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Four pieces of News News Item 1 ChongQing--A man has received compensation of more than 130,000 yuan(US&15,662)for being wrongly convicted of murder and serving nearly seven years in jail.Tong Liqing,who is now 41,was jailed for killing his brother's maid.At his trial,Tong said he had admitted to the crime to escape further police beatings.His case attracted the attention of a local lawyer who spent six years finding evidence to prove Tong's innocence. News Item 2 Tokyo--An earthquake shook Tokyo on Wednesday but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.National broadcaster NHK said there was no danger of tidal waves.The earthquake measured a moderate 6.5 on the Richter scale.NHK said the epicenter was off the coast of the Kii peninsula in western Japan. News Item 3 Hong Kong--More women from the Chinese mainland intend to visit Hong Kong in search of Mr. Right after restrictions on travel to Hong Kong were eased.In the first seven months of this year,some 18,000 couples registered for marriage in Horn Kong.For one third of these newly married couples,husbands or wives were from Chinese mainland.According to the China News Service,local matchmaking agencies have recently received more inquiries from women who are from the mainland,wanting to meet well-educated men with a ly good income. News Item 4 Nanjing--A report that three kindergarten teachers knelt down before a South Korean couple to apologize,in Nanjing,of East China's Jiangsu Province,has triggered wide criticism. At a local kindergarten,a Chinese teacher frightened a South Korean child by saying she would cut off his fingers if he continued to make mischief.Although the kindergarten had apologized to the couple and dismissed the teacher surnamed Yang,the mother insisted that Yang should kneel down before her. Sheng Dalin,a columnist,wrote in the XINXI SHIBAO that it was enough to fire the teacher and make an apology to the couple,but the mother's request was beyond all reason. Excessive Apology may be a good title for_. News Item 4 Most Americans enjoy moving from place to place. For example, they often drive their cars 120 to 160 kilometres away just to have dinner with a friend or even fly to London or Paris just to watch a football match. In some states only one person in five lives in a place for more than five years. One may be born in one city, and go to school in another. He may finish his middle school in two or three cities, and then go to college far across the country. When he begins to work, he may possibly move from job to job. Moving from one job to another, which is called "job-hopping", can be seen in many places in the United States. Job-hopping does good to workers because every change of a job gives them a chance to get better pay. And job-hopping also gives bosses the chance to get new ideas and skills from him or her. Job-hopping means " _ ". changing jobs often Eye Facts There are many commonly held beliefs about eyesight that are not proven facts. For example, some people believe that wearing glasses too soon weakens the eyes. But there is no evidence to show that the structure of eyes is changed by wearing glasses at young age. Wearing the wrong glasses, however, can prove harmful. Studies show that for adults there is no danger, but children can develop loss of sight if they have glasses unsuitable for their eyes. We have all heard some of the common myths about how eyesight gets bad. Most people believe that reading in weak light causes poor eyesight, but that is untrue. Too little light makes the eyes work harder, so they do get tired and strained. Eyestrain also results from reading a lot, reading in bed, and watching too much television. However, although eyestrain may cause some pain or headaches, it does not damage eyesight in the long term. Another myth about eyes is that they can be replaced, or transplanted from one person to another. There are close to one million nerve fibers that connect the eyeball to the brain; as of yet, it is impossible to connect them all in a new person. Only certain parts of the eye can be replaced. But if we keep clearing up the myths and learning more about the eyes, someday a full transplant may be possible! This passage is mostly about _ . myths about eyesight If your family is thinking of getting a pet, consider adopting from an animal shelter. Animal shelters are full of dogs, cats, rabbits, and more animals, all in need of loving homes. Some may come with emotional or behavioral issues, but most are happy, healthy, and ready for a loving home. Here are some tips for you to find great animals. Make some decision. Think about what you want in a pet and remember that all pets have different personalities. Cats tend to be more independent and need less affection, but kittens need lots of attention. Cats don't need to be walked, but you need to clip their nails and play with them. Dogs need to be walked at the very least twice a day. However, they are usually great companions and love to spend time with their family. Visit the shelter. Set aside at least a few hours to visit shelters in your area--remember that you may need to visit more than one visit. Try to bring along everyone who will be living with a new pet. Ask the shelter staff lots of questions. And never adopt an animal because you feel sorry for it--be patient so you find a pet who is truly a good match for your family. Get everything ready. Buy all necessary supplies and food well before the animal comes home. Make sure that the entire household is in agreement about rules and responsibilities--will the dog be allowed on the couch? Who will clean the litter box? Put it in writing before the pet arrives. Bring your new friend home! You'll probably be excited when your new pet arrives, but be sure to give them space and time to get adjusted to a new home and a new family. The pet may act differently once they leave the shelter. Interact with your pet a lot and get them used to a routine, and soon you'll be one big happy family ! According to the article, which of the following statements is TRUE? Both cats and dogs are human's good partners. When I'm in trouble, I always take out a book and read quietly. I put my heart into it so that I'll forget all the troubles. I've formed the habit of reading in this way. When I was a little boy, I was interested in picture books and storybooks. When I was a middle school student, I began to read novels, plays, essays and so on. I found I could get much from them. Little by little I took great interest in literature and last term I won the first prize in the composition contest among middle school students in our city. Reading The Emperor's New Clothes, I had to let out a burst of laughter over his silly action. The Little Match Girl couldn't keep me from crying for her misery . Robinson Crusoe took me into a strange world full of danger. And I was also deeply impressed by Helen Keller's perseverance . Besides these, books also tell me other things -- how to be a brave man and how to tell the difference between the right and the wrong. In a word, good books can make me know what I didn't know before. So I think of good books as my best friends. I'll never forget this famous saying, "Good books are the best friends who never turn their backs upon us." What does the writer think of the emperor in the story The Emperor's New Clothes? Silly.
Being in an unfamiliar school can be frightening. If you start a new school, you'll have to worry about making friends. Here are some simple tips which help you make new friends more easily. Try speaking to the students you're sitting next to in class. As they're close by, it is easy to chat to them first. Try to speak to everyone in your class. You will study here for three years, so it helps if you get along well with them. If you don't have many friends in your class, try and make new friends in your neighbor classes. You can also chat to them at lunchtimes and after school. Join a lunchtime or afterschool club. You'll get to meet kids of all years that way. Ask your teacher to pair you With another student. Use your "celebrity status" ! Since you're the new person, you'll have got celebrity status, which you can use for a couple of weeks. Talk to classmates, remember to smile, and be open and friendly. Don't break in while your classmates are speaking. When your classmates talk to you, you should listen carefully and look at them in the eye to make them feel important. As you grow older, it's natural to make new friends and sometimes that means you begin to grow apart from your old friends. So try and make time for all your friends. But what if a friendship group is pushing you out? If this is happening to you, ask someone you're friendly with what has happened .If the friendship is hopeless, try to find new friends. To make your classmates feel that they are important to you, you can Answer: watch and listen to them carefully Hello! I'm Tom. This is a pencil box. It's orange. It's my pencil box. What's in the pencil box? A ruler is in the pencil box. It's my ruler. The ruler is blue and red. That is a pencil in my pencil box. It's black and white. It is not my pencil. Look! That girl is Lucy. It is her pencil. I find a green pen in the pencil box, too. It's Tim's. I call Tim at 759-631. It is his telephone number. _ things( ) are in the pencil box. Answer: 3 In 1986,when Carlo Petrini first coined the term "Slow Food," he organized locally in his native Italy to preserve the food and wine culture and protest fast food. Today, slow food has spread to 132 countries with over 85, 000 members, addressing worldwide issues like farmer equity and _ --the actions people take to respect the rights of all living things and all environments, to contribute to healthy and livable communities. Characterized by Slow Food International as "good, clean, and fair food," slow food must enrich the eaters' life,have no negative impact on human or environmental health,and compensate fairly for food producers' work. The average American meal travels about 1,500 miles to its final destination, with producing of food traveling by plane from overseas and other items shipped across the country. However,cost for food travel and heavy processing are not the only problems in the food industry that the environment faces. Industrial agriculture also has unsustainable practices like inefficient water use and decreased biodiversity. Our ideas in feeding ourselves are exceptional, but at various points our technologies come into conflict with nature's ways of doing things. A great many of the health and environmental problems created by our food system owe to our attempts to oversimplify natures complexities, at both the growing and the eating ends of our food chain. "Slowing" food, by purchasing locally and sustainably, allows consumers to reduce the impact of "food miles" and develop a closer relationship with their food producers." We need to change our food system," said David Prior, organizer of Slow Food Nation EatIn. "Our current food system is sick and we need to support farmers and agriculture to ensure that everyone has the right to nutritious food." Slow food's characteristic doesn't lie in _ . Answer: developing a loose relationship with food producers High school students need "cool" jobs in summer holidays. Working at popular retail chains and ice-cream shops are good choices. The U.S. Department of Labor says that about two-thirds of the teenager workers are in fast food business. 1/5 of cooks and food workers are between 16 and 19 years old and 2/5 of food workers are part-time workers. If you think taking a part-time job is easier, you are wrong. For young people, whatever you do, do your jobs well. Because a good work record will be useful for higher-paid jobs in the future. Let's share my story. Unless with my family members, I would go to eat fast food. That doesn't mean I don't like working in a fast food restaurant. My first part-time job, at age 16, was at the McDonald's in Bloomington, Indiana. It was very hard work. Especially on Indiana University football weekends, we had no time to rest, but we still had a lot of fun. Finally I got a higher-paid job. A future manager believes that difficult work encourages success. The growing U.S. population will bring more restaurants. While many people can't deal with the pressure to fill orders quickly, the people who really do a great job will get plenty of rewards in the workplace. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, _ . Answer: more than half of teenager workers are in fast food business A modern-day love story of a man seeing the girl of his dreams across a New York subway train and tracking her down over the Internet has failed to have a fairytale ending with the relationship over. For Web designer Patrick Moberg, then 21, from Brooklyn, it was love at first sight when he saw a woman on a Manthttan train last November. But he lost her in the crowd so he set up a website with a sketch picture to find her--www.Nygirlofmydreams.com. Unbelievably in a city of 8 million people, it only took Moberg 48 hours to find the woman, with his phone ringing non-stop and email box overflowing. New Yorkers took pity on the subway Romeo and joined his hunt. The mysterious girl was named as Camille Hayton, from Melbourne, Australia, who was working at the magazine Black Book and also lived in Brooklyn. One of her friends saw the sketched picture on the Web site and recognized her. But after finding each other, appearing on TV and getting international press, the couple took their romance out of the public eye, with Moberg closing down the Web site and with both refusing to make any more comments--until now. Hayton told Australian newspaper The Sunday Telegraph that she dated Moberg for about two months but it just didn't work out. "I say we dated for a while but now we're just friends," Hayton, now 23, told the newspaper. Hayton said she is still recognized about three times a week on the streets of Manhattan as "that girl" and the question is always the same: "So what happened?" "I think the situation was so intense that it linked us," she said, adding, "it linked us in a way that you could mistake, I guess, for being more romantic than it was. I don't know. But I wanted to give it a go so didn't wonder what if, what if?" Hayton told The Sunday Telegraph that she is enjoying single life in New York, keeping busy with acting classes, working in two clothing stores. Last week she had a small role as a waitress in the long-running daytime soap As the World Turns. "I just can't believe it happened. It feels like a long time ago," said Hayton. Moberg, however, was still refusing to comment on the relationship. The best title for this passage may be_. Answer: NY subway romance hits end
Which of the following gases do plants use in photosynthesis? Answer: carbon dioxide The following is a true story. It happened in a small village in Australia, where some dangerous animals live in the forest. Lisa, a 33-year-old mother, went to cook lunch in the kitchen, her 3-year-old son, Barney, playing by himself in the garden. Suddenly, a loud cry of Barney came into the mother's ears. Lisa rushed into the garden in a hurry and found a big snake entwining the little boy with its terrible body and trying to eat the boy. It was a boa . Lisa was _ and quite angry. She decided to save her son from the boa's mouth. It was great mother's love that made Lisa forget what she was facing. She took up a hoe from the ground and beat the boa as hard as she could. One...two...with the hoe, Lisa beat the boa time and time again, but useless. The little boy's voice and breath were getting weaker and weaker. Lisa's heart was broken and she got nearly mad. Suddenly Lisa put away the hoe and threw herself to the boa, opened her mouth and bit into the boa's back. The boa was so badly hurt that it let go of Barney and moved into the forest hurriedly. It had never known how a woman had such terrible sharp teeth. Soon the boa was found dead in the forest. It was great mother's love that saved the little boy. When she came into the garden, Lisa found _ . Answer: her son was in danger of losing his life The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina For the first time ever, two little fairy tale characters meet in one fun-filled, action-packed musical adventure. Trying to find their way in a great big world, Tom Thumb and Thumbelina join forces and face difficulties in a great journey to find their true home. Starring: Elijah Wood, Peter Gallagher Runtime: 1 hour 16 minutes Buy with 1 click Uptown Girls Carefree Molly Gunn loses her inheritance and must do something she's never done before---to get a job. She ends up as babysitter to an 8-year-old girl who teaches Molly to be a grownup, while Molly teaches her to be a kid. Starring: Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes Buy with 1 click Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story Based on a true story, the movie Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story is about the British author's rise to fame, from poor single mother to author of the popular Harry Potter books, and one of the wealthiest woman in the world. Starring: Poppy Montgomery, Emily Holmes Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes Buy with 1 click The Book Thief To everyone's excitement, Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson star in this moving film based on the bestseller about a girl who changes the lives of those around her in World War II Germany. Starring: Emily Watson, Geoffrey Rush Runtime: 2 hours 11 minutes Buy with 1 click Where can the passage be found? Answer: On the website. Not so long ago, most people didn't know who Shelly Ann Francis Pryce was going to become. She was just an average high school athlete. There was every indication that she was just another American teenager without much of a future. However, one person wants to change this. Stephen Francis observed then eighteen-year-old Shelly Ann as a track meet and was convinced that he had seen the beginning of true greatness. Her time were not exactly impressive, but even so, he seemed there was something trying to get out, something the other coaches had overlooked when they had assessed her and found her lacking. He decided to offer Shelly Ann a place in his very strict training seasons. Their cooperation quickly produced results, and a few year later at Jamaica's Olympic games in early 2008, Shelly Ann, who at that time only ranked number 70 in the world, beat Jamaica's unchallenged queen of the sprint . "Where did she come from?" asked an astonished sprinting world, before concluding that she must be one of those one-hit wonders that spring up from time to time, only to disappear again without signs. But Shelly Ann was to prove that she was anything but a one-hit wonder. At the Beijing Olympic she swept away any doubts about her ability to perform consistently by becoming the first Jamaican woman ever to win the 100 meters Olympic gold. She did it again one year on at the World Championship in Briton, becoming world champion with a time of 10.73--- the fourth record ever. Shelly-Ann is a little woman with a big smile. She has a mental toughness that did not come about by chance. Her journey to becoming the fastest woman on earth has been anything but smooth and effortless. She grew up in one of Jamaica's toughest inner-city communities known as Waterhouse, where she lived in a one-room apartment, sleeping four in a bed with her mother and two brothers. Waterhouse, one of the poorest communities in Jamaica, is a really violent and overpopulated place. Several of Shelly-Ann's friends and family were caught up in the killings; one of her cousins was shot dead only a few streets away from where she lived. Sometimes her family didn't have enough to eat. She ran at the school championships barefooted because she couldn't afford shoes. Her mother Maxime, one of a family of fourteen, had been an athlete herself as a young girl but, like so many other girls in Waterhouse, had to stop after she had her first baby. Maxime's early entry into the adult world with its responsibilities gave her the determination to ensure that her kids would not end up in Waterhouse's roundabout of poverty. One of the first things Maxime used to do with Shelly-Ann was taking her to the track, and she was ready to sacrifice everything. It didn't take long for Shelly-Ann to realize that sports could be her way out of Waterhouse. On a summer evening in Beijing in 2008, all those long, hard hours of work and commitment finally bore fruit. The barefoot kid who just a few years previously had been living in poverty, surrounded by criminals and violence, had written a new chapter in the history of sports. But Shelly-Ann's victory was far greater than that. The night she won Olympic gold in Beijing, the routine murders in Waterhouse and the drug wars in the neighbouring streets stopped. The dark cloud above one of the world's toughest criminal neighbourhoods simply disappeared for a few days. " I have so much fire burning for my country,"Shelly said. She plans to start a foundation for homeless children and wants to build a community centre in Waterhouse. She hopes to inspire the Jamaicans to lay down their weapons. She intends to fight to make it a woman's as well as a man's world. As Muhammad Ali puts it, " Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them. A desire, a dream, a vision." One of the things Shelly-Ann can be proud of is her understanding of this truth. What made Maxime decide to train her daughter on the track? Answer: Her wish to get Shelly-Ann out of poverty. Do you know Tai Ping Clothes Store? It's a great store. I like it very much. There are lots of things at a very good price in the store. They have sweaters in all colors for 50 yuan . They have bags for sports and school. They sell them for only 4 yuan. They have black T-shirts for only 20 yuan. They have long white socks for just 2 yuan. A red skirt is only 35 yuan. If you want to buy two, You will spend only 65 yuan. You buy many things, and then you will get lots of _ for free . And that's all. You can go to the store and see for yourself. Tina buys two red skirts and two pairs of white socks. She will spend _ . Answer: 69yuan
A child's birthday party doesn't have to be a _ ; it can be a basket of fun, according to Beth Anaclerio, an Evaston mother of two, ages 4 and 18 months. "Having a party at home usually requires a lot of running around on the part of the parents, and often the birthday boy or girl gets lost in wild excitement. But it really doesn't have to be that way," said Anaclerio. Last summer, Anaclerio and her friend Jill Carlisle, a Northbrook mother of a 2-year -old, founded a home party-planning business called "A Party in a Basket." Their goal is to help parents and children share in the fun part of party planning, like choosing the subject or making a cake, while they take care of everything. Drawing on their experiences as mothers, they have created 10 ready-to-use, home party packages. Everything a family needs to plan a party, except the cake and ice cream, is delivered to the home in a large basket. "Our parties are aimed for children 2 to 10, " Anaclerio said, "and they're very interactive and creative in that they build a sense of drama based on a subject. For example, at the Soda Shoppe party the guests become waiters and waitresses and build wonderful ice cream creations." The standard $ 200 package for eight children includes a basket filled with invitations, gifts, games and prizes, paper goods, a party planner and the like. For more information, call Anaclerio at 708-864-6584 or Carlisle at 708-205-9141. The most important idea behind the kind of party planning described here is that _ . Answer: it brings parents and children closer together Alan worked in an office in the city. He worked very hard and really wanted to take a holiday. He usually went to the seaside, but one day he saw an ad in a newspaper. "Enjoy country life. Spend a few weeks at Willow Farm. Good food, fresh air, horse riding, walking, fishing. Good prices ." "This sounds like a good idea," he thought. "I'll spend a month at Willow Farm. I'll enjoy horse riding, walking and fishing. They'll make a change from sitting by the seaside." Four days later he returned home. "What's wrong with Willow Farm?" his friend Jack asked him. "Didn't you enjoy country life?" "Country life was fine," Alan said, "but there was another problem ." "Oh, what?" "Well, the first day I was there a sheep died, and we had roast mutton for dinner." "Fresh meat is the best." "I know, but on the second day a cow died, and we had roast beef for dinner." "Lucky you!" "You don't understand," Alan said. "On the third day a pig died and we had roast pork for dinner." ' "A different roast every day," Jack said. "Let me finish," Alan said, "on the fourth day the farmer died and I didn't dare to stay for dinner!" Where did Alan work? He worked _ . ' Answer: in an office in a city Which of the following is likely to be true? Answer: thunder and lightning indicate a great chance of rain Where might you find the primary ingredient for making grilled rabbit in a spicy marinade? Answer: a spacious area mostly covered with trees and undergrowth What do scientists mean when they refer to a population? Answer: all the interbreeding members of a certain species in an ecosystem
During his college years, Rogers spent his summer holidays at an Idaho logging camp . When Roy, the manager, had to leave for a few days, he put Rogers in charge. "What if the workers refuse to follow my orders?" Rogers asked. He thought of Tony, a worker who was always giving the other men a hard time. "Fire them," Roy said. Then, as if reading Rogers' mind, he added, "I suppose you want to fire Tony if you get the chance. I'd feel bad about that. Tony is the most reliable worker I've ever had. I know he complains a lot, but he comes first and leaves last. There has not been an accident on the hill where he works for eight years." Rogers took over the manager's job the next day. He went to Tony and spoke to him, "Tony, did you know that I'm in charge today?" Tony didn't show any respect or interest. "I was going to fire you because you once gave me a hard time, but I want you to know I'm not," he told Tony, adding what Roy had said. When Rogers finished, tears streamed down Tony's face. That day Tony worked harder than ever before --and he smiled for the first time! Rogers went back to school after that summer. Twelve years later he met Tony again. He was in charge of one of the largest logging companies in the West. Rogers asked him how he managed to become so successful. Tony replied, "If it were not for that time you spoke to me back in Idaho, I would not be myself today. That one minute changed my whole life." Have you got one minute to appreciate someone? It can make a difference for a lifetime. Rogers changed his mind and didn't fire Tony because _ . A Tony smiled at him B he learned more about Tony's work C Roy didn't give him the power to fire anyone D Tony didn't give him a hard time anymore Answer: B Everyone takes drugs. Sometimes a drug might be called a herb but the effect is the same. Drugs and herbs can make life better for they are used to improve health. From the simplest headache to a cure for cancer, People believe that certain drugs can help them. But there is danger if the drugs are not used in a proper way. American teenagers sometimes use certain drugs to feel good. They call this "getting high". The problem is that once a young man or a young woman has the feeling of "getting high, they want to do it often. If school is boring or too hard, students might get depressed and a drug or herb might help them feel better. If a student takes too much of a drug, the body may change in a negative way such as a confused mind, poor vision, a headache, and an uncomfortable stomach. School mow have DARE programme which means Drug Abuse Resistance Education. This programme was started so that young students from age 10 to18 might understand how a drug affects their bodies. The main point of the programme is education. Once a student understands certain drugs can cause ill health, he will know he should not use them. Education is the key to good nutrition as well. If a student eats correctly, he or she will be full of energy which leads to good study habits and good grades. Poor nutrition may cause the need for more sleep and poor concentration. Proper food is similar to the proper use of drugs. Both allow a healthy body to grow while misuse prevents a person from developing normally. The author tends to tell us that _ . A drug abuse is a popular phenomenon B drug is actually a common medicine C good eating habits may help students keep from drugs D teenagers always need to seek for excitement Answer: C Second Life is a three-dimensional , online world in which computer users can crate a new self and live a different life . Second Life is one of the most popular new online games called " massively multiplayer online role playing games ." These games are also called MMOs , for short . But unlike the other MMOs, Second Life is not about winning or losing . Second Life technically a computer game . But people involved in it do not consider it a game because the players create everything . Second Life is more for socializing and creating communities . Users of Second Life are called residents . To take part , they must create an _ or an electronic image of themselves . Second Life world , residents live different versions of themselves . They build homes , run businesses , buy and sell things , work , play , and attend school . They even have relationships and get married . Second Life was created in two thousand three by Linden Lab in San inprefix = st1 /San Francisco,California. Linden Lab controls the Web site where the ever0vhanging world is being created . There are now about one million people around the world who are active in Second Life . The number has grown quickly since the beginning of the year when there were about one hundred thousand users . The average age of people involved with Second Life is about thirty . However ,. Linden Lab recently created Teen Second Life for younger users . Second Life has its own economy and its own money , calledLindendollars . Millions of dollars are made and spent each month in Second Life Users can enter Second Life free . But they must pay for a membership if they want to own land or buy and sell goods and services . Recently , several major companies have become involved with Second Life . They wanted to be part of the growing business world that exists within the made-up reality . The car makerToyota, music producer Sony BNG , and even Reuters news agency are among businesses now existing within Second Life . What's special about the game " Second Life "? A It's a game about losing and winning B It creates everything of life C It benefits ability of socialization and creativity D It is simply a popular game to kill time Answer: C Everyone needs friends.We all like to feel close to someone.It is nice to have a friend to talk,laugh and do things with.Surely,there are times when we need to be alone.We don't always want people around.But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend. No two people are just the same.Sometimes friends don't get along well.That doesn't mean that they no longer like each other.Most of the time they will make up and go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away.Then we feel very sad.We miss them very much.But we call them and write to them.It could be that we would neven see them again.And we can make new friends.It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend.Many people are named after men or women who have been friendly to people in a town.Some libraries are named this way.So are some schools.We think of these people when we go to these places. There is more good news for people who have friends.They live longer than people who don't.Why?It could be that they are happier.Being happy helps you stay well.Or it could be just knowing that someone cares.If someone cares about you,you take better care of yourself. Which of the following is not true according to the passage? A People are not happy when their friends leave them. B People can know their friends in different ways. C People will never see their friends after their friends move away. D People like their friends very much if they get to know them. Answer: C Mail lay scattered across the kitchen table. I couldn't put off sorting through it any longer. I checked the envelopes, putting aside the ones addressed to my husband. It had been over three years since Bob had died. To friends and family it looked like I had moved past the worst of my sorrow. I took care of my house, socialized and kept up with community. On the outside everything appeared to be normal. But inside I was anything but I worried I would never get better, never be myself again. They say sorrow has no set time limit, but I was so tired of feeling empty and hopeless. My sorrow was sharp and fresh as ever. It was like a wall of pressure in my chest, pressing my heart. I picked up a piece of Bob's mail and held it out to tear in half, but stopped myself from cutting up the envelope. The letter was from an organization that funded a Haitian orphanage called _ . Its founder, Carol Hawthorne, had given a presentation at our church. Bob and I had donated, and Bob ended up on the mailing list to receive the newsletter with updates on the children. I hadn't read one since Bob died. But just three months before, in January 2012, the country had been hit by a terrible earthquake. In my depressed state, it hadn't even occurred to me to wonder whether the orphanage had survived. I opened the newsletter and was surprised to find out that My Father's House was still standing. Of course now it was more crowded than ever. At the bottom of the page was an announcement about an upcoming trip to visit the orphanage in person. "I should go." The thought wouldn't leave me. I contacted Carol Hawthorne."What would I do if I go?" I asked."Build houses?" "The Haitian people there are eager to work and they know what they're doing," said Carol. "What they need are raw materials, and we provide them. We also visit with the children. We go to clinics and schools, pass out supplies. You'll be very busy, I promise!" I reserved a seat but didn't mention it to any of my friends. Just a few weeks later, I was at the airport with seven strangers, waiting to board a plane to Haiti. Even after takeoff I wasn't really sure of what I was doing. In Haiti we were met by Pastor Ronald Lefranc, the director of My Father's House. We piled into an old school bus and drove over uneven roads full of stones and mud. We passed women shaking under the weight of huge water buckets balanced on their heads. Piles of rubbish scattered across the landscape, and the land was covered with broken tents. Finally we pulled up to the orphanage. A crowd of children--52 in all--rushed up to greet us. I couldn't understand the words of the song they sang in Creole, but with the smiles on their faces I didn't need to. Each child planted a big kiss on my cheek. Carol and Pastor Ronald led us into the main building. "What are those over there?" I asked, pointing to a collection of thin tents. "Is there not enough room in the building for all the children?" "We have the room," said Pastor Ronald. "But many of these children came here after the earthquake. They still don't feel safe sleeping under a roof." There was no sign of fear in the playroom inside. I played dolls and other games. Children I'd just met presented me with pictures they'd drawn and letters written in Creole. In the evening the children gathered in the dining room. They took turns reading aloud and then they all joined in song. The words were strange, but the tune sounded familiar. They'd lost so much, yet were so joyful. In the evening the children gathered in the dining room. One of the older children stood up to speak and then they all joined in song. The words were strange, but the tune sounded familiar. The children settled down. In the silence, a quiet noise began. During the three years after her husband's death, the writer _ . A kept in close touch with friends and neighbors B just stayed at her home to take care of her house C forgot her unhappiness completely with busy work D lived in emptiness and hopelessness due to hardships Answer: A
It was a simple letter asking for a place to study at Scotland's oldest university which helped start a revolution in higher education. A 140-year-old letter written by a lady calling for her to be allowed to study medicine at St Andrews University has been discovered by researchers. Written by Sophia Jex-Blake in 1873, the seven-page document, which urged the university to allow women to study medicine at the institution, was released yesterday on International Women's Day. The document was discovered buried in the university archives by part-time history student Lis Smith, who is completing her PhD at St Andrews Institute of Scottish Historical Research. She said: "We knew that Sophia Jex-Blake and her supporters, in their effort to open up university medical education for women, had written to the Senatus Academicus at St Andrews in an attempt to gain permission to attend classes there, but we didn't know documentary evidence existed. While searching the archives for information about the university's higher certificate for women, I was astonished to come across what must be the very letter Jex-Blake wrote." In the letter, Sophia and her supporters offered to hire teachers or build suitable buildings for a medical school and to arrange for lectures to be delivered in the subjects not already covered at St Andrews. Although her letter was not successful, it eventually led to the establishment of the Ladies Literate in Arts at St Andrews, a distance-learning degree for women. The qualification, which ran from 1877 until the 1930s, gave women access to university education in the days before they were admitted as students. It was so popular that it survived long after women were admitted as full students to St Andrews in 1892. Ms Jex-Blake went on to help establish the London School of Medicine for Women in 1874. She was accepted by the University of Berne, where she was awarded a medical degree in January 1877. Eventually, she moved back to Edinburgh and opened her own practice. Sophia wrote a letter to St Andrews University because she wanted _ . to study medicine there Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life. Question: Could you introduce yourself first? Answer: My name is Misbah, 27 years old. I was born in a war-torn area. Right now I am a web designer. Q: What are your great memories? A: My parents used to take me to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields. For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long Those are my great memories. Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you? A: As life was hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family. I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age .However, it taught me to deal with problems _ . I learnt to be independent. Q: What changes would you like to make in your life? A: If I could change something in my life, I'd change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area. I would have loved to live with my family in freedom. Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn't matter as I can live with my family and we are safe. Q: How do you get along with your parents? A: My parents supported me until I came of age. I want to give back what I have got. That's my way. But I am working in another city. My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it. It filter out your emotion and leaves your voice only. My deepest feeling should be passed through sight ,hearing and touch. What did Misbah desire most in his childhood? Peace and freedom Olympic torch relay planned route Beijing, April 27--The Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay will cover the greatest area and include the largest number of people. The plans were announced on Thursday night. The planned route would last 130 days and travel 137 000 km. First Nobel Prize winner to donate to Hope School Chinanews, Beijing, May 10--Professor Dannel Chee Tsui, in the USA, signed the agreement to donate 350 000yuan to his home town to build a Hope Primary School in China. Bill Gates receives Tsinghua honorary doctorate Beijing,April 20--Bill Gates, chairman of global IT giant Microsoft, received an honorary doctorate when he visited China's famous Tsinghua University on Thursday. Big Shaolin kung fu center to be built in Russia Chinanews, Beijing, April 27--China and Russia have signed a letter of intent ( )on the building of a Shaolin kung fu center in Russia. It will be the first of its kind in Russia,and also the biggest overseas kung fu center when it is completed. What will be built in Russia according to the news? A Shaolin kung fu center. Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. And on Tuesday, August 23rd, witnesses say she seemed to sense the big earthquake that shook much of the East Coast before any humans knew what was going on. And she's not the only one. In the moments before the quake, an orangutan let out a loud call and then climbed to the top of her shelter. "It's very different from their normal call," said Brandie Smith, the zookeeper. "The lemurs (monkey-like animals of Madagascar) will sound an alarm call if they see or hear something highly unusual." But you can't see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can -- if you're an animal. "Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing," said Brandie Smith. "That's part of their special abilities. They're more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive." Primates weren't the only animals that seemed to sense the quake before it happened. One of the elephants made a warning sound. And a huge lizard ran quickly for _ . The flamingoes (a kind of bird) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped. So what kind of vibrations were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough says earthquakes produce two types of waves -- a weak "P" wave and then a much stronger "S" wave. The "P" stands for "primary". And the "S" stands for "secondary". She said she thinks the "P" wave might be what set the animals off. Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo's giant pandas didn't jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. "I'm not surprised at all," Smith said. According to Brandie Smith, _ . many animals' hearing is sharp It seems that people are gradually losing their smartness as smartphones become increasingly important assistants in their lives. As we rely too much on technology instead of our brains, many people have lost three basic abilities. The first skill many people have lost is remembering phone numbers. Because phone numbers are stored in smartphone contacts, there's now no need to dial a number or look at it again. _ And some people may also have lost their sense of direction because navigation apps can guide people anywhere they want. People get so dependent on them that when they can't use their smartphones, they get lost and anxious. But the worst lost skills may be social ones, meaning that some people are becoming socially inept People often bury themselves in their smartphones. As we're too absent-minded by what's happening in the virtual some of us have lost conversational skills and sometimes can't even distinguish whether a person is happy or not. Last August, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 51 students aged 11 and 12 who had over five hours' screen time every day. Their task was to tell the emotions of 48 pictures of faces that were happy, sad, angry or scared. The children made an average of 14. 02 mistakes at the beginning. But after a five-day camp without electronic products, they made only 9.41 mistakes on average. Luckily, people still have a chance to get these abilities back. You should try to keep your parents' numbers in mind for emergencies. You should also pay more attention to street signs and stores , which will help you to draw a mind map and stop you from getting lost. And the easiest solution to social skill loss is to take a break from electronic products. The passage mainly tells us that many people are _ losing some basic abilities because of using samrtphones
We can not live a modern life without traveling.The fastest way of traveling is by air.With a plane people can travel in one day to places which it took a month or more to get to a hundred years ago. Traveling by train is slower than by plane, but people can see the country when they are traveling through.Modern trains have comfortable seats and dinning-cars.They make even the longest journey enjoyable. Some people prefer to travel by sea when possible.There are large luxury liners or river boats.They are not as fast as trains or planes, but traveling by sea is a very pleasant way to spend a holiday. Many people like to travel by car.They can make their own timetable.They can travel hundreds of miles or only fifty miles a day, just as their wish.They can stop wherever they want to see something interesting or to enjoy a good meal at a good restaurant, or to spend the night at a hotel.That is why people choose traveling by car for pleasant trips, while they usually take trains or planes for business. When people travel on business, they usually take Answer: Researchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between races and rates of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and Native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese-Americans and Latinos. Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings. The eight-year research studied more than 180,000 people. They included present and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost 2,000 people in the study developed lung cancer. Researchers say genetics might help explain the racial and ethnic differences. There could be differences in how people's bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference. African-Americans and Latinos in the study are reported smoking the fewest cigarettes per day. Whites are the heaviest smokers. But the scientists point out that blacks have been reported to breathe cigarette smoke more deeply than white smokers. This could fill their lungs with more of the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer. Scientists know that some diseases effect different groups differently. And some drug companies have begun to develop racially targeted medicines. Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency called it "a step toward the promise of personalized medicine." Which of the following orders is from higher to lower risk of having lung cancer? Answer: Sometimes having a teenager at home can be a real headache. Many teenagers smoke, drink, wear strange hairdos and even fight. Basically, they are often taking risks. Earlier studies have shown that teenagers are more likely to make _ decisions than people from any other age group, including children and adults. Is it that teenagers are too young to tell right from wrong? Not really. So what explains their risky behavior? According to Laurence Steinberg, a professor at Temple University, US, the reason is that teens care a lot about how their peers view them - that's the effect of "peer influence", reported Science Daily. As children enter their teenage years, they spend more time with their friends and classmates and also become more sensitive to their feedback . This sensitivity drives teenagers to concentrate on the short-term benefits of making risky choices and overlook the costs. In a test, a group of teenagers were asked to play a video driving game. When they played with their friends watching, they took more chances and drove more carelessly because that would increase their possibility of winning. But when they played alone, they tended to drive more safely. Why does pressure from peers have such a big influence on teens' behavior? As Steinberg sees it, a teenager's brain is like a car with a good accelerator but a weak brake . The "accelerator", the brain's ability to notice the benefits of things, is fully developed by teenage years while the "brake", the brain part related to controlling impulses and long-term thinking, is still immature . When teens are under the pressure of being judged by their peers, they tend to push hard on the accelerator. Given how weak the brake is, it is likely that they are going to end up in a crash. But the good news here, according to Steinberg, is that a violent teenager doesn't necessarily become a violent adult. About two-thirds to three-quarters of violent youth grow out of it. "They get more self-controlled," Steinberg told Live Science. Also, people who haven't committed a violent crime by age 19 are less likely to start doing it later, added Steinberg. According to the text, with peers around them, teenagers tend to _ . Answer: Which food is a fruit? Answer: When you sit in the classroom, do you suddenly feel that summer flew by so quickly? I'm still thinking about taking walks in the park and meeting my friends at night. But I know that the school season is beginning. And homework, tests and routine all come with it. When I stay in my room and write my homework, I often look out of the window and look back at this summer. In the past two months of summer break, I spent many evenings in my backyard. I listened to my parents telling stories about their childhood. My brother caught fireflies . Once in a while, we made a barbecue and ate chicken and corn. Now I'm back to school. It's difficult to find time to do everything that I want to do, like dancing, reading, and sleeping. How I hope to have another break in my studies! I could read a fun book instead of the boring ones that we have to read for English class. Still, I should not feel sad. Summer gave me time to relax, good memories, laughter, and the experience of new friendships. But without school, I would never appreciate the happy moments in summer and the responsibilities that I have now. What's more, there are only 10 more months to go until summer comes again. And in the meantime, I can have lots of fun with my friends as we begin our high school experience together. How long should the writer spend before the next summer break comes? Answer:
Question: When I hear news of a warm front I make sure to bring A. game boy B. clocks C. guns D. waterproof appendage covers Answer: D Question: There is a girl. Her name is Chen Rong. She's a student in Grade Four at Jiajiao Primary School in Chongqing. Teachers and students all like her, because this eleven-year-old girl studies very well and she is very diligent . Every day she is the first one to come to the classroom and clean the classroom. At home Chen Rong is a filial girl. There's something wrong with her mother's eyes so Chen Rong cooks for her parents every morning. There's something with her father's left hand . After school Chen Rong works in the _ with him. She hasn't got time to play. She says she is her father's left hand and her mother's eyes. Which of the following is TRUE? A. There are three people in Cheng Rong's family. B. Chen Rong doesn't like cleaning the classroom. C. Chen Rong's father cooks for his family. D. Chen Rong never cooks for her family Answer: A Question: Tina was not like many of her classmates. She didn't listen to popular music or watch many movies, and she wasn't interested in nice clothes. When she got together with her friends, they wanted to listen to rock and pop music. When Tina asked if they would like to try classical music, they all looked at her strangely."Classical music is for old people, " one of her friends said. Tina was worried that something was wrong with her. She decided to talk to her father. As she entered his study , her father could feel something was wrong. "Dad, am I strange?" she asked her father."Of course not, " he answered. "Why do you ask that?" "Because I don't like the same things as my classmates do. They want to listen to Mariah Carey's music. I like Yo Yo Ma's." "I can understand, Tina, it's all right _ You don't have to copy what other people do. Everybody has different tastes. Some of them are popular, and others aren't. "After talking with her father, Tina felt better. She realized that being different made her special. It was an important lesson for her to learn. What can we learn from the passage? A. We don't have to be like others. B. Friends can say bad things sometimes. C. Classical music is better than pop music. D. Tina found a new friend. Answer: A Question: When you're returning to Australia, be careful that you don't bring in pests and diseases. Some items you might bring back from overseas can be pests and diseases that Australia doesn't have. When you return, declare all food, meat, fruits, plants, seeds, wooden souvenirs, animal or plant materials. Australia has strict quarantine laws and tough on-the-spot fines. Every piece of luggage is now screened or X-rayed. If you fail to declare any quarantine items, or if you make a false declaration, you will get caught. In addition to on-the-spot fines, you could be accused and fined more than $60, 000 and you may risk 10 years in prison. All international mail is also screened. Some products may require treatment to make them safe. Items that are restricted because of the risk of pests and diseases will be seized and destroyed by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service(AQIS). In many cases, the goods you declare will be returned to you after inspection. However, any item that presents a quarantine risk will be withheld . You will be given a range of options for each item depending on the quarantine risk: Treating the item to make it safe; Holding the item until an import permit is presented; Re-exporting the item; Destroying the item. Those treatments with the sign "*" are subject to fees. Further information: For more detailed information about bringing in food, animals, plants, animal or plant materials, call the AQIS at 1800-020-504. We can learn from the passage that _ . A. you can keep the item before an import permit is presented B. all products must be treated according to the AQIS C. not all treatments for your declared items are free D. travelers can sell their declared items Answer: C Question: Bonus culture has become the subject of many studies nowadays. Many people have been angered by the way some bankers and high officials seem to have been rewarded for failure. Others find the idea of offering many-million-dollar bonuses morally disgusting. But few have asked whether performance-related bonuses really do improve performance. The answer seems so obvious that even to ask the question can appear ridiculous. Indeed, in spite of all the complaints about them, financial encouragements continue to be introduced in more and more areas, from healthcare and public services to teaching and universities. So it may come as a shock to many to learn that paying for results can actually make people perform badly in many circumstances, and that the more you pay, the worse they perform. No one is arguing that bonuses can help companies and institutions attract and keep the best staff. Nor does anyone argue against the idea that you can encourage people to do specific tasks by linking payments to those tasks. Rather, the point is about how to get the best out of people. Do employees really perform better if you promise to pay them more for getting results? There are some obvious reasons why such payments can fail. It has been argued, for instance, that cash bonuses contributed to the financial crash, because traders had little enthusiasm to make sure that their companies enjoyed long-term survival. Most bonus projects are poorly designed, says Professor Malcolm Higgs. He thinks the reason is that organizations try to keep bonus arrangements simple. Nevertheless, he thinks bonus projects can work as long as they link the interests of individual employees with the long-term goals of a business. Bonuses can also encourage cheating. "Once you start making people's rewards dependent on outcomes rather than behaviors, the evidence is people will do whatever they can to get those outcomes," says Professor Edward Deci. "In many cases the high officials simply lied and cheated to make the stock price go up so they got huge bonuses." But the work of Deci and others suggests the problem with bonuses runs far deeper than poor design or cheating. In 1971, he asked students to solve puzzles, with some receiving cash prizes for doing well and others getting nothing. Deci found those offered cash were less likely to keep working on puzzles after they had done enough to get paid. These studies suggest that offering rewards can stop people doing things for the pure joy of it. This was the basis for a series of books by Kohn in which he argues that rewarding children, students and workers with grades, scholarships and other "bribes" leads to low-quality work in the long run. Those who believe in the power of bonuses fail to distinguish between inner drive and outside pressure -- wanting to do something because you like it for itself in contrast to doing something because you want the reward, Kohn says. "It's not just that these two are different, it's often that the more you reward people for doing something, the more their inner drive tends to decline." A "do this and get that" approach might improve performance in the short term, but over longer periods it will always fail, Kohn says. People who receive bonus will naturally play safe, become less creative, cooperate less and feel less valued, he adds. What's more, the studies also suggest that offering rewards can also stop people taking responsibility. Which do you think is the best title of the passage? A. What Is Bonus? B. Does Bonus Work? C. Why Bonus Offered? D. How Bonus Works? Answer: B
Safety and Security Procedures Your safety and the security of your personal property are of the primary concern to those of us who welcome you as our guest. We urge you to take advantage of the following suggestions. YOUR VEHICLE Lock it and don't leave money or valuable items inside. We are not responsible for their loss. TRAVELING Be good at noticing things around you when sightseeing or traveling. Stay in well-lit and heavily traveled areas. Don't display large amounts of cash. GUEST ROOM SECURITY For additional security use the deadbolt provided on your door and make sure the windows are locked. As an additional precautious measure, please secure the secondary locks provided. Do not admit anyone to your room without first making identification . A one-way viewer is provided in your door to assist with identification. If there is any doubt about the person's identity, please contact the Front Desk. SAFETY BOXES Do not leave money or valuables in your room or vehicle. We provide free safety boxes for your use. Hotel is not responsible for items left in the room valued over $200. KEYS Safeguard your key. Please do not leave it in the door. Do not give your key to others or leave it unattended. Please leave your key at the Front Desk when you check out. REPORTING Please report any suspicious activity, or safety concerns to management. FIRE Please familiarize yourself with the nearest fire exits. Report fire or smoke to the hotel guard. In the unlikely event of a fire, please move quickly and calmly to the nearest safe exit and leave the building. Avoid the use of elevator. Which of the following is TRUE? Answer: You'd better use the deadbolt and the secondary locks for safety. One day, around Christmas time, fishermen off the west coast of Peru started on their traditional fishing trip. Much to their surprise, there were no fish! They knew immediately what had happened. Tales from years gone by had told them this was the result of El Nino which sometimes stop fishing for many months! El Nino is a warm _ that comes and goes along the west coast of South America. It got its name from fishermen in Peru more than a century ago. Every few years, they noticed a sudden warming in the normally cool Pacific water where they fished. Because this warming often came about around Christmas, they called it El Nino, which is Spanish for the "Christ Child". Generally, El Nino occurs every three to seven years and lasts only a few weeks to a month or more. El Nino warms the water it flows through. Because the fish and sea birds need cold water to live, many of them die when El Nino comes through. El Nino also causes both floods and droughts. It is believed that El Nino may have caused the 1993 Mississippi and 1995 California floods. And at the same time, it may have caused droughts in South America, Africa and Australia. El Nino has occurred thirteen times within the last fifty years, bringing natural disasters to many countries such as Indonesia and Peru. However, El Nino does not often trouble China. During this period China was badly hit by El Nino only once. In 1998, North China had a terrible drought, while South China was troubled by floods. The purpose of this passage is _ . Answer: to let us know about El Nino He was 11 years old and went fishing every chance he got from the dock at his family's cabin on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake. On the day before the bass season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and perch with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused colored ripples in the sunset, then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake. When his pole doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. Finally, he very gingerly lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a perch . The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish. Then the father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 P.M.--- two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. "You'll have to put it back, son," he said. "Dad!" cried the boy. "There will be other fish," said his father. "Not as big as this one," cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could know everything by his father's clear voice that the decision could not be changed. He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water. The creature swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish. That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father's cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock. He was right. He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish---again and again---every time he comes up against a question of ethics . From the passage, we can learn _ . Answer: how we do things in good and right ways. Hungry for Change is part of a growing movement of people who want to stop _ throughout the world . They want to make certain that people in famine areas can protect themselves from the effects of future droughts . They also want to make certain that enough help is quickly available for emergencies in all parts of the world . Hungry for Change has helped to raise millions of pounds for famine relief . It has attracted a great deal of newspaper publicity for its relief work . It has also been successful in persuading the government in prefix = st1 /Britainto increase its aid budget by several million pounds and carry out new research into improved crops . While Hungry for Change works in Britain for an end to poverty and famine in the world , Oxfam is helping to get over the fear of famine in such countries as Ethiopia and Sudan with long-term development projects . In North West Darfur , Sudan , Oxfam is helping to increase food production . In Nile Province,Sudan, Oxfam is planting trees in order to provide fuel and shelter , and to protect the soil . It is a faraway area , where rainfall is poor and conditions for agriculture and the forests are difficult . In Arba Minch,Ethiopia, Oxfam is supporting a project to supply clean water to villages . Clean water will reduce the risk of diseases, especially among children . Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage ? Answer: Oxfam plans to improve agriculture in Sudanin a very short time . My name's Geoffrey Chaucer. It was 16thApril 1386, and I was in London at an inn in Southwark. Tomorrow I would go to Canterbury, to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket, together with twenty-nine other people. Before I say more, I want to tell you about some of the people with me. First there was a knight, a good man who fought well and knew many different countries. He was a true friend to everyone, and always helped people when they needed it. His clothes were old, dark, and dirty from many years of fighting. Then there was a businessman with an expensive hat on his head. The man, who looked wealthier than he truly was, always said, "I'm doing very well." A very quick thinker, he talked about ships and the sea a lot, and showed much interest in changing money from different countries. After the businessman came a franklin with a white beard. He asked people from near and far to visit him at home as he liked eating and drinking and having a good time with others. He was an important man, he knew right from wrong, and people listened to him. There was a woman from Bath. Her face was open, and nice-looking, but she couldn't hear very well. In her red dress, she was a big woman with a big smile and big teeth, laughing a lot and talking easily. She knew all about love. So there we were, all thirty of us, at the inn. The landlord, a tall fat man, brought us the best dinner in London. He would also join our journey tomorrow. After we finished eating, the landlord smiled, suggesting "We're going to Canterbury tomorrow, and that's four days from here. One by one, let's all tell a story on the road to make the time go quicker. And to the teller of the best story we can give a free dinner here at my inn when we get back. What do you say?" We all said "yes" happily to him. Then the question for us was: _ ? According to the text, Chaucer would probably arrive in Canterbury on _ . Answer: April 20th
It remains a curiosity and a bit of a historical mystery why we don't all drive on the same side of the road. The fact is that most people are right-handed; that's why, for much of history, drivers have stuck to the left. Ancient Romans using two-wheeled carriages are believed to have held the reins with their right hands and a whip with their left; to avoid whipping the near drivers, they favored the left-hand side the road. It's also easier for right-handers to get on a horse from the left, so riders were attracted to that side to avoid the near traffic as they climbed on and off. Finally, knights and the other drivers favored the left so they could do battle, if necessary, with their good hand. So why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there's no doubt Napoleon was a major influence. The French have used the right since the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, people in upper class drove their carriages on the left, forcing the _ to the right. During the violence, fearful rich people sought to mix with the peasantry by traveling on the right as well. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-handed conquest, like Great Britain, kept their left-handed tradition. Who had a major effect on "keep-right" traffic law? A. Ancient Romans B. Hitler C. Napoleon D. Austrians Answer: C Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history. Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the world forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger. Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more. Animals are more than just beautiful and interesting. They are more than just a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature . Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems. For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks , the farmers' stores of corn and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied quickly. Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger. Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animals or plants on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing. Animals are important to us mainly because _ . A. they give us a source of food B. they are beautiful and lovely C. they keep the balance of nature D. they give us a lot of pleasure Answer: C Elda, the aged mother of Alice and Barry, both adults, wished to employ a live-in companion so that she might continue to live in her own home. Elda, however, had only enough income to pay one-half of the companion's $2,000 monthly salary. Learning of their mother's plight, Alice and Barry agreed with each other in a signed writing that on the last day of January and each succeeding month during their mother's lifetime, each would give Elda $500. Elda then hired the companion. Alice and Barry made the agreed payments in January, February, and March. In April, however, Barry refused to make any payment and notified Alice and Elda that he would make no further payments. For this question only, assume that there is a valid contract between Alice and Barry and that Elda has declined to sue Barry. Will Alice succeed in an action against Barry in which she asks the court to order Barry to continue to make his payments to Elda under the terms of the Alice-Barry contract? A. Yes, because Alice's remedy at law is inadequate. B. Yes, because Alice's burden of supporting her mother will be increased if Barry does not contribute his share. C. No, because a court will not grant specific performance of a promise to pay money. D. No, because Barry's breach of contract has caused no economic harm to Alice. Answer: A NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares. Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly wipe out, the effect of painful memories. In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are wiped out. They are not sure to what degree people's memories are affected. The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it. Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories. "Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering." But those who are against the research say that maybe the pills can change people's memories and changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past. "All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were terrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist. We can infer from the passage that _ . A. people doubt the effects of the pills B. the pill will certainly stop people's emotional memories C. taking the pill will do harm to people's physical health D. the pill has already been produced and used by the public in America Answer: A Read the advertisements carefully. Then answer the questions that follow. INTERESTED IN CHILDCARE? Qualified person or preschool teacher needed for busy childcare center, south of the river. Full-time work guaranteed. Immediate start necessary. The candidate must be able to work as a co-operative team member, Phone 6345 2345 for an interview and fax resume to 6345 2346. WE NEED OFFICE CLEANERS! Three people are required for professional cleaning in the CBD area. Working hours from 5:00 p. m. on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. Approximately five hours per shift. A good record is necessary. Experience preferred. Phone 6345 7843 now. WANT TO WORK AS A DENTAL NURSE? This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified dental nurse with a confident and cheerful personality to work in the School Dental health Scheme. You must be able to get along well with children because work involves talking to groups about dental health practices. For further information, visit our website: _ And fax your resume to 6234 4567. FLORIST WANTED! Are you a creative and trained florist with at least two years of experience? Then this may be just what you are seeking. The city's leading Florist Artist Studio needs another part-time member on their wedding team. Please phone 6098 7888 now! Which of the following is the most important for the childcare job? A. Cooking skills. B. Childcare experience. C. The ability to start work in two weeks. D. The ability to work well with other people. Answer: D
Which two observations are both used to describe weather? A. precipitation and runoff B. temperature and sky conditions C. wind speed and erosion D. types of clouds and deposition Answer: B. temperature and sky conditions Bali Beach Resort has plenty of attractions. It is a holiday paradise . The self-styled 'Ultimate Island' certainly has plenty for everyone. Where in the world ? Bali is located just off the eastern edge of the main Indonesian island of Java. To the east is the neighboring island of Lombok. To the south of Bali lies the expanse of the Indian Ocean, while to the north is the Bali Sea. The most popular resort with holidaymakers is Ubud north of Sanur. When to go? Bali has a tropical climate year round with an average daily temperature of 31degC(87degCF). The wet season is between October and April. The dry season is between May and September, and is the busiest time to visit the island as travelers take advantage of the long hot days and little rain. Beach Bali has a string of beaches, mainly in the south of the island. Head away from Bali's beaches and a totally different world awaits you. Ubud is an easily accessible jungle resort town with a good range of hotels, shops and restaurants. The active volcano of Mount Batur is a highlight and so are the mountain lakes. Family fun All of the resorts have plenty of facilities for families. In Ubud there is a monkey park, where young ones can see monkeys that are not kept in tiny cages and an elephant park where holidaymakers can ride an elephant. Eating out All of Bali's holiday resorts offer international cooking to suit every tourist's taste, with most of the better hotels having excellent restaurants. Indonesian Bintang beer is very popular. Getting around There are a limited number of local buses. The other public transport is to take the local "bemo" minibuses. These colourful little minibuses speed around the winding roads with fares negotiated on board, so it helps to speak a little of the local language. There are also taxis and both electric bikes and cars can be hired. The least busy time to visit Bali is probably in _ . A. January and February B. April and May C. June and July D. September and October Answer: A. January and February Many people know the names Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. However, most people don't know the name of the man who invented the television, Philo Farnsworth. Philo Farnsworth was born in 1906 and grew up on a potato farm. As a boy, he loved to learn about science, and he read a lot of science books. When he was only thirteen years old, he drew a picture of a machine that could send pictures as radio sends sounds. He got the idea from the way the potatoes were planted in the field. The potatoes grew in long lines, side by side. This made a shape in Philo's mind. This shape helped Philo think of a way to send the TV picture onto a piece of glass. But he was poor, so Philo could not try to make his idea into a machine at that time. Later, Philo worked at many different jobs. He worked with trees. He worked on broken radios. He worked on trains. He also worked as a street cleaner. At last, two rich men heard about his idea for television, and they gave him the money to make it. On September 7th, 1927, they watched Philo test the machine he built. When Philo turned on the machine, a small line could be seen on the glass. Philo said, "There you have it, electric television." Later, a big company, RCA, said they had made the first television. Philo had to spend a lot of money on lawyers to fight them. Finally, he won. Then, World War Two started in 1939. During the war, Philo spent a lot of money helping the US army instead of _ his television company. After the war, other bigger, richer companies started making televisions. In the end, Philo had to sell his company. Why does the author mention Bell and Edison at the beginning of the text? A. To remember both of them. B. To prove their wisdom. C. To introduce the topic of the text. D. To explain their relationships. Answer: C. To introduce the topic of the text. What is it that makes a house a home ? A home is a place of companionship with people in it who love each other , who are harmonious and closer inside with one another than they are outside with those in the workplace or with classmates at school . A home is a place of companionship that it's difficult to leave. In a home there is love , sharing and appreciation , and the members help each other . I have seen families on the street. But if they live , sleep , talk , and eat together , they are a family, even if they are poorly off. You don't need a roof to make a home. The truly homeless are some of the rich people who build multi-million-dollar houses and are too busy to live in them . The truly homeless are those who have turned their home into a hotel lobby . The parents work. The children do wrong . They don't talk and eat together every day . They rarely see each other . The truly homeless people are _ with babysitters , caretakers , gardeners and maids. Parents are unaware , too busy making money outside the home that they don't live in . This is another way of looking at the rich and the homeless . Who is to be pitied ? Control of the computer and the Internet is also important to make a house into a home. If the computer is on all the time , the house turns into an office, even if everyone is at home . Many homes these days are just offices. Human communication has stopped . The computer eats up the time that one should be giving to others within the home . Using the computer moderately gives us time for gentleness , play and communication , not with a screen , but with a human being. Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage ? A. How to make a house a home B. What makes a house a home C. Who are homeless , the poor D. What's a home for Answer: B. What makes a house a home When Johnny Cash sings, people listen. His big, deep voice rumbles out of radios and juke-boxes across North America. His records sell by the million. Country-music fans everywhere, know his big hits. They love songs like "Hey Porter", "Ring of Fire", and "Folsom Prison Blue". Johnny Cash sings about a hundred concerts a year. People like what they hear--and what they see, too. Rugged and big-shouldered, the singer stands six-two without his black boots on. He's a two-hundred-pound package of muscle and talent. And that scar on his cheek? It's a bullet hole, of course! In the minds of most people, Johnny Cash is "Mr Tough( violent) Guy". He's an ex-drug addict who was once put in prison. His grandmother was an Indian. To keep from starving he once had to live on wild rabbits killed from forty feet away with a knife. Some people say he even killed a man. In fact, most of the Johnny Cash story is just that--a story. True, years ago he had a "drug habit "for a short time. He "popped" pills. But he never used heroin or other "hard "drugs. Sometimes he'd go wild and get locked up for a few hours. But he never served a prison sentence. There's no Indian blood in his veins. He's been a killer only in song. As for the "bullet hole", it's an old scar left by a doctor who opened a cyst . People who know Johnny Cash well say he's a "gentle guy", a "generous guy'--anything but a "tough guy". How did the stories get started? Some of them, like the story about the "Indian grandmother", he made up long ago to add excitement to his career. Others, like the "bullet hole" , simply got started. Now there's little the singer can do to change people's minds. "They just want to believe it," he says. In his private life, Johnny Cash is _ . . A. much wilder than he looks B. much smaller than he is on stage C. much tougher than he is in public D. much more gentle than most people suppose Answer: D. much more gentle than most people suppose
Can people change their skin color1 without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin color1. The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 percent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 percent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of science. Scientists have changed the color1 of a dark-striped zebrafish to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebrafish skin color1 is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanin . The number, size and darkness of melanin per pigment cell determine skin color1. It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation in the gene for melanin production. This results in less pigmented skin. However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebrafish genes. Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun , which can cause skin cancer. But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng. "Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin color1," said Cheng. The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin color1 without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson. ks5u Scientists have done an experiment on a dark-striped zebrafish in order to _ . A. find the different genes of humans' B. prove the humans' skin color1 is similar to that of zebrafish in its formation C. find out the reason why the Africans' skin color1 is dark D. find out the ways of changing people's skin color1 Answer: B. prove the humans' skin color1 is similar to that of zebrafish in its formation Hello, everyone. Because of the high rate of school violence in some areas, teenagers' safety becomes a serious problem. We are planning to set up an organization named School Watch to make sure that students have a safe school environment. Please be part of our plan! What is School Watch? School Watch is a volunteer project in our school. It helps us stop violence and improve the quality of school life. It will keep yourself and your schoolmates safe. The other members of School Watch care for you and your classroom, and you do the same for them. Is it for everyone? Anybody can become a member of School Watch because everyone has something to offer. What else can it do? School Watch makes it possible for us not only to help each other but also to make friends with each other. Some members may offer to help the schoolmates who have problems with their homework. Who is the School Watch? Our school will look for the School Watcher and give him or her lots of prizes. You could be the one! How do you start? To be part of this plan, the only thing you need to do is to talk to the director of the plan in your grade. You can check the official website _ if you want to get more information. School Watch can help its members _ . A. save the environment B. go to school on time C. improve the quality of school life D. organize the sports activities Answer: C. improve the quality of school life 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. Where does the driver go on the way to school? A. He goes to school. B. He goes to a washroom. C. He goes to a mall. D. He goes to a hospital. Answer: B. He goes to a washroom. Have you ever noticed how busy our roads are becoming? Every year more and more cars are using them. Already in such countries as America, almost every family has a car. Many accidents happen because cars are now made to travel very fast. Also, people waste time and money every day as long lines of cars move slowly into towns and cities. In most big towns it is very hard to find parking spaces. Wide, smooth , straight roads must be built now in place of the old and narrow roads. These roads must not pass through towns and cities. They must not be crossed by other roads. Today such roads are being built in many countries in the world. These roads have at least two lanes , one for slow-moving traffic and the other for fast-moving traffic. These roads do not pass through town and cities; horses and bikes are not allowed on them. Accidents do not usually happen. Cars can travel hundreds of miles without having to stop. But these modem roads often cannot be built in towns and cities. Before a road in a town can be made wider, many buildings have to be pulled down. Some people feel that more car-parks should be built outside a city, then the drivers should leave their cars and catch a bus or take a taxi to their offices. How are the new roads different from old roads? A. They have at least two lanes. B. They cross over one another. C. They have no fast cars. D. They pass through towns. Answer: A. They have at least two lanes. The rainbow lorikeet is a kind of parrot in the northeast of Australia. It is the most colorful and noisy bird in the world. The bird has green, orange, blue, red, yellow, purple and grey colors on its body. Rainbow lorikeets are small birds. They are usually 11 to 12 inches long and weigh 120g to 140g. It is said that they can live for over 20 years in the wild. They usually live in groups. At night, they sleep in the trees in a big group. But during the daytime, they move in much smaller groups (about 20 birds). Late in the evening, you can sometimes see a larger group flying back home. These birds spend a lot of time looking for food. Most of their food comes from trees, like flowers, nuts and fruit. But sometimes they eat insects. They can get water from the leaves that they eat or drink water directly. Rainbow lorikeets usually start to have families when they are around two years old. When they have baby birds, both the parents help to feed them. How many colors do rainbow lorikeets have? A. Four. B. Five. C. Six. D. Seven. Answer: D. Seven.
