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Driving in a foreign country is always different in at least some ways from driving in your own country. Here are some general points regarding driving in New Zealand. Visitors wishing to drive in New Zealand do not require an international driver's license but are required to carry their local driver's license whenever driving. Vehicles drive on the left-hand side of the road as they do in Britain, Australia, and Japan. Most rental vehicles will have a sticker reminding you of this important fact. When the traffic light is red, you must stop. There is no left turn rule as in North America. New Zealand road rules follow international standards but please note that in New Zealand vehicles turning left must give way to traffic turning right. In general, if you are turning left (where there are give-way signs or no signs), give way to vehicles that not turning. In all other situations, give way to vehicles crossing or coming from your right. Seat belts must be worn at all times while driving in New Zealand. This stands for the driver and passengers. The driver is responsible for ensuring all passengers are wearing their seatbelts. Do not drink alcohol before driving in New Zealand--drinking and driving laws are strictly enforced. Speed limits are in kilometres per hour (kph), not miles per hour (mph). Speed conversion: 1 kph equals 0.621 mph; 1 mph equals 1.61 kph. The speed limit on the open road is 100km/h. In towns and cities the speed limit is 50km/h. Be sure to obey all school crossing speed reductions as speed cameras operate regularly throughout New Zealand. For further information and up to date road conditions visit: http://www.transit.govt.nz What can be learned from the passage? Answer: Cars passing a school in towns should drive at a speed of less than 31 mph. Henry works in a factory. He comes from a poor family and was in school for only four years. He has to do the hard work, but he hasn't got much money. He likes to watch football matches very much and spends much time on it. One evening there was a big football match on a playground. He borrowed some money from his friend and hurried there. There were a lot of people there. And all the tickets were sold out. He was sorry for it. He saw a pole outside the playground and climbed up it quickly. A policeman came and said, "It's dangerous to stay on it! Come down!" "Wait a minute, please!" Henry said and just at that moment the policeman heard cheers in the playground and asked in a hurry, "Which team has kicked a goal?" "Ours!" "Wonderful! You can stay there. But take care!" the policeman said happily and left. When the match was nearly over, he came again and asked, "Who's won?" "Theirs, 3:2." "Come down," said the policeman angrily. "Such a match isn't worth watching!" Henry had to come down. But soon they heard cheers again. The policeman said anxiously, "Climb up and quickly and see who's kicked a goal!" The policeman became _ when Henry said "Theirs, 3:2" Answer: angry A skill some humans have is Answer: talking Whether you're headed to another country for business or pleasure, it is likely that you need to keep in touch with family or business partners in the United States. But if you plan to do that using your cell phone, you could have an unwelcome surprise. U,S. cell phones don't work abroad. U.S. companies use different forms of technology, not like most of the international community, including Europe. However, there is an easy, cost-effective solution to staying in touch while you're traveling, You can rent a phone that is guaranteed to work in the countries you're visiting. Roadpost offers a 30-day cell phone rental plan that includes call waiting services, free incoming calls and free voicemail. The service is convenient and simple. You can place your order online and your phone will be shipped to arrive on the date you want. If an unexpected business trip comes up, Roadpost can provide next-day delivery for most cities. In addition to the phone, Roadpost provides a spare battery, travel Charger and a leather carrying case. When your phone is shipped from Roadpost, you receive an e-mail confirmation that contains your international cell phone number so you can leave it with family members and business partners: Roadpost even provides business cards preprinted with your international phone number. Those who don't want to be without e-mail while traveling can rent an international BlackBerry. It can be hard to stay in touch by e-mail when traveling. With an international BlackBerry, you can email as much as you like, without worrying about an expensive bill. If you're traveling to very remote areas, you may want to consider renting a satellite phone. Because they receive their signals from satellites, these phones work anywhere the planet, including oceans and mountains. When you return, simply ship the phone BlackBerry back to Roadpost using the return kit the company provides. According to the text, it can be inferred that _ . Answer: Roadpost can offer cell phones used in different areas Dear Mr. Barton, I am writing for the _ to inform you of our feelings about your act. We've really had enough of you. Although we have tried to speak to you politely on several occasions, you have always answered with a stream of verbal abuse . Ever since you moved in three months ago, you have shown very little consideration for the other residents of this building, though many residents expressed their unhappiness with you. For the past six weekends, you have held very noisy parties, which have not finished until early the next morning. As you know, most of the people here are elderly or have very young children, and the noise keeps them awake all night. You don't have to be so noisy, do you? Last weekend the situation _ when two of your friends fought with each other on the first floor. The fighting was so bad that the police had to be called. What's more, your friends left the stairs in a terrible state --- they even broke two windows on their way out! We feel that we can't bear this type of act. We strongly demand that you pay for this damage to the window soon. If you don't and you carry on being a nuisance . We will kick you out! Legal steps will be taken if necessary. Yours sincerely Why were the police called? Answer: Because Mr. Barton's friends fought.
Question: At the age of 16, Clara Barton was advised to become a teacher, since she was quite shy. She taught in Massachusetts for ten years, and was invited to Bordentown, New Jersey, to teach in a private school. She saw personally that these communities needed free education for their citizens, and she responded by creating a free school, one of the first in her state. Later, officials ignored her and appointed a male as principal instead. She resigned and moved to Washington DC, becoming the first woman employed by the U. S. Patent Office. Clara Barton was forever changed by her experience with the troops in the Civil War. She saw surgeons dressing wounds with cornhusks , since they had nothing else. The medical supplies for the Army were well behind the troops, who were moving faster than their medical supply lines. She brought in a wagon of bandages and medical supplies that she had collected personally beforehand. Barton continued to work on the battlefields throughout the war. She helped in the identification process of 13,000 dead Union soldiers. Afterward, she was an important figure in a campaign to identify missing soldiers from the Civil War. This non-stop work _ her, and upon recommendation by her physicians, she traveled to Europe to recover herself. While in Europe, and still in poor health Miss Barton was moved by the hardship on civilians brought about by the France-Prussia war. She helped in their relief effort, and in that work she was inspired to create the Red Cross, which served all troops and civilians. Clara Barton returned to America and then began the establishment of the American Red Cross. The US government did not think there would ever be another war, after the horror of the Civil War. But she convinced them that the Red Cross would be valuable to serve in times of natural disasters, as well. This was her lasting legacy , an agency that still provides aid to victims today. What does this text mainly tell us about? A. The establishment of the American Red Cross. B. A general introduction of Clara Barton's life. C. Clara Barton's contribution to the Red Cross. D. Clara Barton's service in the army. Answer: B. A general introduction of Clara Barton's life. Question: As I was busy working on my work plan in my bedroom, I could hear my four children playing upstairs. Suddenly, I heard the children running down the stairs and shouting, "Freddie, Freddie." _ My three-year old son Freddie was lying on his side on the ground. I cried for my husband Simon to dial 999 and within minutes the air ambulance arrived. They quickly took him in the helicopter. During the flight, Freddie was looking at me and I remember thinking was a good sign, but then his eyes began to roll. As the doctors tried to stabilize him, I couldn't believe what was happening. When we arrived at the hospital in Portsmouth, there were some doctors and nurses waiting for us and they immediately set to work on Freddie. I was hopelessly wishing everything would be alright, but Freddie had broken his skull in two places and blood clots were forming in his brain. He needed surgery , and only a surgeon at another hospital in Bristol could do it. This meant another helicopter ride, but we couldn't go with Freddie because there was no enough space. Simon and I drove the long 130 miles from our home in north Devon in silence. Neither of us dared say what we were thinking, "What if we get there and he's dead?" "Is he going to be brain-damaged?" Freddie was just coming out of surgery when we arrived. The surgeon said it had gone well. When I finally saw him, I hardly recognize my child--he was covered in tubes and there were wires coming out of his head. On the third day, Simon went home to see our three girls and to pick up some clean clothes for us. While he was gone, the pressure in Freddie's brain suddenly increased. He was taken into theater again and this time I fell apart. Luckily, the surgery managed to stabilize Freddie. After almost a week, Freddie was finally woken up. When he opened his eyes, he looked at me. He didn't say anything, but I knew straight away that it was my old Freddie, and that he was going to be alright. Over the next two weeks, his recovery went well. After help with learning to swallow again and encouragement with speaking, he was soon playing with his Gruffalo cards and eating meals by himself. I still don't know how the accident happened, but we got some idea from our girls. Clearly Freddie and Minnie had been sitting on the window ledge, and Freddie must have opened it to look out and fallen 20 feet onto the ground below. The guilt I feel is awful-- for weeks I was full of " if onlys", and we put window locks everywhere. Six months later, although the accident seems a lifetime ago, it has changed me. I feel differently about life now. I've left my job to put my children first. I want to spend every minute with them. Why did the author's son have to be moved to another hospital in Bristol? A. Because no surgeons were on duty in the first hospital that day. B. Because the author wanted his son to stay in a hospital nearer her home. C. Because no surgeons in the first hospital knew the injuries to the author's son. D. Because no surgeons in the first hospital could do surgery on the author's son. Answer: D. Because no surgeons in the first hospital could do surgery on the author's son. Question: Which of these is true when a piece of wood is completely burned in a fire? A. The change in the wood is reversible. B. The energy in the wood is destroyed. C. The change in the wood is physical. D. The energy in the wood is transformed. Answer: D. The energy in the wood is transformed. Question: Mo Yan was born in 1955, in GaomiCounty inShandongprovince to a family of farmers. Mo was 11 years old when theCultural Revolutionwas launched, at which time he left school to work as a farmer. At the age of 18, he began to work at a cotton factory. During Mo's teenage years, with a series of political campaigns from theGreat Leap Forwardto theCultural Revolutiongoing on, his access to literature was limited to novels in thesocialist realiststyle under Mao Zedong, which centered largely on the themes of class struggle and conflict. At the close of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, Mo joined in the People's Liberation Army(PLA), and began writing while he was still a soldier. He began his career as a writer in thereform and opening upperiod, publishing dozens of short stories and novels in Chinese. His first novel was Falling Rain on a Spring Night, published in 1981. In 1984, he received a literary award from the PLA Magazine, and at the same year he began attending the Military Art Academy, where he first adopted the pen name of Mo Yan. He published his firstnovella , A Transparent Radish in 1984, and released Red Sorghum in 1986, launching his career as a nationally recognized novelist. In 1991, he obtained a master's degree in Literature from Beijing Normal University. "Mo Yan" -- meaning "don't speak" in Chinese -- is his pen name. In an interview, he explained the name came from a warning from his father and mother not to speak his mind while outside, because of China's revolutionary political situation from the 1950s, when he grew up. Mo Yan's Red Sorghum Clan is about the generations of a Shandong family between 1923 and 1976. The author deals with great changes in Chinese history such as the War of Resistance Against Japanese Invasion, theCommunist Revolution, and theCultural Revolution, but in an unusual way, for example from the point of view of the invading Japanese soldiers. His second novel, The Garlic Ballads, is based on a true story of the farmers of Gaomi Township fighting against a government that would not buy its crops. Which of the following about Mo Yan is correct? A. He published his first novel under the name of Mo Yan. B. He first started writing in the reform and opening up period. C. He received his first literary award after graduation from college. D. The release of Red Sorghum made him a famous novelist nationwide. Answer: D. The release of Red Sorghum made him a famous novelist nationwide. Question: Animals can move from place to place, but plants cannot. When an animal is under attack, it can run away or fight back. Plants certainly cannot run away, and they lack teeth and claws. But plants can defend themselves by using both physical and chemical means. Some plants have their own ways to keep animals away. For example, the leaves of the holly plant have sharp spines that discourage grass-eating animals. Holly leaves on lower branches have more spines than leaves on upper branches. This is because the lower leaves are easier for most animals to reach. Some plants, such as the oak tree, have thick and hard leaves that are difficult for animals to eat. Some grasses may contain a sandy material; eating such grasses wears down the animal's teeth. Many plants also have chemical defenses. Some plants produce chemicals that taste bitter or cause an unpleasant reaction. Some plants may fight against an attack by increasing the production of these chemicals. When a caterpillar bites a tobacco leaf, the leaf produces a chemical messenger. This messenger sends to the roots the information to produce more nicotine. The higher levels of nicotine discourage the caterpillar. Many plants depend on both physical and chemical defenses. A certain plant in China, for instance, has prickly leaves, and each prickle contains poisonous venom A single experience with this kind of plant will teach an animal to stay away from it in the future. To defend themselves, oak trees use _ . A. chemical means B. physical means C. bitter chemicals D. sandy materials Answer: B. physical means
It was 3: 45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia's Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group's on-line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn't just something that happened in Australia. It's world history. The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally Ill law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right-to-life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia-where an aging population, life-extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part-other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia . In the US and Canada, where the right-to-die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling. Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death-probably by a deadly injection or pill-to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by two doctors. After a cooling off period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally Ill law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. I'm not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I'd go, because I've watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks, he says. When Lloyd Nickson dies, he will _ . Answer: Knowing that Louise Mallard had heart trouble, care was taken to tell her the news of her husband's death. It was her sister, Josephine, who told her. Her husband Richard had been in the newspaper office when the news of the railway accident was received, with Brent Mallard's name leading the list of "killed". On hearing the news Louise cried at once in her sister's arms. When her tears ended she went to her room alone. She would have no one follow her. She sank into the comfortable armchair that faced the open window, as if she was pressed down by a sadness that seemed to reach into her soul. From the window she could see the tops of trees and new green spring life. The delicious smell of rain was in the air. Some blue sky could be seen through the clouds. She was young, with a fair, calm and intelligent face. But now there was an empty look in her eyes, as she dully stared out at the sky. Fearing for her sister, Josephine came to the door and begged Louise to come out. Finally she opened the door. She held her sister's waist and together they came down the stairs. Richard stood waiting for them at the bottom. Suddenly there was the sound of someone opening the front door. Brent Mallard entered. He had been far from the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood in shock as Louise let out a scream. When the doctor came, he said Louise Mallard had died of a heart attack. Why was great care needed to tell Louise about the news of the death of her husband? Answer: Hi. I'm Lingling. I'm a student at No. 14 Middle School. Do you want to know my life? Let me tell you about it. I usually get up at 7:00 in the morning. I have my breakfast at 7:10. My parents always prepare the breakfast for me. I go to school at 7:30. We have seven lessons every day from Monday to Friday. I like English lessons very much .After school, I like playing table tennis and basketball with my friends. There is a very big playground in our school. I have my breakfast at _ . Answer: Money management should be easy, right? You earn money. Then you use it to pay bills and taxes, donate some if you can and save some. I have paid out more than I earned in the past. I have been stingy occasionally and been sorry later. My biggest regret about money, however, is regarding savings. When I was 30 years old, I started saving money. Finally, I had a well-paid job with a salary that would grow with time and seniority. I purchased my home and moved in. The next logical step was to save money. So I did. In one year I put away $5,000. My goal was to build another $5,000 and start investing . I was pleased with my progress. Unfortunately, life stepped in. A family member became disabled and needed financial assistance. I could not seem to control my spending, and my checking account ran dry. My credit card bills rose. I carry no regret to any necessities that I bought for my family. However, as I look back, I realize that I did not research enough about balancing my budget before spending my savings account. I used the money to buy fast food just for convenience. I would go to the store for food when my cupboards were still not empty, because I wanted something special. I bought convenient items to save time, not considering that I was wasting money. I should have given up the name brand paper towels and used more dish rags. My $5,000 was gone quickly. That was just over 10 years ago. If I had kept the savings and restarted my savings after the emergency, I might have doubled that $5,000 by now. When I am a senior, I will still regret that $5,000. My credit card debt will be paid back soon. I will be as wise in my charity donations as possible. But I shall always mourn my savings account. What is the main reason for the author's spending $5,000 quickly? Answer: Uncle Lee is coming to have dinner with us. Mom and I go shopping. We don't have any meat. We need to buy some. It's ten yuan a kilo before. But now two kilos are sixty yuan. I say, "Mom, let's buy some fish." Mom answers, "OK." Fish is Uncle Lee's favorite food. We buy one kilo and a half. We also buy some vegetables and some chicken, but we don't buy any hamburgers. Uncle Lee doesn't like them at all. Mom also wants to buy some apples for me. You know, I like bananas, oranges and peaches, but I like apples best. But we can't find any. We go home at a quarter to five in the afternoon. The author's favorite fruit is _ . Answer:
Question: Most people want to be successful, but never stop to think what it will really take to get there in their chosen field. If it means going back to college for 2 years of night school, could you do it ? If it means reading a book a week for about 6 months in order to really master a new skill ? If you aren't prepared to do any of those things because they are outside of your comfort zone, then you can forget being succesful. I guarantee you will never reach your goals in life, unless your goals are to be ordinary. The biggest killer by far is the dreaded " comfort zone " where most people live in their entire life. And the funny thing is that people just can't wrap their heads around the fact that people who have reached some success get tons of time to just relax, but only because they've earned it ! If you haven't built a successful business, or in some way built a career that allow you so much freee time, then you are stuck in the grinding world of nine-to-five jobs everyone else. So how comfortable is that ? So what can you do about it ? Well, find a way to make something happen in your life--- build a business around your favourite hobby, write a book and publish it, or take a course in stock trading and become an expert at that, working on making enough money to retire. If you don't take massive action that puts your way of your comfort zone, you will never be successful at much of anything. I promise--- and I don't make many promises ! Finding real happiness in life can be a mystery for many. That's why I wrote The Road to Happiness for those who want real success and happiness in life, including spirituality and all the gifts life has to offer. Don't wander aimlessly through life. Get focused on your goals, start helping others in need, and live life to the fullest ! Life is too short to be anything but happy. Visit my website and find what you've been missing. Sign up for my newsletter and get seven free ebooks, too ! Read hundreds of articles while you're there in the article section, which is updated daily. The writer thinks it necessary for you to _ if you want to be successful. A. do a lot of actual work B. write a book and publish it C. take a course in stock trading D. make enough money to retire Answer: A Question: "Mom, can I bake some bread?" We were 15, my best friend, Hanna, and I, determined to try our hands at creating some beautiful bread. "It's not worth the trouble," my mother said. "It takes lots of time and makes a big mess. Our bakery bread is delicious without all that effort." Begging was useless. Mom's "no" meant "No!" But several weeks later, opportunity knocked: My parents were going out for the evening. I immediately invited Hanna to be my partner in bread-baking crime. We studied the recipe. That was easy. "Mix oil into flour then beat in four of the eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt." We were not good at breaking eggs. I tried to learn from my mother. "Gradually add eight cups of flour. When dough holds together, squeeze it." We took turns working like that. "Is the dough 'holding together'?" we asked each other. I remembered my neighbor's instructions: "If it's too sticky, add some flour; if too dry, add water." We added water. Then more flour. Then more water. By then, the mass of our dough had grown very much. "Place dough on floured surface and squeeze till smooth," the recipe instructed. We took turns burying our hands in the damp dough, pinching, squeezing, and feeling it leak between fingers. "Clean and oil bowl, then return dough to bowl. Cover and let dough rise in warm place for 1 hour." This was good news --- we'd have a break. On dirtied kitchen chairs, we dreamed about our beautiful bread. "See?" we would tell my mom. "Isn't it worth the work?" Hanna and I couldn't help glancing at the rising process every few minutes. But nothing was happening. "Maybe something will happen in the hot oven," I said. Unfortunately, when we removed the loaves from the oven, they were like hard stones. Mom was right; it takes time and effort. It sometimes makes a mess. But still it feels good, somehow, to be part of that long, ongoing chain of bread bakers. Since that night, both Hanna and I have learned to do it right. The passage mainly tells us _ . A. the process of making bread B. the conflict between mother and daughter C. the first experience of making bread D. the way of doing housework Answer: C Question: Here comes the last term of Junior 3. Terrible! The big exam is coming in less than two months. You still have a lot to do. How will you spend it? We invited three students to share their stories. Dou Yi, 15,Beijing My chemistry used to be poor in the past. I got scores of around 40 on every test. During the last term, I decide to beat chemistry. I will start to work hard. In class I take every possible note. After school, I spend most of my time studying chemistry. My parents also ask their friend, a chemistry teacher, to help me . Finally in the latest exam, I got 65! How happy I am! Wang Zhaolin, 16, Chongqing My foot got hurt a week before the big PE exam . Luckily, I recovered in time. For PE , all you need is to practice. Sports can also help you relax. Be careful not to get hurt as I did. Wang Feixuan, 15, Xi'an My experience is that for Junior3, every minute of the last term is important. Don't waste any of them. I try to remember English words while waiting in line to get my lunch. I read textbooks on the bus to and from school. I work hard at home and sometimes stay up late studying. Want to have fun? Leave it for the summer holiday after the big exam! In Wang Feixuan's opinion, _ . A. every minute of the last term is important B. students still have a lot of time to waste C. if you want to have fun, do it now D. you only need to work hard at school Answer: A Question: On Jan. 13th, 2009, the Peanut Corporation of prefix = st1 /Americaissued a recall for products it had made over the past six months, after five people had died and more than 400 had fallen ill with salmonella poisoning as a result of contamination. Two weeks later, the recall was extended to more than 400 consumer products made since Jan. 1, 2007, including Jenny Craig nutritional bars and Keebler Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, while the toll from the contamination had reached eight dead and more than 500 sickened in 43 states, half of them children. The company's factory in Blakely,Ga., which was the source of the contamination, supplied some of the largest food makers in the nation. The outbreak showed the complexities of the industrial food chain, and left consumers to figure out if some food in their cabinets had a danger. The recall of peanut products is the latest in a series of increasingly severe food contamination scares involving tomatoes, spinach, cantaloupes and other foods. TheGeorgiaplant, which is closed, packed peanut butter in bulk ranging from 5 to 1,700 pounds, much of which was shipped to institutions. Many school districts have pulled peanut butter from menus, with some substituting more commonly recognized supermarket brands. New York City school officials said they had not bought any peanut butter or products with ingredients that originated at theGeorgiaplant. An F.D.A. inspection team that visited the plant on Jan. 9 discovered that on 12 occasions in 2007 and 2008 tests conducted by the company found salmonella contamination in its products but that it shipped the contaminated products to customers after a retest found no contamination and did nothing to clean the plant. What can be inferred from the fact that the recall was extended? A. The outbreak showed the complication of the food chain. B. The poisoning has been found in the products made much earlier. C. The poisoning has been found in more products. D. More persons would die or get ill after having the products. Answer: A Question: The early history of the city of Rome involves Romulus and Remus,two orphan boys who,legend says,were raised by a she-wolf.The boys' mother had been murdered by an evil king and the two babies tossed into the river Tiber.When the wolf found them they had washed up on the shore.She perhaps took pity on the crying of the babies and,gently picking them up in her teeth,she carried them back to her cave and fed them on her milk.The boys grew bigger and stronger and,eventually,were found by a herdsman who took them home.He and his wife raised the boys like their own children.When they reached manhood they sought revenge on the king who had killed their mother and driven them from their home. They decided to build a city.Unfortunately,they argued over the appropriate site and Romulus killed his brother Remus.Romulus ruled this city -- called Roma -- for thirty-seven years. The city of Rome is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.If you travel there you can see a statue of the two baby boys feeding from their mother - the wolf. We can infer from the passage that _ . A. Romulus was cruel and became a bad ruler. B. Animals can be as smart as humans. C. Love is more powerful than revenge. D. People of Rome want to pass on the story of the wolf boys. Answer: D
