay in a hotel for a night. The Olympiad was in three big rooms. When we got there, we set up our team's "camp" off to one side. The big day had come at last! First, I went to watch the tower building competition. That's when students build small towers and put heavy things on top of it. They hope they can hold them up. One of my schoolmates was putting things on her tower. She was nervous, and in the end it was too heavy for her tower to hold it--it broke! I felt bad for her. After lunch, I helped some teammates with their events. One was geography, and the other was history. I don't know much about those things, so I just watched my teammates do most of the work. At last, it was time for my favorite event--forestry. Another student was also in the forestry event. The rules were easy. We had to look at more than 40 different kinds of leaves and find out which plants they were from. We also had to answer some questions about the uses of each leaf. I knew almost all of the leaves and could answer most of the questions. I had spent more than a month studying on the Internet to get ready. At the end, it was time for the awards , I was nervous, because the forestry awards were last. We won second place in the whole state! A nice man gave me a medal and smiled at me. I had a great time at the Science Olympiad. I can't wait for next year! Choose the best answer according to the passage. Which of the following is true? Japan's All Nippon Airways, which has asked passengers to visit the toilet before boarding to help the environment, said Tuesday it will fit its jets with a women-only lavatory . ANA will introduce one female-only toilet per aircraft on international flights next month after a survey of women fliers identified it was the second most attractive service they wished for after being offered desserts. The rest of the toilets onboard will be for men and women as usual. "We received many comments that having a women-only lavatory would be a factor in differentiating our airline from others," said an NAN spokesman. "Many women said that they feel uncomfortable taking their time in the lavatory knowing that a male is waiting just behind them in line," he said. The spokesman denied that the new service was introduced following complaints about men soiling the bathrooms, telling reporters: "Those opinions may exist, but we do not have that data on hand". Since 2006 ANA has pursued a one - month awareness campaign each year in which it asks fliers on 38 flights and four international flights to visit the bathroom before boarding to reduce their body weight and therefore cut he plane's carbon-dioxide emissions. The airline is also planning to install "washlets" in it's aircraft-electric toilet seats with water sprays for washing-a common sight in Japan and generally a source of amusement for first-time visitors and users. The "washlets" will be installed in the Boeing777-300ER,due to begin operating in April, and the Boeing 787 fleet set to start flying this year. ANA will fit its jets with a women-only bathroom in order to _ . People call the Winter Olympics the White Olympics. At this time, they publish many stamps to mark the great games. The first stamps came out on January 25th, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on , publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule. During the 4th Winter Olympics, people published a group of stamps in November 1936. They drew five rings of Olympics. It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics. In the 1950s,the stamps of this kind became more colorful. When the White Olympics came, the host countries as well as non-host countries published stamps to mark those games. China also published four stamps in February 1980 when the Chinese sportsmen began to take part in the White Olympics. In Asia, Japan was the only country to hold the White Olympics. They sold 14,500 million stamps during the Olympics. People drew different kinds of sports on these small stamps, and they enjoyed the wonderful sports and some excellent players. What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics?
For thousands of years, people thought of glass as something beautiful to look at. Only recently have they come to think of it as something to look through. Stores display their goods in large glass windows. Glass bottles and jars that hold food and drink allow us to see the contents. Glass is used to make eyeglasses, microscopes, telescopes, and many other extremely useful and necessary objects. Until the Second World War, most of the glass used for optical instruments was imported from Europe. However, during the war Americans could not get European glass, and they were forced to make their own. Therefore, new kinds of glasses were developed that had been previously unknown. These new effects were achieved by mixing other chemical elements with the sand. Some of these new glasses are very strong and can resist many kinds of shocks. Legend has it that a very hard glass was invented by a Roman who showed his discovery to the Emperor. When the Emperor saw the glass he feared that it would become more valuable than gold and sliver, making his treasure worthless. Therefore, he had the glassmaker killed, and the secret was not discovered again for hundreds of years. In the present century, safety glass was invented for use in modern cars and planes. Safety glass is made by placing a layer of plastic between two layers of plate glass. When the outside layer of glass is broken, the pieces do not scatter and injure people. Some glass of the type is strong enough to resist bullets . Although nowadays plastics have replaced glass under conditions where glass might be easily broken, there are new uses being developed, for the greatest advantage of glass is that its component parts are inexpensive and can be found all over the world. Why are new uses of glass being developed? Because glass is cheap and easily obtainable. A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a meeting in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets, one of these salesmen happened to kick over a table which held a display of baskets of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their boarding. All but one stopped, took a deep breath and experienced a twinge of sorrow for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his friends to go on without him, waved goodbye, and told one of them to call his wife when they arrived and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to where the apple stand had been overturned. He was glad he did. The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her face. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them into the baskets, and helped set the display up once more. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become damaged; then he set them aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take the $20 for the damage we did." He continued, "I'm sorry for what we did and hope we didn't spoil your day too badly." She nodded with her tears. As the salesman started to walk away, the blind girl called out to him, "Mr. ...". He stopped, and turned back. She continued, "Thank you very much". Which of the following can describe the salesman? Kind and considerate. 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 you are an auditory learner, you understand and remember things you have _ . heard "Have you ever heard the old saying, "Never judge a book by its cover"? This is a good rule to follow when you try to judge the cleverness of others by their looks and performance. Some people have minds that shine only in certain situations. A young man with an unusual gift in novel writing may find himself speechless before a pretty girl. But don't make the mistake of thinking he might not be that clever. With a pen and paper, he can tell what he thought very well. Other people may fool you into mistakenly thinking they are clever by putting up a good front. A student who listens carefully and takes notes in class is sure to make a good impression on his teachers. But when it comes to exams, he may get scores much lower than his classmates. We may conclude that:you can't judge someone by appearances. The only way to tell whether a person is clever or not is to get to know him by observing how he reacts to different situations. The more situations you observe, the more accurate your judgement is likely to be. So take your time. Don't judge the book by its cover. According to the passage, true knowledge of a person's cleverness comes from _ . how he behaves in different situations During my travels through the mountains of Greece, I was only ever scared once. It was dusk and as I walked alone I came across six large wolves that were feeding on the body of a dead animal. I had heard many stories about wolves as a child and it was this animal that I feared more than any other. The wolves before me were huge, at least 6 feet long and covered with thick grey fur. As I went near, the wolves left the blood-covered snow that surrounded the body and started walking towards me, one after another. They stopped about 20 metres from me and stared. The lead wolf raised his head into the air and took in a deep breath, as if he was smelling my presence. The animals looked both beautiful and frightening, but I knew I could not show them my fear. As I drew nearer, the lead wolf raised its head once more but this time let out a long, loud cry. The awful cry rang out across the silent valley. I had never heard a more frightening sound. I was almost certain it was a sign to be death. Every moment I expected to see the pack of wolves dash at me, I knew my only hope was to pretend I had no fear. I walked past the line of wolves, like a general moving among his soldiers. They cried out loud again. But when they saw that their cry did not cause me to change my direction or make me run they feared to come after me, so they let me pass and returned to the dead animal. If I had turned back or tried to run away when they marched out to meet me, I am certain the whole pack would have attacked me in a moment. But my show of false courage scared them and kept them back. Which of the following is RIGHT according to the passage? The writer appeared courageous then but in actual fact was scared.
What is the hottest topic at your school? In Hangzhou Yongjin Middle School, it's money. The school had an activity called "making a living" recently. About 800 Junior 1 and Junior 2 students were divided into 112 teams. They went out to make money by selling things. What did they choose to sell? Some sold newspapers; some chose bottled water; some sold environmentally friendly shopping bags and bamboo baskets. Huqi's team decided to sell educational books in front of the Children Activity Centre. They thought parents would like to buy books for their children. But unfortunately , they came across urban management officers . The officers asked them to leave. "We played hide-and-seek with the officers for the whole morning," said Hu. "Finally we gave up and moved to other place. Wang Yongyi and her team sold ice cream in a square. They didn't meet any officers. But few people were interested in what they were selling. The team then put up a board saying the money was to help the "Project Hope" for country kids. It worked. More people came to their stall. A foreigner even gave them 100 yuan. Meng Zhaoxiang and his team were luckier. They sold all their cakes in four hours, spending 39.5 yuan and getting back 80 yuan. "It was not easy to make the money," said Meng. "Some people just looked. Others just tasted but didn't buy. Now I know how hard it is for our parents to earn the money we need to lead happy lives." We can infer from the story that _ . Answer: Huqi's team got little money the whole morning Chicago is considering firm measures to prevent the Asian carp,a giant fish native to the Far East,from coming into North America's Great Lakes in large numbers.Such a move could cost up to$18bn,a heavy economic burden to the city. This species,more than a metre in length,was originally introduced to southern US states three decades ago to control weeds in sewage treatment plants.But they escaped into the Mississippi River and increased in number quickly,making their way north towards the Great Lakes and threatening the native fish species along the way. "Dozens of them will often leap out of the water as boats approach.''Michael Beecham,a local environmental expert,described how frightening the scene was."I've gone down the river and seen these fish jump up and hit me in the face.It is a big problem for our native species," he said. A meeting has been organized to find a technological solution to the carp problem,one of which involves blocking parts of Chicago's canal system.Listening at the meeting was John Goss,who was worried about the effect that having barriers in the canal system would have on industry."It would certainly increase the cost of transportation,"he told."It is currently very cheap and efficient to bring materials and finished goods down the Chicago ship canal.'' Another cheaper option is to eat the fish out of existence.Dirk Fucik is selling carp burger at his fish shop not far from downtown Chicago.He thinks the carps are a great resource."To catch it and throw it away is a waste,"he says."Eating them helps solve the problem and also provides jobs."But the idea has not yet caught on.So far,he is the only person in Chicago selling carp burgers. From the passage we can see the Asian carp Answer: is very adaptable to the new environment We've all heard the old saying,"Sticks and stones can break my bones,but words can never hurt me." Don't you believe it?Words are powerful,and they can hurt--a lot. In fact,if you're not careful,you can even hurt yourself,by using the wrong word in your writing. Recently a friend sent me a copy of an email she received from the customer service department of her credit card company,after she contacted them with a question about her account. She was happy with their positive response. But as I read the email,one line jumped out at me:"In lieu of good customer service..." Did they really mean they were offering her a few extra reward points instead of good customer service?I doubt it. More likely,what the customer service department meant to say was,"Because good customer service is important to us..." followed by the details of what they were doing to make sure she remained a happy customer. So why didn't the writer say that?I can only guess that perhaps the writer liked the phrase "in lieu of",thought it sounded more interesting than saying "because",and so used it--without bothering to check the true meaning. Have you ever done that?Try to impress others with a big word,only to find out you've used the word incorrectly?It's just the opposite effect,isn't it?You may impress people all right,but it's not the impression you were going for. When you write,remember to choose your words carefully. People may still disagree with what you say,but they won't be able to dismiss you because you made careless mistakes in how you said it. It can be inferred that the writer's friend _ . Answer: was the customer of the credit card company Have you ever heard about the Whale Inside Dark Restaurant? The restaurant is in eastern downtown Beijing. It's the first eat-in-the-dark restaurant in China, and also in Asia. The restaurant is so welcome, since it's open in January at jianwai SOHO in Chaoyang District. People going there will experience darkness both during the day and the night. The restaurant offers not only a wonderful choice for food, but also a special environment for friends or parties. Every day, Whale Inside receives at least 50 guests from everywhere around Beijing. About 10 per cent of them are foreigners. The customers will go to the light to see the menu, and then they have to hand in all mobile phones, watches and other things that can give off light. They then move to the dark world. Waiters will lead them to the dark dining area. Of course, the waiters are all wearing special glasses that can make them see in the dark. Customers cannot see anything including their food or friends. They have to look for their spoons, drinks, and anything else. Every table may get a "secret dish ". The guests will have one chance to guess what the dish is made of. Everyone who guesses it correctly can win a prize. "It is not easy," said the manager, "because without seeing it, only 30 per cent of the guests can get the answer." About _ foreign guests will visit the restaurant every day according to the passage. Answer: 5 Catfish are what Answer: cannibals
Today there are policemen everywhere, but in 1700, London had no policemen at all. A few old men used to protect the city streets at night and they were not paid. About 300 years ago, London was starting to get bigger and more and more people began to live there. The city was very dirty and many people were poor. There were so many thieves who stole money in the streets that people stayed in their homes as much as possible. In 1750,Henry Fielding started to pay a group of people to stop thieves. They were like policemen and were called "Bow Street Runners" because they worked near Bow Street. Fifty years later, there were 120 "Bow Street Runners", but London had become very big and needed more policemen. So in 1829 , the first Metropolitan(or London)Police Force was started with 3,000 officers. Most of the men worked on foot, but a few rode horses. Until 1920 all the police in London were men. Today, London police are quite well paid and for the few police officers who still ride horses, the pay is even better than for the others. About 300 years ago, many people _ . Answer: came to live in London Dear Sara, Can you please help me improve my relationship with my mother? She is in her late 70s, and will probably need me to care for her in the future. I am willing to take on this responsibility but I find seeing her and talking to her stressful because I am so angry ab out what she and my father did to my elder sister. My sister was born "out of wedlock" in the 1950s. My sister's father disappeared and never turned up again. My mother loved my sister a lot even if she was an unwanted baby. But then my mother met and married my father. A few years later I was born. But my father didn't love my sister and my mother failed to protect her. We moved frequently, and my sister was not allowed to come along. She never came on holiday with us; instead she was sent to holiday camps. As she grew up, she started to use drugs and became an alcoholic. My sister is now in her mid-50s, jobless, living on benefits and mixing with a crowd of drunks. She has no partner, no children, no possessions and no company except for her dog. Her health is ruined, though she no longer drinks. I support her financially, but our relationsh ip is rocky as she hates the fact that my father loved me. She has no contact with my mother and is to this day excluded from any family event, including my father's funeral. My mother refuses even to mention my sister. I hate her because I think that if she could manage to apologize to my sister, things might be a little better. But there is ly no chance of this. How will I be able to take care of my mother with this always standing between us? Annie What can we infer from the passage? Answer: The author's sister is living a hard life now. Technology has been an encouragement of historical change. It acted as such a force in England beginning in the eighteenth century, and across the entire Western World in the nineteenth. Rapid advances were made in the use of scientific findings in the manufacture of goods, which has changed ideas about work. One of the first changes was that other forms of energy have taken the place of human power. Along with this came the increased use of machines to manufacture products in less time. People also developed machines that could produce the same parts for a product: each nail was exactly like every other nail, meaning that each nail could be changed for every other nail. This means that goods could be mass production, although mass production required breaking production down into smaller and smaller tasks. Once _ was done, workers no longer started on the product and labored to complete it. Instead, they might work only one thousandth of it, other workers completing their own parts in certain order. There is nothing strange about this manufacturing work by today's standards. Highly skilled workers were unable to compare with the new production techniques, as mass production allowed goods of high standard to be produced in greater number than could ever be done by hand. But the skilled worker wasn't the only loser, the common workers lost too. Similar changes forced farmer away. The increased mechanization of agriculture freed masses of workers from ploughing the land and harvesting its crops. They had no choice but to stream toward the rapidly developing industrial centers. Increasingly, standards were set by machines. Workers no longer owned their own tools, their skill was no longer valued, and pride in their work was no longer possible. Workers fed, looked after and repaired the machines that could work faster than humans at greatly reduced cost. In this passage, which of the following is NOT considered as a change caused by the use of scientific findings in the production of goods? Answer: The increased exploitation of workers in the 19th century. A single prokaryotic cell can divide several times in an hour. Few eukaryotic cells can divide as quickly. Which of the following statements best explains this difference? Answer: Eukaryotic cells are more structurally complex than prokaryotic cells. A person wanting to pay airfare will ride Answer: through clouds