WASHINGTON -- President Obama brought together the leaders of Japan and South Korea to discuss cooperation on containing North Korea and its nuclear weapons programs. Japan and North Korea have had tense relations over unresolved issues, some of them dating back 100 years. The three leaders emphasized the importance of cooperation in dealing with North Korea. The meeting took place Tuesday in the Hague, after a twoday nuclear security summit. President Obama praised South Korean President Park Geunhye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for overcoming their differences to discuss a serious threat to regional peace. He emphasized the importance of cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue. Obama said the three discussed steps to deepen diplomatic and military cooperation, including joint military exercises and missile defense against Pyongyang. He said further discussions would take place next month, during his visits to Seoul and Tokyo. The South Korean president stressed the importance of a united response to North Korea, but also called on the North to choose a peaceful path. "I sincerely hope that this meeting will offer a chance for us to reconfirm our trilateral coordination and strengthen the cooperation on the nuclear front," said Park. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed. "Particularly it is extremely important that we were able to confirm close cooperation among Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea on the issue of North Korea, the three countries who would like to cooperate so that North Korea will be able to take a positive position with regard to nuclear and missile issue," said Abe. Japan and South Korea have several unresolved issues, including Japan's refusal to apologize again for crimes committed 70 years ago. Former U.S. diplomat Richard Armitage told an audience this week that painful historic injustices take a long time to heal, and that it is in Japan's interest to continue apologizing for as long as necessary. "There is a historical record of enormous generosity, achievement and respect for human rights and human freedom," said Armitage. According to the passage, what is the unsolved issue between Japan and Korea? Which type of organism would most likely benefit directly from increased levels of CO_{2}? Experts say the temperature in Eyjafjallajokull's hole appears to have fallen to 100C, meaning it is now producing steam, not magma . But officials warned that it was too early to say whether the eruption was over completely. Ash clouds from the volcano grounded thousands of flights last month. Steinunn Jakobsdottir, a geophysicist from the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told the BBC that the volcano was "kind of not active for the moment". "The history of the volcano is such that it calms down and then it gets energy again," she said. "There are still earthquakes under the volcano, and the small earthquake is still not quite down to what it was before the eruption." 'Difficult to say' Magnus Gudmundsson, of Iceland University, flew over the volcano on Sunday and said information from heat cameras showed the temperatures at the crater had fallen below 100C. But he told the AFP news agency that nothing was promised and that the previous eruption at the volcano had lasted 13 months, from 1821-23. "It stopped and started again several times with different intervals , so it's difficult to say, difficult to give a timeline," he said. He also said it was impossible to say whether the neighbouring Katla volcano - a much larger mountain - might also erupt. At the height of its activity, the volcano sent out huge clouds of ash, which led to airlines grounding their planes for fear it could _ plane engines. It was the biggest action of closing airspace in Europe since World War II, and affected at least 10 million passengers worldwide. What do expert think Eyjafjallajokull is like now? Close contacts between Japan and the rest of the world were created in the twentieth century. In the last forty years, business contacts between Japan and the West have become very important. Many foreign companies now have offices in Japan and Japanese businessmen do business around the world. Differences between Japanese and Western ways of doing business, however, often _ and make doing business in Japan difficult for foreigners. The American businessman, for example, wants to start talking business immediately. He does not want to wait. The Japanese businessman, on the other hand, likes to arrive at decisions after giving them serious thought. Another thing foreign businessmen have difficulty in understanding is when a Japanese means "Yes" or "No". This is because of cultural differences between Japanese and Western society , Which make it difficult for a Japanese to say "No" directly. In the USA, it is easy to say "No" to something one does not want to do. But in Japan, it is very difficult to say "No". To refuse an invitation or a request with "No" is felt to be impolite. It is thought to be selfish and unfriendly. So instead of saying "No" directly, the Japanese have developed many ways to avoid saying "No". These can help them avoid hurting other people's feelings. However, this often makes their ways of doing business rather difficult for foreigners to understand and follow. From the passage we can infer that _ . Are you afraid of moving up to senior high school? It is a completely new experience, but you shouldn't worry. We've put together a guide to help you. You are not alone Remember that everybody else in your grade is in the same boat. You may not notice it, but they are just as nervous as you are. Moving up to senior high school is a chance, not a problem. Things are different, and all you need to do is be polite and learn the new rules. The teachers will help If you don't know what to do or are worried about something, then ask for help. Teachers are probably the best people to turn to because they have experience in helping new students. Everything changes There are lots of differences between junior high school and senior high school. You will have your lessons with different teachers in different rooms. You will have homework for different subjects on different days, so make sure you get organized. Other points If you've got an elder brother or sister at senior high school, then ask them for advice. Be yourself! It sounds simple, but people will respond much better to you if you act naturally. Going to bed early makes a difference. You'll also find it easier to get up in the morning! The author says that you're not alone because other students _
This is Jim's room.It's a nice room.There are some pictures on the wall .There's a desk and a chair in his room.There is a sofa and a bookcase,too.The desk is between(......)the bed and the bookcase.His schoolbag and pencil box are on the desk.There are some pencils,a pen and a ruler in the pencil box.Jim's sofa is near the bookcase.His baseball is under the bed. Jim's pencil box is _ . Answer: Which animal lacks the ability to see by sensing light? Answer: The Man behind Blue Jeans Levi Strauss was born in 1829 in Bavaria,Germany. He was the fifth of six children. His father sold dry goods from door to door. (Dry goods include many different things; fabric , thread,scissors,combs,buttons,yarn,etc.) In 1845, his father died. All six children decided to go to the United States. Two of Strauss' bothers started a dry goods company in New York City. Strauss' sister Fanny and her husband started a similar business in San Francisco. Strauss decided to go to the southeastern part of the United States. For eight years, he walked along the country roads selling dry goods from door to door - just like his father in Bavaria. In 1853, Strauss decided to move to San Francisco.(At that time, thousands of people traveled to California to look for gold.)On the way to California, Strauss sold almost all of his dry goods. He had only one thing left-- some _ . In California, Strauss tried to sell the canvas to the gold miners . He said they could make tents from the canvas. But they weren't interested in canvas for tents. Strauss didn't know what to do with the canvas. Then, he had an idea. Strauss could see that the miners needed new pants. There were holes in their pants because the fabric wasn't strong. He decided to make the canvas into pants. They called them " _ ". Later, Strauss stopped using canvas and used a different fabric. It was a heavy cotton fabric-- the same kind people wear today. Levi Strauss died in 1902. He never married and left his money to his nephews. He left the world much more -- the jeans that so many people wear. Choose the right order of these happenings. Answer: transpiration happens in the leaves of what? Answer: I was fortunate enough to discover my love for flying when I was very young. Lucky that some things went my way: my eyesight, for example, was good enough to allow me to become a fighter pilot. And lucky that when I left the army, I found work as an airline pilot, when such jobs weren't plentiful. I still feel lucky, after all these years, to be able to follow my passion. The airline industry has its problems, and a lot of them can be troubling, but I still find purpose and satisfaction in flying. There's some freedom you feel when you're flying above the surface of the earth, no longer limited by gravity. Even at a thousand feet, you get a wider perspective. Problems that seem large down below feel smaller from that height, and smaller still by the time you reach thirty-five thousand feet. I love that flying is an intellectual challenge. If you change the angle of the nose by even one degree while traveling at a typical commercial airliner speed of seven miles a minute, it's enough to increase or decrease your rate of climb or descent by seven hundred feet per minute. I enjoy keeping track of all the calculations, staying aware of the weather conditions, working with a team while knowing closely what the plane can and cannot do. I like the challenge of that. I also like sharing my passion for flying. It's a disappointment to me that a lot of kids today aren't fascinated by flight. I've watched countless children walk past the plane without paying much attention; they're too focused on their video games or their iPods. When there are children who eagerly want a look inside "my office" at the front of the plane, it's so rewarding to see their excitement about something I care deeply about. If we aren't busy during boarding, the first officer and I enjoy inviting curious children to sit in our seats in the cockpit , ask questions, and let their parents take photos of them wearing a captain's hat. Being a pilot has a tangible end result that is beneficial to society. It feels good to take a planeload of 183 people where they need or want to go. My job is to reunite people with family and friends, to send them on vacations, to bring them to loved ones' funerals, to get them to their job interviews. By the end of a day, I feel as if I've accomplished something. All of them have their own stories, motivations, needs -- and helping them brings a rewarding feeling. This is what gets me ready for work, and one of the things I look forward to. What makes the author feel lucky is that _ . Answer:
Question: On any weekend throughout the year one can spend hours browsing through neighborhood flea markets.These are very popular for those who are in search of bargains and who have a keen eye for picking through what others have .They hunt and search for something they can reuse.Americans love secondhand merchandise which can be bought cheaply and restored to its original use.In many cases the condition and the quality are still good, though the style might be outdated. For some people searching through flea markets is a hobby which reaps rewards.They look for possible antiques among the items for sale or for old furniture which can be restored with a little care and used again.Many wise collectors often find rare items worth much more than their bargained price.Since prices are usually not fixed, if one is persistent a bargain can easily be struck.The owner may be selling a rare collectable and may not even be aware of its value.One of the great pleasures of shopping at such markets is the chance to bargain with the shop owner and settle for a price which one can afford and is willing to pay. Perhaps even more enjoyable than flea markets are the weekend outdoor garage sales which have now become very much a part of American culture.These are held usually in the spring and fall when the weather is still good.Usually a homeowner, having decided that he would like to clear his residence of accumulated items which are no longer useful to him, advertises in a local paper that he is holding a garage sale.More than likely the goods on display are in good condition and great buys can be found if one has the time and patience to search carefully.The home owner places items for sale on display along the driveway leading to his garage or on his front lawn and waits for people to look at what he has to sell.Old magazines, books, paintings, bicycles, ice-skates, items of clothing and electrical appliances of every sort appear on a regular basis.If the owner is in a position where he must sell his home or plans to move soon, then he may be forced to practically give things away at a price far below their true worth. When people shop at a flea market, how can they settle on a price? A. They can bargain on a price acceptable to both. B. They can question their value. C. They can expect a 50% discount. D. They can compare with the other sellers. Answer: A. They can bargain on a price acceptable to both. Question: A small boy at summer camp received a bag of cookies in the mail from his mother. He ate a few, and then put the rest under his bed. The next day, after lunch, he went to his tent to get a cookie. The box was gone. That afternoon a camp leader saw another boy sitting behind a tree. He was eating the stolen cookies! "That young man," he said to himself, "must be taught not to steal." He returned to the group and found the boy whose cookies had been stolen. "Billy," he said, "I know who stole your cookies. Will you help me teach him a lesson?" "Well, yes. But aren't you going to punish him?" asked the puzzled boy. "No, that would only make him hate you." the leader explained. "I want you to call your mother. Ask her to send you another box of cookies." The boy did so and soon received another box of cookies. "Now," said the leader, "the boy who stole your cookies is down by the lake. Go and share your cookies with him." "But he's the thief!" "I know, but try it--see what will happen." Half an hour later, the camp leader saw the two come up the hill, hand in hand. The boy who had stolen the cookies was trying to get the other to accept his toy knife. The other boy was just refusing the gift from his new friend. He said that a few cookies weren't that important anyway. After that, the boy who stole the cookies might _ . A. steal again B. hate Billy C. make friends with Billy D. give Billy a bag of cookies, too Answer: C. make friends with Billy Question: Walking home from work with a family friend, I found myself in a discussion about her daughter's going to college. It started with the mother telling me that she had no money to help her daughter go through college, which led the mother to push community college fiercely. She then started to say how she had been pushing "high-paying" fields on her daughter--doctor, engineer, lawyer, etc. When I asked her if that was what her daughter had interest in, she said no. I asked her what the point was to push her daughter into something that she didn't like, and she responded with, "I just want her to make a good fortune." After hearing her words, I would like to state that money is not everything. A high-paying job means nothing if you are miserable. I used to do a high-paid job, but it was very tiring and I had no time of my own. I didn't like it at all. Though the pay was good, I was not happy. So I'd like to tell parents, please do not force your children into a major or a career just because you think they are going to make a lot of money. They would feel terrible for taking that major or job just to comfort you. The worst part is the feeling of guilty when they decide to change that major to something they actually want or when they quit that job. Being a member of a generation who are willing to give ly everything to our kids, we know we just hope our children could live happy lives. Please do not force a career path on our children just because we think it is good for them. Give our children advice, but don't force them. The mother chose the fields for her daughter mainly because _ . A. her daughter really liked those fields B. she thought those fields were interesting C. those fields wouldn't cost much at college D. she considered them to be high-paying fields Answer: D. she considered them to be high-paying fields Question: Not long ago, people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life. Scientists note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other human beings. One study shows that babies can learn before they are born. The researchers placed a tape recorder on the stomach of a pregnant woman. Then, they played a recording of a short story. On the day the baby was born, the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device in the mouth of the newborn baby. The baby would hear the story if he moved his mouth one way. If the baby moved his mouth the other way, he would hear a different story. The researchers say the baby clearly liked the story he heard before he was born. They say the baby would move his mouth so he could hear the story again and again. Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children. Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers. The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children's activities and did not interfere unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression. The children of depressed women did not do as well in tests as the children of women who did not suffer from depression. The children of depressed women did poorly in tests of language skills and understanding what they hear. These children also were less cooperative and had more problems dealing with other people. The researchers noted that the sensitivity of the mothers was important to the intelligence development of their children. Children did better when their mothers were caring, even when they suffered from depression. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the factor that influences intelligence development in babies? A. The environment. B. Mother's sensitivity. C. Their peers D. Education before birth. Answer: C. Their peers Question: A man stayed in his house as a flood engulfed his town. Two men in a boat came to his house and offered to take him to safety. "No, thank you," said the man, "God will help me." As the waters rose, the man retreated to the second floor of his house. Now, two men in a motorboat came by and offered to rescue him. Again, the man refused, saying, "No, thank you. God will help me. " As the waters rose still higher, the man retreated again to the rooftop of his house. A plane came by, and someone inside it threw down a rope, urging the man to grab it and be pulled up into the airplane. Once more, the man declined and said, "No, thank you. God will help me. " Just then a powerful voice called out to the man, "You idiot! I sent you a boat, a motorboat and now a plane. What more do you want me to do?" Which of the following do you think is the best title for his passage _ . A. A Man in Floods B. God Will Help Me C. A Town in Floods D. Different Ways to Help People out of Water Answer: B. God Will Help Me
Mr Brown and Mr Green are in the garden. They are neighbours. Mr Green asks, "What's the matter?". Mr Brown says, "My house is too small! I want a big house!". Mr Green is very clever. He has a good idea. "Buy a dog!" says Mr Green. "A dog?" says Mr Brown. "That's a funny idea! Well, OK." So Mr Brown buys a dog. He puts it in the bedroom. "This dog is very big!" says Mr Brown. "And my bedroom is very small." The next day, Mr Brown is still sad. "My house is too small," says Mr Brown. "Buy a horse!" says Mr Green. So Mr Brown buys a horse. He puts it in the bathroom. Mr Brown says, "This horse is very big. And my bathroom is very small." Mr Brown is not happy. He says to the dog and horse, "Now go away!" After that, Mr Brown is very happy. "My house is not too small! My house is wonderful!" Which of the following is TRUE? A. Mr Brown is very clever. B. Mr Green has a small house. C. Finally Mr Green buys a new house. D. Mr Brown doesn't live far away from Mr Green. Answer: D. Mr Brown doesn't live far away from Mr Green. If you struggled to get up for work on Wednesdays, there could be a good reason--it is the day our mood reaches its lowest point. Monday has traditionally been thought of as the most depressing day of the week but according to psychologists, midweek gives more cause for concern in reality. Wednesday represented the lowest point in the week as people were furthest away from the weekend that has either just gone or is coming up and often feel too tired to go on with work. However, psychologists have found that, on average, people's moods remain about the same on each day throughout the week. To start their research, the University of Sydney scientists asked around 200 people what they thought their mood would be on each day of the week. Most said their worst moods were on Monday mornings and evenings but they became increasingly cheerful as the week went on, with their best moods falling on Friday and Saturday mornings and evenings. When asked why they believed that Friday and Saturday were best, respondents said they saw them as less-structured days when they could choose how to spend their time. The psychologists then asked a further 350 people how they felt each day. They found that, on average, people's moods remained about the same on each day throughout the week.Mondays were not as depressing as they had feared and Fridays and Saturdays were not as exciting as predicted. Professor Charles Areni, who led the study, said the day-of-the-week stereotypes stem from a cultural belief that people are generally happier when they are free to choose their activities compared to when they are engaged in paid work. In reality, he said, weekends do not often see moods change because they are frequently dominated by productive activities that may require large amounts of energy and begin to feel tired like work. "Day-of-the-week stereotypes like Monday morning blues and Thank God It's Friday are largely illusions," he said. People don't like Wednesday because _ . A. work seems to be endless on Wednesday B. it is the most-structured day of a week C. they have just had their weekend D. weekend is still a couple of days' away Answer: D. weekend is still a couple of days' away By taking a few simple techniques, parents who read to their children can greatly develop their children's language skills.It is surprising but true.How parents talk to their children makes a big difference in the children''s language development.If a parent encourages the child to actively respond to what the parent is reading.the child's language skills increase. A study was done with 30 three-year-old children and their parents.Half of the children took part in the experimental study;the other half acted as the control group.In the experimental group,the parents were given a two-hour training and they were taught to ask open-ended questions rather than yes-or-no questions.For example,the parent should ask,"What is the doggie doing?" rather than "Is the doggie running away?" The patents in the experimental group were also instructed in how to help children find answers,how to suggest different possibilities and how to praise correct answers. At the beginning of the study,the children did not differ in measures of language development,but at the end of one month,the children in the experimental group showed 5.5 months ahead of the control group on a test of expression and vocabulary.Nine months later,the children in the experimental group still showed an advance of 6 months over the children in the control group. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage? A. Children who talk a lot are more intelligent B. Parents who listen to their children can teach them more. C. Active children should read more and be given more attention. D. The power of speech can easily he developed using proper methods Answer: D. The power of speech can easily he developed using proper methods "The world's oceans are slowly getting more acidic." say scientists. The researchers from California report that the change is taking place in response to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The lowering of the waters' PH value is not great at the moment but could cause a serious threat to current ocean life if it continues, they warn. Ken Caldeira and Michael Wickett, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, report their concerns in the journal Nature. Increasing use of oil fuels means more carbon dioxide is going into the air, and most of it will eventually be absorbed by seawater. Once in the water, it reacts to form carbonic acid. Scientists believe that the oceans have already become slightly more acidic over the last century. These researchers have tried to predict what will happen in the future by combining what we know about the history of the oceans with computer models of climate change. "This level of acidity will get much more extreme in the future if we continue releasing CO2into the atmosphere," said Dr Caldeira. "And we predict the amount of future acidity will exceed anything we have seen over the last several hundred million years." However, it is not ly clear what that means for ocean life. Most organisms live near the surface, where the greatest PH change would be expected to occur, but deep-ocean life forms may be more sensitive to PH changes.Coral reefs and other organisms whose shells contain calcium carbonate may be affected if the water's acidity levels keep going up, the team predict. In recent years some people have suggested storing carbon dioxide from power stations in the deep ocean as a way of dealing with global warming.But Dr Caldeira said that such a strategy should now be re-considered. "Previously, most experts had looked at ocean absorption of carbon dioxide as a good thingbecause in releasing CO2into the atmosphere we warm the planet, and when CO2, is absorbed by the ocean, it reduces the amount of greenhouse warming." The ocean is becoming more acidic due to _ . A. the lower water PH value B. the warming atmosphere C. the higher level of CO2in the air D. the increasing use of fuels Answer: C. the higher level of CO2in the air Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries.These satellitebased systems provide turnbyturn directions to help people get to where they want to go.However,they can also cause a lot of problems,send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost.Many times,the driver is to blame.Sometimes a GPS error is responsible.Most often,says Barry Brown,it is a combination of the two. Barry Brown is with the Mobile Life Centre in Stockholm,Sweden.He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States.There he borrowed a GPSequipped car to use during his stay.Mr Brown says,"They just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination.And,then it wasn't until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived.They actually put their home address in.So again,the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'." Mr Brown says this is a common human error,but what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings,or failures,of GPS equipment.He says,"One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn.Because they just give you the next turn,sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it's going to the wrong place." Mr Brown says,"One of the things that struck us,perhaps the most important thing was that you have to know what you're doing when you use a GPS.There are these new skills that people have developed.There are these new competencies that you need to have to be able to use a GPS because they sometimes go wrong.This goes against a common belief that GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational skills." Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers,passengers and GPS systems work together. What's the main idea of the text? A. GPS systems are helpful for drivers. B. Driving with GPS can be difficult to navigate . C. Drivers should understand how GPS systems work. D. Drivers should learn to use GPS systems correctly. Answer: B. Driving with GPS can be difficult to navigate .
Life on earth depends on water, and there is no substitute for it. The current assumption is that our basic needs for water--whether for drinking, agriculture, industry or the raising of fish--will always have to be met. Given this premise , there are two basic routes we can go; more equal access to water or better engineering solutions. Look at the engineering solutions first. A lot of my research concentrates on what happens to wetlands when you build dams in river basins, particularly in Africa. The ecology of such areas is almost entirely driven by the seasonal changes of the river--the pulse of the water. And the fact is that if you build a dam, you generally spoil the downstream ecology. In the past, such problems have been hidden by a lack of information. But in the near future, governments will have no excuses for their ignorance. The engineers' ability to control water flows has created new kinds of unpredictability, too. Dams in Africa have meant fewer fish, less grazing and less floodplain agriculture, none of which were expected. And there average economic life is assumed to be thirty years. Dams don't exist forever, but what will replace them is not clear. The challenge for the future is to find new means of controlling water. Although GM technology will allow us to breed better dry-land crops, there is no market for companies to develop crops suitable for the micro-climates of the Sahel and elsewhere in Africa. Who is going to pay for research on locally appropriate crops in the Third World? The last sentence probably implies that _ . A. No one will invest in developing locally appropriate crops in Africa B. Researchers have no interest in developing dry-land crops C. Research on locally appropriate crops in the Third World may be profitable D. There is less water resource in the Third World Answer: A German academics believe they have solved the centuries-old mystery of the "Mona Lisa" in Leonardo ad Vinci's famous portrait . Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant, Francesco del Giocondo, has long been seen as the most likely model for the sixteenth-century painting. Art historians have wondered whether the smiling woman may actually have been da Vinci's lover or mother, or the artist himself. Now experts at the prefix = st1 /HeidelbergUniversitylibrary say old notes made in a book by its owner in October, 1503, confirm that Lisa del Giocondo was indeed the model for the famous portrait in the world. "All doubts about the identity of the Mona Lisa have been removed by a discovery by Dr. Armin Schlechter," the library said in a statement on Monday. "Until then, only 'scant evidence' from sixteenth-century documents had been available. These had left lots of room for doubt, and many different identities were put forward." The comments compare Leonardo to the ancient Greek artist Apelles, and say he was working on three paintings at that time, one of which was a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo. Art experts say the Heidelbergdiscovery is a break-through, and the earliest mention linking the merchant's wife to the portrait. Before this discovery the earliest link dated from around 1550, and was made by Italian official Giorgio Vasari, the library said, adding that there had been doubts about Vasari's reliability. The Heidelbergnotes were actually discovered over two year's ago in the library by Schlechter, a spokeswoman said. Although the findings were published in the library's catalogue, they were not widely publicized, and received little attention until a German broadcaster decided to do some recording there, she said. What is the model for the "Mona Lisa", according to experts at the library? A. Lisa Gherardini. B. Francesco del Giocondo. C. da Vinci's lover. D. da Vinci's mother. Answer: A On Tuesday, Apple' CEO, Tim Cook, announced the Apple Watch. It is like a normal watch, but it can do all the things a mobile phone does -- and more. At US $349, the Apple Watch is expensive. _ However, it seems that it will open another door for the use of computers. The watch taps you whenever a new message comes in. It prepares answers to questions you receive from friends. It checks your health. "It's the most personal product we've ever made," Cook said. If the Apple Watch becomes popular, it will change the way the world communicates with computers. "It might not only be a change for Apple, but for the whole industry," says technology expert, Daniel Ives. How does it work? The Apple Watch has a speaker that users can both hear and feel. You can press the side button to communicate with people quickly and easily. The Apple Watch also introduces health and fitness apps that can help people lead healthier lives. You can try it. According to Matt Vella, a writer for TIME magazine, the watch is "the most thrilling product since the iPad." After actually trying the watch, he says: " There's a lot we don't know about the Apple Watch. How long will its battery last? How exactly will it connect with the iPhone? But wearing the watch answers some other questions. It is very comfortable. You can easily forget you are wearing the Apple Watch." Who is Tim Cook according to the passage? A. An officer . B. An editor. C. A writer. D. A teacher. Answer: A In England, we look forward to our birthdays for 364 days a year! We invite special people to celebrate it with us. The Presents Presents are opened as soon as the children are awake. They can't wait for the birthday cake later in the day! The Cards Friends and family send birthday cards. Sending birthday cards is a custom that began in England about 100 years ago. The Party The birthday child will have a party to which friends and family are invited. Visitors to the party bring presents for the birthday child. The children play games such as musical chairs and pass the parcel . The Cake The birthday cake is decorated on a theme . A candle for each year is lit and placed on top and the child blows out the candles making a wish. We don't put objects inside the cake as stated on many websites. The Bumps It used to be traditional for the birthday child to have the bumps. Friends would hold the child by the legs and under the arms and lift the child up and down bumping them gently on the ground. The number of bumps given is the age of the child plus one for extra good luck. As this can be dangerous, clapping is often done instead. The Sweets Some children do take sweets to school to share with their classmates on their birthdays. If Alice is celebrating her 7th birthday, how many bumps will she be given? A. Six. B. Seven. C. Eight. D. Nine. Answer: C Good morning, everyone! I'm Miss Li. I am an English teacher. There are 24 boys and 22 girls in my class. This is Betty. She's an American girl. She likes football. This is Tony. He is an English boy. He likes basketball. His favourite day is Saturday and yellow is his favourite colour. He likes spring because it's warm. This is Li Daming. He's Chinese and he likes table tennis. White is his favourite colour. He likes flowers and flying kites in spring, so spring is his favourite season. Miss Li is _ . A. a worker B. a student C. a teacher D. a doctor Answer: C
Question: (Happy Children's Day!) Come and see the Indian elephants and the tigers from America. The bears are waiting to meet you, and the monkeys from Thailand are waiting to throw things at you. The lovely dogs from Australia are waiting to laugh at you, and the giraffes from Zambia are waiting to look down on you. Tickets: Adults: Y=60, Children: free Time: June1-June2 9:00 a.m.-----7:00 p. m Keep the park clean! Do not touch, give food or go near the animals. Visitors can't _ . A. give some food to the tigers B. watch the bears playing games C. laugh at the dogs from Australia D. take some pictures Answer: A. give some food to the tigers Question: As society advances and basic needs are most often being met, things that were not considered important in the past have taken priority . In the past, people could easily get a job and progress pretty well, as long as they were hard-working; education was important but not as crucial as it is today. Nowadays, just as clothes are important to first impressions, degree is important to a person's first job interview or even a job with a good salary. Although experience is important to survive in any trade or profession, the first thing that companies look for is that piece of paper before looking at one's experience. A passport into the world of any profession is what having a degree means today, especially for professions that have need of certification and pay well, such as architects, doctors, lawyers, and teachers. That piece of paper, the degree, is also a passport to jobs in top or middle management in any company, especially so for multi-national corporations . Having a degree opens up opportunities that one would not have had if one did not have any kind of degree. A degree simply proves that one has gone through the necessary training and understanding of how to carry out a job. Although there are many that may say having a degree may not necessarily equal to success, _ would most definitely help any person achieve success in shorter and easier steps. Success cannot simply be a result of hard work and/or depending on one's experience or degree alone; it is the art and knowledge of how to work that determines one's success. Therefore, it should not be for the sake to get a degree, but the quality of the degree and experiences that one can learn from that matter as well. What would be the best title for this passage? A. People used to be hard-working B. How important is the degree? C. How can we enter the top management? D. Degree surely leads to success Answer: B. How important is the degree? Question: 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. " When did Jane have the party? A. On her birthday. B. After her birthday. C. Before Barbara and Mary left. D. As soon as she telephone her friends. Answer: B. After her birthday. Question: Invisible ink has fascinated kids for generations. You might think that it would be difficult to make, but it's not. All you'll need for this experient is some milk; some white paper; a clean cotton swab or small, clean paintbrush; the kitchen stove; and help from an adult. The most difficult part of this mini-project is choosing the message that you'll write with your invisible ink. Maybe you'll want to pretend that you're a spy on a secret mission, writing messages that would lead to big, big trouble if they were discovered. Choose your words carefully. All you need to do is, using the brush of cotton swab, write your message with milk on the paper. Don't use a lot of milk and soak the paper. Use just enough to make a thin coating. Once you've finished writing, ask the adult who's helping you to turn on the kitchen stove to a low heat. Very carefully, using kitchen mitts ,hold the paper about a foot above the warm burner. If you don't see results, you may have to make the burner a little hotter. Do not, however, hold the paper low over the burner. As the paper heats up, your message will become brown and you'll be able to see what was written. You want to know why? It's because chemical compounds in the milk have a low burning point. When the paper gets warm, those compounds will heat up and trun brown, while the paper will be unaffected. You also can try this experiment with other liquids, such as orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, and apple juice. Just be sure to follow all safety rules and have an adult around to help you. This passage is intended for_. A. adults B. people C. teachers D. children Answer: D. children Question: little balls of H2O on the inside of a closed window came from A. rain B. condensed water C. snow D. ice cream Answer: B. condensed water
On Tuesday, Apple' CEO, Tim Cook, announced the Apple Watch. It is like a normal watch, but it can do all the things a mobile phone does -- and more. At US $349, the Apple Watch is expensive. _ However, it seems that it will open another door for the use of computers. The watch taps you whenever a new message comes in. It prepares answers to questions you receive from friends. It checks your health. "It's the most personal product we've ever made," Cook said. If the Apple Watch becomes popular, it will change the way the world communicates with computers. "It might not only be a change for Apple, but for the whole industry," says technology expert, Daniel Ives. How does it work? The Apple Watch has a speaker that users can both hear and feel. You can press the side button to communicate with people quickly and easily. The Apple Watch also introduces health and fitness apps that can help people lead healthier lives. You can try it. According to Matt Vella, a writer for TIME magazine, the watch is "the most thrilling product since the iPad." After actually trying the watch, he says: " There's a lot we don't know about the Apple Watch. How long will its battery last? How exactly will it connect with the iPhone? But wearing the watch answers some other questions. It is very comfortable. You can easily forget you are wearing the Apple Watch." This passage is about _ . An American writer, Mr Green once said, "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." It is true that everybody talks about the weather. Many people begin their talks by saying, "Isn't it a nice day?" "Do you think it will rain?" "I think it's going to snow." Many people think they can tell what the weather is going to be like. But sometimes they don't agree with each other. One man may say, "Do you see how cloudy it is in the east? It's going to rain tomorrow." Another man will say, "No, it's going to be fine tomorrow." People often look for the weather they want. When a farmer needs water, he looks for something to tell him it's going to rain, and he doesn't look for anything else. When friends have a picnic, they hope the weather is going to be fine and they can sit eating their lunch under the blue sky. Almost everyone listens to what the weatherman says. But he doesn't always tell us what we want, and sometimes he makes a mistake. Still, he is right most of the time. People sometimes have different ideas about _ . Johnny was in his backyard. He held a big basket full of clean clothes for his mother to hang. A little spotted dog ran into their backyard. He jumped up and grabbed a sock from Johnny's basket! He ran as fast as he could and disappeared into the bushes. "I must get that sock back!" Johnny said. "That sock is my favorite!" He ran into the bushes after the little spotted dog. Johnny saw Mr. Wilson in the next yard over cooking at his grill. "Mr. Wilson," Johnny said. "Did you see a dog with a sock?" "I sure did!" Mr. Wilson said. "The little dog ran around and around and then ran into the next yard!" Johnny ran after the dog into the next yard. He saw Mrs. Tomly reading a book on a chair. "Mrs. Tomly," Johnny said. "Did you see a dog with a sock?" "I sure did!" Mrs. Tomly said. "The little dog ran around and around then ran into the next yard!" Johnny ran after the dog into the next yard. There, he saw a cat laying on a table. "Mr. Cat," Johnny said. "Did you see a dog with a sock?" The cat opened one eye. Then it pointed to the next yard over with his tail. Johnny ran into the next yard. He saw Mrs. Han sitting on a chair petting the little spotted dog. The dog had his sock. "That is my sock!" Johnny said. Mrs. Han smiled and gave Johnny back his sock. "Sparky here only wanted to play." Johnny petted Sparky. "I want to play too," he said to the dog. "As long as you do not steal my socks!" Sparky barked happily. He and Johnny played the rest of day together. Why did Sparky steal the sock? T-shirts on sale Item 1: This classic T-shirt is now available in youth sizes. Made from 100% organic cotton, this white T-shirt with a four-color Google logo is a great fit for both boys and girls. It has double-needle sleeves and a double-needle bottom hem ,and comes in children sizes XS-8,S-10,M-12 and L-14. Price:$9.65. Item 2: The softest, smoothest, best-looking, organic cotton T-shirt available anywhere. This T-shirt is made of 100% organic cotton and is specially designed to satisfy women's need. Price:$13.25. Item 3: Talk about user-friendliness--not only does this ladies' T-shirt look great. It's likely to be the most comfortable piece of clothing you own. Made of 70% bamboo and 30% cotton, it's antimicrobial . This shirt is so soft, and you may find strangers asking if they can touch you. Color: red with a Google logo screened on the left sleeve in white. Price :$8.86 Item 4: 100% organic cotton T-shirt. This shirt has a flattering and stylish fit for any body type. Other characteristics include a reinforced shoulder construction to maintain shape through repeated washings, and a durable double-needle bottom hem. It comes in white with a full color YouTube logo. Price :$14.50 Item 5: This super comfortable full-zip T-shirt not only meets your eyes. Its unseen benefits include moisture-wicking and antimicrobial _ .It is made of 56% cotton,16% bamboo, and 28% polyester. Price :$55.20. Item 6: Your purchase of this 100% African organic cotton T-shirt supports the Edun Live cause, which helps create jobs in Africa. These shirts are referred to as "grow to sew African " meaning the farmers, ginners, millers, and stitchers in Africa benefit every time an order is placed. This comfortable and stylish shirt comes in natural color. Price :$13.00. One of the unique characteristics of Item 3 is that _ . A butcher watching over his shop was really surprised when he saw a dog coming inside the shop. He went over to the dog and noticed it had a note in its mouth. He took the note and it read "Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please. The dog has money in his mouth, as well." The butcher looked carefully and was surprised to find that there was really a ten-dollar note there. So he took the money and put the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog's mouth. The butcher was so impressed, and since it was about closing time, he decided to shut up shop and follow the dog. So off he went. He followed the dog to a bus stop. The dog stopped and started looking at the timetable. The dog checked out the time, and then sat on one of the seats provided. Along came a bus. The dog walked around to the front, looked at the number, and went back to its seat. Another bus came. Again the dog went around to the front, looked at the number and climbed on. The butcher, by now, open-mouthed, followed it onto the bus. The bus traveled through the town and out into the suburbs. Eventually the dog got up, and moved to the front of the bus. It stood on two back paws and pushed the button to stop the bus. Then it got off with groceries still in its mouth. Well, the dog and the butcher were walking along the road, and then the dog turned into a house. It walked up the path, and dropped the groceries on the step. Then it walked back down the path, took a big run, and threw itself against the door. Then again, it threw himself against it. There's no answer at the house. so the dog waited at the door. The butcher watched as a big guy opened the door, and started shouting at it. The butcher ran up, and stopped the guy. "Why do you shout at the dog? It is really a genius." The guy responded, "You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog's forgotten its key." Why was the butcher surprised when he saw the dog?
China is casting a huge shadow on the United States that many Americans are struggling to learn Chinese in order to maintain their competitive edge. "Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents has grown dramatically in the past five years," said Vivien Stewart at the Asia Society, a US grow trying to bridge the gap between Americans and people of Asia and the Pacific. China, the world's most popular nation, is very important to the United States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor. Its political influence is also rising across the globe. It has replaced the United States as the world's largest consumer and could become the second largest economy country in the world, after the superpower status and its telling effects politically, economically and culturally are driving the interest to learn the language, experts say. From kindergartens to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, there is a "rapid rise" in interest among pupils to study the Chinese language. Even though the US State Department has stressed the Chinese language "important " to national prosperity and security, the "current infrastructure to support recruitment of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is badly inadequate," an Asia Society study says. The Society has set a target of having at least 5% of American high school students learning Chinese by 2015. " Millions of Chinese are learning English, but only 24,000 Americans are learning Chinese," said Andrew Corcoran of the San Francisco - based Chinese American International School. The passage mainly tells the readers that _ . Answer: Chinese is becoming hot in the USA Sarah's class is learning about mixtures and solutions. Her teacher writes four statements on the board. Which statement best describes a mixture? Answer: One substance can be separated from the other. Rainbows need Answer: sun and some drizzle Will life in the future be better, worse or the same as now? Futurologists predict that life will probably be very different in 2050. First of all, it seems that TV channels will have disappeared by 2050. A computer will send the program directly to the television. On TV screen appear holograms , which are pictures with certain height, width and depth. We will be able to see, smell and touch the things that we see on television. Water has become one of our most serious problems. Agriculture is changing and people are growing more fruit and vegetables to export. Demand for water will increase ten times in 2050. Some futurologists predict that water will be the cause of war if we don't act now. In transport, cars will run on new fuels and go very fast. A car will have computers to control its speed and there won't be any accidents. On the other hand, space planes will take people around the earth in about three hours. People will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo by space plane in just half an hour. In the field of technology, robots will have replaced people in factories. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere. They do not ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day. Medicine technology will have conquered many diseases by 2050; we will be able to help blind and deaf people see again and hear again. Scientists have discovered how to control genes. They have already produced clones of animals and will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look, how they behave and how much intelligence they have. If you want all this to come true, you should study science and technology hard. What isn't mentioned about the future in 2050 in the passage? Answer: Movies. Which best determines the number of wolves that can live in an area? Answer: the amount of food available in the area
Does stress cause gray hair? Many people believe that tension and stress can cause your hair to lose its color.In fact,it is an old wives tale that being upset all the time can result in premature graying.Here is a closer look at this situation and why some believe that this old wives tale could be true. As one ages,the hairs on the head also age.In fact,just about everything on the human body begins to show signs of wear and tear after a while.The joints wear and become stiff and skin wears and becomes wrinkled.Hairs on the head grow and eventually die.They are replaced,but in the process something else happens. When new hairs are replaced,the color or pigment is also added to them.However,as one ages,this pigment becomes less and less available.At first,hairs will have a limited amount of pigment and they will appear to be grayish in color.In time,they will lose all of their pigment and will be white.Many things are known to cause graying.and genetics is a very powerful factor.If one of your parents turns gray at an early age,there is a good chance that you will too.Some people begin the graying process in high school,while others may be over the age of forty. Constant worry and tension can have many harmful effects on the human body.It is a known fact that stressful times can cause one to suffer hair loss.It would make sense that if it can cause these problems,perhaps it also may contribute to graying.However,there is no sound evidence to support this. On the other hand,many medical professionals believe that there may be a link:between graying and a constant state of anxiety or tension.Does stress cause gray hair? There is no scientific evidence to support the theory,but it is best to avoid stressful situations. What might play the most important role in the graying process? Answer: 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. In "Dream World Cup", the children drew the flags of some countries _ . Answer: There are many colours in nature. But do you know that a colour has weight? I think you'll say "no". But I am afraid you are wrong. If you don't believe, you may do a small experiment . First, put two objects with the same weight into two boxes. Then cover the boxes. Wrap one box with a red piece of paper, the other with a white piece of paper. Now hold the boxes with your hand one by one. It is certain that you will think the red one is a little heavier. Why does it happen? A scientist found that different colours have different weight in a man's mind. So he did many tests and at last he got the result. That is to say, every colour has its own weight in our mind. The heaviest colour is red, then blue, green, orange, yellow and white. The scientists told us that colours also have smell. Can you smell the colour? Of course not. Then why did the scientists say so? That is because every colour represents a kind of light wave ------ a certain wavelength . It reaches our brain through organs According to this discovery, scientists say that people accept the colour they like, and _ the colour they hate. So your body and mind will be healthy by using the colours you like. Or you'll be nervous or even get ill. If you stay in a room with red windows, wallpapers and furniture for two hours, you'll feel you have been there for four hours. But if the room is blue, you'll feel you have been there for only one hour. Another example, if a person walks out of a red room and into a blue room, his temperature will fall. That means our body temperature will change when we see different colours. Which of the following is NOT true? Answer: Sports can help you keep fit and close to nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should realize that sport you choose might have great influence on the environment. Some sports are _ . Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also lots of water. Besides, huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses in good condition. This causes major environmental changes. For example, in the dry places of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for (...) serious water shortage in some local areas. There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don't need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes, and you don't have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also help you stay healthy. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and keep thin. Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener than by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be "green gyms." They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership . And best of all, it's free. The author uses power walking as an example mainly because Answer: A science teacher filled one balloon with helium gas and a second balloon with carbon dioxide. The helium-filled balloon rose to the ceiling, and the balloon filled with carbon dioxide fell to the floor. Which statement is an inference based on this demonstration? Answer:
The students of Class Three are going hiking for their fieldtrip. Hiking is good for people's health. Many hikers like to hike in the countryside, forest and mountains. Just walking for fun is the first kind of hiking. Many people like to hike in the parks or just on the sidewalks. A hike can take a few hours or weeks. For most hiking, people just need clothes and shoes that are good for the weather. At the beginning hikers should start with walks that they can do in one day. As you get stronger, you can go on overnight hikes. Later you can go longer than that. You can make your hiking last a few days or weeks. For safety , hikers should hike with someone. You should have one or two friends with you. It is also a good idea to carry a map. Backpacking is another kind of hiking. People carry food, clothes and other things on their backs in packs. Backpackers can stay many days in the places where there is no food to buy. They carry what they need on their backs. Now put on your hiking shoes and take a hike. The hikers often hike with somebody to _ . A buy some food B be safe C talk with D exercise for fun Answer: B Flight Distance Any observant people have noticed that a wild animal will allow a man or other potential enemy to approach only up to a given distance before it escapes. "Flight distance" is the terms used for this interspecies spacing. As a general rule, there is a positive relationship between the size of an animal and its flight distance --- the larger the animal, the greater the distance it must keep between itself and the enemy. An antelope will escape when the enemy is as much as five hundred yards away. The wall lizard's flight distance, on the other hand, is about six feet. Flight is the basic means of survival for mobile creatures. Critical Distance Critical distance apparently is present wherever and whenever there is a flight reaction. "Critical distance" includes the narrow zone separating flight distance from attack distance. A lion in a zoo will flee from an approaching man until it meets a barrier that it cannot overcome. If the man continues the approach, he soon penetrates(,)the lion's critical distance, at which point the cornered lion turns back and begins slowly stalk the man. Social Distance Social animals need to stay in touch with each other. Loss of contact with the group can be fatal for a variety of reasons including exposure to enemies. Social distance is not simply the distance at which an animal will lose contact with his group --- that is, the distance at which it can no longer see, hear, or smell the group --- it is rather a psychological distance, one at which the animal apparently begins to feel anxious when it goes beyond its limits. We can think of it as a hidden band that contains the group. Social distance varies from species to species. It is quite short --- apparently only a few yards --- among some animals, and quite long among others. Social distance is not always rigidly fixed but is determined in part by the situation. When the young of apes and humans are mobile but not yet under control of the mother's voice, social distance may be the length of her reach. This is readily observed among baboons in a zoo. When the baby approaches a certain point, the mother reaches out to seize the end of its tail and pull it back to her. When added control is needed because of danger, social distance shortens. To show this in man, one has only to watch a family with a number of small children holding hands as they cross a busy street. If a lion's critical distance is penetrated, it will _ A begin to attack B try to hide C begin to jump D run away Answer: A During adolescence , peers play a large part in a young person's life and typically replace family as the center of a teen's social activities. Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked or because they worry that other kids may make fun of them if they don't go along with the group. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing. The idea that "everyone's doing it" may influence some kids to leave their better judgment, or their common sense, behind. As children grow, develop, and move into early adolescence, contacts with one's peers and the attraction of peer identification increases. As pre-adolescents begin rapid physical, emotional and social changes, they begin to question adult standards and the need for parental guidance. They find it good to turn for advice to friends who understand-- friends who are in the same position themselves. By trying new things and testing their ideas with their peers, there is less fear of being laughed at. There are two levels of peer pressure. The first is in the large group: for most teens a school or a youth group are examples. This is the situation that gets the most attention. The second is in the close relationship with one or several best friends. This is the situation that is sometimes _ . The large group puts a general pressure on its members. It sets the standard for clothing, music, entertainment, and "political correctness". The pressure can be avoided by keeping quiet or by putting on the appearance of agreement. Why can't some children follow their common sense? A Because they want to be liked by everybody. B Because they don't want to make fun of others. C Because they are curious about their new friends. D Because they think all the children will do the same. Answer: D Are you looking for some new and exciting places to take your kids to? Try some of these places: . Visit art museums. They offer a variety of activities to excite your kids' interest. Many offer workshops for making hand-made pieces, traveling exhibits, book signings by children's favorite writers, and even musical performances and other arts. . Head to a natural history museum. This is where kids can discover the past from dinosaur models to rock collections and pictures of stars in the sky. Also, ask what kind of workshops and educational programs are prepared for kids and any special events that are coming up. . Go to a Youtheater. Look for one in your area offering plays for child and family visitors. Pre-show play shops are conducted by area artists and educators where kids can discover the secret about performing arts. Puppet making and stage make-up are just a couple of the special offerings you might find. Try hands-on science. Visit one of the many hands-on science museums around the country. These science play-lands are great fun for kids and grown-ups alike. They'll keep your child mentally and physically active the whole day through while pushing buttons, experimenting, and building.. When everyone is tired, enjoy a fun family science show, commonly found in these museums. What can kids do at a Youtheater? A Look at rock collections. B See dinosaur models. C Watch puppet making. D Give performances. Answer: C Donald was arrested in Marilyn's apartment after her neighbors had reported sounds of a struggle and the police had arrived to find Donald bent over Marilyn's prostrate body. Marilyn was rushed to the hospital where she lapsed into a coma. Despite the explanation that he was trying to revive Marilyn after she suddenly collapsed, Donald was charged with attempted rape and assault after a neighbor informed the police that she had heard Marilyn sobbing, "No, please no, let me alone." At trial, the forensic evidence was inconclusive. The jury acquitted Donald of attempted rape but convicted him of assault. While he was serving his sentence for assault, Marilyn, who had never recovered from the coma, died. Donald was then indicted and tried on a charge of felony murder. In this common-law jurisdiction, there is no statute that prevents a prosecutor from proceeding in this manner, but Donald argued that a second trial for felony murder after his original trial for attempted rape and assault would violate the double jeopardy clause. His claim is A correct, because he was acquitted of the attempted rape charge. B correct, because he was convicted of the assault charge. C incorrect, because Marilyn had not died at the time of the first trial and he was not placed in jeopardy for murder. D incorrect, because he was convicted of the assault charge. Answer: A
Your computer has been playing music for years, one CD at a time. Now hundreds of songs can be stored in your PC (personal computer) if they're in the MP3 format. What is it? MP3 compresses music into small computer friendly files. You access MP3 music several ways : Music can be downloaded from websites that have converted vast music libraries into MP3. Or you can prerecord CDs into your PC and convert songs in minutes into MP3. Once MP3 music is on your PC's hard drive, you can play it through your computer's speakers, " _ " it onto blank CDs or exchange MP3 files with friends using E-mail. How much? Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free. It comes preinstalled on most new computers or can be downloaded from many websites, including MP3. com. Some MP3 sites are free. Just type "MP3 sites" into any search engine. The popular MP3 players start at around $50and can hold hundreds of songs. A blank CD on which you can record music costs about a dollar. Advantages MP3 turns your home PC into a tape recorder. Tiny MP3 players are the size of a card, making it easy to take hundreds of songs with you. Disadvantages You may find that music at many sites is limited. And some only allow you to listen rather than download offerings. Others let you download music that then can't be copied to MP3 players. And a growing number of new CDs make it impossible to copy songs to a computer. How much will you pay for a MP3 player? A. Free of charge. B. Free downloading. C. At about fifty dollars. D. About a dollar. Answer: C. At about fifty dollars. Nora is an American girl. She studies in a middle school. She has a little sister. Her name is Kate. Kate is only four. Nora likes Kate very much. Today is Sunday. Nora wants her pen. She takes out her pencil case. "Oh, dear! Where's my pen?" She can't find her pen. She goes to ask her sister in her bedroom. "Kate! I can't find my pen. Can you see......Oh, what are you doing with my pen?" "I'm writing to my friend, Betty." Kate answers. "But how can you? You don't know what to write."."It doesn't matter . Betty can't read." Kate says. Which is not right? _ A. Nora finds her pen in Kate's room. B. Kate can't write. C. Kate is writing with her sister's pen. D. Betty is in Kate's bedroom. Answer: D. Betty is in Kate's bedroom. I have had just about enough of being treated like a second-class citizen, simply because I happen to be that unfairly treated member of society --- a customer. The more I go into shops and hotels, banks and post offices, railway stations, airports and the like, the more I am convinced the things are being run merely to suit the firm, the system, or the union. There seems to be a deceptive new motto for so-called "service" organizations --- Staff Before Service. How often, for example, have you queued for what seems like hours at the Post Office or the supermarket because there was not enough staff on duty to manage all the service grilles or checkout counters? Surely in these days of high unemployment it must be possible to hire cashiers and counter staff. Yet supermarkets, hinting darkly at higher prices, claim that uncovering all their cash registers at any one time would increase operating costs. And the Post Office says we cannot expect all their service grilles to be occupied "at times when demand is low". It is the same with hotels. Because waiters and kitchen staff must finish when it suits them, dining rooms close earlier or menu choice is cut short. As for us guests, we just have to put up with it. There is also the nonsense of so many friendly hotel night porters having been thrown out of their jobs in the interests of "efficiency" and replaced by coin-eating machines which offer everything. Not to mention the tea-making kit in your room a kettle with a mixed collection of tea bags, plastic milk boxes and lump sugar. Who wants to wake up to a raw teabag? I do not, especially when I am paying for "service". Can it be stopped, this worsening of service, this growing attitude that the customer is always a trouble? I angrily hope so because it is happening, sadly, in all walks of life. Our only hope is to hammer home our anger whenever and wherever we can and, if all else fails, bring back into practice that other, older slogan --- Take Our Deal Elsewhere. The writer suggests that a customer _ . A. go to other places where good service is available B. put up with the rude manners of the staff C. try to control his temper when ill-treated D. be patient when queuing before checkout counters Answer: A. go to other places where good service is available _ .The old English language, or old English, is quite different from Modern English.If we do not study old English, we can't understand it.Some of the words are the same, but many are not used now.The story of the English language begins some time after the year 400 AD.At this time, some people came to England from North-west Europe.There were many groups of people.They were called Angles , Saxons and Jutes ,whose language, old English, is like some of the modern language of North-West Europe.In old English, the ending had many meanings.They showed past time and present time and many other things.In Modern English, most of these endings are gone.This is the biggest difference between Old and Modern English. Old English has a story of _ . A. 2,500 years B. more than 1,600 years C. 2,300 years D. more than 400 years Answer: B. more than 1,600 years A job used to be the next step after a diploma. But now, young people aren't in any rush to start working. Less than 78 % of people aged 20 to 34 either have jobs or are looking for work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (USA). That's down from the peak of 83 % in 2000, and the lowest since the 1970s. The biggest thing keeping young people out of work is the weak economy. But there are other reasons as well -- what economists call "structural changes". Staying in school: Economists generally agree that, aside from the economy, extended education is the biggest reason why today's youth are shunning the job market. More people are going to college now -- 25 % more compared to 2000 -- and they're taking longer to finish. There are a few reasons why young people are spending more years at school. First, they're getting more advanced degrees. "We used to say that a high school degree wasn't sufficient to provide a middle class income," said Bill Rodgers, a professor and chief economist at Rutgers University's Heldrich Center for Workforce Development. "Now what we're saying no longer is a bachelor's degree. " Second, college is getting more expensive. Rodgers believes the increased financial burden of higher education is also causing people to take longer to finish, as they'll take fewer classes per semester or drop out for periods of time before scraping up enough money to enroll again. Staying home: Since 2000, married women between the ages of 25 and 34 have been leaving the labor force at a slightly higher rate than young people at large, according to BLS. There could be many reasons for that, but Rodgers thinks stagnant (not growing) wages and rising child care costs are two of them. "The recession has caused a lot of people to think what they want in their lives," said Rodgers. "They've decided they want to spend time with their kids. " The best title for this passage is _ . A. Why young people are saying "no" to the workforce B. Why young people are enjoying staying at school C. Why young people become so kind to their kids D. Why young people drop out of school to earn money Answer: A. Why young people are saying "no" to the workforce
Recently, another study has been carried out about who is the greatest American president. Sixty-five presidential historians took part in it and they judged the past forty-two American leaders based on ten qualities of leadership, which include public persuasion, crisis leadership, the management of economy, moral leadership and international relations. The historians also looked at administrative ability, relations with Congress, goal setting and pursuit of equal justice for all. Finally, the experts considered performance based on the historical period in which the president lived. The historians chose Abraham Lincoln as America's greatest president. He had also been named best president in a similar study in 2000. Abraham Lincoln was the only president in American history to lead the nation during the Civil War in the 1860s. He united the nation at last. And he took the first steps that destroyed the institution of slavery in America. Edna Medford is a professor of history at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She was an adviser on this study and the earlier one. She says Abraham Lincoln is seen to represent the values that the nation most honors like truthfulness, moderation and respect for human rights. The historians named America's first president, George Washington, as second on the list of greatest presidents. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman are next in that order. John F. Kennedy, the country's first Roman Catholic president, is sixth on the list. Like Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy was murdered while in office. Among recent presidents, Ronald Reagan was named the tenth best president. Bill Clinton was rated fifteenth. And the historians rated former president George W. Bush as number thirty-six. His father, George H.W. Bush, did much better. He was rated as number eighteen. Which of the following presidents did worst when he was in power according to the recent study? Answer: George W. Bush I used to watch her from my kitchen window. She seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during break. I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone. One day I asked her why she practiced so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, "I want to go to college. The only way I can go is to get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don't count." Well, I had to give it to her--she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her school team to victory. One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. "Oh, nothing," came a soft reply, "I am just too short." The coach told her that at 5'5" she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team--much less offered a scholarship--so she should stop dreaming about college. She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she truly wanted a scholarship and that nothing could stop her except one thing -- her own attitude. The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was offered a scholarship and on the college team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of. The author was probably the girl's _ . Answer: mother What do we do when we go camping? First, we think of a plan. We take food, clothes, a knife, and things for cooking and eating. We take things to keep us away from insects and the sun. Then we put everything into the car and we drive to the woods. We look for a place for campers and we look for a good place for our tent . The place should have a lot of air. This will keep some insects away. High land with water on both sides of it is good. Then we put up our tent. We put everything into the tent, and we are ready for fun. We can swim in the lake, walk in the woods, climb a mountain, row a boat, or go fishing. In the evening we come back to the tent, we build a big fire because it can keep the insects away. We sit around the fire and talk. We may tell interesting stories or we may sing songs. At night we lie down on the grass. We can look up at the stars. It is a busy day, so we try to go to sleep early. Everything is dark. Everything is quiet. We hope we won't hear music from the radio in the next tent. We hope it won't rain. The campers like to _ at night. Answer: go to sleep early Windows 8, apart from Windows 95, is the biggest surprise and the only version of Microsoft' s operating system that has been changed from the core when compared to its former one. However, a recent study has shown that under 20% of business owners would be willing to upgrade to the new version of Windows. The reason for this remains to be discussed and debated, and we will try to throw light on this research by providing you with some of the most common advantages and disadvantages of Windows 8. Generally speaking, there are a great number of plus sides related to upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8. Speed -- This is the biggest advantage to mention. Boot time has been reported to be up to nine times shorter than that with Windows 7. New passwords -- Instead of typing your passwords, Windows 8 will let you use gestures on your favorite photos to enter your password. This is not only practical but also extremely cool! Windows 8 experience -- Apart from computers, Windows 8 will be used on all devices, including smart phones, tablet PC's and so on. Also, owing to the fact that it has been specifically designed with touch screen users in mind, Windows 8, besides using keyboard and mouse, will offer a whole new user experience. However, there are still some disadvantages. The first one that has to be mentioned is that there is no Start Menu from Windows. Yes, there is no Start button in the lower left corner, and this might be a real puzzle of many Windows users. Also, many users have had a problem to get used to the new interface introduced by Windows 8. The biggest problem that is worth noticing is that Windows 8 was originally designed for touch screen users, and this may have a bad effect on desktop users who have gotten used to doing everything with the help of their keyboard and mouse. Many Windows 8 users will face the problem that _ . Answer: they don't get accustomed to the new interface Mr. Baker is retired at home now. He feels bored every day and he thinks he is growing older quickly. When he watches TV, he has to turn it up. But this often disturbs his neighbors. So he decides to buy a hearing aid. As he is a _ man, he doesn't want to pay much money for a hearing aid. One day, he went to a clinic and asked the clerk, "How much do these hearing aids cost?" "That depends," said the clerk. "They cost from 2.00 dollars to 2 000 dollars." "Let me see the $2.00 model," he said. The clerk put the device around Mr Baker's neck. "You just put this button in your ear and run this little string down to your pocket," he explained. "How does it work?" Mr. Baker asked. "For $2.00 it doesn't work," the clerk answered. "But when people see it on you, they'll talk louder!" Mr. Baker was angry, and he said, "I want a hearing aid that really works!" Why did Mr. Baker want to see the $2.00 model first? Answer: Because he wanted to pay less money for a hearing aid.
Smoking is the single worst thing you can do for your health. Fortunately, it's never too late to get the benefits of quitting. If you've tried to quit before and failed, it's time to make up your mind and try again. Smoking is responsible for one of every five deaths. That includes 29% of all cancer deaths, 87% of all lung cancer deaths, and nearly 20% of all deaths from cardiovascular disease. But long before smoking kills you, it ages you. You can see for yourself that smoking accelerates the drying and wrinkling of the skin. But there are less obvious effects as well. Indeed, smoking takes years away from your life. Nearly half of all chronic smokers die an average of 20 to 25 years before their time. Besides an early death from cancer or heart disease, smoking can cause lung disorders. People who smoke over a pack a day have almost three times the risk of contracting pneumonia than that of nonsmokers. By lowering levels of estrogen in men and women, smoking speeds bone less. If a woman smokes a pack of cigarettes every day, she will enter menopause with 5 to 10% less bone mass than a nonsmoker. The good news is that no matter what your age is or how long you've smoked, you'll live longer if you quit today. The Coronary Artery Surgery Study examined nearly 2,000 long-term smokers over age 54. Those who quit had significantly lower death rates six years later than those who didn't. Even the oldest ex-smokers had a higher survival rate. Not only will live longer if you quit, you'll feel better, breathe easier, and find that you have more energy. You'll have fewer respiratory infections,headaches, and stomachaches. What's more, you'll save money. Your clothes and breath won't smell unpleasant any longer. And your habit won't annoy--or threaten the health of --the people who live and work with you. All of the following methods are used in the passage EXCEPT _ It is in autumn . A young man comes to a forest . He's walking beside the forest. On his right is a river. On his left is the forest. Suddenly he sees two green eyes looking at him from the trees. A tiger is getting ready to jump on him. What does he do? He must jump into the river. But in the river there is a big crocodile . Its mouth is very big. The young man closes his eyes. The tiger jumps over him. And the young man opens his eyes. The tiger jumps over him. And the young man opens his eyes. The tiger is now in the mouth of the crocodile. Where is he walking? _ . At Bristol Zoo Gardens you can enjoy an amazing world of animals, all within our award-winning 12 acre gardens. With over 400 species and nine animals houses under cover, it's one of the best days out in Bristol whatever the weather. We suggest you allow 2-5 hours for your visit to really take in everything we have to offer. By visiting Bristol Zoo you will be directly contributing to the conservation of endangered species and habitats. Admission prices at Bristol Zoo include a 10% voluntary donation to help support our conservation projects. With so many things to do in Bristol Zoo, it really is one of the top attractions in Bristol and the South West. Adopting an Animal Help us look after your favorite animal by becoming an animal adopter; it makes a fantastic gift for any age! Choose from 10 of our favorite animals to adopt, which costs just PS45. Adopt them in a matter of minutes online. Opening hours We're open every day from 9 am to 5:30 pm in peak season, and close at 5 pm during off peak. The Zoo is closed on Christmas Day. Last entry to the Zoo is an hour before closing time and animal houses close half an hour before closing time. Traveling by bus Our bus service is operating every 30 minutes on Sundays and public holidays only. The service will enable guests to travel to the Zoo or anywhere along the route. The service is FREE to Bristol Zoo members -- all you need to do is bring your membership card. We encourage all of our guests to use public transport when coming to the Zoo. Where can we most likely read the text? Seven species of carp native to Asia have been introduced into United States waters in recent decades, but it's four in particular-bighead, black, grass and silver-that worry ecologists, biologists, fishers and policymakers alike. Introduced in the southeast to help control weeds and parasites in aquaculture operations, these fish soon spread up the Mississippi River system where they have been crowding out native fish populations not used to competing with such aggressive invaders. The carps' presence in such numbers is also harming water quality and killing off sensitive species. Asian carp are strong to jump over barriers such as low dams. They lay hundreds of thousands of eggs at a time and spread into new habitat quickly and easily. Also, flooding has helped the fish expand into previously unattainable water bodies. And fishers using young carp as live bait have also helped the fish's spread, as they have boats going through locks up and down the Mississippi. The federal government considers the Asian carps to be annoying species and encourages and supports "active control" by natural resources management agencies. Federal and state governments have spent millions in tax dollars to prevent the carp from making their way into the Great Lakes, but an underwater electric fence constructed to keep them out has not worked as well as hoped, and policymakers are reviewing other options now. In the meantime, state and federal agencies are monitoring the Mississippi and its branches for Asian carp and testing various barrier technologies to prevent their further spread. For instance, the National Park Service is cooperating with the state of Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources to construct new dams that are high enough to prevent Asian carp from jumping over. The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee has funded DNA monitoring in potentially affected water bodies whereby researchers can determine whether the troublesome fish are present just by the biological footprints they leave behind. Individuals can do their part by not transporting fish, bait or even water from one water body to another, and by emptying and washing boats before moving them between different water bodies. It is suggested from the passage that _ . Life comes in a package. This package includes happiness and sorrow, failure and success, hope and despair. 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 handle various situations. Love Love plays a pivotal role on out life. Love makes you feel wanted. Without love a person could go hayward and also become cruel and ferocious. In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who shower 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. Kids make a person responsible and mature and help us to understand life better. Happiness and sorrow Materialistic happiness is short-lived, but happiness achieved by bringing a smile on others face gives a certain level of fulfillment. Peace of mind is the main link to happiness. No mind is happy without peace. We realize the true worth of happiness when we are in sorrow. Sorrow is basically due to death of a loved one, failure and despair. But these things are temporary and pass away. Failure and success Failure is the path to success. 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. Here it becomes very important to keep our head on out shoulder. The only way to show our gratitude to god for bestowing success on us is by being humble, modest, courteous and respectful to the less fortunate ones. Hope and despair 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. Nothing remains the same we have only one choice keep moving on in life and be hopeful. 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. So the only alternative is work hard today, so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow. What's the general meaning of the last sentence of the whole passage?