His first fight was for the equal rights of black people in South Africa. Then, as the first black president he fought to unite the country and organize the government. Now Nelson Mandela has set his sights on a new enemy, AIDS. On March 19 the 82-year-old, former president, hosted his second AIDS-awareness concert. He warned that 25 million people in Africa were already infected with the fatal disease. Mandela was born in a small village in South Africa in 1918. He was adopted by the chief of his tribe and could have been a chief himself and lived a happy country life. But he refused to be a chief when his people lived under racial discrimination ( ). He decided to fight for equal rights for all the people in South Africa. Before 1990, under the country's Racial Segregation Law , colored and white people lived separately. Black people were treated unfairly even when taking a bus. Blacks had to stand at the back of the bus to make room for white people even when there were only a few of them on board. For his opposition to the system Mandela was arrested and spent 27 years in prison. He was freed in 1990 and become the president of the country after the first elections were held in which everyone could vote. Mandela was not only a political fighter who attacked with speeches. He was also a trained boxer and fought in the ring when he was young. " Although I did not enjoy the violence of boxing, I was interested in how one moved one's body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat ," he wrote in his autobiography. As a skilful fighter, he chose music as his weapon against AIDS. He hopes to win another victory against AIDS. Which statement can best describe the life of Nelson Mandela? Struggle is his life. People usually hate mice, but one mouse has won the hearts of the people all over the world---the famous Mickey Mouse. Fifty years ago most movies were silent. A man called Walt Disney made a cartoon mouse that could talk his movies. He named his mouse Mickey Mouse. People, both young and old, were very excited at the talking mouse. Children loved to see their friend, because he brought joy and laughter to them. Mickey was a clean mouse right from the beginning. Perhaps this is one reason why people hate real mice and love Mickey Mouse. In his early life Mickey made some mistakes. People were angry. They wrote to Disney and said that they did not want Mickey to do silly things. So Disney made a new animal named Donald Duck. He also made a dog called Pluto. This dog does stupid things and makes mistakes wherever he goes. Now our Mickey Mouse is not only clean but also important. He appears as a beautiful and clever star. He has his friends in almost every country. People hoped that Mickey Mouse _ . would not do silly things Mr. Smith teaches English in a university . He is often busy with his work. When summer or winter holidays come, he often goes out to take vacations to relax. Usually he goes to France because he thinks it's an interesting country. And he can speak French very well. But last month he said to his wife, " I'm not visiting France this time. I want to go to a different country. I _ China. But I can hardly speak Chinese, so I'm going to study it for a month before I go." he studied pretty hard for a month, and then his vacation began. Ten days later, he came back home. His wife asked him, " How about your short vacation in China? Did you have any trouble with your Chinese there?" "No, I didn't." answered Mr. Smith. "But the Chinese did!" Which of the following is TRUE? Mr. Smith can speak English and French very well. My sister Sharon and I look very _ . She's tall, and I'm short. She has short curly dark (,) hair, and I have long straight blond hair. We both have dark eyes, but Sharon wears glasses, and I don't. And she always wears large earrings . I don't wear earring. Sharon and I do many things together . We watch movies together, and we often go shopping. We play tennis together every Saturday. Often, people don't know that Sharon and I are sisters, because we look so different. But we are also good friends. Which is the best title for this reading? Two sisters Trying to recover from a devastating economic crisis, Spain is considering moving the country's clock back by one hour. Many people regard long afternoon naps and late dinners as perfect aspects of the Spanish way of life. Until the 1940s, Spain was on the same time as Britain and Portugal. In World War II, Spain and Portugal moved the clocks forward to align them with Nazi Germany. The same happened in Portugal. After the defeat of Hitler, Portugal returned to Greenwich Mean Time, but Spain did not. "The fact that for more than 71 years Spain has not been in its proper time zone means we sleep almost an hour less than the World Health Organization recommends," lawmakers in the Spanish Parliament wrote in a proposal."This has a negative effect on productivity, absenteeism, stress, accidents and school drop-out rates." Last September, a parliamentary commission recommended that the government turn back the clocks by one hour and introduce a regular eight-hour workday. For the time being, the Spanish government is treating the campaign seriously but it hasn't taken any action yet. Spain's time zone issue explains why everything in Spain happens later, from meal times to broadcast entertainment (primetime doesn't start until 10 pm). Many urban Spaniards complain of a never-ending workday that begins in the morning but is interrupted by a traditional late-morning break and then again by the midday siesta--a two-hour long lunch and nap that usually start at 2 pm. If workers return to their desks at 4 pm, they end up working late into the evening. Under the proposed new schedule, the lunchtime break would be cut to an hour or less. The interruption-filled Spanish workday would be replaced by something closer to a 9-to-5 schedule. Ignacio Buqueras, president of the Association for the Rationalization of Spanish Working Hours, told The New York Times that changing the Spanish schedule would be good news for working mothers. It would also allow families more free time together and boost Spain's economic recovery. Maria Angles Duran, a sociologist with the Spanish National Research Council, is skeptical that changing the time zone will reverse low productivity, which she attributes more to the structure of the service-oriented economy. But she agreed that a more normal work schedule would help women, who often complain that their husbands deliberately schedule meetings in the early evening. "For men, this is perfect," Duran said, "They arrive home and the children have already had their baths! Timetables can be used as a sort of weapon." Spain is thinking about changing the current time system because _ . Spain is eager to improve its economic competitiveness
(CNN)---NBA star Yao Ming announced his retirement during a news conference in China on Wednesday."I need to make a personal decision," Yao said."I am ending my basketball career. I am very grateful. I would like to thank my family members and my parents. And most of all, the Houston Rockets." Voted an All--Star player eight times while playing for the Houston Rockets, he was one of the most successful overseas players in the league. Yao has chalked up a career average of 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks . His field-goal percentage was 52.4. In recent years, however, he struggled with foot and ankle injuries, and missed the 2009-2010 seasons. He suffered a fracture on his left ankle, and missed last season after playing only five games. Yao has been undergoing treatment and training in recent months, but some doubted he could make a comeback. The 30-year-old said he struggled to learn English when he first came to the United States, and grew a lot during his time in the country. " 9 years ago, I came to Huston as a tall, skinny player. I grew to a man there. I also had my daughter there. I thank you all," Yao said during the packed news conference in Shanghai. Yao's retirement came the year as another NBA giant Shaquille O'Neal. Both seven-footers had battled for many years. Kobe Bryant said Yao opened up doors for Chinese players to feel they could play in the NBA."All that started with Yao," Bryant said. Why did Yao miss the 2009-2010 season? Answer: The 48-year-old photographer and adventurer with his trademark black and white beard and shoulder-length hair is also an environmentalist devoted to protecting the source of the Yangtze River.And he likes his new nick-name, "garbage cleaner at the source of the Yangtze River". Yang Xin , is the founder of Green River, one of the country ' s biggest non-govemmental organizationsto protect the country's major rivers. The Yangtze River begins from glaciers in the Tanggula Mountains on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Garbage was rarely seen in the area about 20 years ago, Yang said, as local nomadic people ledtraditional self-sufficient lives, living in tents. Thanks to increasingly convenient transportation, they ' ve started to use modern products packed in plastics, which can ' t degrade naturally. "They don' t have a waste management system and just throw rubbish away like before. So tons of garbage are left on the grasslands and river ways," said Yang. He founded a group with the purpose of dealing with garbage such as plastic bottles, batteries, lunch boxes and so on. In 1997, Yang and his group founded the Sonam Dhargye Nature Preservation Station in the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve, in memory of the anti-hunting hero who sacrificed his life to protect Tibetan antelopes. We can infer from the passage that _ Answer: In early November of 1503,during Christopher Columbus's fourth and final trip to America,his ship was seriously damaged in a storm.Columbus and his men had to live on a small island for several months while they tried to repair their ship and return to Spain. At first,the local people on the island were very kind to the European visitors,giving them allthe food and clothes they needed to survive.However,as the months passed,the local people became more and more unhappy with their guests,who were tricking and stealing from them.Finally the locals decided to stop helping.Without food or any way to leave the island,Columbus's group was soon in serious trouble. Luckily for Columbus,he had a book about the stars and planets on his ship.It described the movements of all the objects in the night sky.The book,written by a well-known German scientist,said there would be a total lunar eclipse on the evening of February 29,1504 and how long it would last. Columbus worked out the difference in time between Germ any and North America.He then had a meeting with the local leaders just before the eclipse would take place.In this meeting,Columbus told them his god was angry because the local people were no longer giving food.So his god would take away the moon to punish them.The moment Columbus finished talking,just as he had planned,the moon began disappearing. The local leaders grew frightened and quickly agreed to provide Columbus with food and anything else he wanted.But first,Columbus's god had to return the moon.Columbus told them he would have to discuss the idea with his god on his ship.Knowing the moon would stay completely hidden for about 48 minutes,Columbus returned just before the moon began to reappear.From that day on,until they finally left,Columbus and his men no longer had any trouble getting the food they needed. What can we learn about the Europeans from the passage? Answer: Three boys and three girls were going to Fort Lauderdale and when they boarded the bus,they were carrying sandwiches and wine in paper bags,dreaming of golden beaches as the gray cold of New York vanished behind them. As the bus passed through New Jersey,they began to notice Vingo, He sat in front of them,dressed in a plain,ill-fitting suit,never moving,his dusty face masking his age. He kept chewing the inside of his lip a lot,frozen into some personal cocoon of silence. Deep into the night,outside Washington,the bus pulled into Howard Johnson's,and everybody got off except Vingo. He sat rooted in his seat,and the young people began to wonder about him,trying to imagine his life:perhaps he was a sea captain,a runaway from his wife,an old soldier going home. When they went back to the bus,one of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself. "We're going to Florida," she said brightly, "I hear it's really beautiful." "It is,"he said quietly,as if remembering something he had tried to forget. "Want some wine?" she said. He smiled and took a swig. He thanked her and once again returned to his silence. After a while,she went back to the others,and Vingo nodded in his sleep. In the morning,they awoke outside another Howard Johnson's.And this time Vingo went in. The girl insisted that he join them. He seemed very shy, and ordered black coffee and smoked nervously as the young people chattered about sleeping on beaches. When they returned to the bus,the girl sat with Vingo again,and after a while, slowly and painfully,he told his story. He had been in jail in New York for the past four years,and now he was going home. "Are you married?" "I don't know. "You don't know?" she said. "Well,when I was in jail I wrote to my wife,"he said. "I told her that I was going to be away a long time,and that if she couldn't stand it.if the kids kept asking questions,if it hurt too much,well she could just forget me, I'd understand. Get a new guy,I said she's a wonderful woman,really something and forget about me. I told her she didn't have to write me for nothing. And she didn't. Not for three and a half years." "And you're going home now,not knowing?" "Yeah,"he said shyly. "Well,last week,when I was sure the parole was coming through, I wrote her again. We used to live in Brunswick,just before Jacksonville,and there's a big oak tree just as you came into town. I told her that if she'd take me back,she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree,and I'd get off and come home, If she didn't want me, forget it, no handkerchief,and I'd go on through." "Vow," the girl _ . "Wow." She told the others,and noon all of them were in it, caught up in the approach of Brunswick,looking at the pictures Vingo showed them of his wife and three children. The woman was handsome in a plain way,the children still unformed in the much-handled snapshots. Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick, and the young people took over window seat on the right side,waiting for the approach of the great oak tree. The bus acquired a dark,hushed mood,full of the silence of absence and lost years. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face into the ex-con's mask, as if fortifying himself against still another disappointment. Then Brunswick was ten miles, and then five. Then,suddenly,all of the young people were up out of their seats,screaming and shouting and crying,doing small dances of joy. All except Vingo. Vingo sat there stunned,looking at the oak tree. It was covered with yellow handkerchiefs,20 of them,30 of them,maybe hundreds,a tree that stood like a banner of welcome billowing in the wind. As the young people shouted,the old rose and made his way to the front of the bus to go home. Which is right about Vingo? Answer: American researchers have discovered that human brains and sleep patterns are confused by devices that give out bright lights. Electronics, such as laptops, mislead our minds into thinking that it is still daytime, preventing sleep and increasing the risk of _ . Sleep experts say human's natural body clock begins to rest and relax from the day between 9 and 10 pm but the use of computers confuses it. A person's brain biologically becomes awake when the sun is out because bright light after dark causes the brain to stop producing the hormone called melatonin that makes us sleepy. Researchers say blue light from devices such as iPads, which is expected to become a popular reading tool when it comes out later this month, is particularly disruptive during the night when the brain thinks it should be dark. Experts say a good book is a far better way of resting the brain and ensuring a good night's sleep because the bedside lamp light doesn't affect the brain as it does not look straight into a person's eyes. "Potentially, yes, if you're using an iPad or a laptop close to bedtime... that light can be stimulating to the brain to make it more awake and delay your ability to sleep," Phyllis Zee, a professor at Northwestern University and director of the school's Centre for Sleep & Circadian Biology, told CNN. "And I think more importantly, it could also be enough to affect your circadian rhythm. This is the clock in your brain that determines when you sleep and when you wake up. " Alon Avidan, associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of California Los Angeles, added, "I wish people would just take a boring book -- an oldfashioned book -- and read by a lamp." Melatonin is the hormone that _ . Answer:
One day a few years ago a very funny thing happened to a neighbor of mine. He is a teacher at one of London's big medical schools, He had finished his teaching for the summer term and was at the airport on his way to Russia to give a lecture. He had put a few clothes and his lecture notes in his shoulder bag, but he had put Rupert, the skeleton to be used in his lecture, in a large brown suitcase . At the airport desk, he suddenly thought that he had forgotten to buy a newspaper. He left his suitcase near the desk and went over to the shop. When he got back he discovered that someone had taken his suitcase by mistake. He often wonders what they said when they got home and found Rupert. Which of the following best tells the teacher's feeling about the incident? A. He is very angry . B. He thinks it rather funny . C. He feels helpless without Rupert. D. He feels good without Rupert . Answer: B. He thinks it rather funny . Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs, but the brave 32-year-old man, plays football and golf, swims, and surfs. Nick has a small foot on his left side, which helps him balance and enables him to kick. He uses his one foot to type, write with a pen and pick things up between his toes. "I call it my chicken drumstick ," joked Nick, "I'd be lost without it. When I get in the water I float because 80 per cent of my body is lungs and my drumstick acts as a propeller." When Nick was born his father was so shocked he left the hospital room to vomit. His _ mother couldn't bring herself to hold him until he was four months old. "It was so hard for them, but right from the start they did their best to make me independent. My dad put me in the water at 18 months and gave me the courage to learn how to swim. " said Nick. Throughout his childhood Nick dealt with the typical challenges. At the age of seven, Nick tried out some specially designed electronic arms and legs, in hope that he would be more like the other kids. During the short trial period of the electronic arms and legs, Nick realized that even with them, he was still unlike his peers at school, and they turned out to be much too heavy for Nick to operate, affecting his flexibility quite significantly. "When I was 13 I read a newspaper article about a disabled man who had managed to achieve great things and help others," said Nick, "I realized why God had made us like this - to give hope to others. It was so inspirational to me that I decided to use my life to encourage others and decided to be thankful for what I do have, not get angry about what I don't." "I tell people to keep on getting up when they fall and to always love themselves," he said. "If I can encourage just one person then my job in this life is done." By now, he has visited 35 different countries, touring the world as a motivational speaker. What makes it possible for Nick to swim in the water? A. His small size. B. His small foot. C. His light weight. D. His big lungs. Answer: B. His small foot. Welcome to Ontario Parks, a new body set up to manage Ontario's most treasured special places, the parks in our area. We are entering a very exciting year for Ontario Parks. Last season we asked some 15,000 visitors in 45 parks how we could improve our programs and services. We also looked at the thousands of comment cards we received. As a result, new comfort stations have been added, the number of campsites has been increased, and we've made other facility improvements. In addition, we'll be providing more educational programs. This year, for example, more than 40 parks will offer special day and evening activities to excite your curiosity about nature and history. Through the Internet, you'll be happy to know that you can now explore all 270 parks on line. Let your family plan your park vacation, study a map of canoe routes, listen to the call of a loon or find up-to-date information about programs, services and facilities. So come and discover what Ontario Parks has to offer. Our parks are places to go with families and friends, for relaxation and fun, or simply to get away from it all. They are places where we can enrich our souls and "recharge our internal batteries". They provide chances to explore nature, see wildlife, swim, canoe, camp, hike, picnic, ride a bike... You'll enjoy some of the best outdoor experiences available anywhere in the world. We urge you to make 2013 the year that you come out and have an Ontario Parks experience! The writer's purpose in writing the text is to _ . A. tell more people the improvements in Ontario Parks B. attract more people to explore the parks on line C. praise the beauty of nature in Ontario Parks D. have more people visit the parks Answer: D. have more people visit the parks What is the most accurate statement? A. without global warming, most days would be hotter B. without underground water reservoirs, most days would be hotter C. without the Sun, most days would be hotter D. without the ocean, most days would be hotter Answer: D. without the ocean, most days would be hotter School is out for the summer. Jake and Jimmy are playing on a baseball team. They are both nine years old this year. Their team is called the Knights. Jake plays first base and Jimmy is a pitcher. They both love baseball. They started playing when they were four years old. It is so fun for them. Their team has won three games so far. They beat the Jets, the Bluejays, and the Hawks so far. They have not lost any games yet. They are playing the Tigers today. The Tigers have not lost any games either. The score was one to one until the last inning. There were two outs. Jimmy came to the plate. The pitcher named Johnny threw the ball hard. Jimmy swung his bat too late and missed. He missed the next pitch too. It was too fast. He was ready for the next pitch. He hit it hard to center field. The Tiger player in center field jumped to catch it, but it went over his head and over the fence. It was a home run! The Knights won the game! How old were the boys when they started playing baseball? A. nine B. two C. four D. three Answer: C. four
Which of the following fact patterns most clearly suggests an implied-in-fact contract? An old lady in a plane had a blanket over her head and she did not want to take it off. The air hostess spoke to her, but the old lady said, "I have never been in a plane before, and I am frightened. I am going to keep this blanket over my head until we are back on the ground again!" Then the captain came. He said, "Madam, I am the captain of this plane. The weather is fine, there are no clouds in the sky, and everything is going very well."But she continued to hide. So the captain turned and started to go back. Then the old lady looked out from under the blanket with one eye and said, "I am sorry, young man, but I don't like planes and I am never going to fly again. But I'll say one thing," She continued kindly, "You and your wife keep your plane very clean!" the old lady had never been _ .before. When I was six years old, my mother started making me take piano lessons. Every morning, she would make sure I sat in front of the piano and practiced for at least one hour. After two years, I still didn't like it. When the time for my Grade I examination, I couldn't go through with it. I cried because I didn't want to play the piano anymore. In the end, I was spared from going for any more lessons. That was the end of my music career. When I look back at that time, I ask myself--why did I do that for two years? I didn't think abut it then but the answer seems obvious now--I didn't think I had a choice. Then for twelve years, I felt that my life had no meaning. I felt that I really couldn't go on. I kept waiting for something outside of me to happen to make me happy. But the universe intervened and sent me help disguised in the form of a sales call. One afternoon a lady called me about a Tony Robbins event called Unleash the Power Within. Part of me was curious; but when the time came, I still was considering if I should go in or go to the beach instead. I made a choice to give it a try. In that hall filled with 4,000 people, Tony gave me back something I never knew I had---the power of choice. I left there renewed and refreshed, excited about my new life, knowing from that point forward that in life there are no victims, only choices. To this day, I sometimes wonder how differently my life would have turned out if I had missed taking that sales call. Sometimes in life, we are stuck in certain situations and it may seem that there is nothing we can do about it. Just remember that everything in life is about choice. You can make a choice to remove yourself from any situation that is not serving you right now. The question is---will you? What was the possible reason for the author's giving up the piano? Sushi is a kind of food made with a mixture of cooked or raw fish, vegetables, and rice. Although Sushi is most commonly considered to have its origin in Japan, it actually began in China during the 7thCentury. At that time, any fish caught had to be preserved. Raw fish was cleaned and then pressed between layers of heavy salt. After a couple of months, the whole process was complete. Over time, a discovery was made that by rolling the fish in rice that had been soaked in vinegar the fish was easily fermented in a few days rather than months. The rice was then thrown away and the fish was eaten. However, with a food shortage, people began consuming the rice as well as the fish and thus, Sushi today as we know was born. However, in the 1800s, a famous chef by the name of Yohei created two styles of Sushi--one called Edo, and the second, Osaka, for two cities. Sushi is usually consumed with hot green tea. Also, Gari is offered free and eaten between bites to create a better taste. Two kinds of sauce are usually available: one is soy sauce, which is poured on most kinds of Sushi; the other is a thick sweet sauce used on eel . Sushi has taken the world by storm and today is a multi-billion dollar industry. Its popularity continues to rise because people are looking for healthy food that is quick and easy to make. With such unbelievable popularity as well as the health benefits of eating Sushi, it is likely that this food will continue to be a part of everyday life for many more centuries to come. Two kinds of Sushi, Edo and Osaka, were probably named after _ . For about a decade, I knew that I needed to improve my handwriting, but I always put it off. "My typing skills are good, my communication skills are good, and all my other abilities are adequate for the job I do and the life I live. Why would I need to improve my handwriting in such a modern world?" I thought. I was sort of hit by the fact that my handwriting needed improving quite suddenly in the form of a note from my boss. Obviously one of the notes I had posted on the office message board had been misunderstood because of my handwriting. My boss demanded that I learn to write in a neat way, something I couldn't ignore any longer. I tried a lot of different methods to improve my handwriting. Nowadays, there are more resources than before. You don't even have to go to the store and can buy handwriting training materials online. I tried out a lot of these, and my handwriting did improve somewhat. Now I make sure I form every letter correctly. This is inconvenient and time-consuming, but it is better than having my comments misread. People come up to me and tell me how nice my handwriting is. I have never thought of that, but this is exactly what has happened. It really is a pleasure, but it isn't enough. In the long run, I actually have to go to a handwriting coach to improve my handwriting. It seems like I have years and years of bad habits that I have to break, and this isn't something I could handle on my own. I need someone to teach me how to write clearly from the ground up. ks5u The writer made the decision to improve his handwriting because_.
Former Irish President Mary Robinson was just making a polite conversation with an Ethiopian teenager about her wedding day. The 16yearold had already been married for a year. "She looked at me with the saddest eyes and said, 'I had to drop out of school'," Robinson said in a telephone interview. "That conveyed to me the reality," said Robinson, the first woman to serve as Ireland's president and former U.N. high commissioner for human fights. "Her life, as far as she is concerned, had more or less ended." Robinson said keeping girls in school was one of the most important things policymakers could do to address the coming challenges of an ever-increasing population, predicted by the United Nations to reach 7 billion soon. "European countries are concerned about aging populations as is Japan, but this is much less of an issue than the huge number of people which we are going to see over the next 40 years when the population goes from 7 billion to 9 billion," she said. "Almost all of that increase will be in poor developing countries, so that we have a very big challenge." Family planning experts worry in particular about the future population explosion in subSaharan Africa. In May, the United Nations projected the world population would reach 9.3billion in 2050 and 10.1 billion by 2100. Much of that growth will come from Africa, where the population is growing at 2.3 percent a year--more than double Asia's 1 percent growth rate. If that rate stays consistent, which is not certain, Africa's population will reach 3.6 billion by 2100 from the present 1 billion. Joel Cohen, a professor of population studies at Rockefeller University and Columbia University in New York, said universal secondary education offered a way to reduce population in high birthrate regions. In addition to providing information about birth control, a secondary education teaches women to reduce their own fertility , improve the health of their children and allows them to move from a mindset of having many children, in the hopes that some will survive to improving the quality of each child's life, Cohen wrote in the journal Nature. What can we learn from the passage? "Gangnam Style" by singer Psy from Korea, is a popular song, but its extraordinary global success is really the result of its music video, which is a great piece of genius. On September 22nd, Guinness World Records listed "Gangnam Style" as the most-liked video in the history of YouTube. It's been performed at West Point (West-Point Style), and Google's CEO, has done the "Gangnam Style" horse dance at the company's office in Seoul. Even Samsung is trying to make Psy the new model for the latest type of fridge. The song's global popularity is such that the vast majority of people who enjoy it don't speak Korean, and have no idea what it is about. That's fine --- part of what makes "Gangnam Style" so fun is, like international pop music, the difficulty in understanding it. When we sing along, "Hey, sexy lady", we don't really know what we're singing about. The joy of _ is familiar to anyone who loves pop music from elsewhere. Anthony Lane, in his 2010 review of the Eurovision Song Contest, Only Mr. God Knows Why, used "Eurovision English" as one of its chief pleasures. It's "a complex tongue, spoken nowhere else, which raises the heartfelt poetry but absolute nonsense to a level of what sci-fi writers could only have dreamed. " In similar ways, "Gangnam Style" is just an over-the-top video where a fat man does a funny dance and sings repetitive words that don't make sense to most of us. But on the other, the magic of the song also lies in its funny dance, which reflects not just cultural morals specific to Korea, but cultural values easily recognizable to western viewers. This song's words may be in Korean, but its scenes are in clear American. The dance moves are simple enough to copy. Nonsense, in other words, forces us to let down our guards. It makes us relax, and asks us to let in all sorts of feelings from which, otherwise, we might distance ourselves. "Gangnam Style" happens to be so interesting because of its incomprehensibleness. What is true about the popularity of "Gangnam Style"? Which of these are required in addition to a toaster to make toast? Dear Basketball From the right moment I was crazy about you. A love so deep I gave you my all -- From my mind & body To my spi rit & soul . As a six-year-old boy Deeply in love with you I never saw the end of the tunnel. I only saw myself Running out of one. And so I ran. I ran up and down every playground I gave you my heart Because it came with so much more. I played through the sweat and hurt Not because challenge called me But because YOU called me. I did everything for YOU. You gave a six-year-old boy his dream And I'll always love you for it. Love you always. ...... From the excerpts of the poem, we can learn _ . People in Poland tend to spend Christmas with their families, and the most important part of Christmas is Christmas Eve supper. The whole family just sits around the table, and there are twelve traditional dishes on the table, and you are supposed to taste them all, because if you don't try them all you may have bad luck in the coming year. Before everybody sits down to supper, they just break wafers with each other, wishing each ot her good luck. As soon as the supper is over, the children go to the other room, where the big Christmas tree stands and they find Christmas presents under the Christmas tree. After that, the whole family just sits around the table singing Christmas songs, and waiting for midnight to come, when they go to church. With whom do Polish people have Christmas Eve supper?