Everyone has done experiments in high school laboratories,but have you ever thought about designing a satellite to explore space? On Nov.19,a team of students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in the US awed peers and even scientists by successfully launching a satellite. The first satellite designed and built by high school students was sent up into space along with a record setting.28 other small ones on a rocket were sent from a NASA center in Virginia,CNN reported.It took the students seven years to build. The students call their tiny satellite TJ3Sat,which is named after their school.It is just 10x10x12 centimeters and weighs only 0.89 kilograms,according to Orbital Sciences,a company which developed the rocket and supported the students' project.It can be controlled with a smartphone. Like most satellites,TJ3Sat can send and receive data.The small spacecraft is equipped with a voice synthesizer ,which can switch text to voice and transmit those sounds back to Earth over radio waves,said Orbital officials.In this case,anyone can give it a try via the project's website (school website) by submitting a text.The texts that get approved will be sent to the satellite,changed to voice and then broadcast back to Earth via radio waves. "I can say 'Go Colonials'on our ground station and when it is on the other side of the world,in India,someone can hear'Go Colonials'over the radio,"the team explains on the website. The satellite will stay in space for at least three months. School principal Evan Glazer told The Washington Post that the project started in 2006 as an activity in the spare time.Later it became a research project for a select group of seniors. At a time when American students are busy with SATs,the launch of the satellite shows what diligent teenagers can achieve when allowed to pursue their own curiosities,Glazer said. "It used to be that kids growing up wanted to be an astronaut," Andrew Petro,program executive for small spacecraft technology at NASA,said in a statement."I think we might be seeing kids saying what they want to do is build a spacecraft.The idea here is that they really can do that." According to the article,the launch of the satellite _ . A. is evidence of the advance of spacecraft technology B. proves that hard working teenagers can achieve a lot C. shows the importance of extracurricular activities at school D. has inspired many people to take an interest in space travel Answer: B. proves that hard working teenagers can achieve a lot In the 1920s and 30s the airlines were just beginning. It was unusual for people to travel by air because it was expensive and dangerous. In those days, there were no flight attendants to look after the passengers. Young men ,or "stewards" helped the passengers onto the airplane and carried the passengers' luggage but they did not provide food and drinks. _ Ellen Church was born in 1904 on a farm in Iowa. She was a different child. She didn't want to work on a farm or marry a farmer --she wanted a more adventurous life. Ellen studied to be a nurse at the University of Minnesota and then got a job in a hospital. For the next few years she stayed at the hospital but also took flying lessons and got her pilot's license. Ellen was twenty-five years old when she first got in touch with Boeing Air Transport. She loved flying but she understood that airlines were a man's world. Although women like Emelia Earheart were becoming famous, she realized it was impossible for a woman to have a career as a pilot .But she had another idea. Most people were frightened of flying because. flying was still an unreliable way to travel. There were often delays ,many crashes and the bad weathers made many passengers sick. Ellen thought nurses could take care of passengers during flights and B.A.T. agreed. The young woman from Iowa and seven other nurses became the first air stewardesses. At first pilots were unhappy because they did not want stewardesses on airplanes, but passengers loved the stewardesses. In 1940 there were around 1000 of them working for different airlines. The early "stewardesses" had to be under twenty-five-year-old, single and slim. When a woman joined an airline, she had to promise not to get married or have children. It was hard job and not well paid. They worked long hours and earned $1 an hour. In the 1970s, stewardesses were unhappy in their job and airlines had to make some changes. Since the 1970s, "stewardesses" have been called flight attendants. They are well paid and work fewer hours than in the past. The passage mainly talks about _ . A. the background of early flying pilots B. the experience of flying passengers C. the history of early flight attendants D. the development of airplanes Answer: C. the history of early flight attendants Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder. Your child will rise from bed and walk or engage in other activities that they would normally do when they are awake. Their eyes will be open but they will appear to be in a dream-like state, and will probably not answer when you talk to them, although they may carry out conversations. Sleepwalking can last a few seconds , a few minutes, or more. Sleepwalking can be an indication that certain parts of the brain may not be relaxing properly at bedtime. It can be caused by illness or fever, tiredness, stress or anxiety. It is thought to occur in the beginning, slow-wave stages of non-rapid eye movement sleep before dream sleep. It may be related to the lack of magnesium , and it is very possible that hormonal changes in body could cause it. Certainly a child is more likely to be a sleepwalker if one of his parents suffered, too . Sleepwalking itself is not dangerous and is generally not a sign of any more worrying problems. But if your child sleepwalks regularly, you have to take safety measures to make sure that he doesn't hurt himself while sleepwalking. Makes sure that any doors can't be opened by a child, and lock doors to the cellar, kitchen and other dangerous places. Check each night before lights go out for sharp objects or, indeed , anything on the floor which your child could trip over or hurt himself on. A child may sleepwalk once and never sleepwalk again. Others may sleepwalk once a month or so. Still others may sleepwalk almost nightly. If you are worried you should consult your doctor. Which of the following is true according to the passage? A. Sleepwalking itself is not dangerous. B. Children who sleepwalk may answer when you talk to them. C. If your child sleepwalks regularly, you can just leave him alone. D. Sleepwalking is related to the lack of sleep. Answer: A. Sleepwalking itself is not dangerous. A new plan for getting children to and from school is being started by the education authorities in part of Eastern England. This could end the worries of many parents fearful for their children's safety on the roads. Until now the Country Council has only been prepared to provide bus services for children living more than three miles from their school, or sometimes less if special reasons existed. Now it has been decided that if a group of parents ask for help in organizing transport they will be prepared to go ahead, provided the arrangement will not lose money and that children taking part will be attending their nearest school. The new scheme is to be tried out this term for children living at Milton who attend Impington school. The children live just within the three-mile limit and the Council has said in the past it will not undertake to provide free transport to the school. But now they have agreed to organize a bus service from Milton to Impington and back, a plan which has the support of the school's headmaster. Between 50 and 60 parents have said they would like their children to take part. Final calculations have still to be carried out, but a council official has said the cost to parents should be less than PS6. 50 a term. They have been able to arrange the service at a low cost because there is already an agreement with the bus company for a bus to take children who live further away to Impington. The same bus would now just make an extra journey to pick up the Milton children. The official said they would get in touch with other groups of parents who in the past had asked if transport could be provided for their children, to see if they would like to take part in the new scheme. Agreement to pay for the new bus service has been achieved from _ . A. the school's headmaster B. the education department C. the bus company D. the parents Answer: D. the parents Chuck Wall teaches management and human relations at Bakersfield College. He walked into class one day and told his students that their homework was to perform one act of random kindness. His students did not understand the homework and didn't know what to do, but the professor would not answer their questions. He encouraged his students to work it out for themselves. One week later, the students entered the classroom excited to share their stories. One student told of giving away blankets to the homeless. Another reported on helping a dog to find its owner, and another student had been trying to find a long, lost friend. Students were energized by the homework assignment and wanted other people to be kind too. With the support of local businesses, the students made stickers to put on cars that invited people to do something kind for others. They sold the stickers and decided to donate the money to a center for the blind---not surprising as Professor Wall is blind. Since then, similar kindness activities have been started in schools around the world. Many schools organize a Random Acts of Kindness Week, around November 13th, to celebrate World Kindness Day. Some schools use each day of Random Acts of Kindness Week to perform a different kind act, such as making a new friend, helping someone, doing community service, or raising money for a charity. Students learn to consider other people and thank about how small actions can make the world a better place. Which is the best title of the passage? A. Learning Kind Things B. Teaching Kindness C. World Kindness Day D. Bakersfield College Answer: B. Teaching Kindness
There is a huge demand for shark fins in Asian countries. As a result, many sharks are caught and killed. In Palau, where more than half of tourists are drawn by diving excursions, each reef shark brings in about $179,000 in tourism revenue annually, or about $1.9 million during its lifetime. Due to overexploitation and lack of proper management, many shark species are under considerable risk of unrecoverable decline with some species having declined to near extinction in recent years. According to reports, sharks are being killed at an alarming rate of up to 273 million worldwide per year. Some experts predict that if the killing continues at the current rate many shark species will be lost forever. It can be very dangerous. Sharks are very important and they should be protected. In a study of the east coast of the United States, 11 species of sharks were eliminated from their range. Of the 14 species of ocean life that those sharks used to eat, the populations of 12 exploded and caused great damage to the ecosystem. For example, the cownose ray population was no longer kept under control by sharks and so grew out of control. As a result, the rays destroyed the population of bay scallops , their favorite food. The scallop fishery, which had been in good condition for over 100 years, was wiped out. Also, the removal of the scallops most likely had an effect on water quality as they were no longer there to perform their function of cleaning the water. Sharks play a vital role in the oceans in a way that the average fish does not. Most sharks serve as top predators at the pinnacle of the marine food pyramid, and so play a critical role in ocean ecosystems. Directly or indirectly they regulate the natural balance of these ecosystems. Sharks tend to eat very efficiently, going after the old, sick, or slower fish in a population, keeping that population healthy. Sharks help keep many populations of ocean life to the right size so that those prey species don't cause harm to the ecosystem by becoming too populated. The ocean ecosystem is made up of very complex food webs. For the most part, sharks are at the top of these webs and are considered by scientists to be"keystone"species, meaning that removing them may cause the whole structure to fall apart, including key fisheries such as tuna and other important fish species that maintain the health of coral reefs. Therefore, we should protect sharks because doing so is to protect the whole ecosystem. What's the main reason for killing sharks in Asia? Shark fins are in great need. Water Pollution and Man Water pollution affects man's health, recreational use of water and sense of beauty. The spread of water-carried disease is of great concern. In highly developed countries in particular, emphasis has changed from concern over bacterial disease to concern over water-carried viral disease. Viral hepatitis , for example, has been found to occur more frequently in cities whose water supplies have comparatively high levels of water impurity. Poisonous chemicals found in streams that are ultimately used for water supplies also create an important public health problem. It is clear that poisonous chemicals must be excluded from water, but more and more chemicals from new pesticides , fertilizers, and other new products have been found in water. Since the public health importance of these chemicals is not yet fully known, they are of increasing concern. The chemicals from fertilizers are also finding their way into water supplies from pollution. As man's desire for water-based recreation increases, greater demands are placed on the quality of the water. The water must not only but be attractive in appearance but also meet certain other conditions. Sports such as swimming involve direct contact with water, and so water standards are raised higher. The range of water quality necessary for industrial processes varies greatly with the intended use of the water. The water used in steel mills, foe example, must have a lower chloride level than that accepted for drinking water. Cooling water can often be of comparatively low sanitary quality. A large part of the water used in the paper-making industry an be of ly low quality in some aspects, but must contain little iron and carbon dioxide. As the passage is not complete, what do you think would follow in its full text? _ Man's views on water pollution in terms of beauty values. When Nancy Lublin got $5,000 from her grandpa in 1996, she never once considered taking a vacation or paying off student loans .Instead, the 24-year-old New York University law student began thinking about helping low-income women get better jobs. "If a woman goes for a job interview poorly dressed, she won't get the job." Lublin says. " but without a job, she can't afford suitable clothes." So with the money Lublin founded "Dress for Success" and began collecting women's clothes which were still in good condition but which their owners no longer needed. "So many women have clothes lying around that they will never wear again," one of Lublin's assistants says "Nancy's idea is so simple and yet so important to women." Many women come to Lublin's office before going to a job interview. Here, they receive a suit, shoes and any other things they need. Since it was set up, more than 1,000 women have turned to "Dress for Success" for help. Many of them have won jobs. Some have round jobs after being out of work for many years. Jenny, a 32-year-old woman who was recently hired as a law-firm office manager , says, "I made a good impression because of "Dress for Success" What can we learn from the text? Nancy's office gathers used clothes from women Which type of energy is found in fossil fuels? chemical If you know exactly what you want, the best route to a job is to get specialized training.A recent survey shows that companies like graduates in such fields as business and health care who can go to work immediately with very little on-the-job training. That's especially true of booming fields that are challenging for workers.At Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, for example, bachelor's degree graduates get an average of four or five job offers with salaries ranging from the high teens to the low 20s and plenty of chances for rapid advancement.Large companies, especially, like a background of formal education coupled with work experience. But in the long run, too much specialization doesn't pay off.Business, which has been flooded with MBAs, no longer considers the degree an automatic stamp of approval.The MBA may open doors and command a higher salary initially, _ . As further evidence of the erosion of corporate faith in specialized degrees, Michigan State's Scheetz cites a pattern in corporate hiring practices.Although companies tend to take on specialists as new hires, they often seek out generalists for middle and upper-level management."They want someone who isn't constrained by nuts and bolts to look at the big picture, " says Scheetz. Time and again labor-market analysts mention a need for talents that liberal-arts majors are assumed to have:writing and communication skills, organizational skills, open-mindedness and adaptability, and the ability to analyze and solve problems.David Birch claims he does not hire anybody with an MBA or an engineering degree, "I hire only liberal-arts people because they have a less-than-canned way of doing things, " says Birch.Liberal-arts means an academically thorough and strict program that includes literature, history, mathematics, economics, science, human behavior-plus a computer course or two.With that under your belt, you can feel free to specialize."A liberal-arts degree coupled with an MBA or some other technical training is a very good combination in the marketplace, " says Scheetz. Which of the following statements does the author support? Generalists will outdo specialists in management.
Elephants have four distinct personalities that help their herd survive in the African bush, scientists have found. With their grey skin, mournful eyes and slow heavy pace, you could be forgiven for thinking elephants are uniformly melancholy creatures. But scientists have now discovered the largest living land animals have personalities to match their size. In a new study of African elephants, researchers have identified four distinct characters that are common in a herd - the leaders, the gentle giants, the playful rogues and the reliable plodders . Each of the types has developed to help the giant mammals survive in their harsh environment and is almost unique in the animal kingdom, according to the scientists. Professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague Cynthia Moss studied a herd of elephants in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya known as the EB family -- famous for their matriarch Echo before she died in 2009. Using data collected over 38 years of watching this group, the researchers analyzed them for 26 types of behavior and found four personality features tended to emerge. The strongest personality to emerge was that of the leader. Unlike other animals, where leadership tends to be won by the most dominant and aggressive individual, the elephants instead respected intelligence and problem solving in their leader. Echo, the matriarch and oldest in the group, her daughter Enid, and Ella, the second oldest female, all emerged as leaders. The playful elephants tended to be younger but were more curious and active. Eudora, a 40-year-old female in the herd, seemed to be the most playful, consistently showing this feature throughout her life while playfulness in some of the other elephants declined with age. Gentle elephants, which included two 27-year-old females Eleanor and Eliot, touched and rubbed against others more than the others. Those that were reliable tended to be those that were most consistent at making good decisions, helped to care for infants in the herd and were calm when faced with threats. Echo and her youngest daughter Ebony seemed to be the most reliable. Professor Lee said that elephants with these features tended to be the most socially integrated in the group while those who tended to be less reliable and pushy were more likely to split from the herd. In the EB family Echo and Eudora are _ . A. mother and daughter B. two oldest females C. the gentlest ones D. leader and member Answer: D It was the last time Susan Butcher ran the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1992. An hour into the race, Susan and her sled dog team sped down a hill and crashed into a fallen tree. Although hurt, Susan continued the difficult race. The Iditarod Race started in 1925 when a doctor in Nome, Alaska was desperately in need of medicine to stop the spread of a deadly disease. Only a hospital had what he needed, but it was 700 mile-away! In January, it was too dangerous to send a boat and too stormy for his tiny airplane. The only hope was to use several sled dog teams following a trail, called the Iditarod Trail. They passed the medicine from one sled team to another. Wind and snow did not stop the men and their dogs. The medicine was delivered in record time. The race follows the route of the famous medicine run. Over 1,000 miles long, it is considered the toughest race in the world. Susan Butcher was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In her teens Susan was given a Siberian husky dog and became very interested in huskies as sled dogs. After reading about the Iditarod Race, Susan moved to Alaska. She got several jobs to earn money to buy herself a sled and a team of huskies. After years of hard work and training, Susan achieved her dream of racing on the Iditarod Trail. In 1978, at the age of 24, Susan entered the race for the first time and became the first woman to finish in the top 20. In 1982 she came in second. In 1984 she was leading her team across a frozen waterway when they fell into the water. Her lead dog managed to pull Susan and the other dogs out of danger. Remarkably, she came in second. In her fourth race, in 1985,a starving moose attacked her dogs, killing two and injuring eleven. Susan had to leave the race. In 1986 Susan joined the race again. This time, she won. She won again in 1987. In 1988 she became the first person ever to win three Iditarod races in a row. Unbelievably, Susan won for the fourth time in 1990. According to text, Susan Butcher entered the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race at least _ times. A. six B. seven C. eight D. nine Answer: D The size and shape of your ears show your character more than any other part of the face. Other parts of the face change shapes as we get older, but ears do not change their shapes. They only change in size. Reading people's character from their ears is a very old science. In the past people thought that a person's ears with color was dangerous. They also thought that the shape of the ears showed if a person was musical or not. Today,too many people believe that the size and shape of the ears help you know if a person is musical. Ears are all different,and each different thing has a meaning. Next time you look at a person,see if his or her ears are large,medium-size,or small. Look at the lobes .Do they stick to the face? Ears that are always red mean that a person may get angry easily. Ears that are always cold and nearly white color mean that a person has a nervous character. Reading people's character from their ears is _ . A. only for music B. an old idea C. very new D. a good way to talk with others Answer: B While many teenagers may dream of meeting with pop star Jay Chou or NBA hero Yao Ming, Li Jing had a far more powerful person on her mind. The Senior 2 from Beijing No. 35 High School dreamt of meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin. After more than a year of hard work and with a little good luck, Li fulfilled her dream. On October 11, 2004, the 16-year-old girl joined a team of Chinese Journalists who went to the Kremlin , Moscow, to interview Putin. Li felt nervous before talking with Putin."But his greeting and warm smile put me at ease," she said. Li admires Putin very much, because of his strong will and style of leadership. "He looks very cool," Li said. During her interview, Li asked Putin whether he plans to educate his two teenage daughters to be officials in the future. Putin smiled and answered he hopes they can do whatever job suits their interests and personalities. Although Li would only have several minutes, she started working on her interview questions last August after applying for the opportunity. "Journalists" work is by no means easy. You need to do lots of homework on your _ ,"she said. She read many books about Putin and Russia in her spare time. Li's parents encouraged her to be a student journalist. "We fully support her, as long as it does not affect studies,"said her father. Previous in her job for a student magazine, Chinese Young Journalists, she wrote a letter to President Hu Jintao during the SARS epidemic . Li has learnt a lot from her experience. She said learning to manage her time and develop the confidence to speak with important people were not things she could learn in class. Which of the following best describes Li Jing's parents' attitude towards her being a student journalist? A. They think to a student journalist is purely a waste of time. B. They worry that to be a student journalist will affect her studies C. They consider it is quite good for Li Jing if it doesn't affect her studies. D. They neither support it nor object to it. Answer: C While the rest of the world carried on cycling during the 1950s and 1960s , America forgot how ; even high-school children would drive to school . Recently there has been something of a recovery in cycling , and in many areas it is a very useful way of getting around , especially where bike paths or bike routes have been built . You may well want to buy , hire or borrow a bike . There are two important results of this earlier drop in cycling in the USA . One is that many people do not know how to cycle . That is , cyclists often behave more like walkers than motorists : they ride in the sidewalk or on the wrong side of the road ; they do not care for stop signs or traffic lights ; they ride without lights at night ; they give no signals . The other result is that cycling is regarded by many people not so much as a way of getting from one place to another but as a way of life , a form of exercise , etc . As a result , large numbers of young Americans have ten-speed racing bikes . These are very high and fast and great if you are cycling long distance , riding up mountains or racing . At first , though , you may find them convenient for cycling in town , sightseeing or shopping --they are expensive , uncomfortable and hard to control until you get used to them , and unsuitable for rough stony roads . There are also ordinary bikes around . If you get hold of one of these ,you may find that the brakes work by pedaling backwards . This is perhaps safer than ordinary brakes when it is wet , but it seems to be less effective . This arrangement also means you can't pedal backwards in order to get the pedal in the right place for getting on or getting off . From the passage we can learn that in the middle of the 20thcentury _ . A. many Americans enjoyed cycling B. cycling was popular in the world. C. racing bikes were better than ordinary ones. D. there were no special roads for bikes in America. Answer: B