Kristy,28,a cook in La Gross, often wondered what she'd do in a life threatening situation. On August 29, she got her answer. While she was driving on a road,a big truck hit its head on a pickup car. _ .Kristy rushed out and ran to the pickup.Two farmers,Dean Bernhard,51, and his brother,Donald,44,were inside. When she got close,Kristy could see the unconscious driver.The other man was under the passenger seat. "The smells were sicking.I was afraid the truck would blow up and kill us all," said kristy. The driver of the big truck was struggling to open the passenger door,so Kristy rushed to the driver's side.Finally they opened the door.She reached in,seized the driver and, to her horror,felt her hands sink into his chest.She quickly dragged the man to safety on the roadside,then hurried back.As Kristy started down the ditch with the passenger,the pickup exploded..She jumped on top of him and they both rolled to safety. Today,the two farmers,each the farmer of two children,are good friends with Kristy.To show their deep appreciation,they bought her a ring with nine diamonds---one for each member of their immediate families,and the ninth for her. Which of the following best shows Kristy's true heroism? A. She did not feel terrified at the accident B. She protected herself as well as the two brothers from harm. C. She put her life "on the line" to save others. D. She was regarded as a member of Dean's and Donald's families. Answer: C. She put her life "on the line" to save others. If you choose only to complain and escape from a misfortune, it will always follow you wherever you go.But if you decide to be strong, the hardship will turn out to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise. In an accident, a boy lost.both his arms and his father-who was the main source of support for the family.Since then, he has had to depend on the arms of his younger brother.For the sake of taking care of him, his younger brother became his shadow, never leaving him alone for years.Except for writing with his toes, he was completely unable to do anything in his life. As the two brothers grew up together, they had their share of problems and they would often quarrel.Then one day, his younger brother wanted to leave, living his own life, as many normal people do.So he was heart-broken and didn't know what to do. A similar misfortune befell a girl, too.One night her mother, who suffered from chronic mental illness, disappeared.Her father went out to look for her mother, leaving her alone at home.She tried to prepare meals for her parents, only to overturn the kerosene light on the stove, resulting in afire which took her hands away. Though her elder sister who was studying in another city, showed her willingness to take care of her, she was determined to be completely independent.At school, she always studied hard.Most of all she learned to be self-reliant. One day, the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program.The boy told the TV host about his uncertain future at being left on his own, whereas the girl was full of enthusiasm for her life.They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes.The boy wrote: My younger brother's arms are my arms; while the girl wrote: Broken wings, flying heart. What did the girl mean by "Broken wings, flying heart"? A. Never give up hopes in face of hardship. B. It's not easy for her to live a normal life. C. If a bird loses its wings, it cannot fly. D. If you lose your hands, your life will be hard. Answer: A. Never give up hopes in face of hardship. The capsized accident which happened in Yangtze River on June 1st, 2015 shocked the whole country.There are so many people related to this accident.Zhang Shunwen, the captain of the vessel , has been probably the person being mostly discussed now. Born in 1963, Zhang has been working on this ship for 35 years and became captain of it in 2007.Until the accident, Zhang was regarded as an effective captain and his experience as a sailor was flawless with numerous awards. Zhang Shunwen said the wind was coming from the South, and the wind then was about three to four grade.He first tried to ride the ship northward on the leeside in an effort to counter it with the vessel's speed.However, the wind suddenly gathered speed and he lost control of the ship."We couldn't fend off the wind even if we made a full left turn." he said. Zhang escaped alive and is under watching by police, although he has not yet been accused of any wrongdoing. Every person has his opinion toward this kind behavior of police. Some of them think of it to be improper because the captain himself is also a victim in this accident, what's more, his wife, who also boarded on this boat, remains missing now. While others are in support of this action, to them, it is the captain who should shoulder the responsibility. For me, I agree with the former. Because the captain has made every effort to deal with the accident. What's the author's attitude towards Zhang? A. Indifferent. B. Hateful. C. Sympathetic. D. Hopeful Answer: C. Sympathetic. Queen Victoria was monarch of Great Britain from 1837 until her death in 1901. This period is often called the Victorian Age. Queen Victoria was a stern and serious woman. One reason she was so serious was that she had suffered a great loss. When she was twenty years old, she married a German prince named Albert. Victoria and Albert were deeply in love, and their marriage was extremely happy. In 1861, after they had been married for twenty-one years, Albert died, leaving Queen Victoria heartbroken. For the rest of her life, the lonely Victoria mourned his loss. It was customary in those days for a widow to dress in black for a short time after the death of her husband. But Queen Victoria dressed in black for forty years. And for forty years, as another sigh of her grief, she wrote her letters white paper edged in black. Even before Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria was known as a very serious woman. She had a strong sense of duty and worked very hard at all her tasks. In her diary she wrote, "I love to be employed; I hate to be idle." She never forgot that she was Britain's queen and always acted with great dignity. Victoria had high ideals and moral standards that sometimes made her seem stuffy. She was also very sure of herself. She always thought that she was right, and she expected everyone to agree with her. All of the following characteristics except _ can be used to properly describe Queen Victoria. A. moral B. lonely C. workaholic( ) D. compromising Answer: D. compromising Tom gets up at half past seven in the morning. He has an egg and some milk for his breakfast. Then he begins to go to school slowly. When he is on his way to school, he thinks, "I tell my teacher my mother is ill on Monday morning. I tell him my bike is wrong on Tuesday. What do I tell my teacher today?" Tom thinks over but he doesn't find a good idea before he gets to school."May I come in?" Tom shouts at the door of the classroom. " Oh, my boy," says Mr Green. " Please look at the clock on the wall. What time is it now?" " It's ten past eight," answers Tom. Mr Green is not happy. " You are late for class three times this week. If all the students are like you, the clock is no use, I think." " You are right, Mr Green," says Tom. " If we don't have the clock, how do you know I am late for class?" Tom is late for school _ this week. A. five times B. four times C. three times D. once Answer: C. three times
Hi guys! I'm Lucy the ladybird and while I'm very much of a lady, I'm not actually a bird but a glowing red bettle with decorative black spots. I'm a friendly little bug, to be honest, and simply like to be close with my pals as long as they handle me very gently. I don't bite humans but I do sink my teeth into aphids which, unlike me, are very harmful to all the plants. I milk the aphids just like people do with cows and I milk them dry of all the sap they have got from your poor plants. I'm a real gardeners' friend and love helping out around the place by pollinating flowers, tidying up plants' fallen leaves and helping to turn them into nice rich fertilizer to feed everything both above and below the soil, and naturally, being so attractive to look at, we are perfect living garden decorations. One thing I can not tolerate is all that poisonous pollution from vehicles, garbage burning and other environmentally unfriendly acts that occur in the cities every single minute of the day and night. Pollution of any kind really chokes me to death, so these days, I only live in clean countryside areas, particularly cool ones where it rains and everything grows fresh and green from spring right through to autumn. In winter, when the weather is too cold for me to bear, then I find a nice place to sleep until the snow has gone and I can come back out to play. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you that although I am not a bird I do have wings and can fly for short distances. So if you pick me up and let me run up and down your hands and arms, then please don't frighten me by screaming if I suddenly decide to take off! What do we know about the ladybird? It belongs to the insect family. "I was only thirteen when four of my team members and I were chosen by my swim coach to train with the Chinese National Team. The following piece shows how that experience has influenced me." The night before I left for China, my mother called me into her room. I entered not knowing what to expect. I sat down at the end of her very neatly-made bed, opposite the bedroom table on which she kept a Ming-style vase illustrated in great detail. She told me that my great-grandmother was still living in the surroundings of Beijing. Her name was Ren Li Ling and she was 97 years old. This was the first time I had ever heard of her. The dragon on the vase snaked through the flowers and vines as my mother said, "Pu Pu, look at me. You need to hear this so that when you go to China you will understand. You must keep this knowledge in your heart." She told me a story about my grandfather, Ren Li Ling's son, who left Beijing to go to college in Taiwan. She told me how the Chinese civil war kept him away from his mother for fifty years, so neither of them even knew that the other was alive. No one from Taiwan could visit, write, or call anyone in mainland. All lines of communication were cut off. She told me of my grandfather's devotion to his own children, and how difficult it was for him to send his daughter to America for her education, fearing that same separation. He gave my mother all that he could give -- nineteen years of love and fifty years of savings. I learned how my mother, through means only available in this country, would finally be able to unite my great-grandmother with my grandfather again. The dragon curled around the vase, connecting the separate vines. For a fleeting second, I felt it was present in my mother's room. It was all very strange, yet very clear. I began to understand that this trip to China was not just for me; it was for my mother, and her father, and his mother. Now, I had not only a future, but more significantly, a past. I saw the world with new eyes. And so I went to China and met my great-grandmother. My great-aunt picked me up at the training center, and we rode in a taxi through the crowded city. The noise of the taxi and the city united into a deep roar. We finally stopped in front of a narrow street lined on either side with small one-level houses. As we made our way to a house like all the others, I drew the stares of many people in the street. My great-aunt led me through a rotting doorway into a room with a furnace , table, and a rocking chair where an old woman wearing gloves sat facing the doorway, covered with a worn brown blanket. I walked over and immediately embraced this frail woman as if I had known her all my life. My limited, broken Chinese wasn't up to expressing my complicated feelings. And even though I couldn't completely understand what she was saying in her thick Beijing accent, I knew -- the same way I knew what my mother had been trying to tell me before I left. Her joy shone through her toothless smile. She wouldn't let go of my hand. I haltingly asked her how she had managed to live such a long life. She answered in words I will never forget, "Hope has kept me alive. I have lived this long because I wanted to see my son before I died." My fellow team members must have wondered how two people separated by three generations could be so close. Before this trip, I would have wondered the same thing. And even now, I can't quite explain it. We were as different as two people can be; some 85 years and 8,000 miles apart. We came from two entirely different cultures; yet we were connected by a common heritage . I stayed for dinner which was cooked in a black iron wok over the furnace. The meal was lavish , prepared in my honor. As I began to eat, with my great-grandmother beside me, I felt the dragon was present. But this time, the feeling didn't pass; the dragon had become a part of me. My great-grandmother passed away last year at the age of 100. With her highest hopes and wildest dreams fulfilled, I know she died happy. Which of the following can be inferred from the text? The writer's great-grandmother was reunited with her son before she died. Have you ever lost your car on a parking lot? You don't have a clue where your car is after shopping. Then you start walking around clicking on your car keys so the alarm goes off. It can be annoying, especially on a hot sunny day. No, you needn't install an expensive GPS system to keep track of your car. That's too expensive. You would need to pay a monthly fee to use it. But is there a way to track your vehicle without spending a fortune? Yes, now there is! A California-based company has created a tiny device that works with your smartphone, which could be exactly what you're looking for! What is it? It's called TrackR. It is a state-of-the-art tracking device the size of a coin. It's changing the way we keep track of the important things in our lives. How does it work? It's easy! Install the free TrackR app on your smartphone, connect the app to your device and you're ready to go! Simply attach TrackR to whatever you want to keep an eye on. The entire process of setting it up only takes 5 minutes or less. You can attach it to your keys, briefcase, wallet, your latest tech gadgets and anything else you don't want to lose. Then use the TrackR app to locate your missing item in seconds. If you forget where you have parked your car, pull out your smartphone and open the TrackR app. Tap on the "find device" button on the screen and the app will tell you the exact spot of the last known location of the TrackR. What else can I do with TrackR? The device is small and unnoticeable enough that you can attach it to your pet. Put it on their collar, and the issue of searching for them when they run away to nearby places will be over! You'll never waste a minute searching the whole house for it. TrackR even comes with a double-sided glue so you can stick it to your laptop or under your bike seat. Track down and punish the thieves who steal your expensive things! How much does it cost? You're probably thinking that this device is very expensive. False! TrackR only costs $29! That's a small price to pay for peace of mind, isn't it? Where can I buy one? You can buy it directly from the company's website by clicking here https://buy.thetrackr.co/gu/special-offers/15/ . From the passage, we learn that TrackR can _ . help you locate your important things Do you enjoy visiting a museum? Did you ever make a plan before a visit? Every museum must have something that attracts you. And there are many possible ways to enjoy yourself in a museum. If you follow these steps below, you'll know what is worth seeing and doing, so that you can make the most of your time at the museum. Decide what museum you will visit. There are so many different kinds of museums and you first need to find one that you like. It's easy for you to choose one and start an enjoyable visit! Do some research online. Every museum now has a website which allows you to look through the information about it. On the website, you may look for such things as: The exhibits -See what is on show at the museum at all times, and what special exhibitions are held for a short time. The history of the museum -There will often be very interesting stories about the exhibits and the benefactors . That can make your visit more interesting. Activities -See whether there are talks, tours our special activities on the day when you visit. Many museums hold some activities that meet the interests of all age groups. Cost, food or shortage - It's important how much the visit will cost. You have to decide whether or not you can eat there. You might also need to find out transportation needs, as well as storage for coats, bags etc. Learn at least one thing on your visit. It is always good to take away something new from your visit. Plan breaks into your visit. When you walk around, standing here and studying exhibits there, you may become very tired. So it is important to take breaks. A break is a good opportunity for you to think of what you have seen and what else you might wan t to do in museum. Take a friend or two. Visiting museums is always a lot more fun when you are with someone else. You can talk over what you're seeing. A friend also brings another way of thinking when you talk about the exhibit. According to the passage, we should first _ . decide on a museum to visit The teaching of physics in schools is in danger of dying out unless urgent action is taken to deal with a serious lack of teachers, the government is warned today. The number of students taking physics at A-level has fallen 38% since 1990, according to a research. At the same time the number of mew physics teachers has dropped sharply while the shortage is likely to worsen as older teachers retire. prefix = st1 /Britain's leading scientists and engineers expressed alarm over the findings, which they say are part of the problems in science education generally. Lord May of Oxford, president of the Royal Society, theUK's National Academy of Science, said, "The problems facing science at A-level are well beyond physics. We have over and over again noted the general downward trend of students studying the sciences beside biology and math at A-level. If we fail to deal with this then we may lose the ability to train the next generation of scientists, technologists and engineers." Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson, who did the research in 432 schools and colleges inEnglandandWales, said that since 1990, the number of physics students had fallen by 38%, from 45,334 to 28,119. Nearly 10% of state schools now do not offer A-level physics, and of those that do 39.5% had five students or fewer taking it this year. Over the same period, the research discovered, the number of people who are allowed to become physics teachers dropped from about a third of the science total to 12.8%. The supply of physics teachers is not _ itself, with nearly twice as many aged over 50 as 30 or younger. Another danger is the redefinition of science subjects to "general science". Professor Smithers and Dr Robinson warn that the subject is in danger of dying out in schools." Physics in schools and colleges is at risk through redefinition and lack of teachers with expertise in the subject," they said. "If physics is to survive in schools, both as basic education and as a platform for higher level study and research, there is a need for immediate action." From what Lord May of Oxford said, we can learn that _ . he worries about the future of science education.
I promised Michael I wouldn't mention this until the season was over.Now l think it's time. Early last season, I wrote a column about an art of kindness I had seen Jordan do to a disabled child outside the stadium.After it ran,I got a call from a man in the western suburbs.He said,"I read what you wrote about Jordan.but I thought I should tell you another thing I saw." Here it comes, I thought. It always does. Write something nice about a person, and people call you up to say that the person is not so nice. A few weeks later Jordan and I were talking about something else before a game, and I brought up what the man had said. Was the man right? Had Jordan really been talking to those two boys in that poor and dirty neighborhood? "Not two boys," Jordan said. "But four." And he named them. He said four names. And what did they talk about? "Everything," Jordan said. " Anything. I've asked to see their grades so that I can check to see if they're paying attention to their study. If it turns out that one or two of them may need teaching, I make sure they get it." It's just one more part of Michael Jordan's life,one more thing that no one knows about, and one more thing Jordan does fight for. The NBA season is over now, and those boys have their memories. So do J! When the expert reviewers begin to turn against Jordan as they surely will, I'll think about those boys under the streetlight, waiting for the man they know to come. For someone they can depend on. Jordan talked with the boys because he _ . Which statement best explains why the Sun and the Moon appear to be about the same size in the sky? Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you've completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we've accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of ageing as wrinkles and grey hair.But now a new book suggests that we've got it all wrong. According to The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age.In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s--much later than previously thought. Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we retain them, and even produce new ones well into middle age.For years it's been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age.But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise. This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years.It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s.Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving. Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed--how fast you can push a button when ordered.However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond.In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age. Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with ageing.A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions.It is thought that when we're younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as we get older we've learned our lessons and are sub-consciously aware that we have less time left in life: therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy. What is the main idea of the passage? 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. Kids can have full-time jobs at the age of _ in the USA. Some people are pessimistic when they think about the future. They say that a hundred years from now, we will have used most of the earth's resources. We will have polluted our seas badly, and be unable to eat fish from them. We will have made the air so dirty that we will need to wear masks. The world's population will have doubled, and we will have used all the countryside for housing; there will be no farmland left. Other people believe that Man adapts very easily. They have a different idea of the future. How, in their views, will people be living in a hundred years' time? One architect believes that Man will move off the land. He suggests that the city of the future will be a huge, pyramid-shaped building, which will be floating on the surface of the sea. About 5,000 families will be living there, and the building will contain shops and schools as well as homes. By living on the sea, we will give the farmers more land to grow crops. As for oil, people will no longer need it: we will be heating our homes with power from the sun. And we will not be short of minerals, because there are plenty under our oceans. At the moment, we do not have the technology to get them out. But, in a hundred years' time, the optimists say, the new sea cities will be using these resources. What will be in the shops in the year 3000? What will people be wearing? How will people be traveling? Scientists who make predictions about the future suggest that, by the year 3000, shops will no longer exist. Computers will have replaced them, and people will order goods from home. People will be wearing very light, thin clothes. By this time, scientists will have invented a fabric that keeps us cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather. As for travel, the experts say that most people will be using public transport. Electric cars will be traveling through the streets day and night. Anybody will be able to stop one and use it. An interesting picture. Unfortunately, we will not be there to see if these predictions come true. Optimists suggest that _ .
Researchers are finding new ways to save snakebite victims.Experts discussed the latest findings during a recent conference. Scientists in Australia have shown that a chemical called nitric oxide could increase the chances of surviving a poisonous snakebite.The scientists injected rats with a deadly amount of snake venom.Then they rubbed an ointment containing nitric oxide on the skin around the injection site.The study found that the rats lived about one-third longer than if nitric oxide had not been used.But the treatment had to be started very quickly. Dirk van Helden led the research.He says the nitric oxide ointment also showed promise in humans.The study appeared earlier this year in the journal Nature Medicine.Scientists say the findings could help save many lives.A recent study found that poisonous snakes cause as many as ninety-four thousand deaths worldwide each year.But Ulrich Kuch of the Biodiversity and Climate Research Center in Frankfurt,Germany,says that number appears to be low. Mr Kuch says many deaths could be _ if snakebite victims are treated correctly,but they often go to traditional healers or do not seek any help at all.He said,"Sometimes it's because there is no treatment available--no antivenom ,which is the specific drug to treat snakebites--or health care staff do not know how to treat snakebites,and sometimes its because transportation to get to a health facility is not available or too expensive. Here is no single antivenom that can be used to treat all snakebites.The antivenom must be specific to the kind of snake that bit the person.In some countries the treatment is costly,while in others there is no such treatment. After being rubbed an ointment containing nitric oxide,the rats _ . A suffered no pain B died immediately C lived a little longer D started feeling uncomfortable Answer: C Powell, who was an asbestos insulation installer from 1955 to 1965, contracted asbestosis, a serious lung disorder, as a result of inhaling airborne asbestos particles on the job. The asbestos was manufactured and sold to Powell's employer by the Acme Asbestos Company. Because neither Acme nor anyone else discovered the risk to asbestos installers until 1966, Acme did not provide any warnings of the risks to installers until after that date. Powell brought an action against Acme based on strict liability in tort for failure to warn. The case is to be tried before a jury. The jurisdiction has not adopted a comparative fault rule in strict liability cases. In this action, an issue that is relevant to the case and is a question for the court to decide as a matter of law, rather than for the jury to decide as a question of fact, is whether A a satisfactory, safer, alternative insulation material exists under today's technology. B the defendant should be held to the standard of a prudent manufacturer who knew of the risks, regardless of whether the risks were reasonably discoverable before 1966. C the defendant should reasonably have known of the risks of asbestos insulation materials before 1966, even though no one else had discovered the risks. D the asbestos insulation materials to which the plaintiff was exposed were inherently dangerous. Answer: B Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and Della had only one dollar and eighty-seven cents to buy her husband Jim a gift. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Now, Mister and Missus James Dillingham Young had two possessions which they valued. One was Jim's gold time piece, the watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. She put on her coat and her old brown hat. With a quick motion and brightness still in her eyes, she danced out the door and down the street. Where she stopped the sign read: "Madame Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds." Della ran up the steps to the shop, out of breath. "Will you buy my hair?" asked Della. "Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the hair with an experienced hand. "Give it to me quick," said Della. The next two hours went by as if they had wings. Della found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. It was a chain--- simple round rings of silver. She gave the shopkeeper twenty-one dollars and she hurried home with the remaining eighty-seven cents. ...... Jim was never late coming home from work. Della held the silver chain in her hand and sat near the door. Then she heard his step and she turned white for just a minute. She had a way of saying a little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: "Please God, make him think I am still pretty." The door opened and Jim stepped in. He stopped inside the door, as immovable as a dog smelling a bird. His eyes were fixed upon Della. There was an expression in them that she could not read, and it frightened her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor fear, nor any of the feelings that she had been prepared for. He simply looked at her with a strange expression on his face. Della went to him. "Jim, my love," she cried, "do not look at me that way. I had my hair cut and sold because I could not have lived through Christmas without giving you a gift. My hair will grow out again. I just had to do it. My hair grows very fast. Say 'Merry Christmas!' Jim, and let us be happy. You do not know what a nice-- what a beautiful, nice gift I have for you." "You have cut off your hair?" asked Jim, slowly, as if he had not accepted the information even after his mind worked very hard. "Cut it off and sold it," said Della. " I tell you--sold and gone, too. It is Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it was cut for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered," she went on with sudden serious sweetness, "but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the meat on, Jim?" Jim seemed to awaken quickly and put his arms around Della. Then he took a package from his coat and threw it on the table. "Do not make any mistake about me, Dell," he said. "I do not think there is any haircut that could make me like my girl any less. But if you will open that package you may see why you had me frightened at first." There were the beautiful combs, made of shells, with jewels at the edge ----just the color1 to wear in the beautiful hair that was no longer hers. She held the combs to herself, and soon she was able to look up with a smile and say, "My hair grows so fast, Jim!" Then Della happily held the silver chain out to him in her open hands. It seemed so bright. "Dell," said Jim, smiling, "let us put our Christmas gifts away and keep them a while. They are too nice to use just right now. I sold my gold watch to get the money to buy the set of combs for your hair. And now, why not put the meat on." Della felt _ when she heard his husband's steps? A nervous B excited C heartbroken D hopeful Answer: A Elite Lessons Experienced music performer is offering one-on-one drum lesson. As the winner of the Drummer Contest, the largest drummer contest in Canada, I can teach you secret techniques that only an elite group knows, but the group doesn't share them with the public. The result is instant improvement in your speed and ability to play the drum. Lessons are taught in French or English, $25 an hour. Call at 514-585-5054 if you want to know more information. Private Tutoring Professional French tutor is offering French tutoring, $15 an hour. I possess a BA in translation from Concordia University and have over 5 years' teaching experience. The course consists of conversational French, grammar, reading comprehension ,etc. Courses are given in the downtown area. For more information please call at 514-835-1834. Customized Tutoring Hello, my name is Christopher Marion. I am a graduate students at Concordia University, 21 years of age. I was born and lived in France for 17 years. I will be happy to provide customized help in French writing or speaking. The lesson's style can be whatever suits your needs. I am charging $19 an hour. I live in downtown Montreal. Feel free to contact me at 514-785-5654. Basic Lessons for Beginners Always wanted to learn the guitar? This is your chance and it only costs $14 an hour. I can teach you to play any style of music you like in a fun and relaxed way. I start from the basics, showing you how to play the songs you love, and improving your technique as we go along. If you don't already have a guitar, that's not a problem. Please call at 514-880-8872 or email totarungeo@gmail.comif interested. Thanks!. Since James is weak in French reading comprehension he may choose _ . A elite Lessons B private Tutoring C customized Tutoring D basic Lessons for Beginners Answer: B One day a great general asks his soldiers , "What is the strongest power in the world?" Four of his soldiers put up their hands. They want to answer the question. The general asks the first man to speak. The first man is youngerst, and he is not strong. He says, "My gun is the strongest . It can kill anyone." "Thank you. Next, please." The second man is very strong. He says, "I don't think so. Soldiers use guns. So the soldier is the strongest." The third man says, "Soldiers use guns, but our general gives orders . So I think our general is the strongest." The fourth man is the oldest. He says, "Love is the strongest. For love, people don't use guns." The general says noting. He takes out a medal and gives it to him. The fourth man _ . A doesn't want to use his gun B wants to be a general C wants that all people love each other D wants the general to give him a medal Answer: C
Hong Kong Harbor Night Cruise Enjoy the delicious dinner on the ferry and watch the beautiful city lights Time : 6:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m. Price : Adults : HK$ 180 Children under 12 : HK$ 100 Start / Finish : Kowloon Public Pier Tel : (852) 2853 3888 E - mail:enquiry@chinatravel1.co From this poster, we can _ in the Cruise. A have breakfast B have lunch C have dinner D have a party Answer: C A family in Guelph, Ontario is spending a year living "in 1982". They're doing it so their kids can see what life was like before technology like iPads, computers and even coffee machines was part of everyday life. They have stopped using all technology from their home and are relying on the things people would have used back in the 80s. There is a box at the front door where people can put their cell phones in, while they're visiting the family. Blair McMillan and his wife Morgan want their kids--Trey, 5, and Denton, 2--to have a year without technology. Instead of reading e-readers, they are reading books. Instead of using a GPS, they used paper maps. The home the family is living in was built in the 1980s. Even the way they dress and style their hair is from the 80s. The whole idea started when young Trey was called to come outside. He didn't because he was busy playing on the ipad. That's why his dad thought of the idea of living "in 1982" for a year. The family plans to live like "it's 1982" until April next year. To them, one of the hardest things was giving up their cell phone. What will the visitors do when they come to see the family? A The way they dress and style their hair must be from the 80s. B They must leave their cell phone at home. C They will put their cell phone outside before entering the room. D They can use the phone prepared by the family. Answer: C Growing up, I knew I was different. My father had left and he never came back. As I later discovered, the abandonment triggered my anxiety attacks. I feared being alone, unwanted, unpopular, and unloved. My first attack came in a ninth-grade class: The teacher asked me to walk in front of the class, but I couldn't do it- I was soaked in sweat, shaking. My symptoms began every morning from the moment when I stepped inside the school building. Throughout my childhood, I was no stranger to the doctor's office. My mother tried everything she could in hope of a breakthrough. There were times I thought suicide could be the only way to make the pain stop. By age 16, I had shut down socially. Most of my peers were going to parties, playing sports, and dating. But I was a prisoner in my own home. Then one Sunday morning, my wake-up call came from a magazine article. Freddie Prinze, Jr. was on the cover. The article detailed the pain of losing his father at a young age. I felt as though I were reading my own life story. The only difference? He was now a success. That article inspired me to explore a new treatment option for myself. I wanted to turn my life around as well. So I hit the library and the Internet, and I began to realize how my negative thoughts controlled my physical well-being. Immediately, I made a plan to take charge of my life. Shortly after following the items I had listed, I was able to stop seeing a therapist. I never returned to high school, but I did go to college. After graduation, I pursued a career in television news. My relationships have changed for the better, too. I've made new friends and reconnected with many from my past The anxiety isn't completely gone, but whenever it returns, I know the feeling will pass, and know I have the power to change my life, only if I will give myself a chance. The breakthrough of the writer's treatment came when _ . A the mother took him to the doctor B the writer read a magazine article C the writer's pain finally stopped D the writer went to college Answer: B A Dutch artist and designer has come up with a device which he hopes will get rid of pollutants from Beijing's smog skies, creating clean air for the city's mask-wearing people. An electromagnetic field will pull particles in the smog to the ground where they can be easily cleaned. "It's like when you have a balloon which has static and your hair goes toward it. Same with the smog," says artist Daan Roosegaarde. His studio has reached an agreement with the Beijing government to test the technology in one of tile capital's parks. With its skies regularly covered by dirty gray smog, Beijing this week announced a series of emergency measures to handle the problem. Roosegaarde says an indoor model device has already proven it works and is confident that the results -- with the help of a team of scientists and engineers -- can be replicated outside. "Beijing is quite a good place because the smog in Beijing is quite low. It lies in a valley so there's not so much wind. It's a good environment to explore this kind of thing." "We'll be able to purify the air and the challenge is to get the top of the smog so you can see the sun again." Roosegaarde acknowledges that projects like this are a way of drawing attention to the problem, rather than a practical solution to Beijing's awful air pollution. "This is not the real answer for smog. The real answer has to do with clean cars, different industry and different lifestyles." However, he hopes the project will make a "fundamental statement" by allowing the city's people to realize the difference between breathing clean and smog-filled air. According to the passage, _ . A the Beijing government has agreed to use the technology in Beijing B they have proven the results of the device both indoors and outdoors C the results of the air-cleaning device can be expectable D the Beijing government has never done anything to handle the air pollution Answer: C You might not want a holiday in your hometown, but there is probably someone who does. And, in exchange, you could have a cheap vacation anywhere in the world. Just picture the scene: you're watching the sunset from the balcony of a Caribbean island house. It's large. And it's free as long as you don't mind the owners living in your home at the same time. All you need to be a home-swapper is the Internet and a rough idea of when and where you want to go on holiday. When you find someone whose dates match yours, and who wants to visit your area, you're all set to swap. The advantages are numerous: you can save a fortune in accommodation cost. You could get to use the owners' car, boat, bikes, pool or gym. You might even be able to come to an arrangement about looking after each other's pets! You also get to live like a local, and you might be invited around to neighbors' homes for tea, barbecues and tips on the area. People say that these cultural experiences are the memories that last. Plus, instead of one tiny hotel room, you have an entire house where you can make yourself at home. And it's not cold and impersonal like a hotel room. Of course, there are disadvantages. A lot of effort and communication are needed before the arrangements are finalized. Nobody wants a stranger living in their house, sleeping in their bed and using their bathroom, so you have to get to know each other well beforehand. Some people are concerned about theft or property damage, but in reality this is very rare. Most home-exchangers have the view that "If they can trust me with their house, I can trust them with mine." The worse complaint people have is the difference in standards of cleanness. If you're interested in home-exchange for your next holiday, start by contacting a famous agency like homelink.org and intervac,co.uk. These agencies will also have advice about preparing for a home-exchange. What will you most probably remember if you have exchanged your home with another? A The sunset. B The car or boat of the home owner. C The pet of the home owner. D A gathering in his neighborhood. Answer: D
My little brother sat in the corner of the living room, a pen in one hand and my father's book in the other. As my father walked into the room, my brother knew that he had done something wrong. I could see that he had scribbled in the book with a pen. Now, he and I both waited for our father's punishment. My father picked up his book and looked at it carefully. My father was a teacher. For him, books were very important, and yet he loved his children. Instead of punishing my brother, he took the pen from my brother's hand, and then wrote in the book himself: John's work, 1959, age 2. I'm very thankful to you for scribbling in my book. "Wow," I thought. "Is this punishment?" The years and the books came and went. We always knew our parents loved us. From time to time we would open the book, look at the scribbles and read my father's expression of love. _ . He also taught us about what is really important in life: people, not things. Now I am a father too. Unlike my father, I don't wait for my daughters to take books from my bookshelf and scribble in them. I take one down and give it to my children to scribble. As I look at their artwork , I think about my father and the lessons he taught me. What did the writer think when his father came into the room? John would be punished by his father. I passed my driving test at the fourth attempt. You might think that means I'm not as safe as someone who passed on their first attempt. But would you feel safer with no driver at all? Maybe not, and that's why automotive firms have included driverassist functions in their driverless cars. This allows the human driver to take over if there is a problem. Google is one producer that has prototype driverless cars. These cars have been newly equipped with autosteering wheels and conventional controls to allow normal driving. But this is just a stage -- the vision is to have fully automated cars very soon. The director of Google's selfdrive project, Chris Urmson, hopes his 11yearold son will never have to take a driving test. To achieve that, the cars need to be on the roads in five years. He says driverless cars will greatly reduce accidents and traffic jams. According to Chris, about 1.2 million people are killed on the roads around the world each year. That number is equivalent to a jet falling out of the sky every day. He thinks gradual changes to existing car designs are not enough to deal with the problems. "If we are really going to make changes to our cities, get rid of parking lots, we need selfdrive cars," he says. Google's prototypes have covered over a million kilometers on the road. They have also had to deal with unexpected situations, such as a child driving a toy car in the road, and a woman in an electric wheelchair chasing a duck. In each case, the car reacted safely. Some are not convinced. Sven Beiker of Stanford University thinks driverless cars will still need human input in extreme circumstances. What is Chris Urmson's comment on selfdrive cars? They can solve many existing problems. Have you ever wondered what a Degree might be worth to you in your job or career ? It means that a lot of Americans with an Associate Degree average nearly $10,000 more in yearly earnings than those with just a High School Diploma . Harcourt Learning Direct offers you a way to get a Specialized Associate Degree in 11 of today's growing fields without having to go to college full time. With Harcourt, you study at home, in your spare time-so you don't have to give up your present job while you train for a better one. Choose from exciting majors like Business Management, Accounting, Dressmaking &Design, Bookkeeping, Photography, Computer Science, Engineering, and more! Your training includes everything you need! 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Then write in the name and number of the one program you're most interested in, and mail it today. We'll rush your free information about how you can take advantage of the opportunities in the field you've chosen. Act today! Mail coupon today! Or call the number below 1-800-372-1589. Call any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. www. Harcourt-learning. com. E-mail:Harcourt@learning. com. It seems to the writer that what most attracts people to take their training is _ . the convenience of learning If you want to avoid death you will need to take in air I have some boxes. One is small . It's blue . One is full of books .It's red. The third is new. There is nothing in it . There are some old bottles in a big blue box. Today, I want to put the red box in the car, but I can't carry it. My mother helps me. And she can put the box in the car. _ helps me put the red box in the car. Mother
Purvis purchased a used car from Daley, a used car dealer. Knowing that they were false, Daley made the following statements to Purvis prior to the sale: Statement 1. This car has never been involved in an accident. Statement 2. This car gets 25 miles to the gallon on the open highway. Statement 3. This is as smooth-riding a car as you can get. If Purvis asserts a claim against Daley based on deceit, which of the false statements made by Daley would support Purvis' claim? Answer: Who Owns the Moon? Within the next ten years, the U. S., China, Israel, and a crowd of private companies plan to set up camp on the moon. So if and when they plant a flag, does _ give them property rights? A NASA working group hosted a discussion this week to ask: Who owns the moon? The answer, of course, is no use. The Outer Space Treaty, the international signed by more than 100 countries, states that the moon and other celestial bodies are the province of all mankind. No doubt that would annoy all of the people throughout the ages, like monks from the Middle Ages, who have tried to claim the moon was theirs. But ownership is different from property rights. People who rent apartments, for example, don't own where they live, but they still hold rights. So with all of the upcoming missions to visit the moon and beyond, space industry thought leaders are seriously asking themselves how to deal with a potential land rush. " This is a very relevant discussion right now. We've got this wave of new lunar missions from around the world," said William Marshall, a scientist in the small-spacecraft office at NASA, but who spoke this week at an event hosted by NASA's Co Lab, a collaborative public-private working group. He was speaking from his personal interest and not on behalf of the agency. To be sure, the United States aims to send astronauts back to the moon by as early as 2015, in a mission that would include a long-term settlement. China and Israel, among others, are also working on lunar projects. And for the first time, several private groups are building spacecraft to land on the moon in an attempt to win millions of dollars in the Google Lunar X Prize. Some participants say that they plan to gain some property rights in the mission. The Google Lunar X Prize aims to _ . Answer: Fear is an emotion like others such as happiness, anger, hurt, sadness. We need emotions to process information we receive and decide how to respond. Being afraid of fast cars, for example, is something that might protect us from harm. Being afraid of the consequence of a choice may prevent us getting into trouble. Fears in young children commonly center on certain animals like snakes or big dogs. Fears are caused often because of experiences or ideas expressed by others, and at times, the media. Many normal fears during the early years, like men with beards, or large dogs, disappear with age. Those relating to personal failure and ridicule remain through adulthood and may need special help to overcome. Children's fears are often _ , but that doesn't mean they should be ignored. They need to be recognized and accepted as real for that child. Only when we help children understand their fears can they grow normally in their ability to deal with them. Research shows that as a child grows up, the center of his fears changes a lot. Things like divorce, a teacher who "shouted at me", people with guns, bullies, big boys, or "making fun of me" top the list of childhood fears. We can not always prevent these experiences from happening, but it's essential that children be allowed to freely express their emotions without judgment. Sympathy and a caring listener will help ease the pain of these fears. Read books and stories to your child about children who have experienced similar fears. This helps children talk about their fears and find ways to cope. With all emotions, fears become less of a problem for children as they gain self-confidence and they find that fear is normal and can be dealt with. In dealing with children's fears, the final goal of the parents is to _ . Answer: Mr. Black works on a big farm. His wife Mrs. Black works in a school Mr. Black is nearsighted. But he doesn't like wearing glasses when he has meals. Mr. Black has a son. His name is Tony. He is in Class One, Grade Eight of No.2middle School. He likes talking very much. He often talks about his school and his friends at table. Mr. Black is angry, he always shouts, "Don't talk when you have meals." And Mrs. Black also says to him, "Be a good boy, Tony." One day, when they are having supper, Tony finds there is a fly in his father's bowl. Then he wants to tell his father about it,"Dad, there is ..." His father looks at him and says,"Stop talking!" After supper, his father asks him , "Well , my boy, what is it?" "There is a fly in your bowl, and it is in your stomach now."says Tony."Why don't you tell me earlier?" shouts his father angrily. What is Tony like ? _ . Answer: After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack on the tennis court, my world crashed around me. I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of earning a living, caring for the children and just _ . I was fortunate to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week, but from Friday nights to Monday mornings, the children and I were alone, and frankly I was uneasy. One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big beautiful German shepherd on our doorstep. He gave every indication that he intended to enter the house and make it his home. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement until the next day. The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German's owner, but with no results. German, meanwhile, actually made himself part of the family. Saturday night he was still with us, sleeping in the basement. On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. When we stopped to get gas at a local station, we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. He settled down in the back for the ride to the picnic. Monday morning I let him out for a run while the children got ready for school. He didn't come back. As evening came and German didn't appear, we were all disappointed. We were convinced that he had gone home or been found by his owner, and that we would never see him again. We were wrong. The next Friday evening, German was back on our doorstep. Again we took him in, and again he stayed until Monday morning, when our housekeeper arrived. This pattern repeated itself every weekend for almost 10 months. We grew more and more fond of German and we took comfort in his strong, warm presence, and we felt safe with him near us. Each week, between German's visits, I grew a little stronger, a little braver and more able to cope; every weekend I enjoyed his company. Then one Monday morning we patted his head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. He never came back. We never saw or heard of German again. I think of him often. I believe German was sent because he was needed, and because no matter how abandoned and alone we feel, somehow, somewhere, someone knows and cares. We are never really alone. We can conclude from the passage that _ . Answer:
Before Alaska became part of the U.S., it had been owned by Russia. Trading posts and small settlements were scattered along the coast. The rest of land was left unexplored. The Russians were mainly interested in the wealth of furs from the vast herds of seals they found there. By the mid-1800's, most of the seal herds had been wiped out, and Russia no longer wanted to keep Alaska. William Seward, Secretary of State for President Johnson, believed the United States should buy Alaska from Russia. President Johnson wasn't so sure it was a wise way to spend U.S. money, but he agreed to let Seward discuss it with the Russians. Acting quickly, Seward made a deal. On March 30, 1867, he signed an agreement for the U.S. to pay seven million dollars for the land. Many people thought it was a foolish waste of America's money. They called the deal "Seward's folly". Then gold was discovered in Alaska and public opinion changed quickly. Seward did not live to see the true value of Alaska. He died in 1872, five years after making the purchase . Each year, Alaska's natural resources have brought in many times the $7,000,000 paid for it. Natural gas, coal, oil, lumber, seafood and other minerals, besides the gold first found, have made it a valuable addition to the United States. In 1959, Alaska be-came the 49th state of the United States. The best title for this passage would probably be _ . Alaska, the 49th state of the U.S. SUZHOU-Jinji Lake has become the latest Chinese landmark to enjoy global fame. The lake was ranked one of the most popular Chinese scenic spots for its highest search rate during the Labor Day holiday, according to statistics revealed by China Central Television. During this year's Labor Day holiday, Jinji Lake attracted 287,400 visitors. Located in Suzhou Industrial Park, the lake is China's largest urban lake and is home to a great number of cultural, entertainment, commercial and business facilities. Jinji Lake has earned high praise around the world. In 2013, it received about 9.77 million tourists, increasing by 47.76% from the year before and ranking first among major attractions in Suzhou. The lake area was designed by EDAW, a United States architectural firm that has worked with Disney theme parks, as well as eight other themed attractions in Suzhou, including Harmony Times Square, the Ferris Wheel Park, the musical fountain, Ligongdi, Linglong Bay, Lakeside Street, the water corridor with art and culture facilities , and Jinji Lake Bridge. A tourism app for Jinji Lake, providing information about transportation, food, accommodation and other resources in the area is available to the public. According to the report, how many themed attractions are there in Suzhou? Nine Today many people say that women have the same chance as men in society. But this was not always so. In the past, women all over the world had to fight to get the same chance as men in education and jobs. Many people said that women should not receive much education because they would not do as well as men when they went to work. One woman who showed that women should have the same chance was Marie, a scientist. In the 1800s scientists knew that a metal, uranium, gave off radiation. They also knew how much radiation came from his element. But they didn't know what this radiation was like; they wondered why and how uranium gave off radiation. Marie Curie set out to answer these questions. In one of her experiments she was studying a certain material which, she knew, contained uranium, But it gave off 4 times as much radiation as usually does. What could explain this fact? Marie Curie thought that there must be another source of radiation in this material. In 1898 Marie Curie set out to find out this new source of radiation, which she named "radium". Her husband, who was also a scientist, helped her. They set up a laboratory in an old building behind a school. For four years Curies searched, doing many experiments, And one morning in 1902 Marie found the source of the radiation. Marie Curie proved to the world that there was element that gave off radiation. And she also proved to the world that, if women are given truly equal chance, they can really help society. The scientists of Marie Curie's day knew . that uranium gave off radiation It was a comfortable sunny Sunday. I was going to meet an old university friend I hadn't seen for years, and was really excited to hear all his news. My train was running a little late, but that was no big problem - I could text him to say I would be delayed. He would understand. But... where was my mobile phone? I had that familiar sinking feeling. Yes, I'd forgotten it at home. No mobile phone. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling anxious, _ and worried when I don't have my phone with me. In fact, I know I'm not alone: two-thirds of us experience 'nomophobia', the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. That's according to a study from 2012 which surveyed 1,000 people in the UK about their relationship with mobile phones. It says we check our mobile phones 34 times a day, that women are more 'nomophobic'than men, and that 18-24 year-olds are the most likely to suffer fear of being without their mobiles: 77% of them say they are unable to be apart from their phones for more than a few minutes. Do you have nomophobia ? * You never turn your phone off * You obsessively check for texts, missed calls and emails* You always take your phone to the bathroom with you* You never let the battery run out It's funny to think that around 20 years ago the only people with mobile phones would be businessperson carrying their large, plastic 'bricks'. Of course, these days, mobile phones are everywhere. A UN study from this year said mobile phone subscriptions would outnumber people across the world by the end of 2014. And when there are more phones than people in the world, maybe it's time to ask who really is in charge? Are you in control of your phone, or does your phone control you? So, what happened with my university friend? When I arrived a few minutes late he just laughed and said: "You haven't changed at all - still always late!" And we had a great afternoon catching up, full of jokes and stories, with no interruptions and no nagging desire to check my phone. Not having it with me felt strangely liberating. Maybe I'll leave it at home on purpose next time. What's the author's attitude towards the using mobiles ? Worried Afraid that her son would be too tired, Ms. Wendy would sometimes tell the boy to skip school, but each time, Fabian would insist on going to school. "I don't like _ because when I return to school, I don't know what's going on," the 12-year-old boy explained. He suffers for SMA-a neuromuscular disease that leads to weakness in muscles-and gets around in a wheelchair. Fabian's determination to excel in his studies was evident when he was disappointed that he got a total score of 236 yesterday in his Primary School Leaving Examination. He was hoping for a score of at least 240, but his mother was full of pride. "I am happy with his results. He's very motivated," said Ms. Wendy. When Fabian was two months old, he was diagnosed with SMA. Ms. Wendy, who used to go to other homes to teach piano lessons, started teaching lessons at home so she could take care of her son. Fabian proved to be a fighter. Ms. Wendy said, " He would study every day on his own even though he was weak and his spine was already starting to curve quite badly." Fabian is also active in the Singapore Disability Sports Council, where he plays boccia , a ball sport for those who require a wheelchair due to physical disability. At just 133cm tall and weighing 14kg, he knows that he will have to rely on others all his life. "I'm afraid that when my parents grow older, they will not be able to carry me and that there will be nobody to carry me," said Fabian. "But for now, I feel lucky that I get to go out and do a lot of things that I thought I couldn't." His dreams aren't lofty either-all he want to be able to do is work and provide for his parents. "I just want to study hard so that I can be a businessman, like my dad." He is planning to apply to study at Victoria School. We can know from the text that Fabian _ . wants to be a businessman like his father.
Elsie Comer is nearly 92, but she can still play a game of Words with Friends on her iPad and claims that the Apple product has changed her life. Mrs. Comer, who lives in a house close to Manchester Airport, admits to playing the hugely popular puzzle game at a time and also uses her iPad to track the planes that fly overhead and explore the world with Google Earth. "It's been a wonderful ,way to keep in touch with my family, " she said. "I use it nearly all the hours of daylight. 2-3 hours in the morning. then again in the afternoon. " I live near the airport , so I love being able to look at the Flight Tracker and see where the planes that fly overhead are going. I also really like Words with Friends . and have 16 games going at a time. Mrs. Comer taught painting when she left school. She did own a laptop. But struggled( ) with it. "She had a laptop before, but the problem was that she couldn't see the cursor , and that she also has shaky hands that struggle with the mouse. " said her 63-year-old daughter, Jean Holt , from Citheroe. "I was in America visiting my daughter, and I played with an iPad and decided to buy one for my mother. Mrs. Holt loaded the iPad with apps gradually so her mother could learn how to use them. "She uses it several hours a day, and is determined to keep up with everything new, so she reads the news, sends emails, and uses FaceTime to make video calls to us all." she said. ELSIES FAVORITE APPS Words with Friends-a free Scrabble-like puzzle app Flight Tracker-allowing her to see the details of planes that fly over her home FaceTime-used to make video calk to her family around the world iMessage-used to send text messages to mobile phones Solitaire-a classic card Same What can we learn from the passage? A A friend in need is a friend indeed. B Where there is a will, there is a way. C One is never too old to learn. D A good beginning is half done. Answer: C by J. Courtney Sullivan, fiction, $26 The Kellehers are a big, disorderly family who sometimes seem to have only one thing in common: love for their beach house in Maine. Lie there with this novel and listen to a summer's worth of secrets, quarrels, and misunderstandings. WHAT I LEARNED WHEN I ALMOST DIED by Chris Licht, nonfiction, $23 The energetic co-creator of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" was unprepared for the pain, fear, and helplessness he felt after suffering a brain bleed. But as he detailed in this outspoken, thoughtful book, the lessons he took from the event surprised him the most. FIRE AND RAIN by David Browne, nonfiction, $26 This book transports you back to a year -- the 1970 of Apollo 13, the first Earth Day -- and the turning point of albums by the Beatles, James Taylor, and Crosby, Stills and Nash that provided the sound for a new decade. Rolling Stone contributing editor Browne artfully describes the creation of these classic songs. LONG DRIVE HOME by Will Allison, fiction, $22 A moment of anger has life-and-death consequences in this beautifully written novel. Being angry with a speeding teenage driver, Dad Glen Bauer makes a turn of his car in response, causing an accident in which the other driver dies. It's a story about guilt, responsibility, and how mistrust can tear a loving family apart. JESSICA LOST by Bunny Crumpacker and J.S. Picariello, memoir ,$25 Two authors -- a woman who gave up a baby for adoption and the child herself -- write alternating chapters in this memoir, which takes readers on a 50-year journey through their separate lives, their meeting, and their following relationship. Its account is both original and heartbreaking. Which of the following is TURE according to the text? A MAINE talks about a loving happy family. B WHAT I LEARNED WHEN I ALMOST DIED is a novel. C JSSICA LOST is about a mother and her daughter. D LONG DRIVE HOME is written in the first person. Answer: C Rose has four cousins.They are Ann, Betty, Peter and Bill.Pose is the oldest of them.Betty is thirteen years old.She is two years younger than Pose and one year older than Peter.Bill is nine.Ann, the youngest is seven. Betty and Peter are good at running.But Peter runs faster.Pose and Ann like to play basketball.Rose plays better than Ann.Bill is the best singer of them five.Rose an Betty study in a middle school.Ann, Peter and Bill study in a primary school.These five children all work hard at their lessons.But Betty works the hardest. Rose is _ years older than Peter. A two B three C six D eight Answer: B First Frenchman: I once heard someone shout, "Look out." I put my head out of a window and a glass of water fell on me. It seems that "look out" may mean "Don't look out." Second Frenchman: I was once on a ship and heard the captain shout, "All hands on deck . I put my hands on the deck and someone walked on them." Third Frenchman: I once went early in the morning to the doctor's and his nurse came to the door and said, "he's not up yet. Come back in half an hour." When I went a second time for him, she said, "he's not down yet." I had to go away again. Later I thought the doctor should be in the house in the evening, so I went there once more. "Oh, how sorry I am! He's not in ! I'd better tell him to wait for you if you could come tomorrow." said the nurse. "Well! He's not up, he is not down, and he is not in. please tell me where he stays!" I said angrily. Look out here means _ . A Help me. B A glass of water fell from the window. C Take care. D Put your head out of the window and look out. Answer: C This is a picture of the twin brothers Li Lei and Li Ping's bedroom. It's not big, but it's very bright. It's a nice room. In the bedroom, we can see two beds, two chairs, two desks, a table and a cat. The two beds look the same. On the wall, there are some pictures of their family. Li Lei's green coat is on his bed, but his blue shoes are under his chair. Their books and pencil-boxes are on their desks. We can see some flowers and a clock on Li Ping's desk. Li Lei's schoolbag is behind his chair, but Li Ping's is on his chair. Where is their white cat? Oh, it's under Li Lei's bed. It's a _ room. A big and nice B big C bright and nice D nice Answer: C
Question: We bought a pair of geese one spring when they were both two weeks old. One was a female Chinese goose I named Su and her mate was a white goose I named Goose. They would follow us all around the yard talking to us whenever we came outside. At night, they stayed in a box in our kitchen until they were too big and then they stayed at night outside. They loved the river and soon began staying out all night on the river. Whenever I wanted to know where they were, I would make a honking noise , and they would answer me and come into the yard for their corn. One night, I was woken up by loud noise. We ran out to see what was wrong. A raccoon had decided that some goose eggs would taste good and had come too close to the setting.When we found Su, the raccoon had caught her by her neck and was biting it.We drove it away and took Su to the garage, washed her wound and wrapped it up in a bandage.Goose knew she was there and wanted to be with her, so we opened the small garage door and he hurried in.After two days and nights, I released them back outside. For the first three nights at dusk, we would get her and carry her into the garage for the night and Goose would come running behind us to join her there.We were touched by his devotion to her.We took off her bandage and she was fine so that next night, we had not planned to take her to the garage any longer.We were amazed, however, that when dusk fell that night, she climbed the back steps to our garage door waiting for us to come and get her in! They do not speak our language, but they know when people care about them and love them and they respond in kind. Where would Su probably stay at night after her recovery? A. In the wild. B. In the kitchen. C. On the river. D. In the garage. Answer: D Question: Page last updated at 04:08, Friday, Nov. 22, 2013 US _ jet leaves tiny airport A Boeing 747 Dreamlifter cargo plane has safely taken off from a tiny airport in Kansas after it landed there by mistake. The huge cargo jet had been heading for McConnell air force base in Wichita, but instead touched down at nearby Colonel James Jabara airport. No one was injured and no property damage occurred when the plane landed. There had been questions as to whether the aircraft would be able to depart from the much shorter runway at Jabara. The Dreamlifter normally needs a runway of 2,780m (9,119ft) to get into the air at maximum weight; Jabara's runway is only 1,860m long. A tug was sent to the airport to turn around the huge cargo plane. Brad Christopher of the Wichita Airport Authority told the Associated Press news agency that the company operating the aircraft had assured us they've run all the engineering calculation and performance and the aircraft is very safe for a normal departure at its present weight and conditions here. The Dreamlifter, which landed at Jabara on Wednesday evening, is a modified 747-400 passenger aeroplane, which can carry more cargo than any aeroplane in the world, according to Boeing. The aerospace company uses its fleet of four Dreamlifters to transport large assembled components of its 787 Dreamliner from suppliers around the world to the final location in Washington State. We can infer from the passage that the Dreamlifter landed at Jabara with _ . A. as much cargo as it could carry B. more cargo than it could carry C. less cargo than it could carry D. heavier cargo than it could carry Answer: C Question: A long time ago, there was a man. He wanted to buy a pair of new shoes. He measured his feet with a straw ,and then went to a shoe shop in town. The shopkeeper took out a pair of new shoes, and let him try it on. But when he looked into his pocket, he found that the straw was not there. So he said, "I'm sorry, I forgot to bring the size here! Let me go home to get it." After that, he ran out of the shop. It was very far from his home to the shoe shop. When he got back home, he was out of breath. With a straw in his hand, he hurried to the shoe shop again. But the shop was closed. Someone near the man said, "Your feet are with you. Why don't you try which pair of shoes fits ? And why do you believe your straw, but not your feet?" What do you think of the man? A. Clever B. Foolish. C. A good man. D. A bad man. Answer: B Question: "Experience may possibly be the best teacher, but it is not a particularly good teacher." You might think that Winston Churchill or perhaps Mark Twain spoke those words, but they actually come from James March, a professor at Stanford University and a pioneer in the field of organizational decision making. For years March (possibly be wisest philosopher of management) has studied how humans think and act, and he continues to do so in his new bookThe Ambiguities of Experience. He begins by reminding us of just how firmly we have been sticking to the idea of experiential learning: "Experience is respected;experience is sought;experience is explained." The problem is that learning from experience involves serious complications , ones that are part of the nature of experience itself and which March discusses in the body of this book. In one interesting part of the book, for example, he turns a doubtful eye toward the use of stories as the most effective way of experiential learning. In our efforts to make stories interesting, he argues, we lose part of the complicated truth of things. He says "The more accurately reality is presented, the less understandable the story, and the more understandable the story, the less realistic it is." Besides being a broadly knowledgeable researcher, March is also a poet, and his gift shines through in the depth of views he offers and the simple language he uses. Though the book is short, it is demanding: Don't pick it up looking for quick, easy lessons. Rather, be ready to think deeply about learning from experience in work and life. According to the text, James March is _ . A. a poet who uses experience in his writing B. a teacher who teachers story writing in university C. a researcher who studies the way humans think and act D. a professor who helps organizations make important decisions Answer: C Question: It doesn't look like the heart of a green revolution. The huge chimneys stick up above the line of pine trees and don't make for the most scenic view as you wander around the clear blue waters of the nearby lake. But it is this power plant that has helped the small Swedish city of Vaxjo become arguably the greenest place in Europe. On closer observation, the only thing emerging from the chimneys is the faintest mists of steam. And inside it smells more like a sauna than a furnace . That's because it is not oil fuelling the plant, but woodchip and other wood waste from the area's sawmills. And as well as generating electricity, it also supplies 90 per cent of this southern Swedish town with heating and hot water.[:Zxxk.Com] The gases produced as the wood burns are changed into liquid form, and are purified before they reach the chimney. And instead of wasting this liquid, the power plant pumps it around town. Some runs out of the town's public taps; the rest is directed through pipes that run through individual heaters, warming homes and offices. The pile of wood chippings in the yard towers above head height and takes almost five minutes to walk around. That's enough to keep Vaxjo warm on the snowiest day in winter, or supply it with hot water for a fortnight in summer, and it's good way of using the paper industry's waste. As well as the centuries-- old Swedish policy of planting a new tree for every one felled, the ashes swept out of the furnace each day find their way back to the forest as fertilizer . It was this green plant that netted Vaxjo the European Union's award for sustainable development, making it the greenest city on the continent. However, it is not just the citizen's consciences and moral histories to which the town's current day authorities are appealing. They know how to talk to their wallets too. Oil-generated electricity costs about 16,000 kronor a year(PS1,170) per person, while the new power plant's electricity comes in at two thirds of the price. They've been planning for over ten years to become a "Fossil Fuel Free City". But according to Anders Franzen, the head of planning and development department at the city council: "The battle in the energy sector has been won, yes, but the next battleground is transport." What impresses the town's current-- day authorities most? A. The citizens' consciences. B. The town's moral histories. C. The lower cost of electricity D. The award for sustainable development Answer: C
Which biological activity occurs in a repeated rhythm? Answer: Nuclear power's danger to health, safety, and even life itself can be described in one word; radiation . Nuclear radiation has a certain mystery about it, partly because it cannot be detected by human senses. It can't be seen or heard, or touched or tasted, even though it may be all around us. There are other things like that. For example, radio waves are all around us but we can't detect them, sense them, without a radio receiver. Similarly, we can't sense radioactivity without a radiation detector. But unlike common radio waves, nuclear radiation is not harmless to human beings and other living things. At very high levels, radiation can kill an animal or human being completely by killing masses of cells in important organs . But even the lowest levels can do serious damage. There is no level of radiation that is completely safe. If the radiation does not hit anything important, the damage may not be significant. This is the case when only a few cells are hit, and if they are killed completely. Your body will replace the dead cells with healthy ones. But if the few cells are only damaged, and if they reproduce themselves, you may be in trouble. They reproduce themselves in an unusual way. They can grow into cancer. Sometimes this does not show up for many years. This is another reason for some of the mystery about nuclear radiation. Serious damage can be done without the knowledge of the person at the time that damage has occurred. A person can be irradiated and feel fine, then die of cancer five, ten, or twenty years later as a result. Or a child can be born weak or easy to get serious illness as a result of radiation absorbed by its grandparents. Radiation can hurt us. We must know the truth. Radiation can lead to serious results even at the lowest level _ . Answer: No one would much like the idea of eating 61 pounds of tomatoes a day. But if their goodness was put into an easy-to-swallow pill that you were told might prevent strokes and heart attacks you would probably be putting in an order tomorrow. Researchers believe they may have come up with just that after trials. The daily pill contains a chemical called lycopene which makes tomatoes red and is known to break down fat in the vessels . A Cambridge University study found taking the pills improved blood flow and the lining of vessels in patients with pre-existing heart conditions. It also increased the flexibility of their vessels by 50 percent. The scientists believe it could limit the damage caused by heart disease-responsible for 180,000 deaths a year-and help cut the 49,000 deaths a year from strokes. They also hope it could benefit those with arthritis , diabetes and even slow the progress of cancer. Each pill is equal to eating around 61 pounds of ripe tomatoes. Studies have shown eating a Mediterranean-style diet rich in tomatoes fish, vegetables, nuts and olive oil can significantly reduce cholesterol and help prevent cardiovascular disease. Preliminary results from a two-month trial, in which the pill was given to 36 heart disease patients and 36 healthy volunteers with an average age of 67, were presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association. It was shown to improve the function of the endothelium- the layer of cells lining blood vessels. It also improved their sensitivity to nitric oxide, the gas which causes the enlargement of the vessels in response to exercise. Ian Wilkinson, head of Cambridge University's clinical trials unit, said "These results are potentially very significant and it meets the goal, but we need more trials to see if they translate into fewer heart attacks and strokes." Further studies are planned, with researchers hoping it could offer a choice for heart disease sufferers who can not take the cholesterol-lowing drugs. Mike Knapton, head of the British Heart Foundation, said, "Although this showed lycopene improved blood flow in people with heart disease, that's a long way from demonstrating that taking it could improve outcomes for people with heart disease. The best way to get the benefits of a good diet is to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables." What Was Ian Wilkinson's opinion on the trial? Answer: People living in the UK take quite a few holidays abroad and in this country each year.Choices made about where to go, how to get there and what to do while there can either benefit or harm the environment. While on holiday Many of the things you can do to the greener on holiday will be the same things you can do at home--but there are also some extra things too, like avoiding gifts made from endangered plants and animals.Here are some suggestions: Making the most of locally produced food and drink, and local activities and attractions will support people in the area you are visiting and reduce the need for further environmental influence from transport; Switching off any air conditioning, heating and lights will help reduce climate change effect; Save water--some countries suffer from water shortages and saving water can help avoid damage to our natural habitats . Endangered species Some gifts and foods available in some countries can be made from endangered plants or animals.Check before you buy, but if you doubt, avoid animal and plant gifts.More details of the types of products to avoid and illegal trade hotspots can be found on the Souvenir Alert web page. Making a positive contribution to the place you are visiting There are ways in which your holiday can help support local people and the environment: There are many opportunities to volunteer and help with projects that conserve and improve natural habitats; *When you are away, or if you are looking for somewhere to visit, you can support projects or attractions which protect wildlife, such as nature reserves and conservation projects. The passage is mainly about _ . Answer: Who would have thought that potato fries could unite an entire country? Well, that seems to be the case in Belgium where there is currently a movement to have Belgian potato fries officially recognized as cultural heritage. The fries are served in a paper cone from a "fritkot", which is a shack or a food truck. Across Belgium, there are at least 5,000 fritkots which is 10 times more common than McDonald's restaurants in the United States. The movement for the fries to be declared official cultural heritage was started by UNAFRI, also known as the national association of fritkot owners. They claim that their establishments represent Belgium very well. "A cone of potato chips is Belgium in miniature . What's amazing is that this way of thinking is the same, in spite of differences among communities and regions," added spokesman Bernard Lefevre. Tourists can even be seen to line up with locals in Brussels to buy a cone of fries from wellknown fritkots such as Frit Flagey and Maison Antoine. "Before I came here, the only thing I knew about Belgium [Z-x-x-k.Com]was that they liked their fries," said Rachael Webb, a tourist from Ottowa, Canada. In order to be recognized by UNESCO, it has to be formally supported by the Belgian government of culture. As of right now, UNESCO has a list of 314 items of "cultural heritage" that they say is worthy enough to be preserved. Items on the list include Turkish coffee and the old native singing of the Central African Republic. Potatoes reached Belgium in the 16th century, but it wasn't until the 19th century that they were cut up into fries and sold as a meal. The movement to have potato fries declared cultural heritage was started by _ . Answer:
Without proper planning,tourism can cause problems.For example,too many tourists can crowd public places that are also enjoyed by the inhabitants of the country.If tourists create too much traffic,the inhabitants become annoyed and unhappy.They begin to dislike tourists and to treat them impolitely.They forget how much tourism can help the country's economy.It is important to think about the people of a destination country and how tourism affects them.Tourism should help a country keep the customs and beauty that attract tourists.Tourism should also advance the wealth and happiness of local . Too much tourism can be a problem.If tourism grows too quickly,people must leave other jobs to work in the tourism industry.This means that other parts of the country's economy can suffer. On the other hand,if there is not enough tourism,people can lose jobs.Businesses can also lose money.It costs a great deal of money to build large hotels.Airports,first-class roads,and other support facilities needed by tourist attractions.For example,a major international class tourism hotel can cost as much as 50 thousand dollars per room to build.If this room is not used most of the time,the owners of the hotel will lose money. Building a hotel is just a beginning.There must be many other support facilities as well,including roads to get to the hotel,electricity,sewers to handle waste,and water.All of these support facilities cost money.If they are not used because there are not enough tourists,jobs and money are lost. Too much tourism can cause all these problems EXCEPT _ . Answer: Audrey Hepburn(*)won an Academy Award as Best Actress for her first major American movie, Roman Holiday, which was released in 1953,But she is remem bered as much for her aid work as for her acting. Born in Belgium in 1929, Audrey's father was British and her mother was Dutch, Audrey was sent to live at a British school for part of her childhood , During World war ll , she lived and studied in the Netherlands , Her mother thought it would be safe from German attacks ,Audrey studied dance as a teenager and during college when she returned to London after the war, But she realized she wasn't going to be a ballerina ,So she began taking acting parts in stage shows, Later she began to get small parts in movies. But it was Audrey Hepburn's move to America that brought her true fame ,In 1951 she played the character"Gigi"in the Broadway play of the same name to great critical praise, Two years later, Roman Holiday made her a star at the age of 24. Audrey make more than 25 movies, Among her most popular roles was Hoolly Golinghtly in Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961, There years later she played Eliza Doolittle in my Fair Lady. She was married two times and had one by each husband, In 1989,the UN Children's Fund named Audrey a goodwill ambassador, She travelled all over the world in support of UNICEF projects ,The UN agency said she was a tireless worker, She often gave 15 interviews a day to gain money and support for UNICEF projects. Audrey Hepburn often said her loyalty to UNICEF was the result of her experiences as a child during World War II, She said she knew what it was like to be starving and to be saved by international aid , She was a goodwill ambassador until her death in 1993 from colon cancer. We can infer from the passage that _ . Answer: People need to relax and enjoy themse1ves.One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event.Even thousands of years ago,groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes . Over 2000 years ago in Greece,certain days in the year were festival days.These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves.They liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games of skill. The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia.It was held in honor of the Greek god Zeus(Zus).For five days,athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games.At the Olympic Games,people could watch them box,run,jump and so on.There was a relay race between two teams of men in which a lighted torch was passed from runner to runner.The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting.People were allowed to travel to the games safely.Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from her colonies in Africa,Asia and Italy.They met as friends to cheer their favorite athletes and to enjoy themselves. The best title for the story is" _ ". Answer: On the first day of school, our professor introduced himself and let us get to know someone we didn't know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. "Hi, girl! My name is Rose, I'm 87 years old." "Why are you in college at such a young age?" I asked jokingly. "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she replied. Rose became a college symbol this year and she easily made friends with other students. At the end of the term we invited her to speak at our football party. I'll never forget what she taught us. "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets of 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. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! "There is a big difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do anything, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men," she added. She ended her speech by singing The Song Rose. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the end of the year, Rose finished the college education. One week after graduation, Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be. Remember GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY , GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL . Which of the following can best describe the story? Answer: BEIJING , March 9 --- The central government will require an additional three years of use for official vehicles for ministers and governors to reduce the costs of purchasing new cars, media have reported. The new rule has been applied among all Party and government departments nationwide, theBeijing Newsreported on Tuesday. The new rule has not yet been made public, said Li, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee. Under the old rules, the cars used by minister-level officials could be replaced as often as every five years, Li said. These officials will also keep the same cars when they assume new posts, he added. The new rule also reiterated that officials ranking below minister-or-governor-levels should not be allocated cars. The cars possessed by their departments should be used on demand. "It violates the rules for lower-ranking --- even county-level-officials to be allocated cars," Li said. Purchases of vehicles for official use have been heavily investigated, as they account for a large expenditure of public funds every year. A survey on the Web news www.ifeng.com found 64 percent of respondents believed the new rule will be difficult to carry out because it is related to officials' interests. "Local government departments had halted approvals for requests for such vehicles and had started to work on new quotas under the new rules," Li said. "The future reform of official vehicle use will introduce market mechanisms and monetization." Premier Wen Jiabao said in the annual government work report on Saturday that expenditures on such vehicles will not increase in 2011 compared with a year ago. Beijing's standing deputy mayor Ji Lin last week said the municipal government will release the number of vehicles for official use in the capital as early as at the end of this month. Earlier this month, the Minister of Finance had published a rule regulating the budgets for such vehicles. From the passage, we can infer that _ . Answer:
National Family Week-an event that encourages families to spend more time together-carried out a study among 8-15 yearolds.The study found 40% of girls thought Facebook was one of the most important things in their lives-compared with 6% of boys.Parents were found to underestimate the importance of Internet technology. The role of social networking was particularly important in families with a single mother as parent.The survey was carried out last month and based on 3,000 parents and 1,000 children across the UK. The survey shows that girls are using social networking as something central to their social and family life.Girls saw websites such as Facebook as much more influential than television,magazines, famous people and even their own brothers and sisters.Asked to name the three most important things in their lives, the most popular choices for girls were friends, family and then Facebook and MSN. Girls are also more likely to believe that technology-in the form of social networking and mobile phones-plays an important role in their lives.While 41% of girls think technology is one of their biggest influences,only 17% of boys believe this. Girls see their big influences as parents,teachers and technology,while boys choose parents,friends and school as their big influences.The survey says that parents have failed to keep up with their children's use of technology,overestimating their own importance in their children's lives. The survey also looked at how children thought about their relationships with their parents.It found that both boys and girls would much rather have stories read to them by their mothers.However,girls felt closer to their fathers,while boys felt closer to their mothers. Which of the following is NOT among the three most important things for girls? Answer: Don't you think your schoolbag is too heavy to bear? The e-schoolbag will free you from the weight. It is said that e-schoolbags are going to be brought into use in Chinese middle schools soon. An experiment with several hundred e-schoolbags will begin in seven cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. And the e-schoolbags are going to cover all over China if the experiment proves to be successful. In fact, the e-schoolbag should perhaps be called an e-notebook. It is a small hand-held computer for school students. Heavy schoolbags have long been a serious problem for school students. The average schoolbag of middle school students weighs up to 5 kilos. But the e-schoolbag will change everything. It is much lighter than a usual schoolbag, weighing under 1 kilo. Also, it is no bigger than a usual book, but it can still hold all the things for study, such as a textbook, a notebook and exercise book. They could be made into chips that are as small as a stamp. The students can read the text page by page on the screen. They can still take notes using a special electronic pen. If they want to know the meaning or the pronunciation of a new word, or even e-mail their teachers, it's just a press of a button. In some foreign countries, it is becoming common. But it is hard to tell when people will receive this new form of study. Some say that e-textbooks can be easily broken, some say that it is not good to students' eyesight to look at the screen for long. But only time will tell. Which of the following statement is TRUE? Answer: An example of evaporation is a body of water drying up by Answer: Since the beginning of time never has there been another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my ears, my hands, my mouth. None that came before, none that live today, and none that come tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me. I'm a unique creature. Vain attempts to imitate others no longer will I make. Instead will I place my uniqueness on display in the market place. I will begin now to highlight my differences; hide my similarities. I am rare, and therefore I am valuable. I am the end product of thousands of years of evolution; therefore, I am better equipped in both mind and body than all the emperors and wise men before me. But my skills, my mind, my heart, and my body will weaken, rot, and die for fear that I put them to good use. I have unlimited potential. Only a tiny part of my brain do I employ; only a small amount of my muscle do I apply. So never again will I be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments nor will I lose myself, anymore, in self-praise for deeds which in reality are too small to even acknowledge. I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will. I am not on this earth by chance. I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy. I will increase my knowledge of mankind, myself, and the goods I sell. I will practice, and improve, and polish the words I speak to multiply my sales, for this is the foundation on which I will build my career. Also will I seek constantly to improve my manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracteD. I have been given eyes to see and a mind to think and now I know a great secret of life that all my problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise. I am nature's greatest miracle. And nature knows not defeat. Eventually, she achieves victory and so will I, and with each victory the next struggle becomes less difficult. What is the best title for the passage? Answer: Steven Spielberg was not a scholar, and his classmates teased him. Rather than read, the kid really preferred running around with an 8mm camera, shooting homemade movies, which he showed to friends for a small fee. In his first year of high school, he dropped out. But when his parents persuaded him to return, he was mistakenly placed in a learningdisabled class, which lasted one month. Only when the family moved to another town did he land up in a more suitable high school, where he eventually graduated. After being denied entrance into a traditional filmmaking school, Steven Spielherg enrolled in English at California State University at Long Beach. Then in 1965, he recalls, in one of those serendipitous moments, his life took a complete turn. Visiting Universal Studios, he met Chuck Silvers, an executive in the editorial department. Silvers liked the kid who made 8mm films and invited him back sometime to visit. He appeared the next day. Spielberg, dressed in a dark suit, carrying his father's briefcase with nothing inside but a sandwich and candy bars walked confidently up to the guard at the gate of Universal and gave him a casual wave. The guard waved back. He was in. "For the entire summer," Spielberg remembers, "I dressed in my suit and hung out with the directors and writers, including Silvers, who knew the kid wasn't a studio employee, but winked at him. I even found an office that wasn't being used, and became a squatter . I bought some plastic tiles and put my name in the building directory: Steven Spielberg, Room 23C." It paid off for everyone. Ten years later, the 28yearold Spielberg directed Jaws, which took in $470 million, then the biggest grossing movie of all time. Dozens of films and awards have followed because Steven Spielberg knew what his teachers didn't--talent is in the eyes of the filmmaker. Why was Steven Spielberg laughed at by his classmates? Answer:
In the United States, it is not usual to telephone someone early in the morning. If you telephone early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. So it is with the telephone calls made after 11:00 pm. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he may think that it's a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance. In social life, time plays a very important part. In the USA guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party reaches them only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time is not the same in different cultures that treat time differently; being on time is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not on time, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the USA no one would think of keeping a business friend for an hour; it would be too impolite. A person who is 5 minutes late is expected to make a shout apology. It he is less than 5 minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence. In the passage, the author suggests that invitation cards should be sent _ . A. three or four days before the party date in all cultures B. three or four days before the party date in the USA C. three or four days before the party date in some cultures D. at your chosen time Answer: C Children are often far more gifted than what their parents or teachers can realize.IQ tests do not measure creative talents.By depending on them to measure intelligence,therefore,we miss out on the talents of many of our most gifted youngsters.Most children start life with valuable creative potential.Unfortunately,many of them have it knocked out of them,so to speak,by the time they reach the 4th grade.It is not that parents and teachers deliberately squelch creativity;or rather,they fail to recognize it.By simply observing the child at work or at play,you may detect creativity,if you look for the following key signs: Curiosity.The child's questioning is persistent and purposeful.He is not content with given explanations,and he would rather dig under the surface. Flexibility.If one approach doesn't work,the child quickly thinks of another. Sensitivity to Problem.He is quick to see gaps in information.He is sensitive to contradictions between prior rules and what he hears or reads. Selffeeling.He has a feeling of being somebody in particular.He is selfmotivated,selfdirected,and can work alone for long periods provided it's on his own project. Originality.He has surprising,uncommon,interesting ideas.His drawings and stories have a style that marks them as his own. Insight.He has easy access to realms of the mind that noncreative people visit only in their dreams.He toys with ideas that easily come to him. Qualities like these count very little in IQ tests,which measure memory,vocabulary,mathematical ability and general reasoning.These abilities are valuable,and the creative child does usually have them.However,the child with a socalled genius IQ of 180 is in reality no more likely to be a genius than the child with a slightly aboveaverage IQ of 120.In fact,evidence suggests that some children with high IQs may develop memory and logical reasoning powers at the expense of insight,imagination,and adventurous qualities that are essential to geniuses. The author believes that IQ tests mainly measure _ . A. creative potential B. talents C. intelligence D. general reasoning Answer: C A little stress is good, since it helps you keep motivated to meet your goals. However, too much stress is bad for your health. Stress needs to be managed in order to prevent anxiety . Here are some tips on how to manage stress. Write it out Write down everything that seems stressful, and ways to deal with each problem. You'll find a things-to-do list much easier to manage than having all messed up in your head. Write down the tasks along with the specific times when you can do them. One task at a time Give each task all your attention while you're doing it, and forget the rest. This will keep you from feeling anxious about things you have left to do. Thinking about other tasks only adds unnecessary stress, and can even stop you from doing the task you're busy with at present. You don't need to do everything all at once, or on your own. The feeling of being pressed to finish something on time will somehow disappear if someone is there to help you. Give yourself a reward Rewarding yourself for what you've already done, no matter how small, is a great way to motivate yourself to keep going. It will reduce stress, and make you happier to go on with the next task. Give yourself a break Breaks of ten to fifteen minutes are important. Visit a cafe or take a quick walk --anything to take your mind off the work for a while. If you need to stay at work, sit with your eyes closed and imagine a peaceful place or some other relaxing scenes. This will remove the stress from your muscles and mind. Which of the following would the author agree? A. The more stress you have, the more motivated you will be. B. Writing down everything seems impossible. C. Only reward yourself for your biggest achievements in your work. D. It is necessary to have a break during your work. Answer: D A Hard-working Student This story is about a young student. She worked very hard at her lessons. She was too busy to have a rest. At last, she became ill, and couldn't go to sleep. Every night, when she went to bed, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. But the more she tried, the more she stayed _ . After a while she went to see a doctor, "I just can't go to sleep at night. What should I do?" "I have a suggestion ," said the doctor, "Try counting numbers. By the time you reach one thousand, you will be asleep. I'm sure of it." The next day the student returned to the doctor's office. "Well," said the doctor, "How are you today? Did you try my suggestion?" The student still looked tired. "Yes," she said, "I tried counting one, two, three...up to one thousand. But when I reached five hundred and sixty-nine, I began to feel sleepy. I had to get up and drink some coffee so that I could go on counting up to one thousand. But then I still couldn't fall asleep." ,. Why couldn't the young student go to sleep? A. She was worried about her lessons. B. She hadn't finished her homework. C. She had worked too hard and became ill. D. There was a lot of noise. Answer: C Many stars can be seen in the sky at night. Which statement best explains why the Sun appears brighter than the stars seen in the night sky? A. The Sun is bigger than the stars seen in the night sky. B. The Sun is smaller than the stars seen in the night sky. C. The Sun is closer to Earth than the stars seen in the night sky. D. The Sun is farther from Earth than the stars seen in the night sky. Answer: C
Which group of organisms would all be found living in a tropical rain forest? Answer: Nobody Benefits NEW YORK--America has been experiencing the longest economic increase in its history.Incomes have risen, unemployment has fallen, and cities such as New York are bursting with new office buildings. But just a short walk from Manhattan's skyscrapers, George Brown sits on the side-walk, cooking a lunch of rice and bits of fish over a can of cooking fuel. Brown is homeless -- one of the 2.3 million people in the US who end up on the street. During the day, Brown collects aluminium cans and sells them for five cents a piece.At night, he sleeps on the street. "I have been on the street about eight or nine years, something like that," said the 62-year-old former construction worker. Brown admits he's had problems with alcohol and has smoked cocaine.But he said he still wants a more stable housing arrangement.He could afford it just with the money he earns by collecting cans and small pieces of metal, if only truly low-income housing were available. However, he sees no hope of finding affordable housing in New York. With the strong economy and unemployment down, beautiful housing is being built to meet demand. A US report shows rents in New York city rose more than 27 percent between 1984 and 1999, from US $549 to US $700 a month. One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up. The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help. But few housing companies have been built for the poor.Many small apartments in the city now rent for US $1,500 a month or more. Brown, the homeless New Yorker, said he has a daughter who lives in the city but he rarely sees her.She is angry about his drinking and won't allow it in her house. Smiling, he said he also has seven grandchildren whom he'd like to see more often. "All I've got to do is clean up my act," he said. What kind of life does George Brown lead? Answer: A person is going to the woods to bag fresh venison. This person is Answer: From Mr. Ward Hoffman. Sir, I was halfway through Professor Raj Persaud's article "What's the tipping point?" (Financial Times Weekend, April 9-l0) when it occurred to me that what I was reading was not ironic . If Prof Persaud wants to know why Americans tip in restaurants, he need only ask the first American he meets inprefix = st1 /London. Americans tip in restaurants for one reason, and one reason only: we tip to supplement the salary of restaurant workers. Quality of service does not enter into it, beyond the fact that one may tip a bit less for poor service, or a little more for good service. Not tipping at all in a non-fast-food restaurant is not a choice. In the US, one used to tip about 15 per cent for dining in a family-style restaurant or in an up-market restaurant. Here, in San FranciscoBayarea restaurants, we are encouraged to tip 20 per cent or more, to help restart workers live in this very expensive area. After eating at an Italian restart in my city, I left a tip of 20 per cent on the non-tax part of our dinner bill. It was expected. There is nothing more complicated than that about Americastipping in restaurants. Ward Hoffman, Palo Alto, CA94306,US * * * From Mr. Philip McBride Johnson. Sir, I agree with most of Raj Persaud's opinion about the doubtful value of tipping, but with one exception. Tips can be very useful when one is a repeat customer or diner. It is only when the tipper is a stranger and likely to remain so that the system does not work to his or her advantage. But frequent a hotel or a restaurant, always tip a bit more, and the difference in service and treatment will be easily felt. Phfiip McBnde Johnson, Great Falls, VA22066,US Johnson's letter shows _ . Answer: Nowadays, most of us live a busy life. What do you do to keep yourself relaxed? Besides spending time with family, having a glass of wine with friends or reading a book, how about a hobby? Personally, I'm a collector. I like blue and white pieces the best---blue and white anything!Plates,jars,vases, cups, bowls---I love them all. Collecting items is like something you can't get enough of. You get one, and you want to have more. I find collecting to be a fun and inspirational hobby. In many ways, it's like a puzzle I'm never tired of solving. I look high and low for new pieces to add to my collection. I can often be found visiting Marshell's, looking over their inexpensive offerings. In fact, I found one of my favorite pieces there. I've mixed inexpensive pieces from Marshell's with more expensive finds. A lot of times, it's the piece I'm not looking for that falls into my lap; I find a way to make it part of my blue and white family. What I love about my collection is that when I get inspired, I can move them around the house, mix and match and make things look fresh and new. Ever since I was a little girl, blue has been my favorite color1. I think I got it from my aunt in Mexico. Some of my earliest memories are visiting her in Mexico and sitting on a chair in her kitchen, which had blue and white tiles from the floor to the ceiling. I would spend countless hours admiring all the beautiful blue and white plates and shiny blue tiles around her kitchen. Once I had a home, I began to build my own blue and white collection. If something falls into your lap, it means you _ . Answer:
Fire fighting is a serous matter, knowing what to do during a fire can save people's lives. It is important to know the ways you can use and show them to everyone else in the family, such as stairways and emergency exits, but not elevators. From the lower floors of building, escape through windows is possible. Learn the best way to get out from a window with the least chance of serious injury. The second floor window is usually not very high from the ground. An average person, hanging by the fingertips will have a drop of about 6 feet to the ground. It is about twice the height of an average man. Of course, it is safer to jump a short way down than to stay in a burning building. Windows are also useful when you are waiting for help. Be sure to keep the door closed before opening the window. Otherwise, smoke and fire may be drawn into the room. Keep your head low at the window to be sure you get fresh air rather than smoke that may have leaked into the room. On the second or third floor, the best windows for escape are those which open onto a roof. From the roof a person can drop to the ground more safely. Dropping onto cement might end in injury. Bushes and trees can help you to have a soft landing. Which of the following should not be used when trying to escape from a fire? Answer: You probably know who Marie Curie was,but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson.Of the outstanding ladies listed below,who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years? Jane Addams(1860-1935) Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank.Addans helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need In 1931,Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Rachel Carson(1907-1964) If it weren't for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today.Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world's lakes and oceans. Sandra Day O'Connor(1930-present) When Sandra Day O'Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952,she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator and ,in 1981, the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court. O'Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court. Rosa Parks(1913-2005) On December 1,1955,in Montgomery,Alabama,Rasa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison.But it also set lff the Montgmery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. "The only tired I was, was tired lr giving in,"said Parks. Who made a great contribution to the civil-rights movement in the US? Answer: TV IN CHICAGO(May, 7, 2013) 2:30 AM Weekend ABC 7 News(Repeat) The top local, regional and national news events are presented by the ABC 7 Weekend News Team, along with weather, sports and travel conditions. 3:00 AM Inside Edition(New, TV-PG) Rumors about mass murderer Charles Manson's secret son. 3:30 AM America This Morning(New) Live reports from ABC News headquarters in Washington D. C. early morning news events and the top headlines of the day are examined and reported. 4:30 AM ABC 7 News This Morning(New) The ABC 7 Morning News Team provides a general look at overnight and early morning news events, weather forecasts and traffic updates for early risers. 5:00 AM Mirror Mirror Reporter Rebecca Spera provides the latest developments in the beauty, health and fashion industries and answers commonly-asked beauty questions. 5:30 AM Home with Lisa Quinn Professional designer Lisa Quinn shows how to refurnish, reorganize and redesign the home in order to maximize convenience and style. 6:00AM Everyday Living Quick beauty tips;protect yourself from money problems;the four most commonly parenting mistakes. 7:00AM Windy City Live(Repeat) Tile ABC 7 team of hosts provides the latest on things of interest in Chicago including cultural events, lifestyle topics, fashion trends and celebrity news. *TV-PG:programs for children with parents' guidance If one would like to deal with money problems, he may watch _ . Answer: If you look at the word Christmas, you can see the word Christ in it. On Christmas, people celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. Of course not everyone in America thinks Christ a great man, but Christmas is a holiday for all the people. It's on December 25. Shops and schools are not open. Almost every family has a Christmas tree in the house. People make their Christmas trees very beautiful. They put many colored bulbs on the trees. The bulbs make the trees more beautiful at night. They also put some dolls, balls and small animals on the trees. On Christmas day almost everyone gives gifts to others and also gets gifts from others. People have Christmas trees in their houses_. Answer: When a consumer finds that something he or she bought is faulty or in some other way does not live up to what the producer says for it, the first step is to present the warranty ,or any other records that might help, at the store of buying. In most cases, this action will produce results. However, if it does not, there are various means the consumer may use to gain satisfaction.A simple and common method used by many consumers is to complain directly to the store manager. In general, the "higher up" the consumer takes his or her complaint, the faster he or she can expect it to be settled. In such a case, it is usually settled in the consumer's favour, taking it as true that he or she has a just right. Consumers should complain in person whenever possible, but if they cannot get to the place of buying, it is acceptable to phone or write the complaint in a letter. Complaining is usually most effective when it is done politely but firmly, and especially when the consumer can show clearly what is wrong with what was bought in question. If this cannot be done, the consumer will succeed best by presenting specific information as to what is wrong, rather than by making general statements. For example,"The left speaker does not work at all and the sound coming out of the right one is unclear" is better than "This stereo does not work.". The store manager may advise the consumer to write to the producer, if so, the consumer should do this, stating the complaint as politely and as firmly as possible. But if a polite complaint does not achieve the expected result, the consumer can go a step further. He or she can threaten to take the seller to court or report the seller to a public organization responsible for protecting consumers' rights. When a consumer finds what he bought has a fault in it, he should first _ . Answer:
The Nobel Prize Winners in Literature Rabindranath Tagore( 1913) Prize motivation: "because of his deep sensitive, fresh and beautiful poetry, with perfect skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West" William Faulkner (1949) Prize motivation: "for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel" Ernest Miller Hemingway(1954) Prize motivation: "for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea" John Steinbeck (1962) Prize motivation: "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception" Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill(1953) Prize motivation: "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant speech skills in defending noble human values" Claude Simon (1985) Prize motivation: "who in his novel combines the poet's and the painter's creativeness with a deepened awareness of time in the description of the human condition" Mo Yan (2012) Prize motivation: "he, with dreamlike realism, combines folk tales, history and the contemporary". Bob Dylan (2016) Prize motivation: "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition" Which writer won Noble Prize for his specific work instead of his lifelong achievements? Ernest Hemingway. A Tchaikovsky concerto is what made Romel Joseph fall in love with the violin. He learned how to play in Haiti, where he was born, but a Fulbright scholarship brought him to the United States, and he finally earned a master's degree, reports CBS News reporter Katie Couric. Music had changed his life. He wanted to do the same for the children of Haiti. Joseph built a school in Port-au-Prince nearly 20 years ago. He was on the third floor when suddenly "It was like boom boom boom and everything just opened," Joseph said. "And the next thing I knew I was on the ground." Blind since birth, Joseph tried to feel his way out, but was pinned beneath heavy concrete . He remained trapped for 18 hours. He prays that his new wife, seven months pregnant , will be found. He is now being treated at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital for two injured legs and an arm. Joseph wonders if he'll ever play the violin again. He can feel sensation in his fingertips. He said, "If you were to give me a violin and if I didn't have to fold the fingers, I would be able to play." Joseph's daughter Victoria spent three terrifying days unsure of her father's fate. For her, having him home is the sweetest music. "Can you imagine your dad not being able to play the violin?" Couric asked. "No, I can't," Victoria Joseph said. "But I will love him all the same if he can't." Romel doesn't know how many of his 300 students died in the quake. As he waits for news about his wife, Romel Joseph is already planning a return to Haiti to rebuild the school and continue teaching there. "We can save two children, 20, 200, 300, 500 through education and music, and these children will make a difference," Romel Joseph said. To Victoria, the best thing is _ . to see her father recover from the injury quickly When you think about math, you probably don't think about breaking the law, solving mysteries or finding criminals. But a mathematician in Maryland does, and he has come up with mathematical tools to help police find criminals. People who solve crimes look for patterns that might reveal the identity of the criminal. It's long been believed, for example, that criminals will break the law closer to where they live, simply because it's easier to get around in their own neighborhood. If police see a pattern of robberies in a certain area, they may look for a suspect who lives near the crime scenes. So, the farther away from the area a crime takes place, the less likely it is that the same criminal did it. But Mike O'Leary, a mathematician at Towson University in Maryland, says that this kind of approach may be too simple. He says that police may get better clues to the location of a criminal's home base by combining these patterns with a city's layout and historical crime records. The records of past crimes contain geographical information and can reveal easy targets -- that is, the kind of stores that might be less difficult to rob. Because these stores are along roads, the locations of past crimes contain information about where major streets and intersections are. O'Leary is writing a new computer program that will quickly provide this kind of information for a given city. His program also includes information about the people who live in the city, and information about how a criminal's patterns change with age. It's been shown, for example, that the younger the criminal, the closer to home the crime. Other computer programmers have worked on similar software, but O'Leary's uses more math. The mathematician plans to make his computer program available, free of charge, to police departments around the country. The program is just one way to use math to fight crime. O'Leary says that criminology -- the study of crime and criminals -- contains a lot of good math problems. "I feel like I'm in a gold mine and ," he says. "It's a lot of fun." What is the main idea of the text? Math could help police find criminals. Jeanne Calment, a French woman, become a record breaker on 17 October 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days. Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people's home in the south of France, her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes here as being "more like a 90-year-old in good health" than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on the 120thbirthday what she expected of the future, she replied, "A very short one." She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her. So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips. She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercises every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glasses of strong red wine a say, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good _ from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86. A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at the time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying: "Sorry, I'm still alive!" The text seems to suggest that Jeanne Calment owes her good health and long life to _ . the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises There are three different ways to store fish. Two ways to store fish for future use are canning and freezing. Two other methods are drying and smoking. Today we have the first of the two reports describing, step by step, how to prepare dried fish. Begin with the fish that are just out of water. If the fish are small, leave their heads on. Cut off the heads if the fish are longer than twenty centimeters or weigh more than one hundred fifteen grams. Now clean the freshly caught fish. Cut off the scales and cut open the stomach. Remove everything inside. Then wash the fish in clean water and rub salt into them. Next, put the fish in a container with a solution of three hundred grams of salt and one liter of water. This will remove the blood from the meat. Keep the fish in the salt water for about thirty minutes. After that, wash them again in clean water. Next, put the fish in a solution that has more salt in the water. The water should be salty enough so that the fish float to the top. If the fish sink to the bottom of the container, add more salt to the water. Cover the container with a clean piece of wood. Place a heavy stone on the wood to hold it down. Leave the fish there for about six hours. After that remove them from the salt water and place them on a clean surface. Cover the fish with a clean piece of white cloth and let them dry. Another method of preparing fish is called dry salting. Wooden boxes or baskets are used for drying salting. After cleaning the fish, put a few of them on the bottom of the box or basket. Cover them with salt, then put more fish on top. Cover them also with salt. Continuing putting fish and salt in the container until it is full. Do not use too much salt when using the dry salting method. You should use one part salt to three parts fish. For example, if you have three kilograms of fish, you should use one kilogram of salt. Remove the fish after a week or ten days. Wash them in a mixture of water or a small amount of salt and let them dry. We have talked a lot about salt. keep in mind that doctors advise people to limit the sodium in their diet. It can raise blood pressure, and some people have more of a reaction than others. We can read the passage in the _ part of a magazine. cooking
Thanksgiving Day is special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing. Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic. The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast . The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food. In time, other colonies began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbors. But the Canadian thanks-giving Day falls on the second Monday in October. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated_. A in spring B summer C in autumn D in winter Answer: C. in autumn A man went to buy a piece of meat. As he didn't know how to cook meat, he asked the butcher to tell him the way of cooking it. The butcher told him how to cook it, "But I can't remember your words," the man said. "Will you please write them down for me?" The butcher was kind enough to write them down for him. The man went home happily with the meat in his hand and the note in his pocket . A dog followed him on the way. It jumped at him, took the meat away and ran off. The man stood there, not knowing what to do. Then he laughed and said, "never mind. You don't know how to eat it. The note is still in my pocket." What happened in the end? A He forgot to cook the meat. B The dog took the meat away. C He taught the dog how to eat the meat. D The note is still in his pocket. Answer: D. The note is still in his pocket. Are you looking for something fun? Would you like to help other people in your free time? Then join us and be a volunteer . We have volunteer jobs for people of all ages. Anyone, between the age of 12 and 80, can become a volunteer. You can help people in many ways. Nursing homes need volunteers to take care of old people. Hospitals need volunteers to look after children while their parents see a doctor. Animal lovers can help take care of those dogs and cats without homes. There is something that out volunteers want to tell you. "As a volunteer, I don't want to get anything. Seeing the children's happy faces, I am happy, too." said Carlos, an old woman of 62. " I often played computer games in my free time before. Now I help middle-aged people learn how to use computers." said another volunteer at the age of 18. If everyone gives a hand, we'll have a better world to live in. Interested? Call us on 1-800-555-5756 or visit our website: www.active.com. Carlos _ . A wants to get something as a volunteer. B likes playing computer games. C like her work as a volunteer very much. D Is helping middle-aged people learn how to use computers. Answer: C. like her work as a volunteer very much. Everybody needs blood Have you ever seen buses on the street for donating blood? Medical workers on board collect blood from volunteers. The blood is then stored up and given to people who have lost a large amount of it due to accidents or diseases. Blood is one of the most important substances supporting our lives. But for now, the only way we can get more of it is through donation. And donated blood has its own problems. First of all, certain blood types are extremely rare. Type O negative blood (O-), for example, only exists in 7 percent of people, according to Sunday Times. There are fewer donors and therefore there isn't enough of this type of blood for everybody who needs it. In addition, donated blood comes from various people, which means that it has to be examined carefully for disease such as hepatitis and HIV to make sure that it's safe for transfusion. This is why scientists all over the world have been trying to make blood in labs. And now, someone finally succeeded--Marc Turner at the Scottish National BloodTransfusion Service has produced blood fit for transfusion, reported Forbes. Unlike many other scientists, who have tried to make blood substitutes by mixing up different ingredients together, Turner chose to grow blood directly from human stem cells . He developed a special technique to create a chemical environment similar to that in our bone marrow . This environment encourages stem cells to develop fully into red blood cell. According to Turner, his version of artificial blood is unlikely to contain disease viruses or produce side effects. And the best part is that what he managed to produce was type O- blood. Not only is it a rare blood type, it's also a universal type, which means it can be transfused into any patient. The new blood is scheduled for human tests in 2016. However, Turner stressed that the new study should not be taken as a signal for people to stop donating blood because it could be another 20 years before the artificial blood can be manufactured on a large scale. "It is one thing to bake a cake and another thing to bake a cake 100 times the size," said Turner. "It's not just a matter of putting in 100 times the ingredients." The study Marc Turner did is different from those of many other scientists in that _ . A he grew artificial blood using human stem cells B he was able to discover the special function of type O- blood C he produced the first artificial blood in the world D he used special ingredients to produce artificial blood cells Answer: A. he grew artificial blood using human stem cells A field is experiencing above average rainfall and food is plentiful, so the rabbits living there will A produce larger litters B find new land C die much younger D eat less food Answer: A. produce larger litters
Two things I really believe in --- saving money and saving the planet, and it's even better when I can do something that accomplishes both at the same time. Rainwater harvesting is just such a thing. In the near future, rainwater harvesting will be as common as twelve-year-old girls carrying cell phones. Many countries already rely heavily on rainwater. Every building in these countries collects the rainwater from its roof and stores it for later use. However, America is just slightly slow to take action. There are many ways to harvest rainwater and most of them are easy and inexpensive. For example, use rain barrels to collect the water that would run off your roof. You'd be surprised at how fast a fifty-gallon barrel will be filled with free, usable water. New building construction offers some good ways to gather rainwater, and the cost of set-up is usually made up by reduced usage very quickly. Rainwater can be conveyed by roof pipes into underground containers, where a pump can draw water up as needed. The rainwater can even be treated to make it drinkable. If that rainwater were not collected, but allowed to run over your lawn , into the street and eventually to a storm water treatment facility, it would pick up all sorts of pollutants on its journey --- chemical compositions and agricultural poisons from the grass, motor oil, waste water and such from the roads, and who knows what else. That is to say, the shorter distance it covers the more drinkable it will be. Depending on where you live, the rainwater may be piped to a treatment plant or it may run in natural channels to allow nature to remove the pollutants. Either way, the treatment of rainwater is high priced. If you reduce the amount of rainwater run-off from your home or office, you reduce the need for treatment. Water is rapidly becoming one of our most precious resources and it is not as abundant as you may think. In the year 2015, the United States used generally 479 billion gallons of fresh water per day. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A it is easy to make rainwater drinkable B the author calls on people to harvest rainwater C many countries ignore to harvest rainwater D it is easy to deal with the pollutants from rainwater Answer: B. the author calls on people to harvest rainwater Many people think that the ideas about right and wrong are only personal ideas. Bennett wrote The Book of Virtue in which he suggested that great moral stories can build character. The success of Bennett's book shows that many Americans still believe in moral values, just like honesty, courage, loyalty and many others. For Americans, one basic moral value is honesty. The story about George Washington and the cherry tree teaches this value clearly. Little George cut down his father's favourite cherry tree. When his father asked him about it, George said, "I did it." Instead of punishment, his father spoke highly of him. Sometimes American honesty--being open and direct--can make people angry. But Americans still believe that "honesty is the best virtue". Another virtue is perseverance . A story tells of a little train climbing a hill. The hill is too high to get over it. But the train just kept pulling, all the while saying, "I think I can, I think I can." At last, the train was over the top because he did not give up. Compassion may be the queen of American virtues. The story of "The Good Samaritan" from the Bible describes a man with compassion. On his way home, he found a poor traveler lying on the road. The kind man, instead of just passing by, stopped to help this person in need. Compassion can even turn into a good cycle. In 1992, people in Iowa sent plenty of water to help Floridians hit by storms. The next summer, during the Midwest flood, Florida returned. Millions of Americans are quietly passing along the kindness shown to them. In no way can this book cover all the moral values honored (...) by Americans. But moral virtues are priceless, and they are the base of American culture and any culture. How many virtues Americans have are mainly talked about in the passage? A Six. B Five. C Four. D Three. Answer: D. Three. Learn to Communicate with Others Talking to Teachers--Teachers are just people behind the desk, living breathing human beings. And they will probably be friendly to people who talk nicely to them. Teachers also seem to get along better with children who take schoolwork seriously and prepare for class. And, just like any other human being, teachers like to be appreciated. The next time your teacher helps you solve a math problem or figure out a science project, say thank you with a smile. Talking to Parents--Parents can be very supportive if their children ask for help. If you think there's something your parents can do to help you feel more comfortable around people, then ask them. Very often, parents want very much to help, but really don't know what to do. Pick a quiet time of the day and ask to talk. Tell them how you feel. Maybe they had the same trouble when they were kids. Talking to Strangers--This is always a tough one. How do you deal with a neighbor, or the mail carrier? That often seems to cause arguments between kids and parents. The answer to these questions will vary from kid to kid, from parent to parent because all cultures are different. Some folks live in small towns where a hello to everyone is ok. Then there are kids who live in the city who may have been taught not to speak to anyone they don't know. If you're having trouble with this and always feel awkward in these kinds of situations, you might want to talk to your parents or a teacher about it. Which is the best way to talk to strangers according to the passage? A Say hello to everyone you meet. B Do not talk to anyone you don't know. C Do as what your parents taught you. D It's hard to say because cultures are different. Answer: D. It's hard to say because cultures are different. Bob and Frank are good friends.They often go to the movies together on weekends.Bob's favorite actor is Jackie Chan.He has an action movie,Who Am I.It's very exciting.Frank likes the actor Rick Smith.He really likes his movie Black September.Frank thinks it's a very success ful thriller .Bob and Frank are Americans,but they both like Beijing Opera.They think they can learn about Chinese history from it. Which of the following is WRONG? A Bob and Frank are good friends. B Who Am I is an action movie C We can learn about Chinese history from action movies. D Bob and Frank like Beijing Opera. Answer: C. We can learn about Chinese history from action movies. Menu HAMBURGERS DRINKS Chicken $5.50 Orange juice $1.50 Egg $3.40 Coke $3.00 Fish $4.80 Coffee $5.50 Beef $6.20 Tea $2.00 RICE DESSERTS Fried $3.50 Ice cream $2.50 With meat $5.70 Apple pie $4.50 With eggs $4.20 Fruit $3.50 With vegetables $3.90 Chocolate $6.00 I want to eat a beef hamburger, a cup of coffee and an apple pie. How much should I pay? A $ 15.20. B $ 16.70. C $ 16.20. D $ 15.80. Answer: C. $ 16.20.
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 screens 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 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, snail racing, and observing autumn colors 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 fewer screens, 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 to do something less boring instead". According to the organizers of Wild Network, there will be many advantages from the campaign EXCEPT _ . A. improving health conditions B. keeping touch with nature C. learning more about wildlife D. teaching children how to make full use of their spare time Answer: D Hunter Bliss, like more and more American students, left the United States to go to college. In the 2011-2012 school year, 46,571 U.S. students registered for degree programs in 14 countries. The top destination countries were the U.K. and Canada, followed by France, Germany, Italy and some other European countries. Germany, in particular, has attracted many more American students in recent years, like Hunter Bliss. In 2012, there were more than 4,000 American students completing bachelor's, master's and doctor's degrees in Germany. The Institute of International Education (IIE) says that the number of U.S. students completing college degrees in Western Europe increased by about 5 percent from 2010 to 2012. American students choose to study in another country for two main reasons. First, international experience is becoming more important in the modern job market. Second, the cost of higher education has continued to rise in the United States. Rising tuition costs make education abroad--particularly in countries that charge no tuition-attractive to American students, says the IIE. Many American students choose Germany because of the low cost of education there. German public universities do not charge tuition fees. And many universities in Germany offer courses in English, too. College education in the US is seen as a privilege and expected to cost money but in Germany _ is seen as an extension of a free high school education where one expects it to be provided. The German government has been eager to encourage students to come to Germany for another reason. Like many countries in Western Europe, German's population is becoming older, and fewer young people are entering college and the job market. The German government hopes to attract skilled foreign students who will stay in Germany. Which country attracted American students most in the 2011-2012 school year? A. Germany. B. France. C. Britain. D. Italy. Answer: C Kelly Reeves was getting ready for a trip when her phone slipped into a sink full of water. Panic moment! She quickly picked up the wet phone and tried to turn it on, but nothing worked. Her first reaction? She got dressed, drove to the nearest store, and bought a new mobile at full price. A new study finds that fear of losing your phone is a common illness. About 66 percent of those surveyed suffer from _ or "no mobile phone phobia". Interestingly, more women worry about losing their phone than men. Fortunately, there's a solution. The first step is to figure out if you have nomophobia. Checking your phone too often is one thing, but the true sign of a problem is that you can't conduct business or go about your routine when the fear becomes so severe. Do you go to unusual lengths to make sure you have your phone? That's another sign of a problem. If you find you check your phone plenty of times per hour, or a total of an hour per day, there may be a problem. Some of the treatments are similar to those for treating anxiety attacks: leaving the phone behind and not checking e-mail or text messages, and then learning to tolerate the after anxiety. Even if this leads to a high level of worry and stress, the solution is to push through the fear and learn to deal with not having your phone. Of course, there are also technological alternatives. Luis Levy, a co-founder at Novy PR, says he uses an application called Cerberus that can automatically track the location of his phone. To find it, he can just go to a website and see the phone's location. He also insures his phone through a service called Asurion. The company's description of its product reads like a prescription for anxiety:"60 million phones are lost, stolen or damaged each year. You'll have complete peace of mind knowing that your phone is protected and you can quickly reconnect with family, friends and work, as soon as the very next day!" Which of the following is a way to treat nomophobia? A. Avoiding using a phone for some time B. Learning more about modern technology C. Protecting one's phone against any damage D. Not using a mobile phone in one's daily work Answer: A Many cars are equipped with a catalytic converter, a device that helps remove hydrocarbons and oxides from car exhaust. As a result, this device helps to A. increase the production of ozone. B. decrease the production of smog. C. increase the emission of nitrogen. D. decrease the emission of carbon dioxide. Answer: B Dick often goes traveling when the summer holiday begins. But he was out of luck this summer. He went to an old temple on a high mountain by himself. On his way there it suddenly began to rain heavily and he hurried to go down the mountain. When he got to the foot of the mountain, he found the wooden bridge was under the water, so he had to spend the rainy night in a broken farmhouse. He was so hungry that he hardly fell asleep. The next morning the rain stopped and he found the bridge was damaged. He saw the river was not too deep and tried to swim across it. In the middle of the river the water nearly washed him away. Luckily , two farmers saved him, but he lost his bag. They gave him some food and dry clothes. He thanked them and went to the nearest town to call up his parents. At the end of the street, Dick found a small hotel and went in. He asked the price for a room. "A room on the first floor is twenty dollars, on the second floor, fifteen dollars and on the third, ten dollars," answered the owner. The young man had only eight dollars in all his pockets. He said thanks and was leaving. The owner asked, "Don't you like our hotel?" "Yes, it's good," said Dick, "but it's not tall enough!" Dick spent the rainy night _ . A. in the old temple B. in a farmhouse C. on the bridge D. in a hotel Answer: B
Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores . I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering. I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn't sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule. My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper... On the third day, ... This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition , that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough. But something was missing. A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my newfound "happiness" and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That's all. My bags were packed and by the door. The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work. Now, it seems, . Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war. Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I've gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries! What does the writer think of his retired life now? Answer: Once again, I was in a new school. There was a girl in my class named Paris. That's where the similarities ended. I was tall and she was small. I was one of the oldest in the class while she was the youngest. I was awkward and shy. She wasn't. I couldn't stand her, considering her my enemy. But she wanted to be friends with me. One day, she invited me over and I said yes---I was too shocked to say no. Actually no one had invited me over to play before. But the girl, who wore the latest fashions, wanted to see me. She lived on the fourth floor in a two-room place with her mother, her stepfather, her two brothers and her sister. When we got to the room she shared with her sister, she took out a big case of Barbies which was my next surprise. I would have thought she'd outgrown them. I had never played with them. But we sat on the floor of a walk-in cupboard laughing as we made up crazy stories about the Barbies. That's when we found out that we both wanted to be writers when we were older. We both had wild imaginations. We had a great day that afternoon. Our jaws ached from smiling so much. She showed me her outfits , which had mostly come from a designer clothing store down the block. T he woman who owned it used her as a model sometimes for her newspaper ads and gave her clothes in exchange. Paris had the whole neighborhood attracted. The bookstore owners lent her fashion magazines, the movie theater gave her free passes and the pizza place let her have free pieces. Soon I included in her magic world. We slept over at each other's house, spent ever free moment together. My dark hair grew out and I learned to love being tall. Paris, my first real friend since childhood, helped me get through th tough teenage years and taught me and amazing thing about making friends: your "worst enemy" can turn out to be your best friend. From the article, we can see that through her friendship with Paris, the writer _ Answer: American Schools American schools begin in September after a long summer holiday. There are two terms in a school year. The first term is from September to January, and the second is from February to June. Most American children begin to go to school when they are five years old. Most students are seventeen or eighteen years old when they finish high school. High school students take only four or five subjects each term. They usually go to the same classes every day, and they have homework for every class. After class they do many interesting things. After high school, many students go to college . They can go to a small one or a large one. They usually have to give a lot of money. So many college students work after class to get the money for their studies. How long is each term? Answer: Happy birthday! Do birthday really make people happy? Of course they do. Birthday celebrate the day when we were born. Besides, that extra candle on the cake suggest another year of growth and maturity--or so we hope. We all like to imagine that we are getting wiser and not just older. Most of us enjoy seeing the wonder of growth in others, as well. For instance, seeing our children develop and learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a wonderful process. But growing old? That is a different story. Growing old is not exactly for people in youth-oriented American culture. Most Americans like to look young, act young and feel young. As the old saying goes, "You're young as you feel." Older people joke about how many years young they are, rather than how many years old. People in some countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom. But Americans seem to favor those that are young, or at least "young at heart". Many older Americans find the "golden years" to be anything but golden. Economically, "senior citizens" often struggle just to get by. Retirement at the age of 65 brings a sharp decrease in personal income. Social security benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from poor nutrition, medical care, and housing. Some even experience age discrimination. American sociologist Pat Moore once dressed up like an older person and wandered city streets. She was often treated rudely--even cheated and robbed. However, dressed as a young person, she received much more respect. Unfortunately, the elderly population in America is increasing fast. Why? People are living longer. Fewer babies are being born. And middle-aged "baby boomers" are rapidly entering the group of the elderly. America may soon be a place where wrinkles are . Marketing experts are ready noticing this growing group of consumer. According to the text, which of the following is correct? Answer: It is not a question of culture, it is not even a question of killing animals. Even a carrot dies when pulled out of the ground. It is a matter of the protection of the planet because our meat eating habits might be stressing (......) our ecological ( ) system. It's no longer --might\|\|, we are destroying our planet. Most of the meat that we eat comes from livestock, which is about 23 billion in population and causes the waste of our natural resources. Every second of every day one football field size rainforest is destroyed, and much of it is used to farm and raise livestock. Raising the animals also requires huge quantities of water, mostly to grow the grains fed to them. It takes over 2,000 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef, which can be used for a seven-minute shower every day for a minimums of four months. Take your pick: four months without a shower or a hamburger. Meat has to be cut, cleaned and processed. One doesn't just buy a cow and start eating it. According to David Pimentel from Cornell University, it takes 20 times more energy to produce beef than tofu, and both have the same good sources of protein ( ). The waste from the animals is one of the main causes of water and air pollution. The animal waste cannot be used in the fields because it can spread diseases to humans. In 1995, 25 million gallons of animal waste flowed into the New River in North Carolina, killing 10 million fish and destroying 364,000 acres of coastal ( ) wetlands. Animal farming also produces larger quantities of greenhouse gases, such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). If your next Christmas is unusually hot or especially cold, blame the steak you ate the night before. I am not saying that everybody needs to stop eating meat right this minute. I don't think we can produce enough corns, fruits, and vegetables. I am just saying we need to cut our meat consumption , 70 grams per day is okay if we want normal weather, clean air and drinking water. From the passage, we can learn that . Answer:
The Asuncion zoo is looking for a mate for Coco, an endangered hyacinth macaw ,and it is the last known male of his species left in Paraguay. Coco was sent to the zoo eight years ago. A recent DNA test showed that he is male. Zoo worker Celia said To avoid mixing species, the zoo has had to keep him apart from the other macaws, which has left him lonely and bored. "He is quite sociable, although he has only learned to say 'Hello', but when he hears music, he dances" Celia said He has a yellow circle around his eyes that set off the rest of his blue feathers. He is more or less a cousin to Blu , he macaw that starts in the movie, Rio.That species, cyanopsitta-spixii ,is all blue and even more endangered than the hyacinth macaw. Like the bird in the movie, scientists hope to find Coco a mate to- rebuild the species. Because international laws against animal training are now so strict, nobody is willing to lend the zoo a female. "The best solution is to find a female hyacinth macaw in our country. " Celia said, "there are at least two other known hyacinth-macaws but without DNA test, it is impossible to know if they are female, and the owners are not willing to help,because the mating process can take some time and be a little hard on females." Which of the following would be the best title? A Coco, a Rare Macaw-in Asuncion Zoo B Asuncion Zoo Is Seeking a Mate for Coco C Hyacinth Macaws Are Endangered in Paraguay D Coco, the Only Known Male Macaw in Paraguay Answer: B You shiver when your body temperature drops, which happens when it is A Pants B Chilly C Hot D Funny Answer: B April sales figures show a disappointing month for Wal-Mart. The world's largest retailer reported a big drop in sales last month--its worst decline in nearly 30 years. As VOA's Mil Arcega reports, Wal-Mart is not alone. A three and a half percent drop in sales does not seem like much. But for a company that sells more than $300 billion worth of goods every year, analysts say it is significant. Alan Murray, the managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, says the drop represents Wal-Mart's biggest decline since 1979. "There are a number of things going on. Part of it is early Easter, so some of those sales got moved into March. Part of it is bad weather." But it may also signal a trend. Across the board, retailers from Target to JC Penny and the Gap, reported weaker sales in April. Analysts say the decline suggests high gasoline prices and the slowing prefix = st1 /U.S.housing market are finally catching up with consumers.Murraysays there may be other factors at play. "Wal-Mart is not doing what it used to do very well. It made an attempt last year to sell clothes to high scale retailers. That didn't work. It had to back off. It's remodeling its stores. That's not working very well," says Murray. To bring customers back, some say Wal-Mart needs to go back to its marketing basics. Retail analyst Dana Telsey says that means low priced goods in a friendly retail environment. "I think Wal-Mart is working to enhance its image. It could always be better. Going back to its roots is a way, that hopefully, customers will become familiar with it again." Wal-Mart is one of the biggest economic indicators in the retail industry. As the world's largest profit making enterprise, Wal-Mart's yearly revenues represents about 2.5 percent of total economic activity in the U.S. According to the passage, what was the popular image of Wal - Mart? A It sold clothes to high scale retailers. B It often sold discounted goods. C It was one of the biggest retailer industries. D It sold low priced goods in a friendly atmosphere. Answer: D My wife and I spent two weeks in London last year. We went there in the autumn. We think it is the best season to visit England. The weather is usually good and there aren't too many tourists in October. We stayed in a small hotel in the West End. It was convenient as we did most of our sightseeing on foot. Taxis were too expensive, we couldn't understand the bus routes, and my wife didn't like traveling under the ground. She said it made her feel sick. We went to look at the places which all tourists visit. We saw Buckingham Palace. We went shopping in Oxford Street and spent too much money. What we liked most, though, was going to the theatre. We didn't have the chance to see such wonderful plays at home. A lot of people say English food is bad. We didn't think so. It is true that most of the restaurants are French or Italian or Chinese, but we had some very good meals. In fact, we enjoyed our holiday so much that we have already booked again for this year. We are going to take our umbrellas, though. I'm sure we'll need them sometimes. What did the couple think of English food? A terrible B not bad C great D comfort Answer: C Maurice Sendak's children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, has become very successful throughout the years and was made into a movie earlier this year. The book's main character is a boy named Max who gets into trouble with his mother and is sent to bed without any supper. Before long, Max's room magically becomes a forest, and he sails away to a land where monsters(,) live. Max isn't scared, though, and becomes king of the wild things, but after a while, he begins feeling homesick. Max sails back home and his supper is still hot when he arrives in his bedroom. Many teachers and professors like this story and use it to help children develop creativity and imagination. Melina Davis, an education professor, said she likes how the book contains a couple of pages that have only pictures on them. "This allows children to shape the story themselves," she said. The book contains a few of larger words that some parents worry may confuse children, but experts say those words help improve children's reading skills and challenge them. Davis said the book is well written which helps kids get involved in the story. "The book talks about what all children go through, like 'I was naughty but my mommy still loves me'," Davis said. The book also encourages children to face their fears. "I think it's really good to show that Max makes friends with the monsters," Davis said. "Kids can find out monsters aren't always the thing under the bed that's going to scare them. I think this is good because it shows that the children can go to scary places but still have a positive experience." Since the book has been successful throughout the years, a movie was recently made and many people are excited to see it. Davis said she thinks the movie will be wonderful but it might be a little scary for younger children. "You don't want bad dreams over a book that's extremely wonderful," Davis said. Teachers and professors like the book because it helps children _ . A understand pictures B improve reading skills C face their fear bravely D become more imaginative Answer: D
A bully is a boy or a girl who acts mean (unkind) or hurtful to others, especially weaker persons bullies sometimes hit, kick, or push people, and they sometimes use words to call names or scare them. A bully might say mean things about someone, take a kid's possessions or make fun of someone on purpose. Some bullies force people to do things they don't want to do. Why do bullies act so badly? Just to look for attention. They might think bullying is a way to be popular or a way to get what they want. Most bullies are trying to make themselves felt more important-when they pick on someone else, it makes them fell big and powerful. Some bullies come from families where everyone around has a normal way to act. Some bullies are copying what they've seen someone else do. Some have been bullied themselves. Bullying can be a big pain, but you don't have to let bullying you. Sometimes just acting bravely is enough to stop a bully. If you walk by and hold your head high as though you're not afraid, a bully may be less likely to give you trouble. Bullies want a big reaction to their meanness. Acting as if you don't notice and don't care is like giving no reaction at all, and this just might stop a bully's behavior. If you are being bullied, it's very important to tell an adult. Teachers, principals, parents, and lunchroom helpers at school can all help to stop bullying. Don't hit, kick, or push back to deal with someone bullying you or your friends. Fighting back just satisfies a bully, and it's dangerous, too, because someone could get hurt. According to the writer, the bullies' purpose of bullying others is to _ . A find people to take care of them B shout and let out their anger C make people notice them D show their ability Answer: C John, a famous musician, took his priceless antique violin and played it in the crowded subway station. The music from the violin was delicately streaming throughout the whole station. However, during the one-hour play, only six or seven people were truly appreciating the charming music. A three-year-old kid was so fascinated by the music that he forgot everything around. John only got 52 dollars for his work that day. However, in normal days, when John is about to hold a concert, one ticket can be sold at more than 100 dollars and it is extremely hard to buy a ticket even at such a high price. Therefore, later, many passers-by in the station that day felt deeply regretful for not recognizing the famous musician and missing such a valuable but cheap music feast. I have a very busy friend who had totally changed after knowing that his wife came down with incurable illness. He cooked by himself for the family and took a walk with his wife every day. Nonetheless, his wife still did not manage to conquer the illness and passed away after three months. After that, he often sighed miserably that due to his past busy life, he had missed a lot of beautiful time with his wife. But now, it is impossible to make up for it. It is no use crying over spilt milk. We have missed a lot of precious things in our life without knowing to cherish them. Actually, I also missed something precious before. The reason why we would have missed those precious things is less than simple: we had thought that we could still own them tomorrow. Nevertheless, tomorrow is actually by no means reliable. There was a famous Buddhist monk saying that in many people's lives, they have only done two things: _ The result is that they were always too late to cherish what they had before they lost it. We would often claim to do something when we grow up, or when we have money or when we become old, etc. However, when we reach the condition we have expected, we could no longer realize our wish, because we have lost it by then. What method does the author employ to support his opinion? A By listing data. B By comparing the details . C By explaining the procedures . D By taking examples. Answer: D Among a group of middle-aged men and women,who were discussing bringing about quality education ,was a young man dressed in a white shirt.Within minutes, he was called onto the dais .Twenty-two-year-old Babar Ali was surrounded by educators from across India.He was popularly known as the world's youngest head teacher. The school that Babar started in poor Bhabta village has completely changed.When he was nine years old, he had only eight students in his school.Now the school has 300 students and 10 teachers. The school is called Ananda Siksha Niketan. It is recognized by the West Bengal government. Today Babar is a student in the morning.He is learning English literature at Berhampore Krishanath College.But he comes home in the afternoon to teach his students. Baber was discussing education at the National Summit on Quality in Education(NSQE).The meeting was held in Bangalore,capital of Karnataka State in southern India. "It all started as a game when I used to teach my sister, my first student, in my backyard.Later, some children from the village often came to my classes and that was how the school was born," he said. His biggest achievement is that six of his students have now started teaching in his school after their college hours. In another month, Babar's dream of a school building will soon come true.Many people, a large part of whom are from Karnataka,have helped him realize the dream.They have given his school a lot of money. Although he has received so much attention and recognition ,he is still not _ ."There are people in my village who do not go to schoo1.And there is a long way to go as so many children still need to receive an education,"he says. Where were Babar and a group of middle-aged people? A At Babar's college. B In a class for children. C In the village of Bhabta. D At an important meeting. Answer: D The Channel is the name given to the stretch of water which separates England and France. Ferries operate all year round to carry people across the Channel, and they are busy most of the year. January is the only quiet month nowadays. As well as summer holiday-makers, there are day trippers and coach traffic, not to mention lorries and other commercial vehicles. Some ferries carry cars and their passengers, while others also connect train passengers with the Continental rail network. The biggest hazard for the ferry is the wind. The crew listens to BBC weather reports four times a day. Or they sometimes get gale warnings from local radio station. Crossing the Channel by ferry is a bit like trying to cross Oxford Street on a busy afternoon, according to one ferryboat captain. The ferries from Folkstone and Dover to Calais and Boulogne have to cross the main flow of traffic. This consists of ships traveling through the Channel to and from Northern Europe. There may be four hundred ships making the journey at any one time, and they all pass through a "choke point" which is only fifteen miles (twenty-five kilometers) wide. The cross-channel ferries have to sail right through the middle of all this traffic. The passage is mainly concerned with _ . A the English Channel B the weather on the Channel C cross-channel ferries D what crossing the Channel by ferry is like Answer: C A student was going to spend his holiday in a cool mountain village. That evening he stayed at an inn near the railway station . Before going to bed, he went to the boss of the inn and said, "Excuse me, sir. Will you please wake me up at a quarter to five tomorrow morning? I'll take the five o'clock train." "Oh, sorry, sir," the boss said in a hurry, "I'm afraid I can't. I won't be able to get up so early." The student was disappointed . When he began to return to his room, be stopped and asked, "Have you got an alarm-clock ? Maybe it can help me." "Wait a minute, then." The boss said and brought out an alarm-clock. "Here you are, sir." "Thank you very much." The student said happily. But he found it was rusty when he had a look at it. And it sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. He asked, "Will it ring in time?" "I don't know, either." said the boss, "But it doesn't matter. You just give it a good shake at a quarter to five. And it will ring on time." The student was disappointed because _ . A he had to buy an alarm-clock B the boss refused to wake him up C he would take another train D he had to go to the village on foot Answer: B
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 passage is mainly about _ before you are 18. A good habits to keep B skills to have C things to do D sports to play Answer: C. things to do The triathlon promises to be one of the most popular Olympic sports.Recently it has drawn huge crowds attracted by athletes swimming 1,500m,cycling 40km,then running 10km without stopping.But what makes an attractive 17yearold girl give up everything for the doubtful pleasure it offers? Melanie Sears has not yet learnt those oftenrepeated phrases about personal satisfaction,mental challenge and higher targets that most athletes use when asked similar questions."You swim for 1,500m,then run out of the water and jump on your bike,still wet.Of course,then you freeze.When the 40km cycle ride is over,you have to run 10km,which is a long way when you're feeling exhausted.But it's great fun,and all worth it in the end," she says. Melanie entered her first triathlon at 14 and she won the junior section.Full of confidence,she entered the National Championships,and although she had the second fastest swim and the fastest run,she came nowhere."I was following this man and suddenly we came to the sea.We realised then that we had gone wrong.I ended up cycling 20 kilometres too far.I cried all the way through the running." But she did not give up and was determined that she never will."Sometimes I wish I could stop,because then the pain would be over,but I am afraid that if I let myself stop just once,I would be tempted to do it again."Such doggedness draws admiration from Steve Trew,the sport's director of coaching."I've just been testing her fitness," he says, "and she worked so hard on the running machine that it finally threw her off and into a wall.She had given it everything,and she just kept on." Melanie was top junior in this year's European Triathlon Championships,finishing 13th."I was almost as good as the top three in swimming and running,but much slower in cycling.That's why I'm working very hard at it." She is trying to talk her longsuffering parents,who will carry the PS1,300 cost of her trip to New Zealand for this year's world championships,into buying a PS2,000 bike,so she can try 25km and 100km races later this year. But there is another price to pay."I don't have a social life,"she says."After two hours' hard swimming on Friday night,I just want to go to sleep.But I phone and write to the other girls in the team." What does she talk about?Boys?Clothes?"No,what sort of times they are achieving." How does Melanie differ from other athletes,according to the writer? A She worries less than they do. B She expresses herself differently. C Her family background is not like theirs. D Her aims are different from theirs. Answer: B. She expresses herself differently. The Barcelonabased architects of the Galactic Suite Space Resort say it will cost $4.4 million for a threenight stay at the hotel. This price also includes an eightweek training course on an island. During their stay, guests would see the sunrise 15 times a day and travel around the world every 80 minutes. Galactic Suite Ltd's CEO Xavier Claramunt says the project will put his company in a leading position of a new industry with a huge future ahead of it, and forecasts space travel will become common in the future. "It's very normal to think that your children, possibly within 15 years, could spend a weekend in space" he told Reuters Television. A promising space tourism industry is beginning to take shape with construction in progress in New Mexico of Spaceport America, the world's first facility built specifically for passengers. British industrialist Richard Branson's space tours firm, Virgin Galactic, will use the facility to send tourists to space at a cost of $200,000 a ride. Galactic Suite Ltd, set up in 2007, hopes to start its project with a single pod in orbit 280 miles above the earth. "It will take a day and a half to reach the pod, and the passengers will join it for three days," Claramunt said. More than 200 people have expressed an interest in traveling to the space hotel and at least 43 people have already reserved it. The numbers are similar for Virgin Galactic with 300 people already paid or signed up for the trip, but unlike Branson, Galactic Suite says they will use Russian rockets to transport their guests into space from a spaceport to be built on an island in the Caribbean. But critics have questioned the project, saying the length of time that will be used is unreasonable and also where the money is coming from to support the project. What's the best title for the passage? A The world's first space hotel is to open in 2012. B The world's first commercial spaceport is being built. C Space tourism:a surprising new industry. D Space travel will become common in 15 years. Answer: A. The world's first space hotel is to open in 2012. Many college students have given up taking class notes by hand. Instead, they type on computers. But scientists say that method is less helpful. If you need to remember something, write it. Writing notes by hand is much better for long-term memory of idea. So, turn off your computer if you want to remember something. Students who type notes on a keyboard often write down what the teacher says word-for-word. They may write without really thinking about what they are writing. These electronic notes contained more words. But scientists say it leads to " _ ." Transcription means to write down something exactly as you hear it. However, students taking notes by writing them, need to first process the information they hear. Then they record just the main parts. They use fewer words. This is because people usually write slower than they type. This kind of process leads to a deeper understanding. The scientists did a research. In the research, students listened to a teacher and then took a test. Some took notes by typing on a computer. The others took notes by writing them down. Both groups performed about the same in remembering facts. But students who typed their notes did much worse on conceptual questions. These questions required them to understand an idea. Also, scientists found that those who wrote their notes remembered conceptual information better a week later. Scientists believe that the students who took notes by writing them had a deeper understanding of ideas. Scientists know that students probably will still use their computers in class. But they suggest to take notes by hand on screens. They say this might be a good way between different schools. _ to take class notes is more helpful for a long-term memory of idea. A Using a computer B Writing by hand C Typing on a keyboard D Recording with a computer Answer: B. Writing by hand Long ago there was a man with the name Smith. He made a living by making caps. One day he went to sell his caps. He went through a forest. There were many monkeys in it. It was very hot. The man is very tired and wanted to have a rest. He came up to a large tree, put his caps on the ground, took one of them and put it on his head. Then he lay down and soon fell asleep. "Where are my caps?" Smith cried when he woke up.He looked up and saw many monkeys in the tree and each monkey had a cap on its head. "Give me back my caps!" the man shouted at the monkeys.But the monkeys didn't understand him.They only laughed.The man got angry,took off his own cap,threw it on the ground and cried,"If you want all my caps,you may take this one,too!" And what do you think happened?The little animals did the same. Each monkey took off its cap and threw it on the ground. The man was very glad. He quickly collected all his caps and went on his way. The capmaker was so tired _ . A that he wanted some food B that he wanted to sell his caps in the forest C that he had to stop for a rest D that he wanted to return home Answer: C. that he had to stop for a rest
MONTREAL--He may be the world's richest man, but that didn't prevent Bill Gates from falling for an April Fool's day joke by two Quebec radio comics pretending to be Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Montreal French-language station CKMF--FM said last Wednesday that staffers Marcantoine Audet and Sebastien Trudel had a 10-minute telephone chat with Microsoft Corp boss Gates on April 1. The broadcast was aired on their nightly show last Tuesday and repeated last Wednesday. "We were happy. We had been calling Microsoft persistently for four weeks," Trudel said. Trudel said he and his colleague had already fooled Canadian pop singer Celine Dion and Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve on their show. "This time, we wanted to give ourselves a challenge with somebody more difficult to reach," Ttudel said. He said he was surprised that Gates's assistants did not check to see if it was really the prime minister's office on the line. Trudel said they imitated Chretien's heavily accented English, talking about the economy, asking about Microsoft's Windows operating system and inviting the multibillionaire to visit a well-known Montreal strip joint . The radio host said that Gates was not amused by the fake interview. "He did not seem angry but he did not find it so funny," the comic said. Bill Gates was fooled mainly because _ . Answer: the two comics imitated the Canadian Prime Minister so well The place is England. The year is 1928. One of the founding theorists of quantum mechanics , Paul Dirac, is scratching his head because solutions to his equations have _ unexpected results. For the solutions to make sense, he reasons, there must be a particle that has the mass of an electron but the opposite charge. At the time, such a thing was not known to exist. Several years pass before American physicist Carl Anderson observes a "positive" electron, or positron that confirms Dirac's prediction. Antimatter , as the name implies, can be described as the opposite of ordinary matter. Every particle in the universe has characteristics such as mass and charge. With antimatter, the mass remains constant, but the sign of the charge is reversed. All particles have an antimatter counterpart , even the chargeless neutron . Unlike matter, antimatter is not common. Unless you're in the upper atmosphere, or inside a particle accelerator, you're not going to come across it. "Antimatter was not always so rare," Stephane Coutu, Penn State particle physicist says. There was a time when it was as prevalent as matter itself. "Right after the Big Bang ," Coutu explains, "we believe there must have been exactly the same amounts of matter and antimatter...and yet owing to some small asymmetry in the laws of particle interactions, all of the antimatter and most of the matter in the early universe was annihilated . We are left today with the resulting matter-dominated universe." Science fiction is rife with tales of high-energy particle annihilation, and indeed, antimatter weapons have appeared in current bestselling novels. This is unrealistic, Coutu says. "[It] would be very impractical owing to very great difficulties in producing and maintaining significant amounts of antimatter." Technology that uses the properties of antimatter is actually feasible outside of science fiction, however. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a medical technique that can be used to detect cancer, measure blood flow and detect coronary artery disease. While antimatter may never be used as a bomb, it certainly has a positive future in life-saving medical diagnostic tools, the anti-weapon. Where or how can we probably find antimatter nowadays? Answer: on the edge of the atmosphere Mr. Clark worked in a newspaper, and he did a lot of important and difficult work, but then he began to forget things, and this made his work very difficult. One day he said to himself, "I'm going to go and see Dr. Martin about this." He waited in the doctor's waiting room with the other patients, and then the nurse said to him, "You can go in and see Dr. Martin now". "Oh, doctor," said Mr. Clark, 'it's terrible, I can't remember anything for longer than half a minute, and it's making my work very difficult. What can I do? Can you help me?" The doctor said, "When did this start, Mr. Clark?" "When did what start?" Mr. Clark said. A patient is _ . Answer: a person who is ill "I usually put my mobile phone in my bag, and I often feel like it is ringing when there actually is no phone call. Now I always want to keep it in my hand, being afraid that I might miss important calls or messages," Miss Liu tells her doctor. Miss Gu, a news worker, has to take her mobile phone with her all the time so as not to miss any calls from her office or readers. Gradually, she started to experience a great "panic" about her mobile phone. "Every night when I'm about to fall asleep, I often wake up with a start, feeling that my phone is ringing. Although I'm sure that I have turned it off, I still feel that it is ringing, clearly." The above phenomenon is what we call "mobile-phone acouasm ". The mobile phone has now become a "new organ" in a white collar's daily life, and "mobile-phone acouasm" has become a common phenomenon among office workers. According to a report of China Youth Daily, "mobile-phone acouasm " most likely results from people's dependency on hi-tech products. It is associated with certain professions, such as salesmen, consultants and journalists. They use mobile phones almost continuously. Constantly being in the "stand-by" mode, the strong psychological tension gives them acouasm. Meanwhile, a large number of this year's graduates are joining the family of acouasm suffers due to the hard job-hunting experience. "You know that the rings are not from your phone, but you always take it out and have a look. This is subconscious from your body sending you a signal, telling you that you must take a break to reduce your pressure," Professor Sun Li from Huadong Normal University explains. There are many ways to solve the problem. The professor says that the key is to deal with pressure from work. "This is just a kind of self-protection"; the most important thing is to find out the source of your pressure. And then take part in some activities that are not related to your work. You can do anything that can relax your body and mind. What is the most important measure to deal with "mobile-phone acouasm " ? Answer: To get rid of pressure from work. Have you come across much western children's literature? Most English speaking children grow up with the same delightful set of fictional characters. The Winnie the Pooh stories involve a strange selections of animals such as a kangaroo, a pig, a donkey, a tiger, an owl and a bear, who live together in a wood, leading fairy ordinary lives. Far more exciting and dangerous events take place in The Wind in the Willows, the story of the foolish Mr. Toad and all his adventures. Talking animals is also the main characters in The Jungle Book and the Just So Stories. In the latter we find lots of imaginative explanations as to why the world is like what it is. Far more laughter comes from Roald Dahi's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Whillie Wonka is the perfect adult in the eyes of children with all his clever ideas and endless supply of sweets. Also much loved is Bilbo Baggins, the funny little rabbit, who ends up having adventures with wolves and dragons. Of course, the stories go on in the much more serious The Lord of the Rings, better read a few years later. A new star in the world of magic and children's fiction is Harry Potter, the schoolboy who learns spells rather than maths. Adventures books remain popular, too. Although well over a century old now, Treasure Island is still an _ story with young Jim Hawkins dealing with secret maps and pirates. Such books make childhood a time of wonder and imagination. In which book would you expect to find the chapter "How the tiger got his stripes?" Answer: Just So Stories.