Exhausted,covered in mud and desperately hungry,a team of Swedish athletes sat down for a meal as they prepared to take on a dangerous 20-mile trek through the Ecuadorian rainforest. As they opened their canned meat,a tired Mikael Lindnord noticed a miserable stray dog staring at him out of the corner of his eye. Feeling sorry for him,he fed the dog a meatball and thought nothing of it,but as the team stood up to continue their race the animal started to follow them--and he didn't stop. As the group of four navigated the final two stages of the 430-mile Adventure Racing World Championship,the dog befriended them and was eventually given the name Arthur. Every tiring task the team face,Arthur would do the same.He swam alongside them while they kayaked down rivers,dragged himself up hills during hikes and pulled through knee--deep mud during treks. Even when the team tried to get rid of their new member out of concerns for his safety--he refused to leave.This meant when he was tired they stopped for a break and when he got stuck in the mud they pulled him out. After six days the team finished the race,and the dog had suffered.They therefore decided to take him to a vet while still in South America to have him checked out. During that time Lindord thought to himself that after their experience,they could not leave Arthur,so he decided to adopt him and take him back to Sweden.He applied to the Swedish Board of Agriculture and was made to wait to see if his application was successful.After a tense few days,the team arrived at the airport with Arthur and boarded the plane with him back home. Lindord said:"I came to Ecuador to win the World Championship.Instead,I got a new friend." What can we infer from the text? Answer: On the old-time farm in America, there were chickens, cows, pigs and horses. But there were very few machines. Most of the work was done by the farm family. Sometimes more workmen were needed in busy seasons. Work done by horses took up 79 percent; by men, 15 percent; and machine work only took up 6 percent. Today all that has changed. On many modern farms machines now will do 96 percent of the work, while man does 3 percent. As for horses, they do 1 percent of the whole work. The children go to school by bus every morning; the parents work on the farm or in the house and other people's help is hardly needed. Their work has been replaced by a whole army of farm machines. Which part of the farm work has changed most greatly? Answer: Festival Activities Programme TIME AND PLACE October 24~30 Oct. 24,30:9:00 am~4:00 pm Oct. 25~29:12:00 pm~9:00 pm at Kerry Center Hotel Classroom area (1) English Taster l,esson (2) Food health-keeping method presentation Computer area (3)E-photography and Techno-Music (4) Education Software Demonstration Internet Training area SINA and Capital On-Line will provide Internet training for the public. The focus will be on browsing the Internet; how to find useful information on the web; and how to design an elementary Web page. Foyer Activity area (5) The students from Beijing TV University for the aged will provide a calligraphy (handwriting) demonstration (6)Children activities Lectures 21st Century, the educational weekly of China Daily, will invite experts from English-speaking countries to hold lectures from 18:30 on October 27 to 29 and in the daytime on October 30. A 70-year-old teacher want to see how to use writing brush well, he should go to _ Answer: Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus . Finally, there was only one family between the ticket counter and us. This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn't have a lot of money. Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. They were excitedly talking about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as they could be. When the ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted, he proudly answered, "Please let me buy eight children's tickets and two adults tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady told him the price. The man's wife lowered her head. The father`s lip began to quiver and he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again quoted the price. The man didn`t have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn`t have enough money to take them to the circus? Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said ,"Excuse me, sir. This fell out of your pocket." The man knew what was going on. He wasn`t begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a heartbreaking and embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad`s eyes, took my dad`s hand in both of his, holding the $20 bill, and with a tear running down his cheek, he replied, "Thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family ." My father and I went back to our car and drove home. _ What do you think of the writer`s father? Answer: For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted a personal motto. I wanted a saying that I could really try to live my life by. I mean all the humorous book and storybook heroes always have a personal principle they follow. Good manners! Courage! Keenness! But a part of me could never get myself to create my own motto because I never knew where to start and I never thought I could give one. "With great power comes great responsibility." is a quote by the great writer and philosopher, Voltaire. More familiar, it makes an appearance in the modern day movie performance of the superhero Spider-Man. This saying provides a sense of responsibility for those with actually limitless power. "Be good to others and others will be good to you." is another well-known proverb that has roots in almost all of the major religions. Although it is less practiced today than it is lectured, it is a powerful and good motto to live by. Kindness, in this sense, is the final power in judging every action. My personal motto today has an idea - being efficient. Through my limited knowledge, I have come to find that this is simply the best way for me to give insight about who I am and what I believe in. Efficiency is a quality that everyone desires for, right? Who doesn't want to be able to not only work fast but to achieve great results? To some, it may appear to be a frightening journey. But to me, it means that I have a lifelong journey to improve the methods and ideas with which I come near my tasks. Regardless of what motto you want to live by, I believe that everyone should have one, or two or more. These are all symbols of a perfect story of us, in our own view. And it immediately provides insight to the type of person we were, we are and what we strive to be. We are never meant to be perfect, but it is important to try and live by a belief that will help us reach our potential. All you have to do is know what your excitement is and live by it. What can we infer from the writer's personal motto? Answer:
Let us show you Scotland's unique and beautiful landscape. Leave Edinburgh behind, and escape into another world. Our highly trained local guides are passionate about Scotland, enabling them to offer you an unforgettable insight into the real Scotland. Choose from our range of great value Scottish Highland Tours to Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, Stirling Castle, Isle of Skye, Whisky Tasting, Highland Games and the unforgettable Edinburgh Tattoo.EUR Fantastic day and extended SMALL GROUP tours from Edinburgh. Book & Go Guarantee. We NEVER cancel, no minimum numbers requires.[:] Passionate expert local SCOTTISH guides. Mini Groups -- Save 10% when 4 or more adults book on the same tour. Multi-Tour Offer -- Save 10% to book 2 or more day tours! Environmental Charity Offering Scheme (ECO Scheme) We are committed to sustainable tourism and to preserving Scotland's natural wildlife, environment and unique cultures for future generations to enjoy. You can make an optional donation to leading Scottish environmental charities The John Muir Trust and Trees For Life. EVERY pound you donate will be matched by Highland Explorer Tours. In which part of a newspaper will you most possibly see this advertisement? Chinese New Year is next week in January this year. Do you need great furniture for your room? Come and buy things at our great sale at Helen's Furniture Store. Look! Here are some nice tape players in white, blue and red for mothers. We sell them for only $20. For students, we have desks and chairs for $25 a set. You can buy big tables for $50 and small tables for $40. What color do you like? Sofas in all colors are only $100 each. One interesting thing: You can buy great vegetables here, too. The vegetables are from Yunnan and Taiwan. Come to our store. You will like it. Jack wants to buy a set of desk and chair. He will pay _ . Which human activity most often has a harmful effect on the environment? Many people do not like to stay at home on holidays. They want to go out to see something different or do something exciting. So people from the country go to the city and people from the city go to the country for holidays. During the holidays, trains, buses and planes are all very busy. It's very hard to buy train tickets or air tickets. Many people take cars or buses for travelling. Last May Day my family went to the country by car for our holiday. There was too much traffic on the road, so we had to move very slowly. It took us about an hour to get out of the town. After some time, we came to a farm. It was clean and beautiful. The animals were very lovely, we thought it was a nice place for a picnic, so we stopped and took the food, fruit and drinks out of the car. We sat down under a big green tree and began to eat. Suddenly, a strong wind _ and soon it started to rain. We had to run back to our car and had our picnic in the car. Then we drove back home. What a bad trip it was! Many people don't like to stay at home on holidays because _ . Early to bed, early to rise , makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. This is an old English saying. Have you heard it before? It means that we must go to bed early in the evening and get up early in the morning. If we do, we shall be healthy. We shall also be rich (wealthy) and clever (wise). Is this true? Perhaps it is. The body must have enough sleep. Children need ten hours' sleep every night. If you do not go to bed early, you cannot have enough sleep. Then you cannot think properly and you cannot do your work properly. You will not be wise and you may not become wealthy! Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is not good for them. We must sleep at night when it is dark. The dark helps us to sleep properly, When the daylight comes, we must get up. This is the time for exercise. Exercise means doing things with the body. Walking, running, jumping, swimming, and playing games are all exercise. If the body is not used, it becomes weak. Exercise keeps it strong. Exercise helps the blood to move around inside the body. This is very important. The brains in our heads also need blood. We think with our brains. If we keep our bodies healthy, and take exercise, we can think better. Our bodies also need air to breathe. Without air we die. We must have a lot of clean, fresh air to breathe if we want to be healthy. Exercise _ .
Once there was a man and a woman. They had been married for more than 60 years. They kept no secrets from each other except that the old woman had a shoe box under her bed. She told her husband never to open or ask about it. For all these years, he had never thought about the box. But one day the old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would never get better. The woman said it was time that he should know what was in the box. The old man took the shoe box to his wife's bedside. When he opened it, he found two beautiful doilies and some money. The money was $25,000. "When we got married, "she said, "my grandmother told me that the secret of a happy family was never to fight. She told me if every time I got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet one doily." The old man was so moved because only two doilies were in the box. He thought she had only been angry with him twice in all those years. "My dear," he said, "but what about all the money? Where did it all come from?" "Oh," she said, "that's the money I made from selling the doilies. So far, I have sold 2,500 doilies." From the story, we can infer the old woman had been angry with her husband _ times before she told him the secret. Answer: 2,502 How to describe the rising philosophy of the day ? I'd say it is data-ism . We now have the ability to gather huge amounts of data . This ability seems to carry with it certain cultural assumptions--that everything that can be measured should be measured ; that data is a transparent and reliable lens that allows us to filter out emotionalism and ideology ; that data will help us do remarkable things--like foretell the future . At the outset let me celebrate two things data does really well . First , it's really good at exposing when our intuitive view of reality is wrong . For example , nearly every person who runs for political office has an intuitive sense that they can powerfully influence their odds of winning the election if they can just raise and spend more money . But this is largely wrong . After the 2006 election , Sean Trende constructed a graph comparing the incumbent campaign spending advantages with their eventual victory . There was barely any relationship between more spending and a bigger victory . Likewise , many teachers have an intuitive sense that different students have different learning styles : some are verbal and some are visual , some focus on details and some on whole . Teachers imagine they will improve outcomes if they tailor their presentations to each student . But there's no evidence to support this either . Second , data can clarify patterns of behavior we haven't yet noticed . For example , I've always assumed people who frequently use words like " I , " " me , " and " mine " are probably more self-centered than people who don't . But as James Pennebaker of the University of Texas notes in his book , The Secret Life of Pronouns , when people are feeling confident , they are focused on the task at hand , not on themselves . High-status , confident people use fewer " I " words , not more . In sum , the data revolution is giving us wonderful ways to understand the present and the past . Will it transform our ability to predict and make decisions about the future ? We'll see . What does James Pennebaker reveal in The Secret Life of Pronouns ? Answer: A pattern in confident people's use of pronouns . The shock of the recent earthquake in Pakistan has brought another shock: the rise of a small, mysterious island, coming out from the water. In the aftershock of the earthquake, people living in Gawadar, near the southwest coast, began to see a strange sight. They looked out into the Arabian Sea and saw a mountain-like shape coming out of the water. "I could see this gray, dome-shaped body in the distance, like a giant whale," Bahram Baloch, a local journalist, told the BBC. "Hundreds of people had gathered to watch it in disbelief ." So what happened? The earthquake measured 7.7 in magnitude . The force was so strong that it moved the sea floor, releasing gas. This gas pushed the seabed, mostly rock and sand, upward and out of the water. This is how mud volcanoes are formed. The island that measures about 20 meters high, 30 meters long and 90 meters wide is actually the tip of the mud volcano. Is it safe? Although people have visited this new island, scientists have found dangerous gas coming from the newly formed island. "Our team found bubbles rising from the surface of the island, which caught fire when a match was lit," said Mohammad Danish, a scientist, to Universe Today. These mud volcanoes are not rare. But it's striking because this one has popped up in a populated area, and not far out in the sea. However, it's not expected to last very long. Most of these mud volcanoes are swept back under the sea within one year. After the earthquake, what did people see in the sea? Answer: a mysterious island For Lee Ann Laraway, polio has made almost everything in life just out of reach. But what her hands can't retrieve, her assistant can. Meet Jeannie, a three-year-old help, has become Lee Ann's arms and legs. Jeannie understands no fewer than 72 commands. To get a feel for what that means, Lee Ann takes us on a shopping trip in San Jose. First stop: The bank, where she got cash from the teller. From the bank, it's on to the drug store, where Jeannie got a candy bar for Lee Ann. Then Jeannie helped pay the cashier, and got change hack. "When you have a really good working animal, they come and interact with you all the time," Lee Ann said. While there's no argument that Jeannie is an ordinary animal, she wasn't born that way. She was tutored and trained here at a facility that has become the final legacy of one of the Bay Area's most beloved figures. Canine Companions for Independence sits on twelve acres of land in Santa Rosa donated by late Peanuts cartoonist Charles Shultz, Here, handlers work with specially selected labs for hours a day-- but not every dog will make the cut. The work is serious Business. In the case of hearing dogs, the animals alert their disabled owners to everything from ringing telephones to doorbells. Other dogs will work with severely disabled patients like eight-year-old Noah Habib of Mountain View who communicates with a special computer. "I like it when new people come up to ask me about my dog," he says. "People are really interested in the dog and will come over and ask to pet her and ask to play with her, and ask about what she does, and these are people that normally might not approach us and want to talk to Noah," says his Dad. And back in San Jose Lee Ann is arriving home with Jeannie and her groceries. With just one chore left--opening her own door. "You can train a dog to do a lot of things," said Lee Ann. "You cannot give them the heart to do the job, and that is what a good working dog has." Lee Ann's dog Jeannie cannot _ . Answer: pay a cashier for her Duffer and Slicker, who lived in different suburbs 20 miles apart, were golfing acquaintances at the Interurban Country Club. Both were traveling salesmen Duffer for a pharmaceutical house and Slicker for a widget manufacturer. Duffer wrote Slicker by United States mail on Friday, October 8: I need a motorcycle for transportation to the country club, and will buy your Sujocki for $1,200 upon your bringing it to my home address above [stated in the letterhead] on or before noon, November 12 next. This offer is not subject to countermand. Sincerely, [signed] Duffer Slicker replied by mail the following day: I accept your offer, and promise to deliver the bike as you specified. Sincerely, [signed] Slicker This letter, although properly addressed, was misdirected by the postal service and not received by Duffer until November 10. Duffer had bought another Sujocki bike from Koolcat for $1,050 a few hours before. Koolcat saw Slicker at the Interurban Country Club on November 11 and said, "I sold my Sujocki to Duffer yesterday for $1,050. Would you consider selling me 46 yours for $950?" Slicker replied, "I'll let you know in a few days." On November 12, Slicker took his Sujocki to Duffer's residence; he arrived at 11:15 a.m. Duffer was asleep and did not answer Slicker's doorbell rings until 12:15 p.m. Duffer then rejected Slicker's bike on the ground that he had already bought Koolcat's"In Duffer's letter of October 8, what was the legal effect of the language: "This offer is not subject to countermand"? Answer: Such language did not affect the offerer's power of revocation of the offer
My grandfather lived only half a mile away from where I grew up in New York. Every day, he would walk down to our house and bring my dad newspapers. Along with the papers he would bring a small bag of treats for my two brothers and me. Western New York had terrible winter weather: rain, sleet , or even 3 feet of snow. Even when he was 81, he still walked the half mile every single day. As a child, I looked forward to the daily treats, but now I'm older and I realize he braved the rough weather each day just to see us smile; I now value that more than anything else. My grandfather touched many lives. A woman who had been in hospital for five years told me her story. She said my grandfather would visit her twice a week at her home: to read to her, play bridge, or just chat. It lasted for years without stop. She had few visitors. Even a _ who had traveled by getting free rides from passing cars told me of my grandfather's influence on his life. My grandfather had picked him up for free and took the traveler to his home. After learning that the man was homeless, my grandfather gave him a place to stay. The man told me that no one had ever been so nice to him. He later found a job in a supermarket. I was touched, but not surprised to know all of the touching stories from which I understood my grandfather's selflessness. I have since tried to learn from him to help others. Although he died years ago, we still respect him. After learning about his grandfather's stories, the writer _ . Answer: Some families live quite far in the UK.Visiting them can either be an adventure or a chore .It depends on how much family members like each other. If all goes well,kids have an exciting time.Your relatives will plan different fun activities and make you happy.Taking you to visit relatives gives your parents a chance to rest.It gives older relatives a good chance to _ when they had young kids.If they do not have children of their own,they get to play parent for a while. I remember that Blackpool Pleasure Beach was the place I liked to go with my grandparents It is an amusement park on the northwest coast.It is packed with roller coasters and candy stalls .You could race small boats on a lake or scare yourself into death riding the ghost train.I had good memories of my time there. As you get older,you suddenly become the one who must help your relatives with their kids.I have four COUSINS aged between one and eleven.They are fantastic and I really enjoy seeing them.However,it is very tiring,as they get so excited and energetic .I fall asleep hoping they will remember our good times when they get older. If all goes well,visiting relatives far away can be _ for kids. Answer: As the father of a student, I have experienced first hand what a great teacher is. My son was in the 4thgrade last year, and he had a teacher called Miss Green. I believe that when he is an adult he will surely look back on her as the best teacher he has ever had. My son has attention deficit disorder that makes it a little more difficult for him to learn. She was able to change her teaching methods for him so that he could keep up with the rest of the class. As a result, he got straight As on many subjects. She regarded her class as a family and they even had their own class song. She would often have them sing it to encourage them and develop a team spirit for them. When she saw that they were no longer listening carefully to what she was teaching, she would have them close their textbooks, stand up all around the room and throw around a small football. This helped them clear their minds and then _ the lesson again. Besides, she was quick to reply to any phone calls or emails from us and got rid of our worries about children quickly. When my son went to the 5thgrade this year, we happened to pass her classroom. When she saw my son, her face lit up and she came out and hugged him. She generally loves all of the children in her classroom and that love really shows. I can only pray that my son will continue to get teachers just like her for the rest of his school years. With the teacher's help, the writer's son _ . Answer: I was six when I joined my father and two brothers at sunrise in the hayfields of Eufaula,Oklahoma.By the time I was eight I was helping Dad fix up low-income rent properties.He gave me a penny for every nail I pulled out of old boards. I got my first real job,at JM's restaurant in town,when I was 12.My main responsibilities were cleaning tables and washing dishes,but sometimes I helped cook. Every day after school I would head to JM's and work until ten.On Saturdays I worked from two until eleven.At that age it was unlucky going to work and watching my friends run off to swim or play.I didn't necessarily like work,but I love what working allowed me to have.Because of my job I was always the one buying when my friends and I went to the local bar Tastee Freez.This made me proud. Word that I was honest and hard-working got around town.A local clothing store offered credit to me although I was only in the seventh grade.I immediately charged a $68 sports coat and a $22 pair of trousers.I was making only 65 cents an hour,and I was already $90 in debt!So I learned early the danger of easy credit.I paid it off as soon as I could. My first job taught me discipline,responsibility and brought me a level of personal satisfaction few of my friends had experienced.As by father,who worked three jobs,once told me,"If you understand sacrifice and commitment,there are not many things in life you can't have."How right he was! When the author was a child,he was made to help his father work because _ . Answer: Here's how you can take the taxi in Japan From train station or airports , go to the _ and wait there. In the street, look for a taxi that has a red light in the front window. It means the taxi has no passengers . ( If the light is green, the taxi has passengers. ) When you see an empty taxi, wave your hand and call it. The back door opens automatically , so stand back and wait until the door opens. Get in the taxi and tell the driver where you want to go. Before you get out of the taxi, pay it. *Wait until the door opens and get out of the taxi. After you get in the taxi, _ . Answer:
Question: In northern Scotland there is a long, deep lake called Loch Ness. More than 200 meters deep, it is the largest lake in the UK. People say a big monster lives in its dark, cold waters. It weighs more than 1,000 kilos and is at least ten meters long. Some people say it has a head like a horse. Others say it looks like a snake. Many people travel to Loch Ness to look for this strange monster, but only a few people have seen it. At least, they say they have seen it. The Loch Ness Monster is a famous legend . The first story about a monster in Loch Ness was told over 500 years ago, but the legend of the monster spread widely only in the twenties century. In 1933, a husband and wife reported that they saw a big monster in Loch Ness. Several people have taken photos, but at least one of them was a hoax . During the 1960s, a team was formed to look for the monster. They took many photos and made movies, but they were never able to find a monster. There is no real fact that a monster lives in Loch Ness, but there is also no fact that one doesn't live. One thing is true about Loch Ness: there are a lot of tourists there. Why was a team formed during the 1960s? A. To kill the monster. B. To look for the monster. C. To catch the monster. D. To sell the monster. Answer: B Question: Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it. It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport. The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise with our mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other's minds. This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle it is. Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animal. Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing, Birds can fly thousands miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year. In Nature's talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act. If we reduce it to basic terms, it's an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out. Not that we don't have other powers of communication. Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment. The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad. This is so-called "body language". Bristling fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals. Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering. Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display. Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skill? Biologist can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn't tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history. According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is _ . A. our ability to use language B. the miracle of technology C. the amazing power of nature D. our ability to make noises with mouth Answer: A Question: You can get a lot from being healthy. Everyone needs to take time to exercise. There are lots of ways to improve your health without having to join a gym. Here are some tips on how to better make use of your free time while staying healthy. By keeping physically active, you're making sure that your joints and body organs are kept in good working order. Exercise can also help keep your weight at a healthy level and can protect you against catching coughs and colds. Other benefits are an increase in your energy level and brain activity. Knowing that you're looking and feeling good can also increase your self-confidence. If you're under 18, you should try to do a total of 60 minutes of physical exercise every day. This includes anything from taking the lift at the gym to walking up stairs. If you're over 18, it's at least 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week. Getting fit isn't all about gyms - some forms of exercise won't cost you any money, and most forms can easily be used in your busy lifestyle without having to find some special time in your day. For example, riding a bike to school, college or work, and even running on a playground a few times a week can improve your fitness level. Getting fit isn't just something you have to do by yourself. Playing team sports like football, or basketball is great exercise, and it is often more enjoyable because you're playing with a group of friends. What can we learn from the passage? A. Walking up stairs is also a kind of exercise. B. It is no use exercising by yourself. C. Don't do exercise if you are busy. D. One should try to save money for joining a gym. Answer: A Question: How much do you hate waiting for another beer in a crowded bar? Josh Goodman invented a pretty obvious solution --self-service beer taps. Goodman, 36, recalled the exact moment in late 2008 when his frustration _ "I was hanging out with my friends at a Baltimore sports bar before an Orioles game," he said. "We just couldn't get another beer served to us quickly." Even more than annoyed, Goodman was struck by how much money the bar must be losing. Almost immediately, he got to work on a self-service beer concept. Within a few months, Goodman had launched Pour My Beer in Chicago (where he'd relocated to be with his wife). He invested $20,000 of his own funds and partnered with a U.S. manufacturer to make beer tables with two to four self-service taps. In February 2009, Goodman landed his first client : A Baltimore tavern. He spent the next two years growing the business and adding more bars and restaurants. In 2011, Pour My Beer introduced self-service "beer walls," which let people pour their own beer from taps on a wall. Pour My Beer has expanded to over 200 restaurants and bars in 28 states and Canada. The concept will roll out in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport this week and in Italy and Brazil later this year. The tables start at $4,000 and the beer walls cost as much as $16,000. It generated more than $400,000 in sales in 2013 and doubled that in 2014. Goodman expects to take in close to $2 million in revenue this year(2015) --which would make it the company's first profitable year. "Our business customers tell us that they've cut down on waste and they're selling twice as much beer on average," said Goodman. Josh Goodman decided to invent the self-service beer taps when _ . A. His friends advised him to do so. B. He realized the loss in waiting for beers. C. He set up Pour My Beer in Chicago. D. His company started to make profits. Answer: B Question: In Yemen, you always see one type of vehicle on the road: the water truck.They travel mountain roads and cross deserts to bring Yemenis the goods more valuable than oil.It is one that only the rich can afford, with the supply regularly being cut off.Others must rely on scarce rain or charity to fight thirst. Experts say Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water.The capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025,says a report by the World Bank. Hannan, an 18yearold from Lahej, said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply."In a good week we'll have a water supply all week but then the following week there will be water only for a day or two, " she said. She and her husband, a factory worker, pay 3,000 riyals (99yuan) for a week's supply of water from a touring water truck when the taps run dry.With an income of only 20,000 riyals (660yuan) a month,this means the family often spend half their money on water. "There are a lot of people who can't afford it and they have to rely on their neighbors to help," she said. The average person in Yemen survives on onefifth of what the World Health Organization considers to be enough water. In Taiz, in the south,tap water is available only once every 45 days.In the mountainous Malhan district in the north,women and children climb a 1,500m mountain to collect water from a spring, often in the small hours to avoid long queues. Yemen is located in Southwest Asia,bordering the Arabian and Red Sea.Yemeni people have lived on scarce water supplies for thousands of years but that problem has been made serious by conflict in the area,the fastgrowing population and the use of water to grow a drug called qat.With one of the world's highest rates of population growth--3.46 percent, Yemen is the poorest Arab country. The government is considering desalinating seawater,but this would be expensive and it may now be too late.The only other solution is to cut down on farming, but that means importing even more food. When Hannan said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply,she meant that _ . A. rich people drank more water than the poor B. rich people could buy water from the water trucks if there was a water supply cut C. she had a rich neighbor who often helped her during water supply cuts D. the rich were not affected by water supply cuts Answer: B
Beans and coal both have stored energy. Where did the energy come from that is stored in beans and coal? A From the Earth's gravity B From the Sun's light C From the heat in the Earth's core D From the air's carbon dioxide Answer: B My wife passed away seven and a half years ago, and I went through a huge depression , the worst time in my life. I even wanted to end my life. I continued to work as a small-town doctor at my medical clinic in Kilauea, Hawaii. My kids had gone to live on the mainland, and I was alone. On a family trip, we turned on the TV and saw the second plane crash into the World Trade Center. I said to my kids, "I'm going to Afghanistan." International Medical Corps sent me to set up 20 clinics in some provinces where people had no health care. Eventually, the clinics were serving 27,000 patients a month. I had such a sense of accomplishment, a sense of purpose. My depression went completely away. I go wherever disasters strike: Indonesia after the tsunami, Pakistan after the earthquake. I was just in Kenya. After their presidential election, at least a thousand people were killed and hundreds of thousands were forced out. We set up mobile clinics in an area with 19,000 refugees . _ broke out, one of the biggest killers of kids in refugee camps, and it spread like wildfire. Water and medical equipment were also problems. When my wife passed away, I thought my life was done. But really, it was just getting started. At the end of her life, my wife fell into a coma . I held her head in my hands and told her of all the places we would visit, the exciting adventures we would have. I think about this moment many times during my "adventures". I did not know then how prophetic those words would be. She is with me still. The author and his wife _ . A experienced a lot of exciting adventures B loved each other very much C lived on the mainland D would travel to many places together Answer: B Many people think there is no need to take special care over home security. "I'm all right, I'm insured " Maybe--if you're fully insured. Even then you can never recover the real value you place on your possessions. But you can't insure against the upset and unhappiness that we all feel if our homes are torn apart by some stranger, our windows and doors broken, our precious possessions ruined. "It won't happen to me" Won't it? A home is broken into every minute or so of the day. The thefts of all kinds, including cars and property stolen from cars, happen twice as frequently. "I've nothing worth stealing" You may think not. But in fact everyone has something worth a thief's attention. And we all have things of special value to us even if they're worth little or nothing in cash terms. "I'm just a tenant here" The thief doesn't care whether you're a tenant or an owner-occupier. You're just as likely to be robbed. Have a word with the owner of the house if you think extra locks and fastenings are necessary. "They'll get in anyway" Most thieves are on the lookout for easy jobs. They are soon discouraged by houses they can't get into in any quick and easy way. So it's worth taking care. "This booklet will help you" It's based on the practical experience of police forces throughout the country. Most of the suggestions will cost you only a few minutes extra time and thought. A few may involve some expense, but this is small compared with the loss and unhappiness you might otherwise suffer. If you are in doubt, ask for free advice from the Crillle Prevention Officer at your local police station. This advertisement aims to influence people who _ . A have little sense of security B are not properly insured C are worried about home security D have their houses broken into Answer: A In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow toaudition forMy Kind of people, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn't perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Boyle was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub. Boyle suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death. Boyle put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan's possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. "She was the one who said I should enterBritain's Got Talent. We used to watch it together." Susan later told reporters. "She thought I would win." In 1999, Boyle used all of her savings to pay for a professionaldemo tape. which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Boyle began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O'Neil. In 2007, Boyle's mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter "wouldn't come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone." She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O'Neil urged her to try out forBritain's Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sangI Dreamed A Dreamin the first round of the show, which was aired on 11 April 2009. The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharpcontrast to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final ofBritain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first albumI Dreamed A Dreamhas sold over five million copies. From Para. 4 we learn that Boyle _ . A was slightly discouraged by her voice coach B entered Britain's Got Talentto prove her ability C decided to give up her singing career D was deeply affected by her mother's death Answer: B Name: Off the Beaten Path Cover price: $30.00 Our price: $l9.80 The best-selling Reader's Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over l, 000 of the United States' most overlooked must-see destinations. Name: Container Gardens by Number Cover price: $l5.95 Our price: $9.49 A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden. Name: Best Weekend Projects Cover price: $l7.95 Our price: $l3.96 Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone. Name: l80l Home Remedies Cover price: $40.00 Our price: $29.96 Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound. Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters to allergies , and hiccups . How much money could you save if you want to buy a travel book? A $6.46 B $l0. 20 C $l3.96 D $l9.8 Answer: B
Every year on April 1, April Fools' Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. In France, it's called Poisson d'Avril or "Fish of April." In Scotland, the holiday is often called "Gowkie Day." In Iraq, the holiday is called Kithbet Neesan or "April Lie." History experts say people have celebrated April Fools' Day for a long time. Some believe the tradition comes from the ancient Romans more than two thousand years ago. It was a day of playing games and pretending to be someone else. Others say the day for fooling began in France in 1564, when King Charles changed the yearly calendar . He moved New Year's Day from April 1 to January 1. Many people did not know about the change because of communication problems back then. Some people continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Other people called them April Fools and played jokes on them. In the United States, April Fools' Day is just a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. These kinds of jokes are also called pranks. These jokes typically end in the prankster shouting "April Fools'!" Simple pranks, like telling a friend a funny lie or making prank phone calls, are still common. But, major companies also get in on April Fools' Day fun in a much bigger way. A few years ago, on April 1, Starbucks announced it was introducing new coffee cup sizes -- Plenta and Micra. The very large cups, bigger than a human head, remained useful for customers even after finishing all that coffee. According to Starbucks, the cups could be used as a rain hat, a pot for plants, or a lampshade . It did not take long for customers to catch on to the prank! More and more, people use social media or smart phone apps to play pranks on their friends on April Fools' Day. One very annoying smart phone app, Cat Facts, sends funny facts about cats to your friends' phones, every day. In the United States, April Fools' Day is _ . A a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. B a day when you can play jokes on any people. C a day when people can't shout "April Fools'!" D a day when Starbucks introduced new coffee. Answer: A. a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. Sometime in the next century, the familiar early-newspaper on the front porch will disappear. And instead of reading your newspaper, it will read to you. You'll get up and turn on the computer newspaper just like switching on the TV An electronic voice will distribute stories about the latest events, guided by a program that selects the type of news you want. You'll even get to choose the kind of voice you want to hear. Want more information on this brief story? A simple touch makes the entire text appear. Save it in your own personal computer if you like. These are among the predictions from communication experts working on the newspapers of the future. Pictured as part of broader home-based media and entertainment systems, computer newspapers will unite print and broadcast reporting, and offer news and analysis with video images of news events. Most of the technology is available now, but convincing more people that they don't need to read a newspaper is the next step. But resistance to computer newspapers may be stronger from within journalism. Since it is such a cultural change, it may be that the present generation of journalists and publishers will have to die off before the next generation realizes that the newspaper industry is no longer a newspaper industry. Technology is making the end of ' traditional newspapers unavoidable. Despite technological advances, it could take decades to replace newsprint with computer screens. It might take 30 t0 40 years to complete the changeover because people need to buy computers and because newspapers have established financial interests in the paper industry. What is the best title of the passage? A Computer newspapers are well liked. B Newspapers of the future will be on the computer. C Newspapers are out of fashion. D New communications technology. Answer: B. Newspapers of the future will be on the computer. All over the world, people enjoy sports. Sports are good for people's health. Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TV sets or may be online to watch. Sports change with the seasons. People play different games in different seasons. Sometimes they play inside the room. Sometimes they play outside. We can find sports here and there. Some sports are interesting and people everywhere like them. Football, for example, is very popular in the world. People from different countries can not understand each other, but after a game they often become very friendly to each other. ,. From this passage, we know that _ can become very friendly to each other. A people from different countries all. B people from the same country. C people who do the same sports. D after a game, people from different countries Answer: D. after a game, people from different countries Elephants and people are in competition for space. In much of Africa, elephants are now put in national parks. Elephants suffered a serious and steady decrease in numbers in the 1970s. This was the same time when scientists were beginning to learn a great deal about elephants and their behavior. Studies through the 1980s and into the 1990s showed a lot about their sounds and methods of communication. In Kenya alone, in the 1970s and 1980s, the elephant population decreased from 170,000 to 25,000. The sharp drop in numbers was the result of poachers illegally killing elephants for their ivory. The price of ivory went from $3 a pound to $50 to $100 a pound. Africa became very attractive to poachers. Bull elephants carried the largest tusks , so they were more often killed. With males gone and older females killed by poachers as well, there were many young elephants unable to benefit from the wisdom of the older females and matriarchs, who lead the herds. Kenya took a stand, international trade in ivory was officially forbidden, and $3,000,000 worth of confiscated ivory was burned in Kenya. The following year, only 50 elephants were lost to poachers in Kenya instead of 3,000. But Kenya has the fastest growing human population in the world. People throughout Africa won't tolerate elephants eating their crops and destroying their livelihoods. In South Africa, elephants live behind the fences of national parks. In some parts of Africa, big-game hunters pay a lot of money to hunt elephants. This keeps their numbers down, and the money goes toward conservation. In Kenya, there were some attempts at birth control to keep the elephant population at manageable numbers to reduce conflicts with people. Faced with a growing human population, elephants are losing the battle for space. It's unlikely, though, that they will become extinct. They will live in natural parks that bring tourists to Africa as well as India and other parts of Asia. The money from tourism will help elephants to survive. Bull elephants were at higher risk of being killed because _ . A they were the leaders of the herds B they possessed bigger ivory C they were of smaller size D they ran slowly Answer: B. they possessed bigger ivory An Australian man has beaten 75 other contestants from around the world to win a race up the stairs of the world's tallest building, Taipei 101. Paul Crake,30, ran up 91 floors containing 2,046 steps in 10 minutes, 29 seconds. Mr. Crake, who has won a similar race up the Empire State Building five times, won $5,920 in prize money. The women's race was won by Austrian Andrea Mayr, who finished in 12 minutes,38 seconds and also won a $5,920 prize. Austrian Rudolf Reitheiger, who beat Mr. Crake in this year's Empire State Building Race, came second in the men's competition. Mr. Crake and Ms. Mayr missed out on the offer of $30,000 for completing the grueling race in under 10 or 12 minutes respectively. A further 1,001 people took part in a so-called "self-challenging" race up the skyscraper. Taipei 101 is 508 meters tall and was finished in 2003, although Chinese developers have said Shanghai's World Financial Center will be taller when completed in 2007. "Tower-running" races take place up the tallest buildings and structures across the world. The Sears Tower in Chicago, the CN Tower in Toronto and the Azrieli Tower in Tel Aviv have all held recent events. Runners also race up the longest staircase in the world-the service staircase for the Niesenbahn railway near Spiez, Switzerland, which has 11,674 steps. At event for the long--distance stairway runners also takes place in Radebeul, Germany, where competitors run up 397 stairs 100 times to equal the height of Mt everest. Which of the following is NOT true about Paul Crake? A Paul Crake is an Australian man who is 30 years old at least. B Paul Crake has raced up the Empire State Building five times. C Paul Crake didn't win a $30,000 prize for not completing the race in under 10 minutes. D Paul Crake was beaten by Rudolf Reitheiger in this year's Empire State Building race. Answer: B. Paul Crake has raced up the Empire State Building five times.