Question: What do literary greats Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Burns have in common? They both lived and wrote in Edinburgh, along with many other big names in the field of literature.This fact helped UNESCO award the city the title of world's first City of Literature on October 14. Edinburgh left a lasting impression on Arthur Conan Doyle(1859-1930).Although he was born there he went to school in England but returned home for medical school.After graduating he moved to London and began writing his Sherlock Holmes stories.His inspiration for the character came from one of his professors at university.Holmes' methods were so clever that they actually furthered the advance of the study of criminology . Robert Burns(1759-1796)is still regarded as Scotland's national poet,more than 200 years after his death.He is celebrated all over the world through translations of his work and the annual Burns Night supper on his birthday.One of his songs,"My Love is Like a Red Red Rose" ranks among the finest love songs ever written and "Auld Lang Syne" is sung all around the world. As one of the first literate societies in Europe,the Scottish Parliament passed the world's first compulsory education law in 1496.By the 1790s,almost all Scots could read.Visitors to Scotland often observed that even the lowest members of society had copies of Burns' poems and other books. Arthur Conan Doyle was remembered mainly for his_. A. detective stories B. love poems and songs C. contribution to the study of criminology D. clever writing skill Answer: A Question: Mike McClure walked into Sarasota Bay for a little fishing on a beautiful day last April. This afternoon, the water was shallow enough at low tide that McClure could easily walk 100 yards offshore and cast his line in any direction. Near sunset, still without a fish, he decided to turn back. Rather than turn to his earlier course, he chose a more direct path toward shore, thinking the bay wouldn't get deeper along the way. Instead, he was trapped. He tried to walk in different directions, but shallower water eluded him. Finally, he decided his safest choice was to head straight for land. "Within about five steps, the water was coming in through the top of the waders ," says McClure. He felt the deadweight of the flooding waders pulling him down and knew that if he didn't get out of them, he would drown. But he failed to kick his way out of the waders. Instead, they pulled him completely below the surface. Back onshore, Eliza Cameron, 19, Loren Niurka Mora, 20, and Caitlin Petro, 20, had been watching McClure fish as they rested on the grass after a long week of classes. They saw McClure go under and then heard him cry, "Help!" The three friends kicked off their shoes and ran into the bay. They were all good swimmers, but all hid a fear that he might pull them down too because they'd have to dive to save him. When they reached him, he'd managed to kick himself out of the waders, but his eyes had partly rolled back. Cameron and Mora each hooked an arm under his shoulders, while Petro supported his back and held his hand. Then the three friends tried their best to tug him towards shore. Finally, they all returned to the shore safely. What directly trapped Mike McClure in the bay? A. His wrong decision. B. The coming high tide. C. His waders' being flooded. D. The depth of water. Answer: C Question: Last year I was put into a lowerlevel math class at school. The reason I was in this class had nothing to do with my intellect or maths skills. I am blind. The only problem with being in this class was that I was surrounded by "atrisk" students. These were kids who did not do well in school and they were constantly in trouble with the school and the law. One Tuesday morning, I went to a Christian Student Union meeting before school. There was a guest speaker there that day talking to us about praying for our enemies. I began to think about this. As I considered the idea, I prayed and asked God how I could pray for the kids in my class. I had forgotten that they weren't bad kids; they were just lost. At first, the prayers were mechanical. When I would hear their voices in class, I would pray, "Dear God, please bless soandso..." But as I continued, I began to think of the kids more often, and in my quiet time at home I would ask God to bless the rest of my classmates. As time went on, my classmates became more than just annoying kids to me. There was something growing inside my heart for them, something that wasn't there before. They began to feel like family, and I was learning to love them in a way I never thought possible. I now see that praying is such a powerful act. Prayer is the most powerful tool a Christian has. When I pray for those around me, it also blesses my life, and it changes my opinion of others. I realized I needed God's blessings to see the world through loving eyes. The prayers I said for others turned out to help me the most. What did the writer think about the kids at first? A. They were lovely and friendly. B. They were always asking for trouble. C. They were as blind as the writer. D. They were less reliable. Answer: B Question: We live in a sweet world. The average American kid eats more than 20 teaspoons of sugar per day, and adults eat 50% more sugar today than they did in the 1970s. We all know that too much sugar isn't good for you. But did we know it could be dangerous? A team of researchers at the University of Utah used mice to do a study on the bad effects of sugar. They found it could have serious effects on people's health. Sugar is found not only in sweets and candies, but also in many household items like pasta and crackers. During the 58-week-long study, mice were fed a diet containing 25% more sugar. This percentage equals a healthy human diet along with three cans of soda daily. The team found that these mice were twice as likely to die as mice fed a similar diet without the sugar. Though the mice did not show signs of obesity or high blood pressure, male mice produced 25% fewer offspring than the other mice. Scientists often use mice for research because they have a similar genetic structure to humans. "Since most substances that are dangerous in mice are also dangerous in people, it's likely that those physical problems that cause those mice to have increased deaths also work in people,"says study author James Ruff of the University of Utah. Findings from this study show bad effects that are not as noticeable as weight gain or heart problems. Sugar can contribute to long-term changes in the body that can change development and even shorten lives. Cutting sugar out of the American diet altogether may be difficult. But making the effort to control our nation's sugar need will provide for a truly sweeter future. The study done by researchers aimed at learning about _ A. the advantages and disadvantages of sugar B. the bad effects of sugar on people's health C. the genetic structure of mice D. American's eating habit. Answer: B Question: No matter in China or in Canada among my friends, they all talk about the hot TV program "Where are we going, Dad?" at present. They all like the family education between fathers and children. They like to talk about the funny kids best. Of all the kids, I like Shitou best. Shitou is a boy from Beijing. He is brave and clever. He likes to make some New Year's plans with his father's help. He makes some New Year's plans for himself. He wants to start an exercise program, so he is going to take more exercise and eat less fast food. Making a soccer team is one of his dreams because he likes playing soccer with his friends. He also plans to improve his English. He is going to chat in English online with Kimi, the son of Lin Zhiying . Kimi is really good at _ Shitou also decides to take up a hobby. Can you guess what the hobby is ? It is to learn the shadow play ! He is so interested in it that he thinks it's really cool to play it. His father says that this plan may be too difficult to keep. However, Shitou promises to make it come true. Which of the following is not true according to this passage? A. Shitou wants to do more sports later. B. Shitou is going to build a soccer team. C. Shitou thinks it's difficult to learn English. D. Shitou decides to achieve his dream of playing the shadow play. Answer: C
The date was like any other day in his life. After school, Michael walked past the shop on the street corner. He stopped to look at the front row of shoes, and he felt sorry for himself. He really wanted to have them for his birthday. He sadly walked away and thought of what to tell his mother. He knew she would give him anything he liked if she could. But he also knew very well she had little money. He decided not to go home immediately, as he looked worried and his mother would notice it. So he went to the park and there he sat on the grass. Then he saw a boy in a wheelchair. He noticed that the boy moved the wheels with his hands. Michael looked at him carefully and was surprised to see the boy had no feet. He looked down at his own feet. "It is much better to be without shoes than without feet," he thought. There was no reason for him to feel so sorry and sad. He went away and smiled, thinking he was luckier in life. Michael was anxious to _ . Answer: get a pair of shoes My father' s response to the bank building at 43rd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York city was immediate and definite: "You won' t catch me putting my money in there!" he declared, "Not in that glass box. " Of course, my father is a gentleman of the old school, a member of the generation to whom a good deal of modern architecture is upsetting, but I believe that his negative response was not so much to the architecture as to a violation of his concept of the nature of money. In his generation money was thought of as a real commodity that could be carried, or stolen. Therefore, to attract the custom of a sensible man, a bank had to have heavy walls, barred windows, and bronze doors, to make sure of the fact, however, untrue, that money would be safe inside. If a building' s design made it appear strong, the institution was necessarily reliable, and the meaning of the heavy wall as an architecture symbol showed the general attitude toward money. But the attitude toward money has, of course, changed. Except pocket money, cash of any kind is now rarely used; money as a tangible commodity has largely been replaced by credit. The banker no longer offers us a safe: he offers us a service in which the most valuable factor is the creativity for the invention of large numbers. It is in no way surprising, in view of this change in attitude, that we are witnessing the disappearance of the heavy-walled bank. Just as the older bank emphasized its strength, this bank by its architecture is proud of imaginative powers. The word "tangible (in Para. 4) " refers to something _ . Answer: that can be touched When your pet meets your infant ,it might not be love at first sniff. When Jennifer brought her baby home from the hospital, her cherished dogs had very different reactions. Her Boxer, Sonya, was immediately gentle and protective. But Tiger, the Pomeranian, was less welcoming. "If any diapers or toys were on the floor, he peed on them," says the Greenbrier, mom. In the eyes of a pet, there's a new star in home who's stealing his spotlight. Even the gentlest animal will probably act up if he doesn't get his usual attention. These simple steps will help your pet adjust and keep your baby safe. Introduce Them with Care Your newborn and per's first encounter can set the tone for their relationship. To make it as smooth as possible, try this trick from Caryn Ruiz:"Before we left the hospital, my husband took blankets home to our dog, Daisy, so she'd know our newborn Devon's smell." When you get home, have your husband carry the baby so you can greet your pet without worrying about her jumping on you. A cat will likely walk away at first, while a dog probably wants to investigate right away. To introduce your baby, get down on your pet's level and let her have a hello sniff. Don't panic and pull your baby away unless your pet is barking or hissing, because it'll send the message that the baby is a threat. Learn the Safety Basics No matter how smoothly the introduction goes, there are certain safety rules you should follow. Never leave your baby alone with the pet. Even the gentlest animal can react unpredictably. Your baby's crying could frighten your cat, or your dog could suddenly become territorial. Consider setting up baby gates to limit your pet's access. To keep your cat from jumping into the bassinet , try putting mosquito netting over the top. Cats hate sticky paws, so keep the crib and changing table off-limits by lining the edges with sticky strips made for furniture. You can also train your dog to sleep in a crate . What can we infer from the passage? Answer: The first introduction of your newborn baby to your pet is important. Can you imagine a classroom without one thing that has long been considered a necessary part? No notebooks, no textbooks, no test papers. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seem to run out of ink at the _ moment. A "Paperless classroom" is what more and more schools are trying to realize. Students don't do any handwriting in this class. Instead, they use hand-sized or specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student's personal computer. Having computers also means that students can use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they're studying, from maths to social science. A high school teacher, Judy Herrel in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web. "Using a book that's three or four years old is impossible," she said. A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. "Think about the money and trees we could save with the computers," she said. But, with all this technology, there's always a risk that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or a technical problem, paper textbooks should still be widely available for these students. The paper textbooks should still be widely available because _ . Answer: computers may break down sometimes Scientists use models that show the features of an atom. A scientist should use a model that Answer: shows the details needed for a specific purpose
It was the end of my first day as a waitress in a busy New York restaurant. My cap had gone away, and my feet hurt. The loaded plates I carried seemed to be heavier and heavier. Tired and discouraged, I didn't seem able to do anything right. As I made out a check for a family with several children who had changed their ice-cream order a dozen times, I was ready to stop. Then the father smiled at me as he handed me my tip. "Well done," he said, "you've looked after us really well." Suddenly my tiredness disappeared. I smiled back, and later, when the manager asked me how I'd liked my first day, I said, "Fine!" Those few words of praise had changed everything. Praise is like sunlight to human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. And yet, most of us are only too ready to apply to others the cold criticism , but are unwilling to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise. Perhaps that is why one word of praise can bring such pleasure. It's strange how _ we are about praising. Perhaps it's because few of us know how to accept it. It's especially rewarding to give praise in areas in which effort generally goes unnoticed.An artist gets admired for a glorious picture,a cook for a perfect meal.But do you ever tell your laundry manager how pleased you are when the shirts are done just right? In fact,to give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment's thought and a moment's effort. Which of the following can't describe the writer's situation before she got her tip? Answer: Canada, the second largest country in the world, lies in the north of America. The population of Canada is about 29 million and the capital is Ottawa. The country covers about 9,980,000 square kilometers and six of the world's 24 time areas as well. There are two official languages spoken in Canada: French and English. Many people can speak both English and French. More than 60% of Canadians speak English as their language. About 25% of the Canadians speak French. In one province of Canada where French is the common language, the programmes on TV and radios as well as the teaching in schools are all in French. Today, Chinese has become the first inofficial language in Canada. Canada's climate is not as cold all year around as some may believe. In winter, temperatures fall below freezing point throughout most of Canada. In summer, the southern provinces often experience high levels of temperatures that can reach over 30degC regularly. The weather in Canada is just like the weather in China. It is rather cold in the north while it is fairly warm in the south. Winters in the north last long with snow for half a year. As the cold northern climate, only one-fifth of the land is suitable for farming. As it is known to all, Canada has one-third of the world's supply of fresh water. It has many great lakes. There are five great lakes in the south. And there are many others, especially in the north. It is also rich in natural resources, such as coal, oil, natural gas of which Canadians make use to produce energy. People of northern Canada are called Inuit , who came from Asia and settled in Canada about 4,000 years ago. They used to travel around from place to place with teams of dogs which pulled their baggage. Now, they seldom move. There are about 2,500 Inuit in all. The government has started a new school project in which Inuit teach their own young children. So it is hoped that the way of Inuit life will be kept alive for more centuries. Only _ of the land is fit for farming because of the cold northern climate. Answer: As goods and services improved, people were persuaded to spend their money on changing from old to new, and found the change worth the expense. When an airline equipped itself with jets, for example, its costs (and therefore air fare) would go up, but the new planes meant such an improvement that the higher cost was justified. A new car (or wireless, washing machine, electric kettle) made life so much more comfortable than the old one that the high cost of replacement was fully repaid. Manufacturers still cry their goods as persuasively as ever, but are the improvements really worth paying for? In many fields, things have now reached such a high standard of performance that further progress is very limited and very, very expensive. Airlines, for example, go to enormous expense in buying the latest jets , in which vast research costs have been spent on ly small improvements. If we abandon these vast costs we might lose the chance of cutting minutes away from flying times; but wouldn't it be better to see airfares drop dramatically, as capital costs become ly insignificant? Again, in the context of a 70 m. p. h. Limit, with lines of cars traveling so close as to control each other's speeds, improvements in performance are actually irrelevant; improvements in handling are unnecessary, as most production cars grip the road perfectly, and comfort has now reached a very high level. Small improvements here are unlikely to be worth the thousands that anybody replacing an ordinary family car every two years may have spent on them. Let us instead have cars -- or wireless, electric kettles, washing machines, television sets -- which are made to last, and not to be replaced. Significant progress is obviously a good thing, but the insignificant progression from model-change to model-change is not. According to this passage, airfares may rise because _ . Answer: Decision-thinking is not unlike poker --it often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think and what you think they think you think.The mental process is similar.Naturally,this card game has often been of considerable interest to people who are,by any standards,good thinkers. The great mathematician John von Neumann was one of the founders of game theory.In particular,he showed that all games fall into two classes:there are what he called games of 'perfect information', games like chess where the players can't hide anything or play tricks:they don't win by chance,but by means of logic and skills.Then there are games of 'imperfect information', 1ike poker,in which it is impossible to know in advance that one course of action is better than another. One mistaken idea about business is that it can be treated as a game of perfect information.Quite the reverse.Business,politics,life itself are games which we must normally play with very imperfect information.Business decisions are often made with many unknown and unknowable factors which would even puzzle best poker players.But few business people find it comfortable to admit that they are taking a chance,and many still prefer to believe that they are playing chess,not poker. An important factor in a game of imperfect information is _ Answer: Apologizing is both an Art and a Science. The Art lies in the manner in which the apology is delivered while the Science is the recipe that forms the apology itself. A proper apology should always include several ingredients. Now let's take a closer look at these ingredients. Give a detailed account of the offense, and make sure both you and the other person are talking about the same thing. Whether you make it in secret or public doesn't matter, but your apology should be focused on the particular event. Next, by acknowledging the hurt or damage done, you are making the recipient begin to sense that you understand the situation. It is important to rebuild your relationship because it makes them feel their anger is understandable. Don't try to defend yourself by offering any excuses, which is important to let them know that you understand the event and you actions do cause them harm. The apology is all about THEM and how they feel. It doesn't matter if the actions were intentional or not, the end result is the same and that is what needs to be focused on when learning how to say, "I'm sorry". Give a sincere statement of regret such as "I apologize" or "I'm sorry". Above all, tell them it won't happen again. After all, there is no value in apologizing for something that you will do again and again. Finally, asking for forgiveness at the end of the apology gives the power back to the recipient. It tells them, that you have done all that you can do by apologizing and providing whatever form of restitution you can. The next move is up to them. By including all these ingredients and applying them to your situation, you will know exactly how to say "I'm sorry" next time you need to. When you make an apology, you should concentrate on _ . Answer:
Ding-Dong! "Jason, honey? Can you answer the door?" "I am busy, mom!" Jason shouted back at his mother. He had spent three hours so far working to this point in the game. He couldn't stop now. Ding-Dong!Mom's footsteps approached the front door. "Jason, it's your friend Todd." Mom called from the doorway. Todd, his best friend, stepped into the room. " Jason!I need a partner for playing basketball. "He sounded excited. Jason snorted. "No way, Todd. I'm playing a game here." Jason gave his friend a dirty look, and his character in the game almost got killed while he looked away, " I almost died because of you!" Todd looked at Jason's mother. Jason's mother looked back at him. They both looked at Jason. "Why don't you play basketball with your friend?" Jason's mother suggested. "Tomorrow, maybe..." There were more levels to beat tomorrow, though, Maybe he had played tomorrow. He'd have to see what mood he was in. He thought he heard footsteps walking away, but he was too busy beating the next level to care. An hour later, Jason's father came home. It was dinner time after his father washed up and sat down. Jason didn't even hear his name being called to the table. He didn't hear his father walk at behind him and ask him to turn the game off, either. When the screen suddenly went black and his father's angry face loomed in front of him, Jason finally heard. "No more game for a month." Jason's father shouted at him. "You don't play basketball, you don't come to dinner, and you don't do your chores. We'll make you do something else before you play any more." Jason nodded slowly. He knew better than to argue with his father, and when he thought about it, he had been playing quite a bit. It was fun, but he was letting down his friends, his family, and himself by paying too much. He'd try harder in the future. Why did Jason finally stop playing the game? A. He won the game. B. His mother got dinner ready. C. His father turned off the computer. D. He decided to play basketball outside. Answer: C if a person smashes an object, and it cracks, is that good or bad? A. it is always a positive thing to the object B. the object fails to be impacted C. all of these D. the item suffers a negative impact Answer: D Like most parents, I worry that my child isn't getting enough sleep. Now it turns out that doctors have been warning kids don't get enough sleep for over a century--long before iPads, and texting robbed children of peaceful sleep. What's more, there's no solid scientific basis for pediatricians' recommendations on the amount of time children need to sleep. That's the word from researchers in Australia. It turns out that children are sleeping less than those in days of old. The researchers, at the University of South Australia's Health and Use of Time Group, found that kids' nightly sleep time declined by about three-quarters of a minute each year for the period they studied. My daughter was more likely to beg for a few more minutes of Angry Birds before bedtime.That means nowadays my daughter is sleeping about 50 minutes a night less than her grandfather who had to get up to milk the cows at 5:30 am. What hasn't changed is the predictions from health professionals on the consequences of lack of sleep. "This is a sleepless age and more and more... we are turning night into day," one expert said in 1905. Back then, sleep was seen as a way to restore "wearied brain tissue". Children and "clever" children were thought to be most at risk, and most in need of energy-restoring sleep. The words may be different today, but the threats are pretty much the same. Parents are told that children risk mental and physical problems, and even obesity, if they don't get enough sleep. So the Australians looked to see how much sleep kids do need. The answer is the biggest surprise of this study--no one really knows. "There is almost no exact evidence for proper sleep for children," the authors write. Their work was published in the journal Pediatrics. The author uses his daughter as an example . A. to explain why children sleep less B. to indicate that he is stricter with his child C. to show that children in the past sleep more D. to prove that children are not easy to control Answer: C It was a late Wednesday night when the dreading phone call reached our home. I sat up, so I could hear the phone call better. To my surprise. I heard my mom burst into tears. "Get the car . Dean! Andrea has been in a car accident. " We ran every sign on the way to the hospital and our tires screeched around every corner. We got to the hospital. but were not allowed to see Andrea. The next morning. after wearing masks, we were allowed to go to the ICU to see Andrea. Well. the least I could say was that everything was injured in her body and she lost all of her memories. It was a fatal accident. Over the next two months. I lived more at the hospital than I did at my house. I watched as Andrea worked so hard to gain back everyday motor skills. She never once complained or pitied herself, her determined spirit was shining through. After two weeks in the ICU and two months of the regular hospital treatment, Andrea was able to come home. She missed several months of school. so it was hard for her to catch up. Andrea had tasks to accomplish, and no matter how hard it was. she stuck with them until t he job was done. ThOU9h busy with dealing with pain and therapy. she always found time to love and play with me. I' ll never forget the impact that this incident made on my life. I admire her strong-willed personality and her determined spirit. Today she is perfectly normal. despite the scars and the pins holding her leg in place. I couldn't ask for a better sister. hero. or best friend. What would the best title for the passage? A. A Miracle Happening to my sister B. My Sister--the Hero in My Life C. An Accident Which Changed My Sister D. An Incident Which Influenced Me Much. Answer: B Dear Emma, Thanks for the photo of your family. Here is a photo of my bedroom. Look at the photo. A bed, a desk, a chair, a bookcase and a computer are in my bedroom. My bed is near the window . The desk is beside the bed and it's orange. The chair is near the desk. The bookcase is behind the desk and it's black. An English dictionary and a Chinese dictionary are in the bookcase. My math, English and Chinese books and the computer are on the desk. My pencil box is on the desk, too. My pens and rulers are in the pencil box. My schoolbag is on the chair. My brother's white baseball and my sister's computer game are under my bed, but you can't see the baseball in the photo. Yours, Jack The bookcase in the photo is _ . A. black B. white C. orange D. blue Answer: A
Travelling around the world is a dream for many people, but a young couple from China has made his dream come true. They drove along the ancient Silk Road, from China to the UK. Luo Chang and Ding Jie, a young couple from China's Guizhou Province, spent two months drving from their home in Shanghai all the way to London. The journey covered about 20,000 kilometer, and they crossed 14 countries and regions . Ding Jie said, " People were excited to see two travelers driving a foreign license car, appearing on their streets. We were stopped many times to take photos with them. Sometimes, when we couldn't understand each other's language, they would express their ideas with gestures . During their driving trip, they also spent many nights in local people's homes. Luo Chang said, "This is an amazing experience. We were driving on a highway or a country road to someone's home. Someone you've never met but was already preparing dinner for you. We feelwe have friends all over the world. During the trip, Luo and Ding took nearly 10,000 photos and kept diaries to record the beautiful scenery , the friendly people and the different customs on the way. ,. How did the young couple travel? A By train. B By ship C By car. D By plane. Answer: C "How did Norman know, Sister Emma?" "He overheard you and Aryan arguing. I suspect that he purposely overheard on you. Norman knew or concluded what profession Aryan practiced. He might well have followed Aryan on his explorations. Whether he did or not is beside the point. When Aryan came back yesterday afternoon, Norman certainly decided that he had made some find, for Aryan told Norman that he would be leaving for the capital to meet the detective the next morning. He probably followed Aryan to your room and overheard what passed between you. "Since you could not act against the law of man and God, he would serve a natural justice in his own way. He took the jar of poison hemlock from the chemistry shop and when Aryan asked for a drink, he supplied it. Norman did not know the precise quantity needed and so Aryan did not suffer the full effects until after the bell called the community into the dining hall for the evening meal." Abbess was following Sister Emma closely. "And then?" "Then I began my investigation, and then the detective arrived seeking Aryan for an explanation for his death." "But who killed Norman?" "Norman knew that sooner or later he would be discovered. But more importantly in his guileless mind there was also the guilt of having taken a man's life to be considered. Norman was a simple man. He decided that he should accept the punishment--the honor-price of a life. What greater honor-price for the life of Aryan could he offer than his own? He also took a draught of poison hemlock." There was a pause. Which of the following might be true according to the above passage? A Abbess hired Norman to fight against Aryan. B Norman told everything to Emma. C Aryan worked for the detective. D All the people came from the capital. Answer: C People in the UK spend their free time in different ways. They usually use it to relax. They spend a lot of their free time at home. The most popular activity is watching TV. People in the UK watch TV for about 25 hours a week. They often record programs so they can watch them later. Reading is also a popular way of spending free time. People in the UK spend a lot of time reading newspapers and magazines. Many people in the UK have pets. They like playing with their pets in their free time. In summer, gardening is popular. And families often have a "day out" on the weekend. They often go to a festival or see a show. Young people like to go to clubs, and people of all ages like to go to the cinema. In winter, "do-it-yourself" is popular. People often spend their free time repairing houses. Some free time activities are with friends. Asking friends for a drink or a meal at home is the most usual one. Sometimes people and their friends have dinner in a restaurant. On the weekend, people in the UK like to spend their free time doing sports. The popular kinds of sports are soccer, horse racing, swimming, tennis, skating, climbing and hill walking. . We can find _ kinds of popular sports in the passage. A 5 B 6 C 7 D 8 Answer: C On the first day of school I brought my camera to school. I gave the students a piece of 8 x11 cardboard , and asked them to write their names on both sides. As they finished, I asked them to get into groups of three to four students and took photographs of them holding their name cards. After school, I developed the film and printed two sets of photos. That evening, I started to match the names with the faces. I kept one set of pictures at home for about a week so that I could review their names each night. On the second day of school, I put up the other set of photos as a bulletin board , with a title such as "Presenting Room 108, ..." The kids loved it! After I had learned all of their names I brought the second set back to school and stuck them onto an 8 x11 sheet of paper. I placed it in the classroom for other teachers. The cardboard name cards that were made on the first day were collected and put on a shelf. From time to time, they were given back to the students and placed on their desks so that guests or supply teachers could identify all of the students. I've been doing this with my grade 7 students for the last nine years and they liked it. It's fun to bring the photos out again at the end of the school year to see how much they have all changed in ten months. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A The students didn't have to use the cardboard name cards to identify each other. B Other teachers couldn't identify the students without the cardboard name cards. C The writer kept the cardboard name cards as a souvenir for nine years. D The guests will know the students' names by reading the cardboard name cards. Answer: D Western artist R.V. (Ron) Jahns creates his unique western wildlife paintings by tapping into his vast experience of true life. He had rich western experiences out in the mountains in the great Northwest. Ron paints from the heart and his experience as a cowboy in the west. He has a particular passion for the mountains from Eastern Oregon to Alaska and draws from his many years of mountain adventures as inspiration for his western paintings. Born and raised on a farm, this cowboy artist is well knowledgeable with the subjects of his Western art. Ron struggles for historical accuracy in his western cowboy paintings when an artist gives a false description of the facts about cowboys in the west! Living in Alaska for 17 years added a new factor to Ron's western art. As a hunter and fisherman he observed the wildlife in its natural setting and has conveyed this spirit to his canvas. Ron's western art can be viewed throughout the United States, in Europe and through occasional private showings. You can find western wildlife paintings by Ron at various art shows throughout the year. For a list of art shows the Cowboy Artist will be attending, visit his Art Show page. Although a self-taught western artist, Ron himself has taught painting in colleges and through private lessons. Ron is quite a storyteller and the last of an old kind of cowboy poets and western storytellers. If you've met Ron at the Flea Markets in Sumpter, Oregon then you no doubt have already had a taste of his knack for telling tall tales and sharing his original cowboy poems of true life on the ranch. Which of the following is true? A Ron's painting focuses on city life. B Ron learned a lot from his teacher. C Ron was born and raised on a farm. D Ron's paintings can't be seen in Europe. Answer: C
Paris is the capital of the European nation of France. It is also one of the most beautiful and most famous cities in the world. Paris is called the City of Light. It is also an international fashion center. What women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world. Paris is also a famous world center of education. For example, it is where the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The Seine River divides the city into two parts. Thirty-two bridges cross this beautiful river. The oldest and perhaps most well-known is the Pont Neuf, which was built in the sixteenth century. The Sorbonne, a famous university, stands on the left bank of the river. There are many other famous places in Paris, such as the famous museum, the Louvre, as well as the Notre Dame. However, the most famous building in this city is Eiffel Tower. Paris is named after a group of people called the Parisii. They built a small village on an island in the middle of the Seine River about two thousand years ago. This island, called the lie de la Cite, is where Notre Dame lies. Today around eight million people live in the Paris area. The building of _ is the most famous building in Paris. Answer: Eiffel Tower A few months ago I was at a bus stop in town in the evening. The bus came on time and I took the window seat. The bus was travelling by the seashore and I was enjoying the soft wind while watching the sea waves . After a few minutes the bus made its next stop. A young boy and a girl got on. They were standing on my left when the bus pulled off. I looked at them in surprise and realized that all the window seats were taken up. They could sit but not together. _ . I got up and offered them my seat. The young lady smiled kindly and said thanks. I took another seat and we parted our ways. I don't remember whether I got off the bus before them or not. Months passed by. Suddenly one day while I was standing at the same bus stop waiting some time for the bus to arrive I heard a voice. "Excuse me, Uncle." I looked in the direction of the voice. It was a beautiful young lady. Puzzled, I said, "I do not recognize you." She said, "Do you remember you gave us your window seat?" Puzzled, I said, "Maybe, but what is so great in that?" She said, "If you had not given your seat that day, perhaps I would have not sat with my friend. By sitting together it helped us bridge a misunderstanding that had been between us forever. Do you know we are getting married next month?" "Good! God bless both of you," I replied. The young lady again said thank you and went on her journey. I realized the importance of giving that day. Why were the young boy and the girl standing on the bus? Answer: Because they couldn't sit together. Driving a car at a high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You need only to follow the bright traffic signs beside the highways and they will take you to where you wish. But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job. A taxi driver has to have not only skills but also a good knowledge of the city of London, from the smaller road to the most popular bar .He has to be at the service of all kinds of people at all times. He usually goes home between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning. There are times he has to stay longer and try to _ London taxi drivers not only "take" but also "give". Every summer hundreds of children from London will go for a day at the sea by taxi! Their rides are paid by the taxi drivers. At the sea, they are met by the mayor , and the lunch party is also held for the drivers and children. After a happy day running around the beaches and visiting the markets, the children go home again by taxi, and free of charge , of course! Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: Taxi drivers in London work hard and are helpful. My cell phone rang while I was working on my computer. I looked at the phone and saw it was my 17-year-old son, Tom. I quickly picked it up."Mom,I got a 71 on the test.I did it."With those few words,I could feel my heart start to _ . Living in New York State. Students cannot graduate from high school unless they pass at least five exams: one in English, one in science, two in history and one in math. For most students, who work hard, attend class, and do their homework like my son, it isn't that hard. But for Tom, who is dyslexic , it is such a real challenge that some teachers have feared he would never be able to even attempt, never mind achieve. We were honest with him about his trouble, letting him know that there was nothing to be ashamed of. Some people learn differently. If he was willing to work,we would help him find a way to do as much as he could in his academic career. All that was standing in his way was this math test. He had taken it three times and did better each time, but he continued to fail. He was starting to get a bit tired of me saying this was a marathon not a sprint . My heart broke each time we would get the failing results. "Mom,thanks. I love you. Thanks for believing I could do this." For one of the few times in my life, I really had nothing left to say. For that one brief moment I knew, really, really, knew that everything we did to help our son achieve what he wanted was worth it. What can be the best title for the text? Answer: A Mother's Love That Made the Grade Donna is 19 years old and loves animals, which is why I'm always happy to leave my dog with her when I go on holiday. Donna also helps to train hunting dogs, but recently, her boyfriend told me, she returned home from a farm in tears after being told to hit some dogs. "She wasn't being asked to hit them because they didn't behave well," he said. "She was told to _ these puppies with a closed fist simply to let them know who is the boss," Donna refused. Good for Donna. In my view, you hit an animal for only two reasons: as a way to teach it an important lesson to protect it from danger, such as not into the road; or because you like hurting animals. Last summer, I attended a horse race. I don't know much about horses, but I was alarmed when I saw a horse with a huge ulcer on its legs. "Surely this horse won't race?" I asked. I was very surprised that nobody in the crowd seemed concerned. The horse began the race, but later it fell heavily. It had broken its leg. The next thing I saw was its dead body in a bag, being driven past. No one seemed to care, except those who had bet on it. I know people care for horse racing, but do they really care for horses? I doubt it. Oh, but it's a tradition, I hear you say. Wouldn't the world be a boring place if we didn't occasionally hit, shoot and chase animals? Traditions are made by man and can be unmade. It was once acceptable to kill servants when their master died, to visit the mental hospitals to laugh at the patients or to watch public execution . Nor should it be forgotten that in our progress to a more civilized world, animals have played an important role: they have fed us, carried us, worked for us, rescued us, died for us and sometimes just saved us from loneliness. Surely by now they deserve our kindness. At the very least, they deserve our respect. Donna was asked to hit the young dogs because _ . Answer: it was a way to train them to obey people
By plugging in the cord you can supply power to A a garden gnome B a rock C the sun D a hairdryer Answer: D. a hairdryer Everyone has a family name. In China, the family name is the first name, but in English countries the family name is the last name. Do you know how English people get their family names? And what do they mean? English people usually get their family name in these ways . Some family names come from the places of their homes. A man live on or near a hill, his family name may be Hill. In England, people's names may be Wood, Lake because they live near the wood or the lake. Some family names come from a person's job. If a person is a cook, his family name may be Cook. And many people get their family names from their father's family names. If you hear the name "Jackson", you can know that he is the son of Jack. In the passage, English people usually have _ ways to get their family names. A two B three C four D five Answer: B. three The global financial crisis is likely to cause increased mental health problems as people struggle to deal with poverty and unemployment, the World Health Organization warned Thursday. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are already affected by mental problems such as depression and bipolar disorders and the current market meltdown could worsen feelings of despair among people who can't stand such illnesses. The United Nations agency said the impact could be especially marked for those living in low and middle income countries where access to treatment is often limited. "We should not be surprised at the turbulence and likely consequences of the current financial crisis.Now we are seeing a huge gap in taking care of people in great need," WHO director general Margaret Chan told at a meeting of mental health experts. "It should not come as a surprise that we continue to see more stresses, suicides and mental disorders," Chan warned. Benedetto Saraceno, director of WHO's mental health, said mental health disorders affected one in four people at some point in their lives. Mental and neurological disorders are often chronic and disabling, he said.Nearly 1 million people commit suicide worldwide every year, a large part of them are young adults. Asked about the financial crisis, Saraceno said, "Poverty can be the consequence of such events, the debts, despair and sense of loss that may reach middle and lower classes.Even the poor can be affected by this crisis." "There is clear evidence that suicide is linked to financial disasters.I am not talking about the millionaire's jumping out of the window but about poor people," he said.The global crisis could be expected to affect the "stability of communities and families", according to Saraceno. According to the passage, the chief result of the worldwide financial crisis is that _ . A more people will be poorer B more people will be out of jobs C more people will suffer from mental problems D more people will commit suicide Answer: C. more people will suffer from mental problems How can we measure animals' emotions? A new study of animal's emotions suggests that, as in humans, emotions can tell animals about how dangerous their world is, and guide the choices that they make. The article of the study by Bristol University's professor Mike Mendl was published online. An animal living in an environment where it is often threatened by predators will develop a negative emotion or "mood", such as anxiety. However, one in an environment with plenty of opportunities to get resources for survival will be in a more positive mood state. The researchers say that these emotional states not only show the animal's experiences, but also help it decide how to make choices, especially in unclear situations. This could have good or bad results. An animal in a negative mood state will make a safety-first with a "pessimistic" response to an unclear event. For example, it considers a noise in the grass as a signal of the predator. At the same time, an animal in a positive mood state will benefit from a more "optimistic" response. It considers the noise as a signal of prey . Professor Mike Mendl, head of the Animal Welfare and Behavior Research Group at Bristol University's School of Clinical Veterinary Science said, " We can use "optimistic" or "pessimistic"decision-making as a symbol of an animal's emotional state. Recent studies by our group and others suggest that this is a _ new approach to studying a variety of animal species." "Public interest in animal welfare remains high, with widespread concern about the way in which animals are treated, used and included in society. To understand how animals should be treated, we need to better understand their emotional lives," Mike Mendl said. The researchers believe Mike Mendl's study can help them to better understand and assess an animal's emotions. When an animal is in a negative mood state, _ . A its response to an unclear event is pessimistic B it will pay little attention to an unclear event C it is easy for it to make right decisions D it has more opportunities to get food Answer: A. its response to an unclear event is pessimistic Shanghai Faces Aging Problem The population of citizens aged above sixty in Shanghai City in east China has reached 2.46 million, accounting for nearly 18.6 percent of its total population, a local official said today. Shen Zhenxin, deputy director of Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, says that the figure mainly shows a social problem brought by the increase in the numbers of elderly people, according to Tuesday's China Daily. Shanghai was the first city in the country to have an aging society-with 10.07 percent of the population of pensionable age in 1979. It is predicted(told in advance)that the rise in the city's elderly population will reach its top between 2025 to 2030, the newspaper reports. A recent survey(study)also shows that the population above the age of 60 in China has amounted to(reached)some 132 million so far, and the figure is increasing by 3.2 percent each year. "Yet fewer children have been born these years, so the social security system should be improved as soon as possible," said Shen. Shanghai has chosen some communities as pilot neighborhoods to carry out a help-each-other program in an attempt to solve the problem. People can help take care of the elderly people, and they in turn will be looked after by others when they get old, according to China Daily. Which of the following will the aging problem result in? A People enjoy longer lives. B Fewer children are born each year. C The population above 60 is larger than that. D The society has to devote a lot more to old-age care. Answer: D. The society has to devote a lot more to old-age care.