Researchers and many scientists are concerned that the earth's climate and atmosphere are becoming warmer than they should be. What scientists do agree on is that the temperature will continue to increase if measures are not taken to reduce pollution and emission from cars and factories. It is widely agreed that oil and coal create greenhouse gases when they are burned to produce heat or power. These emissions include carbon dioxide, which is the cause of most of the global warming problem. The loss of the trees in many areas is making the problem worse, because trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. The fewer trees that are left standing, the less carbon dioxide can be absorbed. Scientists predict that the sea level will rise, ice caps will melt, and some animals and plants will fail to survive because their habitat will disappear. There may be more deserts and less available farmland because of the dry ground, and there may be more storms and floods in many countries. Some countries, including the UK and the US, are taking steps to prevent the situation from becoming worse. There are programmes to educate citizens and students about the situation and recycling waste is becoming more common. New guidelines are being introduced to try to limit greenhouse gases from being produced by factories and businesses. Using more alternative energy sources is also a good way to prevent global warming. One thing that everyone can do is limit their use of energy every day, and you can do this no matter how old or young you are. Try to limit the unnecessary use of electricity and work to conserve energy every day. What is the best title for the text? Answer: Take Action to Prevent Global Warming What could make Michael Jordon, one of the greatest basketball players in history, shed tears? It was when he became a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame on September 11. The hall is in Springfield, Massachusetts and honors the best basketball players, greatest coaches and other contributors to the game. "The game of basketball has been everything to me ," said Jordan, 46. "It is the place I have always gone when I needed to find comfort and peace." Jordan retired twice in his 15-year career, finishing with 32292 points, the third highest total points in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. His average of 30.12 points a game is the best in the League. "One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50," Jordan said. "Because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion." In other words, it was motivation that made Jordan such a success.. A great career did not mean a smooth one. His high school coach cut him from the team in favor of a taller player when Jordan was in 10thgrade. His college coach wouldn't allow him on the cover of Sports Illustration in 1981 with North Carolina's four other players because Jordan was a freshman. In his first NBA All-Star game, older NBA stars wouldn't throw him the ball because of jealousy. "That burned me up," Jordan said. "But _ don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." Who scored the highest total points in NBA history? Answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Inspired by a 9-year-old cyclist who uses only part of one hand, a group of University of Guelph students has won an international award for their invention--a bike brake lever . It pulls both the front brake and the back brake at the same time. Lauren Turner was able to ride her bike, but not as confidently and quickly as her friends. "She couldn't use the front brake. She was only using the back brake, but the front brake makes you stop twice as fast," says Micha Wallace, who with Katie Bell, Anina Sakaguchi and Andrew Morris won second prize in the James Dyson Awards for their single-handed bike braking lever. "She used it all last summer and she had no problems. She said it helped her go faster because she felt more confident in her braking abilities. She felt safer." says Wallace. The invention was the fourth-year design project for the four students. They designed, tested and created a prototype within a four-month period. When Wallace heard about the James Dyson Awards on the news, she and her co-inventors entered their project in the UK-based contest. The contest mainly rewards student designers who create products that improve the way we live. The Guelph students collected the second prize -PS2,000 for them, plus PS500 for their school. As well, they had a chance to meet James Dyson, a UK inventor. While praising the students for their creativity, Dyson said the single-handed lever could improve safety for all cyclists. "By using both brakes at once," he explains, "you could prevent the possibility of flying over the handlebars and ending up with an injury." The students are hoping to sell the patent to a major company. It may be used in other devices that require two hands for operation. What can we know about the inventors of the brake lever? Answer: They won their schoolPS500 for their invention. The American book Who Moved My Cheese has been a best seller all over the world. It teaches people how to face changes in their lives. It is just for teens. The book tells us that when facing change in our life, like a new school or new friends, don't be afraid. Use this change to make a better life. The book gives an example of a change at school. A school is changing from having two terms to three terms because there are too many students. Several teens are talking about this. Most of them are unhappy and worried. But Chris is not. He laughs and tells a story about two mice, two"little people"and some cheese. The four are in a maze looking for The cheese. Here, cheese means some thing important in life. But they find the cheese is gone. The mice realize that they can't change what has happened and have to find more cheese. This means finding different dreams. The little people can't do this. They are afraid of change so they find no cheese. After Chris finishes the story, the friends understand one thing:to get more cheese, move in a new direction quickly. His friends understand how this can be used in the changes all teens face, such as doing well at school or feeling good about yourself. From the story, we can know that finding more cheese means _ . Answer: finding different dreams I have many new teachers in high school, but Lori Runkle, my English Language and Composition teacher, is my favorite teacher. Ms. Runkle enjoys getting to know more about students, so I have many chances to talk with her after class. I have always wanted to become a journalist . Since Ms. Runkle used to be a journalist back in the United States, she has introduced many helpful journalistic writing skills to me. Although she is my teacher, Ms. Runkle and I are more like friends. She often invites my classmates and me to take part in different activities outdoors. For example, I went to listen to a journalist's speech, which helped me better understand current events . Not only does Ms. Runkle talk with me outside of school, she is also a great teacher in the classroom. English Language and Composition is a really hard subject for a second language learner. We felt worried in the beginning, but Ms. Runkle really makes an effort to help us out. In class, Ms. Runkle always encourages students to question everything to keep us active. One part of class I love the most is when groups of students are requested to give speeches on events that are happening in the world. It requires a lot of deep thinking and I really learn quite a lot from it. I love Ms. Runkle very much. She not only helps me to get good scores, but also acts as a good friend and always gives me advice on life. What is the author's purpose of writing this passage? Answer: To describe an unforgettable teacher.
The Chinese New Year is the most important festival for the Chinese people. It usually comes in January or February. It takes about 15 days to prepare for it. On the eve of the festival, people close the shops and stay at home. They all get together for a big dinner. They stay up late and enjoy dumplings at midnight for good luck. In the morning, people dress in their best clothes, and usually the old stay at home, the young go out to pay a New Year Call . It is an important time for the young. The young people bow to the old people. The Chinese call this "Ke Tou". This means "touching the ground with the forehead ". Then the young people give their best wishes to the old people. The old people give children gifts or lucky money. They are very polite and do not use bad words on the Spring Festival Day. It,s the most important day of the year. From this passage we can know that give children gifts or lucky money. Answer: Elderly women who eat foods higher in potassium are less likely to have strokes and die than women who eat less potassium-rich foods, according to new research in the American Heart Association. "Previous studies have shown that potassium consumption may lower blood pressure. But whether potassium intake could prevent stroke or death wasn't clear," said Smoller, professor of the department of population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. Researchers studied 90,137 women, aged from 50 to 79 for an average 11 years. They looked at how much potassium the women consumed, as well as if they had strokes, including ischemic strokes , or died during the study period. Women in the study were stroke-free at the start and their average dietary potassium intake was 2,611 mg/day. Results of this study are based on potassium from food, not supplements. The researchers found: Women who ate the most potassium were 12 percent less likely to suffer stroke in general and 16 percent less likely to suffer an ischemic stroke than women who ate the least. Women who ate the most potassium were 10 percent less likely to die than those who ate the least. Among women who did not have high blood pressure, those who ate the most potassium had a 27 percent lower ischemic stroke risk and 21 perc ent reduced risk for all stroke types, compared to women who ate the least potassium in their daily diets. Among women with high blood pressure, those who ate the most potassium had a lower risk of death, but potassium intake did not lower their stroke risk. "Our findings suggest that women need to eat more p otassium-rich foods. You won't find high potassium in junk food. Some foods rich in potassium include white and sweet potatoes, bananas and white beans." The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that women eat at least 4,700 mg of potassium daily. "Only 2.8 percent of women in our study met or went beyond this level. The World Health Organization's daily potassium recommendation for women is lower, at 3,510 mg or more. Still, only 16.6 percent of women we studied met or went beyond that," said Smoller. While increasing potassium intake is probably a good idea for most elderly women, there are some people who have too much potassium in their blood, which can be dangerous to the heart. "People should check with their doctor about how much potassium they should eat," she said. The study was observational and included only elderly women. Researchers also did not take sodium intake into consideration, so the potential importance of a balance between sodium and potassium is not among the findings. Researchers said more studies are needed to determine whether potassium has the same effects on men and younger people. What conclusion can be drawn from the research findings? Answer: Advertising can be a service to the customer. This is true when advertisements give reliable information about the goods advertised. Such information is needed if the customer is to make a sensible choice when he buys. It is useful in that it lets him know of the kinds of goods in the shops. Printed advertisements do this job best. Customers can collect them and compare them. They can be taken along to shops and their claims can be checked against the actual goods in the shops. however, some advertisements are not very useful to the customer. Instead of helping him to satisfy his real needs, they set out to make him want things. They set out to create a need. These advertisements are cleverly done. The people who produce them understand our weaknesses. They set out to make us believe that what they advertise will make us cleverer, prettier and more handsome, if only we use it. Actually, it is our money they are after and we should be on guard. Some advertisements mislead customers by using part of the truth to suggest something false, and it is skillfully made to give that idea to the careless reader, listener or viewer. At its best advertising can be useful to the customer. At its worst it can mislead him. Many newspapers check on the goods for which the advertisements made claims. Most newspapers are very careful about the small advertisements, which try to sell goods directly to the readers by post. Many newspapers print information about this on their small advertisement pages. Advertising has become a very big business, and good firms in it do all they can to make sure it is conducted with some attention to truth. This is a help to the customer. But the best way is for customers to be on the lookout. Advertisements that play on our weaknesses make us _ . Answer: Everyone has heard of the San Andreas fault , which constantly threatens California and the West Coast with earthquakes. But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri? Between December of 1811 and February of 1812, three major earthquakes occurred, all centered around the town of New Madrid, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Property damage was severe. Buildings in the area were almost destroyed. Whole forests fell at once, and huge cracks opened in the ground, releasing some strong smell chemicals. The Mississippi River itself completely changed character, developing sudden rapids and whirlpools . Several times it changed its course, and once, according to some observers, it actually appeared to run backwards. Few people were killed in the New Marid earthquakes, probably simply because few people lived in the area in 1811; but the severity of the earthquakes are shown by the fact that the shock waves rang bells in church towers in Charleston, South Carolina, on the coast. Buildings shook in New York City, and clocks were stopped in Washington, D.C. Scientists now know that America's two major faults are essentially different. The San Andreas is a horizontal boundary between two major land masses that are slowly moving in opposite directions. California earthquakes result when the two masses make a sudden move. The New Madrid fault, on the other hand, is a vertical fault; at some points, possibly hundreds of millions of years ago, rock was pushed up toward the surface, probably by volcanoes under the surface. Suddenly, the volcanoes cooled and the rock collapsed, leaving huge cracks. Even now, the rock continues to settle downwards, and sudden sinking motions cause earthquakes in the region. The fault itself, a large crack in this layer of rock, with dozens of other cracks that split off from it, extends from northeast Arkansas through Missouri and into southern Illinois. Scientists who have studied the New Madrid fault say there have been numerous smaller quakes in the area since 1811; these smaller quakes indicate that larger ones are probably coming, but the scientists say they have no method of predicting when a large earthquake will occur. The New Madrid fault is _ . Answer: Chris Jones recently finished a very unusual journey. Our reporter Mary Owen met him at his home in south prefix = st1 /Londonand he told her all about the trip. Reporter: What gave you the idea to travel around Indiaon an elephant, Chris? Chris: Well, it all started 2 years ago when I was planning a trip to India. I visited a photographic exhibition of elephants and I realized that the only way to travel is on an elephant. Reporter: What did you do next? Chris: I flew to New Delhiand started looking for an elephant. I needed an elephant trained to carry people. I didn't know anything about elephants, so I asked an expert for help. He taught me how to ride an elephant. He also helped me find an elephant. Reporter: Can you tell me about the journey? Chris: Well. I bought a female elephant called Tara for about $ 6000. We set off from New Delhia week later. We were heading to Sonepur in northernIndiawhere there is a big elephant market and I could sell Tara easily. And what a ride! Elephants can travel at about 6 miles an hour and Sonepur was more than 1,200 kim away. The journey took us 64 days! Reporter: Did you have any problems on your journey? Chris: Yes, a few. But nothing serious. On the third day, Tara hurt her foot. But that got better quickly. Also there was a log of heavy rain during the first week and we got very wet! Reporter: What happened when you reached Sonepur? Chris: My plan was to sell Tara. But by now I was very fond of her. I couldn't take her back to Britainand I didn't want to sell her at the market. By chance,I met some people who wanted an elephant for their national park. I knew that Tara would be safe with them, so I gave her to them. I was very sad to say goodbye. When Chris arrived at Sonepur market, he _ . Answer:
Marriages improve after children grow up and move out,according to an academic study, which suggests an "empty nest" is not always a bad thing. Popular wisdom has it that parents' relationships may suffer once their young fly the coop, because they feel they have lost their purpose in life.However, a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that many couples actually feel happier when their children leave home because they are able to enjoy spending time together. In total,123 American mothers born in the 1930s were tracked for 18 years and asked to rate their satisfaction levels shortly after marrying, when they were bringing up babies, once their children reached their teenage years and finally at age 61, when almost all had "empty nests". Although not all said they were happier in general, most claimed their marriages had improved since their children had left home. Researchers believe this is not just because the spouses were spending more time together, but because they were able to enjoy each other's company more. One of the participants in the study,which is published in the journal Psychological Science,said:"Once the kids grow up...there's some of that stress removed...that responsibility removed,so things are a little more relaxed." Psychologist Sara Gorchoff,who carried out the investigation,said: "The takehome message for couples with young children is 'hang in there'." Her coauthor Oliver John added:"Don't wait until your kids leave home to schedule quality time with your partner." However, Dr Dorothy Rowe,from the British Psychological Society,said the effects of living in an "empty nest" will depend on the parents' relationship with their children."If you're just waiting for them to leave home so you can get on with your life,then of course you'll be pleased to see them go," she said, "But if you've built your life around your children you'll be terribly lonely.For some parents,their world falls apart when their children leave." It is commonly believed that _ . A. marriages improve after children leave home B. an "empty nest" is always a happy thing C. parents' relationships may suffer once their young grow up and move out D. parents will be pleased after their children leave home Answer: C. parents' relationships may suffer once their young grow up and move out When Abraham Lincoln was just a boy, he had to help his father to look after their farm. It was hard work and there wasn't anything interesting for him. Abraham wanted to go to school, but there was no school there. He was sad most of the time. Mrs. Lincoln loved the boy very much. She tried her best to make Abraham happy. One morning she got up early and went to the town. It was a long way, so it took her a long time to get there. She bought something there and went back. It was late in the evening when she got home. The next morning Mrs. Lincoln said to Abraham,"Today is your birthday, so we're going to have a party."She put some food on the table, and then brought out a present. "A book!"Abraham cried. It was an old book, but he liked it. A smile came on his face. He looked up at Mrs. Lincoln and said,"Thank you, Mom." It took Mrs. Lincoln _ to make a trip to the town. A. a whole day B. a quarter of a day C. three hours D. two days Answer: A. a whole day China Daily Classified Page Advertising Rates Published every Wednesday and Friday. 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After this deadline, additional charges will be incurred (brought upon oneself). Tel : (86 - 10)64941104, 64924488 ext. 2117 Fax: (86 - 10)64941104 E- mail: cads @ chinadaily. com. cn Which of the following statement is right? A. The smaller the size is, the lower the advertising rate is. B. The larger the size is, the lower the advertising rate is. C. The size has nothing to do with the advertising rate. D. The advertising fee is decided only by the size. Answer: A. The smaller the size is, the lower the advertising rate is. Do you know what Oscar is? When did it start? Maybe you can find the background of the awards in the following passage. The awards started in 1929. Their full title is "The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards". The Academy is a group of people who have worked in the film industry for many years. They decide who will receive the awards. The awards are often referred to as the "Oscar". This is a nickname given to the awards by a lady called Margaret Herrick. She was once the director of the Academy and she once said that the little gold statue reminded her of her uncle Oscar! The Oscar is always an exciting event. Each year, at least one unusual thing happens. When the Italian actor and director Roberto Benigni won an Oscar for best foreign film, he danced on stage! When Gwyneth Paltrow, the star of Shakespeare in Love won the Oscar for best actress, she could not make her acceptance speech because she was crying so much with happiness! In 1987, Roberto Benigni won the award for best director for a film about the last emperor of China. Since then, Chinese film and actors have started to make an impact at the award. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a huge success and it won the award for best foreign language film in 2001. It also won several technical awards for its amazing "flying" people. We expect to see more awards for Chinese film in the near future. It's time for the Oscar again. Once more, the stars will dress up in their finest and go to Kodak Theater. There, they will find out who had won the awards for best actor, best actress and best director. Millions of people watch the awards every year to find out who the winners are. Some people watch it to see the stars crying and laughing as they receive their awards. What did Gwyneth Paltrow win an Oscar for? A. Best Director. B. Best Foreign Film. C. Best Actress. D. Best Actor. Answer: C. Best Actress. The history of the Winter Games, however, has been even more troubled than that of the Summer Games. Until 1924 all the winter sports competitions, held every four years from 1901 to 1917 and again in 1922, had been in the Scandinavian countries - Sweden, Norway and Finland. The sportsmen of these countries believed that the Winter Games could only be held in the Scandinavian way. Coubertin, himself, was against a separate Winter Olympics as he felt that they would cause trouble within the Olympic movement. However, as winter holidays in the Alps became more and more popular, so did the idea of a truly international Winter Games. The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix in 1924, though they were only recognized by the International Olympic Committee as "Olympic" two years later in 1926. Although there were many arguments before them, the first Games were a success, but the problems did not end there. In 1935, it was decided by the IOC that ski teachers could not compete in the Olympics because they were professionals. This caused a big argument between the IOC and the International Ski Federation, who agreed with the ski teachers. However, war came and with it an end to the discussions. When the war was finally over, the Winter Games were started up again, as before, in St Moritz in 1948 and the crisis had passed. The argument over whether ski teachers should be allowed to take part in the Winter Games ended because_. A. the IOC made a final decision B. war broke out and stopped the Games C. the two organizations could not find a solution D. the IOC and the International Ski Federation reached an agreement Answer: B. war broke out and stopped the Games
Weather changes when the temperature and the amount of water in the atmosphere change. We can see and feel water coming from the atmosphere when we have rain. But the water must somehow get back to the atmosphere. Meteorologists call this the water cycle. There are many stages in the water cycle. Rain falls when water vapour in clouds condenses . Drops of water form and fall to the ground. The water soaks into the ground and feeds streams and rivers. A lot of rain falls into the sea. The heat of the sun evaporates some of the water in the ground and in the rivers, lakes, and the sea. It changes the liquid water into water vapour. The vapour rises onto the air. Water vapour is normally invisible. On a very damp or humid day, however, you can sometimes see water vapour rising from a puddle or pond in a mist above the water. Water vapour also gets into the air from living things. Trees and other plants take in water through their roots and give off water vapour from their leaves. People and land animals drink water and breathe out water vapour. In all these ways the water returns to the air. There it gathers to form clouds and condenses to form rain. The rain falls to earth, and the cycle starts again. It continues even if snow or hail fall instead because both eventually melt to form water. The amount of water vapour in the air depends on the temperature. The air is more moist in the tropics than in the cold polar regions. Whether water vapour can be seen or not depends on _ . Answer: All schools have their own rules. The rules change from one school to another. Some schools are much stricter than others. There are also some rules that are strange or funny to us. Here are some funny school rules: Strict Japanese rules Most schools ask students to wear uniforms, such as sports suits or skirts. But Japanese schools even have rules about the colour of underwear ! They also require that girls' socks should be folded in a certain way and boys' heads should be shaved . Other Japanese schools tell students that they can't go to the movies after sunset. Different shoes in the USA At some American schools, students have to change their shoes when they go into the schools every day. This makes sure students won't fall over on the floors and keeps the schools clean. No strange hair in the UK Strange hairstyles are not allowed in some British schools. But they might allow students to wear certain hairstyles during the World Cup years. There were two students who had special hairstyles during the 2002 World Cup. After the World Cup, their teachers asked them to go to the barber's at once. How many strange or funny school rules are mentioned in this passage? Answer: Steven Jobs, the designer of Apple Computer, was not clever when he was in school. At that time, he was not a good student and he always made troubles with his schoolmates. When he went into college, he didn't change a lot. Then he dropped out . But he was full of new ideas. After he left college, Steven Jobs worked as a video game designer. He worked there for only several months and then he went to India. He hoped that the trip would give him some new ideas and give him a change in his life. Steven Jobs lived on a farm in California for a year after he returned from India. In 1975, he began to make a new type of computer. He designed the Apple Computer with his friend in his garage. He chose the name "Apple" just because it could help him to remember a happy summer he once spent in an apple tree garden. His Apple Computer was so successful that Steven Jobs soon became famous all over the world. He often said, "I live in order to change the world, there aren't any other reasons. The only way to have a great achievement is to love your own career. If you can't find your favorite career, go on looking for it and never give up." This is Steven Jobs, though he is dead, his spirit and achievements still influence our lives. Steven Jobs was not a good student in school because he _ . Answer: When my daughter, Sophie, was admitted to a college we were very happy, but a little worried about becoming empty nesters. I knew I had to do something to help myself adapt, starting with the summer before she left. Sophie had a pack of colorful T-shirts. I knew she wouldn't wear them any more, so I decided to make a quilt out of them for her bed at college. It focused my energy, and also let me relive some memories. I tried to work on the quilt when Sophie wasn't at home----which turned out to be often. She was very busy with her friends. Even when she was around, her door was shut more than usual. I felt a bit hurt. After all, we didn't have much time together before she went to college, I was already missing her, and she hadn't ever left yet. When we arrived at the college, a wave of emotion flooded me. I tried to hold it back, but Sophie saw it in my face. She took a big red book from her bag. "I made this for you, Mom," she said. Then I knew why she had been staying behind a closed door that summer. It was an album of photographs documenting the life of our family over the last 17 years. I broke into tears. Some of it was sadness at having to let her go, but some of it was joy. I knew that our connection was more powerful than ever, and that we'd always be connected by the strongest of threads, the love that went into every stitch of her quilt and every photo of my album. In Sophie's dormitory I unfolded the quilt on her bed. For a moment she was speechless. Then she threw her arms around me. "Mom, I love you," she said. One of her new friends was calling her outside. Sophie turned, and I let her go. Why did the author finally let her daughter go? Answer: See evaporation in action by Answer:
His eyes nearly in tears from the crush of fellow travelers at Guangzhou's train station, Hong Tao said things were much better on Sunday, after days of waiting for a train to his home in Hubei province. "I think it's fine today, and everything is going smoothly," the 28-year-old said. "I thought it would be really crowded but it has turned out to be OK." Chinese authorities say they expect 1.3 million people to travel out of Guangzhou's train station over the next few days, as they rush to get home by Wednesday, the eve of Lunar New Year. Hong's optimism may have been helped by the blue skies that emerged over Guangzhou on Sunday for the first time in a week. Last week, a rare winter storm paralyzed China's transportation system as millions tried to get home to celebrate the holiday -- the only chance for many migrant workers to see their families all year. China's state-run Xinhua news agency said Friday that 95 percent of rail traffic had "returned to normal." But Guangzhou's train station remained packed with a backlog of hundreds of thousands of travelers hoping to get home for the holiday. A young woman was stepped on in a stampede at the train station Friday, and later died of her injuries, according to Xinhua. Video of the situation on Friday showed crowds of people screaming, elbowing each other, in some cases sobbing and collapsing in the rush to get a slot (,) on a train. China Sunday announced it has organized over 300,000 People's Liberation Army forces to southern China in what it described as a "war on winter weather". The government also announced a $700 million plan to help farmers whose crops have been destroyed. Why are there so many passengers in Guangzhou's train station? A Because the heavy snow stopped the passengers from leaving the station. B Because the passengers didn't hope to leave the station right now. C Because the passengers hoped to leave for their hometown. D Because the holiday was coming near. Answer: A. Because the heavy snow stopped the passengers from leaving the station. Boys need friends, suffer when they don't believe they have any, and worry over the ups and downs of relationships. Many adults believe that somehow boys need friends less than girls do, in truth, though, no boy is an island; boys value their friends throughout childhood and adolescence and are happier and healthier when they have solid relationships with peers . Despite the common belief that girls are better at relationships, most boys consider their friends a very important part of their lives, and boys may actually be better at keeping friendships than girls are. A recent study of 10 to 15yearold boys and girls found that girls' friendships are actually more fragile. Girls tend to say and do hurtful things to each other more frequently than boys, and girls are more hurt by the end of a friendship. Boys are the living definition of the phrase "peer group"; they love games with rules, competition, and doing things together. Boys seem to enjoy, even need the opportunity to test themselves against others, and many lasting friendships begin in karate class or on the basketball court. Competence and skill are widely respected; being picked last for a team or left out altogether is an experience that can haunt a boy for years. As boys mature , the friendship becomes even more important, and it frequently widens to include girls. During the teen years, friends can become the most important part of a boy's life--and a part in which his parents are not included. The confusion of being a teenager leads boys to form close bonds with friends. There is the sense for many boys that a friend is someone who is "always there for me", someone he can trust. They may be partners in crime or partners in study, but the friendship of adolescent boys can run surprisingly deep. What's the best title for the text? A Friendships between Boys and Girls B Boys and Their Friendship C Childhood and Adolescent Friendship D Tips on Making Friends with Boys Answer: B. Boys and Their Friendship Here are some advertisements taken from a newspaper. (1) Dear Drew Carter, Your first year on this earth has been a pleasure ride for all of us. We love you! Love, Dad and Mom and many friends. (2)Lawlis-Clarke The Doctors Virgil and Marjorie Lawlis are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Diane Susan to Mr.Robert Brent Clarke,son of Mr.and Mrs.James Clarke of Herford,Texas. A spring wedding is planned in Houston. (3) Isbell-Foss Mr.and Mrs.Davis K.Isbell announce the marriage of their daughter Dang to Mr.Stanley Foss,son of Mrs.John Sipe of Ada,Minnesota. The wedding will be early April at Abiding Love Lutheran Church. (4) Story-Kurio Miss Stephanie Story and Mr.Warren Kurio were married February 5,at half past seven o'clock in the evening at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas,Texas.The bride is the daughter of Mr.and Mrs.Herbert Brule Story Jr.of Dallas.The groom is the son of Mr.and Mrs.Gerald Stanley Kurio of Austin. Lawlis and Clarke are going to get married _ . A in a church B where Clarke's parents live C against their parents' will D to Lawlis's parents' joy Answer: D. to Lawlis's parents' joy Oxford University students think about the collegiate system as follws: "The collegiate system is exactly what I expect, lots of students all living together, with the JCR(Junior Common Room) acting to support students and organize parties and social events." 2nd year undergraduate, Archaeology and Anthropology "Most of all, I like the collegiate structure, which appeals to me as it is less of an imposing 'body' to get involved with. This allows you to play sports and do other things similarly at any level that you like. I play football and cricket for my college and also play recreational rugby and tennis where I can fit it in." 2nd year undergraduate, Biochemistry "I choose to study at Oxford firstly because I want to study at the highest level and stretch my mind;I felt that the Oxford tutorial system is the best environment to achieve this. Secondly because the collegiate system seems to offer a friendlier atmosphere than a large campus..." 2nd year undergraduate, Mathematics "Not only is Oxford one of the top universities in the world...students here have the benefit of the social support of a small college community." 3rd year undergraduate, Medicine "The aspect of Oxford that I appreciate the most is the sense of belonging that the collegiate system offers. If you choose to accept it, your college will provide you with the social scaffolding to ensure that both your weeks and weekends are fun.." DPhil student, Inorganic Chemistry "The college system and the amazing sports opportunities make the experience of Oxford even better because there is so much more to do once you leave the lab..." DPhil student, Physiology According to the comment of the first student, _ . A The collegiate system is beyond his expectation B all students live together, as he expects C parties are too difficult for students to hold D students can get help from the JCR Answer: D. students can get help from the JCR It was dark. As John was walking on his way home, he suddenly found an ugly old man staring at him. The old man said, "Son, why don't you get a book? It will keep you company." John noticed all the books the old man had were related to the super nature . Trying to act bravely, he found one and the old man said, "That's an interesting book. It's $25." The old man kept staring at John, which almost frightened him. He quickly searched his pockets and found $25.John quickly paid for it. Then the old man called out, "Whatever happens, don't turn to the last page. Do remember, or you will regret it!" Reaching home, John heard his parents talking about a strange old book seller that appeared only at night during a full moon and then disappeared. Nervously, he ran straight to his room. At midnight, as he was sound asleep in bed, a blast of cold wind blew in through the window and woke him up. He looked at his table and saw the book. For a while, he was frozen in fear, but he was so curious. Slowly he got out of bed and carefully picked up the book. As he took a look at the last page, he cried out and fainted . This is what he read on the last page! Original Price:$10.99 Promotional Price: $2.99 How did John feel when he saw the old man? A Frightened. B Regretful. C Delighted. D Comfortable. Answer: A. Frightened.
A day at the beach. When Sam woke in the morning, he was super excited! Today was the day! It was Sunday, the day that Sam's mom and dad had promised to take Sam to the beach. Sam's grandma had given a pail and shovel to Sam to use in the sand. At breakfast Sam was so excited he was wiggling in his seat! Mom told Sam that they would leave when the big hand on the clock was pointing to the 10, and the little had was pointing to the 12. Mom asked Sam if he would like to help make sandwiches for the trip, and Sam said that he wanted to help. Dad said, "let's make a game of it, we need to make a sandwich for each of us. There are three of us, so we need three sandwiches. Let's count as we make the sandwiches!" Sam counted as mom made the sandwiches, one for dad, one for mom and one for Sam. Then mom started to make another sandwich! "Mom!" said Sam, "we have three sandwiches and that makes one sandwich for each of us." Sam's mom laughed, "You're right Sam!" Sam's mom said she was being silly. What did sam's grandma give him? A Sam's grandma game him a pale. B Sam's grandma gave him breakfast. C Sam's grandma gave him a sandwich. D Sam's grandma gave him a day at the beach. Answer: A. Sam's grandma game him a pale. After killing Osama Bin Laden and dropping his body into the ocean to avoid causing more hatred fro, the Muslims , the American government recently released a video of Osama Bin Laden living in his safe house watching TV , which has been viewed millions of times . The following are comments made by viewers . A. Yeah , Osama got what he deserved , Iraq got what they deserved , and Afghanistan got what they deserved . Saddam got what he deserved , Hitler got what he deserved . The list goes on & on . B. I hate saying this but is believe America deserved 9/11 ... They have screwed up so many governments .... C. I'm American and I and my brother suspected the whole story about dropping him into the ocean . We feel if they really killed him they would keep his body for proof . D. All you Islamic haters are ignorant fools . The terrorists don't have anything to do with the religion . They say they are part of the Islamic Religion but they are not . Nuking ( kill somebody with nuclear bombs ) Pakistan will do nothing by the way . E. Please give me the 2 minutes of my life back that I watched your pointless and fake video . F. Man ? Why is this video fake ? Rather than shouting about how it's obviously not Osama , why not provide the arguments for it instead of coming off as if you simply want to deny it for the sake of denial . G. What a load of nonsense , an _ to any intelligent person , Bin Laden dead for ages ... watch Benazir Bhutto say so on YouTube a week before she herself was murdered . The Muslims murdered her for being an American spy ! H. I honestly don't know what to believe , but ... why did the terrorists confirm his death if it didn't happen . . What does G refer to by " insult " ? A encouragement B disrespect C disadvantage D injury Answer: B. disrespect A child's room is not only a bedroom. You can see computers, mobile phones, televisions, DVD players, Playstation, and other 21st-century toys. Britain's 8 to 16-year-olds have bedroom possessions about PS 3,300. But they don't just have hi-tech toys . A child's room also has expensive clothes, sunglasses, watches, and sports equipment 40% of children have a room that is a home office, mini cinema, and sports hall . 90% have a TV, and 70% have a DVD player. 60% have a CD player, iPod, or MP3 player. 25% have their own computers. With so much to do in their bedrooms, it is no surprise that children spend more time there than anywhere else in the house. One girl spends so long on her mobile phone in her room that her parents have to text her to speak to her. Another child goes into his room as soon as he gets home form school and plays on his Playstation until bedtime. Childred's bedrooms are their kingdoms . Some families hardly do anylhing all together. People eat different meals at different times, and watch different TV programmes in different rooms. Children spend more time in their rooms because _ . A they can do what they like B they have much homework C they are tired after school D they don't like their parents Answer: A. they can do what they like If you are not comfortable with school learning, there is another option for you--cyberschool. Cyberschool can also provide a comprehensive teaching service that offers academic guidance and assistance. This is in order to promote the learning process and create a formal, wellstructured environment for learning to take place. The center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public "cyberschools" and that is about twice as many as two years ago. The money for students to attend a cyberschool comes from the governments of the states where they live. Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools. They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well. Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed. These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools. They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school. Whatever the judgment of cyberschools, they are getting more and more popular. Children get free equipment for their online education. This includes a computer, a printer, books and technical services. Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computers when necessary. Even though cyberschools are therefore not technically a school, mostly they offer a fully complete and comprehensive program that covers a full school day to children up to Grade 9, after which schooling is no longer mandatory . What is a problem with cyberschools? A Their equipment costs a lot of money. B They get little support from the state government. C It is hard to know students' progress in learning. D The students can only have a halfday schedule. Answer: C. It is hard to know students' progress in learning. There is not enough oil in the world now. As time goes by, it becomes less and less, so what are we going to do when it runs out? Perhaps we will go back to using horses, carriages and bicycles. In the Second World War, some people didn't use gas made from petroleum in their cars. They made gas from wood and plants instead. The car didn't go fast, but they ran, so this was better than nothing. However, in the future, we can't cut down all our trees to make gas; we need our trees for other things, too. Besides different types of gas, we can also use electricity to run our cars, but first we must make the electricity! Some countries have coal and they make electricity with that, but we might not always have coal, either. Other countries have big, strong rivers, and they can use the power of water to turn turbines and make electricity more easily and cheaply. We are also able to get power from the ocean tides. We put turbines into the mouth of the river. Then the tide comes in, the water turns the turbines and then it goes out, it turns them again. Which of these ways will be used to run our cars in the future? The passage is mainly about _ . A how to run our cars B what to do when oil runs out C different types of gas D the ways to make electricity Answer: B. what to do when oil runs out
One morning, Becca was putting on her shoes when she heard a knock at the door. When she opened it, she saw her friend Faith standing on the porch. "Bill is going to build a fort in my backyard today, and I get to help," Faith said. "Would you like to come over and help too?" Becca thought about what she had to do that day. Her mother had told her she needed to get her chores done before she could play at Faith's house. "First, I have to clean my room," Becca told Faith. "Maybe I can help you," Faith said. "I helped Sam clean his room once." "Sure!" Becca answered. The girls went to Becca's room and started to pick up toys and clothes. "Maybe I need to clean under the bed," Becca said. Under the bed, she found a library book she had been missing. Faith finished putting all of the clothes into the hamper. "Thanks for the help!" Becca said. "Now I can go with you." "I hope we don't have to clean my room, too!" said Faith. Who knocked on Becca's door? Answer: Malaria, the world's most widespread parasitic disease, kills as many as three million people every year--almost all of whom are under five, very poor, and African. In most years, more than five hundred million cases of illness result from the disease, although exact numbers are difficult to assess because many people don't (or can't) seek care. It is not unusual for a family earning less than two hundred dollars a year to spend a quarter of its income on malaria treatment, and what they often get no longer works. In countries like Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Gambia, no family, village, hospital, or workplace can remain unaffected for long. Malaria starts suddenly, with violent chills, which are soon followed by an intense fever and, often, headaches. As the parasites multiply, they take over the entire body. Malaria parasites live by eating the red blood cells they infect. They can also attach themselves to blood vessels in the brain. If it doesn't kill you, malaria can happen again and again for years. The disease passed on to humans by female mosquitoes infected with one of four species of parasite. Together, the mosquito and the parasite are the most deadly couple in the history of the earth--and one of the most successful. Malaria has five thousand genes, and its ability to change rapidly to defend itself and resist new drugs has made it nearly impossible to control. Studies show that mosquitoes are passing on the virus more frequently, and there are more outbreaks in cities with large populations. Some of the disease's spread is due to global warming. For decades, the first-choice treatment for malaria parasites in Africa has been chloroquine, a chemical which is very cheap and easy to make. Unfortunately, in most parts of the world, malaria parasites have become resistant to it. Successful alternatives that help prevent resistance are already available, but they have been in short supply and are very expensive. If these drugs should fail, nobody knows what would come next. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . Answer: Liu Xu is a student from a middle school in Guangxi. Once he was riding home when a robber suddenly jumped out from the roadside. He pulled Liu Xu off his bike and rode away. Liu Xu was scared, but he didn't run after the robber. He found a telephone and called the police at 110. "Safety is the first important in such a situation," Liu said, remembering what his teacher had told him in his first aid class. "It is not safe to run after an adult who is stronger than you." Liu's school has compulsory first aid education. Students must take the class once a week. Teenage safety has become a serious issue recently. According to a survey, about 16,000 teenagers die in accidents in China every year. At Liu's school the first aid classes are to "teach students skills how to protect and save themselves in emergencies ". Students there often learn by role-playing in first aid classes. For example, one student performed as a stranger knocking at a door. Another one stood inside the door and asked several questions before letting the "stranger" in. Then they changed roles and did it again. They learned a lot while having fun at role-playing. The topics of the first aid classes are regularly updated . The students have learned skills for surviving in earthquakes. The teacher also taught the students not to go out at night. If someone tried to do bad things to them, they should quickly run into crowed place. Liu Xu's _ was robbed according to the passage. Answer: Many kids go to day camp during the summer. They can have a lot of fun, but the _ is almost the same. You start camp in the morning and go home in the afternoon. Sometimes, a bus takes you there or you might get a ride there. It might take you some time to like the place, the camp teacher, and the kids. But you go home every night, just like what you do during the school year. Sleepaway camp makes you feel more excited because you'll be there all day. It's a kind of holiday, but without your parents. You'll sleep in adormitory with other kids of the camp. You'll eat together in a large dining hall and you'll share the bathroom with other kids. Some sleepaway camps are coed. That means there are both boys and girls at the camp. Some camps are just for girls or just for boys, but often these all-girl and all-boy camps meet up for dances and parties. This passage is _ . Answer: Think about the different ways that people use the wind. You can use it to fly a kite or to sail a boat. Wind is one of our cleanest and richest power sources, as well as one of the oldest. Something shows that windmills began to be used in ancient Iran back in the seventh century BC. They were first introduced to Europe during the 1100s, when armies returned from the Middle East with knowledge of using wind power. For many centuries, people used windmills to make wheat into flour or get water from deep underground. When electricity was discovered in the late 1800s, people living in faraway areas began to use them to produce electricity. This allowed them to have electric lights and radio. However, by the 1940s when electricity was available to people in almost all areas of the United States, windmills were hardly used. During the 1970s, people started becoming more cared about the pollution that is created when coal and gas are burned to produce electricity. People also realized that the supply of coal and gas would run out one day. Then, wind was rediscovered, though it means higher costs. Today, there is a global movement to supply more and more of our electricity through the use of wind When were the windmills used to produce electricity in some places? Answer:
Long ago, there was a queen who lived in a palace. She felt bored and said to her advisor( ), "AIl the things around me are too boring. I need a different kind of beauty. Let everyone know that I will hold a competition for the most beautiful thing in the world. And the prize will be this crown ." Several days later, lots of people came to the competition and showed their things. The queen was not satisfied with what she saw. The advisor suggested, "What you are looking for cannot be brought to you. You must look for it by yourself. What about a journey?" The queen was interested in the idea, so she started immediately. As she was on top of the hill near her palace, she looked down and suddenly something cried in her heart. "Why have I never found my palace so beautiful?" The queen spent one year travelling. She saw beauty on the farm, in the forest and even in the stars twinkling at night on her journey. But what was the most beautiful thing? She thought it over. Suddenly, she understood beauty was everywhere. She should learn to enjoy the world. She left the pieces of her crown at different places that she had seen. As time went by, the queen's crown got smaller and smaller until nothing was left. She found the most beautiful thing at last. It was the world! _ came to the competition and showed their things. A. Few people B. Many people C. The advisor D. A beauty Answer: B Mr Smith gave his wife money every Friday evening. His wife always spent it all the next Wednesday, so that for the next three days she had no money to spend at all. One day Mr Smith asked her," But how did you spend all that money?" She answered, "I don't know . "So one Friday evening, Mr Smith gave her money together with an exercise book and a pencil. He said to his wife ,"Please write down how you spend the money . "Next Tuesday, his wife had no money again. Mr Smith took the exercise book to see how she had spent it. "I have done what you told me ,"she said gladly. She had written "Friday, I got 18 pounds from Mr Smith. "on the first page, and on the second page, she wrote ,"Tuesday, I have spent it all. " The story tells us that Mrs Smith was not very _ . A. glad B. tall C. careful D. Good Answer: C Morgan Motor Company Factory Tour and Cream Tea for Two Descriptions The Morgan Motor Company Factory is based in Malvern but is famous all over the world for their cars' character and charisma .Not only will you enjoy a guided tour of the only car maker in the world to still be run by the founding family after a century, you can also make the day complete with a cream tea for two. Activities During this fascinating tour you will see how the cars are made from start to finish using a mixture of modern technology and traditional methods, as you visit the workshops. After the tour you will be able to view the museum at your leisure, take your time to discover the wonderful history of this automobile. You will also enjoy a cream tea in the Morgan Cafe to make it just a little bit more special for free. Participant guidelines Minimum age: 5 (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult). Availability Available on weekdays only. The factory closes for one week at Easter, during July and at Christmas, please check with the factory for their closure dates. We advise booking at least four weeks in advance but during the summer months this increases to six weeks to ensure that dates are available. This is only a guideline and we advise you to book as early as possible to ensure that dates are available before the expiry date listed on your voucher. All bookings are subject to availability. Additional information The Visitor Centre Cafe is open daily and can cater for gluten-free diets. The Morgan gift shop is open daily. The Morgan museum is open daily and free of charge to visit. There is a large visitor car park. All areas are wheelchairs friendly. Packaging and Delivery For information on our packaging and delivery, please click here. A visitor to join in Morgan Motor Company Factory Tour can know _ . A. the development of the science B. the way to make the cream tea C. the production process of cars D. the secret to run a car company Answer: C Mrs Green lives in a small village. Her husband is dead, but she has one son. His name is Jack. He is twenty-one. He worked in a shop in the village and lived with his mother, but then he finds a job in a faraway town named Green Sea. He goes and lives there. Mrs Green is not happy about it. One day Mrs Green is angry. She gets on a train and goes to her son's house in Green Sea. Then she says to him, "Jack, why do you never telephone me?" Jack smiles, "But, Mother, you don't have a telephone." "No," she answers, "I don't have, but you have one!" Jack doesn't telephone his mother because _ . A. he doesn't like her B. he can see her every day C. he has no telephone D. his mother has no telephone Answer: D A study of older men in The Netherlands, known for its delicious chocolate, showed those who ate the same amount of one-third of a chocolate bar every day had lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of death. The researchers say, however, it's too early to conclude that it was the chocolate that led to better health. The men who ate more cocoa products could have eaten other food that made them healthier. Experts also point out that eating too much chocolate can make you fat -- a risk for both heart disease and high blood pressure. "It's why too early to make recommendations about whether people should eat more cocoa or chocolate," said Brian Buijsse, an expert for nutrition at prefix = st1 /WageningenUniversityin The Netherlands, who co-authored the study. Still, the Dutch Study, supported by grants from the Netherlands Prevention Foundation, appears to be the largest so far to document a health effect for cocoa beans. And it confirms findings of smaller, shorter-term studies that also linked chocolate with lower blood pressure. Researchers examined the eating habits of 470 healthy men who were not taking blood pressure medicine. The men who ate the most products made from cocoa beans -- including cocoa drinks, chocolate bars and chocolate pudding -- had lower blood pressure and a 50 percent lower risk of death. "This is a very important article providing epidemiological support for what many researchers have been observing is experimental models," said Cesar Fraga of the University of California Davis, who does similar research but was not involved in the new study. Could the study results apply to women? "Our study consisted of elderly inch," Buijsse said. "If you look at the other studies, you will see the same effects in men and women, younger people and older people. The findings may be _ to women, but you never know." We can learn from the text that_. A. researchers have concluded that eating chocolate can lead to better health B. It's too early to say eating too much chocolate makes you gain weight C. People in theNetherlandsare least likely to suffer from high blood pressure D. there had been other similar studies before the Dutch study Answer: D
While parents, particularly mothers, have always been attached to their infants . societal conditions frequently made this attachment difficult to maintain . First of all, the high infant death rate in the premodern times meant that such attachments often ended in hopelessness. Perhaps to prevent the sadness that infant death caused, a number of societal practices developed which worked against early attachment of mother and child. One of these premodern attachment discouraging practices was to leave infants unnamed until they had survived into the second year. Another practice that discouraged maternal attachment was tightly wrapping infants. Wrapping effectively prevented the close physical interactions like stroking and kissing that are so much a part of modern mothers' and fathers' affection for their infants. A third practice which had the same distancing effect was wet-nursing. Breast-feeding was not popular among the well-to-do in the early modern times; infants were often fed by wet nurses hired for the purpose. In some places, such as nineteenth-century prefix = st1 /France, city infants were sent to wet nurses in the country. Often a wet nurse would feed her own child first, leaving little milk for the city infant-who, in many cases, died. In Rouen, the death rate for children sent to a wet nurse was 35 percent Which is the best title for the passage? Practices of Reducing Matemal Attachment Plate movement can form different features on Earth. The movement of tectonic plates can be both a constructive and a destructive force. At which type of plate boundary is new crust formed? divergent While we are on the subject of crime, our listener question this week comes from Mohamad Firouzi in Iran. He wants to know about the history of Alcatraz Island and the prison that once operated there. Alcatraz Island is in the harbor of San Francisco, California. It is best known for being a federal prison, which was also called "The Rock." It was once the most famous prison in America. Alcatraz was a military prison from the late eighteen fifties until the nineteen thirties. Then it became a federal prison for the country's worst criminals. These included murderers, bank robbers and kidnappers. One of the main reasons federal officials chose Alcatraz Island to detain these prisoners was because they thought it would be impossible for prisoners to escape. Cold, deep and dangerous waters surround the island. Also, the distance between the island and San Francisco is too far for most humans to swim. No prisoner was ever officially reported to have successfully escaped. However, in nineteen sixty-two, three men broke out of the prison. Each man worked very hard at night for many months to cut through the stone wall of his cell. They made false heads out of paper, paint and hair. On the night of June eleventh, the men placed the heads in their beds to make it look as if they were sleeping. Then, the prisoners escaped through the holes in their cells to get to the water. The men were never seen or heard from again. It is believed that they drowned while trying to swim to San Francisco. The prison closed in nineteen sixty-three because of the high cost of keeping prisoners there and the need for major repairs. The last prisoners were moved to other jails. In nineteen seventy-two, the United States Congress passed a bill creating the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Alcatraz Island and the old prison are part of this area. Each year, more than one million people visit Alcatraz to see the prisoners' cells and listen to stories about the jail's history. But unlike the prisoners who once lived there, visitors can escape from the prison whenever they want and return back across the harbor to San Francisco. Why did federal officials make Alcatraz the most famous prison in America? Because no prisoner successfully escaped from the prison. Which would best help a forest animal avoid being eaten by hawks or owls? underground home The greatest recent social changes have been in the lives of women. During the twentieth century there has been a remarkable shortening of the proportion of a woman's life spent in caring for the children. A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, four or five of whom lived till they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman's youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty-five years and can be expected to live another thirty-five years and is likely to take paid work until retirement at sixty. Even while she has to take care of children, her work is lightened by modern living conditions. This important change in women's life-patterns has only recently begun to have its full effect on women's economic position. Even a few years ago most girls took a full-time job after they left school. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school- leaving age is sixteen; many girls stay at school after that age, and though women usually marry older, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Many more afterwards return to full-or-part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life, and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money, and running the home, according to the abilities and interests of each of them. At what age did most women marry around the 1890 according to the passage? At about twenty-five
Question: To son, Cecil, Just a quick note before I start in earnest. When I wrote this, you were 8, still a little boy. In 2002, I was called to active duty in the Marine Corps in the war on Terrorism . On the 11th of September 2001 when America was attacked, I knew that I would eventually have to go and I was filled with a deep sense of sadness. That night as you and Keiko were asleep, I looked at your little faces and couldn't help but fight the tears. I knew it would be hard for you because I had a similar experience. When I was a little boy aged 6, my dad, your Grandpa Cawley, was sent to Vietnam during the war there. I remember how much I missed him, too. But now unfortunately I have come to realize just how difficult it must have been for Grandpa to be away from his children for a year. Thinking about this, I wanted to put my thoughts and feelings down for you and your sister. I am so sorry that I had to leave for such a long time. There is no place I would rather be than with you and Keiko. You two are the lights of my life. I have known no greater joy than in the few years since you two were born. I hope to have many more years with you. If this doesn't happen, then know that I love you more than words can express. If for some reason I don't make it home, I will need you to take care of your little sister and your Mom. You will be the man of the Cawley family. Be good my son and God will watch over you as he has me. I will be waiting impatiently for the time when we can all be together again. Keiko is the _ of the writer. A. wife B. son C. daughter D. sister Answer: C Question: While your pet fish may appear to be ignorant of your presence, chances are that it knows you extremely well and can probably even identify you from a crowd of human faces! At least, that is the conclusion reached by scientists the University of Oxford in the U.K. and the University of Queensland in Australia, following an extensive study of the archerfish , a species of tropical fish that can be found all the way from India to Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia. The ability to distinguish between human faces is a complex task. That's because we all have the same basic features -- two eyes sitting above a nose and a mouth. It's only the subtle differences that make humans distinct from one another. Since this requires a combination of both visual sense and memory, researchers had always assumed that _ was a skill possessed only by those with complicated brains, i.e., humans, a few select animals -- such as horses, cows, dogs, monkeys and some birds, like pigeons. To test if this assumption was accurate, a team of scientists led by Dr. Cait Newport, Marie Curie Research Fellow in the Department of Zoology at Oxford University, decided to study fish. The aquatic animals have small brains that lack the neocortex , or neocortex-like structure, believed to help recognize the subtle differences between human facial features. The team began by presenting four archerfish with images of two human faces. Initially, the fish spat randomly at both. However, they soon learned that pouring water at the one selected by the researchers earned them a food treat. After that, they focused primarily on that image. The researchers then took the experiment one step further, by introducing 44 other human faces to the mix. To the researcher's astonishment, the trained archerfish were able to recall the learned image almost 81% of the time. And this accuracy improved to 86% when the researchers made the identification even harder, by replacing the colored photos with a set of black and white images and hiding the shape of the head. What is the conclusion of the study made by the scientists from the universities? A. Some fish may ignore your presence. B. Some fish can recognize your faces. C. Some fish have complicated brains. D. Some fish have large brains. Answer: B Question: Arabs consider it extremely bad manners to start talking business immediately. Even the busiest government official always takes extra time to be polite and offer refreshments . No matter how busy you are, you should make time for this. The conference visit is a way of doing business throughout the Arab world. Frequently, you will have to discuss your business in the presence of strangers, who may or may not have anything to do with your business. Do not be surprised if your meeting is interrupted several times by people who come into the room unannounced, whisper, or speak softly to the person with whom you are talking, and leave. Act as though you do not hear, and never show displeasure at being interrupted. Making decisions quickly is not an Arab custom. There is a vagueness in doing business in the Middle East which will puzzle a newcomer. Give yourself lots of time and ask lots of questions. When an Arab says "yes", he may mean "maybe". When he says "maybe", he probably means "no". You will seldom get a direct "no" from an Arab because it is considered not polite. Instead of "no", he will say "inshallah", which means "if God is willing". On the other hand, "yes" does not necessarily mean "yes". A smile and a slow nod might be like an agreement but in fact your host is being polite. An Arab considers it rude to disagree with a guest. According to the article, which of the following would be considered polite? A. You leave angrily because of interruptions. B. You demand an immediate decision. C. You refuse a cup of tea and show pictures of your product right away. D. You look out of the window while a stranger comes in to speak with your host. Answer: D Question: In many countries, heart disease kills a lot of women and even more men. There are four major causes of this disease and these are smoking, poor or bad diet, a family history of heart disease and stressful work. Among these main wrong-doers, the most common cause is stress. What is stress and how do you feel when you are under stress? Imagine you live alone - you are lying in bed at night and, suddenly, you hear someone in the kitchen. Immediately your heart begins to beat very fast and you feel that you can hardly breathe. What you are feeling is not stress, but fear. However, your body changes in the same way when you feel stress. That means that if you feel anxious and worried during an important examination, your heart may beat very fast and you may feel breathless too. You are experiencing stress. Another common situation in which a person is likely to feel stress is to have to do something, for example, performing a boring duty, every day. Let us look at the case of Annie who was a nurse. She felt a lot of stress in her work and began to have very bad headaches at the end of the day. Each morning she woke up more tired than she was when she went to sleep. She did not want to go out in the evening with her friends and she felt unhappy all the time. Finally, she sat down and thought about her life. She saw a lot of illness and death in her work but that was not the reason why she was under stress. The real reason was that she felt unable to make a positive decision in her job - she had to do what the doctors and sisters told her. So, Annie went back to college for further study. When she graduated, she found a job where she was part of a team as before, but where she had responsibility in making decisions. Her working hours were longer and her work more difficult than when she was a nurse but she enjoyed it. She felt she was in control of her life and her work. For Annie, stress in her old job had made her change her life and end a difficult situation. Stress in her new job became a good thing because it helped her achieve satisfaction in her life and in her work. When Annie was a nurse, she felt no real _ in her work or in her life. A. unhappiness B. breakdown C. satisfaction D. responsibility Answer: D Question: One day Trudy saw an advertisement in a magazine. It offered a packet of 100 mixed stamps for $10. Trudy wanted to start a stamp collection so she ordered the packet. One hundred mixed stamps seemed a good way to begin a collection. She sent a postal order to the stamp company with her order, and waited excitedly for the stamps arrived. Trudy checked the mail every day for four weeks but the stamps didn't arrive. So Trudy decided to write to the company. "Dear Sir/Madam," she wrote, "a month ago I sent you a postal order for $10 as payment for 100 mixed stamps. They haven't arrived. Please send them by return of mail." another month passed. The stamps still didn't arrive and she didn't receive any replay to her letter. She asked her father for advice. Her father said, "You must write a stronger letter. Make the stamp company worry that you will report them to the authorities." "Dear Sir/Madam," she wrote in her second letter. "I am writing to complain about your poor service. Two months ago I sent you a postal order for $10 as payment for 100 mixed stamps. I didn't receive the stamps. A month ago I wrote to inform you of this. I still haven't received the stamps, and you haven't replied to my letter. If I do not receive the stamps within seven days. I shall report this matter to the authorities." Two days later Trudy received the stamps in the mail. Trudy paid for the stamps with _ . A. cash B. a check C. the credit card D. a postal order Answer: D
If you are a TV addict, you can't have missed the popular sitcom Home With Kids. The lead characters, 17-year-old Xiao Xue and 14-year-old Liu Xing can remind us of our own behavior or our classmates. We love the two teenagers, but are they good students? And what makes a good student? "Being a student is a kind of occupation, so a good student should have good grades. Based on their school reports, clever and diligent, Xiao Xue is a much better student than her brother, Liu Xing," says Wu Hao, 16, Chifeng in Inner Mongolia. "The boy should work harder at studying since our duty as students is to study well." It is generally accepted that getting good scores is crucial for a student. So to some, being a good student means ranking high in your class or even your school. However, Wu also admits that a student's personality is more important in being a role model student. "Honesty and kindness make you admirable. But Xiao Xue can be selfish, dishonest and arrogant, which make others feel uncomfortable to be around her. So she has a lot yet to improve on," Wu said. Many teenagers do not think it is fair to judge students by their grades. Take Liu Xing for example. He is bright, good at computers and does everything else well like any other 14-year-old student except studying. "He is smart, humorous and always has fancy ideas which makes him popular. I guess he could be an excellent student if he attended school in the United States, where high grades are not so important and creativity is hailed," says Jia Xiaoxu, 17, Hefei, Anhui. From the US hit movie High School Musical, Jia discovers her role model. "Gabriella in the movie is an ideal student. She is ranked top but is not seen as a bookworm. She is sweet and sociable. Most importantly, Gabriella is always 'hungry' to try new things and actively participates in different kinds of activities," she said. Which of the following is NOT the advantage of Liu Xing according to the passage? Answer: He gets on well with Xiao Xue. An example of adaption is Answer: wearing sunblock Anyone who ever wondered why a dying plant, say, a freshly-cut red rose may appeal to a lady friend, might take some comfort in science, which once again offers us a reasonable answer to one of the world' s great mysteries. Beyond a common preference in people for blue, "the long history of color preference studies has been described as 'confusing and contradictory '," write scientists Anya Hurlbert and Yazhu Ling of England' s Newcastle University, authors of a new study in the journal Current Biology. "This fact is perhaps surprising," they said, "though the popularity of the concept that little girls differ from boys in preferring pink." But the scientists believe they have an answer to this scientific mystery, discovering women's preference for red, hidden above the average liking for blue. In their study, the pair quickly flashed color cards, displaying many different aspects, at 208 volunteers, mostly Britishers but with a number of Han Chinese, who moved to the United Kingdom recently. Tested in three different experiments, the researchers found out a small but significant preference for reddish colors in the female volunteers. Puzzled, the authors realized that most of the difference between men and women came in the form of a preference for green VS red in the color cards, regardless of the other slight differences such as the slightly blue ones that everyone liked. Why might this be? Evolution might offer an answer, they reason. Human color perception , the assessment of three separate color types -- red -- green -- blue-- in our vision is a relatively recent addition to our line of mammals Adding weight to their argument, they found the women who are most typically feminine on a psychological survey also had the biggest preference for reddish colors. "My love is like a red, red rose," wrote the Scottish poet Rober Burns in 1794. The word "pair" in Para.4 refers to _ . Answer: the two authors Well, it's time for Words and Their Stories. We present more expressions about food from Elenir Scardueli, a listener in Brazil. My mother believes you are what you eat. Then she'd always give us nutritious food. She likes serving us meat and potatoes, which can also mean the most important part of something. Here's another expression about meat: one man's meat is another man's poison--one might like something very much while another person might hate it. My father's a good and honest person. People say he's the salt of the earth. He'd never pour salt on a wound, or make someone feel worse about something. However, sometimes he tells us a story that seems bigger than life. So we have to take it with a grain of salt. My husband makes enough money to support our family. So we say he brings home the bacon. He can cut the mustard, or do what is expected of him at work. Besides, he stands almost two meters tall, so it's easy to find my husband in a crowd. He is a tall drink of water. I take the train to work. It is not a pleasant ride because the train is so crowded that we are packed like sardines. When we fail to see problems at work, my boss tells us to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to pay more attention and fix the problem. I once made a big mistake at the office and felt foolish. I had egg on my face. Over the weekend, my friend invited me to watch a football game on television. But I do not like football. It is not my cup of tea. We hope this has given you food for thought and stay with us next time. Thank you. The passage is mainly about _ . Answer: some idioms about food Wishing to encourage her young son to make more progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually found his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE." When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. To her horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking outTwinkle, Twinkle Little Star. At that moment, the great pianist made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a melody. Together, the old master and the young beginner transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was amazed and, as it finished, they cheered. That's the way it is in life. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music. But when we put our trust in the hands of a Greater Power, our life's work can be truly beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit, and keep playing." The reason why the boy went to the piano was that _ . Answer: he was exploring the concert hall
The nervous-looking young man had waited for a few moments outside the jeweler's shop before he got enough courage to enter.He was warmly greeted by a young assistant. James felt a rush blood to his face as he explained he would bring in his future wife to choose a birthday present.The assistant listened carefully and told him he'd better buy a necklace. He wasn't used to buying jewelry and was a little worried about overspending. After some discussion as to reasonable price and type , the assistant showed him dozens of necklaces and helped him to choose. At last James chose one and left the shop promising to return at five o'clock. When, half an hour later, James did return to the shop with his future wife, Laura, the assistant acted as if she had never seen him before. When she was asked to show them some necklaces, she first brought out some inexpensive ones for them to choose and then gave them the one she had prepared. A choice was soon made and they went away, satisfied. James would certainly come back to buy what he wanted when he got married. James would come back to buy what he wanted because _ . Answer: The way we cook is important. In many countries, the two sources of heat used for cooking are natural gas or electric stoves. The World Health Organization(WHO) warns that millions of people are dying every year from indoor air pollution. The WHO finds that poor cooking, heating and lighting technologies are killing millions of people each year. Indoor air pollution results from the use of dangerous fuels and cook stoves in the home. WHO officials say nearly three billion people are unable to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting. And they say more than seven million people die from exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution each year. Of that number, the WHO says about 4.3 million people die from household air pollution given off by simple biomass and coal stoves. These findings show that the home use of poisonous fuels is to blame for many of these deaths. These fuels include wood, coal, animal waste and so on. Carlos Dora is Coordinator in the WHO' s Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. He says people should not use unprocessed coal and kerosene fuel indoors. He says opening a window or door to let out the harmful air will not correct the situation. It will only pollute the outdoors. "New technologies and clean fuels can rid people of this problem." The United Nations found that more than 95 percent of families in sub-Saharan Africa depend on solid fuels for cooking. It says huge populations in India, China and Latin American countries, such as Guatemala and Peru, are also at risk. Nigel Bruce is a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool. He says researchers are developing good stoves and other equipment to burn fuels in a more efficient way."There are already many technologies for clean fuels available now. An effective and reasonably low-cost ethanol stove that is made by Dometic (a Sweden-based company)is now being tested out. Another interesting development is electric induction stoves." In India, you can buy an induction stove for about $8. And in Africa you can buy a solar lamp for less than $1. According to Carlos Dora, what is the best solution to indoor air pollution? Answer: It has always been thought that alcohol causes people to put on weight because it contains a lot of sugar, but new research suggests glass a day could form part a diet. Looking at past studies they found that, while heavy drinkers do put on weight; those who drink _ can actually lose weight. A spokesman for the research team at Navarro University in Spain says, "Light to moderate alcohol intake, especially of wine, may be more likely to protect against, rather than promote, weight gain." The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol research reviewed the findings and agreed with most of the conclusions, particularly that data do not clearly indicate if moderate drinking increases weight. Boston University's Dr. Harvey Finkel found that the biologic mechanisms relating alcohol to changes in body weight are not properly understood. His team pointed out the strong protective effects of moderate drinking on the risk of getting conditions like diabetes , which relate to increasing obesity. Some studies suggest that even very obese people may be at lower risk of diabetes if they are moderate drinkers. The group says alcohol provides calories that are quickly absorbed into the body and a enot stored in fat, and that this process could explain the differences in its effects from those of other foods. They agree that future research should be directed towards assessing the roles of different types of alcoholic drinks, taking into consideration drinking patterns and including the past tendency of participants to gain weight. For now there is little evidence that consuming small to moderate amounts of alcohol on a regular basis increases one's risk of becoming obese. What's more, a study three years ago suggested that resveratrol, a compound present in grapes and red wine destroys fat cells. What can we learn from the passage? Answer: Most of people watch the weather report on TV to get their newest weather information. So the weather report becomes one of the most popular TV programs. Now, most TV stations play soft music pieces to relax their audience . The weather report words are getting close to our real life. And there are some warm reminds for people to travel. They are really great pros . So most people think they are fantastic improvements. "In the old days, there were lots of advertisements during the weather report. It seemed advertisements are the most important part." an old man said. "And we could see no people but advertisements. " added another old woman. "When I listened to the weather report, I was afraid to see the advertisements. Those colorful advertisements always made me crazy. So I never watched weather report on TV." said a young man. Now the audience enjoy their favorite songs and enjoy the warm reminds while listening to the weather report. Audience can have more fun with weather report and at the same time with the advertisements, too. That's a wonderful idea. In the old days, people felt _ to see advertisements while listening to the weather report. Answer: Mom and Dad are two of the most important people in your life. You probably see at least one of them every day. If your dad worships the Pittsburgh Steelers, you may grow up being a big fan of that football team. And if your mom loves to read,you just may grow up carrying a book everywhere you go, just like she does. Here are some ways for you to get along well, and build a strong relationship with your parents. Spend time together. Don't sit there playing computer games or watching TV. Ask your mom and dad to play with you. Go outside together, or do some reading. Be kind. Little things might mean a lot to your mom or dad. You can (make a parent happy) with a hug,a card,or a joke. It's also lovely when a kid cleans up his or her room without being asked. And if you try not to fight with your brothers or sisters, your parents will be so happy! Do your best at whatever you do. You don't have to be perfect ,but when you do your best,you make your parents proud. It makes them happy to see how you're turning into a great kid. Why? Because it lets them know _ What is the passage mainly about? Answer:
When we were very small, we realized that having friends was important. The need for friends continued as we grew into our teens. Friends played a big part in the development of our personalities. As adults, it is still important for us to have friends. True friends are people who like us though we make mistakes and who listen to us and tell us the truth. Friends support our decisions and tell us when we're wrong. They laugh with us and share our sadness. They are our partners and share interests with us. They _ us when we are feeling down. They are people with whom we aren't afraid of sharing our secret wishes or what is really on our minds. Friends, you fell safe and warm. At times, they also help with our everyday life, cooking a meal, helping with chores, or giving us a lift when we need. Friends also are there to offer advice, an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on.. Friends also help us reduce stress. They not only listen to us when we fell stressed, but also discuss with us how to friends help us forget about problems at work or at home. For a short time, we can lose ourselves in a pleasant activity and perhaps laugh and breathe more easily. What is the best title for the passage? A How to Reduce Stress B How to Make New Friends C The Importance of Friends D The Qualities of Good Friends Answer: C. The Importance of Friends My experience in learning English is very simple. I am at the level that almost everyone can reach. Though I focused on English for over two years, an English expert or a native speaker can easily find out my problems--the lack of professional learning, mistakes throughout my writings, and sentences and expressions based on Chinese thoughts. Though I have many weaknesses in English, I have harvested a lot of things many people at my age wish to have. This proves that English, considered a subject that can hardly be self-taught, may be acquired through everyday learning and practice. Some of my friends, including my parents, think it is a miracle . They believe it is my perseverance that helps me learn English. It helps, I admit, but it deserves not all the credit. I don't know yet if it's difficult to overcome my weaknesses, but I know I'll be proud of myself when I grasp everything that helps improve my English. Many students with English teachers to turn to, English classes to study in and new English learning devices and books to refer to, can't learn English well. Why? To answer that question, I have to ask you, "Why do you learn English?" I may receive many different answers, but there is a direct answer: To use it every day. From this point we know there's great similarity between English and other subjects like maths. Not everyone becomes mathematician, but everyone must learn to use it in daily life. The author intends to _ . A tell us that English is hard to learn B tell us it is important to learn English C show that he has learned English very well D tell us how to learn English well through his own experience Answer: D. tell us how to learn English well through his own experience How did your friendships begin? Most start with a short conversation on a random day. Asking about a homework assignment in class or complaining about your painful legs after playing in a soccer game, you found your best pal by accident. "Small talk is where all your relationships begin," Forbes magazine summed up. The following is a five-step guide to making small talk from Bernardo J. Carducci, the director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast, US. Let's have a look. Getting started Begin by talking about the setting, such as the weather outside or the room you are in ("It's cold in here, isn't it?"). The purpose of talking about the setting is to show the other person that you are willing to make a conversation. 2The personal introduction You should mention something about yourself, such as your name. A good personal introduction helps move the conversation forward. 3Looking for topics At this point, you and your conversation partner need to find common ground. This is a good time to ask questions or to refer back to things you've said or heard earlier. Don't worry if it gets quiet. The other person is probably just thinking of something to say. 4Expanding the topic The goal is to keep the conversation going. At every stage, you should be careful not to talk too much. But don't let the other person _ the conversation either. If that starts to happen, mention something about yourself when he or she takes a breath. 5A polite ending When ending a conversation, let the person know you'll be leaving soon, express gratitude for the conversation and set the stage for a future conversation. For example, you could say, "I really must be going soon, but I had a great time chatting with you. I really liked hearing your opinion about that new movie. Here's my phone number. Call or text me if you know of any other movies you think I might enjoy." The main purpose of the article is to _ . A encourage students to make more friends B give students tips on making small talk C introduce popular topics for students D teach students how to create friendships Answer: D. teach students how to create friendships It was a bitter cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago. The old man's beard was glazed by winter's frost while he waited for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became numb and stiff from the frigid north wind. It was long before he heard the faint, steady rhythm of hooves along the frozen path. Anxiously watching several horsemen coming up, he let the first one pass by without any effort to get his attention, then another passed by, and another. Finally, the last rider drew near where the old man sat like a snow statue when old man caught his eyes and said, "Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side?" Stopping his horse, the rider replied, "Sure! Jump aboard." Seeing the old man unable to lift his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman got down to help him. The horseman took him not just across the river, but to his destination just a few miles away. As they approached the tiny but cozy cottage, the horseman's curiosity caused him to inquire, "Sir, I noticed you let several other riders pass by without making an effort to secure a ride. Then I came up and you immediately asked me for a ride. I am curious why, on such a bitter night, you would wait and ask the last rider. What if I had refused and left you here?" The old man looked the rider straight in the eyes and replied, "I reckon I know people pretty good. I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately found no concern for my situation. It would have been useless even to ask them for a ride. But when I looked into your eyes, your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me assistance in my time of need." Those heart-warming comments touched the horseman deeply. "I'm so grateful for what you have said," he told the old man. "May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion." With that, Thomas Jefferson turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House. What do you know about the old man? A He gave the last rider an opportunity to help. B He lived in a cozy cottage a few miles away. C He judged people by looking into their eyes. D He recognized the president at first sight. Answer: C. He judged people by looking into their eyes. Teachers Wanted Do you like kids? We need a teacher for our son. He's six years old. We want you to work from March to November, 3 pm. to 6 pm., but you don't need to work in July and August. You can get Y= 30 an hour . Sometimes we want you to work on weekends, and you can get Y=45 an hour. You need to: Help our son with Chinese. Read to him. Play with him. Go to movies with him. You need to work at my home. We live in Taipei Road, next to the Zhongshan Bus Station . Please call (02)2956-4938. Ask Miss Liu. On Monday the teacher _ . A can't work B works three hours C can have Y= 135 D comes in the morning Answer: B. works three hours
How could I turn down an opportunity for a weeklong cruise on a luxury motorsailer in the Andaman Sea? Without a second thought, I packed my bags and jumped on a plane to Singapore, and the following day I found myself looking out the airplane window at the beautiful waters surrounding the island of Langkawi off the coast of Malaysia. The last time I was in Langkawi was in 2001, when it was relatively quiet. Langkawi has come a long way since then; there are 4, 5, and even 6-star hotels, as well as spas, golfing, horseback riding and even a cable car taking visitors to the highest point on the island. At the Langkawi International Airport I met my shipmates and we were driven to Pantai Tengah with a quick pit stop for sunblock and duty-free goodies. Many other shopping opportunities abound since Langkawi was designated as a duty-free zone in 1987 to entice tourists to the island. A luxurious yacht tender picked us up. Phillipe, the first mate, maneuvered the tender between sailboats and as we went around a small island there she was, S/V Blue Gold. This majestic 10-passenger sailboat--all 165 feet of her--had been built in Italy and recently underwent a full retrofit. Once aboard, the crew welcomed us with refreshments and big smiles. Before we got too comfortable and settled into the plush comforts of the boat, Alain, the captain, took us on a tour of Blue Gold's impressive accommodations. The master suite had a king-size bed, with a lounge area and "his & hers" wardrobes. The VIP cabin had a queen-size bed, also with a lounge area. Both had ensuite bathrooms. The first evening aboard was the perfect start to our voyage--a small cocktail party followed by a light meal of seared tuna salad. It was exactly what our jet-lagged bodies craved, and we all slept very well aboard what would become our new home for the next 7 days. In the morning after breakfast, we sailed to Pulau Ta Ngah (also spelled "Pulau Tengah"; pulau means island in Malay). In the 1970s the site had been a Vietnamese refugee transit camp. Not long after the end of the war, the camp was shut down and the island was gazetted as a marine park by the Malaysian government. Officially "uninhabited," it does boast a golf course, but we were unable to determine if it was still in operation. The most intriguing event on the island occurs in July when the giant leatherback turtles lay their eggs on a beach on Ta Ngah. S/V Blue Gold is _ . Answer: a splendid boat with comfortable accommodations How do you feel when you have to make a speech in front of class? What about when you go to a birthday party? Do you get really shy? Shyness means feeling nervous or afraid when you're around other people. Experts have found that more than 80% of middle school students feel afraid to be the center of attention. Some kids are born shy. Some become shy later because of their life experiences . It's OK if it takes you a while _ when you go to a new place or meet new people. In fact, everybody gets a little shy sometimes. It's just a case of how much. Most people have red faces and talk in broken sentences when they get shy. But some become so shy that they won't go to a restaurant because they are too nervous to order and pay for their food. Some are afraid of meeting new people, so they seldom go outside. This kind of shyness can be bad for a person. If shyness doesn't stop you from doing something you want to do, being shy isn't a very big problem. Some experts say shy people are cleverer because they think more and talk less. Shy people are also good at working with others because they think more for other people. Some great people in history were shy, too. You see, being shy isn't all bad. But remember not to let good opportunities pass by just because of it! If you have to sing a song at a birthday party or practice your spoken English in front of others, just do it! There's nothing to be afraid of. If you have to practice your spoken English in class, _ . Answer: just do it When a dirty and untidy orange cat showed up in the prison yard,I was one of the first to go out there and pet it.I hadn't touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years.I spent at least 20 minutes,knelt down behind the kitchen as the cat rolled around,relaxed.What he was expressing outwardly, I was feeling inwardly.It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and note that I was reaching a life or another creature with something as simple as my care. Over the next few days,there were other prisoners responding to the cat.Every yard period,a group of prisoners gathered there.They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat.These were guys you wouldn't usually find talking to each other.Several times I saw an officer in the group,not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners.Bowls of milk and water appeared along with bread, wisely placed under the edge of the dustbin to keep the birds from getting it. The cat was obviously homeless and in pretty bad shape.People said that the cat came to the right place.He's getting treated like a king.This was true.but as 1 watched 1 was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us.There was a lot of talk about what's wrong with prisons in America.We need more programs.We need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds.Some may even talk about making prisons more kind.But I think what we really need is a chance to practise our own kindness.Not receive it,but give it.After more than two decades here,I know kindness is not a value that's encouraged.It's often seen as a weakness. Instead,the culture encourages keeping your head down,minding your own business,and never letting yourself be weak. The cat did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here.By simply saying,"I need some help here",he did something important for us.He needed us.And we needed to be needed.I believe we all do. Which of the following statements is true? Answer: The author realized the importance of practising kindness. Whether it is "women and children first" or "every man for himself" in a shipwreck may depend on how long it takes the ship to sink, researchers said recently. When the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German ship in 1915, it sank in 18 minutes and the majority of the survivors were young men and women who responded immediately to their powerful survival instincts . But when the Titanic struck an iceberg in 1912, it took "three hours to go down, allowing time for more civilize behavior to take control--and the majority of the survivors were women, children and people with young children. Economist Benno Torgler of the Queensland University of Technology in Australia and his colleagues studied the two sinkings in order to explore the economic theory that people generally behave in a "rational" and selfish manner. The two tragedies provided a "natural experiment" for testing the idea, because the passengers on the two ships were quite similar in terms of gender and wealth. The major difference was how long it took the ships to sink. They suggested that when people have little time to react, instincts may rule. When more time is available, social influences play a bigger role. But psychologists noted that many factors other than following social norms could come into play in a disaster, including an evolutionary urge to save the species, attachments that are formed between individuals during the event and the leadership of authority figures. The extent of altruism and how it occurs "is a very controversial issue," said Anthony R. Mawson, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.He thinks the dominant response was attachment behavior. Psychologist Daniel Kruger of the University of Michigan, US thinks that the answer lies less in social norms and more in our evolutionary heritage. Human beings have a deep instinct to preserve our kind, he said, and that means "people are more likely to save those who have higher reproductive value, namely the young and women in child-bearing years". Kruger also stressed the importance of leadership during a disaster, noting that the Titanic's captain appeared to have greater control than the Lusitania's. According to Daniel Kruger, the young and women in child-bearing years take the priority to survive because _ . Answer: they make a contribution to human continuity A crane starts off weighing thirty pounds, then later weighs twenty pounds. When travelling, the crane will fly Answer: better
In order to start a business online now, there are a few steps you need to complete. The very first step you need to complete is to have a product or service idea. A good idea to make money online should be an idea that excites you, an idea that others will be interested in, and an idea that not many other people are trying. Once you have your business ready to go, you need to go ahead and get a website. You will need to buy a domain name and host it with a company on the Web. Your domain name should be as simple as possible and it should be related to(...) your products. After this you can go ahead and get your site built up. You can either do this yourself or you can pay someone else to do this. The site itself doesn't have to be anything special. The final step for starting your business online is to have a way to make money. For this, you need to have a merchant account that will let you sell things and make money. Your merchant account should accept as many forms of payment as possible. Once your site is up and running, you can begin advertising the site. You need to create contents , such as articles, social networking sites, blog entries, etc. and then you can post it on the Internet so that you can attract as many potential customers as possible. That's how easy it is to start a business online now.Very soon you will be making money online. The writer wrote this passage in order to tell us _ . Answer: how to start a business online If you exhibit positive characteristics such as honesty and helpfulness, the chances are that you will be thought as a good-looking person, for a new study has found that the perception of physical attractiveness is influenced by a person's personality. The study, which was led by Gary W.Lewandowski, has found that people who exhibit negative characteristics, such as unfairness and rudeness, appear to be less physically attractive to observers.In the study, the participants viewed photographs of opposite-sex individuals and rated them for attractiveness before and after being provided with information about their personalities. After personality information was received, participants also rated the probability of each individual' s becoming a friend and a dating partner.Information on personality was found to significantly change the probability, showing that cognitive processes modify judgments of attractiveness. "Thinking a person as having a desirable personality makes the person more suitable in general as a close relationship partner of any kind," said Lewandowski. The findings show that a positive personality leads to greater expectation of becoming friends, which leads to greater expectation of becoming romantic partners and, finally, to being viewed as more physically attractive.The findings remained consistent regardless of how "attractive" the individual was formerly thought to be or of the participants' current relationship status. "This research provides a positive outcome by reminding people that personality goes a long way toward determining your attractiveness; it can even change people's impressions of how good-looking you are," said Lewandowski. Who are the intended readers of this passage? Answer: General people. "Tomorrow is my mother's birthday," Ellen thinks. She wants to buy a gift for her mother, but she doesn't have any money. "What should I do?" She thinks and thinks. Suddenly she has a good idea. She can make a gift by herself. So she uses a piece of paper to make a card. She draws a beautiful picture with birds and flowers. Then she writes, "To my dear mom. Happy birthday!" The next day, Ellen gives her mother the card. When her mother sees the card, tears run down her face . "Why are you crying ?" Ellen asks. "You don't like it, right? Her mother says, "I love it very much. I'm very happy." What does Ellen do for her mother? Answer: She makes a card. Henry finds a job on a farm.He is the strongest and youngest.He eats more,sleeps more,but works less.He doesn't like to use his head,so he knows little.He has to do some unskilled work.He always says he's tired and hopes to have a good rest.So he gets less money than others. Winter is coming.The workers are getting ready for the next year.Only Henry does nothing.The farmer tells him to cut down some trees in the forest.The young man has to go there with a chair.He feels lonely in the forest and is afraid of the animals.So he looks around and sings loudly.Nobody knows what he's singing.After three days,Henry doesn't cut down any trees.The farmer feels strange.He wants to find out how the young man is working there.To his anger ,Henry is sitting on the chair,cutting the tree."Why are you sitting here to cut the trees?"asks the farmer."Because I can't work if lying ,sir." Henry hopes to _ . Answer: lie down in the forest Gants Hill, London We are looking for a few volunteers to work with us in the creation of a new events group which is needing help to expand and may lead to part-time or full-time work. Hours are flexible, and successful candidates will be working on social media and liaising phone calls with organizations and groups. Candidates must speak excellent fluent English. VOLUNTEER EVENTS ADMINISTRATION Westminster, London We would like an enthusiastic and outgoing administration volunteer for our Events Team at our London Head Office. This opportunity would suit a well-organized person with an eye for detail and good computer skills. You will support our Events by sending thank-you letters, answering the telephone, and assisting with all aspects of event organization for 2 days a week. LOVE MUSIC? WANT EVENTS EXPERIENCE? Notting Hill, London Oxfam Notting Hill Takeover are looking for volunteers for our music festival on 19th October 2013. The festival takes place in 5 places in Notting Hill. This charity event will be showcasing over 30 bands and DJs and playing all forms of music. We need a team of volunteers to assist us on the day in order to make sure everybody has a good time. If you want to be a part of a great event to help us raise money for Oxfam then please come along to our open recruitment session . VOLUNTEERS WANTED! Hillingdon, London Royal Voluntary Service is a national charity which delivers services through volunteers to help older people remain active and independent in their communities. We are growing our new Dementia Support Service in Hillingdon and need help from you! You will be required to have good communication skills. In the Royal Voluntary Service, volunteers can _ . Answer: communicate with older people
The smart phones that can take self-portraits or selfies have set us free. We can now document every moment of our life and instantly share it with the world through the Internet. However, some believe that it's also causing people to take unnecessary risks that sometimes prove to be deadly! According to recent reports, the desire to take a breathtaking selfie has killed 12 people. Though that may not seem like a lot, it's 50% more than the death from shark attacks. While the issues have been known for a while, they came to a head on September 21st, following the accidental death of Hideto Ueda at the Taj Mahal. It turns out that the 66-year-old Japanese and his companion were trying to take a selfie with the Royal Gate as the background when they fell down some stairs. While the friend escaped with a broken leg, Ueda was not as fortunate. He suffered a head injury and died soon after. Other fatal accidents include a 21-year-old Russian woman who fell off a bridge while trying to capture an exciting self-portrait. Three Indian students suffered a similar fate after they were run over by a train while taking a selfie on the railway tracks. The rising number of injuries is forcing officials to take measures. Russia has begun a nationwide awareness program to make its young citizens aware of the dangers of this safe hobby. The campaign's slogan is:"Even a million 'likes' on social media are not worth your life and well-being." Though no other country has followed their lead, many are banning the selfie stick! In the last few months many museums, and theme parks including Disney, have banned its use. JR West became the first institution worldwide to ban the sticks both inside Japan's bullet trains as well as out on the railway platforms. While these measures may help reduce the incidents, the only way to stop selfie-related injuries and deaths is to take responsibility -- not just for themselves but their friends. So next time you decide to take a selfie that appears a little risky, be sure to stop and ask yourself -- is it worth it? What is the author's attitude towards taking selfies according to the passage? Dear John, I'm very happy about your coming to Chichester next week.The day after tomorrow is Monday and I have to go away on business for three days.I'11 leave a key to my neighbor at No.2 1.So you won't have to wait before l come back.Now let me tell you how to get here. Walk up Star Road until you come to the first set of traffic lights and then turn right. Walk along the road and then turn left at the first turning.Go straight,and Landsdowne Road is the second on the right.There you can find my house,the door at No.22. Oh !I nearly forget the most important thing--please bring a sleeping bag because we may go camping.Well,I must go now.1 have to go and take the car from the garage on Land Road.My car is in the garage because there is something wrong with its front lights. Hope to see you soon Yours, Mike Mike will leave a _ to his neighbor at No.2 1 Father's Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a mother's Day, and just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother's Day, we should also have a Father's Day. Father's Day has become important in North America. And businessmen found it was a good way to get people to buy a present for the fathers from their shops. By the way, very few countries have a Father's Day, though some have Children's Day, or a special day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother's Day, so maybe Father's Day will become popular before too long. Now, what do people in North America do on Father's Day? The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should buy Father's Day presents for their fathers. They even tell a wife to buy a Father's Day present----not for her father but for her husband, even if he is not a father. And they tell grandchildren to buy a present for their grandfathers. We know from the passage that _ . The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, in memory of the 100th birthday of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, opened the tower. Of the 700 suggestions that were handed in, Gustave Eiffel's was chosen. However, at first, it was not well accepted by all and a group of people -- including many well-known writers and painters at that time -- were fiercely against its design. Being about 300 meters in height, and 7,000 tons in weight, it was the world's tallest building until 1930. It was a great project for France. 300 workers took two years to build it. It isn't an ordinary building, since it is almost made of steel. For example, its body moves around at most 12 cm in heavy wind. Moreover, its height changes up to 15 cm according to the temperature. It was almost destroyed in 1909, but was saved because of its antenna , which is used for communication at that time. Beginning in 1910 it became part of the International Time Service. French radio and French television have also made good use of its height. The Eiffel Tower has also seen a few strange things. In 1923, a journalist rode a bicycle down from the first level of it. And in 1954, a mountain climber climbed on top of it and tried to measure its exact height. Anyway, although its birth was difficult, it is now well accepted all over the world. It has been considered as one of the symbols of Paris. The French Revolution took place in _ . Cinderella Once upon a time, there lived an unhappy young girl. She was unhappy, for her mother died several years ago, and her father married another woman. The woman had two daughters. They were her stepsisters (/)now. Her new mother didn't like her. All the nice dresses, shoes, delicious food, kind thoughts and care were for her own daughters. For the poor unhappy girl, there was nothing at all. No dresses, only her stepsisters' hand-me-downs . No lovely dishes and no nice rests. For she had to work hard all day, and only when evening came, she could sit for a while by the fire, near the cinders (,). That is how she got her nickname-Cinderella. People called her Cinderella because _ .