Question: Mary is an American schoolgirl. She is now in Beijing with her parents. She doesn't know Chinese, but she is trying to study and speak it. She often tries to speak Chinese to her Chinese friends. Sometimes they don't understand her, because she can't speak Chinese well. It's Saturday morning. Mary goes out. She is on her way to the park. She is going there to see a flower show . But she doesn't know how to get there. She asks a Chinese boy. The boy can't understand her. Then she takes out a pen and some paper. She draws flowers on it, gives the picture to the boy and says something about it. The boy smiles and then shows Mary the way to the park. Where does Mary live now? She lives in _ . A. America B. England C. China D. Canada Answer: C. China Question: Speaking two languages can actually help offset some effects of aging on the brain, a new study has found. Researchers tested how long it took participants to switch from one cognitive task to another, something that's known to take longer for older adults, said lead researcher, Brian Gold, a neuroscientist at the University of Kentucky. Gold's team compared task-switching speeds for younger and older adults, knowing they would find slower speeds in the older population because of previous studies. However, they found that older adults who spoke two languages were able to switch mental activities faster than those didn't . The study only looked at life-long bilinguals, defined in study as people who had spoken a second language daily since they were at least 10 years old. Gold and his team asked 30 people, either bilingual or monolingual , to have a series of tests. They found that bilingual people were not only able to switch tasks faster, they had different brain activity than their monolingual peers. Kristina called bilingualism "a beautiful natural experiment", because people grow up speaking two languages,and studies have shown that they get certain cognitive benefits from switching between languages and determining which to respond with based on what's going on around them. Gold said he grew up in Montreal, where he spoke French at school and English at home, prompting relatives to question whether his French language immersion would somehow hinder his ability to learn English. "Until very recently, learning a second language in childhood was thought of as dangerous," he said. "Actually, it's beneficial. " Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. Older bilinguals can't respond faster in mind. B. Older adults speaking a second language daily since they were at least 10 years old can respond faster than those who don't. C. Young bilinguals can respond faster in mind than those monolinguals. D. Bilingual children respond slower in mind than those monolinguals. Answer: B. Older adults speaking a second language daily since they were at least 10 years old can respond faster than those who don't. Question: Rose is an American school girl. She is now in Beijing with her parents. It's Sunday morning. Rose gets up early in the morning. After breakfast her parents take her to the zoo. They go to see the pandas and other animals. The pandas live only in China. There are not any pandas in America. So they like the pandas best. Outside the zoo gate there is a picture. It's a picture of a panda with "Welcome". In the zoo, Rose sees not only pandas but also many other animals. A panda is round and fat. It looks like a ball. It always moves slowly like a ball rolling . There are also elephants. The elephant is the biggest animal on land. There are many monkeys on the hill. Some of them are sitting in the trees. Some are picking nuts. And the others are running or climbing up the trees. Rose and her parents have a good time in the zoo. Rose comes from _ . A. China B. Beijing C. America D. a school Answer: C. America Question: Picture this scene, a 6-year-old girl is alone on a raft, with no lifejacket, 200 yards from the shore with the winds whipping up the water. She is pointing at her cousins, and yelling out, "They are drowning!" Your eyes scan left only to see a three-year-old above the surface of the water and you realize two hands are holding her up, the hands of 14-year-old Mallory, who is struggling below the surface of the water. Three seventeen-year-olds from Salt Lake City, Tiana Skeen, Caitlin Caldwell and Jessica Osterloh, were on the lake for fun in the sun at Bear Lake when they heard the cry for help and saw this terrifying scene. The teens witnessed the three young girls in this very dangerous situation. The teens reacted quickly and swam out to save the girls while crying out toward jet skiers and people on the beach for help. Fourteen-year-old Mallory was struggling to hold her little cousin Rylee above water. The teens rescued Rylee just in time but couldn't find Mallory. Meanwhile, 6-year-old Sydney was floating away on the raft with no lifejacket. The girls flagged down a jet ski to get her and bring her back to the beach. The three teen heroines saved the 3-year-old and the 6-year-old, but they feel Mallory is the real heroine, as she held her 3-year-old cousin above the water until the teens were able to rescue Rylee. Mallory was finally found, but she died on the way to the hospital. Now, the teen heroines strongly remind everyone to wear a life jacket when on the water. What was Mallory doing, when the accident happened? A. She was crying out for help on a raft. B. She was trying her best to catch a raft. C. She was trying to help her cousin survive. D. She was struggling above the surface of the water. Answer: C. She was trying to help her cousin survive. Question: It's Tuesday today. After four classes in the morning, it's time for lunch. "Boys and girls, do you want to go to the City Book Store with me this afternoon?" Miss Cheng asks. All the students in our class are very happy, because we don't have to have three afternoon classes as usual . So we answer, "Yes!" "Well, come to the classroom after lunch," Miss Cheng says. At about 1:30 pm, we take a bus to the City Book Store. We get to the store at 2:00 pm. In the City Book Store are lots of books, but I can't read all of them. I only read two books about my favorite subject, history. The books in the store are nice, but they are expensive. I can't afford them. After two hours, we go to the front door of the book store. With Miss Cheng's help, some of the students buy some books at a special discount . Then we take a bus to our school. Why doesn't Tom buy books from the book store? A. He doesn't like reading. B. The books in the store are very boring. C. He can't afford books in the store. D. The books in the store are not about his favorite subject. Answer: C. He can't afford books in the store.
Question: Celebrate the arts at Harvard ARTS FIRST: April 28-May l, 2012 Experience non-stop art! Over 200 performances, exhibitions, films, and multimedia presentations Highlighting student and faculty creativity at Harvard. Schedule of events: www.ofa.fas.harvard.edu/arts, or call 617 495 8676 to request a program guide. Join us in honoring Susan Meiselas, winner of the 2012 Harvard Arts Medal Photographer Susan Meiselas will be awarded the Arts Medal by President Drew Gilpin Faust and will take part in a conversation organized by John Lithgow. Friday, April 29, 4 pm New College Theatre, 10-12 Holyoke St., Cambridge Admission free: tickets required. Those who receive this announcement may request up to two tickets by emailing www.ofa.fas.harvard.edu/arts or calling 617 495 8676. Please indicate one or two tickets, and reply by April 25. What do you know about the event at New College Theatre? A. People must buy tickets for it. B. Everyone can go to it. C. It begins at 10 am on April 29. D. One can get two tickets at most. Answer: D. One can get two tickets at most. Question: Larson was charged with the murder of a man who had been strangled and whose body was found in some woods near his home. Larson suffers from a neurological problem that makes it impossible for him to remember an occurrence for longer than 48 hours. occurrence for longer than 48 hours. After Larson was charged, the police visited him and asked if they might search his home. Larson consented. The police found a diary written by Larson. An entry dated the same day as the victim's disappearance read, "Indescribable excitement. Why did no one ever tell me that killing gave such pleasure to the master?" Larson was charged with murder. His attorney has moved to exclude the diary from evidence on the ground that its admission would violate Larson's privilege against self-incrimination. Counsel has also argued that Larson could not give informed consent to the search because more than 48 hours had passed since the making of the entry and hence he could not remember the existence of the incriminating entry at the time he gave his consent. There is no evidence that the police officers who secured Larson's consent to the search were aware of his memory impairment. With regard to the diary, the court should A. admit it, because Larson's consent was not obtained by intentional police misconduct and Larson was not compelled to make the diary entry. B. admit it, pursuant to the good-faith exception to the exclusionary rule. C. exclude it, because Larson was not competent to consent to a search. D. exclude it, because use of the diary as evidence would violate Larson's privilege against self-incrimination. Answer: A. admit it, because Larson's consent was not obtained by intentional police misconduct and Larson was not compelled to make the diary entry. Question: Do you know Open Farm Sunday? It is a new day in Britain. It is the fourth mayional open day for the farming industry .Now it is setting more and more popular among people, especially among young people. It is said that about 435 farms opened their gates to the public. The farmers invited people to their farms. Many people help the farmers work on the farms. They can do many things over there,such as water the crops and gather the crops. People could find pleasure of farming. Open Farm Sunday is a good chance to enjoy the life of countryside,especially for people living in the cities.If you come to the farm,you will fall in love with the country life.Here you can listen to the birds,enjoy the beautiful _ of countryside breathe the fresh air and watch the crops grow.You can also work with the farmers and taste the produce,such as tomatoes and cucumbers. One farmer said,"Welcome children to our farms. We will show you where your food comes from." What can visitors do on the farms according to the passage? A. They can visitors the beautiful view of countryside. B. They can watch the crops grow. C. They can work with the farmers and taste the produce. D. All of the above. Answer: D. All of the above. Question: Would you be surprised to learn that your eyes are like an eagle's eyes in some ways? You and an eagle can see colors. And an eagle's eyes and yours are about the same size. But therre are a lot more of a special type of cell in an eagle's eyes than in your eyes. These cells send information to the eagle's brain. Getting a lot of information helps an eagle see much better than you. In fact, eagle can spot a fish in the sea from a mile away. You and an eagle have eyes that make tears. Your eyes make watery tears that clean your eyes. An eagle's eyes for watery tears and oily tears. Eagles dive into the sea to catch fish. The oily tears guard their eyes from the saltwater. Like you, eagles have eyelids. You have two eyelids, and you close your eyes by lowering the top lid. When eagles close their eyes, their bottom lids raise up. Eagles have a third eyelid that moves across the eye every few seconds. It wipes dust away from the eye. An eagle can see through this third eyelid. The eyelid guards the bird's eyes when it _ at 100 miles an hour after its prey . Unlike your eyes, an eagle's eyes _ . A. have cells B. can see colors C. have an extra eyelid D. form tears Answer: D. form tears Question: The discovery that language can be a barrier to communication is quickly made by all who travel, study, govern or sell. Whether the activity is tourism, research, government, policing or business, the lack of a common language can severely delay progress or can stop it altogether. Although communication problems of this kind must happen thousands of times each day, very few become public knowledge. Publicity comes only when a failure to communicate has major results, such as strikes, lost orders, legal problems or deadly accidents--even, at times, war. One reported example of communication failure took place in 1970, when several Americans ate a species of poisonous mushroom. No remedy was known, and two of the people died within days. A radio report of the case was heard by a chemist who knew of a treatment that had been successfully used in 1959 and published in 1963. Why had the American doctors not heard of it seven years later? Possibly because the report of the treatment had been published only in journals written in European languages other than English. Several comparable cases have been reported. But isolated examples do not give an impression of the size of the problem--something that can come only from studies of the use or avoidance of foreign-language materials and contacts in different communicative situations. In the English-speaking scientific world, for example, surveys of books and documents consulted in libraries and other information agencies have shown that very little foreign-language material is ever consulted. Library requests in the field of science and technology showed that only 13 percent were for foreign language journals. The language barrier presents itself entirely to firms who wish to market their products in other countries. British industry, in particular, has in recent decades often been criticized for its assumption that foreign buyers will be happy to communicate in English, and that awareness of other languages is not therefore a matter to be considered first. In the 1960s, over two-thirds of British firms dealing with non-English-speaking customers were using English for outgoing letters; many had their sales language only in English; and as many as 40 percent employed no one who was able to communicate in the customer's languages. A similar problem was identified in other English-speaking countries, especially the USA, Australia and New Zealand. And non-English speaking countries were by no means free from the same problem--although the widespread use of English as an alternative language made them a bit more able to communicate with other countries. The criticism and publicity given to this problem since the 1960s seems to have greatly improved the situation. Industrial training projects have promoted an increase in language and cultural awareness. Many firms now have their own translation services. Some firms run part-time language courses in the languages of the countries with which they are most involved; some produce their own technical glossaries , to ensure consistency when material is being translated. It is now much more readily accepted that marketing efforts can be delayed, damaged or ruined by a failure to take the language needs of the customer into consideration. What can we infer about American doctors from the case of the poisonous mushrooms? A. They probably only read reports written in English. B. They hadn't read that report of the treatment. C. They didn't know how to treat such a case. D. They were unable to get reports written in other languages. Answer: A. They probably only read reports written in English.
My mother celebrates her 90th birthday today. She has asked me to keep it a secret and tell people she is only 89. For some reason she seems to think this sounds better. We really have our share of disagreements, but on this one I stand firm: I think 90 sounds pretty fantastic. My mother says she never thought she would live this long. She was weak and had two near fatal illnesses under the age of 12. And then there was the fear of cancer. Her mother died of breast cancer when my mother was just 17, at a time when there was no such thing as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. When I was 17 years old, I was worried that my life would parallel hers. I never shared my fears. Instead I would lie awake at night in my bed with the yellow and orange flowered bedspread she had made for me, counting how much time we had left together. What I didn't know until years later was that she had had the same fear. She told me how she would write away for every piece of information she could find on how to prevent the fatal disease until my father made her stop. He told her she had to relax and stop worrying so much. She was going to be OK. He was right. And one October, many years into the future, we would celebrate her 90th birthday. My mother is the reason I live the life I do. Her fierceness and independence was how I learned to walk the path I have chosen. She was always a forward thinker, reading up on what's new and willing to try something different. She taught me kindness and to look out for those less fortunate than us. When Dad died far too young, my mother was the one who sat me down the afternoon after the funeral and told me life would go on, and that as hard as it was to imagine, I would be happy again. She helped me to understand that death was a part of life we could never escape and we must learn to accept it. Our roles have changed in recent years. She turns to me for help now. She asks me what to do. She is the one to call me when she is worried or concerned or needs help with something. I am the one who takes her shopping instead of her taking me. I am the one baking her favorite Greek cookies instead of her surprising me. She tells me constantly how proud she is of me and how grateful she is for what I do for her. She doesn't know from where I get my calm and how I do all I do. She says that now she learns from me. And while I know that is all true, I am still learning from her. My mother is one of the strongest people I know. I am more fortunate. I have had her to lead the way. And I am so grateful. The gift of her long life has been a gift to me. While my mother thinks we should keep this birthday quiet, I am not listening. I am celebrating her and the great fortune I have had to call her Mom. Happy 90th! Which of the following is the best title for the passage? Steve Sparks was a young successful lawyer when a bruise on one of the legs of his 3-year-old daughter changed his life. The bruise led to a doctor's visit. The doctor said his daughter was suffering from leukemia . Steve said that in a moment his life changed from what restaurant he was going to take his clients to lunch to whether his daughter Katie was ever going to see her fourth birthday. For three years Katie received a lot of treatment at the Nemours Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and with the help of wonderful doctors, kind nurses, whom Steve and his wife Michelle called heroes, Katie's leukemia was cured . Forever changed by the experience and encouraged by the heroes at Nemours who saved his daughter's life, Steve felt he couldn't go back to business as usual. He felt there was something else he was meant to do and that something else led him to join the Nemours Foundation at the age of 28. The job change came with a 65% pay cut from what he was making as a lawyer, but Steve thought he was right and it was more important to help those who need help. Steve is glad to have made such a choice. Katie is now a healthy 20-year-old college student and Steve is one of the leaders of the Nemours Foundation. In three weeks Steve will have a party for Katie's 21st birthday, and give big thanks to the Nemours by riding his bicycle from Nemours in Jack-sonville, Florida to Wilmington, Delaware. He'll ride 900 miles in 9 days and raise $100,000 for the Nemours Foundation with the hope of saving more children's lives. Which of the following is TRUE about Steve's becoming a member of the Nemours Foundation? Many psychologists in the early twentieth century believed that humans use only 10 percent of their brains, and even the great Albert Einstein once wrote that most people use only a small portion of the grey matter between their ears. It's a theory that has often been put forward in television documentaries; magazines, advertisements and books over the past century. But nearly all scientists now agree the 10 percent theory is completely . In fact, they question how this figure was ever arrived at in the first place and what areas of the brain are supposed to be unneeded. The theory supposes that if 90 percent of the brain were removed, a person would Still be able to function normally, while in reality it is known that damage to even a small area of the brain can result in extremely serious physical injury different activities and that many areas of the brain are used at the same time for some complex activities or thought processes. Throughout the course of one day, most .areas of the brain are active at some time, even during sleep. The 10 percent theory suggests that certain areas o' the brain are not used, but scans slow activities throughout the entire brain and not in any separate part. The final argument against the 10 percent theory is the fact that doctors carefully map the brain before removing brain cancers so that they don't affect other essential areas. From an evolutionary point of view, it's highly unlikely butt our comparatively larger brains would have evolved from our ancestors if the extra areas were not needed. In fact, there is absolutely no evidence support the 10 percent theory. Which of the following is true according to the writer? Which of these is a composite material? Is early childhood education really necessary ? Early childhood education primarily focuses on learning through playing to develop the child's physical , sensory , communicational and social development . Early childhood education has become a concern of the government , who pushes poor children to be formally trained before they are old enough for kindergarten . There are good reasons for the government to push early childhood education . Studies have shown that orphaned children who did not receive good care and education become developmentally delayed causing failure in school , and even in life. Further studies show that poor children who take part in Head Start programs are more prepared for school , less likely to end up in Special Education classes , and are less likely to receive public help or go to jail (prison) . There are also negative parts to putting a child in formal education programs too early . Time Magazine Online explains that " the younger the child is , the less his chances of catching up with first-grade work ." I have personally witnessed many children of my generation who went to Head Start programs become frustrated and bored with school before they finished high school . Yet parents have been sure that the earlier the child starts school , the better off he or she is , so they push to start children earlier . Actually while early formal education of poor children does show great gains in the early elementary years , studies also show that this head start is really a " false start" , as the gains are lost in middle and high school years. It seems that environment is a bigger factor on life's success than early education . Head Start programs have not achieved its original goal in closing the achievement gap in poor and middle school children. Perhaps it is time to find other ways to close that gap . The explanation of Time Magazine Online suggests that _ .