The Production Department can be a fun place to work in a TV station. It can also be quite stressful if the station broadcasts a significant amount of live programming. There can be a number of interesting positions in this department. Here is a list of the core ones: The Production Manager heads the department, and is the person to contact if you are interested in working in this area. He or she oversees all activities in the studios, hires and fires workers, meets with customers who want to produce an advertisement, and monitors expense budgets for the department. The person in this position may also sometimes act as a Director, Producer, Camera Operator, or any other role in which they are proficient. Directors lead the crew during a production session. Over a headset, the Director tells Camera Operators what shots to get and the Technical Director (TD) what audio and video to put on the air. Directors work closely with the Producer of each program, ensuring that the final product meets with the Producer's demands. A Technical Director is a master at "punching" up the correct video source. In other words, if the Director calls for camera one, the Technical Director puts camera one on the air. The TD sits in front of a massive board called a "swicher" during production sessions, which allows him or her to literally switch between video sources. Since this can be a high-pressure, fast-moving job, the best Technical Directors are people who can stay even-tempered and in control. The Stage Manager is responsible for everything that goes on in the television studio. This person makes sure all of the equipment is in good working order, oversees the building and placement of all staging, and may even set the lighting for all productions. Really efficient Stage Managers take pride in their studios, and it would not be unusual to see this person sweeping the floor or cleaning the sets between productions. This is a leadership position, which often leads to promotion to the position of Production Manager. According to the writer, working in the Production Department _ . Answer: In the world of fairy tales, great and powerful men are often helped to victory by the small and weak. But in the prefix = st1 /USit has happened for real. Nine - year - old Noah McCullough from Texas, has taken on the role of speaking to the public in support of President George W. Bush's social security reforms. On February 25 he signed an agreement with the American Congress to work for the White House as a volunteer. "What I want to tell people about social security is not to be afraid of the new plan," Noah said. "It may be a change, but it's a good change." Besides this task, he already has a higher goal. He plans to run for the White House in 2032. So far, Noah seems to have a very bright future. Despite his age, Noah already has his firm opinion on running the US. "I firmly believe that the combination of large business and small governments creates a peaceful and present society because industry can stimulate economic growth," he said. Noah's politics do not come from his parents. "He is very patriotic and very republican," said Noah's mother, Donna McCullough. "It's the way he was born." Noah's interest began after a mock election in the kindergarten when he was five years old. Now he has read more than 3,000 books on presidential history. He can recite the names of all 43 American presidents. He can also describe the achievements and events that took place during a president's term of office. His unusual experiences in the presidential campaign last year made him a famous figure. He was a member of Bush's presidential campaign team. He gave speeches at the Republican convention and followed Bush around on his tour of 27 states. President Bush thinks highly of the boy, saying that he is "the miracle kid of the White House". We can infer from the passage that _ . Answer: The statistics I've cited and the living examples are all too familiar to you. But what may not be so familiar will be the increasing number of women who are looking actively for advancement of for a new job in your offices. This woman may be equipped with professional skills and perhaps valuable experience. She will not be content to be Executive Assistant to Mr. Seldom Seen of the Assistant Vice President's Girl Friday, who is the only one who comes in on Saturday. She is the symbol of what I call the Second Wave of Feminism. She is the modern woman who is determined to be. Her forerunner was the radical feminist who interpreted her trapped position as a female as oppression by the master class of men. Men, she believed, had created a domestic, servile role for women in order that men could have the career and the opportunity to participate in making the great decisions of society. Thus the radical feminist held that women through history had been oppressed and dehumanized, mainly because man chose to exploit his wife and the mother of his children. Sometimes it was deliberate exploitation and sometimes it was the innocence of never looking beneath the pretensions of life. The radical feminists found strength in banding together. Coming to recognize each other for the first time, they could explore their own identities, realize their own power, and view the male and his system as the common enemy. The first phases of feminism in the last five years often took on this militant, class-warfare tone. Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Germaine Greer, and many others hammered home their ideas with a persistence that aroused and intrigued many of the brightest and most able women in the country. Consciousness-raising groups allowed women to explore both their identities and their dreams--and the two were often found in direct conflict. What is the stereotyped role of American women? Marriage. A son. Two daughters. Breakfast. Ironing. Lunch. Bowling, maybe a garden club of for the very daring, non-credit courses in ceramics. Perhaps an occasional cocktail party. Dinner. Football or baseball on TV. Each day the same. Never any growth in expectations--unless it is growth because the husband has succeeded. The inevitable question: "Is that all there is to life?" The rapid growth of many feminist organizations attests to the fact that these radical feminists had touched some vital nerves. The magazine "Ms." was born in the year of the death of the magazine "Life." But too often the consciousness-raising sessions became ends in themselves. Too often sexism reversed itself and man-hating was encouraged. Many had been with the male chauvinist. It is not difficult, therefore, to detect a trend toward moderation. Consciousness-raising increasingly is regarded as a means to independence and fulfillment, rather than a ceremony of fulfillment itself. Genuine independence can be realized through competence, through finding a career, through the use of education. Remember that for many decades the education of women was not supposed to be useful. What was the author's attitude toward the radical? Answer: Oh, boy! Time for a game now. The oldest brother is the seeker so I have to hide extra good because he's smart and will find me quickly. But where? Behind the garage won't work. The barn is too easy. Wait, I know. The door leading under the porch is perfect. No one would look for me under there. It smells unpleasant under this porch. Wish I had picked another place to hide. Smelly cats! Too late now, I can hear brother seeking everyone out. I'll just sit here quiet as a mouse. Hah hah hah! I can hear you out by the barn! You'll never find me over there! It's been a while and he hasn't found me yet. What's that I hear? Now all my brothers are looking for me. They've all been caught, but not me. They'll never trick me into coming out to catch me. Wait, is that Dad I hear calling my name? Oh no, now I hear someone going to call Grandpa to help look for me. I'm not coming out now because I'm in really big trouble. What to do? If I come out and say I heard them calling me, I'll be in big trouble. Think, think! How do I get out of trouble? I know what to do! I'll tell them I fell asleep while waiting. Is that Grandpa's voice? Heh heh heh! Now's my chance. I'll crawl out slowly and rub my eyes. Now that I see Grandpa go towards me quickly, I say. "I fell asleep." "Oh! You had us all worried!" says Grandpa. "You little devil, I'm just glad you're all right, but next time try not to fall asleep and scare us like that, okay?" says Dad. Whew! I pulled it off . Now to keep my mouth shut. And I did, for over 42 years. Once in a while, a kid pulls the wool over people's eyes. So that's one of my little secrets I've never revealed before. Don't tell anyone now! The place where the boy was hiding smelt terrible because it_. Answer: Movies are great things. They have a long time. They tell us many things. There are funny movies, scary movies and also exciting movies. Different people like different kinds of movies. Comedies are welcomed by the people of all ages. Usually old people also like Beijing Operas and documentaries. Young people, especially boys like action movies and thrillers. They also like western movies. In western movies they learn something about the life of the cowboys in western countries, like the USA. Go to movies in the cinema or stay at home to watch them on TV. You can learn a lot. . People _ if they want to see movies. Answer:
Once a great boxer ,Tom Black, went to a restaurant for supper. He took off his coat and left it at the door, but he was afraid that somebody would take it away. So he took out a piece of paper and wrote on it,"The great boxer, Tom Black, has left his coat here.He'll be back in a few minutes."He put the paper on his coat and went to have his dinner. When he returned, however, his coat was not there. He just found a piece of paper in its place. It said,"A great runner has taken away you coat, and he will never come back again." ,A, B, C, D(10) He wrote his name on the paper and put it on the coat because he _ . A. wanted all the people to know his name B. wanted to be famous C. was afraid other people would take his coat away D. wanted to show he was a great boxer Answer: C. was afraid other people would take his coat away Eight month old tuna salad will make a person A. hairy B. rich C. clean D. sick Answer: D. sick With the development of economics , the problem of left-behind children has become a serious social problem. More and more people have realized we should do something to help them. One of the biggest problems is that the children are all hungry for the love from their parents. Many of them can just get a call or a letter from their parents half a year, a year or even several years, which makes _ When they meet their own troubles, they have no one to talk with. Nobody gives them enough care. Because of being too far away from their parents, the left-behind children's study is the second biggest problem. From a survey about their study, only two per cent of the children get good results, while ten per cent of them are common and eighty-eight per cent of them are poor. What a pity! There are also many other problems of the left-behind children, such as having no ability to protect themselves, unhealthy lifestyles, spending too much pocket money and being crazy about Internet and so on. In a word, to solve all the problems of the left-behind children needs the government, families and schools to try their best together. How many problems are mentioned in the passage? A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. More than four. Answer: D. More than four. What cells can perform photosynthesis? A. animals B. inorganic minerals C. flora D. critters Answer: C. flora Her mother had packed the best lunch she could for Emma. Emma was thankful, but it was only a turkey sandwich with lettuce on it. Her mother meant well, but Emma could only eat this turkey so many times before she got sick of it. Emma thought she wanted something tastier to eat. She took her bike around the block and locked it to the birdbath in front of the grocery. That is when Emma found the most delicious looking tomatoes stocked on grocery's shelves. She took one down from the top shelf that looked very good and made her way to the front of the store. Jim, the man at the front of the store, gave her a warm smile and told her how much her tomato would cost. She used the money her mother had given her for a book to pay. She hid her prize in her bag and then made her way back to her apartment. Emma's mother was in the back room she could safely cut up the tomato and place it on her sandwich without her mother knowing because she knew her mother would be upset. Emma's mother had given allowance to buy a book for school, not a tomato. The young girl smiled to herself as she took a bite into her sandwich. Where did Emma lock her bike? A. the front door of the grocery B. the gate of her home C. she did not lock her bike D. the birdbath in front of the grocery Answer: D. the birdbath in front of the grocery
Question: Tennis lessons This event takes place every Wednesday from May 9 to July 17. These lessons are open to all from complete beginners to seasoned pros . Playing tennis is a great way of getting fit. Contact The Bridge to find the time for your age group. Cost:[?]4.8 adults, [?]3.30 under 16 per class Contact: Laura Reynolds Tel: 020 8778 7158 Street dance classes This event takes place every Wednesday from February 27 to December 25. The classes are set up for 3 to 6-year-olds. They provide an environment where each child can become confident in his or her efforts and successes. Our school believes "If You Aim High,You Will Succeed". Cost: PS4 per student Contact: Hayley Rea Email: info@aimhighacademy.co.uk Children's workshops in clay This event takes place every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from April 15 to July I. The workshops are suitable for children aged five years and above . The children will be shown different methods of making many things in clay. Cost: PS75 for 10 lessons Contact: Shirley Stewart Email: shirli stewart@yahoo.com Caterpillar music This event takes place every Tuesday and Friday from. October 18 to December 31. The classes are set up for 0 to 4-year-olds. We use puppets , actions, songs, instruments and games to entertain and introduce a love of music to your little one. The classes last 40 minutes and each week we have a different theme. Cost: PS6 per class Contact: Angela Capriati Tel: 020 8698 8439 What can we learn about Caterpillar music? A. The event lasts about four months. B. The class is different for every child. C. The theme of the class changes every week. D. The event teaches how to play different instruments. Answer: C. The theme of the class changes every week. Question: Helen Keller was a US author and public speaker who became blind and deaf at the age of 19 months. Anne Sullivan became her teacher in 1887 and taught her to read, write, use sign language and speak. Keller received degree from Radcliffe College in 1904 and spent the rest of her life encouraging others with difficulties like hers to overcome them. Her books include The story of My Life (1902) and Out of the Dark(1913). Her life was the subject of the play The Miracle Worker Helen Keller was an author in _ . A. English B. America C. Australia D. China Answer: B. America Question: In New York City public schools, 176 different languages are spoken among the more than 1 million students. For 160,000 children, English is not their first language. New York's Department of Education makes learning better for these students by providing dual-language programs, in which students are taught in two languages, English and another one, like Russian or Chinese. Math, social studies, science and all other regular courses are taught in both languages. And they learn about the culture of the other country. Milady Baez, Deputy Chancellor of English Language Learners and Student Support, says these dual-language programs will help children succeed in the future. "The jobs of the future require that our students know more than one language. They are going to be traveling abroad; they are going to be communicating with people from all over the world. This will open doors for them." Middle-schoolers might not have jobs on their minds yet. For Kequing Jaing, she likes keeping up her first language, Mandarin."It makes me feel that I am home because I can speak in Chinese, learn in Chinese, while learning in English. So it makes me feel better and makes me understand more about the task I'm learning."[:ZSSxxSSk.Com] Anastasia Hudikova came to the United States when she was 2 years old. She says the Russian-English program keeps her connected to her heritage and her parents happy."They're really happy about the program. They are really happy that I can preserve my culture and my language, and that I can speak it fluently in school." The New York schools also offer dual-language programs in seven other languages: Arabic, French, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Korean, Polish and Spanish. There are plans to add even more languages in the future. While these dual-language programs are popular, some organizations in the U.S. say teaching English comes first. U.S. Studies show that children who learn English early will be more successful later. Dual-language programs in New York aim to _ . A. help the students learn better B. rid the students of homesickness C. attract more international students D. prevent the students forgetting their culture Answer: A. help the students learn better Question: Mary has a lot of hobbies. She usually gets up early so she can run before work. She doesn't often have time to skate, but she sometimes goes on Saturdays during the winter. Mary often rides a horse near here home. She sometimes goes after work, but she usually goes horseback riding on Sundays. She loves music. She always goes to choir practice on Wednesday evenings and sings in church on Sundays. She doesn't have much money, so she seldom goes to concerts in the city. She seldom watches TV because she likes doing things outside. She usually goes to the gym if it's raining outside. She isn't often alone because she has a lot of friends. She sometimes does something alone, but she usually does her hobbies with one of her friends. She's a happy woman! Mary seldom goes to concerts because she _ A. isn't rich B. is busy C. doesn't like music D. has many friends Answer: A. isn't rich Question: Do you like shopping? Or does the thought of wandering around 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 "showrooming". Showrooming 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 showroomed 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 gifts. 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 showrooming, you get the best of both worlds! According to Amy Cashman, which is not the reason for showrooming? A. The lack of time. B. The comfort of the sofa. C. The shortness of money. D. The security of the product. Answer: B. The comfort of the sofa.
Recently, we were given the opportunity to review a book written by a young author. When we received it, I noted how beautifully done it was. While often the case---we see beautifully written and illustrated books all the time---but how often do they come from a 10-year-old? Sewing a Friendship, written by a creative and talented young girl named Natalie Tinti, is such a book. Developing friendships is an area that Natalie Tinti has researched in her own life. In her book, Sewing a Friendship, she tells what great things can happen if kids take a step toward friendship. Tinti's characters in Sewing a Friendship have colorful and creative personalities. Jonsy Jipsy loves singing and belly dance. Sokron Blossom lives in a neat and tidy world and loves to read fashion magazines. Meeka likes brain games and Nina is happy with her life and the music it brings her. All but one of the characters seems happy with their lives. One of the girls, Kiki Shaver, was sad to live in a small home with her aunt and uncle. She had no friend and didn't know how to make them. When four girls invites her into the circle of their friendship, it's no wonder that Kiki is hesitant and uneasy. The story continues as the four girls invite and accept a " not so likeable" girl into their circle to win a fashion show. The girls feel a strong bond of friendship after the show. Kiki then understands that taking a step towards friendship is better than being alone. All the girls learn that by having the courage to include others, you can " sew a friendship". Today, it seems that almost every news headline begins with a child's suicide---or murder---because of being bullied ,not having friends or family to discuss issues with and feelings of low self -respect. What's causing these senseless terrible events? If more kids would invite the outcasts into their circle of friends, lives would be saved as well as pointed in another direction. Natalie Tinti finds her voice in Sewing a Friendship ---and shows a talent that's rare for such a young girl. Recommended reading for all young adult fans. Which of the following words can best describe the ending of the story? A. Disappointing. B. Unexpected C. Uncertain. D. Satisfying Answer: D An animal needs another animal to A. fly B. eat C. eliminate waste D. pass genetic information Answer: D Not too long ago, our teacher, being a "tree-hugger" (as the kids call her), had us write an essay on an environmental issue . I was eager to start, but something made me stop. "What is an environmental issue ?" one kid asked . "What if we don't care about the environment ?" another complained. " It's not like it affects me ." These comments _ me .I have always cared about the environment and assumed that others did too. From the surprised look on my teacher's face, I could tell she felt the same way. In no time, I finished my essay . In my essay I wrote about logging , which is an important industry, but if we continue to cut down trees without replacing them, it will damage the environment.www.zxxk.com There are so many things that we can do to save our world. Recycling, of course, is always a good thing, but not everyone has a recycling plant nearby ( I don't ) . There are other ways to help the environment . Plant a tree. Don't waste water. I can't stand it when a person's excuse for not caring is "Nothing's going to happen in my lifetime, so why should I care ?" Sure, the chances of something terrible happening are slim, but I want people to realize that if we don't deal with it, someone will have to eventually. Do you want that to be your children ? When my teacher told me to read my essay to my class, I was a little embarrassment because I didn't want everyone to call me "tree- hugger". I realize now that if being a tree-hugger means you cares about the environment, I'm a tree-hugger 100 percent. I just wish more people were too. We can infer from the text that _ A. the students don't like the teacher B. the teacher liked the author's essay C. the author is ashamed of being a tree-hugger D. the author should have written a better essay Answer: B On the night of July 6, 1943, a plane took off from an Air Force base in England to intercept German fighters over the English Channel. Piloting the plane was Captain Thomas Nash. Looking westward, Nash saw twelve orange lights in a row, moving at a fantastic rate of speed. An old experienced flyer, he had never seen anything like them. Thinking they might be a new German weapon, he decided to give chase. But when he swung the plane around and headed directly for the lights, they disappeared. Captain Nash may have been the first to see such orange lights but he wasn't the last. His experience was repeated many times by pilots during World WarIIboth in Europe and the Far East. Pilots in the Korean War also reported seeing the strange lights. What were they? No one knows for sure, but there is an interesting theory to account for them. According to this theory, the orange lights are space animals -- animals specially adapted to life in the upper atmosphere just as some creatures are adapted to life at the bottom of the sea. These space animals, the theory says, live so far up in the atmosphere that they are not visible from earth. They feed partly on the air and partly on energy from sunlight. Being almost pure energy themselves, they can adjust their bodies to glow at night. During the day they become invisible. Before World War II, continues the theory, there was little radiated energy available on the earth's surface. Then came the development of rockets, atomic reactors , and hydroelectric plants . The space creatures are attracted to these sources of energy of food. At night when there is no energy from sunlight, they go down into the lower levels in search of a meal. They may even drift into the range of human eyesight. This explains the fact that they have been sighted regularly from the earth since 1943. The space animal theory would seem to suggest that _ . A. living beings are extremely adaptable B. life in space is impossible for man C. the fittest creatures always survive D. life cannot exist in the depth of the sea Answer: A People used to say, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." and "Behind every successful man there is a woman." Both these sayings mean the same thing. Men rule the world, but their mothers and wives rule them. Most American women wish to make their husbands and sons successful, but some of them want more for themselves. They want good jobs. When they work they want to be better paid. They want to be as successful as men. The American women's liberation movement was started by women who didn't want to stand behind successful men. They wanted to stand beside men, with the same chance for success. They refused to work side by side with men who do the same work for a higher pay. A liberated woman must be proud of being a woman and have confidence in herself. If somebody says to her, "You have come a long way, baby." she will smile and answer, "Not nearly as far as I'm going to go, baby!" This movement is quite new, and many American women don't agree yet. But it has already made some important changes in women's lives--- in men's lives, too. The American women's liberation movement _ . A. has still a long way to go B. is a failure C. was started by many successful women D. is a new thing not accepted by the writer Answer: A
One summer morning a tiger is walking near a lake. He wants to eat something. He is very hungry. In the lake, a duck is swimming ."That is my breakfast," thinks the tiger. "Good morning, Mr. Duck!" says the tiger. "Go away, you bad tiger!" says the duck. "I want to tell you something about your friend, Miss Chicken. If you don't come, I'll go. Good bye. Mr. Duck." "Wait a minute," says the duck. "Tell me!" The tiger looks around ,"I don't want other animals to know it. Come up to me," says the tiger. Then Mr. Duck swims to the tiger. As soon as(............) he gets to the bank ,the tiger gets it and eats it up. He laughs best that laughs last.. At last ,the tiger _ . Whether you admit or not, music is rooted in our daily life, weaving its beauty and emotion through our thoughts, activities and memories. So if you're interested in music theory, music appreciation, Beethoven, Mozart, artists and performers, we hope you'll spend some time here and learn from those music articles of note for all ages and tastes. When I first started studying the history of music, I did not realize what I was getting into. I had thought that music history was somewhat of an unimportant pursuit . In fact, I only took my history of classical music class because I needed the credits . I did not realize how really attractive music history was. You see, in our culture many of us do not really learn to understand music. When I began to learn about the history of Western music, however, it changed all that for me. When most of us think about the history of music, we think of the history of rock music, we _ that the history is simple because the music is simple. In fact, neither is the case, The history of music, whether you're talking about classical music, rock music, jazz music, or any other kind, is never simple. Even when the class was over, I would not stop learning about the history of music. It had attracted my interest, and I wanted more. What did the author do after the class was over? I am an adult. I'm not a kid. I'm a grown-up. I need some money. I have no food. I am hungry. I am not thirsty, because water is everywhere. But water has no taste. I want to drink a soda. I want to drink milk. I want to drink coffee. I want to work. Nobody will hire( )me. Nobody is hiring anybody. Companies are firing people. Everyone is looking for a job. I cannot pay my rent . I will have to live in my car. I don't want to live in my car. My car has no bed. Everyone should live in a house or a flat. Many people don't have a car. They live on the street. A street has no bed. Nobody should live on the street. I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go. Maybe I will go to church . Maybe I will find help there. Which is wrong? Donna is 19 years old and loves animals, which is why I'm always happy to leave my dog with her when I go on holiday. Donna also helps to train hunting dogs, but recently, her boyfriend told me, she returned home from a farm in tears after being told to hit some dogs. "She wasn't being asked to hit them because they didn't behave well," he said. "She was told to _ these puppies with a closed fist simply to let them know who is the boss," Donna refused. Good for Donna. In my view, you hit an animal for only two reasons: as a way to teach it an important lesson to protect it from danger, such as not into the road; or because you like hurting animals. Last summer, I attended a horse race. I don't know much about horses, but I was alarmed when I saw a horse with a huge ulcer on its legs. "Surely this horse won't race?" I asked. I was very surprised that nobody in the crowd seemed concerned. The horse began the race, but later it fell heavily. It had broken its leg. The next thing I saw was its dead body in a bag, being driven past. No one seemed to care, except those who had bet on it. I know people care for horse racing, but do they really care for horses? I doubt it. Oh, but it's a tradition, I hear you say. Wouldn't the world be a boring place if we didn't occasionally hit, shoot and chase animals? Traditions are made by man and can be unmade. It was once acceptable to kill servants when their master died, to visit the mental hospitals to laugh at the patients or to watch public execution . Nor should it be forgotten that in our progress to a more civilized world, animals have played an important role: they have fed us, carried us, worked for us, rescued us, died for us and sometimes just saved us from loneliness. Surely by now they deserve our kindness. At the very least, they deserve our respect. Which of the following is NOT true? It is easy for us to tell our friends from our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who pose a threat and those who do not. In Kenya, researchers found that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men spear animals and thus pose a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants. In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants detected the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they detected the smells of either clothing worn by Kamba men or clothing that had not been worn at all. Clothing color also plays a role, though in a different way. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted aggressively toward the red clothing. The researchers believe that the elephants' emotional reactions are due to their different interpretations of the smells and the sights. Smelling a potential danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE about Kamba and Maasai people?