Question: John is thirteen now. He began to study in a middle school two years ago. His home is in a small village and it's nearly five kilometers from the school. He has to get up early in the morning. After a quick breakfast, he has to run to school and get there on time. His father hopes to borrow some money to buy a bike for him, but he knows his mother is always ill and his father spends much money on medicine. He doesn't agree with him and keeps running there every day. Now he's very strong and never late for class and his teachers often praise him. Last week there was a sports meeting in his school. John ran faster than any other boy and won the boys' 800 meters, 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. The whole school knew him. He was very happy. He told his grandma about the good news as soon as he got home. "I broke two school records today, Granny." called out the boy. To his surprise, the old woman wasn't happy. She thought for a while and said, "I'm sorry to hear that. We have no money to pay for them, you know!" John's grandma wasn't happy because _ . A. she thought John had broken some things and they had to pay for them B. she thought John hadn't done well in the school sports meeting C. John's father couldn't afford to buy a bike D. John's mother was ill and they spent much money on her Answer: A Question: I have a friend. His name is James. He's an English boy. He is thirteen years old. He is tall. He has a round face, big eyes and a big nose. His mouth is wide, but his ears are small. His hair is short. ,. James is my _ . A. student B. teacher C. friend D. sister Answer: C Question: To Whom It May Concern, My husband Jim and I got married in 1965. For the first ten years of our marriage, I was very happy to stay home and raise our three children. Then about four years ago, our youngest child went to school, and I thought I might go back to work. Jim was very supportive and helped me to make my decision. He started to do all the things I used to do around the house, and said he thought I could be a great success in business. After several weeks of job hunting, I found my present job, which is working for a small public relation firm. At first, my husband was proud of me and would tell his friends, "My clever little wife can run that company she's working for." But, as his joking words were becoming reality, Jim stopped talking to me about my job. I have received several promotions and pay increases, and I am now making more money than he is. I can buy my own clothes and a new car. Because of our combined incomes, Jim can do things that we had always dreamed of doing, but we don't do these things because he is unhappy. We fought about little things, and Jim is very critical of me in front of our friends. For the first time in our marriage, I think there is a possibility that our marriage may come to an end. I love Jim very much, and I don't want him to feel inferior , but I also love my job. I think I can be a good wife and a working woman, but I don't know how. Can you give me some advice? Will I have to choose one or the other or can I keep both my husband and my new career? Please help. Yours, Mary What shows her husband was supportive? A. He helped look after babies. B. He told her his experience. C. He worked much harder. D. He encouraged her a lot. Answer: D Question: Many people in the world have not seen snow. Some countries never have snow; some have only a little on top of the high mountains. In the north of England, there is quite a lot of snow every winter, but in the south of England, there is usually little. When a student from a warm country comes to England in autumn for the first time, he feels cold at first. There are often clouds, grey sky and cold rain in England in autumn, and most students from warm countries do not like this. But snow is different. It is beautiful. Perhaps, after several mornings, the student wakes up one day, and there is a lot of light in his room. He thinks, "Is it so late?" and jumps out of bed. But no, it is not very late. He looks out of the window and there is snow on the ground and on the houses and everywhere. In the autumn of England, we can often see _ . A. cold rain B. grey sky C. dark clouds D. all of the above Answer: D Question: Wanted, Someone for a Kiss We're looking for producers to join us on the sound of London Kiss 100 FM. You'll work on the station's music programs. Music production experience in radio is necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music. Please apply in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss 100. Father Christmas We're looking for a very special person, preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit. Working days: Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December 17 to December 24 except Sundays, 10:30-16:00. Excellent pay. Please contact the Enterprise Shopping Centre, Station Parade, Eastbourne. Accountants Assistant When you join the team in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience. Wealden District Council. Software Trainer If you are aged 24-45 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in program writing. You will be allowed to make your own decisions, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of PS15,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV to Mrs R.Oglivie, Palmlace Limited. What kind of person would probably apply to Palmlace Limited? A. One with GCSE grade C level. B. One with some office experience. C. One trained in producing music programmes. D. One having good computer knowledge. Answer: D
Almost everyone is afraid of something --- snakes, heights, public speaking and so on. It is normal and can even be helpful to experience fear sometimes. In dangerous situations, fear can keep our bodies alert so that we can act quickly to protect ourselves. But for some people, fear develops into a "phobia", which is a strong and unreasonable fear of something. For example, the majority of us feel a little scared when looking down from a tall building. But people with height phobia may have trouble breathing, feel dizzy or turn down a great job just because the company is on the 20th floor. Phobias can prevent you from living a normal life. "People with spider phobia would stay out of their home or dormitory room for days if they thought a spider was present," Katherina Hauner, a researcher at Northwestern University, US, told ABC news. This is why scientists have been trying to find a cure for this disease. Since fear comes from experience --- from what we are told, what we see others experience and what happens to us --- some scientists think if they can "rewrite" these unpleasant memories, they might be able to help people overcome their phobias. In a study by Hauner and other scientists, participants with spider phobia were asked to first touch a spider with a paintbrush. Seeing that it was not actually dangerous, they then tried touching it while wearing a glove. Finally, they could hold it with their hands. Certain medicine has also been found to be helpful. Back in 2010, researchers at the University of Hiroshima, Japan, injected a special medicine into a fish --- who was afraid of light --- to turn off the fear center in its brain. From then on, the fish no longer feared light. While the search for solutions to phobias is making great progress, it's an open question whether getting rid of fear is good. Some people want to use these methods to make soldiers fight harder in wars by taking away their sense of fear. Dave Smithson of the charity Anxiety UK thinks that's a bad idea. "It's fear that prevents us from doing crazy things," he says. "There's a name for people who don't have fear of consequences: psychopaths . How does the writer make the meaning of "phobia" clear? Answer: In some science fiction movies, evil robots refuse to die, no matter how hard people fight back. Now science fiction has become science fact. For the first time, scientists have made a robot that can take a beating and keep on going. Scientists from Cornell University made the robot, which looks like a spider with four legs. Until now, even the most advanced robot was almost certain to break down when it was damaged . That is because its computer inside simply doesn't know how to make the machine work after its shape has changed. To deal with this problem, the scientists put eight motors and two sensors that read how the machine is working. They all give signals to the machine's software. Using this information, the computer can then figure out the machine's shape at any moment. The new technology is a big advance in robot-making, scientists say, and it's far from scary. It may someday help scientists create better artificial arms and legs and give new freedom to people who lose _ . It might also help scientists understand how people and animals figure out their own sense of place in space. "It has been difficult to design robots that can work well when the environment changes or when it's damaged," says Olaf Sporns of Indiana University in US. "With this work, we are nearer to solving this problem." Why do robots easily break down when they are damaged? Answer: I grew up in a small town in South Canada. Every autumn, there was a week-long fair in the town. Thousands of people from other towns came to sell and buy things. It was the most exciting time of the year. When "Fairtime" came, my grandma became the busiest person of the family. Grandma was a kind, well-educated old lady. She was good at cooking. During "Fairtime", relatives would come to live in her house and have meals there. Grandma was always happy to look after them. Year after year, many people moved to big cities. There was no longer "Fairtime". Grandma became very old and was going a little blind. My parents and I did our best to make her life as comfortable as possible. I was at high school then. What I often did at home was to help Grandma with the daily newspaper's crossword puzzle. However, she didn't look happy. She often sat in her room for hours, without saying a word. To attract people to move back, the Town Hall decided to reopen the Fair. One day, when I came back from school, I saw Grandma wearing her glasses, washing the dishes in the kitchen. With a big smile on her face, she looked excited and a lot much younger. She told me that her two of her cousins would come. "They said they missed hometown and wanted to enjoy my food again." Grandma said happily. "They will stay here for one week and we can have a big party. That must be the busiest week I've had in years!" I suddenly realized that Grandma didn't want to be looked after. She wanted to be "useful", appreciated and helpful. Thousands of people came to the town to _ at the Fair. Answer: When we meet another person for the first time, we are actually flooded with new information. Almost at once, we notice his appearance, style of dress, and manner of speech. Furthermore (besides), as we listen to what he has to say and observe the things he does, we begin to form some ideas of what kind of person he is and what he intends to do. As you know from your own experience, though, we do not only gather these separate pieces of information. Instead, we go further and combine them into a unified picture. In short, we form an overall impression of each person we meet--an impression that can be favorable (making people like) or unfavorable. But how precisely (exactly) do we perform this task? How do we combine so much different information into a clear first impression with such quick speed? A great deal of research has been performed on this question, and results point to the following answer: we perform this task through a special type of averaging . Expressed very simply, our impressions of others seem to represent a weighted average of all information that can be gathered about them. That is, they reflect a process in which all information we have about others is averaged together--but with some facts, or input receiving greater weight than others. As you can readily see, this makes good sense. For example, in forming an impression of a new boss you would probably be affected to a much greater degree by how this person gives you orders (whether respectfully or not) than by the color1 of his or her eyes. The fact that not all information about other persons affects our impressions of them to the same degree, raises an important question. Just what kinds of input receive the greatest weight? Again research provides some revealing answers. The passage tells us _ . Answer: Retirement should be time of joy and freedom. However, for some people retirement comes with feelings of depression , which makes life difficult for them. Retirement is a major life change. Even good changes usually involve some kinds of loss. When you retire, you find yourself lacking whatever working used to provide. That could include, for example, 1. knowing you're working for society, 2. getting admiration from your skills, 3. having "aha" moments when you solve problems, 4. having people to socialize with, and 5. simply having a place to go and a reason to get out of bed every day. For most people, there's a financial loss, too. Also, retirement age is a time when a lot of people have to deal with losing their parents or having serious health problems of their own. Because of all these, retirees are more likely to get depressed. Depression is very harmful. First, depression can make physical health problems worse. Second, _ because it can make people angry. Third, it's hard to get much done when you're depressed. What can we do to overcome the feelings of depression? First, do all the things that help depression in general: drink enough water, exercise, talk to friends, have a hobby, laugh, and spend time in nature. If you feel depressed more often than not, it's probably time to talk to a doctor about your feelings. Second, it's important to keep busy and get out of the house when you can. Make specific plans with friends. Take a class Volunteer. Or just make sure you start each day with some kind of goal. Third, try to focus on what you've gained by retiring. Think about what you may have now that you wished you had before you were able to retire. For example, days that are less stressful, a chance to rest and take better care of your body, more time for your family and yourself. To write, to start a hobby and to learn something new are all new possibilities. Finally, tell your story. You've lived a long time and you become an oral historian each time you talk with someone about your experiences. You can also write in a journal or make a video recording of your memories. Telling your stories can help you look back on your life and career with a sense of wholeness and achievements. All the following can cause the retirees' unpleasant feelings EXCEPT _ . Answer:
Have you seen Avatar? It's a popular 3D movie, and you may have to wear a special pair of glasses - 3D glasses, to see it. The 3D glasses make the images from the movie look as if they are coming straight at you. 3D movies are really exciting to watch. More and more 3D movies are coming to theaters. Some say that 3D TV sets will come into our homes in the near future. 3D technology can make TV and movies more exciting. However, people with eye problems may get headaches if they spend too much time watching 3D movies. Why? When we look at an object, each eye sees it at a different angle . Our eyes send the two images to our brain, and the brain puts them together. 3D technology uses two film projectors . One projects left-eye-image and the other projects a right-eye-image. 3D glasses allow us to see a different image in each eye. So, when we are watching a 3D movie, our brain can't put together the images sent to our eyes. The brain needs to work harder at "reading" the images. That makes it easier for people with eye problems to get dizzy or have headaches. Dr John Hagan, an eye doctor in Kansas City, said if your eyes can't focus on the same object at once, you will have trouble watching 3D movies. The 3D glasses can make the images from the movie _ . Answer: Barack Obama urged congressional leaders on Monday to act quickly to pass a huge stimulus package for the U.S. economy. He met with a (concerning or involving two different political parties) group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Later he met individually with Democratic and Republican House and Senate leaders and spoke to a bipartisan leadership gathering. In comments to reporters early on Monday, he emphasized the urgency of finalizing economic . "We have got an extraordinary economic challenge ahead of us," he said, "We are expecting a sobering job report at the end of the week. Nancy Pelosi and her staff have been extraordinarily helpful in working with our team so that we can shape an economic recovery and reinvestment plan that starts putting people back to work." Mr. Obama wants tax cuts for individual Americans and businesses to make up a significant portion of expected legislation. This could involve as much as $300 billion of a bill that is likely to go beyond $700 billion and include aid to cash-poor U.S. states, and money for alternative energy and a range of projects. Later, Mr. Obama said he expects to be able to sign legislation as soon as the end of this month, adding that quick action is necessary to "break the drive of the U.S. economic depression". Emerging later from bipartisan talks with Mr. Obama, Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers discussed with the president how to pass a stimulus package as quickly as possible. "An economic recovery package that will create jobs immediately and will grow the economy and that is what we talked about today," said Nancy Pelosi. "How we could do this fast, deliberatively and to act upon it soon." Just how soon that would be, Pelosi would not say. How much support Democrats can obtain from Republicans will depend on the details. But the severity of the U.S. economic depression has created considerable bipartisan backing for quick action. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid said: "There are investments that we need to make on behalf of the American people to turn around this economy. We felt very good about the meeting; we are confident that we can do this and we have to do this." "I think the best thing I can do is to decline to comment on what they are going to do going forward," said Dana Perino. "Obviously, we think that tax cuts were the right way to help our economy get out of the economic depression that this president inherited and we know that tax cuts can stimulate innovation." Asked by reporters how large the economic stimulus package might be, Senate Majority Leader Reid said Obama indicated that all but one of some 28 economists advising him had said it should range from $800 billion to $1.3 trillion. What is the bipartisan leaders' attitude towards this meeting? Answer: Pregnancy and childbirth kill more than 536,000 women a year. More than half of the cases happened in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. In fact, most of the deaths are preventable with basic medical care. The five leading causes are bleeding, infection, high blood pressure, longtime labor and bad abortions . Mothers' deaths from such causes were largely reduced nearly a century ago in developed countries. Experts say that what kill many women are "the three delays"-- the woman's delay in deciding to go to the hospital, the time she loses traveling there and the hospital's delay in starting treatment. Only about 15 percent of births have dangerous complications . Women lack education and information about birth control. Husbands and inlaws, may decide where a woman gives birth and insist that she stay at home to save money. However, there is no single solution to a problem with so many factors--shortages of doctors, nurses, drugs, equipment, roads and transportation--though hospital officials are trying many things now. One _ measure to solve the problem for the present has been to train assistant medical officers, to perform certain operations. Some African countries are now struggling to train more assistants and midwives , and provide places for pregnant women to stay near hospitals. But there is a long way to go. Only 20 percent of women in the continent give birth at the hospital. More than 50 percent stay at home to give birth, and the rest go to local clinics that cannot handle emergencies. What can we learn from this passage? Answer: During the last twenty years there has been increasing concern with the quality of the environment. Along with air and water pollutions, noises pollution has been recognized as a serious pollutant. As noise levels have risen, the effects of noise have become more apparent. Noise is defined as "unwanted sound". Causes of noise pollution include traffic, aircraft, rock bands, barking dogs, televisions, garbage trucks, and noise from neighbors, voices, alarms, and watercrafts. Studies show that over forty percent of Americans are disturbed at home or lose sleep because of noise pollution. Noise has bad effects on people and the environment. Noise causes hearing loss, interferes with human activities at home and work, and is in various ways dangerous to people's health and well being. When we think, talk, listen to music, or sleep, we need quiet. Even low levels of noise can be annoying or frustrating. Sudden increases in volume can make sounds annoying. The quieter the background is, the more _ a noise can be. Noise can also make instructions or warning unclear, resulting in accidents. Louder noise bursts can be more disruptive .Continued stress can lead to high blood pressure, which is the major cause of some diseases. Long exposure to noise levels above eight-five decibels can damage inner cells and lead to hearing loss. Noise can result in the involuntary fear response and can cause adrenaline to be pumped into the bloodstream, the heart rate to quicken, muscles to tense, breathing to increase, and the digestive system to slow down. Local government has the responsibility to fight noise pollution. For example, it can regulate the speed of trains through their community. On the other hand, a responsible citizen will never make noise pollution wherever he is. According to the text, noise pollution may be caused by _ . Answer: On April 1st, Mike decided to fool his friends. At lunch time he said to Tom, "I think we're going to have a test this afternoon." "Test?" said Tom, "Really?" "Yes, it's quite true," said Mike. "When I was passing by Mr. Green's room, he was talking with another teacher about the test. Tell John, Rose and Joan about it." Later Tom told them about the test. Soon almost all the students knew about it. "How foolish they are!" he thought. When class began, Mr. Green said, "Class, we're going to have a test today." Mike was surprised. The test was too hard for him. After class, all his classmates thanked him very much. But he could only smile. "How foolish I was !"he thought. It really was April Fools' Day for Mike. Mike decided to fool his friends because _ . Answer:
"When I grow up, I want to be..." Almost all of us have thought about, or been asked to think about, our future careers. Our answers may differ greatly. Even now your aspirations may have changed from when you were in primary school. However, it seems career options aren't only based on personal taste. In a survey carried out by Teens, doctors, lawyers, and bankers were some of most popular careers that people said they hoped to follow. This is in line with a similar survey carried out in the UK in May 2011 by job website monster. Co.uk, in which medicine was the top choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17. Medicine and law are two of the oldest and best known professions. Their prestige may come from the fact that doctors and lawyers are some of the most esteemed members of society, and they make good money. Joining these high-profile professions is often seen as a sign of upward social mobility. It is equally unsurprising that banking is now one of the most common career choices. Youngsters worldwide think of banking and see the money rolling in. Wealth is increasingly becoming one of the most important indicators of a successful career. British young men list the UK tycoon Alan Sugar, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg as their top role models "for their wealth". Just as Chinese teenagers see being a banker as a good and fun pathway to "wealth". However, not every child has the makings of doctor, lawyer, or banker. They are those who see fulfillment and happiness in other areas, and many teenagers dare to ink more individuality into their career options. As the Teens' survey discovered, a variety of unconventional jobs---coffee shop owner, gourmet ,waiter at a fast food restaurant---are among teenagers' career choices. They can be equally interesting and rewarding jobs. With every choice comes responsibility and challenge, and all career paths require specific education and training, you have to learn to balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills. What is the passage mainly about? Do you know how to study better? Let me give you some advice about studying. First, don't put off studying. Many students do that. Then they have to cram the night before the exam. In fact you need good study habits and study a little every day. This way, you will prepare better for the exams. Second, plan _ into your study time. For example, if you read 20 pages of the book, you can play one computer game. But only one. Third, stay in a quiet place and turn off your mobile phone. Then you can put your heart into your study. Last, believe it or not, sleeping is part of studying. It can help you learn better. Try to sleep more than eight hours a night. Take the advice, and you will study better. What is a good study habit? Do you like sports? Here are some sports clubs for you. Ball Games Club Do you like ball games? We have basketball, soccer, volleyball and tennis for you. Let's play them together! Sunday: 8: 30 a.m.~ 11: 00 a.m. 3: 00 p.m. ~ 6: 00 p.m. Telephone: 15934678726 Roller Skating Club Do you like roller skating? You can have a lot of new friends in our club. Students are 6~16 years old. Saturday and Sunday evenings: 7: 00~ 10: 00 Meet on Renmin Square . Telephone: 13473401430 Cycling Club Let's go out with our friends on our bikes. It's really cool and exciting. Saturday morning: 6: 00~11: 00 Start in the city park. E-mail address: cycling@163.com Kung Fu Club Do you want to do kung fu well? Come and join us! Sunday evening: 6: 00~8: 00 Call us at 746-3838. If you want to know more about Cycling Club, you can _ . The capsized accident which happened in Yangtze River on June 1st, 2015 shocked the whole country.There are so many people related to this accident.Zhang Shunwen, the captain of the vessel , has been probably the person being mostly discussed now. Born in 1963, Zhang has been working on this ship for 35 years and became captain of it in 2007.Until the accident, Zhang was regarded as an effective captain and his experience as a sailor was flawless with numerous awards. Zhang Shunwen said the wind was coming from the South, and the wind then was about three to four grade.He first tried to ride the ship northward on the leeside in an effort to counter it with the vessel's speed.However, the wind suddenly gathered speed and he lost control of the ship."We couldn't fend off the wind even if we made a full left turn." he said. Zhang escaped alive and is under watching by police, although he has not yet been accused of any wrongdoing. Every person has his opinion toward this kind behavior of police. Some of them think of it to be improper because the captain himself is also a victim in this accident, what's more, his wife, who also boarded on this boat, remains missing now. While others are in support of this action, to them, it is the captain who should shoulder the responsibility. For me, I agree with the former. Because the captain has made every effort to deal with the accident. Zhang becomes the captain after_years of work. _ join us together and set us apart. Today, our society has a terrible lack of values. Here are some social values that everyone needs. Respect Respect means to respect others in everyday life. Even if you are against a person, it is important to have respect. It is this respect that makes us human. Without respect, we become animals. We need to respect our friends for our friendship. We even need to respect our enemies because they help us to grow up and become stronger. Respect is one of the crucial values in a relationship. Love Love is everything. With love in our hearts, we feel no need to hurt another. With love in our hearts, we will pay more attention to the similarities in opinions rather than the disagreement. If we want others to be good to us, we need to be good to them. After all, we give love to get love, right? Loyalty People often ignore the meaning and importance of loyalty. Loyalty is necessary for people to believe in each other. In no matter what kind of friendship, we need to believe in each other so that we can work together towards the same goal. Honesty Honesty is to show other people who we really are. Honesty helps to do better, because it makes us realize our problems and find ways to solve them. It is this honesty that will make others help you out, not because you need it, but because they have problems, too, which you can help out with. This honesty will help us follow the other values in society and truly, "Heal the world!" With love in our heart, we will _
Do You Want To Change the Future of Education? Our goal is to give a world-class education to everyone, everywhere, regardless of gender, income or social status. Today, edx.org, a not-for-profit website, provides hundreds of thousands of people from around the globe with access to free education .We offer amazing quality classes by the best professors from the best schools. We enable our members to find out a new passion that will transform their lives and their communities. Around the world from coast to coast, in over 192 countries, people are making the decision to take one or several of our courses. As we continue to grow our operations, we are looking for talented passionate people with great ideas to join the edX team. We aim to create an environment that is supportive ,diverse, and as fun as our brand.If you're hardworking and ready to contribute to an unparalleled member experience for our community, we really want you to apply. As part of the edX team, you'll receive: Competitive compensation Generous benefits package Free lunch every day A great workplace where everyone cares and wants to change the world While we appreciate every applicant's interest, only those under consideration will be contacted .We regret that phone calls will not be accepted. We promise that every applicant will be treated fairly. All positions are located in our Cambridge offices. What does edX mainly do? There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do. In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world. What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, America, China, Japan and among the Arctic people, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Differences depended on local customs and way of life because toys imitate their surrounding. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles. Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize(...) inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the cart to the automobile is a direct line of ways up. The progress from a rattle used by a baby in 3,000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the time and subject to the limitations of available materials. Regarded as a kind of art form, toys _ . World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945. Life changed for everybody, including women and children because of the war. Millions of people lost their lives during the war. The Diary of a Young Girl was a record of that time. The book was written by a girl named Anne Frank. Anne Frank was born in Germany in June 1929. Because the German Nazi hated the Jews and warned to kill them, her family had to move to another country. In July 1942, they went into hiding in a secret place in her father's office. During that difficult time, Anne kept writing diaries until she and her family were discovered by the Nazis in August 1944. They were caught and sent to a Nazi camp. The next year, her mother died. In the same year, she and her elder sister died of illness, before the war ended. After the war, her father collected her diaries and the book The Diary of a Young Girl came out in 1947. It has been put into over 30 languages since then. The book has been read by people all over the world. In her diary, Anne wrote down her thoughts, her feelings, her hopes and her dreams for the future, "I want the diary to be my friend, and I'm going to call this friend Kitty." "I can't spend all day complaining because it's impossible to have any fun! ... Every day, I feel the beauty of nature and the goodness of the people around me. With all that, why should 1 be sad?" The Diary of a Young Girl has also become a symbol of the greatness of the human spirit. It is called one of the wisest and most moving records on war. Which of the following is true? Generations of Americans have been brought up to believe that a good breakfast is essential to one's life. Eating breakfast at the start of the day, we have been told, and told again, is as necessary as putting gasoline in the family car before starting a trip. But for many people, the thought of food as the first thing in the morning is never a pleasure. So in spite of all the efforts, they still take no breakfast. Between 1977 and 1983, the latest year for which figures could be obtained, the number of people who didn't have breakfast increased by 33%--from 8.8 million to 11.7 million--according to the Chicago-based Market Research Corporation of America. For those who dislike eating breakfast, however, there is some good news. Several studies in the last few years have shown that, for grown-ups especially, there may be nothing wrong with omitting breakfast. "Going without breakfast does not affect work," said Arnold E. Bender, former professor of nutrition at Queen Elizabeth College in London, "nor does giving people breakfast improve work." Scientific evidence linking breakfast to better health or better work is surprisingly inadequate, and most of the recent work involves children, not grown-ups. "The literature," says one researcher, Dr Earnest Polite at the University of Texas, "is poor." For those who do not take breakfast, the good news is that _ . Recently, a study was carried out to determine who was the greatest American president.Sixty-five presidential historians took part in it, and they judged the past forty-two American leaders based on ten leadership qualities, including public persuasiveness , crisis leadership, management of the economy, moral leadership, and conduct of international relations.The historians also looked at administrative ability , relations with Congress, ability to set goals, and the pursuit of equal justice for all.Finally, the experts took into consideration the historical period in which the president lived. The historians chose Abraham Lincoln as American's greatest president.He had also been named best president in a similar study in 2000.Abraham Lincoln was the president who led the nation through the Civil War in the 1860s, and was able to unite it in the end.He also took the first steps to abolish slavery in America. Edna Medford, a professor of history at Howard University in Washington, D.C., was an adviser on this study and the earlier one.She says Abraham Lincoln is seen to represent the values the nation most honors, such as truthfulness, moderation, and respect for human rights. The historians put American's first president, George Washington, second on the list, while Franklin D.Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman follow in that order.John F.Kennedy, the country's first Roman Catholic president, is sixth on the list.Like Lincoln, Kennedy was murdered while in office. Among recent presidents, Ronald Reagan was named the tenth best and Bill Clinton rated fifteenth, while the historians put former president George W.Bush at number thirty-six.His father, George H.W.Bush, did much better, being placed at number eighteen. We learn from the text that _ .
DNA is a vehicle for passing inherited characteristics from parent to what? Mark Twain, the famous American writer, was once traveling in France .He went by train to Dijon. He was very tired and wanted to sleep. He therefore asked the conductor to wake him up when the train came to Dijon But first he explained he was a very heavy sleeper,"I may bossibly protest loudly when you try to wake me up,"he said to the conductor. "But don't take any notice of what I say. Just put me off the train anyway." Then Mark Twain went to sleep. Later, when he woke up it was night time and the train had reached Paris already. He realized at once that the conductor had forgotten to wake him up at Dijon. He was so angry that he ran to the conductor and began to shout at him. "I have never been so angry in my life,"Mark Twain said. The conductor looked at him calmly ."You are not half so angry as the American whom I put off the train at Dijon,"he said. Which of the following is TRUE? August was one of the nastiest months I can remember: torrential rain; a hailstorm or two; cold, bitter winds; and mists. But we are accustomed to such weather in England. Lord Byron used to say that an English summer begins on July 31 and ends on Aug. 1. He called 1816 "the year without a summer." He spent it gazing across Lake Geneva, watching the storms, with 18-year-old Mary Shelley. The lightening flickering across the lake inspired her Frankenstein, the tale of the man-made monster galvanized into life by electricity. This summer's atrocious weather tempted me to tease a Green whom I know. "Well, what about your weather theory now?" (One of the characteristics of Greens is that they know no history.) He replied: "Yes, this weather is unprecedented. England has never had such an August before. It's global warming, of course." That's the Greens' stock response to anything weather-related. Too much sun? "Global warming." Too little sun? "Global warming." Drought? "Global warming." Floods? "Global warming." Freezing cold? "Global warming." I wish the great philosopher Sir Karl Popper were alive to _ the unscientific nature of global warming. He was a student when Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity was first published and then successfully tested. Einstein said that for his theory to be valid it would have to pass three tests. "If," Einstein wrote to British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington, "it were proved that this effect does not exist in nature, then the whole theory would have to be abandoned." The idea that human beings have changed and are changing the basic climate system of the Earth through their industrial activities and burning of fossil fuels--the essence of the Greens' theory of global warming--has not much basis in science. Global warming, like Marxism, is a political theory of actions, demanding compliance with its rules. Those who buy in to global warming wish to drastically curb human economic and industrial activities, regardless of the consequences for people, especially the poor. If the theory's conclusions are accepted and agreed upon, the destructive results will be felt most severely in those states that adhere to the rule of law and will observe restrictions most faithfully. The global warming activists' target is the U.S. If America is driven to accept crippling restraints on its economy it will rapidly become unable to shoulder its burdens as the world's sole superpower and ultimate defender of human freedoms. We shall all suffer, however, as progress falters and then ceases and living standards decline. The writer of the passage is probably _ . While Anna was testing a circuit, she dropped a light bulb. What is the safest thing Anna can do? Early that day the weather turned and the snow was melting into dirty water. Streaks of it ran down from the little shoulder-high window that faced the backyard. Cars slushed by on the street outside, where it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the inside too. He was in the bedroom pushing clothes into a suitcase when she came to the door. I'm glad you're leaving! I'm glad you're leaving! She said. Do you hear? He kept on putting his things into the suitcase. Son of a bitch! I'm so glad you're leaving! She began to cry. You can't even look me in the face, can you? When she noticed the baby's picture on the bed and picked it up. He looked at her and she wiped her eyes and stared at him before turning an d going back to the living room. Bring that back, he said. Just get your things and get out, she said. He did not answer. He fastened the suitcase, put on his coat, looked around the bedroom before turning off the light. Then he went out to the living room. She stood in the doorway of the little kitchen, holding the baby. I want the baby, he said. Are you crazy? No, but I want the baby. I'll get someone to come by for his things. You're not touching this baby, she said. The baby had begun to cry and she uncovered the blanket from around his head. Oh, oh, she said, looking at the baby. He moved toward her. For god's sake! She said. She took a step back into the kitchen. I want the baby. Get out of here! She turned and tried to hold the baby over in a corner behind the stove. But he came up. He reached across the stove and tightened his hands on the baby. Let go of him, he said. Get away, get away! She cried. The baby was red-faced and screaming. In the scuffle they knocked down a flowerpot that hung behind the stove. He crowded her into the wall then, trying to break her grip. He held on to the baby and pushed with all his weight. Let go of him, he said. Don't, she said. You're hurting the baby, she said. I'm not hurting the baby, he said. The kitchen window gave no light. In the near-dark he worked on her fisted fingers with one hand and with the other hand he gripped the screaming baby up under an arm near the shoulder. She felt her fingers being forced open. She felt the baby going from her. No! She screamed just her hands came loose. She would have it, this baby. She grabbed for the baby's other arm. She caught the baby around wrist and leaned back. But he would not let go. He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard. In this manner, the issue was decided. Where was the flowerpot hanging?
Question: What can be used more than one time? A. coal B. soda bottle C. gas D. oil Answer: B Question: Hawking Fever Hit prefix = st1 /China Hawking has left much for Chinese to think about. British physicist Stephen Hawking,possibly the world's most famous scientist after Albert Einstein,gave lectures in Zhejiang and Beijing in August. An illness left him unable to move any part of his body except for the three fingers.But his continuing efforts in the field of science have made many young people take him as their idol. His books,such as A Brief History of Time,become bestseller in Chinese bookstores. "Hawking helps people expand their horizons and become interested in science,"said Pan Yunhe,president of Zhejiang University. Indeed,experts don't think it likely that Hawking's lectures and profound ideas will be easily understood by the average persons.But he has certainly sowed the seeds of science among many young people. And the "Hawking fever" cause by his visit has made people ask:How can China produce more top scientists like Hawking? "Nurturing top scientists will take as much as work to change society as to educate the scientists themselves,"said Zhang Fan.Zhang has studied in the UK since 1999 and will be a sophomore at Trinity College in October. In Britain,Zhang said,teacher inspire students to have a general understanding of the subjects they are interested in.and they encourage students to develop new ideas,which helps them to nurture their creativity. In China,the Ministry of Education has encouraged schools to provide quality education to tap students' potential. "I hope teachers will pay more attention to helping us use our imaginations and solve problems on our own,"said Lu Jie,a Junior Three student in Sanfan Middle School in Beijing. The main idea of the passage is about_. A. Hawking's visit to Chinamake people think about much B. Hawking's life and his research C. A Brief History of Time D. the comparison between English and Chinese education systems Answer: A Question: This is Scott. He has an interesting job. He works at a radio station. His radio show is from twelve o'clock at night to six o'clock in the morning. He sings well. He usually gets up at seven thirty at night. He brushes his teeth and takes a shower at ten past eight. Then he eats breakfast at nine. That's a funny time for breakfast! After that , he usually exercise at about ten twenty. He goes to work by car at eleven o'clock. It takes ten minutes to get the radio station. So he is never late for work. His radio show is _ . A. from8:00 to 12:00 in the morning. B. from 12:00 at night to 6:00 in the morning. C. from 13:15 to 18:25 in the afternoon D. from 12:00 at noon to 6:oo in the afternoon Answer: B Question: Just because you are in a wheelchair doesn't mean you can't enjoy the competitiveness --the all-around fun --that playing sports offers you. More and more wheelchair users are playing sports every day --some even on a professional level. The following are just a few examples of the different choices you have. Wheelchair basketball is a very common wheelchair sport. It was started over forty years ago as part of a medical recovery program. Over the years it has grown rapidly. Today wheelchair basketball is a professional sport that has more than 180 teams across the United States. In order to play wheelchair basketball, it is essential to have a lightweight wheelchair. Several different kinds of sports wheelchairs are on the market today just for sports fans. Another wheelchair sport, quad rugby , was specifically designed for people who can't move their arms or legs and are unable to play wheelchair basketball. It is a mixture of wheelchair basketball and ice hockey. To play the game you must have two teams of four players each. Power soccer is another fun wheelchair sport that can be very fun and exciting. Players in power soccer must have an electric wheelchair. Two teams have two 30-minute halves to push the soccer ball over the other team's goal line. The first team to reach the other team's goal line most frequently wins. Based on the sport you choose to take part in, there are several things you can buy for your wheelchair, including belts, gloves, bags for carrying things, drink holders and special back supports. What is the main idea of the passage? A. To introduce some possible sports to wheelchair users. B. To introduce some products to the wheelchair users. C. To encourage wheelchair users to compete with each other. D. To talk about the differences between these sports. Answer: A Question: If you want to increase your vocabulary, the best way to do it might be to pick up a guitar, or learn the violin. A new study shows that learning to play a musical instrument makes the brain more able to remember words. "Grown-ups with music training in their childhood can have better memory for words," said Dr Agnes Chan of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who did the research. "They can remember things that you tell them better than those who did not have music training when they were young." It seems that one can remember spoken words because his brain has a special part. "That part of the brain is larger in musicians than in non-musicians," Dr Chan told BBC. "If that part of the brain is larger, it may be better developed and so this explains very nicely our results." Dr Chan and her workmates came to their conclusion after studying students. Their research is reported in the latest edition of the journal Nature. "We did the experiment with 60 girl college students from our university and 30 of them have at least six years training with one western musical instrument (such as the violin and the piano) before the age of 12. The other 30 had received no music training. We tested their memory by reading them some words and asking them to remember these words--a very common test for memory. We found that people who have had music training can remember about 70% more information than those who have not had any music training." Dr Chan thinks the process of learning is more important than the actual instrument used. She also believes if one is able to remember words through learning to play instruments, he or she could have some very real benefits. Dr Chan thinks this could be developed into a medical way for patients who are suffering from memory loss. According to the writer, learning to play a musical instrument helps to _ . A. get more knowledge B. live more happily C. remember more words D. make one become a musician Answer: C
My daughter went to see The Wild One recently and she commented that Marlon Brando was wearing jeans so long ago. Of course he helped set the trend, so that got me thinking about the link between films and trends in fashion. Fashion and films have gone hand in hand for long. The Wild One is a good example: it appeared in 1954, starring Brando. Dressed in a black leather motorcycle jacket, leather cap and jeans, he created a look which is still considered "cool" today. Everyone from Madonna to middle-aged men is seen wearing the classic leather motorcycle jacket. Another strong influence on fashion trends was Breakfast at Tiffany's, starring Audrey Hepburn. She made famous the simple black dress that looks perfect at either a cocktail party or just standing around an expensive department store like Tiffany's with a pastry and coffee in your hand, as Audrey Hepburn does in the film. She looks so elegant, wearing simple but beautiful dresses, big dark glasses and a string of pearls around her neck. Audrey Hepburn still influences women's fashion with her "Tiffany's look". In more modern times, the film star Uma Thurman created a major fashion trend when she appeared in the film Pulp Fiction, made in 1994. Her style was very simple. Her black trousers, crisp white shirt and hair style was copied by women in the world. Influencing fashion trends can often be about timing. The movie Memoirs of a Geisha came just in time to start a trend in Japanese fashion. It started the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, who wore beautiful silk kimonos , and it won an Oscar for Costume Design. Many travel companies picked up on the trend and ran "geisha trips" to Japan. The film has also led to a regained interest in kimonos. It is now quite common to see young Japanese women wearing kimonos not just on traditional occasions, but at various social events. The fashion is also beginning to spread to western countries. What does the film Memoirs of a Geisha lead to? Answer: The recovery of interest in kimonos. When I was in primary school, I got into a big argument with a boy in my class. I forgot what the argument was about, but I will never forget the lesson I learned that day. I thought that I was right and he was wrong - and he thought that I was wrong and he was right. The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson. In the middle of her desk was a large, round ball. I could clearly see that it was black. She asked the boy what color the ball was. "White," he answered.uShe brought us to the front of the class and asked him to stand on one side of her desk and me on the other. I couldn't believe he said the ball was white, when it was obviously black! Another argument started between us, this time about the color of the ball. The teacher told us to change places and then asked me what color the ball was. I answered: "White." It was a ball with two differently colored sides, and from his side it was white. Only from my side it was black. Sometimes we need to look at problems from the other person's view in order to truly understand his or her perspective . When in the boy's place, the writer changed her answer because _ . Answer: the ball had two differently colored sides Once upon a time, there was a farmer in central China. He didn't have money, so instead of a tractor , he used an old horse to plow his field . One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse fell down, dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing!" The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so peaceful and so calm that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift. Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man!" And the farmer said, "We'll see." A couple of days later, the new horse jumped over a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!" The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see." Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone said, "What a fortunate man!" The farmer said, "We'll see." Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a poor boy!" The farmer said, "We'll see." Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits .When they saw the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him. Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man!" The farmer smiled again and said, "We'll see." There's no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. When our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts that we can learn valuable lessons from. What is the passage mainly about? Answer: The life attitude of a farmer. Experts estimate that one out of every five fish sold was caught illegally. It threatens food security and hurts the environment. Officials are using new observational technology to fight illegal fishing. "Thank you for taking the time to join us here in Harwell (UK) in the Operations Center to what we call 'Project Eyes on the Seas.'" says Tony Long, who leads the Ending Illegal Fishing program for Pew Charitable Trusts. The group created Project Eyes on the Seas. Large three-dimensional images of a globe can be seen on a video. "It looks different from what you might expect because this globe only shows you the boats that are coming into this system from a live automated information system or AIS." The screen shows 120,000 fishing boats have AIS. They are required to have the technology. But those who are fishing illegally often turn it off. The technology does not tell observers when that happens. Project Eyes on the Seas combines satellite information with secret government records on every ship's past activities. Mr. Long says that permits researchers to understand exactly where the fishing boats are operating. The Pew team gives the information it gathers to port officials to help them decide if they should take action against a ship. Tony Long says he would like to be able to provide port officials all over the world with clear lists. They would inform the officials about ships to inspect, ships to bar from entrance, and ships to permit entrance for trade activities. The Pacific island nation of Palau was an early user of the technology. Palau has one of the richest fishing areas in the world. Last year, it announced a plan to ban commercial fishing in a 630,000 square kilometer area. K.B. Sakuma is a special adviser to the president of Palau. He says Palau is trying to deal with a recent increase in illegal, unsupervised and unreported fishing. "And it's come to a head in the last year or two. From our southern island in the evening you can see on the horizon just dotted lights of these illegal fishermen that come into our waters, fill their ships with our fish, our resources, our food security..." The information is collected by the Pew team so as to _ . Answer: assist port officials in deciding whether to ban a ship from fishing The Gold Coast family holidays are always great fun whether you are from Australia or from abroad. There are beautiful beaches, adventure parks, nature parks and so much more. There are so many sights to see here. It is a pity to drive in a car and you'll miss a great part of it. Australia is home to many animals and birds that can only be seen when moving slowly and going into the areas that they live. When you are on a bicycle, you have the advantage of being able to stop whenever you want to see an interesting animal or bird that you have never seen before. It is a quieter mode of transportation as well, so you might even be able to take a picture. When you are on the beach, you can breathe that clean air and view the beauty of the water and sand. It is a totally different experience from either simply sunbathing or passing it in a car. There are many choices of hiring a bicycle to experience the Gold Coast attractions. There are stores that will fit a bike perfectly to your size. These bikes for both adults and children are in many styles and colors to please any taste. If you have ever wanted to try a tandem bike , now is your chance, because they have those too. A bicycle hire on Gold Coast is something that everyone should try at least once. This is a wonderful chance for anyone who likes to cycle and it is also a cheap way to travel with your family. What's the author's attitude towards a bike hire on Gold Coast? Answer: He supports it very much.