What will man be like in the future----in 5000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today, for man is slowly changing all the time. Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller. Again, in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain's capacity. As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and eventually we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring about a physical change to the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger. Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over very long period of time it is likely that man's eyes will grow stronger. On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life. But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald. Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and emotions similar to our own. Which of the following serves as the evidence that man is changing? A Man's hair is getting thinner and thinner. B Man has got stronger eyes now than he ever had. C Man has been growing taller over the past 500 years. D Man's arms and legs have become lighter and weaker. Answer: C Health insurance can be very expensive. Some working people do not make enough money to pay for it. In the US there is a program called Healthy Families. This program offers people health insurance at a low cost. Families are charged about Y=7.00 a month for every child, and Y=10.00 for every adult. It costs much less than any other kind of health insurance. Having health insurance is very important. With this insurance, people can see a doctor when they are sick or hurt. The program is not expensive at all, but many people are still not enrolling in it. People say that it still costs too much money. They need all of their money to pay for things like food and rent. It would be great if everyone could have health insurance. People are working hard to come up with ways to make this happen. One idea is to make the Healthy Families Program free for some people. It is important for people to see a doctor when they need to. The Healthy Families Program makes it possible for more people to do this. Many ideas are being considered. Hopefully some of them will allow even more families to get health insurance. The Healthy Families Program is made to help those who don't have welfare and cannot earn enough to pay for private health insurance. It is an important program, but officials say that too many people are signing up for it and then dropping out because of the Healthy Families Program's cost. The aim of the Healthy Families Program is to _ . A help people earn more and pay for the program B help more families get health insurance C make it free for people to see a doctor D help families pay for private health insurance Answer: B Following the success of S. H. E and Twins, another girl band . has arrived on the music scene. Eighteen-year-old Singaporean twin sisters Yumi and Miko Bai create the magic in the band BY2. The pair recently released their second album, Twins. With great voices and dance moves to match, the cute sisters have won the hearts of many fans since their first album NC-16 came out last year. At a young age,the sisters began to learn ballet dancing and the violin. When a music company wanted to work with them, the girls had to leave their home and parents to go to Taiwan for training. Miko and Yumi dropped out of school to focus on their music. This decision caused a hot debate in Singapore. Some people said that their mother was using her daughters to make money. But their father, who died of cancer when they were 15 years old, had encouraged the girls to work hard to make their dreams come true. The girls felt lonely in Taiwan when they first arrived. " We celebrated our birthday in Taiwan without any family and friends," Yumi said. " We cut our birthday cake ourselves. " The girls faced many challenges. "We had to learn Mandarin. Also, it was a killer to dance in high heels, " said the twins,who had to do so in their music videos. However,they are glad that they entered the entertainment scene at an early age. " When we are younger, we learn things faster and can gain more experience, " Yumi said. We can learn from the text that S. H. E is _ . A a girl musical group B the name of a cute girl C a Singaporean twin D the name of a dancing group Answer: A Runners in a relay race pass a stick in one direction.However,merchants passed silk,gold, fruit,and g1ass along the Silk Road in more than one direction.They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road. The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B.C. to about A.D.1300, when sea travel offered new routes . It was sometimes called the world's longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe. The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from centre Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web. The People along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs.The silk Road provided pathways for learning,diplomacy ,and religion.* New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people _ * A traded goods along the route B shared each other's beliefs C 1earned from one another D earned their living by traveling Answer: C When you're having a holiday, one of the main questions to ask is which hotel or apartment to choose. However, when it comes to France, you have another special choice: treehouses. In France, treehouses are offered to travelers as a new choice in many places. The price may be a little higher, but you do have a chance to _ your childhood memories. Alain Laurens, one of France's top treehouse designers, said, "Most of the people might have the experience of building a den when they were young. And they like that feeling of freedom when they are children." Its fairy-tale style gives travelers a special feeling. It seems as if they are living as a forest king and enjoying the fresh air in the morning. Another kind of treehouse is the "star cube". It gives travelers the chance of looking at the stars shining in the sky when they are going to sleep. Each "star cube" not only offers all the comfortable things that a hotel provides for travelers, but also gives them a chance to look for stars by using a telescope. The glass roof allows you to look at the stars from your bed. ,. What can we learn from the passage? A The priceof a treehouse is as high as that of a hotel. B The traveler will become the forest king in the treehouse. C There's a telescope in all the rooms of the treehouse. D The "star cube" can offer comfortable things as a hotel does. Answer: D
Dr Asim Syed, 32, has performed more than 100 operations at London's Hammersmith Hospital in the country's busiest transplant unit, but never imagined that he would one day become a donor himself. He stepped forward when was told his 64-year-old mother might be dead within months unless she got a new kidney . The worried surgeon brought her to London to be cared for at his hospital. However, it was not all plain sailing. Tests showed Dr Syed was the wrong blood group, so the only way was to go through a special blood-washing process. He consulted colleagues about that, but they didn't agree, because the risk of rejection is still too high. Dr Syed and his mother were then advised to consider a new way of donating and receiving, called an organ-paired. That is, Dr Syed donated his kidney to an unknown person and another donor in the chain was a successful match for his mother. The chain of three transplants took place at the same time on July 31 with Dr Syed's kidney going to a recipient in the Midlands and Mrs. Syed receiving her kidney from a person in the south of England. Just hours after donating his own kidney, Dr Syed found himself recovering in bed next to his mother. Mrs Syed said, "When I came round from my operation Asim was in the next bed and the first thing he said was, 'Mum now all your worries are over.' Tears fell down." Now mother and son are recovering well with Dr Syed already back at work. Mrs. Syed is staying with him for several months while the hospital monitors her progress. He said, "I did what anyone would do when they see a relative suffering disease. Although I wasn't able to help mum directly, by agreeing to be part of a chain, I was also very happy." What can we learn about Mrs. Syed? A She was touched by his son's deed. B She has already recovered completely. C After operation, she went her own home. D She was in hospital in London for many years. Answer: A In English the spelling of words does not always represent the sound. So people say /rait/ but spell it right or write, or even rite. Combinations of letters may be pronounced in many ways. And some words just seem to have too many letters. For Americans things are a little bit easier, thanks to the work of Noah Webster, a teacher who graduated from Yale University in 1778. As a young man, he had fought against the British in the American War of Independence, and he felt that written English in the newly independent United States should have a distinctive American look. So he began his work on American English. His first book, The Elementary Spelling Book, suggested simplifying the spelling of English words. The book was extremely popular. By the 1850s, it was selling one million copies a year, making it one of the most popular school books ever. Many of the suggestions were quickly adopted. Center instead of centre, program instead of programme, and flavor instead of flavour. Others, however, such as removing silent letters like s in island or the final e in examine, were not . Webster is best known for his American Dictionary of the English language, which first appeared in 1828. It introduced lots of new American words, with information about their pronunciation and use, and, of course, the new spelling. The British criticized the dictionary, but it quickly became a standard reference book in the States. Today, Webster's dictionary is still the number one dictionary for American students. What attitude do the British have towards Webster's dictionary? A They thought highly of it. B They found fault with it. C They argued bitterly about it. D They followed the examples of it. Answer: B John H.Johnson was born in a family in Arkansas City in 1918.His father died in an accident when John was six.He was reaching high school age, but his hometown offered no high schools for the blacks. Fortunately he has a strong-willed and caring mother.John remembers that his mother told him many times, "Son, you can be anything you really want to be if you just believe." She told him not to be dependent on others, including his mother."You have to earn success", said she, "all the people who work hard don't succeed, but the only people who do succeed are those who work hard." These words came from a woman with less than a third grade education.She also knew that believing and working hard don't mean everything.So she worked hard as a cook for two years to save enough to take her son to Chicago. Chicago in 1933 was not the Promised Land that black southerners were looking for.John's mother could not find work.But here John could go to school, and learned the power of words--as an editor of a newspaper.His wish was to publish a magazine for the blacks. While others discouraged him, John's mother offered him more words to live by: " _ ." She also let him sell her furniture to get the 500 dollars he needed to start the Negro magazine. It's natural that difficulties and failures followed John closely until he became very successful.He always keeps his mother's words in mind."Son, failure is not in your dictionary." Now John H.Johnson is one of the 400 richest people in America--worth 150 million dollars. We can learn from this passage that John's mother _ . A didn't depend on others or give up easily B thought success only lied in a strong faith C thought one could be whatever one wanted to be D believed one would succeed without working hard Answer: A All of the following but which would be considered renewable energy sources? A Solar B Wind C Natural Gas D Hydropower Answer: C Cwu The communication union Head of reach Salary:PS55.271 We are looking for a Head of research to manage the CWU Research Department and Information Centre. You would be required to exercise control of all research work of the department and manage a team of three researchers and four support staff. The person appointed would be expected to carry out research work of a strategic nature across the rang of businesses in which the CWU has or seeks membership and to contribute to the strategic thinking and direction of the union as a whole. You will need: prove line management skills, especially in managing and motivating a team; good research skills, holding a good degree in a related subject or other similar experience; a high level of mathematical and calculating skills; the ability to produce high quality work under pressure; a commitment to and knowledge of the trade union movement and social democratic politics; knowledge and /or experience of the postal and/or telecommunications industry. To apply, please request an application pack by emailing _ or by telephoning HR (human Resources) on 020-8971 7482. When applying please state your source. Closing Date for Application: 4th August 2011/10/24 Anticipated interview date: 17th August 2011/10/24 No agencies please In which column of a newspaper could we find this advertisement? A Arts B Sales C Jobs D News Answer: C
Humans grow thinner when they A. lack food B. eat too much. C. overeat D. eat food Answer: A Welcome to the National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum is the largest of its kind in the world, with over two million items in its collections. Twenty galleries display some of the finest sea affairs in historic buildings, which were formerly a school for the sons of seamen. Opening times 10:00 - 17:00 Winter hours 10:00 - 18:00 Summer hours Last admission is thirty minutes before closing. Smoking is not allowed in the museum. Eating and drinking are only allowed in the designated areas. Photography and video are not permitted inside the building. Bookings Our Central Booking Group handles all group visit enquiries ,from schools, group organizers and tour operators. Education and Interpretation Schools' programs operate in term-time. Programs of talks, tours, work-shops, storytelling, living history and interpretation are run throughout the year, especially at weekends and during school holidays. E - library Facilities are provided for electronic access to the museum's collections. Please ask a member of staff for directions to the nearest terminals . These facilities are also available from the comfort of your own home. Which of the following is certainly forbidden according to the passage? A. Trying to enter the museum after 5:00 p. m. B. Taking pictures in front of the museum. C. Talking loudly when you enjoy the collections. D. Eating and drinking wherever you are. Answer: D Which of these is a freshwater reservoir? A. Gulf of Mexico B. Pacific Ocean C. Atlantic tidal basin D. Antarctic polar ice Answer: D Many English people have three ninny, a first name, a middle name and a last name (or a family name).For example , my name is James Allen Green.James is my first name.Allen is my middle name.Green is my last name.People don't use Mr. , Mrs., Ms.or Miss before their first names.People should use them before their family names. But in China, people use Mr. Mrs. Ms.or Miss before their first names.Because( ) the first name is the family name.For example, my name is Lin Tao."Lin" is my family name, and "Tao" is my given name. ,. If my name is Lin Tao, which is my family name? _ A. Lin B. Tao C. Lin Tao D. Zhang Answer: A There are very few species of plants and animals in places like the North Pole because the temperatures are always very A. muggy B. low C. high D. boring Answer: B
My parents moved to Mississippi when my brother and I were small children, and we were separated from our Oklahoma grandparents by some 600 miles. This long distance allowed us to only visit our grandparents once a year, either at Christmas or during summer vacation. Most of my classmates lived near their grandparents, and I would often hear stories of big families regularly spending time with one another, fishing at "grandpa's" house or going over to "grandma's" for her famous fried chicken. We were disappointed that we did not get to spend more time with our grandparents, but our love for them remained deep and strong. We always expected a road trip to Oklahoma. We would count the days, and when the day came, the entire family would pile into our car at four o'clock in the morning. Crossing the Mississippi River into Louisiana, the scenery changed. Crossing the Red River in Oklahoma, we were in a foreign world. Every trip to see my grandparents can't be without bringing delight. We jumped out of the car in their driveway to be met with bear hugs. My grandparents wanted to know everything about their grandchildren, and we would sit for hours and tell story after story. Grandma had a meal planned, and you could guess she prepared her grandsons' favorite foods. Of course the best part of the visit was that we were able to do whatever we wanted without punishment from our grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa always had presents for us, short trips planned and lovely surprises, such as the time we got to a local restaurant and ate the world's largest hamburger. Whenever the author and his brother met their grandparents, they _ . A were full of great excitement B found they were in a foreign world C shared cooking skills with each other D seemed not to be familiar with each other Answer: A. were full of great excitement Traffic TV Avoid the jams -- see where tailbacks are before you set off and while on the move. Traffic TV is free to use on your personal computer and only PS4 per month (see below for other network charges) on your mobile. How does it work? Over 7,500 Trafficmaster cameras monitor traffic flow on over 8,000 miles of motorways and roads across the UK keeping you up to date 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Traffic TV on your mobile This downloadable application lets you see where jams are building up, the speed of vehicles at hotspots, and live pictures from thousands of roadside cameras. Traffic TV is PS4 a month for Orange mobile customers, after a 30 day free trial. On other networks Traffic TV is PS5 a month, after a 7 day free trial. Listen to live traffic news Don't want the download? Then simply dial the numbers below from your mobile to hear the latest traffic updates. Orange mobile users call 177 (calls cost up to 55p a minute) Other mobile users call 1740 (calls cost up to 59p a minute) Help friends avoid jams Simply enter your friend's email address to send them a link to this service. You may read this advertisement most probably _ . A in a travel guide B on a web page C on a road sign D in a newspaper Answer: B. on a web page In Western countries people have been using the installment plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments .In the U.S., the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan. The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyers pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made. Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping, It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment. There is ,however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment. If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit, it becomes more likely to have a depression. This is why, in some countries, the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan. What will happen to a buyer if he fails to make the full payment for an item bought on installments? A He might lose his job B He will stop owning the item he has bought C He will have to sell what he has bought D He will go into debt Answer: B. He will stop owning the item he has bought Have you seen Jurassic Park? In this film, scientists use DNA kept for tens of millions of years to clone dinosaurs. They find trouble, however, when they realize that the cloned creatures are smarter and more dangerous than expected. That's nothing more than a fiction. But could we really clone endangered animals? To date, the most successful attempt to do so was the cloning of a gaur, a rare ox-like animal from southeast Asia. Scientists used a cow to bring the cloned baby gaur, named Noah. Two days after birth, however, Noah died from a common bacterial infection. Other endangered species that may be cloned include the African bongo antelope , the Sumatran tiger, the cheetah , and the giant panda. Next, could we really clone extinct animals? In theory? Yes. To do this, you need a well-kept source of DNA from the extinct animals such as wool mammoth , Tasmanian tiger, or even dinosaur, and a closely related species, still living, which could serve as a surrogate mother. In reality? Probably not. On the one hand, it's not likely that extinct animals' DNA could survive undamaged for such a long time. Cloning extinct animals as wool mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, or dinosaur is much more difficult due to the lack of properly well-preserved DNA. On the other hand, for example, a gaur can have a cow as _ , definitely not a monkey. But what about an extinct animal as unique as the panda? What species could possibly serve as a surrogate mother? Cloning presents many exciting possibilities. However, even if extinct animals are brought back, they could not survive in today's world. Not only do most extinct animals have no habitat to live in, but the other plants and animals they depended on for food may also be gone as well. The difficulty in cloning an extinct species is the lack of _ . A both the well-preserved DNA and plants to live on B both the habitat to live in and the well-preserved DNA C both habitat to live in and plants to live on D both the well-preserved DNA and a surrogate mother Answer: D. both the well-preserved DNA and a surrogate mother I want to talk about the economy.Not "the economy" we hear about endlessly in the news each day and in politicians' speeches.I want to talk about the real economy, the one we live in day by day. Most people aren't particularly interested in "the economy"."Share prices are flying high; interest rates are soaring; the Dow Jones Index closed sixty-three points down on 8472.35." We hear this and subconsciously switch off. Notice that "the economy" is not the same as the economy, "The economy" is what men in suits play with to make vast personal wealth.The economy is where the rest of us live on a daily basis, earning our living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the necessities of life. We are supposed to be benefiting from all the advantages of a well-off society.So why do we feel tired and stressed? We have no time for anything other than work, which is ridiculous given the number of labor-saving devices in our lives.Our towns become more and more crowded.We poison our air and seas, and our food is full of chemicals.There's something wrong here.If times were truly good, then you may think we'd all feel optimistic about the future.Yet the majority of us are deeply worried.More than 90 percent of us think we are too concerned about ourselves and not concerned enough about future generations. The term "economic expansion" suggests something desirable, but expansion simply means spending more money.More spending doesn't mean that life is getting better.We all know it often means the opposite - greed, crime, poverty, pollution.More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and consumption.Unless money keeps circulating, the economy breaks down.If we don't keep consuming, the whole system goes into stalemate . How do we break the cycle and make some changes? We need to become far more aware of the results of our actions.We buy clothes that are made in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world.We create mountains of waste.We demand cheap food, mindless of the fact that it totally lacks taste and is produced using chemicals that poison the land. The consumption culture makes us unaware of the effect of our own behavior.Our main problem is not that we don't know what to do about it.It is gathering the desire to do it. What is true about economic expansion? A It guarantees a better life for us. B It may lead to some social problems. C It will stop the circulation of money. D It has only brought desirable effects. Answer: B. It may lead to some social problems.
As a volunteer, you will discover the unique opportunity of visiting the real world beyond the tourist window and became immersed in the culture you visit. For most travelers, this time spent working on meaningful projects, and getting to know the local area and its people, is often cited as their most memorable, enjoyable and fulfilling life experience. Who can volunteer? Kaya Volunteers are 18-80 years old people with an adventurous spirit. Whether you have time for a 2-week trip or a 6-month break, travelling on your own, with a group or with your family, or you are a student, taking a break from your job, or have even retired, they will find a project that can use your help. Countries where you can volunteer: Asia-Pacific (Australia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam.) Africa (Botswana,Ghana,Kenya,Mozambique,South Africa,Zambia,Zimbabwe) Latin America (Belize,Bolivia,Brazil,Costa Rica,Ecuador,Peru) What type of projects can you do? Kaya's Project advisors work with you to decide which project is best for you and what type of work you would like to do. you can work in the following fields: Environmental preservation- From the Ecuadorian rain forest to the jungles of Thailand, repair the damage done to some of the most beautiful and diverse places on earth. Work with children- They have over 40 projects working with children across the world in orphanages, schools and shelters for the abused, disabled and disadvantaged. Sports - Through sports, their projects that can provide opportunities for health education and the development of life skills, such as teamwork, communication, discipline and self- confidence. Education - From English teaching to education programs for special needs and minority groups, give greater opportunity to the disadvantaged through education. All projects include airport pick-ups and drop-offs, accommodation, orientation and 24-hour support. Many of their placements also include all meals and some language classes so that you can get even more involved. The author wrote the passage for the purpose of _ . A explaining different projects for volunteers B calling in volunteers for sightseeing projects C showing us the advantages of volunteers D encouraging us to do some voluntary work. Answer: D. encouraging us to do some voluntary work. A man made a nice talking machine. It could weigh people. The man wanted to try the machine before he could make a lot of these kinds of machines. He put the machine into the waiting room of a station . There were always lots of people in and out there. The first one began to use the machine. It was an Indian woman. When she stand on the machine, the machine thought for a few minutes to decide which language it should speak. "Good morning, madam," it said in Indian. "Your weight is 72 kilos. That's three kilos more. If you eat more fruit and vegetables, you will be soon all right. Wish you a nice day." The second one who used the machine was a nice Chinese girl. She stood on the machine and waited to hear her weight. "Good morning , Miss ,"the machine said in Chinese. "Your weight is 45 kilos. It's all right for your age and height. Go on to eat what you eat every day. Wish you a nice day." The third one to use the machine was a very fat American woman. She thought for a long time before standing on the machine. But as soon as she stood on the machine, the machine spoke quickly in English , "Good morning . Will one of you get off?" First the man put his machine _ . A in the doctor's waiting room B in a museum C in a station D in a train Answer: C. in a station Li Qiang and Li Gang are brothers. But their living habits are different. Now let's go to Li Qiang's room. Li Qiang cleans his bedroom every day and puts his things away. Look! There is a computer on the desk. There are two balls under the bed. A guitar and a kite are on the wall. Some books are on the shelf. So he must be a careful boy. Now let's go to Li Gang's room. The room is not clean. Can we see his clothes on the desk? Oh, yes. We can see a football and a knife on the desk, too. Li Gang never does any cleaning on weekends. So his room is in a mess. What do you think of Li Qiang and Li Gang? Li Qiang is a good boy. Li Gang must learn from his brother. ,. There is a guitar _ . A on the desk B on the wall C on the shelf D under the bed Answer: B. on the wall Throughout history there have always been people who can make other people laugh. Early clowns often both annoyed and delighted listeners with their comments and songs. They were not the silent performers seen in today's circus rings. Clowns _ when the big three-ring circuses made it impossible for the audience to hear them. Circus clowns give performances in various ways. Walk-around clowns use an animal or something, like a huge rubber hammer, as part of their performance. A carpet clown moves around, talking with the audience and performing while the acts change in the rings. Then there are acrobatic clowns, riding clowns, juggling clowns and others. Everything a clown does looks easy, but it is not. Making people laugh can be hard work. Clowns must be in good physical condition to prevent injuries. Each funny move is carefully timed and well-rehearsed . Most clowns have also been trained as acrobats, jugglers or aerial artists, and many include such skills into their acts. Generally, there are three types of circus clowns--whiteface, auguste and character. Each has a special makeup and clothes. Each has a typical act as well. The neat whiteface is usually a strict, in-charge character who sets up the punch line (the point of a joke) with a partner who is typically an auguste. His facial makeup is neatly detailed in red or black, and his clothes look so loose with a ruffle around the neck. Old circus stories have it that the auguste clown got his name from a German nickname for someone who is clumsy, acting in a careless and stupid way. The auguste wears light-coloured makeup, but white is used around the mouth and eyes, and there's a big red nose. This clown performs a great deal of humour. An oversized suit or baggy trousers allow freedom of movement for all the clumsy acts. He also wears big shoes. Character clowns perform as different characters--cowboys, grandmothers or concert conductors. The most famous character clown, however, is the tramp . Tramps wear different styles of makeup and torn clothes. Some tramp clowns are happy-go-lucky. Others are extremely sad. Still others act like gentlemen who just happen to be out of money. Why did the author write this article? A To give some basic facts about clowns. B To express his opinion on circus clowns. C To tell readers about the history of clowns. D To describe the hard work circus clowns do. Answer: A. To give some basic facts about clowns. My trip with my sister and my daughter to Manhattan wedding gown(,) shop, cannot be understood without further focusing on Marina, my 14-year-old daughter Ive asked to try on dresses. This was the girl I took to Kleinfeld, the fancy store featured on the television program Say Yes to the Dress. As the trip approached, I asked Marina if she was excited. Sure, Mom. shed say, shrugging. Marina was more excited about getting a tattoo on her ankle to represent my fight with ALS than trying on $ 10,000 wedding gowns. My sister, Stephanie, had arranged for a car with a wheelchair lift to drive us from the hotel to Kleinfeld. The car driver wheeled me in. At Kleinfeld with flower arrangements ten feet high, I felt like rolling into a dream. "Wow!" I said. I was wearing a new black outfit. Marina wore jean shorts, a sleeveless shirt, and sneakers. _ . The kind Kleinfeld ladies pointed out rooms like tour guides, naming the designers one by one on display: Alita Grham, Pnina Tornai... With Marina walking beside me, Stephanie pushed my chair up and down rows and rows of dresses that made Princess Diana's dress look modest. Marina didn't say a word. We turned a corner into the storage room, where hundreds of dresses hung in plastic protector sleeves. Marina and I were overwhelmed. "Want to try one on ?" I said, touching Marina's hand. "OK," Marina said in her sharp, unsure voice. "Tell them the style you'd like." Marina stood silent. I felt bad for bringing her, for forcing such an adult experience on a child. Marina picked an A-line dress. Or, more precisely, the ladies of Kleinfeld picked it for her. Marina was too shocked to do more than nod. As she took the gown into the dressing room, I tried not to think of my little girl on her wedding day or of her as a baby in my arms. I tried not to think of her with her own baby in her arms one day. I tried not to think of Marina right now, embarrassed by her mother's plans, by things she could not and should not yet understand. I am leaving money in my will for Marina's wedding dress. Stephanie has promised to bring her back to Kleinfeld to purchase it. "No pure white!" I said to Stephanie. "Ivory. Not too much tulle . Think lace." "Think royalty when picking a dress," I advised Steph as we waited outside the dressing room. "Think Princes Kate. Elegant. Think long sleeves. They make dresses more formal." Marina came out, sleeveless, flared . She looked like a 14-year-old girl in the middle of a giant cupcake. "I don't like the loose gown." she said. That's my girl! "How about trying on one with long sleeves?" I asked her. The ladies brought out a dress with long lace sleeves, an Empire collar, a ruched fitted waist, and a long, smooth silk skirt. Marina disappeared into the dressing room. When the door opened, she looked a foot taller and a decade older. I could clearly see the beautiful woman she will be one day. I simply stared. What do you do when you glimpse a moment you will not live to see? I dipped my head. Breathe, I told myself. I looked up. I smiled. Marina smiled back. I worked my tongue into position to speak. "I like it," I said. In that dress, Marina stood straight, shining brightly, and tall. "You are beautiful," I whispered, my tongue barely cooperating. I don't know if she heard me. We took some photos. And moved on. A memory made. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? A The mother made the payment for the wedding gown for her daughter on the spot. B The mother was disabled and unable to move around without a wheelchair. C The daughter well understood why she was asked to try on wedding gowns. D The mother thought pure white is more suitable for her daughter on the wedding. Answer: B. The mother was disabled and unable to move around without a wheelchair.
Here is something about Christmas. Every year just after Christmas the January Sales start. All the shops reduce their prices for two weeks, and they are full of people looking for bargains. My husband and I do not normally go to the sales as we don't like crowds and are short of money as we have to buy lots of Christmas presents. Last year, however, I took my husband with me to the sales at the large shop in the center of London. We both needed some new clothes and were hoping to find a television set. When we got to Oxford Street, it was so crowded that we decided to split up and meet again at the underground station. So I left my husband and started looking around the shops. Unfortunately all the clothes were in very large sizes and so were not suitable for me. But I did buy a television at a very low price, so I felt quite pleased with myself. When I arrived at the station, my husband was not there. So I sat down in a nearby cafe to have a cup of tea. I quickly finished my tea when I saw my husband and went out to meet him. He looked very happy. Then I saw he was carrying a large and heavy cardboard box. "Oh, dear!" I thought. Yes, we had no new clothes but two televisions. We shall not go to the sales again. In January _ . A lots of people go shopping for something cheaper B people have a lot of money to spend after Christmas C all the shops close for a two-week Christmas holiday D people don't have enough money to buy new clothes Answer: A. lots of people go shopping for something cheaper 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 _ of England there is little snow in winter. A east B west C south D north Answer: C. south It's not just adults who have a thing or two to discuss with other people, babies too have their own social lives and enjoy group interaction, according to a world-first study. The breakthrough study conducted by psychologist Professor Ben Bradley, at Charles Sturt University, could completely transform the way child-care centres are set up. In their study, the researchers examined groups of nine-month-old babies in New South Wales and Britain. And they came across astounding results. It was found that infants had "social brains" and focused not just on their mothers but on social life in groups as well. "They communicate with more than one baby at once, and show jealousy and generousness," said Professor Bradley. He added, "They develop their own meanings through group interaction, they notice if a group member is behaving differently and they take on roles, such as leaders and followers." "A baby who has a depressed mother tends to be withdrawn ( ), but put that same baby in a group of its peers and they behave and interact like any other baby." It was the first all-baby group study ever to be conducted. "Most studies of babies concentrate on the infant-mother relationship, assuming that is the single foundation for mental health, but babies are constantly involved with groups of people other than their mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents and those taking care. Therefore, the mother-baby approach needs to be combined with a group approach," said Bradley. Phoebe Christison, a child-care worker at Camperdown Sunshine Bubs in Sydney's inner west, said she often noticed what appeared to be emotional attachments developed between toddlers. She said, "Joel ( 10 months ) and Isabella ( 11 months ) always like to hold hands when they sit in their high chairs and eat. And babies definitely show jealousy. They push and touch each other, and copy what the other is doing." A baby who has a depressed mother _ . A tends to be a follower B also enjoys group interaction C has poor social ability D pays more attention to its mother Answer: B. also enjoys group interaction Owls are mysterious creatures. We often think of them as scary. They sometimes live in abandoned houses. They fly without a sound through backyards at night. In stories, they appear with ghosts. When we hear an owl's familiar "whooo...whooo...",it can make us feel very frightened. Owls fly silently, without even a whisper of wings moving through the air. It's as though they appear out of nowhere--like ghosts on wings. Owls fly and hunt on the darkest of nights. An owl's night habits make it unique. Do these creatures of the night possess strange powers? Owls possess unusual powers of sight and hearing, but they are not supernatural powers. They are natural adaptations that let them live most efficiently at night. There is no reason to fear owls. Their habits make them helpful to humans. By hunting mice and other rodents ,owls help to keep a natural balance between plant and animal life. Without owls, there would be a large number of rodents in farmers' fields and storage barns. More than 100 species of owls occupy a variety of habitats around the world. A few oceanic islands and the Antarctic have no owls. The world's owls come in large, medium, small, smaller, and smallest. For example, the Eurasian eagle owl--one of the largest--has a body that is two to three feet long, with a wingspan of up to five and onehalf feet. The North American elf owl (the world's smallest owl) is five to six inches long and has a wingspan that measures slightly more than one foot. Most male and female owls of the same species look alike, although females are usually larger. In some species, the female's colors are like those of the trees or grass where she makes her nest. Baby owls, called chicks, stay with their parents until they are about three months old. They soon find their own hunting areas, where they may stay for the rest of their lives. Some owls can live 20 years or more. Most people regard owls as _ . A clever B hardworking C terrifying D shy Answer: C. terrifying The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist? Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels--smart, attractive, successful, "liberated," modem females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending. _ . Yet, the genre remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA): More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the revenues generated by classic literary fiction). More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that's not at all surprising). * Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure). *Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class). I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women--forty years after the women's liberation movement continue to indulge in the fanciful tales? I'm not sure if it represents a kind of "rejection" of the women's liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: "Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!" Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers---that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the "freedoms" they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modem feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions? Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious, _ . In the author's opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women? A Authority. B Dignity. C Liberty. D Care. Answer: D. Care.