Researchers found that compared with teens who spent much of their free time in front of TV sets, those who were physically active often had higher self-respect, better grades and were less likely to have risky behavior like taking drugs, smoking, or drinking.The findings, based on a national survey of nearly 12,000 middle and high school students, were published in a journal. "Across the board, children who engaged in any kind of activity were belier off than kids who watched a lot of TV," said study co author professor Penny Gordon Larsen of the University of North Carolina. Other studies have linked certain content of television programs, such as violence and sex, to children's behavior.But beyond this issue, Gordon-Larsen said that kids who spend hours watching TV "miss opportunities" to develop skills, learn teamwork and have other experiences that their more active peers benefit from. That doesn't mean, however, that kids have to be on the football team. The study found that some activities like skating and skateboarding----which adults sometimes frown upon----were also related to better self respect and less risk taking. That skaters were better behaved than TV watchers might come as a surprise to some adults who consider these teens to be bad, according to Gordon-Larsen.Skateboarding is forbidden in many public areas, and some communities oppose building skating parks.But if kids who like to skate have nowhere to do it, "it's a shame," said Gordon-Larsen. Not only should parents encourage their kids to engage iii the physical activities they enjoy, she said, but schools and communities should also do more to create opportunities for children to be active. It can be inferred from the passage that_. Answer: Do you sometimes put off doing your homework on a school night to watch TV?A new study says that middle school students who watch TV or play video games during the week do worse in school. The study also says that watching TV and playing video games on weekends don't affect school performance that much. "They could watch a lot on weekends and it didn't seem to connect with doing worse in school,"said Dr. Iman Sharif of Children's Hospital at Montefiore inprefix = st1 /New York. The study appears in the October issue of Pediatrics. Researchers drew their conclusions after surveying 4,500 students in New Hampshire and Vermont middle schools. To reach their findings,researchers didn't look at grades or test scores. Instead,they asked students to rate their own performance on a scale ranging from "excellent'' to "below". Other studies have found a connection between kids' ability to learn and the amount of TV they watch. One study even found that kids with televisions in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than kids without them. What should fl kid do?The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids watch TV no more than two hours and that televisions be kept out of children's rooms. Weekend viewing should be kept to four hours at most each day. According to Dr. Iman Sharif,_. Answer: Being honest are fundamental requirements if you want to grow spiritually and follow your true destination of personal development. It's not simply about being honest with people. While that will make you a better person and a more accepted one it's more importantly about being honest with yourself. Living your life honestly means that you've decided to live openly and to show your true self to others and that you can be relied upon to be trustworthy. On the other hand, dishonesty is all about shade and concealment and living your life in 'dark corners'. When you're dishonest, it means that you remain living in the dark and cannot grow spiritually. Honesty produces trust-trust in ourselves and in all those around us. Trust in turn produces confidence which we all need to overcome life's problems and which also encourages us to take risks in order to achieve our goals. You'll have no doubt you have heard expressions such as "what goes around, comes around" and "you get back, what you give out in life" and that's very true. If you don't live your lives honestly, you can be assured that the people you'll attract will turn out to be very similar to you and it's therefore unavoidable that one day you'11 be on the receiving end of someone's dishonest actions or words. There may be situations where telling the whole truth causes you to bring a lot of pain on somebody else. For example, John may have told Paul that he can't go on a weekend fishing trip with him because he has a family commitment arranged that weekend. You know differently and that the real reason John isn't going is because he hates Paul. When Paul asks you if you know whether the reason is true, what do you say? Well, in situations like this, it's often better to be economical with the truth. You might say that you don't know why John can't go or that you think he has something on that weekend." Of course, this isn't telling the complete truth but you are sparing Paul's feelings on something that won't, after all, have strong influence on Paul's future. What is the main idea of the passage? Answer: I'm seventeen. I had worked as a box boy at a supermarket in Los Angeles. People came to the counter and you put things in their bags for them and carried things to their cars. It was hard work. While working, you wear a plate with your name on it. I once met someone I knew years ago. I remembered his name and said, "Mr Castle, how are you?" We talked about this and that. As he left, he said, "It was nice talking to you, Brett." I felt great, he remembered me. Then I looked down at my name plate. Oh, no. He didn't remember me at all, he just read the name plate. I wish I had put "Irving" down on my name plate. If he'd have said, "Oh yes, Irving, how could I forget you?" I'd have been ready for him. There's nothing personal here. The manager and everyone else who were a step above the box boys often shouted orders. One of these was: you couldn't accept tips. Okay, I'm outside and I put the bags in the car. For a lot of people, the natural reaction is to take a quarter and give it to me. I'd say, "I'm sorry, I can't." They'd get angry. When you give someone a tip, you're sort of being polite. You take a quarter and you put it in their hand and you expect them to say, "Oh, thanks a lot." When you say, "I'm sorry, I can't." They feel a little _ . They say, "No one will know." And they put it in your pocket. You say, "I really can't." It gets to a point where you almost have to hurt a person physically to prevent him from tipping you. It was not in agreement with the store's belief in being friendly. Accepting tips was a friendlything and made the customer feel good. I just couldn't understand the strangeness of some people's ideas. One lady actually put it in my pocket, got in the car, and drove away. I would have had to throw the quarter at her or eaten it or something. I had decided that one year was enough. Some people needed the job to stay alive and fed. I guess I had the means and could afford to hate it and give it up. What can be the best title for this text? Answer: During the summer holidays there will be a revised schedule of services for the students. Changes for dining-room and library service hours and for bus schedules will be posted on the wall outside of the dining-hall. Weekly film and concert schedules, which are being arranged, will be posted each Wednesday outside of the student club. In the summer holidays, buses going to the town center will leave the main hall every hour on the half hour during the day. The dining-room will serve three meals a day from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm during the week and two meals from noon to 7:00 pm on weekends. The library will continue its usual hours during the week, but have shorter hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The weekend hours are from noon to 5:00 pm. All students who want to use the library borrowing services must have a new summer card. This announcement will also appear in the next week's student newspaper. At which of the following times will the bus leave the main hall? Answer:
You bring each other.We'll provide everything else. To book the romantic getaway of a lifetime. Visit windjammerlanding.com or call 18775220722 The Romance Package From $2,650 for 5 days/4 nights in a Premium Ocean View Room Allinclusive food&beverage 1hou couples massage Sparking wine&flowers upon arrival 1 inroom champagne breakfast Airport taxi transfers All service&taxes Windjammer Landing VILLA BEACH RESORE,ST.LUCIA The advertisement is for a _ . A. school B. hotel C. store D. restaurant Answer: B. hotel If your pen broke at school today,what would you do?You would go to a shop and buy a new one.What if you could simply print out a real,working pen with your 3-D printer without leaving your room? The 3-D printer has been used to make many different things.People have made cups cars and even an airplane with it. Doctors have been using 3-D printers for several years.People's nervous systems have been printed out in 3-D form medical research.Some body parts have been printed and used in hospital.Several months ago,doctors used a 3-D printer to rebuild Ten years ago people could only see 3-D printing in science fiction movies.But now 3-D printing is here and it's bringing big changes. Unlike normal printing that can only copy a 2-D picture with ink.3-D printing can build almost anything made from material.The printer layers the material in different shapes to create the object you want to be copied.the face of a person who had a bad accident.In the future,it is expected that the printer will make human organs to save more lives. However there are _ to the printer.At the moment,printing can be quite slow and it's still rather expensive.The average price of a household printer is around $1,700,not including the cost of the materials. But as the technology develops,it shouldn't be long before disadvantages are improved.Only time will tell where this new technology will take us. ,A, B, C, D,. People still can't make a(n) _ with a 3-D printer so far. A. airplane B. face C. organ D. cars Answer: C. organ One day Einstein is walking in a street in New York . His friend meets him and says to him, "Einstein, you should buy a new coat. Look, your coat is very old." But Einstein answers, "It doesn't matter . Nobody knows me here." After a few years, Einstein becomes a famous scientist . But he still wears the old coat. His friend meets him again and asks him to buy a new one. But Einstein says, "I don't need to buy a new one. Everyone knows me here." The title of the story should be _ . A. Einstein and His Friend B. Einstein and His Old Coat C. A Famous Scientist -Einstein D. A Day of Einstein Answer: B. Einstein and His Old Coat Let Baby Cry The parents with their three-year-old son went to see a film. When they walked into the cinema, the attendant said to them, "you'll have to go out if your son cries. But we'll refund you the tickets." About half an hour later, the husband asked his wife, "What do you think of the film?" "I've never seen such a boring film." His wife answered. "It's not worth seeing." "I don't think much of it, either." The husband said. "Wake the child up and let him cry." Blindfold Them Stan: I won 92 goldfish. Fred: Where are you going to keep them? Stan: In the bathroom. Fred: But what will you do when you want to take a bath? Stan: Blindfold them! Einstein and God Einstein climbs to the top of Mt. Sinai to get close enough to talk to God. Looking up, he asks the Lord... "God, what does a million years mean to you?" The Lord replies, "A minute." Einstein asks, "And what does a million dollars mean to you?" The Lord replies, "A penny." Einstein asks, "Can I have a penny?" The Lord replies, " _ ." What's the same characteristic of the three stories? A. They are all humorous stories. B. They are all moral stories. C. They are all fiction. D. They are all real stories. Answer: A. They are all humorous stories. Walking in the Regional Parks and Forests of Greater WellingtonFrom a walk to an adventure A walk in one of the regional parks and forests is a great way to explore the diverse landscape of greater Wellington. From coastal sands to historic paths,farmland to green native forest,the parks and forests offer a variety of countryside and scenery to suit all ages and levels of fitness. Most of the walks offer the chance to take a break and enjoy picnicking or swimming. What to take Many of the walks go through areas exposed to winds and changeable weather.Please take with you some water and sun hat especially on walks marked with hiking symbol.Always take some warm clothing and a rain jacket. All times stated are estimates for the return trip. Where indicated,mountain bikes and horses riders may use tracks. Opening hours The parks and forests are open daily from 8am till dusk.Parks or walks marked with a farm animal symbol may be closed for lambing Aug-Nov.Please check with the ranger or on our website www.gw.govt.nz. Caring for your pack Pack in and pack out.Take your rubbish home and recycle it when possible. Keep dogs under control and remove droppings. Do not remove,disturb or damage native plants or animals. Light no fires. *Poison may be laid in the parks and forests to control the field mouse.Do not remove notice or disturb baits,lures,trapping lines or the mousetraps. Where would you most likely find this text? A. A newspaper advertisement. B. A travel guidebook. C. A government notice. D. A TV health program. Answer: B. A travel guidebook.
Question: How to Beat On-line Credit-card Thieves The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal web site. Web sites offering cheap services should be regarded with care. On-line shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number--- or sell the information over internet. Computers hackers have broken down security systems raising questions about the safety of cardholder information. Several months ago, 25,000 customers of CD Universe, and on-line music retailer , were not lucky. Their name, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a web site after the retailer refused to pay US $157,828 to get back the information. Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud. Master-card is working on plans for Web-only credit card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on-line. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated. Ask about your credit-firm's on-line rules. Under British law, cardholders are responsible for the first US $78 of any fraudulent spending. And shop only at secure sites: Send your credit-card information only if the web site offers advanced secure system. If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The web site address may also start the extra "s" stands for secure. If you still have any doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone. Keep your password safe: Most on-line sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your password with care. How many pieces of advice does the passage give to you? A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4 Answer: D Question: Microwaves may be great at warming up food, but what about warming people? Using microwaves to directly heat owners of a room would save much of the energy wasted by heating walls and furniture. And despite popular ideas about microwaves, this technique would be safe, according to Charles R. Burlier of the Microwave Research Center in Marlborough, New Hampshire. Low-power microwaves only penetrate the skin (low-power microwave penetration in a ham is about 0.2 inches, for example) and with no negative effects. To test this idea, Buffler subjected himself to microwaves in a special room using a standard 500-watt, 2459 MHz magnetron . He found that a person will start to feel warmth at about 20 milliwatts per square centimeter (mw. / sq. cm. ) ; a satisfactory feeling of warmth occurs between 35 and 50mw. / sq. cm. By comparison, a person standing in noonday summer sun feels the amount of 85 mw. / sq. cm. And a frozen meat pie in your microwave oven receives about 1000 mw. / sq. cm. In houses of the future, each room could be provided with its own magnetron, says Buffler. When you stepped into the living room, for example, a motion detector would turn on the magnetron, filling the room with low-power microwaves. In the same way that a microwave oven heats up a hamburger, but not the plate it's on, you would feel warmth from the microwaves without changing the temperature of your coffee table. (You could, however, make your favorite easy chair even more comfortable by treating it with a radiation-absorbing chemical.) While it might be some time before homeowners are comfortable enough with the idea to set up whole-body microwave heaters in houses, Buffler says microwaves may attract livestock farmers. Lambs that are born outdoors in winter, for example, are frequently lost to cold. Microwaves could warm the lambs safely and quickly. Which of the following can tell the main idea of the passage? A. A new heating system. B. A new microwave oven. C. A popular technique. D. The magnetron. Answer: A Question: The Global Heritage Fund organization recently released a list of cultural treasures in the developing world that are in danger of disappearing. These"On the Verge" places face many threats. They included war, development pressures, stealing and misuse by visitors. The Global Heritage Fund says these places are important because they are records of our human civilization. And the group says countries can learn to use these treasures to help support responsible development in the future. One such place is the town of Lamu. Lamu was once a very important trading center in East Africa. This ancient city became part of the United Nations Heritage list in 2001. But it still faces threats. For example, a modern port might be built nearby. Other endangered places include Ani, a city in Turkey, the town of Maluti in India, the ancient city of Ninevah in northern Iraq, the Sans-Souci palace in Haiti, and the former capital of Ayutthaya in Thailand. The Global Heritage Fund is nonprofit organization based in California. The group says it only focuses on developing countries which often have few resources to protect places of cultural importance. And, other major cultural organizations often pay more attention to protecting places in the developed world. For example, the fund points out the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has forty-five World Heritage places in Italy. UNESCO has forty-two in Spain. But Peru, famous for its ancient Incan buildings, has only nine World Heritage places. Guatemala has only three. The Global Heritage Fund says its new report tries to place a value on cultural places so that they can also be considered as economic resources. It estimates that by 2025 these places of cultural importance could produce one hundred billion dollars a year in income for developing countries. We can know that The Global Heritage Fund organization mainly _ . A. protects places of cultural importance in developing countries B. protects places of cultural importance in developed countries C. provide resources to protect cultural places in every country D. helps people know the importance of protecting cultural treasures Answer: A Question: In America today, there are almost as many people making their living as bloggers as there are lawyers. Already more Americans are making their primary income from posting their opinions than Americans working as computer programmers or fire fighters The best studies we can find say we are a nation of over 20 million bloggers, with almost 2 million Americans getting paid by the word, the post, or the click - whether on their site or someone else's. The Information Age has developed many new professions, but blogging could well be the one with the biggest effect on our culture. What started as a discussion forum for politics and new technologies has now been used in health care, the arts, fashion and just about every other imaginable area of life. What started as a hobby for volunteers is becoming big business for newly appearing sites, for companies that now depend upon their reviews and for the people who work in this new industry. All this fits with the trend toward Opinion TV. Less and less of our information flow is devoted to gathering facts, and more and more is going towards popularizing opinions. Twenty-four-hour news channels have been replaced by 24-hour opinion channels. Some bloggers even serve as "spokesblogers"-paid by advertisers to blog about the products. They are highly paid and they have to report long hours-50 to 60 hours a week. Bloggers make money if their consumers click the ads on their sites. Some sites even pay writers by the click, which is of course a system that encourages using shocking words or doing whatever it takes to get noticed. For now, bloggers say they are very happy in their work, reporting high job satisfaction. But what happens if they lose work? Are they considered journalists under shield laws ? Is there someone to complain to about false blogs or hidden conflicts? There are more questions than answers about America's Newest Profession. The author considers bloggers _ A. have a positive effect on American culture B. can easily earn big money by writing C. will replace journalists under shield laws D. face many problems though highly paid Answer: D Question: Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew . And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency. Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection. Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine. American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe's machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines. Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer's hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical. It could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals. However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement . Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties . In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention. Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elias Howe a lifetime of royalties? A. Because the judge was against Singer for his unfriendly attitude. B. Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer. C. Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it. D. Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine. Answer: B
William H. Gates is chairperson and chief software architect of Microsoft Corporation.the worldwide leader in software services and internet technologies for personal and business computing. Bill Gates was born on October 28.1 955 in a family having rich business,political and community service background.His great--grandfather was a state legislator and a mayor,his grandfather was vice president of national bank and his father was a lawyer. Bill strongly believes in hard work. He believes that if you are intelligent and know how to apply your intelligence,you can achieve anything.From childhood Bill was ambitious, intelligent and competitive.These qualities helped him to attain top position in the profession he chose.1n school,he had an excellent record in mathematics and science.Bill's parents came to know their son's intelligence and decided to send him to a private school,known for its good academic environment.It was a very important decision in Bill Gates' life where he was first introduced to a computer.Bill Gates and his friends were very much interested in computer and formed "programmer's Group" in late l968. Later,Bill Gates and his close friend Allen started a new company of their own,Traf-O-Data.They developed a small computer to measure traffic flow.From this project they earned around$20,000.In 1973.he left home for Harvard University.He did well over there,but he couldn't find it interesting.He spent many long nights in front of the school's computer and the next day asleep in class. Within a year.Bill Gates dropped out from Harvard.Then he formed Microsoft.Microsoft's vision is" A computer on every desk and Microsoft software on every computer".His belief in high intelligence and hard work has put him where he is today.He does not believe in mere luck,but just hard work and competitiveness. Bill Gates is not a greedy person.In fact,he is quite a giving person when it comes to computers,internet and any kind of funding.Several years ago, he visited Chicago's Einstein Elementary School and announced grants benefiting Chicago's schools and museums where he donated a total of $1 1 0,000,a bunch of computers,and provided internet connectivity to a number of schools.Secondly,Bill Gates donated 38 million dollars for the building of a computer institute at Stanford University.Gates has decided to give away 95%of all his earnings when he retires. How old was Bill Gates when he retired from Microsoft in late June of 2008? A. 52. B. 55. C. 60. D. 62. Answer: A Lester was walking in the street with two huge and heavy suitcases . A stranger walked up to him and asked ,"Have you got the time ?" Lester stopped , put down the suitcases and looked at his watch ."It' s five fifteen ,"he said . "Hey , what a nice watch !"said the stranger . Lester smiled a little and said ,"Yes , it' s not bad . Look at this ."Then he showed the stranger a time display for the 86 largest cities in the world . He hit a few buttons and a voice told the time in Chinese . Lester continued ,"Its voice can be set for different languages ." The stranger seemed very interested in the watch . "That' s not all ,"said Lester . He then pushed a few more buttons and a small map appeared on the watch ."The map can show where we are ,"explained Lester . "I want to buy this watch !"said the stranger . "Oh , no , I' m not selling it . I have spent nearly two years making it ,"said Lester . "I' ll give you $ 1,000 for it !" "Oh , no , I' ve already spent more than that ." "I' ll give you $ 5,000 for it !" Lester stopped to think . The stranger quickly gave him a check and said ,"$ 5,000 . Here it is ." Lester finally agreed to sell the watch . When the stranger was going to leave with the watch , Lester pointed to the two huge suitcases and said ,"Hey , wait a minute . Don' t forget your batteries ." Which of the following is NOT true about the watch ? A. It can tell the time in different languages . B. It can tell you where you are . C. It is easy to wear and carry . D. It can show a time display for many large cities around the world . Answer: C Baby chicks peck their way out of their shells when they hatch. This activity is an example of which of the following types of behavior? A. instinctive B. learned C. planned D. social Answer: A Australian cities can keep their native wildlife -- but only if they can kick their habit of urban sprawl . That's the finding of a new study by leading Australian environmental researchers Jessica Sushinsky, Professor Hugh Possingham and Dr Richard Fuller of The University of Queensland. "While urban development usually reduces the number of birds in a city, building more compact cities and avoiding urban sprawl can slow these reductions greatly," says lead author Jessica Sushinsky. "Compact housing development leaves birds' homes untouched, leading to fewer losses of birds." The researchers surveyed native and wild birds in Brisbane's urban areas, including living and industrial areas, public parks and gardens, major roadways and airports. They then used statistical modeling to find out what will happen to the birds as the city grows. The first setting was compact growth -- where multiple homes are built on land that previously had only one house. The second setting was sprawling growth -- a familiar pattern where homes are built here and there beyond the city's current boundaries. The team's forecasts showed that a much greater diversity of species was lost over 20 years in the sprawling setting compared to the more compact setting. "Urban sprawl resulted in the disappearance of many urban-sensitive birds -- birds that only live in areas where there is native vegetation , such as parklands and woodlands," Ms Sushinsky says. "On the other hand, we found the city with the compact development attracted more birds because it kept more of its parks and green areas." Now the Queensland Government has adopted the more compact urban growth strategy, which, Dr Richard Fuller says, is good news for Australia's native birds. These birds are environmental specialists -- they need a particular environment to do well. "While compact development means smaller backyards, it can also make our entire cities more biodiverse," according to Dr Fuller. "The study shows that we should hold on to our green spaces instead of clearing them for sprawling development." This is the first time science has modeled the effects of different urban growth strategies on birds, the researchers say. "Statistical models like these are important because they help us to understand the ecological consequences of a particular decision," says Dr Fuller. Where does the passage probably come from? A. A news report. B. A travel guide. C. A health magazine. D. A history book. Answer: A In 1930, Owens, the owner in fee simple of Barrenacres, a large, undeveloped tract of land, granted an easement to the Water District "to install, inspect, repair, maintain, and replace pipes" within a properly delineated strip of land 20 feet wide across Barrenacres. The easement permitted the Water District to enter Barrenacres for only the stated purposes. The Water District promptly and properly recorded the deed. In 1931, the Water District installed a water main which crossed Barrenacres within the described strip; the Water District has not since entered Barrenacres. In 1935, Owens sold Barrenacres to Peterson, but the deed, which was promptly and properly recorded, failed to refer to the Water District easement. Peterson built his home on Barrenacres in 1935, and since that time he has planted and maintained, at great expense in money, time, and effort, a formal garden area which covers, among other areas, the surface of the 20-foot easement strip. In 1976, the Water District proposed to excavate the entire length of its main in order to inspect, repair, and replace the main, to the extent necessary. At a public meeting, at which Peterson was present, the Water District announced its plans and declared its intent to do as little damage as possible to any property involved. Peterson objected to the Water District plans."Assume that Peterson reserved his rights and after the Water District completed its work sued for the $5,000 in damages he suffered by reason of the Water District entry. Peterson's attempt to secure damages probably will A. succeed, because his deed from Owens did not mention the easement. B. succeed, because of an implied obligation imposed on the Water District to restore the surface to its condition prior to entry. C. fail, because of the public interest in maintaining a continuous water supply. D. fail, because the Water District acted within its rights Answer: D