The purpose of bird feathers, especially down, is to A. retain body temps B. contain moisture C. move air around D. help with flight Answer: A. retain body temps A new University of Graz study concludes that vegetarians are more often ill and have a lower quality of living than meat-eaters. According to the German press release, vegetarians "have cancer and heart attacks more often". The release also says that they show more psychological disorders than meat eaters. Consequently, the report writes, they are a greater burden on the health care system. According to the press release the scientists evaluated data from the Austrian Health Interview Survey (AT-HIS), which is also part of an important and valuable EU survey (European Health Interview Survey). The scientists examined a total of 1320 persons who were divided up into 4 groups . All groups were comparable with respect to gender, age, and socio-economic status. The study also accounted for smoking and physical activity. Also the BMI was within the normal range for all four groups. The only thing that really was different among the four groups was the diet. The four groups were: vegetarians, meat-eaters with lots of fruit and veggies, little meat-eaters and big meat-eaters. The press release states that the results contradict _ that meat-free diets are healthier. Vegetarians have twice as many allergies as big meat-eaters, and they showed 166% higher cancer rates . Moreover, the scientists found that vegans had a 150% higher rate of heart attacks. In total the scientists looked at 18 different chronic illnesses. Compared to the big meat-eaters, vegetarians were hit harder in 14 of the 18 illnesses. In the analysis, the University of Graz found that vegetarians were also twice as likely to suffer for anxiety or depressions than big meat-eaters. That result was confirmed by the University of Hildesheim, which found that vegetarians suffered significantly more from depressions, anxiety, psychosomatic complaints and eating disorders. The University of Graz scientists also found that vegetarians are impacted more by ilnessses and visit the doctor more frequently. Big meat-eaters were also found to have a "significantly better quality of life in all categories", the study found. The four categories examined were: physical and psychological health, social relationships and environment-related life quality. It can be inferred from the passage that a man who eats more meat tends to _ . A. show a higher cancr rate. B. have a higher rate of psychological disorders. C. have a better relationship with others. D. suffer more from anxiety or depression. Answer: C. have a better relationship with others. This happened in London It was November and the weather was very wet and cold. A Frenchman had caught a very bad cold. He coughed day and night, so he decided to go and get some medicine for his cough. As he did not know much English, he took out his dictionary and looked up the word "cough". But the dictionary did not tell him how to pronounce the word. He thought it over and remembered that he had learned the word "plough". He remembered that it was pronounced[plav]. So he thought that c-o-u-g-h must be pronounced [kav]. Then he put on his coat and hat and went to a chemist's shop .When the man in the shop asked him what he wanted, the Frenchman said, "I want something for my 'COW' , please." The man in the shop looked at him. Had he heard him correctly? "I beg your pardon, sir?" he asked. The Frenchman repeated, "I want some medicine for my 'COW'." "For your cow?" asked the man, "are you a farmer?" "A farmer?" said the Frenchman in surprise, "What makes you think I'm a farmer? I come from Paris. I'm not a farmer. " "But where is your cow?" "It's here!" answered the Frenchman. He put his hand on his chest and began to cough. "Here it is, " he said, "I've a very bad 'cow' here." Then the man in the shop understood what the Frenchman meant. He wanted some medicine for his cough. What made the man in the shop think the Frenchman was a farmer? A. The Frenchman looked like a farmer. B. The word "cough" was pronounced [kau] by him. C. The Frenchman said he came from a farm in Paris. D. We can't learn about it from the story. Answer: B. The word "cough" was pronounced [kau] by him. I usually doubt about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago.While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, 1 was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children between 9 and 17 have a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago. Why are America's kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place. Given that _ , adults can still do plenty to help the next generation to cope. At the top of the list,nurturing is a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress. To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later.They will then have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep. Limit the amount of virtual violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news. Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale. Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you deal with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable,but it doesn't have to ruin your life. According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children 50 years ago _ . A. were less isolated physically B. were probably less self-centered C. probably suffered less from anxiety D. were considered less individualistic Answer: C. probably suffered less from anxiety One of my longest-running battles with my kids is about manners specifically,about whether it's necessary to send hand-written thank-you notes for gifts.I say yes,and my children have continued throughout their teens to write the notes.But they grumble that I'm out of step with the times. If a new BabyCenter poll is any guide, _ .A surprisingly large number of parents still insist that their children practice such old-fashioned manners as putting pen-to-paper to say thank you,treating adults with respect and addressing adults as "Mr., Mrs.or Miss."A majority of the 1,000 parents surveyed also said they insist at dinner that children keep napkins in their laps,ask to be excused from the table and refrain from talking with a full mouth. Among the reasons cited most often by parents,BabyCenter says,is that "the world is a more free-wheeling place,and they want to give their kids a stronger moral compass to guide them."This thinking was affirmed by 64%of those surveyed.And 58%say they see so many badly behaved kids around them that they're determined to raise their children differently. This poses a particular challenge for parents who work outside the home and must find a sitter, nanny or other child-care provider who will insist on the manners they consider most important. Pediatrician Perri Klass wrote recently in the New York Times about her annoyance at a rude,demanding child who was among her longtime patients.Although she veiled her injunctions to the mother in euphemisms ,talking to her about "setting limits,"Dr.Klass wrote,"I do pass judgment on kids with bad manners and so does every pediatrician I know."Rude kids make her wonder whether there is something wrong with the family,among other things,she says."The whole 'manners' concept might seem a bit odd,"she says,"until you recast it as 'social skills' a hot-button child-development issue,as I wrote in a recent column." Readers,what manners do you insist upon for your children? Has other kids' bad behavior led you to toughen your standards? Do the strict rules embraced by parents in the BabyCenter survey seem right,or too formal? are the right persons to attend to the children while the parents work outside. A. Those who do good cooking B. Those who ignore the good manners C. Those who focus on virtue D. Those who have a sense of humor Answer: C. Those who focus on virtue
A rapidly advancing contemporary science that is highly dependent on new tools is Earth system science. Earth system science involves observation and measurements on the Earth at all scales from the largest to the smallest. The huge amounts of data that are gathered come from many different locations and require special techniques for handling data. Important new tools that facilitate Earth system science include satellite remote sensing, small deep-sea submarines, and geographic information systems. More than any other way of gathering evidence, satellite observations continually remind us that each part of the Earth interacts with and is dependent on all other parts. Earth system science was born from the realization of that interdependence. Satellite remote sensing makes possible observations at large scales, and in many cases, measurements of factors that could not otherwise be measured. For example, the ozone hole over Antarctica--the decrease in the concentration of ozone high in the atmosphere--is measured by remote sensing, as are changes in deserts, forests, and farmlands around the world. Such measurements can be used in many areas of specialization besides Earth system science. Archaeology, for example, has benefited from satellite observations that reveal the traces of ancient trade routes across the Arabian Desert. New tools for exploring previously inaccessible areas of the Earth have also added greatly to our knowledge of the Earth system. Small deep-sea submarines allow scientists to travel to the depths of the ocean. There they have discovered new species and ecosystems thriving near deep-sea vents that emit heat, sasses, and mineral-rich water. Just as important as new methods of measurement and exploration are new ways to store and analyze data about the Earth system. Computer-based software programs known as geographic information systems, or GIS, allow a large number of data points to be stored along with their locations. These can be used to produce maps and to compare different sets of information gathered at different times. For example, satellite remote sensing images of a forest can be converted to represent stages in the forest's growth. Two such images, made at different times can be overlaid and compared, and the changes that have taken place can be represented in a new image. According to the passage, satellite observations of the Arabian Desert allow archaeologists to know _ . Answer: BC Social Report, August 14, 2010 Scandinavians may spend a lot of the winter in darkness but they are the happiest people in Europe, according to a study showed this month. Countries like Denmark and Finland scored highest on the study of happiness in Europe carried out by Cambridge University, which also found that the sunny southern countries of Italy, Portugal and Greece got the least joy out of life. The survey entitled: "No Man is an Island" showed that countries where people enjoy time with friends and family, have trust in government and national institutions were more likely to be happy than those living in a sunny climate. The study rated respondent on their overall sense of happiness and life satisfaction on a _ of one to 10. Danes --who expressed a high level of trust in their politicians and public institutions--came top of the field at 8.3. Italians--who reported lower levels of satisfaction with their national quality of government--came last at 6.49.' "Italy, Greece, Portugal, Germany and France report the lowest levels of happiness while the Scandinavian Countries, Netherlands and Luxembourg report the highest," the study said. Although Europeans are generally four times wealthier than their fathers and grandfathers, their levels of happiness are either equal to or lower than 40 years ago. The study also looked at factors contributing to happiness within countries and surprisingly found that an interest in politics actually increased happiness. Lead researcher Luisa Corrado said tax cuts and throwing money at social problems appeared to have no effect on the happiness of citizens when compared with government policies which strengthened and supported wider social networks. "People are less naive ( ) than one would expect, politicians need to adapted their policies and target specific problems in specific areas," she said. In what column may readers probably read the passage? Answer: Hong Kong has about 40 public beaches. Some of the beaches are among the best in the world. People can go there for a swim. You can go to most of them by bus. To go to some beaches, you must take a boat. There are toilets, changing rooms and places to buy food and drink on most of the beaches. You will swim there without danger if you remember these instructions: 1. Never swim alone. 2. Never swim after a meal or when feel hungry or tired. 3. Do not stay in the water too long. 4. Never go out in a boat if you cannot swim. Remember: A red flag means that it is dangerous for anybody to go into the water. A blue flag means that it is dangerous for children. We can get to _ by bus. Answer: As we have seen, the focus of medical care in our society has been shifting from curing disease to preventing disease--especially in terms of changing our many unhealthy behaviors, such as poor eating habits, smoking, and failure to exercise. The line of thought involved in this shift can be pursued further. Imagine a person who is about the right weight, but does not eat very nutritious foods, who feels OK but exercises only occasionally, who goes to work every day, but is not an outstanding worker, who drinks a few beers at home most nights but does not drive while drunk, and who has no chest pains or abnormal blood counts, but sleeps a lot and often feels tired. This person is not ill. He may not even be at risk for any particular disease. But we can imagine that this person could be a lot healthier. The field of medicine has not traditionally distinguished between someone who is merely "not ill" and someone who is in excellent health and pays attention to the body's special needs. Both types have simply been called "well". In recent years, however, some health specialists have begun to apply the terms "well" and "wellness" only to those who are actively striving to maintain and improve their health. People who are well are concerned with nutrition and exercise, and they make a point of monitoring their body's condition. Most important, perhaps, people who are well take active responsibility for all matters related to their health. Even people who have a physical disease or handicap may be "well" in this new sense, if they make an effort to maintain the best possible health they can in the face of their physical limitations. "Wellness" may perhaps best be viewed not as a state that people can achieve, but as an ideal that people can strive for. People who are well are likely to be better able to resist disease and to fight disease when it strikes. And by focusing attention on healthy ways of living, the concept of wellness can have a beneficial impact on the ways in which people face the challenges of daily life. Today medical care is placing more stress on _ . Answer: The NBA's version of the Ming Dynasty is done. After helping basketball gain a foothold in the world's most populous market, Chinese star Yao Ming has retired. Yao made it official Wednesday, telling a news conference that a series of foot and leg injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 30. "I will formally end my career," said Yao, who became a household name in China before starting his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 2002. Yao played eight seasons in the NBA. "Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my future," Yao said. "I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year. My past six months were a painful wait. I have been thinking about my future over and over. Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening." Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more. "My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it," Yao said. He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd. He thanked a lot of people ---- his family, former coaches, even players like Shaquille O'Neal ---- "for making me a better player. I will be always with you. Thank you." Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was among those attending the farewell conference Wednesday. Morey made the long trip from Houston. Morey said 20 hours on planes was tiring but he would be sorry if he wasn't here. "It's a big moment," Morey added. "Yao had a sense of humor, a great attitude and sense of responsibility. I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA." Yao had played six years with the Chinese national team before joining the Rockets, and was already a star in his home country. He carried the Olympic torch through Tiananmen Square and his country's flag during the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He also donated $ 2 million and set up a foundation to rebuild schools in the wake of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? Answer:
War Horse author Michael Morpurgo is being interviewed: Reporter:How did War Horse become so successful? Michael:War Horse was published in 1982,and it did not sell very well.But my publishers kept it in print,along with all my books.I am very grateful to Egmont and I'm sure now they are very grateful to themselves. The book was discovered 21 years later,by accident.I was on Desert Island Discs on Radio 4 in 2003 when my work was becoming better known.One of the listeners was the mother of a director called Tom Morris,and after reading War Horse herself she told her son to read it.Two years later the play came out,and it was a huge hit that went to the West End,Broadway and now Canada and Australia,then a nationwide American tour in June this year. In 2009 kathy kennedy,the producer who worked with Steven Spielberg,walked into the New London Theatre to see the play because her daughter liked it very much.She then phoned Spielberg and told him this would be his next film!The way it all happened is better than any of my stories.War Horse has now sold over 1 million copies. Reporter:Has War Horse changed your life? Michael:It has made all the difference in the world.The most important gift it has given us is not to have to worry about money,because there has always been a slight anxiety.It has allowed us to ensure our grandchildren's education.There is a disadvantage to it as well,which is an assumption that I am super rich.I'm not,actually.It is very nice and completely unexpected but I have got to go on writing.If I were younger,I think,it would go to my head.Now I am too old for anything to go to my head.It is not the same as winning the lottery . What is the attitude of Michael to his great success? A. Calm. B. Unbelievable. C. Confused D. Excited. Answer: A. Calm. They stood outside the door - two children in shabby outgrown coats. "Any old papers, lady?" I was busy, I wanted to say no until I saw the snow on their clothes. And their little sandals were also covered with snow. "Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa." There was no conversation. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and toast with jam to strengthen them against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started again on my household. The silence in the front room got me to look inside. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, "Lady, are you rich?" "Am I rich? Mercy, no! " I looked at my shabby sofa. The girl put her cup back in its saucer carefully. "Your cups match your saucers, she said." They left then, holding their bundles of papers against the wind. They hadn't said thank you. They didn't need to. They had done more than that. Plain blue cups and saucers. But they matched. I tasted the potatoes and looked at the meat. Potatoes and meat, the roof over my head, my man with a good steady job - these things matched, too. I moved the chairs back from the fire and tidied the living room. The muddy prints of small sandals were still wet upon my floor. I let them be. I wanted them there in case I ever forget again how very rich I am. Why did the author let the two children in? A. To offer them some warm clothes B. To serve them some cocoa and food C. To sell them some old paper D. To show off her matched cups and saucers Answer: B. To serve them some cocoa and food Many children use the Internet to get useful knowledge and information, and to relax in their free time. But some of them are not using it in a good way. Here are some rules to make sure you are safe and have fun on the Internet. Make rules for Internet use with your parents. For example, when you can go online, for how long and what activities you can do online. Don't give your password to anyone else, and never give out the following information: your real name ,home address, age, school, phone number or other personal information. Check with your parents before giving out a credit card number. Never send a photo of yourself to someone in e-mail unless your parents say it's OK. Check with your parents before going into a chat room. Different chat rooms have different rules and attract different kinds of people. You and your parents will want to make sure it's a right place for you. Never agree to meet someone you met on the Internet without your parent's permission. Never meet anyone you met online alone. Always remember that people online may not be who they say they are. Treat everyone online as if they were strangers. If something you see or read online makes you uncomfortable, leave the site. Tell a parent or a teacher right away. Treat other people as you'd like to be treated. Never use bad language. Remember that not everything you read on the Internet is true. The best title for this passage is " _ ". A. How to use computers B. Surfing on the Internet C. Information on the Internet D. Internet safety rules Answer: D. Internet safety rules Giraffes Are Being Killed for Their Tails Documentary filmmaker David Hamlin recalls how excited he was at the sight of three giraffes standing in a small clearing when he was flying over the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Garamba National Park in late June. "Seeing these giraffes from the air was really exciting," says Hamlin, who was working for National Geographic. That's because Garamba is huge, extending over nearly 2,000 square miles of mostly forested land, and it's a rare, lucky event to come across any of its 40 remaining giraffes. But Hamlin's thrill at seeing and photographing the giraffes didn't last long. Twelve hours later, people looking after the national park reported hearing gunshots, and they later discovered three bullet-riddled bodies of dead giraffes in the sun. "It was horrible for me and the team," Hamlin says "to realize that most likely it was these guys, _ we'd seen." Hamlin decided to document the sad event to raise awareness about illegally shooting animals in the park. Garamba is Africa's second oldest national park and has been hit hard by illegal shooting in recent years. Its rhinos have been wiped out, and elephants have suffered huge losses. The same goes for its Kordofan giraffes, one of Africa's nine giraffe subspecies. Fewer than 2,000 now wander central Africa, according to Julian Fennessy, co-director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Garamba's Kordofan giraffes represent the last population in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "If the number slips in half, then we're in an extremely serious situation," Fennessy says. "Every single giraffe is valuable." Congolese usually kill the giraffes for one body part, their tails, considered a rank symbol in some communities. Meanwhile men from neighboring South Sudan target the giraffes for their meat to feed poor villagers. But the massive bodies (giraffes can grow to 18 feet and weigh up to 3,000 pounds) of these three giraffes were complete -- only the ends of their tails were missing. According to Leon Lamprecht, joint operations director for African Parks, "men use the tail as treasure to the bride's father if they want to ask for the hand of a bride." "What an absolute waste!" Lamprecht says. What made Hamlin so excited when he was flying over the park? A. Filming the huge national park. B. Reporting the event in the air. C. Picturing the running rhinos. D. Spotting the rare animals. Answer: D. Spotting the rare animals. Liz isn't happy. Her husband, Stephen, frequently changes jobs, and is unsure of what he wants to do. The new house they bought just a year ago seems like a prison to Liz, and Stephen says he wants to go back to college, she decides that it's the end of her patience with him. Now, since this happens quickly in the film, it's kind of like she just gives up on her husband without much of a fight. She's done, he still loves her, but she quickly moves on to a much younger actor who's starring in a play she wrote. She sees him on stage, and thinks he's saying the words only to her. They are in a relationship. But soon after, she decides that he's not for her. She's unhappy and feels dead inside, and the only way to fix herself is to take a year off and travel. Liz has three specific destinations in mind for her journey of self-discovery. First, it's Italy, where she can enjoy a lot of pasta and sees all the historical sites. Next, she'll head to India to spend time with her young boyfriend's favorite guru . And then she will finish her year off with a visit to Bali where she will reunite with a wise man who told her on a previous trip that she would have two marriages, lose her money, and then gain it back again. With no worries about money or work or responsibilities, she goes off, passing through the lives of various interesting people while telling anyone willing to listen that she's trying to find herself and get over the end of her marriage, which she gave up and immediately turned to another man to get over, who she then gave up on fairly quickly for no apparent reason. So says the film. By the end of the movie, she believes that she has healed herself and discovered what she needed to find out. How many times has Liz been to Bali according to the text? A. Only once. B. Twice. C. Three times. D. At least twice. Answer: D. At least twice.
Light produced by deep sea animals is used for? Answer: Catching Pray Walking along a lake in the cold winter, Birbal and the king made a bet that a man would do anything for money. The king said, "I don't think a man would spend an entire night in the cold water of this lake for money." Birbal replied, " I'm sure I can find such a person." The king asked Birbal to find such a person and said that he would reward the person with a thousand gold coins. Birbal searched far and wide and finally found a poor man. When he entered the lake, the king had guards around him to make sure that he really did as promised. The poor man made it. He told the king that there had been a street lamp nearby and that he had kept his attention on the lamp and managed to avoid the cold. The king then said that there would be no reward as he relied on the warmth of the street lamp. The poor man went to Birbal for help. The next day, Birbal did not go to court . The king went to Birbal's house and see what he was up to. He found Birbal sitting on the floor near some burning branches and a bowl filled with rice hanging five feet above the fire. The king and his followers couldn't help but laugh. The king then said to Birbal, "How can the rice be cooked if it is so far away from the fire?" Birbal answered, "The same way the poor man received heat from a street lamp that was more than two thousand meters away." Finally, the king gave the poor man his reward. Why did Birbal not go to court the next day? Answer: He wanted to help the poor man. As a young man, Paul Beier hiked in the mountains of California. Since then, he has decided to choose his career as a wildlife protector. He went to school to learn more first of all. After he earned his doctor's degree, he eagerly signed up for a job studying cougars , which once lived throughout the United States, but now live mainly in the Rocky Mountains and westward. They need not only a lot of land to survive but also plenty of food and places to raise their young. But many wild areas have been divided by freeways and taken over by towns. The small wilderness areas of the Santa Ana Mountains in Southern California didn't have much room for them. And yet a few still lived there. How did they do it? Many big animals are disappearing. Those that survive are being trapped in shrinking patches of habitat. A patch may not have enough space or food for a cougar to survive. Scientists wondered if cougars could move from one patch to another. If so, maybe humans could preserve wildlife corridors to connect the patches, providing enough room for the animals. But no one had shown that animals use wildlife corridors in real life. To see if cougars had found corridors through local suburbs and freeways, Paul and his research team studied 32 cougars for five years. They used a drug to make each cat sleep, buckled a radio collar around its neck, and let it go. Every day, Paul used an electrical device that sends and receives radio signals to find cougars, listening for radio beeps from their collars. Once or twice a week, he trailed one of the cougars all night. He traced their travels on a map. Sure enough, some of them had discovered paths from one small park land to the next. One cougar became famous for his travels. He was named M6:"M"for Male, and"6"because he was the sixth one collared in the study. M6's corner of the Santa Ana Mountains wasn't large enough for him. Chino Hills State Park was not far away, but the trip was not safe. After dark, M6 used a paved vehicle underground passage to cross undera busy eight-lane freeway. He slipped by a riding stable, and then picked his way through a golf course and across two sets of busy railroad tracks. Finally, he arrived in the sheltered canyons of 12,000-acre Chino Hills State Park. There, the cougar found deer to hunt. During a year and a half, the scientists recorded M6 making this journey 22 times! Then Paul learned of plans to build houses, gas stations, and a mall that would block M6's path. Paul once said,"The loss of this corridor would guarantee the extinction of the cougar from the Chino Hills and endanger the entire population of lions in the Santa Ana Mountains."A local citizens' group called Hills for Everyone raised money to buy the land and add it to the state park. When the group visited the state capital and showed the map that Paul had made of M6's journeys, the lawmakers saw how important the corridor was. The lawmakers had the passage preserved, with the pavement removed and with native bushes near the openings. While traffic roared above, M6 and other cougars could move safely between the state park and the mountains. Other animals such as deer, foxes, and bobcats could also use the corridor. Paul's research showed that wildlife corridors can save animals. Since his study in the Santa Ana Mountains, scientists around the world have begun restoring and protecting wildlife corridors. Scientists guess cougars could survive in the Santa Ana Mountains mainly because . Answer: they succeeded in finding more food and places to survive A tender woman, or an independent one, which one would you prefer? Arecent research shows that most people would choose the latter. This type of woman is called a nuhanzi ("tough woman"). Experts believe these characteristics have social and psychological roots among young femalesin China. Su Hao's friends all call her a tough woman, because she can finish tough tasks usually carried out by men. For example, she carries 10-litre water to her dormitory on the 5th floor. "I depend on no one but myself," she says. According to a recent survey by China Youth Daily, tough women have become rather common in society. Of the 21,265 respondents, 78.5 percent said they are familiar with a tough woman. About 50 percent said they like women with tough characteristics, while less than 29 percent expressed the opposite view. Why are tough women gaining popularity? Shen Meng, a psychological consultant, believes the fierce competition in society is contributing to this trend. "Women are often in a disadvantaged position compared to men," Shen says. "In order to survive, they have to be independent, strong and tough." Liu Xiao lin, professor of psychology at Wuhan Mental Health Center, believes tough women are brought up this way. They are often on close relationship with their fathers, who teach their daughters to be brave and decisive," he says. As a result, these women are more likely to be psychologically healthy and more tolerant to stress, according to Liu. Though Liu believes that this is a good trend, Hu Shenzhi, a psychologist at the Guangdong Sunflower Counseling Center, says the popularity of tough woman indicates an unclear line between gender identities, which can lead to relationship problems. "Some women with characteristics that differ from the traditional female image may have a difficult time finding Mr Right," he says."Even if they get married, their manly characteristics might cause family conflicts. Why are there more tough women nowadays? Answer: Because of the fierce competition in society. Tom Becker has won the 2007 Waterstone's children's book prize with his first novel, Darkside, receiving a cheque for PS1,000 and the promise of display in branches of the book store across the country. The 25-year-old author described winning as an "unbelievable feeling". "I didn't think my book would be on the shortlist and stood a chance of winning, and it's amazing to receive such an important award at the beginning of my writing career. Needless to say I am absolutely made up." he said. The novel, inspired by film noir , fantasy and a fascination with the dark side of the 19th century, is for children between the ages of nine and 12. It tells the story of a boy, Jonathan Stirling, who discovers a similar world filled with vampires and werewolves . This alternative reality has a clearly Victorian air, and is ruled by a descendant of Jack the Ripper. Soon hunters from the other side begin searching for Jonathan, who finds himself driven into their world. Waterstone's head children's buyer, Wayne Winstone, thought highly of Becker's "huge" achievement. He said: "Tom Becker's writing style attracts you in the same way that Darren Shan's does with his mix of adventure and the supernatural. "I have a feeling that Tom has real potential and could be one of the big names in children's writing in the future." This year's shortlist also included Michael Broad's Jake Cake, Philip Caveney's Sebastian Darke and Siobhan Dowd's A Swift Pure Cry. Last year's prize was won by Julia Golding with The Diamond of Drury Lane. Which of the following is WRONG according to passage? Answer: Philip Caveney also won the prize in 2007.
I realized that I was getting cold, and felt it was probably time to go back to the apartment, so I put my collar up against the wind and began to walk back up the cold street. I managed to get some food from a vendor , and walked on. About twenty-five minutes later I knew that something was wrong. It was getting very, very cold, there were no streetlights, and the hill I was hoping to see on my right was nowhere in sight. There was almost no light except for mysterious red crosses shining from the tops of churches, and I was beginning to get worried. To cut a long story short, I had walked the wrong way from a crossroads, and had wandered miles in the wrong direction. My head was aching from the cold, and I couldn't think straight. Turing around, I started back, and a long time later was outside the house I had set off from. It was at about that time I realized that I had a gate key but no house key. How happy I was when I found that the front door was open--my only piece of good luck that day. My apartment was of course locked, my head felt like it was about to explode, and my hands and feet were freezing. I tried turning the handle. No luck. I tried another key from England. I wanted to avoid waking the family downstairs, so despite the fear of an early death from cold, I couldn't break the door down. What would my hosts think? I pulled an ATM card from my pocket and forced it alongside the inside of the lock. I didn't think it would work, but after fifteen minutes of trying, I heard a click. Another couple of minutes later the door was open. Relieved, I took off my clothes in the dark and got into bed. From the passage we can infer that the author was _ . Answer: careful Rachel, an antique dealer and a skilled calligrapher, crafted a letter on very old paper. She included details that would lead knowledgeable readers to believe the letter had been written by Thomas Jefferson to a friend. Rachel, who had a facsimile of Jefferson's autograph, made the signature and other writing on the letter resemble Jefferson's. She knew that the letter would attract the attention of local collectors. When it did and she was contacted about selling it, she said that it had come into her hands from a foreign collector who wished anonymity, and that she could make no promises about its authenticity. As she had hoped, a collector paid her $5,000 for the letter. Later the collector discovered the letter was not authentic, and handwriting analysis established that Rachel had written the letter. In a jurisdiction that follows the common-law definition of forgery, Rachel has Answer: not committed forgery, because the document had no apparent legal significance, but has committed false pretenses, since she misrepresented the source of the document. When talking about humor, people often refer to famous humorists such as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pen-name Mark Twain. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, America's famous writer, journalist and humorist, was born in Florida on November 30, 1835.He was the sixth of the seven children in the family.As a child, Samuel was often kept indoors because of his poor health. When Samuel was 12, his father died of a deadly disease and at the age of 13, Samuel had to leave school to make a living.He became a printer's apprentice .A year later, he became skilled at printing by working and studying hard.Samuel was then employed as a printer with pay.After two years, he became an editorial assistant.It was then that young Samuel became aware of his fondness for writing. When he was 17 years old, Samuel left Hannibal for a printer's job in St.Louis.While staying in St.Louis, Samuel became a river pilot in 1858.His pen-name, Mark Twain, came from his days as a river pilot.It is a river term meaning "safe to sail". Because the river trade was brought to a stop by the Civil War in 1861, Samuel began working as a newspaper reporter for several newspapers all over the United States.Samuel's career took off and he became famous when his story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country appeared in the New York Saturday Press on November 18, 1865.Samuel's first book, The Innocents Abroad was published in 1896.The two novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (in 1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (in 1885) brought him worldwide popularity.He wrote 28 books and numerous humor stories, letters and plays. Mark Twain passed away on April 21, 1910.To remember him, his childhood home was open to the public as a museum in Hannibal. Which made Mark Twain become famous? Answer: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country A decomposer is an organism that Answer: recycles nutrients Tech-Camp prefix = st1 /6 Devon Road, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong a technology day camp for students 12--17 About Tech-Camp: Tech-Camp is a day camp with a focus on computers and electronics technology. We offer 2-week summer programs for students of 12 to 17 years of age. We have a computer lab with the latest and fastest equipment, an electronics lab, and a video production studio. Our staff is special, too. Our program leaders are experts in computers and electronics, of course, but they are also people who care about children and enjoy working with them. The benefits of Tech-Camp: In all of our programs, we show students how to work in teams and how to solve problems by themselves. We encourage them to think creatively. What students will do at Tech-Camp? Each day at Tech-Camp is filled with useful, interesting and challenging activities. For example, in the Computer Program, students learn basic computer programming, and how to use the Internet. In the High-tech Program, they make radio-controlled model cars and produce their own short videos. Program Session 1 Computer Program 15June-26June High-tech Program 29June-10July 27July-7August Fee: HK $ 2,000 per student (10% discount available for groups of l0 or more students) For more information about Tech-Camp, please contact Director of Summer Program, Ms Julia Brown, by phone, fax or e-mail. Telephone :26548898 Fax: 26948850 e-mail: juliab@ techcamp. com. HK Which of the following is not mentioned in the brochure ? Answer: The number of students each session can admit.
My name is Mike. I'm a student of No. 14 Middle School. Our school is on Guangming Street. It's next to the People's Library. There is a big park across from our school. The pay phone is between our school and the post office. I live near the school. I often walk to school. It takes me five minutes. There are three buildings in our school, the students' building, the teachers' building and a library building. The teachers in our school are very good and friendly. Our school is very beautiful. If you come to our school from the airport , you can take a taxi. It takes about thirty minutes to get to our school by taxi. Now let me tell you the way to our school. First, go along Bridge Street and turn left when you see Guangming Street. Go along Guangming Street, you can see the People's Library on your left. Our school is next to it. If you can't find it, you can call me at 010-89864578. There is _ between No. 14 Middle School and the post office. A a library B a school C a park D a pay phone Answer: D I found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble. I was in the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final test. During the test, the girl sitting next to me whispered something, but I didn't understand. So I leaned over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me if I had an extra pen. She showed me that hers was out of ink and would not write. I happened to have an extra one, so I took it out of my pocket and put it on her desk. Later, after the test papers had been turned in, the teacher asked me to stay in the room when all the other students were dismissed . As soon as we were alone she began to talk to me about what it meant to grow up; she talked about how important it was to stand on your own two feet and be responsible for your own acts. For a long time, she talked about honesty and emphasized the fact that when people do something dishonest, they are really cheating themselves. She made me promise that I would think seriously about all the things she had said, and then she told me I could leave. I walked out of the room wondering why she had chosen to talk to me about all those things. Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl's test paper. I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very very strange to her that I hadn't talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test. Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued to believe that I had cheated on the test. The boy knew everything _ . A the moment he was asked to stay behind B when the teacher started talking about honesty C only some time later D when he was walking out of the room Answer: C LONDON (AP) -- England joins on Sunday the growing list of places that ban smoking in public buildings, taxis and other places including even Buckingham Palace with a tough law. Pubs, clubs and restaurants will all be smoke-free. Taxi and delivery drivers have been warned that they too could be fined 50 pounds, or about $100, if caught lighting up inside work vehicles. Experts say the bans have become an irreversible tread because of greatly rising health costs and public uneasiness over second-hand smoke. Some of the strictest smoking bans are in the United States, even though there is no federal anti-smoking policy. New York and Florida have strict bans, while California has certain outdoor smoking bans. Spain, Italy, Iran, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, South Africa, Uruguay and new Zealand have passed legislation to restrict smoking. France banned smoking in many public places in February and plans to extend the ban to cafes and restaurants next year. Finland is introducing a ban in 2009. Despite the spread of bans, the World Health Organization predicts a steady rise in tobacco sales. In its Tobacco Atlas, the WHO said that by 2030 there will be "at least another two billion smokers in the world" and an expected decrease in male smokers "will be _ by an increase in female smoking rates, especially in developing countries." In advance of the English ban, anti-smoking ads have coated bus stops and the British government has subsidized programs to help people quit. The rest of Britain--Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland --already have smoking bans in place. Which of the following places may still be smoking areas in England? A Private houses B Taxis. C Restaurants. D London clubs Answer: A Are the British people Europeans?This may seem a strange question to Africans and Asians,who tend to think of all white men as Europeans. But the British,when they are in Britain,do not regard themselves as Europeans. The Europeans,to them,are those rather excitable foreigners from the other side of English Channel,who have never learnt how to speak English. Europe is "the Continent":a place full of interests for English tourists,but also the source of almost all the wars in which Britain has ever been involved. Thus,although geographically speaking Britain is a part of Europe,yet the fact that it is a separate island has made its people feel very,very insular . They feel,in many ways,different from the rest of Europe,and they sometimes annoy continental nations by failing to support them,or even to understand them,in time of need. Where did the British people come from?This is quite interesting question,since they are a mixture of many different races ,and all these races invaded Britain at various times from Europe. Nobody knows very much about prefix = st1 /Britainbefore the Romans came during the first century B. C.,but there had been at least three invasions before that. The first of these was by a dark--haired Mediterranean race called Iberians. The other two were by Celtic tribes :first the Gaels,whose descendants are the modern Scots and Irish,some of whom still speak the Gaelic language;secondly the Britons,who gave their name to the whole island of Britain. These were the people whom the Romans conquered. The Romans gave the Britons a good deal of civilization,but they never settled in Britain in very large numbers,so the British race survived until the overthrow of the Roman Empire by the"barbarians"--the numerous Germanic tribes which overran the whole of Western Europe. It can be known from the passage that_. A all the people think white people are Europeans B there are many Africans and Asians living in Europe C white men are Europeans in the eyes of Africans and Asians D the British people think of themselves as Europeans Answer: C Most damagingly, anger weakens a person's ability to think clearly and keep control over his behaviour. The angry person loses objectivity in evaluating the emotional significance of the person or situation that arouses his anger. Not everyone experiences anger in the same way; what angers one person may amuse another. The specific expression of anger also differs from person to person based on biological and cultural forces. In contemporary culture, physical expressions of anger are generally considered too socially harmful to be tolerated. We no longer regard duels as an appropriate expression of anger resulting from one person's awareness of insulting behaviour on the part of another. Anger can be identified in the brain, where the electrical activity changes. Under most conditions EEG measures of electrical activity show balanced activity between the right and left prefrontal areas. Behaviourally this corresponds to the general evenhanded disposition that most of us possess most of the time. But when we are angry the EEG of the right and left prefrontal areas aren't balanced and, as a result of this, we're likely to react. And our behavioural response to anger is different from our response to other emotions, whether positive or negative. Most positive emotions are associated with approach behaviour: we move closer to people we like. Most negative emotions, in contrast, are associated with avoidance behaviour: we move away from people and things that we dislike or that make us anxious. But anger is an exception to this pattern. The angrier we are, the more likely we are to move towards the object of our anger. This corresponds to what psychologists refer to as offensiveanger: the angry person moves closer in order to influence and control the person or situation causing his anger. This approachandconfront behaviour is accompanied by a leftward prefrontal asymmetry of EEG activity. Interestingly, this asymmetry lessens if the angry person can experience empathy towards the individual who is bringing forth the angry response. In defensiveanger, in contrast, the EEG asymmetry is directed to the right and the angry person feels helpless in the face of the angerinspiring situation. Which of the following is typical of offensive anger? A Approaching the source of anger. B Trying to control what is disliked. C Moving away from what is disliked. D Feeling helpless in the face of anger. Answer: A
Several years ago, a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America. One was a very rich banker, another owned one of the largest companies in the world, and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York. The reporter was talking to them about being important. "How do we know if someone is really important?" the reporter asked the banker. The banker thought for a few moments and then said," I think anybody who is invited to the Whiter House to meet the President of the United States is really important. " The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company. "Do you agree with that?" she asked. The man shook his head, "No. I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House. You'd only be important if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it. " The reporter turned to the third man. "Do you think so?" "No, I don't." he said. "I don't think that makes the visitor important. That makes the President important. " "Then what would make the visitor important?" the reporter and the other two men asked. "Oh, I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang, and the President picked up the receiver, listened and then said, "It's for you." There are _ in this passage. A two men and two women B three men and one woman C three women and one man D four women Answer: B. three men and one woman Let's travel the world together Nickname: Zaloxx Email:jdlxx8@yahoo. com When to travel: Feb 2010-Apr 2010 Self-introduction.. A 40+ male with strong physical and financial abilities. Hope to travel in India, Singapore and Thailand for business as well as for fun. My travel plan: Fly to Delhi and spend 3 weeks in India travelling mostly in north. Fly to Singapore and Thailand for a few business matters and mainly for fun. Whom I am looking for: A female to travel with me. She should be an attractive 30-40 healthy romantic lady and love travelling and relaxing. Together for Christmas and New Year? Nickname: Rue Rose Email: sofitsao@taishin, com. tw When to travel: Dec 2010-Jan 2011 Self-introduction: I am a fit, young, looking 40 years old female, who is easy-going, fun to be with. My travel plan: Would like to go somewhere hot-Cuba, Africa, Morocco, and so on. Perhaps the Christmas and New Year there are more interesting. Whom I am looking for: A male much with similar interests. A non-smoker and light drinker. Travel in good company! Nickname: Louise Email: misskennedy@hotmail, co. uk When to travel: Jan 2010 Self-introduction: 40 years old, fun-loving and easy-going. My travel plan: I need a break and I am open to anywhere. Whom I am looking for: A male travel companion , 24-40. A non-smoker who enjoys outside activities. Prefer someone that speaks Spanish. Need a travel companion in Thailand! Nickname: Gio Email: esteban407@yahoo, com When to travel: Feb 2010-Apr 2010 Self-introduction: I am 28 years old from London. I like to keep fit and enjoy hiking and camping. My travel plan: I plan to visit Thailand and travel around the country to enjoy nature and the sunshine. Whom I am looking for: Someone around my age. A male who is willing to have an active holiday. If the Londoner and his companion travel in March, 2010, they will probably be in A Cuba B Singapore C India D Thailand Answer: D. Thailand America was faced with one of its worst ever mass shootings on Friday when 20 children and six adults were shot dead by a gunman who opened fire at an elementary school in Connecticut. The gunshot atSandy Hook element school in Newtown, about 65 miles north-east.of New York, is understood to have been carried out by a gunman who was later found dead at the scene. State policeman Paul Vance said 18 children died at the scene and two more died ,n hospital.Six adults were found dead at the school, Vance said.The bodies of the victims remain inside the school. In an emotional press conference at the White House, Barack Obama suggested that he may take action.Fighting back tears, he said: "We've tolemted too many of these tragedies in the past few years.And each time I learn the news I react no.as a president, but as anybody else would - as a panent.And that was especially true today.I know there's not a parent in America who isn't in the same overwhelming sorrow that I am," Referring to a number of major shootings this year alone, Obama continued "Whether it's an elemental school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon , a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Auron, or a street comer in Chicago - these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children.And we-,, going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regariless of the politics." The best headline of the news should be _ . A President Obama's Speech B America Is In Danger C America's Gun Control Appears A Problem D Gunman Kills 20 School Children Answer: D. Gunman Kills 20 School Children There was once a forest made up of tiny trees that were all growing up together. They had been planted by a very old gardener who took care that they would all grow up to be straight and healthy. However, the area was hit by strong winds, and the little trees preferred to avoid the annoying winds, so they bent their trunks and branches to protect themselves. The old man, knowing they could never grow well like this, decided to straighten them out, and spent many hours tying their tiny trunks to supporting poles , hoping his beloved trees would understand he was doing this for their own good. But those naughty trees disliked all the wind. They always avoided the gardener's help by bending themselves, hiding from the wind. One of those trees, one standing right in the middle of the forest, forced itself to grow up straight, patiently bearing the annoying wind. Three years passed, and the old man died. And from then on the trees could grow however they liked, bending from the wind just as they pleased, with no one bothering them about it. All, that was, except the single straight tree in the center of the forest, who decided to grow up just as a tree should. But as the forest grew, and the trees got thicker and stronger, they began to hear cracks from inside. Their branches and trunks needed to keep growing, but the trees were so twisted that the growth they were experiencing only brought them pain and suffering. And it was a place with a special beauty since, right in its center, surrounded by thousands of short twisted trees, rose one impressive tree that was long and straight like no others. And that tree, the only one that never cracked, continued growing, without a worry for the changeable wind. How long did the old gardener look after the trees? A Two years. B Three years. C Four years. D Five years. Answer: B. Three years. The Spotlight in Rio Phelps puts spotlight on cupping Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps fed American swimmers to 8 gold medals in the 4x100-meter relay, but what grabbed media attention and led to stories and photos around the globe were the purple and red circles on his back. Michael Phelps of the USA is seen with red cupping marks on his shoulder as he competes during the 2016 Rio Olympics men's 200m butterfly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , Aug 8,2016 . Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui goes viral China's women's swimmer Fu Yuanhui has created a hit online not just by winning the bronze medal in the 100m backstroke competition, but also by her facial expressions during the post semi-final interview with China Central Television (CCTV) on Monday . When asked whether she held back for the final, Fu replied, "No, I used my 'prehistorical power'.What she meant was that she had spared no efforts in the semi-final.Since then, the so-called "prehistorical power" has gone viral and become a new Internet meme. Britain wins first Olympic diving gold in men's synchronized 3m springboard( 3 ) Britain's Jack Laugher and Chris Mears ended China's gold medal monopoly over diving events at the Rio Olympics by winning the men's synchronized 3m springboard final On Wednesday, the country's first-ever Olympic gold medal in diving . Laugher and Mears finished with a six-round total of 454.32 points, just 4.11 points ahead of silver medallists Mike Hixon and Sam Dorman of the USA at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Center.China's Cao Yuan and Qin Kai took the bronze with 443.70 points. What attracted media attention with Phelps' winning the gold medal ? A His great leadership. B His scars on his back. C The cupping marks on his back. D His achievements he made in the men's 200rn butterfly. Answer: C. The cupping marks on his back.
At the beginning of my 8:00 a.m. class one Monday at UNLV , I cheerfully asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been very good. The young man then proceeded to ask me why I always seemed to be so cheerful. His question reminded me of something I'd read somewhere before: "Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to approach life that day," I said to the young man. "I choose to be cheerful." "Let me give you an example," I continued. "In addition to teaching here at UNLV, I also teach out at the community college in Henderson. One day a few weeks ago I drove to Henderson. I exited the freeway and turned onto College Drive. But just then my car died. I tried to start it again, but the engine wouldn't _ . So I put my flashers on, grabbed my books, and marched down the road to the college." "As soon as I got there, the secretary in the Provost's office asked me what had happened. 'This is my lucky day', I replied, smiling." "Your car breaks down and today is your lucky day?" She was puzzled, "What do you mean?" "I live seventeen miles from here. I replied. My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. It didn't. Instead, it broke down in the perfect place: off the freeway, within walking distance of here. I'm still able to teach my class, and I've been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class. If my car was meant to break down today, it couldn't have been arranged in a more convenient fashion." If you want to be cheerful you should _ . A try to succeed in doing everything B try to please your boss every day C earn a lot of money by working D choose to be cheerful every day Answer: D Look carefully at the back of a California state quarter.A man with a walking stick is pictured there.A bird called a California condor is flying overhead. Who is this man,and why is he so important that he is featured on the back of a coin? The man on this quarter is John Muir.Even as a child, Muir loved watching nature. As a young man,he spent much of his life exploring the beauty of the wilderness.He walked more than a thousand miles across the country,through fields and woods.John Muir liked writing about the places he visited,describing their beauty. Muir also wrote about problems.In order to create more farmland for sheep and cattle, rnany trees were being cut down.This made Muir unhappy and worried,because he knew that trees were important to forests and to the animals that lived in them.Muir believed that nature should be conserved instead of being changed by human beings.He wrote articles in magazines and newspapers to spread the word about conserving forests.Soon,others began to listen. Muir wrote letters to important people,such as President Theodore Roosevelt.The president admired Muir's love for nature.When Roosevelt came to visit Muir in California. Muir convinced the president to go camping with him for three nights under the trees so they could talk about conservation.Later,President Roosevelt set aside 148 million acres of land for national forests and established five national parks.National parks are large areas of land that are protected from development. This means that people cannot build homes or businesses there. One of these parks is Yosemite National Park,the area that is featured on the back of the California quarter. Though it has been almost one hundred years since John Muir died,people continue his work today.His work as a conservationist helped us to see the beauty of our natural world.John Muir made us understand the importance of protecting our earth and our resources---then,now,and for the future. What did John Muir spend much of his life doing when he was a young man? A Watching natural views. B Writing about the places he visited. C Exploring the beauty of the wilderness. D Creating farmland for sheep and cattle. Answer: C There was once a boy who hardly had any toys or money. Nevertheless, he was a very happy little boy. He said that what made him happy was doing things for others, and that doing so gave him a nice feeling inside. However, no one really believed him, they thought he was silly. He spent all day helping others, dispensing charity to the poorest, and looking after abandoned animals. Very seldom did he ever do anything for himself. One day, he met a famous doctor who thought the boy's case was so peculiar that he decided to investigate him. So, with a complex system of cameras and tubes, the doctor managed to record what was happening inside the boy. What he discovered was surprising. Each time the boy did something good, a thousand tiny angels gathered around the boy's heart and started tickling it. That explained the boy's happiness, but the doctor continued studying until he discovered that we all have our own thousand angels inside us. Unfortunately, he found that, as we do so few good things, the angels spend most of their time wandering about, bored. And so it was that the secret to happiness was discovered. Thanks to that little boy we now know exactly what we have to do to feel our hearts being tickled. What does the passage try to teach us? A Believing in yourself is very important. B Happiness comes from doing good deeds. C Being poor will help you be more happy. D Angels will help you if you work hard enough. Answer: B Nearly everyone is shy in some ways. If shyness is making you uncomfortable, it may be time for a few lessons in self-confidence. You can build your confidence by following some suggestions from doctors and psychologists. Make a decision not to hold back in conversations. What you have to say is just as important as what other people say. And don't turn down party invitations just because of your shyness. Prepare for yourself for being with others in groups. Make a list of the good qualities you have. Then make a list of ideas, experiences, and skills you would like to share with other people . I think about what you would like to say in advance. Then say it. If you start feeling self-conscious in a group, take a deep breath and focus your attention on other people, Remember, you are not alone. Other people are concerned about the impression they are making, too. No one ever gets over being shy completely, but most people do learn to live with their shyness. Even entertainers admit that they often feel shy. They work at fighting their shy feelings so that they can face the cameras and the public. Just making the effort to control shyness can have many rewards. But perhaps the best reason to fight shyness is to give other people a chance to know about you. The main purpose of the article is to _ . A explain how shyness developed B recommend ways of dealing with shyness C persuade readers that shyness is natural D prove that shyness can be overcome Answer: B It is growing dark as Daniel and I walk along the path. "I would be afraid to be out at this time in London," he says. "I would be frightened of being attacked." I am spending the day with 16-year-old Daniel and six other pupils from Burlington Danes School on a farm in Bath. Most of them have never been in the countryside, and have spent the past week feeding cows and going for long winter walks. They are here on Jamie's Farm. Started by Feilden, it aims to give inner-city children the experience of rural life. The children, many of whom have been in gangs or in trouble with the police, stay for a week in the Feildens' family home. According to Feilden, not a single item has been lost, stolen or broken in the farm. As his mother says, "I think the beauty here helps them." Or as 16-year-old Daniel says, "I like to be here. It smells all fresh." The pupils rise early to feed the cows, ping, chickens and horses, before eating a cooked breakfast. Following this comes more farm work, lunch, more work, a long walk, supper and finally bed. They love it. "It is great not having a phone," explains one. "I focus so much better." Many speak of how the diet has changed their mood and others of how much they like feeding the animals. The idea for the farm came when Feilden was working as a teacher in a "challenging" Croydon school. Most of the pupils had never been beyond the town, let alone into the countryside. Feilden felt farming could help. "It gave the pupils something to do besides fighting." It is, of course, not a _ -- a troubled child will still be a troubled child -- but Feilden says it still worthwhile. "If all we achieve is to show them the beauty of the countryside, then I think we've achieved a lot." What is the best title for the passage? A The Charm of Country Life B An Introduction to Feilden's Farm C Country Life Charms Inner-city Teens D Country Life and City Life Answer: C
There are two deaf men in a small village. One is Mr. White and the other is Mr. Black. They live near to each other. They are good friends. Mr. White and Mr. Black often talk together. They talk about all kinds of things. Sometimes they are worried about their hearing. But one thinks the other is much deafer. One day Mr. Black comes to see Mr. White. Mr. White is sitting on a chair, He is having a rest. Mr. Black stops at the door and asks, "Can you hear me?" There is no answer. Mr. Black goes nearer and asks again, "Can you hear me?" Again he doesn't hear any answer. Mr. Black is quite pleased. Still he goes nearer and asks for the third time, "Can you hear me?" Still there is no answer. At last Mr. Black goes up to Mr. White and calls, "Now I know you are much deafer than me. You don't hear my questions." "I'm much deafer?" says Mr. White. "No, I answer you three times. But you do not hear my answer." Mr. Black and Mr. White are _ men, I think. Answer: interesting Which have a positive impact on the environment? Answer: canvas grocery sacks Library Special Needs Service Shellharbour City Library provides a rang of Library Special Needs Service for people who are unable to access our library service in the usual way. As long as you live in Shellharbour City, we'll provide a full rang of library services and resources including: * Large printed and ordinary printed books * Talking books on tape and CD * DVDs and music CDs * Magazines * Reference and information requests You will be asked to complete a 'Statement of Need' application form which must be signed by a medical professional. Home delivery service Let us know what you like to read and we will choose the resources for you.Our staff will deliver the resources to your home for free. We also provide a service where we can choose the resources for you or someone instead of you choose the things from the library .You can also choose the resources you need personally. Talking books and captioned videos The library can provide talking books for people who are unable to use printed books because of eye diseases. You don't have to miss out on reading any more when you can borrow talking books from the library. If you have limited hearing which prevents you from enjoying movies, we can provide captioned videos for you at no charge. Languages besides English We can provide books in a rang of languages besides English. If possible, we will request these items from the State Library of NSW, Australia. How to join? Contact the Library Special Needs Coordinator to register or discuss if you are eligible for any of the services we provide ---Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9am ---5pm on 4297 2522 for more information. If people with eye diseases want to learn about history, they can choose _ . Answer: talking books In January, a survey was conducted to ask readers what their professions of choice were. One of the top choices was investment banking. Lots of people see banking as a way to move up the social ladder and make a lot of money. But it is important to remember that money can't buy happiness. Just ask Greg Smith. The former executive director of the top US investment banking firm, Goldman Sachs, resigned his job last week. On the day he quit, he wrote an article in the New York Times describing the "toxic" culture of the company for which he had worked for 12 years. Smith revealed that over the years, Goldman Sachs often took advantages of its clients. The company tried to make as much money as possible for the firm instead of working for the best deals for their investors. "The firm has turned so far from the place I joined right out of college that I can no long in good conscience say that I identify with what it stands for," Smith wrote. "It makes me ill how coldly people talk about ripping their clients off. Smith also criticized the company's promotion policy. People used to be promoted because they showed good character and leadership skills. Now, Smith said, promotion is based on how much money you earn for the company. The way you treat your clients and colleagues does not matter. "Goldman Sachs today has become too much about shortcuts and not enough about achievements. It just doesn't feel right to me anymore." Smith wrote. The rewards are great for those who succeed in investment banking. But perhaps it is worth thinking about how your career will affect your character and how others see you. If Smith is right, success in this career requires a high level of dishonesty. Those hoping to make a career in investment banking might want to think twice about the culture of the finance field. A fat bank is all very well, but do all those banknotes add up to happiness? Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: The more money you earn for the company, the more likely you are to be promoted. GENEVA, Feb.11 (Xinhua) --The current La Nina weather phenomenon may just be a partial cause of south prefix = st1 /China's freeze-up at the start of 2008, said the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Monday. The latest La Nina pattern, which began in the third quarter of 2007, has picked up strength in the past three months, with sea surface temperatures now about 1. 5 to 2 degrees Celsius colder than average over large parts of the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean, said the latest report issued by the WMO. Presenting the Geneva-based body's report, Rupa Kumar Killi, a WMO climate expert, said the recent month-long snow and ice-storms in China's central, southern and eastern regions could be connected with the La Nina phenomenon, the climatic opposite of El Nino . However, he said China's freeze-up was a result of several causes combined and was partly caused by a cold surge from the north and west. He also said the present La Nina cycle may last at least until mid-2008 and it is also possible, if less likely, that the cycle could stretch into the third quarter. La Nina is a large pool of unusually cold water in the equatorial Pacific that develops every few years and influences global weather. It is the climatic opposite of El Nino, a warming of the Pacific, and both have been associated with extreme weather around the globe. Since Jan. 10, snow, sleet and low temperatures have swept China's southern regions, a rare occurrence for the area. What partially caused south China's freeze-up at the beginning of 2008? Answer: La Nina.
Li Ping is going to England. He wants to know something about English people. One day he sees an English girl in the street. Then he comes up to her. "Excuse me, may I ask you some questions?" "Of course you may."answers the girl politely. "I'll go to London. What should I notice when I'm talking with English people in London? "asks Li Ping. "Well, don't ask a woman how old she is and..." "But how old are you? "Li Ping stops the girl and asks suddenly. "I..."The girl gets angry. "Why do you get so angry?"asks Li Ping. "Now we are in China, not in England, you see" Does Li Ping say sorry to the girl or not? Answer: Different countries have different customs. When you travel to another country, please follow their customs, just as the saying goes, " _ ." Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip . It is usual to tip _ who help carry your bags, taxi drivers and waiters. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount. In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It's important to respect lines there. It's a good idea to talk about the weather. It's a favourite subject of conversation with the British. In Spain, it's a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants do not generally open until after 9 pm. In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek . Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same. In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don't put it into your pocket right away. The person expects you to read it. Don't forget to be careful of your body language to express something in a conversation. A kind of body language that is used in one culture may be impolite in another. When you travel to the USA, you don't need to tip _ . Answer: 3D printing technology may not be a new thing in some foreign countries. But in May this year, at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. Many visitors were attracted by a 3D printer. The machine looks similar to an ordinary printer and can print a "statue" in about 90 minutes after scanning anything, including a person. The printer prints layer by layer. For example, if we want to print a 30-cm-tall statue, the computer will calculate* the layers and print 460 layers in total*. It can also print people and clothes. You can stand for scanning for just about three minutes, and a statue will be finished about two hours. The cost for a statue of a man is about 1000yuan. The printer, which costs about 500,000yuan, is from the USA. "We want to introduce this technology to people, and find more chances here." said an engineer, "There is a company in USA that offers 3D printing services to people. Many people come to design their own thing. It is very cool. We hope that the printer will encourage more Chinese people to be more creative." The best title for the passage is _ . Answer: Are you a foreigner in Shanghai, China, wanting to find a job? Here's some information for you. Teaching Job in High School Description: High school(students aged 14-18) 12 classes/week Benefits and Compensation : Salary: 7,000-8,000 RMB/month Paid public holidays and winter holidays Free accommodation with full furniture Medical insurance Requirements: English native speaker Bachelor's degree or above New graduates are welcome To apply, please send your resume, and one recent photo copy to: _ Coffee & Bar Manage Needed Description: A big Coffee & Bar in Ganghui Plaza, Xujiahui, Shanghai, is looking for a manager. The Coffee & Bar has about 300 seats; main service is western food and coffee. Benefits and Compensation: Salary: 12,000 RMB/month Requirements: Male, about or above 30 Speak fluent Chinese 5 years' experience in restaurant management If you're qualified and interested, please send me your resume with picture: swd3rfv@gmail.com. Office receptionist &Sales Assistant Description: We are a well-known tourism company in Shanghai, and started our business at the beginning of 2000. Responsibility: Assist the sales manager and sales representatives Welcome the visitors Requirements: Female, 20 to 30 years old Sales experience will be an advantage, but not a must If you're interested, please send me your resume with picture(we won't accept without it): david@jobsitechina.com Which of the following positions will provide free accommodation? Answer: Searching for love is no longer just a favorite subject for songs. It has also become a huge industry. Researchers say the online dating industry in the US earned 649 million dollars in 2006. They expect this number to increase to more than 9 million dollars by 2011. Experts say that the industry has grown because traditional social ties have weakened. Many young people leave behind a close community of friends and family to find work in bigger cities. People work longer hours, so they have less time to meet new people. This helps explain the popularity of online dating. Some estimates say120 thousand marriages a year result from matches made on the Internet. The dating industry has also been expanding in new ways. Many companies offer personalized services for finding the perfect mate. These companies are answering a large demand by single people. They are willing to invest their time and money to find love with carefully planned methods, instead of leaving love to chance. AskRomeo is a company in Virginia. It provides single people with advice on how to meet a person for the first time. Also in Virginia, the company True Life Partners provides a more costly and detailed dating service. The company hires a team of professional persons who help couples meet. But this level of service comes at a high price. Men pay thousands of dollars for the service. But women get to take part at no cost. There are lots of other costs linked to dating. And we wonder how the economic recession has affected dating in the US. The author took AskRomeo and True Life Partners for examples to _ . Answer:
There has never been a better time than now to buy a new piece of technology, such as a computer. Technology usually starts out at a high price, but as time goes by it goes down in price. Now I've found that many new products are at good prices from the st art.There is no question about it This is a buyers' market for sure.! Also, as shopping on the Internet gets saf er , more people are trying to buy things in that way.The Net is where buyers can save money if they know of a few money-saving sites. The first things that a person should do is to compare the prices online stores.Sites such as pricesgrabber.com, techbargains.com, nextag.com and street prices.com will help you decide which store has the lowest price.The differences can be $500-$1000. Remember that many stores also have large discounts on many things at certain times of the year. But I'd rather sit in front of my computer in my comfortable chair of going shopping in crowded places What should come first if you want to shop online ? _ Safe Internet. Mr. Grey was the manager of a small office in London. He lived in the country, and came up to work by train. He liked walking from the station to his office unless it was raining, because it gave him some exercise. One morning he was walking along the street when a stranger stopped him and said to him, "You may not remember me, sir, but seven years ago I came to London without a penny in my pockets, I stopped you in this street and asked you to lend me some money, and you lent me PS 5, because you said you were willing to _ so as to give a man a start on the way to success." Mr. Grey thought for a few minutes and then said, "Yes, I remember you. Go on with your story!" "Well," answered the stranger, "are you still willing to take a chance?" Mr. Grey liked walking to his office because _ . he wanted to keep in good health If You Make a Mistake, Don't Worry! Yeah, you'll want to forget about them, but mistakes can be useful. Making a mistake doesn't mean it's the end of the world. In real life you have to grow and mature, and with that comes some growing pains. You know you should have studied hard but you went out with some friends instead. You know you should have put the money into the bank for a rainy day instead of spending it on all kinds of things you didn't need. It's the growing pains called mistakes that most people make when they are growing up. Face them. You are going to make them. Learn from them. All of the people you wish to copy, such as all the experts in your business field, have made mistakes. They'll continue to make mistakes for all their successes. One of the major differences between people like them and the vast majority of others is that they don't let their mistakes stop them. Instead, they use their mistakes as learning tools. At the very least, when you make a mistake, you'll know what not to do. And you can help others by warning them of the mistakes you've made. Don't let mistakes stop you from doing anything. Learn from them, don't hide in a closet. Facing up to your mistakes now and later will mature. What mistakes are you making right now? Take a look at anything you might be doing wrong. Take a step back and evaluate your situation, then fix whatever needs to be corrected. Then move forward. Always remember your mistakes to remind yourself of what not to do for the future. Which statement is true according to the writer? Keep your mistakes in mind in order not to make the same mistakes again in the future. You are young and free. It's sometimes hard to see how the decisions you make in your 20's affect the rest of your life. The truth is, your 20's are the foundation for the rest of your life. Here are 4 mistakes 20-somethings should stop making now to ensure a bright future. Stop wasting time. You can waste time in many ways, especially before establishing your future. With your entire future ahead of you, it often can seem like there are unlimited amounts of time. It's not the case. Use your time to do things that matter to you. Spend time on things like traveling, networking, building relationships and climbing the corporate ladder. Stop wasting money. Too often, in our 20's, we want stuff. From expensive designer clothes, to fancy electronics, and many other possessions that take up a huge chunk of our income. Stop wasting money on these things. They are going to be out of date and out of style quicker than you imagine. Take your _ income and invest in your future to ensure you have great experiences. Stop staying in bad relationships. Your first love can be hard to get over. And bad relationships can linger much too long. Stop spending time with people who don't make you a better person. When you're in a bad relationship, it will make the rest of your life more difficult. Evaluate your relationships . Stop _ Whether it's depending on your parents for bills or relying on your co-workers , your 20's are a time to become more independent. Take help when you need it, but start working towards financial independence. Time can be used to spend time on the following things except _ . Surfing the Internet A child will only grow if they are provided with energy
If there is one person who has left a deep impression on me, it's my teacher Mrs. Pathak who was my class teacher for three years. In my childhood, how I wished I had a mother or a sister like her. One moment she could be tough and strict, another moment caring and compassionate . She always encouraged us to tell the truth. For instance, if one had not done the homework, he need not lie. She allowed us to make mistakes, saying we couldn't be perfect all the time, but we should try. Another thing she taught me early on was punctuality. She set a good example with her own behaviour. She was always on time, so we students tried our best to be on time. She surprised us with her sense of humour. Her classroom teaching was always humorous. After class, she talked to us and told us jokes. We really felt free to ask questions and Mrs. Pathak would give the answers. If she did not know -- there had been some occasions -- she would say _ We all then tried to find out the answers. Whoever came up with the answer was appreciated and given the due credit . Now I sometimes wonder whether Mrs. Pathak was pretending just to encourage us to explore and find answers by ourselves. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT suitable for describing Mrs. Pathak? Answer: Careful. No one can believe that the over 6,300-kilometer Great Wall might disappear some day. Believe it or not, the Great Wall is being destroyed by people. Less than 20 percent of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty ,is still perfect, but about 80 percent is in danger. The Great Wall can be called " great " mostly because of its amazing length. But we should realize that the length was made up of one brick at a time. If we do nothing to save the Great Wall,it will become a series of separate wasteland rather than a historic site. The Great Wall is actually a series of walls built and rebuilt by different dynasties over the past 2,000 years. It began in the rule of China's first emperor, Qin Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221BC----206BC), and lasted into the Ming Dynasty. The parts built before the Ming Dynasty have nearly disappeared. People are familiar with sections such as Badaling in Beijing and Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu, because they have been open to tourists for many years. But _ have been almost forgotten. Few local people knew the 3--meter--high walls made of earth and stones beside them are parts of the Great Wall. The lack of knowledge is considered as one of the main reasons behind human. The bricks on the Great Wall are carried off by countryside people to build their houses,sheep corrals and pigsties. Some were taken away to build roads. Bricks carved with people's names are put away as remembrances. The rubbish is spread over the battlements. The brick can be sold 15 yuan per tractor load. Those who destroyed and are destroying the Wall know its name, but are not clear about its cultural meaning. It will take a long time to let them know this. The local farmers not only carried off the body of the Wall but also dug out the entire base. It is necessary to protect the Great Wall. First of all, the officials should be aware of the importance of the Great Wall. Young Chinese should know more about the nation's great civilization and learn to love it. What's the main reason of the Great Wall being destroyed? Answer: The local people are short of culture knowledge. 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. The professor's homework was to ask his students _ . Answer: to spend time helping other What is the smallest unit of an element that still has the properties of that element? Answer: an atom The Garden Hotel When you are next in Nanoko, be sure to stay at the Garden Hotel.Whether you come on business or on holiday, you will find everything as comfortable and convenient as you would expect in a first-class international hotel. Every bedroom has its own private bathroom, telephone, wall-to-wall carpeting and color1ful, modern materials and furniture in the local style. In the Mitsu Restaurant, you can choose your meals from as wide a variety of dishes, both Eastern and European, as you will find anywhere in the country.In the Beach Bar, you can drink with your family and friends in air-conditioned comfort, to the music of internationally known artists.Or you can take your drink outside into the beautiful garden that gives the hotel its name, or to the tables that surround the swimming pool.Throughout the hotel, you will find the service is both friendly and efficient. By day, the pool is alive with the holiday spirit and the happy shouting of children; and by right, soft lights and music make it the perfect place for a party, or simply for an after-dinner drink and conversation. The Garden Hotel has its own private mini-bus service.Give us a ring and we will arrange to collect you at the airport or in the city center.Every day a bus leaves the hotel for day trips up into the hills to see the ruined city of Morote, or the villages and temples of the hill people;or along the coast to the seaside towns and wonderful beaches of Cape St Germain. If you prefer, we can arrange for you to visit the Wainiri Islands that lie just off the coast.Here you can swim and sun-bathe in private and in peace;or you can fish for one of the many varieties of sea-life for which the Wainiris are justly famous. The Garden Hotel is right on the beach, only five minutes for Nanoko's modern shopping centre.Here you will find all that money can buy, at prices you can afford. GARDEN HOTEL, BEACH AVENUE, NANOKO, P.R.T.TEL:46-0488 The hotel can arrange for the visitor to _ . Answer: go across to the Wainiri Islands to swim or fish
Millions years ago much of our earth was covered with blocks of ice. These ice blocks were as tall as high buildings in modern cities. Most of the ice was in the northern part of the world. Then the ice blocks started to move south. Cold and rain came with the ice. Animals and people had to move. At last, the ice began to melt . After half a million years, most of it had melted. More than half of the earth became covered with water. The _ became much warmer. Things began to grow. The earth began to look the way it looks today. What did animals and people try to do when the ice blocks moved south? Answer: They tried to stay ahead of them. I was not quite seventeen when I decided to join the US Marine Corps.My mother tried her best to talk me out of my dream, and then finally signed the papers that would permit me to enter the service. One day, nearly two years after the Philippines became my home, I was summoned to the office of Lieutenant Colonel Boyd.He seemed to be a kind man, but I was pretty sure that he hadn't called me in to pass the time of day. Standing before his desk, I waited nervously as he read through some paperwork.Then he looked up."Why, Private, haven't you written to your mother for more than six months?" I felt weak in my knees.Has it been that long? I thought. "I didn't have anything to say, Sir." Lieutenant Colonel Boyd told me that my mother had contacted the American Red Cross, which in turn communicated with my commanding officer about my failure to write. Then he asked, "Do you see that desk, Private?" "Yes, Sir." "Open the top drawer and you'll find some paper and a pen.Sit down right this minute and find something to say to your mother." "Yes, Sir." When I finished a brief letter, I stood before him again. "Private, I'm ordering you to find something to say to your mother at least once a week.Do you understand?" I did. Some 35 years later, my aged mother's mental condition was deteriorating, and I was forced to place her in a convalescent home .As I went through her belongings, I began inspecting the contents of an old cedar chest.At the bottom, tied with a bright red ribbon, I found a bundle of letters. They were the letters I had been ordered to write from the Philippines.I sat on the floor of her apartment that afternoon reading each one, tears streaming down my cheeks.I now realized how deeply, as a young man, had upset her by my lack of consideration. The lesson I learned may have been too late to help my mother, but it's still done me good.These days I don't need a commanding officer standing over me to write to my loved ones on a regular basis. Why did Lieutenant Colonel Boyd order the writer to write to his mother? Answer: Because the Cross informed him about the author's failure to write. First Man-Bear-Pig, and now global warming; it seems Al Gore never stops to surprise the world. Recently Al Gore produced the movie An Inconvenient Truthwhich explained the threats and told us how to control global warming. What it left out is that there is no proof that human activity is even causing global warming, let alone if global warming is even taking place. Global warming is the idea that greenhouse gases that shut in infra-red radiation in the earth' s atmosphere are becoming more powerful and heating our planet up. The theory is that if the planet continues to heat up the polar ice caps could melt and cover the earth in water. Over the last 100 years the Earth has increased one degree in temperature, and sea level has risen millimeters. Even though this "eye-opening" news is taking place, there is no clear proof saying that it is due to global warming. It could be just a regular weather pattern the earth is circulating. The polar ice caps have not grown or reduced in size since man began tracking them. Also the ground-based temperature has remained the same besides growing cities. In fact most clues support the idea that global warming is not taking place and human activity isn't causing any earth to melt down. Although Al Gore insists the world is on its way to certain destruction, the facts say otherwise. It seems that driving to work won' t lead to the doom ( ) of mankind, and the movie Water World won' t be happening any time soon. The author believes that _ . Answer: human activities contribute little to global warming In learning English, one should first pay attention to listening and speaking.It is the groundwork of reading and writing.You'd better try your best to speak while you do much listening.Don't be afraid of making mistakes.But be careful not to let them stop you from improving your English.While you are doing this, a good way is to write---keep a diary, write notes or letters, and then if you can, ask someone else to go through what you have written and tell you what is wrong.Many mistakes in your speaking will be easily found when you write.Through correcting the mistakes, you can do better in learning English. If you are slow in speaking, don't worry.One of the helpful ways is reading, either aloud or to yourself.The important thing is to choose something interesting to read.It mustn't be too difficult for you.When you are reading in this way, don't stop to look up the words if you can guess their meanings, or they have nothing important to do with the sentence.You can look them up later. When you are speaking, _ . Answer: it doesn't matter if you make any mistakes Work-Study Program The Work-Study Program gives you the chance to work part-time on campus. If you need more money to cover all of your education-related costs, you may be qualified for this program. Advantages * Work experience: Last year, more than 1,400 positions were available across all departments. The jobs vary from one department to the next, and in most cases, participants find a position in their chosen field. * Money: During the regular academic year (September to April), you can work part-time and earn $3,200---sometimes more---while you take courses! During the summer time, you work full-time and can earn around $6,000 over 18 weeks.om] Easy access: Applying for the program is easy. There is no need for face-to-face interview. All the forms you need are online; just fill in the forms and email us; we accept no letter or phone application! Did you know? At the University of Ottawa, it is not essential to receive government assistance to qualify for our Work-Study Program. You simply need to demonstrate financial need. You could have one of these great Work-Study jobs: Student ambassador Computing and network technician Marketing assistant Sports team manager Researcher / translator *Writer And more! The Admission Section receives and evaluates applications to undergraduate programs, in addition to answering applicants' questions. Phone: 613-562-5315 Toll-free: 1-877-868-8292 (#5315) Financial Aid & Awards Service Section: Phone: 613-562-5734 Toll-free phone: 1-877-868-8292 Regular Office Hours: Monday to Friday September to May: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June to August: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. How can students apply for a working position? Answer: Through the internet.