Question: The label, Made in China, is one that is becoming increasing popular in shopping centers all over the world. In the United States, shoppers at Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer , have a wide selection of products mostly produced in China. The large amount of Chinese imports have created a large selection of goods in other countries as people begin to buy more and more products made in China. These goods are even widely available in other Asian nations, where Chinese-made goods are quite popular. Chinese _ names are also becoming more well-known outside China, such as Gree,Media and Huawei. When Chinese Americans visit family and friends in their homeland, gifts from the U.S. are a must. But TVs and fashionable clothes aren't rare any more, and anything 'Made in China' shouldn't be considered in any case. "When I decide to visit my family members in China, I will have a big headache. What should I buy for them? They may not all speak English, but everyone in China knows those three words," a Chinese American said. "When they see the label 'Made in China,' they will think, 'Why do you send me this?' " The development of China has surprised the world with its growth. As a result, the other countries are beginning to try to reduce Chinese goods with the use of taxes and import restrictions . However, the development on the Chinese economy still affects the world in many ways. Which of the following is Not true? A. Products made in China are more and more popular all over the world. B. TVs and fashionable clothes aren't good gifts for Chinese people. C. Some countries reduce Chinese goods with taxes. D. The development of China doesn't cause pressure to other countries Answer: D. The development of China doesn't cause pressure to other countries Question: Do you know what an eagle does when a storm is coming? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it opens its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is flying above it. The eagle does not shirk the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come to us--- and all of us will experience them--- we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief, like an eagle does. The storms do not have to beat us. We can use the nature's power to lift us above them. We are able to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can fly above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we face them. Why can an eagle fly when there's a storm? A. Because the cloud protects it. B. Because the wind lifts it up. C. Because the wings are big enough. D. Because the storm is not strong enough. Answer: B. Because the wind lifts it up. Question: What's the most expensive place to station an employee overseas? London? Tokyo? Sao Paulo? Try Luanda, Angola. That's the finding of a survey by Mercer, the world's largest human resources consulting firm, headquartered in New York City. Two African cities (Luanda, N'Djamena) were in the top 10, along with four (Moscow, Geneva, Zurich, Bern) in Europe, three (Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong) in Asia and one (Sydney) in Australia. Switzerland alone has three cities in the top 10. Mercer's 2013 Cost of Living Survey examined data from 214 cities worldwide, comparing a market basket of over 200 goods and services, including unfurnished luxury two-bedroom apartments or three-bedroom houses, movie tickets, blue jeans, international newspapers, coffee, fast food restaurant meals, gasoline, milk and soda. If it sounds odd that Angola would be the most expensive, Mercer's Barb Marder explains that"Despite being one of Africa's major oil producers, Angola is a ly poor country yet expensive for expatriates since imported goods can be dear. In addition, finding secure living accommodations that meet the standards of expatriates can be challenging and quite costly."The survey found similar supply issues in N'Djamena, Chad, the other top 10 city in Africa. Mercer measured locations worldwide against New York, on a U.S. dollar basis, meaning that exchange rate shifts could impact the rankings. For example, although Tokyo is Asia's most expensive city for people who live in a foreign country, the weakening of the Japanese yen against the dollar makes it seem cheaper than it was a year ago. Canada, too, has become a bargain as the U.S. dollar strengthens against the Canadian dollar. Measurements were taken in March, 2013. What's the trend in the United States?"Overall, U.S. cities either remain stable in the ranking or have slightly decreased due to the movement of the U.S. dollar against the majority of currencies worldwide,"explains Mercer's Steven Nurney. However, that may change as real estate prices rise nationwide. New York is the nation's most expensive place to station expatriates. While housing is generally the most important factor in the survey rankings, the survey revealed some other significant differences in prices. For example, you may need a vodka chaser after paying $ 8.29 for a cup of coffee in Moscow, but the same coffee in Managua, Nicaragua would cost only $ 1.54. Expect to pay $ 20.10 for a movie ticket in London, versus $ 5.91 in Johannesburg. One reason why the cost of living for employees overseas in Angola is high is that . A. the quality of life there is superior B. its imported goods cost a lot of money C. the rent for an apartment is really high D. the living environment is human-friendly Answer: B. its imported goods cost a lot of money Question: Every Thursday afternoon,my art history class meets not in our usual lecture hall but in the Yale University Art Gallery. We spend our one-hour class discussing two or three of the paintings,many of which are by artists that we have already studied in class. The professor begins by selecting one work of art.After giving us a quick background on the artist,he'll open up for our class discussion.Everyone is strongly encouraged to give opinions about the work.Not every piece we study is necessarily famous or striking in appearance and subject matter.Yet we always manage to make some interesting observations. In America,professors always take every opportunity to push textbooks aside and expose students to real world experiences. With some creativity, almost any subject can be applied to such beyond classroom learning.My art history class trips to the gallery are but one example. Many other subjects also offer opportunities to learn outside the classroom,such as business,psychology, art,journalism and biology. A friend of mine from Yale taking an advanced psychology course spends every Saturday working with mentally disabled children.Her mornings are spent staying with the kids and studying their sometimes uncontrolled behavior.Then in the afternoon she writes a report on her observations. Students generally appreciate these unique learning opportunities. They're almost always fun and interesting,and professors like them because students learn so much in just a few short months. No one denies the value of classroom learning,but it can only take students so far.Slides and textbooks may do a good j ob of carrying facts and dates,but creativity and originality of thought cannot be taught.They can only be got through firsthand experience. The writer introduces all experience of his friend's in order to _ . A. appreciate such learning opportunities B. praise the professor C. praise his friend D. advise us to study psychology Answer: A. appreciate such learning opportunities Question: One day a teacher was giving her young students a lesson on how the government works . She was trying to explain the principle of income tax . "You see ," she began , speaking slowly and carefully , "each person who works must pay part of his or her salary to the government . If you make a high salary , your taxes are high . If you don't make much money , your taxes are low ." "Is that clear ?" she asked . "Does everyone understand the meaning of income tax ?" The students nodded. "Are there any questions ?" she asked . The students shook their heads . "Very good !" she said . "Now ,I would like you to take a piece of paper and write a short paragraph on the subject of income tax ." Little Joey was a slow learner . He had lots of problems with spelling and grammar , but this time he at least seemed to understand the task . He took his pen and after a few minutes , he handed the teacher the following composition : Once I had a dog . His name was Tax . I opened the door and in come Tax . After the teacher's explanation , _ . A. all the students shook their heads B. many of the students were still puzzled C. not all the students understood the meaning of income tax D. a few students disagreed with their teacher Answer: C. not all the students understood the meaning of income tax
Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast fortune , largely to the cause of global health , during the course of his lifetime . With an estimated worth of more than $ 40 billion , according to Forbes , the project will be no small feat for Gates . Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $ 24 billion to address global health issues , Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except "a few percent left for the kids." So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest ? Gates believes that "the equality of opportunity" in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world . Improving the health of the populations , he says , has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially successful . "National borders allow inequalities ," said Gates : "We all need to take a more global view , rather than just saying my country is doing well . We have to step up these health issues , knowing how few resources are going into them ." Gates said that both his parents set an example for him as a child . His father , William H. Gates , was the head of the local Planned Parenthood , and his mother , Mary , volunteered for the United Way . As he gathered his fortune , Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well , but he didn't expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60. However , Gates , 47 , began to question his ability to wait that long . "It seemed there was a real time urgency," Gates said . "I started to think , How many lives could I save before then ?" Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is _ . Answer: What exactly is a Dream Career? I am sure it means different things to different people. You could presently be unsure about what your final job would be. If you have any doubts about what your dream career is, you may know which careers you definitely would not like to do. For example, if you have an interest in art, and do not like math, you most certainly would not be an engineer .If you love art. and have no artist talent ,maybe you would like to be around art instead, as an art curator A career related to your passion, bobby, or special interest, is the path to follow in finding your dream job. Try thinking about what things you like to do in your spare time. Many are attracted toward turning what they love to do in their off work hours into a full time job. For example, if you like to put together model cars, maybe you would like opening your own hobby shop, or work for someone who owns one. Once you find what you arc interested in doing, you can then match this to a career which will be similar to what you are passionate about. What you consider a dream career has to centre around what kind of person you actually are. This is called your Career Personality. What type of person do you consider yourself to be? People are naturally attracted to those things which reflect who they are as unique individuals. For example, if you are slightly on the shy side, maybe you would like a job where you work on your own. relatively unsupervised ,behind a computer. If you are outgoing, maybe you would like to work with others, and be the supervisor. All it may take to find our dream career is to know ourselves a little better, trust in our own judgment, and be realistic about what we can attain occupationally: This is how I found what I am doing now. Which of the following about Career Personality is TRUE? Answer: What type of aspect can be made from the moving winds? Answer: Last night's meteor shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers.According to Gabe Rothschild,Emerald Valley's mayor,people gathered in the suburbs of the city,carrying heavy telescopes,expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky.What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city's lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overheaD. "My family was so frustrated,"admitted town resident Duane Cosby."We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing,but it turned out to be a huge disappointment." Astronomers--scientists who study stars and planets--have been complaining about this problem for decades.They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past.They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it. There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution.This population consists of birds,bats,frogs,snakes,etC. For example,outdoor lighting severely affects migrating birds.According to the International Dark-Sky Association."100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers." Countless more animal casualties result from the use of artificial lighting.Clearly,people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings,but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans,too.They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase a person's chances of getting cancer. Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution.For years,Flagstaff,Arizona,has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory.Similar efforts have been made worldwide,and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them,so that other creatures can share the night. What message does the author most want to give us? Answer: Although we already know a great deal about flu, and although the World Health Organizations is constantly collecting detailed information from its chain of flu reference laboratories throughout the world, it is extremely difficult for epidemiologists, who study infectious diseases, to predict when and where the next flu epidemic will occur, and how serious it will be. There are three kinds of flu virus, known as A, B and C. flu C virus is ly stable and causes mild infections that do not spread far through the population. The A and B types are unstable, and are responsible for the epidemics that cause frequent concern. Following any virus attack, the human body builds up antibodies which can be changed into immunity to that type of virus but a virus with the ability to change its character is able to bypass this protection. Variability is less developed in the flu B virus, which affects only human beings. As flu B virus may cause a widespread epidemic but will have little effect if introduced into the same community soon afterwards, since nearly everyone will have built up antibodies and will be immune. The flu A virus, which affects animals also, is extremely unstable and is responsible for some of the worst outbreaks of the disease, such as the world epidemic, of 1918&1919, when about half the world's population were infected and about twenty million people died, some from pneumonia caused by the virus itself and some from secondary complication caused by bacteria. Accurate prediction is difficult because of the complication of the factors. A particular virus may be related to one to which some of the population have partial involved immunity. The extent to which it will spread will depend on factors such as its own strength, or virulence , the ease with which it can be transmitted and the strength of the opposition it encounters . Scientists, however, have a reliable general picture of the world situation. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor contributing to the extent to which a virus spreads? Answer:
Sometimes you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse , but let it pass instead. You know that to take the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of _ behavior is how it can change over the years, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such asOn Death and DyingandLearning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject. One of the newest taboos is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that people talk about constantly. It's not taboo to talk about fat; it's taboo to be fat. The _ is thin, not fat. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, slim manager to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline and self-respect. After all, how can people permit themselves to become fat? In an image-conscious society, thin is ''in", fat is "out". It' s not surprising that millions of people have become obsessed with staying slim and "in shape". The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the only reason for people's obsession with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of people has changed since last century. Modern machines do all the physical labor. Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point. As a result of inactivity and disuse, people's bodies can easily become weak. In an effort to avoid such a fate , millions of people are spending more of their time exercising. Parks are filled with joggers and bicyclists, and many companies are providing special exercise equipment for their employees to use during the work day. What does the word "taboo'' refer to in the passage? Behavior considered unacceptable to the society. Alan took an early interest in gardening---first on his grandfather's Yorkshire allotment in Ilkley, and then in his parents' back garden. Small polythene greenhouses appeared in the back garden, and cacti were bought from church markets. Alan left school at fifteen with one `O' level in Art and took a job as an apprentice gardener in Ilkley Parks Department nursery, studying for his City and Guilds in Horticulture in the evening. He went on to horticultural college at Oaklands in Hertfordshire where he studied for one year full-time, being awarded the National Certificate in Horticultural. This was followed by three years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, resulting in the award of the Kew Diploma. After two years as supervisor of staff training at Kew, Alan entered journalism where he became first a gardening books editor, and then Deputy Editor of Amateur Gardening magazine. He appeared regularly on BBC Radio and Television in programs such as Nationwide , Breakfast Time, Open Air, Pebble Mill, Songs of Praise, Titchmarsh's Travels, and the Chelsea Flower Show. He presented the 100th edition of The Word for Channel 4, and hosted the quiz show Ask the Family. Gardeners' World and the hugely popular Ground Force, second only to Easterners in the BBC1 ratings, are broadcast as far as Australia, New Zealand and North America. After leaving both programs, Alan worked on two other series for the BBC to be transmitted in 2003 and 2004, one of them a landmark series on the natural history of Britain. Alan writes for the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Radio Times and BBC Gardeners' World magazine, and has more than thirty gardening books to his credit. His four novels, as well as a book about his own life, have been best sellers. Alan, 53, gardens organically, and lives with his wife, two daughters and a medley of animals. Which of the following four programs is more popular than Ground Force in the BBC1 ratings? Easterners. 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. Which of the following statements about Queen Victoria is NOT true? She became a serious woman after her beloved husband died. Sometimes the real world can be a confusing place. It is not always fair or kind. And in the real world there are not always happy endings. That is why, every once in a while, we like to escape into the world of fantasy -- a place where things always go our way and there is always a happy ending. We want to believe in fantastic creatures in imaginary lands. We want to believe in magic powers, good friends, and the power of good to overcome evil. We all fantasize about being able to fly and lift buildings off the ground. And how good a magic sword would feel in our hand as we go off to kill a dragon or win the hand of a beautiful princess. The amazing adventures of Superman, Peter Pan, and Harry Potter have charmed many people, children and adults alike. The main reason is that these stories offer us chances to get away from this real, frustrating world and allow us to find some magical solutions to our problems. For example, Superman always arrives in the nick of time to prevent a disaster from happening. Peter Pan can fly at will to tease the bad guy Captain Hook, and Harry Potter has his magic power to take revenge on his uncle, aunt and cousin, who always ill-treat him. This article about fantasy literature is intended to _ . explain why people like to read it I'm afraid to grow old--we're all afraid. In fact, the fear of growing old is so great that every aged person is an insult and a threat to the society. They remind us of our own death, that our body won't always remain smooth and responsive, but will someday betray us by aging. The ideal way to age would be to grow slowly invisible, gradually disappearing, without causing worry or discomfort to the young. In some ways that does happen. Sitting in a small park across from a nursing home one day, I noticed that the young mothers and their children gathered on one side, and the old people from the home on the other. Whenever a youngster would run over to the "wrong" side, chasing a ball or just trying to cover all the available space, the old people would lean forward and smile. But before any communication could be established, the mother would come over, murmuring embarrassed apologies, and take her child back to the "young" side. Now, it seemed to me that the children didn't feel any particular fear and the old people didn't seem to be threatened by the children. The division of space was drawn by the mothers. And the mothers never looked at the old people who lined the other side of the park. These well-dressed young women had a way of sliding their eyes over, around, through the old people; they never looked at them directly. The old people may as well have been invisible; they offended the aesthetic eye of the mothers. My early experiences were somewhat different; since I grew up in a small town, my children had more of a nineteenth-century flavor. I knew a lot of old people, and considered some of them friends. The author believes the division between the old and the young is _ . made by people
Report Card Name: James Stuart Time: January 24th, 2012 Subjects Grades Comments English B+: Your reading and writing are good. But you have a strong accent , so you are not good at speaking. And you do not put much effort into this subject. If you work hard, you can get a better grade in this subject. Physics A+:You are good at this subject. You are hard-working. I am glad that you do best in this subject Math C:You like this subject. But you are not good at this subject because you are a little bit lazy. It is disappointing. You can do better if you try your best. Music B:It is a happy thing to hear you play the piano. You are crazy about the music. Although you like this subject best, your accent has a bad influence on your singing. James's favorite subject is _ . A. English B. physics C. math D. music Answer: D How to wash clothes in a flash LAUNDRY is never an easy part of housework. But if piles of sweaty T-shirts and smelly socks drive you crazy, then two Chinese scientists might have the answer. Long Mingce and Wu Deyong of Shanghai Jiao Tong University have invented a kind of cotton that cleans itself. No need for soap or water, the scientists say. All you have to do is put the clothes out in the sun. According to the Guardian, this magical self-cleaning ability comes from a special chemical mixture. The material is covered with this mixture. It can break down dirt and remove bad smells after only a few hours in the sun. One of the chemicals is called titanium dioxide . Scientists have known for some time that titanium dioxide can clean fabrics . However , it only works under ultraviolet light and so is not yet widely used - ultraviolet light cannot be seen. "We knew that self-cleaning cotton fabrics with titanium dioxide coating had already been developed, but they cannot work, or they work weakly, under sunlight," Long said. "If we want to use the fabrics in daily life, we must develop cotton that cleans itself under daylight." The scientists worked hard for years to find a better chemical. Finally , they added silver iodide into the mixture. This made the chemical reactions in sunlight faster. The new mixture is also nearly seven times better than the former one with pure titanium dioxide at removing dirt and killing bacteria. The experiment was only carried out on cotton clothing. However, according to Long, the technology can be "applied to all kinds of fabrics and their related products." It is also cheap and environmentally friendly , he said. The self-cleaning material is not yet ready for the market. Scientists still need to know whether it could harm people. Although titanium dioxide is used in some foods, it can cause health problems if it gets into the lungs . Scientists need to make sure it is safe before we can start to enjoy the benefits of this technology . What might be a problem with the self-cleaning material ? A. It will cause pollution. B. It costs too much to produce. C. It breaks down easily in the sun. D. It might cause health problems Answer: D Plants in an incinerator would A. petrify B. freeze C. wilt D. cremate Answer: D This is a story told or read to children of young ages.The heroine , Cinderella, treated cruelly by her stepmother and her two ugly stepsisters, is helpless until the right magic comes along.She meets her prince and they live together happily. Just a sweet, pretty tale? Not in the view of Ellen Macintosh, who has written much about fairy tales.Ellen' s main concern is with what the story implies. "Instead of standing up to her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella just waits for a fairy godmother to appear and solve her problem.But wouldn't you want a daughter of yours to show more spirit?" The story is long lasting, whatever its shortcomings, and it does' t take much to see its influence on a number of recent Hollywood productions.In these versions for the silver screen, the Cinderella character no longer has to clean the house and has no sisters to make her life terrible, though she keeps the way of not showing much courage.The character of the rich and handsome stranger, however, is kept, and in some cases really is a prince.The role of the fairy godmother is often played by luck; we live in a civilized age when even very young children might reject the idea of fairies.In the majority of film versions, the heroine has a profession and is even permitted to continue working after marrying her prince this is the twenty first century, after all. Doesn't the success of these films indicate that the story has relevance to children even today?" Yes,, admits Ellen, who sees its message as being rooted in a fundamental childhood desire for love and attention." Most children experience a sense of inner loneliness as they are growing up and empathize with (...)the character who faces some sort of challenge.This can be seen in the original story of Cinderella, where the fairy godmother tells the heroine that she must learn to be gracious and confident if she is to go to the ball.She has to grow spiritually, and by maturing, she becomes attractive to the prince, thus ensuring that the ending of the story will be happy." "In the later versions, thus element is missing," says Ellen, " and the theme of the story is simply that a girl' s role in life is to be more beautiful than other girls so that she can carry off the prize: the handsome prince.Is this really what we want girls to grow up believing?" Why does Ellen disapprove of the Cinderella story? A. The plot is too simple. B. The description is not vivid. C. The heroine is not brave enough. D. The story is unfit for the children today. Answer: C Mu Yumin had no idea that when he stopped by the computer club as a freshman looking for something fun, it would decide his career four years later.The 22 -year -old biology major at Huazhong University of Science and Technology found a job as an IT technician in Shanghai." My experience in the club gave me another 'diploma' ," said Mu." More importantly, I found something I am good at and can make a living from." Now campuses around the country have started recruiting fresh faces for all kinds of clubs.Upperclassmen and experts suggest a hobby-based choice of clubs, which might have a lasting impact on one' s life and career Zhang Ling did not get many chances to write stories as an environmental protection major at Jiangxi University of Science and Technology.But this changed when she joined the university broadcast station.Her daily interviews with students and teachers expanded her horizon.Now she is determined to become a journalist on environmental issues with her degree in environmental protection."Journalism changed my life track," said the 22 -year-old girl."I only wanted to be a science teacher in a local senior high school.But now I am applying for a graduate school in journalism." Lan Yujie, professor at Anhui University of Technology, regards Mu and Zhang as good examples of choosing "what I like" instead of " what is practical" in finding jobs and seeking further study. "Some freshmen don't know what to choose," said Lan."Just following a hobby and doing something you like can easily give you the experience that makes you happy and special." Lan further says that joining clubs should not necessarily have a purpose, As part of campus life, a club experience will impact one's life and career m one way or another."The point of clubs is to have as many diverse experiences as possible so that students can explore more of their life," said Lan. Which of the followings is true about Zhang Ling? A. She didn't intend to be a journalist. B. She changed her major to journalism. C. She now works as a science teacher D. She's graduated from the university. Answer: A
The 2ndWorld Cup Live Painting Competition Brief Introduction The 2ndYouth World Cup Live Painting Competition is a global charity event hosted by Canada Youth Arts Development Foundation and supported by UNICEF. It is a global painting Olympic of the world's children and youth, and also a global charity event aiming to help poor children worldwide. We don't have ready formulas, but we believe in action. The Youth World Cup Live Painting Competition aims to change things for the better. The competition will be a platform to raise awareness for the welfare of poor children. We hope that this annual competition and charity event will grow into an annual celebration of painting, the Olympic of cultural and artistic exchange. All participants are separated into four groups Children Group 1 (Age 4-7) Children Group 2 (Age 8-12) Youth Group 1 (Age 13-17) Youth Group 2 (Age 18-25) Main categories for this edition are Friendship Dream Environmental Protection Tools Pen, pencil, oil, water color, any painting tools and materials are welcome. Size A3 size (43cm x 28cm) Entry fee There is no entry fee. Eligibility This competition is open to anyone worldwide aged 4-25 years old. Deadline June 30, 2014 Prize The Committee will issue one First Award (Gold Medal), three Second Awards (Silver Medals), six Third Awards (Bronze Medals), and Best Innovation Award, Best Color Award, Best Structure Award, Best Method Award, Best Quality Award. First Award will receive the Golden Cup and $500 CAD, Second Award--Silver Cup and $300 CAD, Third Award--Bronze Cup and $100 CAD. All winners of the First Award, Second Award and Third Award from each group will have the opportunities to attend the final competition for live painting competition, which is to be held in Richmond Olympic Oval, Richmond, Canada on August 12th, 2014. All participants in the final competition will receive a certificate, which will be delivered directly from the Organizing Committee. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage? A Contact information. B Main categories. C Entry requirements. D The prize types. Answer: A When Zhang Ning , whose pen name was Misha, started drawing manga in junior high school, it was a time when Japanese cartoonists occupied most of the Chinese market. She was warned about the poor wage cartoonists earn and the risk of pursuing a career in an industry where China is not yet competitive. But with the growth of domestic animation and manga industry in recent years, Zhang managed to draw her way up to become one of the country's top cartoonists. In 2011, the 29-year-old won the Golden Dragon award, one of the most influential awards in China's manga industry. Looking back, the graduate of Zhejiang University of Technology said: "It was a dream come true." Zhang's success boomed along with the industry. In 2010, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's animation and manga industry was worth 47 billion yuan. It has seen annual growth rates of more than 20 percent in recent years. These big numbers seem a far stretch from Zhang's in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. But she thinks the very reason why cartoonists can enjoy a decent life is the country's decision to well develop the industry. "The country is not giving us money directly, but it's creating a market in which we can succeed,"said Zhang. Apart from government investment, Zhang is also benefiting from technology advances. The Internet has provided a wider platform for cartoonists to publish their work. The electric edition of Zhang's work ranked the 6th among free book apps on the Apple Store. "I think the Internet has encouraged new cartoonists and given them more chances. Before we could only contribute to magazines and it was difficult to convince the editors to publish our work", said Zhang. "But when you release your work online, you receive encouragement and support from many netizens. It increases your confidence. "said Zhang. New technology has also attracted more people to read comics. "China has entered 3G era. It's very convenient for people to read on their smart phones when traveling around. It opens comics to a bigger readership," said Zhang. Only last week, Zhang published her new manga based on the ancient classic Tangzi which set during the warring states period. According to Zhang, the inspiration came from wall painting in Dunhuang, Gansu province. She hopes her works will encouraged more people especially the young, to explore the cultural treasures of ancient China. "Chinese youths now need a spirit to help them to realize their dreams," said Zhang. "Like Kua Fu chasing the sun --- people can accomplish great things by choosing to something seemingly beyond their ability. I think that's my "Chinese dream" and I want to share it with the public through my cartoons." Which statement can be inferred from the passage? A Before the widespread use of the Internet, cartoonists merely send the works to magazines. B The Internet has been a wonderful platform only for Chinese cartoonists' works. C China's animation and manga industry will have a promising future. D New cartoonists have received support from the people from across China. Answer: C When someone says "SHARK" most people think of a big, toothy, underwater animal; basically we are imagining a Great White. In fact sharks come in all shapes, sizes and even colors! Follow me please; I'd like to show you a very special small shark commonly known as horn sharks, only found in the coastal waters of north-west North America. Look at this shark, and you can easily see the horns on it and you will know the reason why it is called the horn shark is that it has the broad, flattened head and two large horn-like spines found behind its eyes and makes it one of the hardiest of all shark species. What makes it unique is that as its enemy attempts to swallow it, the spines on its back will stick into the enemy's mouth and give a good chance for it to get away. The horn shark is brown in color with black spots all over its body. The adults can reach up to a length of 4 feet and weigh up to 10 kg. An interesting fact about the horn shark is that it has five gills . The horn shark is a clumsy swimmer using its flexible pectoral fins to push itself along the bottom of the ocean. The maximum distance that has ever been recorded for a horn shark to have traveled out from its habitat is 10 miles. Today, as so little is known about its population off the Californian coast, they have been listed as being "Data Deficient" in the World Conservation Union. The horn shark is being threatened both by water pollution and commercial fishing in the area. Though they are not among those sea creatures hunted primarily for food, but they often get caught as a by-catch in fishing expeditions. The horn shark gets its name for _ . A its small size B its large eyes C its two large spines D its brown color with spots Answer: C NOWADAYS, most animated films rely heavily on computer technology. But his magical world - where witches cast spells and castles float in the sky - is brought to life by hand. Nevertheless, Hayao Miyazaki is referred to as Japan's Walt Disney and considered by many to be the world's greatest living animator. This month, the 72-year-old Miyazaki announced his retirement. The Japanese animator has directed 11 animated full-length films over the past four decades, including the Oscar-winning Spirited Away (<<>> ) and his latest release, The Wind Rises (<<>> ), which tells the life story of a man who designed Japanese World War II fighter planes. Just as The Wind Rises shows, Miyazaki is well-known for his obsession with flight, especially human flight. Other striking aspects of Miyazaki's films include his themes of environmental protection and the horrors of war. Miyazaki's work is also famous for its lack of clearly defined good and evil characters. He sees the 21st century as a complex time when old norms need to be re-examined. As a storyteller, he is an inventor of fairy tales full of mystery. In the Miyazakian universe, wizards turn into birds of prey; young girls are transformed overnight into 90-year-old women; greedy parents are changed into pigs; and shooting stars become fire demons . As a visual artist, most of Miyazaki's grace comes from his vivid colors and lovingly drawn landscapes - a rolling meadow covered with flowers and shadowed by clouds, or a range of rocky hills rising toward snow-capped mountain peaks People attribute Miyazaki's success to his long pursuit of his hand-drawn technique, although in an interview with CNN he called himself an "extinct species" in the age of digital animation. A recent television documentary on the making of The Wind Rises showed a disappointed Miyazaki throwing a pile of drawings into the trash. He is said to have redrawn thousands of frames of the much-praised Princess Mononoke (<<>> ) when they did not meet his standards. But his huge attention to detail has earned him the respect of the entire animated film world. Even John Lasseter - head of Pixar, the famous US computer animation studio - once called Miyazaki "one of the greatest filmmakers of our time". According to the article,Miyazake's films _ . A are full of mystery and imaginative characters and landscapes B are likely to use hand-drawn technique and redrawn abstract frames C are full of new norms and clearly defined good and evil characters D are likely to demonstrate environmental protection and anti-war themes Answer: D Good news! Job offered. Receptionist Administration Full Time A receptionist is required from 1st June 2015 at Dartford Science & Technology College. The position is only from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Friday, with an hour's break for lunch every day. The successful applicant must have a good telephone manner, good interpersonal skills and IT skills. Science Technician Term time plus 10 days, 37 hours per week We are looking for a technician to provide a technical support service for science teaching staff. Applications are to be received no later than midnight on 10thJune 2015. Health & Social Care Teacher Our client, an 11-18 mixed comprehensive school in Ealing, West London, is currently seeking a teacher for Health & Social Care. The position will be a full-time post until July 2015. We require an energetic teacher to develop the learning potential of students. We are seeking someone with excellent subject knowledge who can combine academic strictness and achievement with enjoyment of teaching Health & Social Care. If you are keen to work, click the button below. The receptionist to be employed will work _ . A 20 hours a week B 37 hours a week C 39.5 hours a week D 34.5 hours a week Answer: D