The health of millions could be at risk because medicinal plants are being used up.These plants are used to make traditional medicine,including drugs to fight cancer."The loss of medicinal plants is a quiet disaster,"says Sara Oldfield,secretary general of the NGO Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Most people worldwide (including 80 percent of all Africans)rely on herbal medicines which are got mostly from wild plants.But some 15,000 of the 50,000 medicinal species are under threat of dying out,according to a report from the international conversation group Plantlife.Shortages have been reported in China,India,Kenya,Nepal,Tanzania and Uganda. Overharvesting does the most harm,though pollution and competition from invasive species are both responsible."Businessmen generally harvest medicinal plants,not caring about sustain ability,"the Plantlife report says."Damage is serious partly because they have no idea of it,but it is mainly because such collection is unorganized." Medicinal trees at risk include the Himalayan yew and the African cherry,which are used to treat some cancers. The solution,says the report's author,Alan Hamilton,is to encourage local people to protect these plants.Ten projects studied by Plantlife in India,Pakistan,China,Nepal,Uganda and Kenya showed this method can succeed.In Uganda the project has kept a sustainable supply of lowcost cancer treatments,and in China a public run medicinal plant project has been created for the first time. "Improving health,earning an income and keeping cultural traditions are important in encouraging people to protect medicinal plants,"says Hamilton."You have to pay attention to what people are interested in." Ghillean Prance,the former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London,agrees that medicinal plants are in need of protection. "Not nearly enough is being done,"he told New Scientist."We are destroying the very plants that are of most use to us." Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: About 30% of medicinal species are at risk of dying out. People like to tell me rubbish. Not just friends, but strangers ,too. Once, at the airport, my husband stepped off an escalator before me. When he realized I wasn't with him, he looked back and saw me hugging ( ) a stranger. I'd asked the man behind me: "Did you have fun in Vegas?" His answer broke me heart. After 50 years away, I'd come to say goodbye to the lover of his life, _ was dying of cancer. "I should have married her 50 years ago," he said. I hugged him, and then he was gone. Moments later, my husband said: "He told you all that on the escalator?" I nodded. "Maybe he just needed to tell somebody, And I happened to ask." When someone wants to talk, you just need to ask a question. The words don't matter. It's the tone in your voice and the look in your eyes and the caring in your heart that count. Sometimes I think the whole world is crying out to be heard. And yet, we don't ask the question or say the things we need to say to those who matter most to us while there is still time, and a chance, to do so. Recently I heard from a reader who shared with me the eulogy she'd written after losing her mother. I wish her mother could have read it. I can only hope her mother knew all the things her daughter wrote about her--that she was known so well and loved so much. I like to think people will say a few nice things about me when I'm gone. But given a choice, I would rather hear those things before I go. Wouldn't we all? That started me thinking. I need to tell my children I am proud of them. They know it, but it can't hurt to say it again. I need to tell my sister I will forever in her debt . I was the one who left. She was the one who stayed, who's "been there" for our family--for our mother, our dad, our brothers and me. And to my husband, I need to say, well, he puts up with a lot. In fact, I need to say a lot of things to whole lot of people. Maybe you do, too. You can tell me, if you want. But maybe you should tell them first. What happened to the writer at the airport in Los Vegas? Answer: She listened to a stranger's story and hugged him. The computer is important and can help us do a lot of things. Lots of children spend too much time on the computer. It's bad for their study. Here is some advice for the parents. Move the computer out of the child's bedroom. It is good for children to reduce the time to use the computer. _ for the computer. If your child wants to use it, he/she should get your permission . If your child uses the Internet for studying. He / She doesn't use it to play games, praise him/her for that. When your child wants to use the computer to play games, you can take her/him to the library, get her/him together with friends to play sport. What can the parents do when the child wants to play computer games? Answer: They can take her/ him to the library. Sports account for a growing amount of income made on the sales of commercial time by television companies. Many television companies have used sports to attract viewers from particular sections of the general public, and then they have sold audiences to advertisers. An attraction of sport programs for the major U. S. media companies is that events are often held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons--the slowest time periods of the week for general television viewing. Sport events are the most popular weekend programs, especially among male viewers who may not watch much television at other times during the week. This means the television networks are able to sell advertising time at relatively high prices during what normally would be dead time for programming. Media corporations also use sports to attract commercial sponsors that might take their advertising dollars elsewhere if television stations did not report certain sports. The people in the advertising departments of major corporations realize that sports attract made viewers. They also realize that most business travelers are men and that many men make family decisions on the purchases of computers, cars and life insurance. Golf and tennis are special cases for television programming. These sports attract few viewers, and the ratings are unusually low. However, the audience for these sports is attractive to certain advertisers. It is made up of people from the highest income groups in the United States, to certain advertisers. It is made up of people from the highest income groups in the United States, including many lawyers and business managers. This is why television reporting of golf and tennis is sponsored by companies selling high-priced cars, business and personal computer, and holiday trips. This is also why the networks continue to carry these programs regardless of low ratings. Advertisers are willing to pay high fees to reach high-income consumers and those managers who make decisions to buy thousands of "company cars" and computer, with such viewers, these programs don't need high ratings to stay on the air. The ratings are not important for golf and tennis programs because _ Answer: their advertisers target at rich people My sister Alli and I have been trying to get people to stop dropping cigarette butts for seven years. One day, we were walking in our hometown and saw hundreds of cigarette butts on the ground. They made the town look so ugly that we decided to start a group to make people stop dropping butts. We called it "No Butts About It". At first, we drew pictures with "The Earth is Not Your Ashtray " written on them. We put the pictures around our hometown---in parks, by beaches, and along roads. We wanted to make people understand that dropping butts hurts the environment. Most smokers don't think that dropping butts hurts the earth. But it does! All rubbish does. Later, we wrote to companies and asked them for money to help us. We used the money to buy ashtrays to give smokers. We wanted smokers to carry the ashtrays with them so they didn't have to drop butts. At the moment, we are trying to get cigarette companies to put an ashtray in each pack of cigarettes. Some companies want to do it. Many people have started to join our group since it began. Today there are 45 other "No Butts About It" groups in America. And there are even groups in England, Australia and India! Many newspapers have written about my sister and I over the last seven years. And we have won many prizes for our good work. But we are not interested in prizes. We just want to make the earth a better and cleaner place for animals, plants and people. One day it will be. No Butts About It started _ Answer: seven years ago.
Question: Having a tattoo can reduce your chance of getting a job, but it depends on where the tattoo is, what it expresses and if the job involves dealing with customers, new research says. Dr Andrew R Timming told the British Sociological Association conference on work, employment and society in Warwick today that employers were likely to view tattoos negatively. Dr Timming of the school of Management at the University of St Andrews said he had spoken to 15 managers involved in hiring staff about their reaction to interview candidates with visible tattoos. "Most respondents agreed that visible tattoos are a stigma," Dr Timming told the conference. One woman manager told him that "they make a person look dirty." Another male manager told him "subconsciously that would stop me from employing them." The managers were concerned about what their organisations' customers might think, said Dr Timming. "Hiring managers realise that, ultimately, it does not matter what they think of tattoos -- what really matters, instead, is how customers might think of employees with visible tattoos. Dr Timming said: "The one qualification to this argument is there are certain industries in which tattoos may be a desirable characteristic in a job interview. For example, an HR manager at a prison noted that tattoos on guards can be 'something to talk about' and 'an in' that you need to make a connection with the prisoners." The negative attitude to tattoos did not extend to ones that could be easily covered by clothing. Dr Timming also found that in some of the organisations it was only certain types of tattoos that diminished the chances of getting a job at interview. One male manager told him: "If it's gang culture-related you may have a different view about the tattoo than if it's just because it's a nice drawing of an animal that they've done on their arm." A person with tattoos can probably work as _ . A. a doorkeeper B. a salesman C. a prison guard D. a manager Answer: C. a prison guard Question: Dining in a completely dark room, unaware what's on your plate while sitting next to a complete stranger may not sound like an ideal restaurant experience but it's certainly an _ way to spend a rainy night in London. Dans le Noir, close to London's financial district, is a restaurant full of blind waiters and waitresses who become your eyes around the restaurant, whose original Paris branch opened in 2004. In the bar with the light, you choose whether you want the fish, meat or vegetable, but the dishes themselves remain a secret, as do the ingredients of the "surprise" cocktails. Bags, coats and devices that light up, including watches and mobile phones, are kept in the bar. Placing your hand on the shoulder of your guide, you are led to a table in a black dining room that sets up to 60 people. And it is dark. The waiters tell you when the food is being placed down in front of you, then the fun begins, trying to get food into your mouth, then identifying just what it is that's on your plate, and finally whether you have missed any of it. It's also a great chance to break social convention and eat using your fingers. Those same fingers are also the only way you can tell how much wine you're pouring into your glass. The happy atmosphere in the dining room also made the night memorable. You can't really avoid talking to the person next to you at the long tables and guessing what the dishes are certainly provides adequate fuel for the conversations. All will be revealed at the end of the meal when you are led back out into the lit bar. Not only do you finally get to see what you've just been eating but also who you' ve been talking to for the last 90 minutes. What's the main purpose of the text? A. To help blind people find a job in restaurants. B. To show how to open a restaurant with a new idea. C. To show how to enjoy the time in a dark restaurant. D. To introduce and attract customers to "Dans le Noir ". Answer: D. To introduce and attract customers to "Dans le Noir ". Question: It is said that all dreams serve a purpose . While there is no agreement among scientists about why we dream, there are many ideas about the different kinds of dreams we have. One common kind of dream is the repeating dream, in which the same story is repeated again and again, often for many months or even years. Some believe these are a sign people have a problem in their life and once that problem is gone then the dream will stop. Others think _ are a way to help people remember something very important. Another well-known kind of dream is the nightmare. The pictures and stories in such dreams make people very afraid and dreamers usually remember them far more clearly than normal dreams. The cause of such dreams may be seeing something _ such as a car accident or some deadly snakes. Others think such dreams may be trying to make a person pay attention to something that is dangerous in their life. Daydreams happen during wake-time when we forget where we are or what we are doing and find ourselves in a made-up story or unreal world. We often daydream when we are doing something that is not interesting or exciting. They help us think about our future. Lucid dreams are the most fun. These happen when dreamers suddenly understand that they are dreaming. Instead of waking up, they stay in the dream and are able to control what happens in the dream as if they are making a movie. How do we know if we are lucid dreaming? A. We can remember the dream very clearly. B. We can control what happens in the dream. C. We think that the dream is like a movie. D. We feel very nervous after we wake up. Answer: B. We can control what happens in the dream. Question: Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words. For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents' home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement and have strong opinions about everything. Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired. But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me. That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They'd get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air. We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons. We eventually arrived at my parents' doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories. I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence. Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey----and the best part of yourself. What could be the best title for the passage A. Charm of the Detour B. The Road to Bravery C. Creativity out of Necessity D. Road trip and Country Life Answer: A. Charm of the Detour Question: 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. What do you think is the best title for this passage? A. Wechat has problems. B. Why is Wechat hot ? C. Wechat will get better in the future. D. Wechat in our daily lives. Answer: D. Wechat in our daily lives.
Stagnant scientific education endangers U.S. economic leadership, says a report by leading business and science figures. Released at a congressional meeting attended by senators and Congress members of both parties, the report updates a 2005 science education report that led to moves to double federal research funding. Nevertheless, the Rising Above the Gathering Stormreview finds little improvement in U.S. elementary and secondary technical education since then. "Our nation's future has worsened," concludes the report panel headed by former Lockheed chief Martin Norman Augustine. The report "paints a discouraging future for America if it were to continue on the _ path it has been following'': * U.S. K-12 education in mathematics and science ranks 48thworldwide. * 49%of U.S. adults don't know how long it takes for the Earth to circle the sun. Although US school achievement scores have stagnated, harming the economy as employers look elsewhere for competent workers, the report says that other nations have made gains. If the USA's students matched Finland's, for example, analysis suggests the US economy would grow 9%-16%. "The real point is that we have to have a well-educated workforce to create opportunities for young people," says Charles Vest,head of the National Academy of Engineering, a report sponsor. "Otherwise, we don't have a chance." "The current economic crisis makes the link between education and employment very clear,'' says Steven Newton of the National Center for Science Education in Oakland. In 2007, however, an analysis led by B. Lindsay Lowell of Georgetown University found that worries about US science education were overblown . It saw three times more science and engineering college graduates than job openings each year. Other reports have found top science and engineering students migrating to better-paying jobs in finance, law and medicine since the 1900s. What would be the best title for the passage? Poor science education harms US economy The Brown Bear My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking pictures of shore birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small, moving aimlessly. Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, "Dad! The bear is right behind us!" An agreesive bear will usually rush forward to frighten away its enemy but would suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back---- the sign of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally, probably because of hunger. I held my camera tripod in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across its mouth. It bit down and I found myself supporting its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long. Even so, this was a fight I had to win: I was all that stood between the bear and my family, who would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear. The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face; the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break. Drawing back my free hand, I struck the bear as hard as I could for five to six times. The bear opened its mouth and I grasped its fur, trying to push it away. I was actually wrestling with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back toward the forest, before returning for another attack----- The first time I felf panic. Apparently satisfied that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us could hardly have been better. I'm proud that my family reminded clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome. The writer and his family survived mainly due to their _ . calmness We use both words and body language to express our thoughts and opinions and to communicate with other people. We can learn about what a person is thinking by watching his or her body language. Words are important, but the way a person stands, folds his or her arms, or moves his or her hands can also give us information about his or her feelings. Just like spoken language, body language varies from culture to culture. Making eye contact --looking directly into someone's eyes -- is in some countries a way to show interest. In other countries, however, eye contact is rude or disrespectful. The gesture for Ok, making a circle with one's thumb and index finger, has different meanings in different cultures. In Japan, someone who sees another person making the gesture will think it means money. In France, a person seeing the same gesture will think it means zero. In Brazil and Germany, however, the gesture is rude. The thumbs-up gesture, meaning "great" or "good job" in the US is rude in Nigeria, but in Germany and Japan it means the number one. The "crazy" gesture, moving the index finger in a circle in front of the ear, means "you have a phone call" in Brazil. Even the gesture we use for "yes" and "no" are different around the world. In many countries, shaking one's head means "no", and nodding means "yes". In Bulgaria, parts of Greece, and Iran, however, the gestures have the opposite meaning. There are also differences as to how often we touch each other, how close we stand to someone we are talking to, and how we act when we meet or part. In some countries, for example, France and Russia, a visiting friend is greeted with a kiss on the check, in other countries people greet each other with a firm handshake, a loving hug, a bow or a simply a nod of the head. While there are many different interpretations of our body language, some gestures seem to be universal. Pressing one's palms together and resting one's head on the back of one's hand while closing the eyes as if sleeping means "I am tired." A good way of saying "I am full" is moving the hand in circles over the stomach after a meal. If a person pats his or her stomach before a meal, it usually means " I'm hungry." Perhaps the best example of universally understood body language is the smile. A smile can help us get through difficult situation and find friends in a world of strangers. A smile can open doors and tear down walls. It can be used to express almost any emotion. We can use a smile to apologise, to greet someone, to ask for help or to start a conversation. We can smile at ourselves in the mirror to make ourselves feel happier and stronger. And if we are feeling down or lonely, there is nothing better than to see the smiling face of a good friend. As a Chinese , if you are lost in Germany, without knowing German, you'd better---- to ask for help? smile It seemed like there were quarrels every evening.My children were always fighting over something.They never agreed on who had last washed the dishes,or who had last picked the,TV program.I was tired of constantly being a judge. One day,I thought over what my life was like before marriage.I recalled my high school days when the terms"Odd "day/and"Even"day meant something.My class schedule changed by turns between "O" days and"E"days.On O days I might attend Physics and Maths. And on E days I'd go to another elective class,such as First aid or Art. So I explained our new system to the children."Jolee,you were born first,"I said. "Is one an odd number or all even one?" "It's odd,Mom." "And A1,you arrived second.Is two odd or even?" "It's even,Mom." "Ok,so Jolee,from now on,every odd day is automatically your own special day.That means you get to pick what to watch,or which board game to play.Al,the same applies to you on even days." He thought about it a minute,then said,"But there are more odd days than even ones in some months.Jolee will get'her day'two times in a row when a month ends in 31,and the next one begins with a one." "True," I said,"but that also means she'11 be taking the smelly,disgusting rubbish out,washing the dishes,and doing other less-enjoyable things two more days in a row,and you won't.It's part of life's give-and-take." For the first few days after that,whenever one kid shouted,"Mom!"I'd just call out,"Whose day is it?"That settled it.Soon.the quarrelling ended. Ah,the complete joy of peace and quiet ! Which of the following statements is true according to the text? Both children have their privileges in turn. while passing Jupiter the stronger the gravity