Do you want to make friends with others? Please remember to _ all the time. In this way, people around you will get along well with you. To make friends and keep them, you have to keep your words. If you agree to meet someone at a certain time, you should arrive at the place on time or a little earlier. If you agree to help others, you must do it. Of course if there is something unexpected happening and you can't do what you have agreed to do, your friends will understand this. He is always lying or making excuses for breaking his words. Would you like to have him as one of your best friends? You wouldn't. And your own friends feel the same way. So, be more careful when you have to agree to do something for your friends. Don't have "Maybe"in your mind when you say something about what you are going to do. ,. If you want to make friends, it is very important to _ . Answer: Blue Ocean Aquarium is a great place for families to take a holiday. Children love to see the sea animals and watch movies about sharks in it. Last Saturday morning, Mr Jackson took his wife and two little sons to the aquarium. At the ticket office, he asked, "How much shall I pay to get in?" The woman at the ticket office answered, "The price is 20 dollars for each adult or any kid older than five. We let kids in free if they are five or younger. How old are your kids?" Mr Jackson said, "The older one is six and the younger one is thee. I think I must buy three tickets. " The woman was surprised. She said, "Sir, don't you want to save 20 dollars? If you tell me your older son is five, I won't know the difference. " Mr Jackson said with a smile, "Yes, that sounds right, but my kids will know the difference. " From Mr Jackson' s story, we know _ is very important in the modem society. We should tell the truth to the people around us, especially to the kids. There are _ people in this story. Answer: A year after graduation, I was offered a position teaching a writing class. Teaching was a profession I had never seriously considered, though several of my stories had been published. I accepted the job without hesitation, as it would allow me to wear a tie and go by the name of Mr. Davis. My father went by the same name, and I liked to imagine people getting the two of us confused. "Wait a minute," someone might say, "are you talking about Mr. Davis the retired man, or Mr. Davis the respectable scholar?" The position was offered at the last minute, and I was given two weeks to prepare, a period I spent searching for briefcase and standing before my full-length mirror, repeating the words, "Hello, class. I'm Mr. Davis." Sometimes I would give myself an aggressive voice. Sometimes I would sound experienced. But when the day eventually came, my nerves kicked in and the true Mr. Davis was there. I sounded not like a thoughtful professor, but rather a 12-year-old boy. I arrived in the classroom with paper cards designed in the shape of maple leaves. I had cut them myself out of orange construction paper. I saw nine students along a long table. I handed out the cards, and the students wrote down their names and fastened them to their breast pockets as I required. "All right then," I said. "Okay, here we go." Then I opened my briefcase and realized that I had never thought beyond this moment. I had been thinking that the students would be the first to talk, offering their thoughts and opinions on the events of the day. I had imagined that I would sit at the edge of the desk, overlooking a forests of hands. Every student would yell. "Calm down, you'll all get your turn. One at a time, one at a time!" A terrible silence ruled the room, and seeing no other opinions, I inspected the students to pull out their notebooks and write a brief essay related to the theme of deep disappointment. The author took the job to teach writing because _ . Answer: It is reported that some developed countries have shipped broken parts of computers to China. Such a thing can be founded every day although it is against international laws. Last month Hong Kong officers found 131,000 kilograms of broken computers, TVs and phones sent from Japan. Things like these are called electronic waste, or e-waste. Dealing with them is not an easy job because dangerous poison like mercury and lead can be found in them. Every time an old computer breaks down, it needs to be dealt with safely. But at present, broken computer parts are usually _ . It may be hundreds of years before they are really goes in the earth. Many places in China are polluted by e-waste. Guiyu in Guangdong province is one of them. This town is named as "the e-waste capital of the world". It has to deal with 1.5 million kilograms of e-waste each year, from which it makes 75 million years. But it comes at a cost. Many of the poison in e-waste find their way into the environment. Plastic is burned outdoors and chemical water is poured into rivers, Greenpeace, an environmental group, has found the air, the earth and the rivers in Guiyu badly polluted. The Chinese government wants the country to develop, but in a way that doesn't do harm to the environment and people's life. This year, China presents a new protection law, the strictest one we have ever had. Computer companies like Lenovo and Dell will be asked to take back their old computers. This is because the companies that make computers know best to deal with them safely. Hopefully, the problem with e-waste will be solved in the near future. The e-waste found in Hong Kong last month was from _ . Answer: Space tourism might be the dream of many people on the planet, but a journey to space is not is not as easy as simply buying some tickets at a travel search engine;it is only reserved for the privileged few that can afford the cost.. One of the options that impressed me most is the one offered by a company called Space Adventures. What they have in place is a space tourism program that slows you to travel with the Soyuz to the International Space Station (ISS).The trip starts a few months in advance with intensive training dealing mainly with gravity operations, fight control and survival activities. When all tins training is over, your space trip begins. The trip can be planned exactly according to your needs, whether you're going for scientific research , or simply for an adventure. I doubt whether you will find any other kind of trip that has such a thorough preparation period beforehand. One of the great things to do, even if it makes your space trip a bit more expensive, is that you could go on a space walk during your trip. _ would definitely be a good opportunity to dance outside with your loved one to a slow waltz...Sorry, I forget there's no sound in space! Whatever option you choose, the only obstacle you might face is the cost. All the other requirements seem to be less than those for getting a visa to a foreign country. Generally your height should be between 160 and 185 cm, your weight between 50and 95 kg and be in good health. Finally ,in answer to the question you've been wondering about .Granted, space tourism is expensive, but exactly how expensive would a normal scheduled flight to the ISS cost? Would you believe it costs between $30 and $40 million? A Russian language course is included! What's the author's tone in writing this passage? Answer:
Hello, everyone. My name is Tom . I'm a middle school student. I am a soccer fan . I play soccer after school every day. This is my father, His name is Mike Smith. He is a soccer fan, too. He plays soccer very well. I like playing soccer with my father very much. We have a great collection of 15 soccer balls. This is my mother . Her name is Linda Smith. And this my sister Mary .But my mother and my sister don't like soccer. They only watch TV at home. They say many TV programs are very interesting. ,. _ plays soccer very well. Answer: Tom's father Fishing is a popular activity and every fisherman knows the rule: Keep the big ones, throw the smaller ones back. The idea behind Lt is simple - the larger fish are probably older. If you keep the smaller ones, they won't be able to reproduce, and the fish population is in danger. But fishing out the largest fish from a population has an unwanted effect: Over time, fewer adult fish get really big. If only the smaller fish reproduce , then future generations become smaller. This is an example of evolution in action. One scientist, Dr David Conover has spent the last decade studying the effects of the "keep the big ones" rule and if they can be reversed . To set up his experiment, Conover and his team caught hundreds of silverside fish and divided them into six groups. For two groups, Conover followed the "keep the large ones" rule and took out the biggest fish. For two other groups, he removed only the small fish. For the last two groups, he removed fish at random . After five years, he measured the fish in each group. In the two groups where the largest fish were regularly removed, the average fish size was smaller than the average size in the other groups. Here was evolution in action: If only small fish survive to reproduce, then future generations of fish will also tend to be small. For the second five years of his experiment, Conover changed the rules and took fish randomly from each group. At the end of the experiment, he found that the fish that were in the "keep the large ones" group for the first five years had started to get larger again, although he calculated it would take at least 12 years for the fish in that group to return to their original size. In other words, it takes less time to shrink than it does to recover. What is the author's intention in writing this article? Answer: To describe the results of a scientific experiment. One day an old man is selling an elephant. A young man comes to the elephant and begins to look at it slowly . The old man goes up to him and says in his ear, " Don't say anything about the elephant before I sell it, then I'll give you some meat." "All right," says the young man. After the old man sells the elephant, he gives the young man some meat and says, " Now, can you tell me how you find the bad ears of the elephant?" " I didn' t find the bad ears," says the young man. "Then why do you look at the elephant slowly?" asks the old man. The young man answers, "Because I never see an elephant before , and I want to know what it looks like." The young man looks at the elephant slowly, because he _ . Answer: never sees an elephant before Home gardens are very common in America. They can provide people with fresh vegetables, but hard work should be done. For example, you have to fight against insects and animals in home gardens, because they like the fresh vegetables as much as us. Maybe you will surround a small garden with a wire fence, but this may not keep out birds or some digging animals. Instead, it can reduce unwanted visitors. You can remove harmful insects by hand. But if you want to use poisons, be extremely careful. Be sure to follow all the safety directions. There is another way to fight insects-avoid planting a crop in the same place every year. Insects lay eggs in the soil, so they reappear yearly. Moving a crop from place to place in the garden can keep insects away from the plants they like to eat. To reduce garden work, spread eight to ten centimetres of _ under and around vegetables. Mulch can be made of tree bark or the pages of newspapers. Mulch will help limit the growth of weeds and hold water in the soil. Mulch also provides fertilizer as it breaks down. You can talk to an agricultural adviser about other fertilizers to add to the soil. Harvest vegetables during the cool part of the morning if possible. Here is some advice for some popular kinds of vegetables: Harvest beans and peas when they have grown full, bright and green. Do not wait too long. Heads of broccoli should be harvested before any yellow flowers appear. More growth will develop later for a continuous harvest. Some greens like collards , mustard and spinach produce more leaves after the first harvest. They will continue to grow all the season. Pick green onions when they reach the desired size. Pick other onions when their top leaves turn yellow. A home garden can be hard work for several months. But a good harvest is the best reward. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true? Answer: Some greens like collards, broccoli and spinach produce more leaves after the first harvest. A person is able to tell what shape a toy is by holding it in their hands and also Answer: noting
Question: City buses are white and blue. Please board at the front door and pay the fare as you get on. The fare per ride is $1.50 for adults and $1.00 for senior citizens. The fare may be paid by cash, bus pass or multiple passes. Please pay the exact amount directly into the slot at the top of the fare box. Remember that bills are not accepted and drivers cannot make change for riders. When you wish to get off the bus, please notify the driver in advance by pressing one of the buttons provided throughout the bus for this purpose. The bus may pass bus stops without stopping if no one is getting off or waiting to get on. There are five subway lines in the city. The fare is set at five rates from $2.00 to $3.50 according to the number of predetermined "price zones" traveled. To purchase the appropriate ticket, please check the fare on the boards installed above the ticket-selling machines in each subway station. Pass through the automated ticket gates by inserting the ticket into the slot. When getting off the subway at a station beyond the validity of the ticket, pay the additional fare at a fare-adjustment machine. This text mainly tells us _ . A. how to use city buses and subways B. how convenient city buses and subways are C. how to pay the fare for city buses and subways D. how well city buses and subways are equipped Answer: A. how to use city buses and subways Question: Fraternal twins may or may not share similar characteristics due to A. independent assortment. B. polygenic inheritance. C. incomplete dominance. D. multiple alleles. Answer: A. independent assortment. Question: Imagine that the genome is a book.The book consists of 23 chapters with thousands of stories made up of paragraphs, words and letters on different levels.There are one billion words in the book, as long as 800 Bibles; if I read the genome out to you at the rate of one word per second for eight hours a day, it would take me centuries; if I wrote out the human genome, one letter per millimeter, my text would be as long as the River Danube.This is a huge volume, a book of great length, but it all fits inside an extremely small cell nuclear that fits easily upon the head of a pin. The idea of the genome as a book is not, strictly speaking, even a metaphor.It is true to a great extent.A book is a piece of digital information, written in one-directional form and defined by a code that translates a small alphabet of signs into a large dictionary of meanings through the order of their groupings.So is a genome.The only difference is that all English books read from left to right, while some parts of the genome read from left to right while some from right to left, but never both at the same time. While English books are written in words of different lengthens using twenty-six letters, genomes are written entirely in words of three-letter length, using only four letters, and instead of being written on flat pages, they are written on long chains of DNA molecules . The genome is a very clever book, because in the right condition it can both photocopy itself and read itself. We can learn from the passage that the human genome _ . A. is as long as the River Danube B. can be easily placed on the head of a pin C. is coded with an alphabet of four letters D. is smart enough to read and take photos of itself Answer: C. is coded with an alphabet of four letters Question: Global warming is the process of earth's atmosphere heating up. Over the last 100 years, the average temperature of earth's atmosphere has gone up 1 Fahrenheit. The weather has not changed exactly the same way in every area of the planet. But scientists think that the rise in average temperature is already affecting the earth's climate. Many scientists now believe that global warming is caused by cutting down trees, producing more trash, and polluting the environment which are some of the reasons why the temperature has gone up. Many scientists believe that the biggest causes of global warming are new human technologies that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is not new. Certain gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, making it hard for heat energy to go into space. In the past, the climate didn't change much because nature produced just the right amount of greenhouse gases to deal with it. Today, most scientists are pretty sure that the rising temperature can't be blamed on nature. Ever since the industrial revolution in the 1700s, humans have relied on machines for daily life. And many of those machines give off a lot of greenhouse gases. An increase in the release of greenhouse gases from human activities is throwing nature off balance. The climate is a very complicated thing, but many scientists agree that the rising atmospheric temperature has already damaged the environment. Sheets of ice, called glaciers, are melting in Antarctica and other parts of the globe. As glaciers break off and melt into the oceans, they are adding warm water to the oceans and causing the sea level to rise. Over the past 100 years, the sea level has risen 6-8 inches around the world. That means land along the coasts is beginning to disappear under water. Bigger and warmer oceans are also adding to other weather problems caused by pollution in the atmosphere. Some places have received more rain, others have had bigger storms and a few areas in the world have experienced unusual droughts. How can greenhouse gases make the globe warm? A. They keep heat in the atmosphere. B. They let the heat go out into space. C. They release heat into the air D. They can make the other gases warm. Answer: A. They keep heat in the atmosphere. Question: Just a few hours ago,the Italian ship Andrea Doria was sailing through thick fog toward the city of New York. Captain Piero Calamai kept watch. He knew that many other ships were nearby. He should have slowed down because of the fog but he decided not to. He wanted to arrive on time the next morning. At about 11:00 PM,another ship,the Stockholm,suddenly hit the Andrea Doria. It made a huge hole in the Italian ship. Some people were badly hurt. Others fell into the sea. But one girl was saved by the Stockholm. Linda Morgan was fourteen. She lived in Spain with her mother and her little sister. She was going to visit her father in New York. She was excited about seeing her father. Linda had loved the trip. She wanted to have dinner with the captain on the last night at sea. The captain did not sit at his table that night,though. He was busy guiding the ship through the fog. Linda did not get to talk to him. When Linda went to bed,everything seemed fine. Her mother turned off the lights. Linda talked to her little sister. She thought about seeing her father the next morning. What happened next was a terrible surprise. Linda woke up not knowing where she was. She was not in her bed. When she called to her family,no one answered. Both her knees were broken. Linda had been saved by an amazing accident. When the Stockholm made a hole in the side of the Andrea Doria,it lifted Linda out of her bed. She landed on the deck of the Stockholm instead of falling into the ocean. A sailor heard her cries and found her. Right now,the girl is in the hospital. She is expected to get better. Her father is at her side,glad that his little girl was saved. The Andrea Doria lies under the waves at the bottom of the sea. What can we learn from the text? A. Linda hated the trip very much. B. Linda was saved by the Stockholm. C. Linda lived with her father in Spain. D. The Andrea Doria wasn't badly damaged. Answer: B. Linda was saved by the Stockholm.
There are many kinds of animals in the zoo. Look! There are two lions. They are very big and smart. Near them there is a small elephant. She is from Africa. She likes to eat grass. Oh, is there a koala? Of course. There is a two-year-old koala. He always sleeps in the day and at night he gets up and eats leaves. I like pandas best. There is one in the zoo. She is five years old. She is very beautiful, but she's very shy. Do you like her? Where is the panda from? A. From Africa B. From China C. From Australia D. From Japan Answer: B. From China A fish that lives in America can live out. of water for months at a time, similar to how animals got used to land millions of years ago, a new study shows. The Mangrove Rivulus, a kind of little fish, lives in small pools of water. When their living place dries up, they live. on the land, said Scott Taylor, a researcher in Florida. The fish can grow as large as three inches. They group together and breathe air through their skin before they can find water again. The new scientific discovery came during a trip. "We were travelling for fun. and one day I kicked over a log and the fish came out," Taylor told reporters by telephone. He said he would make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year. In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating. Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at a time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in a not active way. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and keep active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at a Canadian University. More studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time. "These animals live in conditions similar to those millions of years ago, when animals began to move from water onto land," Wright said. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that _ . A. lives on land in Africa B. can stay alive for months out of water C. prefers living in dry places D. is the longest living fish on earth Answer: B. can stay alive for months out of water Earthquake safety tips On April 14,2010, a big earthquake hit Yushu,Qinghai.Over,2,000 people died. Many people were hurt. Why are there earthquakes? The surface of the Earth has many pieces. These pieces are always moving. When two pieces move past each other, there is an earthquake. Scientist are working hard to find out more about earthquakes. They try to predict them, but it's very hard. Do you know how to get ready for an earthquake? Do you know what to do during an earthquake? Here are some things you should know. What to do before an earthquake Make sure you have two bottles of water, a packet of biscuits ,a clean towel ,a few band-aids ,a radio and a flashlight at home. What to do during an earthquake If you are inside: Stay where you are. Quickly move under a strong desk, or along a wall. This will protect you from falling things. Don't stand near windows. Turn off the lights. Don't get into a lift during an earthquake. If your are in a lift, get out as quickly as possible. If you are outside: Don't stand near buildings. Things may fall on you. Lie on the ground until the shaking stops. You must protect yourself in an earthquake by _ . A. keeping you from falling things B. turning on the lights C. standing near the window D. getting into a lift Answer: A. keeping you from falling things Interpersonal Distance With the outbreak of SARS,everyone tried to avoid coming into close contact with each other.In those days,interpersonal distance increased,"close contact" almost became synonymous with "danger",and even children couldn't have close contact with their mothers.Now SARS has disappeared,and we return back to normal living again.Then,how can we do handle interpersonal distance in our everyday lives? Studies show that interpersonal distance can be divided into 4 different types:intimate distance,personal distance,social distance,and public distance. Intimate distance is the interpersonal distance of a person with the people closest to him or her.It ranges from 0 to 45 cm.When a stranger comes within this distance,a person will have strong negative reaction.In crowded buses,strangers usually maintain rigid poses and try to avoid body contact,but couples,lovers,children and their mothers usually lean close to each other.Intimates who aren't able to live close together for a long time can become alienated.Also,touching is also very important.A contrast test shows that the nervous systems of babies who are often caressed by their mothers develop much faster and their weight increases faster,by 47%,than that of other babies. Personal distance ranges from 45 cm to 1 m.People can converse genially at this distance without invading each other's personal space.When friends and acquaintances meet on the street,they usually greet and converse at this distance. Social distance generally ranges from 1 m to 3 m.Among this range,1-2 m is usually the distance in which people deal with private affairs in social activities.For example,when you get money from banks,in order to protect your privacy,other customers are required to stand at least 1 m away from you.2-3.5 m is a farther social distance.Business talks usually occur at this distance.Besides talking,proper eye contact is also indispensable.Otherwise,each side will feel disrespected. Public distance is usually used in public gatherings.It generally ranges from 3.5 m to about 7 m.Beyond this range,people can't communicate using a normal voice.In classrooms,experienced teachers usually leave their lecture platforms to enhance their teaching. Under different cultural contexts,the interpersonal distance differs slightly,but its basic laws are the same.When conversing,people in love lean very close to each other,acquaintances lean closer than strangers,females lean closer than males,and extraverts lean closer than introverts.In life,harmonious interpersonal relationships are set upon proper interpersonal distances,and some conflicts start from improper interpersonal distances. To keep proper interpersonal distance is important because _ . A. it makes people feel respected or loved B. it helps to protect privacy C. wrong interpersonal distance may result in misunderstanding D. improper interpersonal distance may hurt others Answer: C. wrong interpersonal distance may result in misunderstanding According to the British "Daily Mail" reported on May 22nd, the United States of America "Forbes" magazine recently released the 2013 annual "most powerful women list". German Chancellor(,) Angela Merkel for three consecutive years reelected top. There are 9 Chinese including Chinese first lady--Peng Liyuan. Brazil President Dilma Rousseff ranked second. "Bill and Melinda Gates foundation" co-chairman, Gate's wife Mi Linda (Melinda Gates) was third. The United States first lady Michel (wife of Obama) in 2010 in the first, from 2012 second drop to fourth. Former American Secretary of state Hillary Clinton as a fifth. The queen of England fell 12,drop to fortieth. another list of British women's female writer JK Rowling, ranked ninety-third. The list of Chinese women, including Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan, intelligent mobile phone maker HTC founder Wang Xuehong, chief executive of Chongqing Longhu real estate development limited company chairman Wu Yajun, SOHO China Ltd and co-founder Zhang Xin, the World Health Organization Director-General Chen Fengfuzhen (Margaret Chan), Huawei chairman Sun Yafang, the Li Jiacheng Foundation Director Zhou triumph, Baidu Inc chief financial officer Li Xinzhe, Sun Media Klc Holdings Ltd chairman Yang Lan. "Forbes" magazine said, this year the list of people are political, business, media, the humanitarian field, entertainment and technology industry elite , but also some women were selected because of the huge wealth, including funds, media exposure and influence. The entertainment industry representatives include Beyonce Knowles, actress Anngelina Jolie and Lady Gaga. The list of women from 26 countries, there are 153000000 of them in Twitter "fans", 16 of them own Create Company. There are 15 new this year, including South Korean President Park Geun-hye . If you want to know more, click chinadaily.com.cn. According to the passage, _ rank 93th on the list of 2013 annual "most powerful women list". A. Peng Liyuan B. Lady Gaga C. JK Rowling D. Park Geun-hye Answer: C. JK Rowling
In a living statue, just as the name implies, somebody transforms himself or herself into a statue. Last year, I came across an article in a magazine describing living statues in the streets of some Australian cities. The article was vividly written, except that there was not even a single picture; one could only imagine what a scene it would have been! All the harder, then, to believe that I ran into the "wonder" in prefix = st1 /Barcelonathis year. The performers - the living statues - were street artists at Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is the most famous street in Barcelona. Especially in summer, thousands of tourists go to the seaside by passing through this street, making it a center of shops and bazaars. Not only can you find tourists there, but also thieves, cheats, cops...among whom the living statue artists are the most special group. They were covered with greasepaint in different color1s, wearing season - disproportional clothes, standing on a pedestal for several hours without making even a single move. Are they real or _ , the guests were wondering...and then suddenly the statues came to life, just for a few seconds to shift positions. But the movement of the statues seemed like someone just had breathed life into them. They really do look like statues, and that's how they got their name. Usually there is a jar or a hat in front of them. They would change to another pose whenever some tourist puts a coin in the hat. You may take photos after giving a Euro, or even less, but be careful not to touch the statues, unless you want yourself to be covered in paint. It's a really special experience, don't you think? From the passage, we can see that the living statues perform in the street in order to_. In our daily life, it is necessary to make small talk in certain situations. It helps to fill time between people when it is completely quiet. You may not feel like talking with someone else or you are very shy at the beginning, but it is sometimes thought to be rude to say nothing. People use small talk almost every day. It usually takes place when you meet someone you don't know at all or someone you're not familiar with. For example, waitresses and hairdressers often make small talk with their customers. If you happen to be outside when the mailman comes to your door, you might make small talk with him, too. Most often, small talk happens in places where people are waiting for something. For example, you might talk with another person who is waiting for the bus to arrive. People also make small talk in a doctor's waiting room, or when they are waiting in a line to buy something. At the office, people make small talk in elevators or lunchrooms, especially if there is a line-up. Mingling is often required among people who don't know each other very well at a party. In other words, they are expected to walk around and talk with others. The most common time for small talk to happen is the first time you see or meet someone on a given day. For example, if you see a co-worker in the lounge you might say hello and discuss the sports or weather. However, the next time you see each other you might just smile and say nothing. If there is very little noise, it might be the right time to start a pleasant conversation. If someone is reading a book at the bus stop, it is probably not a good idea to start a conversation. Another good time to make small talk is during a break in a meeting when there is nothing important going on. However, it is important to recognize the signal when the other person wants the conversation to stop. We can learn from the text that small talk _ . Which human is more likely to be free of scars A quick look at an e-reader New, High-Contrast E-Ink Screen 50% better contrast than any other e-reader. The clearest text and sharpest images. Read in Bright Sunlight Unlike LCD screens, its screen reads like real paper, with no glare. Read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room. Lighter Than a Paperback Weighing only 8.5 ounces and 1/3 of an inch thick, it is lighter than a paperback and thinner than a magazine. Holds 3,500 Books We doubled its storage so you can carry up to 3,500 books. Battery Life of Up to One Month A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off. Keeping wireless always on, it can go for up to three weeks without recharging. Books in 60 Seconds With fast, free wireless delivery, you can start reading books in less than 60 seconds. No computer required. _ Over 670,000 books, including 107 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers, plus audiobooks, periodicals and blogs. For non-U.S. customers, content availability varies. Free, Out-of-Copyright Books Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are available such as Pride and Prejudice. Low Book Prices Over 550,000 books are $9.99 or less, including 73 New York Times Best Sellers of the present time. Free Book Samples Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy. If you want to use the e-reader longer, you should _ . 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. What did Jason learn in the end?
Question: Brownie and Spotty were neighbor dogs who met every day to play together. Like pairs of dogs you can find in any neighborhood, these two loved each other and played together so often that they had worn a path through the grass of the field between their houses. One evening, Brownie's family noticed that Brownie hadn't returned home. They went looking for him with no success. Brownie didn't show up the next day, and, although they made their efforts to find him, by the next week he was still missing, Curiously, Spotty showed up at Brownie's house alone, barking and jumping. Busy with their own lives, they paid no attention to the nervous little neighbor dog. Finally, one morning Spotty refused to take "no" for an answer. Ted, Brownie's owner, was continuously disturbed by the angry, determined little dog. Spotty followed Ted about, barking all the time, then rushing toward a nearby empty lot and back, as if to say, "Follow me! It's urgent!" Eventually, Ted followed Spotty across the empty lot as Spotty stopped to race back and barked encouragingly. The little dog led the man to a deserted spot a half mile from the house. There Ted found his beloved Brownie alive, one of his legs crushed in a steel trap . Frightened, Ted now wished he had taken Spotty's earlier appeals seriously. Then Ted noticed something. Spotty had done something else besides leading Brownie's human owner to his trapped friend. In a circle around the injured dog, Ted found some food remains of every meal. Brownie had been fed that week! Spotty had been visiting Brownie regularly, in the hope of keeping his friend alive. Spotty had actually stayed with Brownie to protect him from hunger and other dangers, and keep his spirits up. Brownie's leg was carefully treated and he soon got well again. For many years thereafter the two families watched the faithful friends chasing each other down that well-worn path between their houses. We can infer from the passage that _ . A. humans and animals depend on each other for comfort B. It's not right to hunt for animals in any neighborhood C. Ted has to take better care of his beloved dog later on D. Brownie would have died without Spotty's timely help Answer: D. Brownie would have died without Spotty's timely help Question: When a tornado touched down in a small town nearby, many families were left completely destroyed. Afterward all the local newspapers carried many human-interest stories featuring some of the families who suffered the hardest. One Sunday, a particular picture especially touched me. A young woman stood in front of an entirely shattered mobile home, a depressed expression twisting her features. A young boy, seven or eight years old, stood at her side, eyes downcast. Clutching at her skirt was a tiny girl who stared into the camera, eyes wide with confusion and fear. The article that went with the picture gave the clothing sizes of each family member. With growing interest, I noticed that their sizes closely matched ours. This would be a good opportunity to teach my children to help those less fortunate than themselves. I taped the picture of the young family to our refrigerator, explaining their difficulty to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and to three- year-old Meghan. " We have so much. And these poor people now have nothing," I said."We'll share what we have with them." I brought three large boxes down from the room upstairs and placed them on the living room floor. Meghan watched seriously, as the boys and I filled one of the boxes with canned goods and foods. While I sorted through our clothes, I encouraged the boys to go through their toys and donate some of their less favorite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys piled up discarded toys and games. "I'll help you find something for the little girl when I'm done with this," I said. The boys placed the toys they had chosen to donate into one of the boxes while I filled the third box with clothes. Meghan walked up with Lucy, her worn, faded, much-loved rag doll hugged tightly to her chest. She paused in front of the box that held the toys, pressed her round little face into Lucy's flat, painted-on-face, gave her a final kiss, then laid her gently on top of the other toys. "Oh, Honey," I said."You don't have to give Lucy. You love her so much." Meghan nodded seriously, eyes glistening with held-back tears. '"Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she'll make that other little girl happy, too." _ , I stared at Meghan for a long moment, wondering how I could teach the boys the lesson she had just taught me. For I suddenly realized that anyone can give their cast-offs away. True generosity is giving that which you value most. Honest benevolence is a three-year-old offering a valuable, though shabby, doll to a little girl she doesn't know with the hope that it will bring this child as much pleasure as it brought her. I, who had wanted to teach, had been taught. The boys had watched, open-mouthed, as their baby sister placed her favorite doll in the box. Without a word, Brad rose and went to his room. He came back carrying one of his favorite action figures. He hesitated briefly, clutching the toy, then looked over at Meghan and placed it in the box next to Lucy. A slow smile spread across Brett's face. Then he jumped up, eyes twinkling as he ran to fetch some of his prized Matchbox cars. Astonished, I realized that the boys had also recognized what little Meghan's gesture meant. Swallowing back tears, I pulled all three of them into my arms. Taking the cue from my little one, I removed my old jacket from the box of clothes. I replaced it with the new hunter green jacket that I had found on sale last week. I hoped the young woman in the picture would love it as much as I did. It's easy to give that which we don't want any more, but harder to let go of things we cherish, isn't it? However, _ What's the best title for this passage? A. The Greatest Love B. A Beautiful Heart C. True Generosity D. A Precious Gift Answer: C. True Generosity Question: What United States unit of measurement would be most comparable to a meter stick A. Mile Marker B. ruler C. Tape Measurer D. Yardstick Answer: D. Yardstick Question: February 1 , 2012 marked the first ever Digital Learning Day, a day devoted to exploring, promoting and celebrating revolutionary teaching and instruction practices that involve students in the digital world around them.This daylong celebration was organized in recognition of the fast-changing landscape of the social and work environment students find themselves a part of.But as a whole, education has dropped behind the digital revolution. Digital Learning Day sought to bring awareness to the great influence of digital learning on the classroom and the amazing potential digital technologies have to involve students in new ways and motivate them to create and cooperate. The day started with a National Town Hall meeting, accessed online, of course.Schools around the country used Skype to join the conversation and interact with the speakers.Participants, including 39 states, 15,000 teachers and more than 2 million students, were all involved in some form of digital learning activities and revolution.The activities across the nation showed some of the best in digital education. Many schools celebrated by using iPads.Miller Junior High School in Aberdeen, Wash.distributed an iPad to every 7th and 8th grade student.Other schools used the notebooks for science projects, health projects and photography. Kindergarteners in Topeka, Kansas used Skype to communicate with other classrooms and learn about how other students learn. The daylong celebration also _ in the digital world with bloggers commenting on digital education trends, teachers using Twitter and social media to share information and online articles. What' s clear from the events of the day is that education needs to catch up with the digital revolution.Students shouldn ' t first hear about the " cloud" or interact with a wiki after graduation.Schools should include digital and technology revolutions in daily instruction.Plus, digital technologies can grow and improve the cooperative, creative and critical thinking skills students need to succeed later in life. Digital technology is here to stay.If schools truly want to prepare students for the 21st Century, they will need to welcome the ideas from the first ever Digital Teaming Day and get ready to show their best. Why does the author write the passage? A. To advocate digital education. B. To inform people of Digital Learning Day. C. To present the achievement of digital revolution. D. To introduce the development of digital technology. Answer: A. To advocate digital education. Question: Most Americans enjoy moving from place to place. For example, they often drive their cars 120 to 160 kilometres away just to have dinner with a friend or even fly to London or Paris just to watch a football match. In some states only one person in five lives in a place for more than five years. One may be born in one city, and go to school in another. He may finish his middle school in two or three cities, and then go to college far across the country. When he begins to work, he may possibly move from job to job. Moving from one job to another, which is called "job-hopping", can be seen in many places in the United States. Job-hopping does good to workers because every change of a job gives them a chance to get better pay. And job-hopping also gives bosses the chance to get new ideas and skills from him or her. Which of the following is true? A. About 20% of the people stay in one place for over five years. B. Children have to finish middle school in one place. C. People go to the nearest college. D. When people begin to work, they don't move any more. Answer: A. About 20% of the people stay in one place for over five years.
Question: What adaptation is necessary in intertidal ecosystems but not in reef ecosystems? A. the ability to live in salt water B. the ability to use oxygen in respiration C. the ability to cope with daily dry periods D. the ability to blend into the surroundings Answer: C Question: In spring, you may have seen white foam on a green tree or other plants. As a matter of fact, the foam is where young spittlebugs live. These insects are protected by the foam, and they usually don't do much harm to the plants. As we all know, in late summer, a mother spittlebug lays her eggs on the plant. The babies will hatch in spring. After they come to the new world, they begin to eat juice from the plant. The babies eat more juice than their bodies need for food. The extra juice mixes with a special waste that the spittlebugs produce. When this fluid is released, it mixes with the air, forming bubbly foam. What is so great about having a foam home? The space inside is so wet that it can keep the bugs' soft bodies from drying out. And the foam tastes bad, so it keeps away most animals that would eat the bugs. Some birds will reach their heads through the foam to find the bugs. Wasps and ants might eat them, too. But most of the bugs stay safe inside the foam. Once the bugs have grown into adults, they stop making foam. They leave their homes and jump from plant to plant in search of food. The adults look a little like tiny frogs. For this reason they are also called froghoppers. If you see some foam on a plant, you might want to take a careful look inside. Gently push some of the foam aside with a small stick. Deep inside you may see a few insects eating plant juice. They might also be making more foam. Be sure to push the foam back after a moment to cover the insects and keep them safe. Soon the spittlebugs will grow up and leave their foam home. They will join the other insects in the grassland. The eggs of spittlebugs _ . A. are laid in late spring B. have to pull through a winter before they hatch C. are protected by mother spittlebugs all the time D. will be eaten by ants Answer: B Question: I have a lot of friends. My best friend is Mai. She is 16 years old. She is 2 years older than me. We live in the same town and we began to know each other when we were very young. Now we are classmates. Mai is tall and thin, with long black hair. She has an oval face with big eyes, a high nose and a small mouth. Mai is helpful . When her friends have difficulties, she always tries her best to help them. Mai is one of the best students in our class. I like studying with her. She always helps me with my studies. Although we have the same hobbies and interests, we also have some differences. I am sociable and enjoy telling jokes. Mai, however, is serious and quiet. We believe in each other, so we are good friends. I hope we can keep our friendship forever . The writer and Mai can be friends because they _ . A. live in the same town B. look like each other C. have everything in common D. believe in each other Answer: D Question: I hated every minute of it, digging in the smelly dirt in spring, planting the tiny seeds in rows, and weeding the plants while sweat poured down my face. I wanted to spend the summer with my friends. But instead, I spent every Saturday and my summer vacations working in my mom's large vegetable garden. My mom was determined that l would learn how to plant and harvest a proper garden. I grew up and left home, happy to leave that old vegetable garden behind. But a few years later, living in a little house with my husband, I looked out of the back window and saw a big sunny spot. "That might be a good place for a vegetable garden," I thought, surprising even myself. I could hear Mom's voice in my head "Put the peas in rows, and the lettuce in bunches. Leave room between the tomatoes and cucumbers so they can spread. Pulling weeds right after it rains is easier." Over the years, with each new house I've moved to, the first thing I've looked for is room for a garden in the backyard. As a teenager I would complain, sitting down to a table full of fresh vegetables from the garden, but now I exclaim to my own three teens, "Look at all this food you will never eat something so good and fresh picked from your own backyard!" Now a third of my small backyard is a vegetable garden, and every year it grows just a bit bigger. When my son Simon was five, his eyes became wide as he helped me pick peas and beans one morning. "Wow! Mom, we have so much free food!" So, thanks, Mom, for knowing more than I did, about how much I would love digging in the dirt. Thank you for teaching me when I was unteachable and for somehow sparking an interest that would lead to a lifetime joy. According to the passage, the writer _ . A. had taught her son how to grow food B. used to dislike vegetables from Mom's garden C. often has her teens help her with food D. often got free food from the market Answer: B Question: The other day I was watching Sportscenter when one of those "human interest " stories came on and really caught my attention. The hero was about a 27-year-old professional Bass Fisherman named Clay Dyer. At first, they played it off as another guy trying to make the cut on the Bassmaster tour until they showed a picture of him. No legs, no arms, or rather, he was only1/3 of his right arm. That's all that he has. It was such an amazing story that I was wondering what this guy could do. Growing up, he learned to play baseball and basketball, but found that fishing was his true calling. And he does it all on his own. He holds the fishing pole under his chin and uses that and his stub arm to cast and reel in the fish. He uses his teeth to help him unhook fish. He ties his own hooks on with his mouth, never really asking anyone else to help. Clay Dyer even knows how to swim. Since his body can't produce enough sweat on its own, he has to take a dip in the lake every few hours to keep cool. He dives in just like anyone else, then somehow treads water with his stub arm, then, with a little help, pulls himself back up into the boat and goes on fishing. Clay Dyer has never looked for others' pity, nor has he allowed his physical disabilities to prevent him from becoming a professional fisherman. His motto for life is "If I can, you can."He refuses to use special equipment, saying, "I want to do it with one hand the way they do it with two. The text is intended to _ . A. persuade readers to watch Sportscenter. B. share Clay Dyer's life story's with readers. C. call on readers to care for the disabled man. D. express the author's admiration for Clay Dyer. Answer: D
The presence of which of the following geological features provides the best evidence that glaciers once covered an area? Answer: Have you ever dreamed about a trip to the space? Seeds of some vegetables and crops are a lot luckier than you, as they have travelled to space and back. China is among the three countries in the world that carry out agricultural research in space. The others are Russia and the US. Since 1987, China has sent about 1,000 species of seeds into space. These include green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers , carrots, lettuce and wheat. Even on China's first manned spacecraft Shenzhou-V, there were some seeds from Taiwan. "Conditions in outer space such as radiation and low gravity can cause big changes in the seeds," said Chinese researcher Jin Xing. But not all seeds are better after going to space. After returning to Earth, the best seeds are selected.These seeds produce much more and also grow faster than normal seeds. As the safety of genetically modified food is still being debated, some people doubt the safety of these "space vegetables" because some of their genes are changed during the trip to space. But Jin holds a more positive view. He said, "unlike genetically modified crops, no new genes are introduced to the space vegetables, so they are definitely safe." China has also been co-operating with NASA to grow some super size potatoes on the International Space Station. Special growth rooms use computers to control the light, temperature and humidity . Using this technology a new, virus-free potato can be produced every 40 to 50 days instead of the previous yearly crop. Which statement is true? Answer: FIFA has decided that the Football World Cup 2018 will be held in Russia. Before the answer was given to the public, many people thought England would be the winner. Famous football player, David Beckham, Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron all worked hard to help England to hold the Football World Cup 2018. Mr. Cameron promised that England would make every fan feel at home and that it would host the most wonderful Football World Cup in history. David Beckham spoke movingly of how his grandfather, a football fan, died as he was playing in the Football World Cup. FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, described England as "the motherland of football" before he opened the envelope with the winner's name in it. Prince William said, "Certainly we're very disappointed. We have worked hard, but sadly, it didn't work." He added later, "I'm sorry for England football fans. We have given everything we could." Before the answer was given, hundreds of fans had gathered in London and other main English cities in the cold weather in the hope of good news, but the news let them down. The last Football World Cup help in England was the Football World Cup 1966. Who didn't work hard to help England to hold the Football World Cup 2018? Answer: Nearly 300 miles long, up to 18 miles across and 4000 vertical feet down, the 8th new wonder: the splendid Grand Canyon . Viewing its glory, President Theodore Roosevelt called the Grand Canyon "a natural wonder, ly unparalleled throughout the rest of the world". He urged Americans to preserve what he described as the "wonderful greatness, the nobleness, the great loneliness and the beauty of the canyon". More than a hundred years later, it's still easy to see why almost 5 million annual visitors call the Grand Canyon a wonder. The canyon stretches as far as the eye can see. Some 5 or 6 million years ago, the Colorado River rushed through this land, carving out the massive canyon we see today, exposing even older layers of rock previously buried. Geologists say some are 2,000 million years old. Native Americans were the first people to make these rocky walls as their homes about 12,000 years ago. Today the Hualapi and Havasupai Indians live deep in the canyon, balancing age-old traditions with modernity. There are no roads to this village; mules carry the mail here. But at the same time, the tribes are designing a skywalk that promises an excellent view over the canyon early next year. The bald eagle, wild and endangered American icon is another longtime resident of the Grand Canyon. It was _ that rushed through the land and then the Grand Canyon came into being Answer: "Opinion" is a word that is used carelessly today. It is used to refer to matters of taste, belief, and judgment. This casual use would probably cause little confusion if people didn't attach too much importance to opinion. Unfortunately, most to attach great importance to it. "I have as much right to my opinion as you to yours," and "Everyone's entitled to his opinion," are common expressions. In fact, anyone who would challenge another's opinion is likely to be branded intolerant. Is that label accurate? Is it intolerant to challenge another's opinion? It depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind. For example, you may ask a friend "What do you think of the new Ford cars?" And he may reply, "In my opinion, they're ugly." In this case, it would not only be intolerant to challenge his statement, but foolish. For it's obvious that by opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of taste. And as the old saying goes, "It's pointless to argue about matters of taste." But consider this very different use of the term, a newspaper reports that the Supreme Court has delivered its opinion in a controversial case. Obviously the justices did not shale their personal preferences, their mere likes and dislikes, they stated their considered judgment, painstakingly arrived at after thorough inquiry and deliberation. Most of what is referred to as opinion falls somewhere between these two extremes. It is not an expression of taste. Nor is it careful judgment. Yet it may contain elements of both. It is a view or belief more or less casually arrived at, with or without examining the evidence. Is everyone entitled to his opinion? Of course, this is not only permitted, but guaranteed. We are free to act on our opinions only so long as, in doing so, we do not harm others. Considered judgment is different from personal preference because _ . Answer:
Zoe was just 2 weeks old when she was seen wandering in a village market wax Kenya's Tsavo National Park in December 1995.Zoe's mother had died and the baby was left alone, She was no ordinary orphan --she was an elephant.So she was sent to a most unusual orphanage in Nairobi, run by a woman named Daphne Sheldrick, Daphne's husband, David Sheldrick, founded Tsavo National Park.Daphne has been working with wild animals for some 60 years, and in 1977 she opened the elephant orphanage at her home in Nairobi.Since 1997, the orphanage, which depends on private contributions, has saved more than 100 baby elephants, Zoe was rather healthy when she was found, and once under the care of the orphanage she was very happy, having enough milk a day and being confident and naughty.After a year in the orphanage with the constant companionship of her human family, Zoe was taken to a refuge at Tsavo National Park.There her keepers have gradually introduced her to the ways of the wild, helping her to find food and water.Zoe lives together with other young elephants in the protected area.It may take some years, but the final aim is to send all of them to the wild. Daphne said that her dream for the future is to see ivory trade forbidden, all stored ivory destroyed and no one wearing an ivory ornament ever again."There will always be competition for land," she explained? "but we can protect elephants in the parks and give the young a chance." According to this passage, Daphne would like to _ . 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. When you have good study habits, you will _ . Internet dating has become one of the biggest and most successful business ventures on the Internet. Basically, Internet dating is a way to meet people for either friendship or dating without actually having to meet them in person first. The first thing to do if you decide to try Internet dating is to build your profile , which includes your hobbies, hopes for the future, and so on. A photograph is optional , but many sites claim that a photograph increases the number of people who look at your profile. Many Internet dating sites will charge a one-time registration fee to use their services. Internet dating makes it possible to meet people from all over the world. You can even narrow the search down to your area by zip code . Another advantage is that you can communicate by email before you meet in person. Thousands of people have met, fallen in love, and married through Internet dating. It is an excellent way for shy people to meet. It is also a way for people with busy lives to connect with others, and an easy way to meet people who share your interests. Just as conventional dating and love, there are some pitfalls to be aware of in Internet dating. The person you have been talking to on the net may not be who they say they are. Be very aware that there are some people who misrepresent their appearance or private details, such as marital status , income, and so on, for their own reasons. It would not be the first time that someone has been taken in, and talk shows are full of cheating partners who have been caught dating over the Internet in their spare time. Nevertheless, taking a few simple precautions should help ensure that your Internet dating is safe. What's the best title of the passage? 1English people have three meals a day. They are breakfast, lunch and dinner. 2They have breakfast at about 7:00 to 8:00 in the morning. They often eat or drink some fruit or juice first, and then they have some porridge ,eggs and meat. Some English people like to take sugar in their porridge, and some like to put salt in it. 3For many people, lunch is a _ meal. Many of the office workers don't go home for lunch. They often buy a hamburger or sandwich in fast food shops. School children can have a hot meal at school, but many students only take a sandwich, a drink and some fruit from home for lunch. 4Dinner is the main meal for English people. They have dinner at about 6:00 to 8:00.Many people have dinner with their family at home. People cook it carefully, because they think dinner is very important. They have a lot of food for dinner: soup, fish, vegetables, tomatoes and bread or rice. After dinner they have some cakes, fruit or ice cream for dessert . What's the best title for the passage? Which of the following resources can reproduce to replenish it's stock?
Our boat floated on between walls of forest. It was too thick for us to get a view of the land we were passing through, though we knew from the map that our river must be passing through chains of hills from time to time. Nowhere did we find a place where we could have landed: although the jungle did not actually spread right down into the river, banks of soft mud prevented us from going ashore. In any case, what would we have gained by landing? The country was full of snakes and other dangerous creatures and the jungle was so thick that one would be able to advance slowly, cutting one's way with knives the whole way. So we stayed in the boat, hoping that when we reached the sea, a friendly fisherman would pick us up and take us to civilization. As for water, there was a choice. We could drink the muddy river water, or die of thirst. We drank the water. Men who have just escaped from what appeared to be certain death lost all worries about such small things as diseases caused by dirty water. In fact, none of us suffered from any illness as a result. One day we passed another village, but fortunately nobody saw us. We did not wish to risk being taken prisoners a second time: we might not be so lucky as to escape in a stolen boat again. From the passage, we can learn that. A. they were in an uninhabited area B. they were on a journey home happily C. the country was a civilized society D. the country was a tropical jungle coutry Answer: D. the country was a tropical jungle coutry Like schools in China, American schools begin in September after a long summer vacation. There are two terms in a school year. The first term is from September to January and the second is from February to June. Usually American children begin to go to school when they are five years old. Most students are seventeen or eighteen years old when they finish high school. But unlike middle school students in China, high school students in America take only four or five subjects each term. They usually go to the same classes every day and have homework for every class. After class they do all kinds of interesting things. After high school, many students go to college. They may go to a small or a large one. They usually have to pay a lot for their higher education. So lots of students work after school to make money for their studies. ,: Many American students work after class, because they _ . A. want to see interesting things B. have to help the other people C. want to make more friends D. have to get money for their studies Answer: D. have to get money for their studies Do you remember the game "Telephone"? A message gets passed from person to person, and everyone laughs at how distorted it becomes. As a game, telephone can be fun. In real life, sending messages through third parties fouls things up. It is important for family members who have "business" with other family members to take it up directly. When tension arises in a relationship between two people, a frequent way of dealing with this is to send messages through a third person. Family doctors refer to the process as 'triangulation". Following a quarrel, a mother may say to her son, "Tell your father to pass the salt", which may be answered by, "Tell your mother to get her own salt." In many long cases of triangulation, the middleman becomes severely disturbed. Two years ago, Ruth and Ralph Gordon brought their 17-year-old daughter for treatment. Lucille was not doing well in school, using drugs heavily. When I began to work with her, she was uncommunicative and aggressive. After some time, however, she opened up and told me her parents rarely talked to each other, but both used her as a middleman. Mrs. Gordon was sexually unsatisfied and suggested to Lucille that she ask her father to go for marriage advice. Mr. Gordon told Lucille that he was seeing another woman, and he urged Lucille to speak to her mother about improving her behaviour. Caught in this confusing situation, Lucille became more and more troubled. It wasn't until she refused to play middleman that she began to improve. When either parent began to send a message through her, she learned to say, "Tell him/her yourself!" You'll find that when family members learn to dial each other directly, there's rarely a busy signal or wrong number. With direct dialing, a sense of freshness is created. Through the example of Lucille and her parents, the writer hopes to tell the readers that _ . A. family members should learn to get their messages across directly B. parents should send their children taking drugs for treatment C. children can hardly get used to their parents' troubles D. children should refuse the requests of their parents Answer: A. family members should learn to get their messages across directly Researchers in over 80 nations are taking part in a project to conduct a decade-long census of sea life. Scientists presented some of their findings at a recent conference as the project neared its completion. In deep icy waters under Antarctica, scientists found bulbous tunicates, an underground animal, and many newly-discovered creatures believed to be related to starfish and other marine creatures. Elsewhere in the world's oceans, they have recently discovered many kinds of underwater life forms new to science. It is all part of a research effort called the Census of Marine Life. "There are about 2,000 scientists worldwide involved," said Bob Gagosian, President, CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Gagosian helps manage the project. "Everywhere they've gone they've found new things," he says. "The ocean basically is unexplored from the point of view of marine living things." Researchers have placed small markers on hundreds of fish and marine animals to track by satellite their migration routes and to discover places where sea life gathers. According to Ron O'Dor, a senior scientist with the Census of Marine Life, knowledge of life on the ocean floor is especially limited. "90% of all the information we have is from the top hundred meters of the ocean," O'Dor states. And he says the sea floor is, on average, at a depth of 4, 000 meters. And so, as some machines dive far below what people have previously seen, scientists are discovering new species of plants, animals and living things. Since the census project began, more than 5,300 new marine animals have been found. Ocean researchers say they hope to catalogue 230,000 species during the census --which some say is only a small part of all the creatures living in the sea. Why does the author write the passage? A. To tell the news that new marine creatures are being discovered B. To encourage people to find new marine creatures C. To prove the importance of marine creatures D. To introduce the newly-discovered creatures. Answer: A. To tell the news that new marine creatures are being discovered Which living organism makes its own food using sunlight? A. lizard B. tree C. deer D. hawk Answer: B. tree
How will a thriving grassland ecosystem most likely be affected by a drought? A Plant respiration will increase. B Animals will be forced to migrate. C Soil nutrients will be enriched. D Natural succession will cease. Answer: B Which is successful reproduction? A A clay tablet splits into two identical halves B A bird chirps to its mate C A doe runs beside her fawn D A smaller iceberg splits from a larger one Answer: C Personality is, to large extent, inherent --A-type parents usually bring about A-type offspring. But the environment must also have a profound effect, since if competition is important to the parents, it is likely to become a major factor lives of their children. One place where children _ A characteristics is school, which is, by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools adopt the "win at all costs" moral standard and measure their success by sporting achievements. The current passion for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a two-layer system, in which competitive A types seem in some way better than their B-type fellows. Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences: remember that Pheidippides, the first marathon runner, dropped dead seconds after saying,"Rejoice, we conquer!". By far the worst form of competition in school is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on those things they do well. The merits of competition by examination are somewhat questionable, but competition in the certain knowledge of failure is positively harmful. Obviously, it is neither practical nor desirable that all A youngsters change into Bs. The world needs types, and schools have an important duty to try to fit a child's personality to his possible future employment. It is top management. What suggestion does the author make concerning the management of schools? A All students be made into competitive A types. B A child's personality be considered in regard to his possible future job. C All students be changed into B characteristics. D Schools abolish all forms of examinations. Answer: B Chicco Red Bullet Balance Training Bike Price: $32.99 & FREE Shipping($49.99) Soft tires & Help the child gain balance. Recommended for ages 3+years. Seat Pets Car Seat Toy Price: $19.97 & FREE Shipping on orders over $35($19. 99) Seat Pets are seat belt attachments that provide comfort and support to your child's neck and head. Each Seat Pet has three pockets, designed to store all of the things that kids need when they're in the car. Seat Pets are 21'' long and are made of high-quality machine-washable material. Easily attaches to seat belts. Fisher-Price Infant to Toddler Swing in Red Price: $19.97 & FREE Shipping on orders over $35($26. 99) The Infant to Toddler Swing is an outdoor swing that spans the development of a child from infant to toddler. The tray holds toys or snacks and lifts up out of the way for easy in and out. This swing is as friendly to parents as it is to kids and now it can be reclined for use with infants as young as six months. Laugh & Learn Crawl Around Car Price: $44. 88 & FREE Shipping (You Save:$59. 99) The Laugh & Learn Crawl Around Car helps your little ones develop gross motor skills by encouraging babies to crawl around the car. In addition, babies will enjoy busy activities and sing-along songs. Stationary car encourages babies to sit up, crawl, pull up, stand and move all around. Introduce babies to letters, numbers, colors, first words, greetings & more. For ages 6-36 months old. If you buy Chicco Red Bullet Balance Training Bike now, you can save _ . A $17.00 B $ 0.77 C $7.02 D $15.11 Answer: A A student pours a clear liquid from a test tube into a beaker with a clear liquid already in it and notices that the mixture turns pink. The student infers the two clear liquids are different. This inference is a result of A class discussion. B previous knowledge. C temperature changes. D student observations. Answer: D
Question: Paul was a good athlete when he was a middle school student. He liked running and jumping and won some medals at the sports meetings. So he was tall and strong. Suddenly war broke out and the young man joined the army. He was sent to the front and killed several enemy soldiers. Two years later he raturned to his home town and found a job at the police station. People had known about his bravery by then and they all liked the polite young man. One day a few young men had drunk too much before they came in a cinema. They danced and sang there and the film couldn't be shown. Paul was ill that day and went to the hospital. When he was passing there, the young men were beating an old man. He went to stop them and they began to fight. He caught them all and sent them to the police station. Since then all the bad men in the town were afraid of the brave policeman. It was a summer evening. The weather was hot and few people could stay indoors. Paul was on duty and sat by the telephone. Suddenly in rushed a beautiful girl with a book in her hand. She stood there, shaking in her shoes. "What's the matter, madam? "asked Paul. "I wish you could protect me sir, "answered the girl. "Protect? "Paul said in surprise. "For what? " The girl showed the book to Paul. The young man understood at once: it was a book about Ghosts ! Paul was _ after he joined the army. [ ] A. a good athlete B. a brave soldier C. a polite policeman D. a brave policeman Answer: B Question: Some children cannot wait to grow up. Because once you become an adult, you are free to make your own decisions. More importantly, you can do all those things that you cannot do now because you are too young. So, the question is, 'At what age do you really become an adult?' Well, people become adults at different ages in different places. In Australia, the 18th birthday is a very important event for young Australians because it means they can do almost anything they want. They can vote, learn to drive a car, get married, join the army and even buy their own houses. However, even if they can do all these things, most Australians have to wait until their 21st birthday to really celebrate becoming an adult. This is the traditional adult age not only in Australia, but also in the USA and the UK. It is their first year of true independence .Traditionally, people were given a key to their houses by their parents when they turned 21, meaning they could come and go as they like. Even though 21 is the traditional adult age in many English-speaking countries, the law nowadays is different in each country. In the UK, you can join the army at 16 and even get married at 16 if your parents allow. Young people in the UK can learn to drive a car at 17 as in Australia, although they have to wait until they are 18 to vote. In China, there is a different age for each of the stages of becoming an adult. You can vote and learn to drive a car when you are 18, but if you want to get married, women have to wait until they are 20 and men until they are 22. Chinese people celebrate important birthdays every 10 years--so when young people turn 20, they can expect a big party! No matter what age you are, becoming an adult is really about learning how to be independent and responsible . Once you are finally able to take care of yourself and make your own decisions, then you can say that you are truly all grown-ups. What is the writer's opinion about the age people become adults? A. The age people become adults depends on whether they can vote or not. B. The age people become adults depends on their own independence and responsibility. C. The age people become adults depends on if they are eighteen years old. D. The age people become adults depends on when they get the key to their houses. Answer: B Question: Have you felt annoyed when a mobile phone rings during the class? Something must be done to stop this. Now in New York City, USA, a rule is carried out* in schools. Students can't even bring mobile phones to school. Is it a good thing or not? Anxious* parents say that mobile phones are an important tool* in holding New York City's families together. "I worry about it," said Elizabeth Lorris Ritter, a mother of a middle school kid. "It's necessary in our everyday life. We have a washing machine, we have running water, and we have mobile phones. A number of Americans think mobile phones connect them to children on buses, getting out from subways, walking through unknown* places. "I have her call me when she gets out school," said Lindsay Walt, a schoolgirl's mother. "No one in New York is going to let their children go to school without a mobile phone. What about the mobile phone owners, the students? Most of the students said that mobile phones were necessary and the mobile phone was like an extra* hand or foot for them. "I feel so bored," said May Chom, 14. "There is also no way to listen to music on the way to school without my phone. It will be a really, really boring trip. May Chom likes to _ . A. go to school without a mobile phone B. chat with her friends on the mobile phone on the way to school C. walk through interesting places with a mobile phone D. bring a mobile phone to school Answer: D Question: Liu Qian, a magician from Taiwan, cast his spell over an audience of thousands on the CCTV Spring Festival Show. Die-hard fans are still trying to work out the secrets behind many of the tricks he performed. But Liu, 32, when asked, laughed off the idea that there might be an "answer" to his magic. "The most fascinating things about magic is the puzzling process. People enjoy how magicians make the impossible come true," said Liu. Few people today believe in the possibility of real magic. They also often fail to consider magicians' devotion to their art. It can take a magician years' of practice to perfect a trick before he performs it on stage. Part of Liu's star appeal is his astonishing skill. However, when he began in the industry, he was embarrassingly clumsy. "I could practice thousands of times for one single act. It wasn't much fun," he said. No magician's supernatural powers on stage extend to their life off stage. Liu says his life was no easier or funnier because he was a magician. He developed an interest in magic at a young age, but didn't consider making a living out of it until he graduated from university. He had studied Japanese language and found himself unable to find a job. "My parents never considered being a magician as a proper job. To begin with, I had little confidence I would be doing this in the long term," he said. Yet Liu felt a powerful calling to become a magician. "For many people, magic somehow means a miracle, which is something we all secretly wish for no matter how hard-bitten or cynical we become," he said. Liu may be right. A popular modern dream is of the fairy godmother, who waves her magic wand and makes our dreams come true. But according to Liu, we all have the power to create magic in our lives. As Liu puts it: it's not the magic that makes it work;it's the way we work that makes it magic. According to the passage, we can tell that _ . A. being a famous magician, Liu Qian leads a comfortable life B. it is a hard job for magicians to perform magic tricks well C. Liu Qian's parents supported his wish of earning a living by being a magician D. Liu Qian showed great talents in performing magic tricks when he first took it up Answer: B Question: The newspaper must provide for the reader the facts,pure,unprejudiced,objectively selected facts.But in these days of complex news it must provide more; it must supply interpretation,the meaning of the facts.This is the most important assignment facing American journalists-to make clear to the reader the problems of the day,to make international news understandable as community news,to recognize that there is no longer any such thing as"local"news,because any event in the international area has a local reaction in the financial market,political circles,in terms,indeed,of our very way of life. There is in journalism a widespread view that when you start an interpretation,you are entering dangerous waters,the rushing tides of opinion.This is nonsense. The opponents of interpretation insist that the writer and the editor shall limit himself to the"facts".This insistence raises two questions.What are the facts?And:Are the bare facts enough? As for the first question,consider how a so called"factual"story comes about.The reporter collects,say,fifty facts; out of these fifty,his space being necessarily restricted,he selects the ten which he considers most important.This is Judgment Number One.Then he or his editor decides which of these ten facts shall hold the lead of the piece.This is Judgment Number Two.Then the night editor determines whether the article shall be presented on page one,where it has a large influence,or on page twentyfour,where it has little.Judgment Number Three. Thus in the presentation of a socalled"factual"or"objective"story,at least three judgments are involved.And they are judgments not at all unlike those involved in interpretation,in which reporter and editor,calling upon their research resources,their general background,and their"news neutralism ",arrive at a conclusion as to the significance of the news. The two areas of judgment,presentation of the news and its interpretation,are both objective rather than subjective processes-as objective,that is,as any human being can be.If an editor is determined to give a prejudiced view of the news,he can do it in other ways and more effectively than by interpretation.He can do it by the selection of those facts that support his particular viewpoint.Or he can do it by the place he gives a story-promoting it to page one or dragging it to page thirty. Which of the following can best express the author's attitude toward objectiveness? A. He does not think there exists any objectiveness in news writing or reporting. B. To make clear the news is a way to be objective for the readers. C. Objectiveness is controlled by editors rather than writers. D. Properly choosing facts prepares a solid ground for objectiveness. Answer: A
Do you want to know something about children in Africa? What to they do for fun every day? Find out here: Education School is expensive for many African children. Lots of families can't afford school uniforms or exercise books even though they don't have to pay for school. For those lucky enough to go to school , they have a lot to learn. Some take two language classes: English or French, and their first language. There is also math, science, history, social studies and geography. _ take up much of children's time after school. They have to get water and firewood for the family every day. Also there's cleaning , washing and helping Mum with the meal. Daily fun It's not all work and no play. Sports are very popular. Children can make goals with twigs ( )and their own footballs with plastic and bits of string ( ). They play in the country and the streets of old towns. There're many football teams for teenagers in Africa. Internet It's really expensive to get on the Internet. To surf the net for 20 hours costs over 600yuan. This is more than the average monthly pay per person. Egypt and South Africa are the top two users of the Internet in Africa. All of the capital cities there can get on the Internet. Some schools offer computer lessons but few students can enjoy computer fun at home. Sports are very popular in Africa because children _ . A do not need money to play B can play all kinds of ball games C don't like to go to school D don't like to do their homework Answer: A I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch . He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events. The last time I was there he introduced me by saying: "I want to tell you a story. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy's high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up. "That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch. "He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, 'See me after class.' "The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, 'Why did I receive an F?' The teacher said, 'This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher added, 'If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.' "The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.' Finally, after a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, 'You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.' " Monty then turned to the group present and said, "I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace." He added, "The best part of the story is that two years ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week. When the teacher was leaving, he said, 'Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids' dreams. Fortunately you had enough courage not to give up yours.' " "Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what," Monty at last concluded. The teacher asked the boy to rewrite the paper because _ . A the boy was too poor to achieve his dream B the teacher doubted his chance of success C the boy was not good enough to achieve his goal D the teacher looked down on the boy absolutely Answer: B Last year I had a wonderful experience. I went on a student exchange to Japan. It was an exciting time of my life and I learned many things about the school system in Japan. I was in Grade 11, which is second year of high school in Japan, but I was younger than most of my classmates. That's because Japanese children enter first year ofelementary school in April following their sixth birthday. I started school when I was still five years old. In Japan, Children attend elementary school for six years, where they study Japanese, arithmetic, science, social studies, music, crafts, physical education, and home economics (simple cooking and sewing skills). During their three years in middle school, English is added to this list. Most schools have access to computers and the Internet. The classes in my school seemed rather big to me, around 30 students in a typical high school class. We ate lunch in the classroom, instead of a cafeteria and enjoyed a healthy, nutritious meal prepared by the school or by a local "school lunch centre" instead of eating the same, dry sandwiches every day. I really like the Japanese interpretation of school lunches. I also enjoyed the field trips and activities. At Japanese schools, there are many school events during the year, such as field day when students compete in tug-of-war, field trips, and arts and cultural festivals. Japanese students start to learn English _ . A before they start their school year B when they are in elementary school C when they are in middle school D when they are in high school Answer: C "If you want to see a thing well,reach out and touch it!" That may seem a strange thing to say.But touching things can help you to see them better. Your eyes can tell you that glass ball is round.But by holding it in your hands,you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is.You can feel how heavy the glass is. When you feel all these about the ball,you really see it. With your skin,you can feel better.For example,your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket.You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand,too. You can even feel sounds against your skin.Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music. All children soon learn what "Don't touch!" means.They hear it often.Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up.In shops,we touch things we might buy,such as food,clothes and so on.To see something well,we have to touch it. The bottoms of our feet can feel things,too.You know this when you walk on warm sand,cool grass or a bad floor.All feel different under your feet. There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin.Feel the shoes on your feet,the clothes on your body,the air on your skin.At first,it is not easy to feel these things.You are too used to them! Most museums are just for looking.But today some museums have some things to touch.Their signs say,"Do touch! There you can feel everything on show.If you want to see better,reach out and touch.Then you'll really see!" By touching things _ . A you will have a strange feeling B you will learn how to reach out C you can tell the difference between them D you can tell what colors they are Answer: C If "I love you" are the three nicest words in the English language, then "just in case" must be the three most annoying. They are often followed by "you never know..." suggesting a whole bundle of horrors if you don't go along with the "just in case" idea. The first "just in case" you heard was probably from your mother. Do you remember "Always make sure your underwear is clean. Just in case"? You'd ask "In case of what?" and she'd say, "You never know..." If you kept asking she would finally say the ominous words. "You could be in an accident." Through most of you school years, besides books, pens, etc... you carried around a heavy sweater, sunscreen, and a rain coat, just in case it got cold, or hot, or it rained. Thanks to Mom, "just in case" ruled your life. It was the same with Halloween candy. "Don't eat in until Mom or Dad can check it out, just in case." "In case of what?" you'd say. "You never know." "Know what?" And then it came - _ . which ensured you would end up letting Mom and Dad eat all your candy. Simply because they loved you so much and wanted to protect you from harm. "There could be poison in it." As we get older the habit has become so deep-rooted that we force it on ourselves. We leave for the airport to catch our Flight half an hour before the aircraft leave its previous location, just in case the traffic is bad. "Just in case". The phrase is so much a part of our lives. I'm going to print up this article now, but I'll also save it onto my hard drive, just in case my computer crashes. I'll also save it on a disc, and just in case the disc gets damaged I'll save it on my flash drive. Well...you never know. Thanks a lot, Mom! The main idea of this passage is that "Just in case" _ . A threatens our life B gets us in trouble C becomes our habit D makes life annoying Answer: C

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