Imagine, one day,getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours,and then,after a full day of work,going back home to Beijing and having dinner there. Sounds unusual,doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic,with the development of China's high-speed railway system.And that's not all.China has an even greater high-speed railway plan -- to connect the country with Southeast Asia,and eventually Eastern Europe. China is negotiating to extend its own high-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years,eventually reaching London and Singapore. China has proposed three such projects.The first would possibly connect Kunming with Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia.Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan,and possibly to Germany.The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe. If China's plan for the high-speed railway goes forward,people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days. The new system would still follow China's high-speed railway standard.And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour. China's bullet train ,the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou,already has the World's fastest average speed.It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours. Of course,there are some technical challenges to overcome.There are so many issues that need to be settled,such as safety,rail gauge ,maintenance of railway tracks.So,it's important to pay attention to every detail. But the key issue is really money.China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion. China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital investment.Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development. It'll be a win-win project. For other countries,the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business,tourism and so on,not to mention the better communication among those countries. For China,such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources,but would also help develop China's far west.We foresee that in the coming decades,millions of people will migrate to the western regions,where the land is empty and resources unused.With high-speed trains,people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all.And they'll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries. According to the passage,the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is _ . A technical issues B safety of the system C financial problems D maintenance of railway tracks Answer: C One day, Jack's wife was in their bedroom. She found many things in an old box. "look at all these umbrellas," Jack's wife said to him, "There are eight and they are all broken." "I'll take them all to the umbrella shop and mend them," Jack said, "They are too good to throw away." Jack took the eight umbrellas to the shop and left them there. "They'll be ready tomorrow, " the shopkeeper said. That evening Jack went home from the office by bus as usual. he sat next to an old woman. She had an umbrella on the floor near her. When the bus reached his stop, he picked up her umbrella and stood up. "Hey!" the woman said, "That's my umbrella." " I'm so sorry," Jack said And gave it back to her, " I took it by mistake. Please forgive me. " The next day he got the umbrellas from the umbrella shop and got on a bus. As he sat down, a voice behind him said, " You have certainly had a successful day ! " He turned around and saw the same woman again. He almost took her umbrella the day before. Which sentence ( ) is NOT true ? A Jack's wife found some umbrellas in their bedroom. B Jack took the umbrellas out to throw them away. C Jack took the old woman's umbrella by mistake. D The old woman thought Jack was not a good man . Answer: C It was early morning. Peter Corbett helped Mark Wellman out of his wheelchair and onto the ground. They stood before El Captain, a huge rock almost 1.2 kilometers high. Mark had long dreamed to climb El Captain when he was a child. At the age of twentyone, he had fallen while climbing mountain, losing his legs. But he never lost his love for life. Mark knew he couldn't finish the climb alone, but his friend Peter would be there to lend a helping hand. They thought it would take seven days to reach the top. Now Peter climbed about 30 meters up and hit a piton into the rock. Fastening one end of a 50meter rope to the piton, he let the other end of the rope fall down. Mark caught the rope and fastened it to his belt. He next reached above his head and fastened a T-bar to the rope. Mark took a deep breath, pushed the Tbar up almost as far as his arms could reach, and began the first pullup. High above, Peter let out a cheer, "You're on your way." For the first four days the two men progressed upward without accident. But on the fifth day, a very strong wind began to blow, making it hard for Mark to hold on to his rope. But Mark kept on pushing up the T-bar and pulling himself up. It took them one day more than they had expected. But as the two heads appeared the group of people waiting on the top went wild with joy. Mark Wellman showed that if you set your heart and mind on something, no wall is too high, no dream impossible. While climbing, Mark . A carried the T-bar on his back and stepped upward B pushed up the T-bar and pulled himself up C sat in his wheelchair and pushed himself up D held on to the rope drawn up by his friend Answer: B We are now accepting submissions for our 13th annual photo contest. As always, we want creative and beautiful photos. The topic of travel is broad, so have some fun with it: Experiment with lighting, angles, subjects and composition. One photo per person, and the photo should be taken since July 31, 2013. If you submit several entries, we will consider only the first photo received. Also, you may submit only an image that you have taken yourself. Please submit clear photos online at wapo.st/travelshot. Include caption information and the date the photo was taken, plus your name, e-mail address and phone number. We promise that we will not publish your personal information online or in any other way. We're looking for amateurs only; professional photographers (i.e., anyone who earns more than 50 percent of his or her annual income from photography) need not apply. Employees, officers, directors and representatives of The Washington Post, and their family members are not allowed to enter the contest. Please do not submit images that have been greatly edited. It is acceptable to adjust images to achieve color1 balance that reflects the scene as you observed it. Cutting is also acceptable. The Washington Post keeps the right to disqualify any image that it feels has been overly changed. The deadline for entries is July 20, 2014. By entering, you give The Washington Post a license to use your photos, including to edit, publish, spread and republish them in any form. Photographers keep the rights to their images. The winners will be determined by the Travel staff of The Washington Post and world-famous photography professionals invited. Only US residents can enter. The winning photos will be published on or around Aug 25. The contest is subject to all federal, state and local laws. For complete rules and prize information, go to wapo.st/travelshotrules. Now, it is time to take out your camera and start shooting. Surprise us with your excellent works. Maybe you will be the winner! The photo for the contest must _ . A be in color1 B be sent online C be taken in 2014 D be taken in the USA Answer: B Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertisers hoping to sell their products. The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people's life. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors. It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing: no choice, no anxiety. By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove _ . A advanced products meet the needs of people B products of the latest design flood the market C competitions are fierce in high-tech industry D everyday goods need to be replaced often Answer: B
When you were looking for a reliable, honest auto mechanize, how did you find him? Before you went into that restaurant you recently tried, how did you know that it served great good? If you are like most people on the planet, you want to lower your risk of a big ugly surprise so you asked people you trust to refer to a business they trust. Marketers call this friend-to friend recognition of business "word-of -mouth advertising. When you do a treat job for your customer for a band job, people are going to talk about your business. Unfortunately, because we humans seem to feel negative emotions more intensively than positive ones, there're more likely to tell more of our friends about bad experiences with busyness than positive ones. Understand this: customer believes their own experience. You can't make them believed that your company is wonderful when they felt they were treated badly. So, to get positive word-of-mouth going for your business in this service- based economy, you've got to do a really outstanding job for everyone, exactly. And when you do, you build a great reputation. That takes time. But it forms a close link with your customers in a way that no advertising and no promotional coupon ever could. The good news is that because there are so many different businesses chasing after your customers' money, people want to know whom they can trust. So people are going to be talking about you. Create a free sales force for your business - an army of delighted customers who tell everyone that they know how good your company is to do business with. That's great antidote to _ . When you do an outstanding job in service, you will surely _ Answer: When two decorative items for a refrigerator are placed back to back, Answer: "Tiger Mother" parenting raises media storm. A new book written by a self-described Chinese descent on her super-strict parenting--Battle Hymn of the Tiger Motherhas raised media storm and fierce debates in the U.S. Amy Chua is a Yale Law School professor and the mother of two teenage girls. She is the daughter of immigrants of Chinese descent. In the Chinese culture,the tiger symbolizes strength and power. In her book Ms.Chua writes about how she demanded excellence from her daughters. For example,her daughters,Sophia and Louisa,were never allowed to attend a sleep-over,be in a school play,watch TV or play computer games. They couldn't choose their own after-class activities or get any grade less than an A.They had to play piano or violin--and no other musical instruments. She writes that if a Chinese child gets a B--which she says "would never happen"--there would be a screaming,hairtearing explosion".She describes making her 7-year-old daughter play a piano piece perfectly--yelling and not letting her leave the bench even to use the bathroom--until it was. Many people have criticized Chua. Some say her parenting methods were abusive. She even admits that her husband,who is not Chinese,objects to her parenting style. But she says that was the way her parents raised her and her three sisters. Stacy DeBroff,who has written four books about parenting,says Amy Chua's parenting style is not limited to Chinese families. She says it represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants seeking a better future for their children. But she also sees a risk. When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life. Stacy DeBroff advised parents not to just repeat the way they were raised. Alison Lo,an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Washington's Bothell campus said, "I don't think Amy is advocating a best practice of parenting style, or that success and achievements are critical yardsticks of a good life. But I can imagine how strong her daughters' college applications are going to be. For many parents whose dreams are seeing their kids graduating from a competitive university,Amy is sharing with the readers that it is achievable by persistent,dedicated parental guidance,"Lo said in an interview with Julie Muhlstein,a columnist with the US-based Heraldnet.com."In that sense,a young adult's giftedness can be born,or made,"Lo continued. Which of the following are Sophia and Louisa allowed to do? Answer: Music is often thought of as "easy" or "play time", but it's not that at all. Music plays a very important part in our education. Students who learn music learn a lot of music history at school. This includes "modes ",which were used in churches during the development of music. They are still used today. Students learn about the historical events that were taking place when the music they play was written. They learn what the music was used for. So much of our culture is in music and has been for centuries. Music also helps with science. Students use science to help them discover what sounds good together and what doesn't. Students also need science to understand something called the "overtone series", which is about how music is produced by vibration and why. Students learn a lot about languages. Many songs are written in other languages, including ancient ones. Students must learn to translate these works to understand what they are singing about. Some songs are famous poems or short works set to music. Students learn a huge amount of coordination through music, so parts of the body can work better together. Students must use fine motor skills in order to play an instrument. Singers and players must learn breath control and be in good shape to play. Students learn about art. Some famous pieces were written about important works of art, and students learn about the artists and styles as they're playing the music. Music education also brings higher thinking to our children. It allows them to think about complex patterns (How can I make my part sound better?How do this music and these different parts fit together?). Students have to know absolutely what every other musician does at all times. In that way, it develops teamwork. As one can see, music is very important to education besides bringing us fun. What is the main idea of the passage? Answer: For Chinese students nowadays, no matter what kind of schools they are going to universities, high schools and even primary schools, they have to face and tackle the problem of learning English. All examinations they want to pass require them to first pass English. English has become the most popular course in tutorial classes and even in the self-study classroom. When nearly all students' attention is focused on English, looking at the situation of our mother language, even Chinese _ get confused about its use. Not only have many new words and phrases which are very popular on the Internet started to fill in every corner of the society, common use of Chinese is full of mistakes and misunderstandings are all around. Chinese has the most speakers of any world language and also one of the oldest in history. Around the world, many countries have started enthusiastically learning Chinese and Chinese has become one of the most important foreign languages in some foreign countries. Besides, there are 282 Confucius Institutions around 88 countries and regions in the world that are teaching Chinese, while more than 260 institutions from 50 countries and regions applied to establish Confucius Institutions. The number of people learning Chinese is about 50 million outside China. For those foreigners that are so crazy about Chinese language, what kind of attitude should the Chinese have? Frankly speaking, learning English itself shouldn't have been criticized too much, and we need to learn English to communicate with the world to show our culture and society. ,. What we can learn form this passage? Answer:
Question: The space shuttle Columbia flared and broke up in the skies over Texas on Saturday, February 1,2003, killing the seven astronauts on board in what NASA and President Bush called a tragedy for the entire nation. NASA launched an investigation into the disaster and began searching for the astronauts' remains. It said that although there had been some data failures it was too early to nail down a precise cause. The break-up, 16 minutes before the shuttle was due to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spread possibly toxic debris over a wide swath of Texas and neighboring states. Dramatic television images of the shuttle's _ clearly showed several white trails streaking through blue skies after the shuttle suddenly fell apart. It was almost 17 years to the day that the Challenger shuttle exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board. Take-off and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere are the most dangerous parts of a space mission. In 42 years of US' human space flight, there had never been an accident in the descent to Earth or landing. Challenger exploded just after take-off. Rescue teams scrambled to search for the remains of the crew, which included the first Israeli to fly on the shuttle, former combat pilot Col. Ilan Ramon. There were warnings that parts of a vast 120-mile-long corridor of debris could be toxic because of poisonous rocket propellant . "We are not ready to confirm that we have found any human remains," Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerrs said. He added that among the roughly 1,000 calls reporting debris, some people said they found remains of crew members. "The Columbia is lost. There are no survivors, Their mission was almost complete and we lost them so close to home. ... America's space program will go on," said a grim-faced Bush in a message broadcast on television, which included condolences to the families of the dead astronauts. Which is true of the Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon? A. He was the first Israeli astronaut to fly on the shuttle. B. He was the first foreign astronaut to fly on the American shuttle. C. He used to be a passenger plane pilot. D. He was the only survivor in the Columbia disaster. Answer: A Question: John is an American boy. His family is in China now. John likes chocolate very much. But his mother doesn't give him. Chocolate is not good for him, she thinks. But John has a very nice uncle. The old man loves him very much, and sometimes he buys John some chocolate. Then his mother lets him eat them. Because she wants to make the old man happy. One Sunday evening, John says in his room," Please, God makes them give me a big box of chocolate tomorrow , it's my eighth birthday!" His mother says to him , "God can't hear you, my boy." "I know, but my uncle is in the next room, and he can hear." John says to his mother. John's family is in _ now. A. America B. UK C. Paris D. China Answer: D Question: 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. The school Ananda Siksha Niketan was created by _ . A. Babar Ali B. six college students C. a woman in Bhabta village D. the West Bengal government Answer: A Question: A) LiYugang dresses like a woman and sings like a bird. He won the third prize in CCTV's Star Road in 2006. He sings folk songs. However, he seems to have the spirit of Mei Lanfang. In fact, the young man had learnt something from Mei Lanfang's students. People in China usually don't like cross-dressing . But people are really surprised at Li's beauty and _ when he sings and dances. B) Do you know who invented QQ? It was Ma Huateng. He was born in Guangdong in 1971. He chose computer science when he entered Shenzhen University in 1989. He worked as a computer programmer for a company in Shenzhen for five years after he graduated in 1993. Later he left the company and started his own company in 1998. C) Yue Fei was a famous hero of Southern Song Dynasty. He was born in a poor family in Henan Province. He was very brave and won many battles with his soldiers. But Qin Hui killed Yue Fei for Mo Xuyou. Later a temple about Yue Fei was built in memory of him at the foot of Qixia Ling by the West Lake, in Hangzhou. From the passage, we know Yue Fei _ . A. was not born in a rich family B. was not brave C. killed Qin Hui D. built a temple Answer: D Question: Which is likely to disappear? A. the last surviving member of a population B. a male and female rabbit C. a male and female horse D. a wild dandelion root Answer: A
Question: My dad is very unique because of his personality and lifestyle.For instance,he put his watch on his left hand,even though he's a lefty,and parking his car only in the garage is just his thing and doesn't change. My father only wears suits during the week because it's something very professional and formal. He loves to teach what he knows,from teaching my mother,aunt,and sisters driving skills to teaching his kids vocabulary. Also,whenever he is asked to do something at work,whatever it is,he will always complete the task on time. My mother buys most of his clothes,as he hates big crowds. In his house,children watch TV only after finishing all homework,which he believes is the best,because the child does his homework and still stays happy. One of my father's main focuses in life is making sure his children grow up the right way,like he did.He grew up with one sister in Chicago. As he got older,he got married to my mother who is three years younger than him. My dad is an individual with numerous qualities. His personality is just very wonderful to live with. The manners he shows are so refined and probably much better than most people. I admire my father and want to be just like him when I grow up. We can infer from the text that _ . A. parents could have a great influence on their kids B. father is always the strictest person in a family C. children want to grow up just as their fathers D. good personalities make a person extraordinary Answer: A Question: I bought a jasmine plant for my office. When I bought it, I was told it would bloom and the sweet smell would fill my office. I had the plant for two months, and every day I looked at it, but there weren't any flowers or pleasant smell. I was not happy, so I gave the plant to my friend Linda. One day, another friend Mary called and invited me to her office. When I walked in, her jasmine flowers surprised me. I reached out to touch the flowers. Mary cut some and gave them to me. I couldn't help smelling them. Surrounded by the sweet smell of only a handful of these flowers, I suddenly understood something. Mary bought her plant the same time I did. It took a year for her jasmine to bloom. I was so impatient for mine to bloom; regretfully, I gave it away. In a way my life is like the jasmine plant. I need to be patient and let things happen. Last Sunday Linda told me that she was going abroad the next week. Before she left, she returned the plant to me. This time I am going to wait. I have learned that when we want something in our life, we have to be patient. I am slowly learning to have that patience to wait for my jasmine to bloom. When the writer saw Mary's jasmine, she felt _ . A. unhappy B. peaceful C. hopeful D. surprised Answer: D Question: William Shakespeare is the most famous playwright . Although he died in 1616, people still go to see his plays. Among the most popular are Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet -- the story of a prince who struggles to respond to the crimes around him. Shakespeare, who was born in 1564, was an actor as well as a writer. Most of his ideas for plays were taken from history, people's conversation, ancient stories, and also from other writers. He wrote not only about kings and queens and princes, but also about friends and ordinary people. He wrote about the cruelty of war and the bravery of heroes, as well as about jealousy, joy, hate, ambition and love. His stories live on. The tragedy Romeo and Juliet was reborn as the musical West Side Story and more recently as the movie Romeo and Juliet with the wonderful performance of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. He invented a number of great characters: powerful magicians, thrilling witches, smart women and both wise and wicked men. He also invented some great phrases. If you've ever said, "Oh, for goodness sake!" you can thank Shakespeare for that. "To be, or not to be: that is the question," Hamlet says. "Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it is morrow," says Juliet to her Romeo. Don't be surprised if you don't understand everything when reading Shakespeare or watching one of his plays because the meanings of many words have changed over the years. And Shakespeare's characters speak in poetry, so their speeches can be complicated. It does help to find out a little bit about the story before reading a Shakespeare play. It's worth the effort. As Shakespeare wrote, "All the world is a stage." And in his plays you'll find that an entire world is waiting for you. Shakespeare created the following characters EXCEPT _ . A. Juliet B. Hamlet C. Claire Danes D. Romeo Answer: C Question: Light enters the human eye through the A. retina. B. pupil. C. iris. D. lens. Answer: B Question: Believe it or not, going to school is not a legal requirement in the United States. It is a legal requirement that all kids be educated, though. When parents believe they can give their kids a better education--- or have other reasons for not wanting to send their kids to a local school --- they may choose home schooling. However, if a kid hates school, home schooling is probably not the escape he is looking for. Home schooled students can learn just as much as they would in regular school if they and their parents work hard to cover all the subjects and experiences necessary. Parents who home school usually have higher levels of education than parents who do not. They already have the skills to educate themselves about teaching their kids. Parents who home school have to be able to put the time and skill into not just teaching, but also researching lesson plans and resources . So they have to know how to find the information necessary to teach their kids. State schools often provide home-schooling parents with a curriculum , books and materials and places to meet. Some state schools will point parents to other resources for _ forgotten subjects. Or parents may receive continuing education at local colleges or universities. According to American law, _ . A. all kids shall go to school B. all kids must receive education C. home schooling parents shall receive continuing education D. state schools must give support to home-schooling parents Answer: B
A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. "That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you fell this tree." The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman said, "You can start Monday." Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday went by -- and on Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your wages on the way out today." Shocked, the young man replied, "I thought you would pay me on Friday." "Normally we do," said the foreman. "But we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you've dropped from first place on Monday to the last place today." "But I'm quite hardworking," the young man disagreed. "I am the first to arrive and the last to leave and even have worked through my coffee breaks!" The foreman thought for a minute and then asked "Have you sharpened your axe?" The young man replied, "No, sir. I've been working too hard to take time for that!" Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don't take time to "sharpen" the axe. In today's world it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp? There's nothing wrong with hard work. But we shouldn't get so busy that we ignore the truly important things in life. We all need time to relax, to think, to learn and to grow. If we don't take time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness. By telling the story, the writer wanted to tell us _ . all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy I wished I had known earlier the fact that I was a low achiever because there was a reason beyond my control. Then I needn't have worked so hard in my late twenties and early thirties. But I just didn't know that. I was writing and writing. I was working for no other reason than to hear people praise me. Most people who go through university read at least twice as fast as I do. I can never tell my left from my right. I avoid dialing a telephone if I can help it, because I sometimes have to try three times before getting the number right. I hear that recording "The number you have reached is not in service" more than any man on earth. Despite my weaknesses I view my dyslexia(difficulty in reading) as a gift, not a curse . Many dyslexics are good at right brain, namely abstract thought, and that is what my king of creative writing is. I'm starting with nothing and coming up with something that didn't exist before. That's my strong point. I owe my career to Ralph, Salisbury, my writing instructor at the University of Oregon, who looked past my misspellings and gave me encouragement and hope. I just carried on and never looked back. I'm also very "visual". This means nothing in school, but when I write books or scripts, I'm seeing everything in my imagination. I write quickly. I go like the wind and can get up to 15 pages a day. Writing is not the problem. I have no problem downloading; it is inputting where things get messed up. The real fear I have for dyslexics is not that they have to struggle with messy input, but that they will quit on themselves before they finish school. Parents have to create victories whenever they can, whether it is music, sports or the arts. You want your dyslexic child to be able to say, "Yeah, reading is hard. But I have these other things I can do." According to the passage we know that _ . The author worked hard for people's praise "Choo,Choo!"Here comes the Chunnel train. Get aboard if you want to learn more about this underground transportation system. This is an unusual form of transportation, because it is a tunnel that trains travel through and not an actual form of transportation. The Chunnel is actually the English nickname for the Channel Tunnel. In French,it is called le tunnel sous la Manche. It is a rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover. It connects Cheriton in Kent, England with Sangatte in northern France. It is the second longest rail tunnel in the world. Did you know that the British and the French had a race while they were building the Chunnel? The race was to see who could get to the middle of the tunnel first. The British won by a little bit. It took 15,000 workers over seven years to dig the tunnel. The tunnel was finished in 1994. The completed Chunnel cost about $21 billion. But it all paid off, because it became very popular, very quick. Millions of people use it. Now it is getting even more popular. There are three complete tunnels in the Chunnel. The two outside ones are the passenger trains. The small inner one is a guidance train. The guidance train is not used for transportation. Each track is exactly parallel to each other. There are four different train systems in the Chunnel. The Eurostar is a high speed passenger service that connects London, Paris, Brussels and Lille. The Eurotunnel shuttle is a rail ferry service. These shuttles carry cars and vans. These are railcars that allow drivers to drive their vehicles on and off. There are also two Eurotunnel goods service trains. Now you know more about the Chunnel. Everybody off,this is the last stop. The Eurotunnel shuttle is intended to carry _ . drivers and their vehicles Why are most fossils found in sedimentary rocks? Organisms can be preserved in sedimentary rock. When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to grandma's generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday best. But in many other homes, this china-and-silver elegance has given way to a stoneware and stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times. Last week _ , the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is eliminating 1,000 jobs -- one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4, 000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier. Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company "has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend" toward casual dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television. Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it's better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a "real" dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time? Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents (" Chew with your mouth closed." "Keep your elbows off the table. ") must be picked up else-where. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be able professionally but inexperienced socially. Formal table manners, though less popular than before in current Social life, _ . are still a must on certain occasions