Question: It was the end-of-year party. I had asked my mother to make us cookies. Mom's chocolate chips were the best. But two o'clock passed, and there was no sign of her. Most of the other mothers had come and gone, dropping off their cakes and chips. The party went on, but I wouldn't leave the window. The three o'clock bell soon took me away from my thoughts . I took my bag and walked out for home. The house was empty when I arrived. My heart was filled with anger . For the first time in my life, my mother had _ . I was lying on my bed when I heard her coming. "Robbie," she called out. "Where are you?" She was looking for me from room to room, but I kept silent. When she came into my room, I didn't move, "I'm so sorry," she said. "I got busy and forgot." She began to laugh. I couldn't believe it. I turned over and found that she wasn't laughing but crying. "I'm so sorry. I let my boy down." she cried like a little girl. I had never seen my mother cry. "It's OK, Mom," I said, "We didn't need those cookies. There was plenty of food to eat. Don't cry. It's all right." We held each other in a long hug . Why did my mother cry and say that she was sorry? A. Because she was too busy. B. Because she couldn't find me. C. Because she didn't support me. D. Because she needed those cookies. Answer: A Question: The economy has developed a lot while the Internet is still not fully used in China. A study shows that about two-thirds of typical Chinese Internet users use the computer for news, often entertainment-related, or for online games, music or movies, all can be downloaded for free. Most prefers messages to e-mail, seldom makes online shopping at all. Although they are now depending on the Internet more often than before to communicate with others who have the same professions, hobbies and political interests, online shopping still remains unpopular in China. Three-quarters of users surveyed have never bought anything over the Internet, and only 10 percent do shopping even once a month. Among those who do buy online, most pay for entertainment while others buy phone cards, or computer hardware or software. "Many people don't trust the quality of goods bought online," the researcher said, "If they buy it in a store and don't like it, they can easily bring it back." The survey was done in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Changsha. Results do not necessarily project countrywide because Internet use in the countryside is lower than in cities. The study showed that the typical netizens in the five cities are richer and more highly educated. Males make up two-thirds of the group, and more than 80 percent of users are under 24.Surprisingly, with the ages increase, the percentage decreases. China has more than 200 million people online, however, forty-two percent say they do not use search engines. Others seek entertainment news, as well as information useful for work or study on line. Baidu. com was used by half of those surveyed, compared with a quarter for Google, the leading search engine in the United States. Online purchases still remain unpopular in China mainly because _ . A. many people don't trust the quality of online goods because it is more difficult for sales returns B. most people haven't got computers C. people can't have a look at the goods D. goods bought online are of low quality Answer: A Question: In 50 years of traveling, Colin McCorpuodale has visited every country in the world except three. And everywhere he goes, he sends himself a postcard. He always chooses a postcard with beautiful scenery . Usually he writes just a short message to himself. However, he wrote an interesting story on his latest one, from the Malians Island. Mr. McCorpuodale lives in London. On one of the walls in his room, you can see a large map of the world. There are hundreds of little red pins stuck in it. "These pins mean a lot to me." says Mr. McCorpuodale, "I follow the rule. I'm allowed to stick one in only if I've been in a place for more than 24 hours." Naturally, Mr. McCorpuodale has his favorite places. New Zealand, he describes as "a wonderful country". About China, he says, "This is the country in the world which is completely different. There is no European influence." Wherever he goes, Mr. McCorpuodale takes with him a photo of his wife, a candle, a shirt with a secret pocket and a pen. So why does he do it? For the postcards or the travels? Mr. McCorpuodale laughs, "Neither. Only for the meaningful life." What did Mr. McCorpuodale write about on his latest postcard? A. Malians Island. B. An interesting story. C. Beautiful scenery. D. His favorite places. Answer: B Question: THE human face doesn't lie. We show sadness and happiness through our expressions. But exactly how many emotions can our face make?Scientists used to believe we had six basic facial expressions that tell others how we feel: sad, happy, surprised, fearful, angry and disgusted . But a new study shows that our faces can do more than we think. Scientists from Ohio State University found out that humans can actually make 21 different facial expressions after studying how people move their facial muscles. The scientists took pictures of 230 volunteers making faces in response to different cues .These cues included phrases like "you just got some great unexpected news", which produced a "happily surprised" reaction from volunteers. Other cues included "you smell a bad odor ", which caused "disgusted" faces. In total, around 5,000 pictures were taken of the volunteers. The scientists then studied similarities of these pictures using a computer expression database. _ helped them to define a facial expression. "That tells us that these 21 emotions are expressed in the same way by nearly everyone," said DrAleix Martinez to The Daily Telegraph. For example, to express surprise, 92 percent of volunteers widened their eyes and opened their mouth. And 99 percent raised their cheeks and smiled to show being happy. We are not always aware of our facial expressions, which can hold clues to how we really feel. So these results may have a big impact on medical treatment. If doctors were able to recognize more complex emotions, it would help doctors treat patients suffering from certain diseases. Scientists used to believe how many basic facial expressions that tell others how we feel? A. 21 B. 230 C. 92. D. 6 Answer: D Question: Peanuts to This Proudly reading my words,I glanced around the room,only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.Confused,I glanced toward my stonefaced teacher.Having no choice,I slowly raised the report I had slaved over,hoping to hide myself."What could be causing everyone to act this way?" Quickly,I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task.This was the first real task I received in my new school.It seemed simple:go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington.Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country,I had never heard of that name before.As I searched the name of this fellow,it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different!One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts,while the other led some sort of army across America.I stared at the screen,wondering which one my teacher meant.I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice:flip a coin.Heads--the commander,and tails--the peanut guy.Ah!Tails,my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter,George Washington Carver. Weeks later,standing before this unfriendly mass,I was totally lost.Oh well,I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, _ to find out what I had done wrong.As a classmate began his report,it all became clear,"My report is on George Washington,the man who started the American Revolution."The whole world became quiet!How could I know that she meant that George Washington? Obviously,my grade was awful.Heartbroken but fearless,I decided to turn this around.I talked to Miss Lancelot,but she insisted:No redos;no new grade.I felt that the punishment was not justified,and I believed I deserved a second chance.Consequently,I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year.Ten months later,that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster's office with my grandfather,now having an entirely different conversation.I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade.Justice is sweet! (2012*,B) What did the author's classmates think about his report? A. Controversial. B. Ridiculous. C. Boring. D. Puzzling. Answer: B
Which is an example of conduction? A a space heater turned on B water boiling on the stove C sunlight shining through the window D a metal spoon warming in a pot of hot soup Answer: D. a metal spoon warming in a pot of hot soup One bright and sunny day, I felt like fishing.So I packed what I needed...fishing stick, hooks , and worms for bait .When I reached the lake, I put a worm on the hook and threw the line in and waited for the fish to bite.I was disappointed when I did not catch anything after waiting for three hours.I pulled in the line.To my surprise, there was a small fish at the end of the line.The fish was so small that I did not feel any pulling on the line.I was even more surprised when the fish started to talk, "Let me go or I will turn you into a frog!" I was so worried that I just looked at it.The next moment, I was already a frog... "Help! Help!" I shouted loudly.When I woke up, I found I fell down the ground. When I went to fish, the weather is _ . A rainy B cloudy C nice D windy Answer: C. nice An extinct mountain goat that was once common in the Pyrenees became the first animal to be brought back from extinction. Researchers used frozen DNA to produce a clone, but the newborn kid died within minutes of birth due to breathing difficulties. The Pyrenean ibex is a type of mountain goat,which is believed to have died out completely in 2000. Before the death of the last known individual(a13-year-old female known as Celia), biologists took cells from her skin and ears. An earlier cloning attempt to use the skin cells failed. But the latest attempt involved the creation of 439 cloned embryos. Of these cloned embryos, 57 were put into the female domestic goats, but only one goat gave birth and the newborn cloned kid died after seven minutes as a result of lung disease. Researchers say that other cloned animals, including sheep, have been born with similar lung disease, but they say that overall the experiment was a major step forward in the effort to bring the ibex back to its mountain home. The leading researcher Jose Folch says, "the cloned kid was genetically like the ibex;in species such as the ibex,cloning is the only possibility to avoid its complete disappearance." The failure to produce a living clone from DNA that was frozen only a decade ago shows the difficulty researchers would face in trying to bring back species that have been extinct for decades or centuries. Researchers have had the idea of bringing back the Tasmanian tiger, which went extinct in 1936. There are, however, other species that have been seriously suggested for cloning,such as the giant panda, the African bongo antelope, the Sumatran tiger and the pygmy hippo. Supporters believe cloning provides hope of keeping these endangered animals alive before they die out. What's the best title for this passage? A Great advancement in cloning goats. B Difficulties in saving extinct animals. C Public concerns about cloning. D Cloning brought back an extinct species for a while. Answer: D. Cloning brought back an extinct species for a while. Bees can see wavelengths of only yellow, blue, and ultraviolet light. Many plant flowers consist of yellow, blue, and ultraviolet markings that are near the center of the flower. Which sentence describes which organisms benefit from this and explains why? A Only plants benefit, because bees are unable to reach a food source on the plant. B Only bees benefit, because flowers are damaged by bees. C Neither bees nor plants benefit, because it does not help either to reproduce. D Both bees and plants benefit, because bees find food and plants are aided in reproduction. Answer: D. Both bees and plants benefit, because bees find food and plants are aided in reproduction. The week after Jane's birthday, Barbara and Mary were away. Jane decided to have a late birthday party. She telephoned several friends. She asked some to bring records, some to bring food and others to bring something to drink. She rang another friend to see if she could borrow his record player. She herself bought some food and drink to get the party going. She took up all the carpets so that they could dance. She did not know whether Barbara and Mary would have approved , but as long as she was careful, she was sure that they would not mind. She warned the two people in the flat above and invited them down. "Oh, " said Jane, surprised. "What's all this about? " The first guests arrived soon after eight. The music was soon playing loudly and they started dancing. Some of Jane's friends brought other friends with them. As more and more people arrived,the noise increased. People started shouting at each other, so they turned the music up. This made it more difficult to hear each other above the music, so they shouted more loudly. At half past ten the bell rang. "Turn down the music!" someone shouted. "Someone probably called the police." When Jane opened the door, there was a policeman standing there. She started to apologize, "I'm sorry about all the noise, officer. But you see, it was my birthday last week and I'm having a party." "Never mind about that, miss. We're here because of something much more important." "Well, there's been a report of burglary . We think the thief may have come to your party, pretending to be a friend of someone here. " Why did people shout at each other at the party? A They got rather angry with each other. B They were very glad to make new friends. C They became too excited while dancing. D They couldn't hear each other because of the music. Answer: D. They couldn't hear each other because of the music.
BEIJING, July 21-More and more parents in Shanghai have found that their children are forgetting how to use Shanghai dialect to express themselves, according to a report in the city's Jiefang Daily on July 11, and some have begun forcing them to speak it at home. Language experts say that the promotion of Putonghua, and the large number of non-Shanghainese setting down in the city have meant that the local dialect has lost its previous high social status, according to the report. They have urged that the dialect be protected alongside Putonghua (also known as Mandarin), the nation's common tongue that has been systematically promoted since new China was founded in 1949. In their opinion, dialects carry and preserve local culture . They say that a dialect is not only a linguistic tool. But is also like a person's "birthmark" and part of their local identity and feeling of belonging. They recommended that TV and radio stations set up channels and programs using dialects , and that schools offer selective courses in which the dialects are taught. The experts also suggested that dialect be protected while maintaining high standards of Putonghua and a multicultural environment in the city. How long has Putonghua been promoted ? A 19 years. B 49 years. C More than half a century. D More than a century. Answer: C. More than half a century. Le Whif, an inhaler that allows chocolate lovers to meet their needs whenever they please without putting on weight, is to be released in British stores. The invention, called the world's first breathable food by its creators, let consumers suck in the taste of chocolate and coffee while taking on less than one calorie. Its makers claim it will enable dieters to enjoy their favorite snacks without worrying about their waistline. The lip-stick-style tube contains hundreds of milligrams of tiny food particles which are small enough to become conveyed by air, but too large to enter the lungs. Each Le Whif contains enough flavor about eight to ten whiffs and costs $1.99 on its own or $4.99 for a pack of three. The inhaler is available in chocolate, raspberry chocolate and mint chocolate models as well as coffee flavor, which gives a dose of caffeine equivalent to a small short of strong black coffee. It was invented by Prof. David Edwards. He said Le Whif was not designed to replace food but could be used to increase dining experience, such as allowing people to sample a variety of dishes from restaurant menus before ordering their meals He said, "In terms of living off whiffing we aren't even close to being there. But there clearly has been a revolution over the last few years where we are eating smaller amounts of food more frequently, and choosing food or its aesthetic pleasure. We will be launching new whiffing experiences probably every six months. It is reasonable to assume that the next line of whiffing products will be even more health-centered. The product that was released in Paris in 2009 and the initial production run of 25,000 inhalers were sold out within a month. It has since been made available across France and in the US. In Britain Le Whif is to be sold firstly in House of Fraser for a month, after which it could become more widely distributed. From the passage, we know that _ . A customers can buy Le Whif all over the world B Le Whif hasn't been made available in British stores C Le Whif can help to lose weight but is harmful to health D Le Whif contains hundreds of tiny food particles which are small enough to enter the lungs Answer: B. Le Whif hasn't been made available in British stores Why do we play sports?You might say "to get exercise"and you'd be right.To have fun? That's true,too.But there's more.In fact,there are at least 5 more reasons.According to the Women's Sports Foundation,girls who play sports get a lot more than just fit. Girls who play sports do better in school.You might think that playing sports will take up all your study time.But research shows that gilrs who play sports do better in school than those who don't.Exercise improves learning,memory,and concentration,which can give active girls an advantage in the classroom. Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goalsetting skills.Sports teach valuable life skills.When you work with coaches,trainers,and teammates to win games and achieve goals,you're learning how to be successful.Those skills will serve you well at work and in family life. Sports are good for a girl's health.In addition to being fit and keeping a healthy weight,girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke.And later in life,gilrs who exercise are less likely to get osteoporosis . Playing sports improves self-confidence.Girls who play sports feel better about themselves.Why?It builds confidence when you know you can practice,improve,and achieve your goals.Sports are also a feel-good activity because they help girls get in shape,keep a healthy weight,and make new friends. Exercise cuts the pressure.Playing sports can reduce stress and help you feel a little happier.How?The brain chemicals released during exercise improve a person's mood.Friends are another mood-lifter.And being on a team creates tight bonds between friends.It's good to know your teammates will support you--both on and off the field! How many reasons why we should play sports are mentioned in the passage? A 2 B 5 C 7 D 10 Answer: C. 7 The scientist from the Lockheed Space Company work in Felton, California, with the help of a computer. But the computer is placed in Sunnyside, about 80 kilometers away. What scientists input is sent by telephone lines to the computer, and after a time, copies of the designs are needed back in Felton as quickly as possible Lockheed people have tried several ways of sending the prints, but the most effective seems to be by pigeon. Are pigeons really used to carry messages in these days? They are, and they send the prints faster and cheaper than any other way. Human messengers are much more expensive and slower than the pigeons. The road to Felton goes through the mountains, and the driving is not easy. An electronic printout system could do the work in Felton, but at a cost of 10 dollars a print. Pigeons carry the designs for about 1 dollar each. Now Lockheed people have ten pigeon messengers. The pigeons do the work, and they have made Lockheed more famous. You can often read the news about pigeons in the newspapers around the world. Something that's effective _ . A usually costs more B is something that works C is often unhappy D is often done by animals Answer: B. is something that works When food is reduced in the stomach A the mind needs time to digest B take a second to digest what I said C nutrients are being deconstructed D reader's digest is a body of works Answer: C. nutrients are being deconstructed
Question: Not long ago, many doctors in the West laughed at the suggestion that they might learn something from traditional Asian systems of healing. Most of them thought that Asian herbal medicine and acupuncture were believed in only by simple people who knew no better. Western doctors relied mainly on chemical cures as the safest and surest way to treat illnesses. The scientific age of antibiotics , "miracle drugs" and heart transplants encouraged the public to believe that there must be a pill for every illness. It was true that often the drug companies provided what the public wanted: a speedy temporary cure and did not remove the real cause of the illness. Moreover, some people actually became ill through taking too much medicine. Many people in the West are now beginning to look for more natural cures for their illnesses and often they turn to the ancient wisdom of the East. There are some doctors in Britain now who offer their patients acupuncture treatment. Recently an Indian company which produces a natural medicine based on the biba root has sold some to Germany. The World Health Organization(WHO) encourages doctors not to rely too greatly on expensive Western medicines but to choose them carefully and also use their traditional herbal cures. The mixture of Eastern and Western medicine has been practiced very successfully in China. China is still the only country in the world where the traditional doctor using herbal medicine and acupuncture is as respected as the Western-trained doctor. Through China all types of doctors are expected to work together. Western-style doctors are required to take at least a one-year course in traditional medicine, and the acupunctures must also study the basics of western medicine. China's way of "having the best of both worlds" has greatly impressed many visiting doctors from the West. Experts from the WHO have decided that the time has come to study herbal medicine very carefully and to decide, by carefully controlled scientific experiments, what good these medicine might do. They are especially interested in finding cures for illnesses which Western medicine has found "incurable". Six WHO units have been set up in Hong Kong, Seoul, Sri Lanka, London and Chicago, and so far the results have been encouraging. What is the true reason for Western doctors to turn to the ancient wisdom of the East ? A. Herbal medicine is less expensive. B. Western medicines can't work very well in some areas. C. China has already set a good example of combining Eastern and Western medicines. D. All of the above. Answer: D Question: Green plants get the energy they need to make food from A. air B. sunlight C. water D. soil Answer: B Question: The Cuban iguana is a species of lizard of the iguana family. It is the largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards. This species with red eyes and a thick tail is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean. The Cuban iguana is primarily _ ; 95% of its diet consists of the leaves, flowers and fruits from as many as 30 plant species, including the seaside rock bush and various grasses. However, Cuban iguanas occasionally consume animal matter, and individuals have been observed eating the dead flesh of birds, fish and crabs, The researchers wrote that quite a few people on Isla Magueyes could have caused this incident. The Cuban iguana is distributed throughout the rocky southern coastal areas of mainland Cuba and its surrounding islands with a wild population booming on Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico. It is also found on the Cayman Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, where a separate subspecies occurs. Females guard their nest sites and often nest in sites half destroyed by Cuban crocodiles. To avoid the attack from them, the Cuban iguana often makes its home within or near prickly-pear cacti . In general the species is in decline, more quickly on the mainland than on the outlying islands. One of the reasons for their decline is habitat destruction caused by the over consuming of farm animals, housing development, and the building of tourist resorts on the beaches where the animals prefer to build their nests. Although the wild population is in decline, the numbers of iguanas have been sharply increased as a result of captive-breeding and other conservation programs. .How many reasons are mentioned for the habitat destruction? A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Five. Answer: B Question: Are you learning English and do you need help with grammar? Do you want to learn new vocabulary or slang ? Well, you can find help online with these top 5 free English as a Second Language websites. Dave's ESL Cafe This is a complete website that can help you learn and practice English. You can read many stories and do a lot of exercises to test your self. You c an also post questions and answers onto the help center. About.com You can get free English courses from About.com and you'll get regular e-mails that will help you learn English. The Classroom by Voice of America You can watch videos and listen to news stories to improve your listening and vocabulary skills. You can also hear English words and their meanings. Heinle's Newbury House Dictionary of American English Do you need to find the definition of a word? Use this online dictionary to find simple and clear definitions, as well as example sentences and idioms . You can also find different cultural facts. Perso nal English Portal on YouTube You can watch this series of videos on YouTube to develop your listening skills. You can also do a search for "learn English" on YouTube to find other videos. This is a good way to practice English and have fun. If you want to do English exercises and test yourself, you can go to _ . A. About.com B. YouTube C. Dave's ESL Cafe D. the Classroom by Voice of America Answer: C Question: Undoubtedly there are a few positive characters who are able to "rise above" their environment, who are able to impress the people with whom they come in contact in spite of their clothes. Sometimes we read of some learned woman, who has "made good in her profession," who says that she has not looked in a mirror for years; but such a woman is a rare exception, and one is not safe in gambling with one's chances of success by following her. It is not the positive characters with whom we are concerned, however, for they are few and somehow manage to take care of themselves. The vast majority of the race are not so blessed, and we need to observe but little to realize that with them the reaction of clothes is an important factor. School girls should know that clothes may make a career; happiness and leadership in all the years of high school and college life may be affected by the story a Freshman's clothes tell. Many a girl with a keen mind, who has a natural disregard for clothes, perhaps, or who has not been trained in the appreciation of beauty in clothes, has lost her opportunities for leadership and self-expression which by right her brain power should have given her. One of the mental capacities which we all exercise and yet exercise most unconsciously is that of passing judgment on the people we meet. In a majority of cases the judgment is superficial and inaccurate; but the estimate is made. Some people may not get their final judgment till they hear one talk and will judge one by the tone of voice and by what is said as the true index; but the vast majority will form an opinion based largely, if not entirely, on appearance. One tells the world daily of one's ideals, ambitions or good breeding through dress; and it is told so plainly that "he who runs may read" and, perhaps, he who reads may run. Which of the following can be the best title? A. Rise Above Your Environment B. He Who Runs May Read C. Dress to Impress D. Art of Dressing Answer: C

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