The gray-haired lady can't wait to leave the building to search for her dad. Unless watched, she will walk in the streets in an effort to find her father, who died 30 years ago. Not all cases of Alzheimer's disease look like this, but Alzheimer's is a serious disease that is said to be the fourth or fifth leading cause of death for people over age 75. It is said that about three percent of the U.S. population over age 65 have Alzheimer's. In the early stages, people may exhibit short-term memory loss. Some may experience changes in personality, easy to be angry. As the disease progresses, patients might lose the ability to move and may be unable to speak or move at all. This progressive disease generally lasts 8 to 10 years before death occurs. While no one is certain what causes these changes in the brain's nerve fibers , their effect is certain. Alzheimer's destroys not only the patients, but also spouses , friends and families. What should you do if you notice progressive memory loss in yourself or a loved one? Have the person examined by a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease? Though many reasons other than Alzheimer's disease may cause memory loss, its early diagnosis and treatment may delay some of the most serious effects. What feeling will you likely experience if a loved one suffers from Alzheimer's disease? A person will often go through the various stages of sadness, shock, anger, and so on. If the spouse develops the disease, you may experience hurt and disappointment when he or she doesn't remember you are married. Life for the Alzheimer's patients and their loved ones will never be the same as the disease progresses, bringing a deep sorrow, loss and even anger towards God. No matter what feelings are present, facing them honestly will serve one better than burying them. When people suffer from Alzheimer's disease, _ . A. their families and friends will suffer from the same disease B. their families and friends will experience mental sufferings C. they will certainly die in 8 to 10 years D. they will forget everybody but their spouses Answer: B. their families and friends will experience mental sufferings Rome wasn't built in a day, and the Internet didn't come out of a golden egg. Many of today's creations were not born of people who had creative ideas, but who did not stop at simply having an idea. They took one brick of capital , another brick of knowledge, perhaps a brick or two of family and friends, and built their empires brick by brick. If you want to build an online empire, you cannot settle for simply having a website full of articles, or a website full of pictures--there are already thousands of sites like that, so you need to come up with something new and creative. So if you are starting to build something up, ask yourself: what do you really want to do, and what are you really good at? Believe it or not, you can make money at something that you are an expert in, and you need to know what that is. Remember, having an online empire does not mean that you have to do it alone. You can take _ along with you. Having a friend advertise your services online is a good way to attract more visitors to your empire. Building an online empire, you will have to be prepared to not only come up with creative ideas, but to carry your ideas through. Talk to people who have already succeeded in building their own empires. Talk to people who are struggling. Join a mailing list that will help you get through your struggle to achieve your goal. As you move forward, you will find that you can help other people, and you will have a good many stories to tell--not to mention a lot of money in the bank. If you learn the real secrets of creating a long term stable online business then you will have enough money to retire on. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? A. Never get addicted to the Internet B. Building an online empire of your own C. How to get help from an online empire D. How to offer help through an online empire Answer: B. Building an online empire of your own Michael stays home on workdays. He plugs into his personal computer terminal in order to connect with the office. After work, he puts on his headphones, watches a movie on his home video recorder, or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Michael doesn't talk to any other human beings, and he doesn't see any people except the ones on television. _ The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact with our fellow human beings. The world of business is one area in which technology is separating us. Experts say, for example, that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their jobs at display terminals in their own homes. They would never have to actually see the people they're dealing with. In addition, the way employees are paid will change. Workers' salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts, making paper checks unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their checks. Personal banking will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts. Another area that technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for instance, was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing, too. Movies used to be social events. Now, fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch movies in their own living looms. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage? A. Clerks will be able to work at home. B. One can play baseball on the computer. C. One can listen to music without disturbing others. D. One can borrow books from libraries at home. Answer: D. One can borrow books from libraries at home. Early to bed, early to rise , makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. This is an old English saying. Have you heard it before? It means that we must go to bed early in the evening and get up early in the morning. If we do, we shall be healthy. We shall also be rich (wealthy) and clever (wise). Is this true? Perhaps it is. The body must have enough sleep. Children need ten hours' sleep every night. If you do not go to bed early, you cannot have enough sleep. Then you cannot think properly and you cannot do your work properly. You will not be wise and you may not become wealthy! Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is not good for them. We must sleep at night when it is dark. The dark helps us to sleep properly, When the daylight comes, we must get up. This is the time for exercise. Exercise means doing things with the body. Walking, running, jumping, swimming, and playing games are all exercise. If the body is not used, it becomes weak. Exercise keeps it strong. Exercise helps the blood to move around inside the body. This is very important. The brains in our heads also need blood. We think with our brains. If we keep our bodies healthy, and take exercise, we can think better. Our bodies also need air to breathe. Without air we die. We must have a lot of clean, fresh air to breathe if we want to be healthy. We will be healthy if we _ . A. work at night B. eat well C. go to bed early and get up early D. get up late Answer: C. go to bed early and get up early OUR children grew up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The right jelly makes them very happy, and homemade is the only choice. I wasn't the jelly maker in this family. My mother-in-law was. She didn't provide a wide range of flavors , either. It was either grape or blackberry. And since we liked both flavors, we usually picked whatever jar was at the front of the pantry . It was always there. Jelly making was just a way of life for her. She always did it, following the same habits ---from picking the fruit to setting the finished jelly on the homemade shelves. This past December, my mother-in-law passed away. Among the things in the house to be divided up were the remaining canned goods. Each of us chose from the many jars of tomato juice, green beans and jelly. The other day I reached in there to get jelly for a quick sandwich, and there it was. Sitting all alone on the far side of the shelf was a small jar of grape jelly. Written on the lid with a black marker was "GR" for grape and the year the jelly had been made. As I picked up the jar, I suddenly realized something that I had failed to see earlier. This was the last jar we would ever have from my mother-in-law's patient, loving hands. Our children had never known a day without their grandmother's jelly. It seems like such a small thing, but it was a great treasure. Holding that last jar in my hand, my heart traveled back to meeting my mother-in-law for the first time. I saw her crying on our wedding day, and later, kissing and loving our children. I saw her walking in the woods or riding the wagon . I saw her surrounded by loving children at her funeral. I put the jelly back on the shelf. No longer was it just a jar of jelly. I guess I believed that as long as it was there, my mother-in-law would always live on. According to the passage, the jelly maker is the _ . A. author's mother B. Author's father C. author's mother-in-law D. author's father-in-law Answer: C. author's mother-in-law
Lisa is a successful movie star. She plays in a lot of good movies. Many people are her fans and like her very much. Most people think a star's life is different . But Lisa doesn't think so. She says, "I am only an ordinary girl. I like T-shirts and jeans like many girls. I like Chinese action movies best. I am a fan of many Chinese action stars. I like to go to the market . People can not often recognize me in the market. It is interesting." In the market, _ . Answer: people don't know she is a star sometimes Big Brothers Big Sisters is based on the simplicity and power of friendship.It is a program which provides friendship and fun by matching _ (ages 7-17) with a volunteer adult who can be both a role model and a supportive friend. Volunteer tutors come from all walks of life--married, single, with or without children. Big Brothers and Big Sisters are not replacement parents or social workers. They are tutors: someone to trust, to have fun with, to talk and go to when needed. A Big Sister and Little Sister will generally spend between one and four hours together three or four times each month for at least twelve months. They enjoy simple activities such as a picnic at a park, cooking, playing sport or going to a football match. These activities improve the friendship and help the young person develop positive self-respect, confidence and life direction. Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations exist throughout the world. It is the large and most well-known provider of tutor services internationally and has been operating for 25 years. Emily and Sarah have been matched since 2008. Emily is a 10-year-old girl who has experienced some difficulties being accepted by her schoolmates at school. " I was pretty sure there was something wrong with me." Emily's mum came across Big Brothers Big Sisters and thought it would be helpful to Emily by "providing different feedback about herself other than just depending on schoolmates to value her self-worth. Sarah wanted to take part in a volunteer program. "I googled it and found out how to be a part of it. I thought it would be fun for me to take part in making time to do something because sometimes it is all work and no play." Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helpful and enjoyable to both Emily and Sarah. They love and look forward to their time together and the partnership has certainly helped Emily be more comfortable in being the wonderful, happy and unusually good girl she is! According to Emily's mother, this program may provide Emily with _ . Answer: a new way to value herself Starting the day on an egg could keep your blood pressure under control, research suggests. Scientists have shown that eggs produce proteins with a function similar to that of powerful blood pressure-lowering drugs. The research, from the University of Alberta in Canada, showed that when eggs come in contact with stomach enzymes they produce a protein that acts in the same way as _ , but more work is needed to show the effects outside a lab and in the human body. Earlier this month, British researchers declared that, contrary to popular beliefs, it is healthy to go to work on an egg.They concluded that the type of cholesterol found in eggs has little effect on increasing heart disease risks. Researcher Professor Bruce Griffin, from the University of Surrey, said: "The wrong beliefs linking egg eating to high blood cholesterol and heart disease must be corrected.The amount of fat in our diet has an effect on blood cholesterol that is several times greater than the ly small amounts of cholesterol found in eggs.The UK public do not need to be limiting the number of eggs they eat.They can be encouraged to include them in a healthy diet as they are one of nature's most nutritious foods." The British Heart Foundation dropped its three-egg-a-week limit in 2005.However, almost half of Britons believe the limit still applies. The text is meant _ . Answer: to tell people how to lower their blood pressure About 1 million adult New Yorkers are obese , but nearly two-thirds of them don't think they are, according to a study released on Tuesday by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene . Among the obese, who account for about one in five New Yorkers, only 39% described themselves as "very overweight", according to the report. 2% said they were very underweight, 1% said they were slightly underweight, 16% said they were just right and 42% said they were slightly over weight. Some 2 million more New Yorkers are overweight, the report said, and one in five children in kindergarten is obese. Only 44% of the city's adults are at a healthy weight, and nearly 75% say they do not participate in any regular physical activity. New York City's adult obesity rate was 20% in 2003 compared with 23% nationwide in 2004.The national average has nearly doubled from 12% in 1993, the report said. Overweight and obese are defined by body mass index, or BMI (=" kg/m)" , which is based on a person's weight , adjusted for height, the department said. Being obese means having a BMI of 30 or greater, while being overweight means a BMI of more than 25 but less than 30. A 5-foot, 10-inch (1.78-meter) man weighing 175 pounds(79kg) would have a BMI of 25.1 and be considered overweight according to the department . If he weighed 210 pounds (95kg), he would have a BMI of 30.1 and be obese. The report came from results of the department's 2002 and 2003 yearly telephone surveys of some 10,000 adults. If a 1.75-meter-tall man weighs 99 kilograms, he is _ according to the passage. Answer: obese The Outdoor Centre Opening times Water sports: 10 a.m. -- 6 p.m. Play Park: 10 a.m. -- 5:30 p.m. Windsurfing -- One-day course Beginner windsurfing courses are offered on Saturdays and Sundays when the weather is good enough. Learning to windsurf is a lot of fun. The excitement when you sail across the water for the first time is not easily forgotten. Boards with small sails are available for beginners. Course fee: PS32 for adults; PS16 for children under 16 (this includes all equipment) One-day adventure course This is the opportunity you have been waiting for. Come and try sailing, climbing, surfing and archery . This course is intended to introduce outdoor activities to adults in a fun and leisurely manner. You do not need to be very fit or to have previous experience with the activities. All you need is to be interested. Course fee: PS22.50 Play Park The Play Park is suitable for children from two to ten years of age. It is one of the best of its type in the country. It has sand and water playgrounds, slides, large pool balls, a play castle and much, much more. Next year the center will open Play Palace and Play Ship. Summer adventure holidays Sailing, Climbing, Windsurfing, Fun Games Fee: PS50 for adults; PS30 for children under 16 Statement: Safety is of primary importance at the Outdoor Center. All staff members are fully trained in first aid, and qualified to teach the activities on offer. We also make sure that all children only take part in activities that are suitable for their ages and physical abilities. For this programme children must be able to swim 25 metres and be in good physical health. If Mr. Brown and his two sons (ages 12 and 14) go to learn windsurfing, how much will they pay? Answer: PS64.
Close relationships, thought to help communication by giving speakers a common context, are actually more likely to make _ when strangers are involved, a new study suggests. Because close colleagues and friends already share so much common knowledge that they often use short, ambiguous messages which can lead to misunderstandings. "People are so used to talking with those with whom they already share a great deal of information that, when they have something really new to share, they often present it in a way that they assume the person already knows it." says study-team member Boaz Keysar. Keysar and his graduate student, Shall Wu, trained 40 pairs of undergraduate students to memorize made-up names and descriptions of strange shapes. In each pair, the "director" had to communicate the identity of one of the 24 shapes. The partner had to use the information to choose the correct shape from a set of three images on a computer monitor. Half of the partners studied only the first six shapes, while the others learned the first 18 shapes. The directors, who had memorized all the shapes, were aware of their partners' knowledge levels of the shapes. In the pairs with the most shared knowledge, the directors were more likely to rattle off shape names, compared with pairs with little knowledge overlap , in which the directors were more likely to describe the actual shapes. Not surprisingly, participants with more shared knowledge were twice as likely to ask for clarification as those with less overlap. Language itself can be confusing. "The reason all this is happening at all is that language in general is ambiguous," said Keysar. He recalls an ambiguous billboard near a stadium holding a Rolling Stones concert that night. The billboard read, "Avoid LSD tonight." (:LSD"") Hmmm? "It was about Lake Shore Drive, and I'm sure the writer of the sign didn't realize he was being ambiguous," Keysar said. "Even though miscommunication can lead to missed meetings or deadlines, people are often unaware when their language is ambiguous," Keysar added, "We don't realize we say things that are ambiguous," he said, "and that's a problem." By this passage, the author mainly wants to say _ . Answer: Do you want to see the effects of global warming? Then head north. Will Steger is going to take all of us there. Steger, 64, the first person to make a dogsled trip to the North Pole, is a very famous and admired polar explorer. He's at home in frozen parts of the world where few humans ever step on. Steger is also a devoted environmentalist who was early to ring the alarm bell on global warming. He saw its effects firsthand in frequent polar expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica. Now Steger is about to lead a team of six young adventurers on a 1,400-mile, 60-day-long dogsled trip across Ellesmere Island, in the Canadian Arctic. The sea ice in that region should still be frozen. "We want to take our audience to the front lines of global warming," says Steger. The team will be uploading videos, stories and photos to the website globalwarming101.com as they march along, allowing armchair adventurers and kids in classrooms to follow their progress day to day. "We can actually bring the audience up there," Steger says. Steger's team will include some already-famous young explorers. Sam Branson, the 22-year-old son of British airline tycoon Richard Branson, is an experienced Arctic traveler. Also on the journey will be 27-year-old Norwegian Sigrid Ekran. Last year, Ekran became only the second woman in history to win Rookie of the Year for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. What they will see may be very surprising. Even Steger doesn't know exactly what to expect. Climate change has already reshaped the geography of the Arctic. "Within a decade or less, it's going to be impossible to reach the North Pole by dog team without flotation ," says Steger. Climate change is happening, but people can change too. Their willingness to change will determine the shape of the Earth's future. What would be the best title for the passage? Answer: I will probably remember one June day seven years ago for the rest of my life. My father had been complaining that my brother and I were watching too much TV, but we ignored him. Then one day we came home and the television was gone. When I asked my father about the missing TV, he said watching television was a waste of time. Without it, we would have time for other things. I decided he was wrong. Is there life without TV? How can we spend the week without all those shows and soaps? I was sure my life would be boring without TV, I used my best debating skills to argue with him, but he would not give in. However, I found other ways to spend my time finally, Each day I ran around the street. This reminded me of my love for athletics, which I still enjoy. I joined Volunteers, and I built lasting friendships. Most importantly, I discovered an artistic world I never knew. I started taking art contests, and was shocked when I won. Then I took piano lessons. I began to like listening to AM radio, reading news magazines. Living without TV has taught me how to manage my time, so that I can do many things in one day. I am proud to have learned I don't need television. Looking back, I think my father did the right thing. "You are smart. You could do anything that you put your heart to." he used to say. He believed in us. His actions showed me a much more colorful side of life without TV and the value of having a goal and sticking to it. My father was angry and took the television away because _ . Answer: Joe came to New York from the Middle West, dreaming about painting. Delia came to New York from the South, dreaming about music. Joe and Delia met in a studio. Before long they were good friends and got married. They had only a small flat to live in, but they were happy. They loved each other, and they were both interested in art. Everything was fine until one day they found they had spent all their money. Delia decided to give music lessons. One afternoon she said to her husband: "Joe, , I've found a pupil, a general's daughter. She is a sweet girl. I'm to give three lessons a week and get $5 a lesson." But Joe was not glad. "But how about me?" he said." Do you think I'm going to watch you work while I play with my art? No, I want to earn some money too." "Joe, , you are silly," said Delia. "You must keep at your studies. We can live quite happily on $15 a week." "Well, perhaps I can sell some of my pictures," said Joe. Every day they parted in the morning and met in the evening. A week passed and Delia brought home fifteen dollars, but she looked a little tired. "Clementina sometimes gets on my nerves. I'm afraid she doesn't practice enough. But the general is the nicest old man! I wish you could know him, Joe." And then Joe took eighteen dollars out of his pocket. "I've sold one of my pictures to a man from Peoria," he said, "and he has ordered another." "I'm so glad," said Delia. "Thirty-three dollars! We never had so much to spend before. We'll have a good supper tonight." Next week Joe came home and put another eighteen dollars on the table. In half an hour Delia came, her right hand in a bandage. "What's the matter with your hand?" said Joe. Delia laughed and said: "Oh, a funny thing happened! Clemantina gave me a plate of soup and spilled some of it on my hand. She was very sorry for it. And so was the old general. But why are you looking at me like that, Joe?" "What time this afternoon did you burn your hand, Delia?" "Five o'clock, I think. The iron-I mean the soup-was ready about five, Why?" "Delia, come and sit here," said Joe. He drew her to the couch and sat beside her. "What do you do every day, Delia? Do you really give music lesson? Tell me the truth." She began to cry. "I couldn't get any pupils," she said, "So I got a place in a laundry ironing shirts. This afternoon a girl accidentally set down an iron on my hand and I got a bad burn. But tell me, Joe, how did you guess that I wasn't giving music lessons?" "It's very simple," said Joe. "I knew all about your bandages because I had to send them upstairs to a girl in the laundry who had an accident with a hot iron. You see, I work in the engine-room of the same laundry where you work." "And your pictures? Did you sell any to that man from Peoria?" "Well, _ And then they both laughed. The couple's attitude towards each other is_. Answer: A man made a nice talking machine. It could weigh people. The man wanted to try the machine before he could make a lot of these kinds of machines. He put the machine into the waiting room of a station . There were always lots of people in and out there. The first one began to use the machine. It was an Indian woman. When she stand on the machine, the machine thought for a few minutes to decide which language it should speak. "Good morning, madam," it said in Indian. "Your weight is 72 kilos. That's three kilos more. If you eat more fruit and vegetables, you will be soon all right. Wish you a nice day." The second one who used the machine was a nice Chinese girl. She stood on the machine and waited to hear her weight. "Good morning , Miss ,"the machine said in Chinese. "Your weight is 45 kilos. It's all right for your age and height. Go on to eat what you eat every day. Wish you a nice day." The third one to use the machine was a very fat American woman. She thought for a long time before standing on the machine. But as soon as she stood on the machine, the machine spoke quickly in English , "Good morning . Will one of you get off?" The machine said quickly "Will one of you get off?" because _ Answer:
Question: This is a dangerous world we live in. The number of murders goes up every year, people are dying of cancer, more people contract HIV, more teens are using drugs, ect. You know this because you've heard all the statistics on the news and in the paper. But do you really have an accurate idea what they mean? The numbers are going up, but how do they compare to the growth in population? Are more cases of these diseases being reported because of better testing techniques, or are the diseases more common? The fact is that without knowing the background statistics mean very little. This growing trend of reporting only part of the information is becoming dangerous. For example, several years ago a high school student reported the dangers of the chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide. This chemical, found in most cancerous tumors, is often found in the blood of people drunk on alcohol, and causes complete physical and mental dependence for those who take the chemical even once. After reading his report, more than 75% of his Advanced Placement Chemistry class voted to forbid this dangerous chemical! Every one of the above statement is true, yet this chemical is necessary to all life on earth. The students made a mistake because they voted knowing only a few statements and statistics, rather than the chemical's full background. The point of this article is that one should be aware of what is and is not being said. When one finds a new fact or number, one should try to consider other important information before forming an opinion with only half-truths. Always remember that the author is trying to convince you of his or her own view, and will leave our information that is different from his view. For example, look again at the statistics that suggest skiing is safe. Only 32 people die each year when skiing, while 897 die from lightening strikes, but which is really more dangerous? If you think more about it, you will realize far fewer people go skiing each year than the number of people in danger of a lightning strike. When you think about it again, skiing is more dangerous than you might at first think when looking at the statistics. If we teenagers are to be left in this world, we had better be able to think critically, and form our own views, rather than be easily persuaded by another's. To be warned is just to be prepared. Relative information is often left out because _ . A. it is not important B. the author is trying to show what he or she says is true C. readers will consider other important information D. readers are able to form an opinion with half-truths Answer: B. the author is trying to show what he or she says is true Question: Mr. Hunt was living in a village and he wanted to go to an office one day. He got into his car and drove to the city. He went there without any trouble and stopped in front of the door. He locked his car and started to go into the office, but then he turned around and went back to his car. "I've left my keys in it!" he said to himself. Then he called his wife and said, "Excuse me, but I've locked my keys in my car, please bring your keys to me." Mrs. Hunt got into their second car and drove thirty kilometers to her husband. But while Mr. Hunt was waiting, he walked around his car and tried the other door. It was not locked. He locked it quickly before his wife arrived. ,. Mr. Hunt returned to his car because _ . A. he forgot to call his wife B. he left his keys in the car C. he took something in the car D. there was something wrong with his car Answer: B. he left his keys in the car Question: Tree House The Tree House program is for students with an English or bilingual preschool background. Foreign teachers further develop students' natural English speaking skills from 1st through 6th grades in a total immersion environment. The program is theme-based with different units or themes per semester. Each unit includes a theme-related storybook, song, dialogue, writing and phonic exercises, grammar component, poem, and integrated activities. Step Ahead Step Ahead is a standalone course that takes children in 3rd grade with no prior English knowledge and by 6th grade, transforms them into confident, near-fluent English communicators. Our program has a strategic balance of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Regular lessons are broken into phonics, reading, grammar patterns, conversation, songs, and homework preview Jump Into English, Kids World, Kids Club Our Jump Into English, Kids World, and Kids Club courses are a great way to develop good English habits at younger ages. Jump Into English is for 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds and is a cost-effective alternative to English preschool. Kids Club and Kids World are for students in 1st and 2nd grades and are full of singing, dancing, games, and fun activities to help young children learn English more easily. Theme-based and Honors Courses We have theme-based courses to help learners prepare for specific areas of the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) and to develop the performance skills they will need in some of our exciting activities. When learners graduate from our Tree House and Step Ahead programs, they can continue to excel in English through our Honors programs. A child who hasn't learned English before can choose _ to develop confidence and fluency in English communication. A. Tree House B. Theme-based and Honors Courses C. Step Ahead D. Jump Into English, Kids World, Kids Club Answer: C. Step Ahead Question: An example of a consumer would be A. a deer munching grass B. a plant beginning to photosynthesize C. a squirrel eating a bug D. a wolf eating a deer Answer: A. a deer munching grass Question: Scientists have always been interested in the high level of organization in ant societies. American researchers have watched ants build life-saving rafts to keep afloat during floods. They also have documented how ant colonies choose their next queen--the female whose job is to produce eggs rather than seek food for others. New technology is helping to improve researchers' understanding of the insects. But there is still a lot to be learned. Fire ants living in Brazilian forests are perfectly at home in an environment where flooding is common. To save themselves, the insects connect their legs together and create floating rafts. Some ant rafts can be up to 20 centimeters wide. David Hu who is a mechanical engineer with the Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, says, "If you have 100 ants, which means 600 legs, 99 percent of those legs will be connected to a neighbor. So they're very, very good at maintaining this network." David Hu and other Georgia Tech researchers want to study ants and the secret of their engineering. They freeze ant rafts and then look at them with the help of computed technology, or CT, images. The pictures show that larger ants serve in central positions to which smaller ants hold. The larger ants form pockets of air that keep the insects afloat. Scientists say small robots or materials that can change shape could be programmed in a similar way, working towards a shared goal. Researchers at North Carolina State University are also studying ants. They examined how Indian jumping ants choose the leader of the colony when they lose their top female or queen. Why did the larger ants serve in central positions in their ant rafts? A. To stress their importance. B. To protect the smaller ants. C. To attract their enemies. D. To save their ant societies. Answer: D. To save their ant societies.
It was the end of the school term and my son Tom had less than three months left before he would finish his six years at high school. During this time he had developed a love for basketball. Sadly, because of my work over the last twelve months, I had only been able to attend a few of his games; however, I was determined to get to his last game for the school term. Tom's team came out in the first 10 minutes with a burst of goals that saw them leading by just over 20 points at the end of the first half. The second half changed as the other team quickly played themselves back into the game. Tom's team started to miss an increasing number of shots. It was at that point that the coach called his first time out. The noise of the spectators became quiet as the coach spoke to them. He had the team standing in a half circle, but he squatted down, looking up at them and fiving some very calm and clear instructions on what they needed to do in the last couple of minutes. As he stood up to allow the team to return to the court, I saw him give some further words of encouragement to all of them. You could see that he knew that the team was fighting to save the game and that he needed to lift them up. By squatting down he placed himself in a position where he was talking up to them, rather than down or at them, and as the players went back onto the court his words of encouragement served to lift their energy and spirits. Well, Tom's team went on to win the final by 5 points. As I drove away I thought about what can happen to us all in our everyday life. One of my favourite quotes is about the half filled glass of water --- "Is it half full or is it half empty?" Like the coach, the answer to this quote all depends on how you look at things. By squatting down, the coach wanted to _ . A. talk about what the players were doing wrong B. make the players feel better C. prevent spectators from hearing what he said D. show his anger at the bad performance of the players Answer: B. make the players feel better An ID card is the most important proof of identity for each person. It shows one's name, date of birth, address, nationality, photo and ID number. China's top legislature added something new to the Resident Identity Card Law. It passed the suggestions of recording Chinese citizens' fingerprints when they apply for or change ID cards. Fingerprints would make it easier to recognize the people who own the cards. It can stop people from making fake ID cards. Li Xiao'ou, a bank worker in Beijing, said fingerprint data will make bank business safer. "No two people have the same fingerprints," he said. "The new card can better protect their private information. It will prevent their identity from being used by others when people want to do banking." As ID cards will contain more personal information, many people worry that some institutions may let their information out. The amended law tries to better protect it. Government offices and other public institutions, like banks and hospitals, could face a fine of 500,000 yuan if they give out citizens' personal information. From an ID card, we can tell the person's following information EXCEPT _ . A. his/her blood type B. his/her nationality C. his/her age D. his/her address Answer: A. his/her blood type Ted Brown's dream as a child was an unusual one: he wanted to fly. What was more unusual was the way in which he made his dream come true. After high school, he wanted to join the U. S. Air Force but he failed because of his poor eyesight. However, his dream remained. At the age of 33, Ted was a truck driver in Los Angeles. One day, while sitting outside in his garden, he watched planes fly overhead and an idea came to him: to use balloons to fly. A few weeks later, Ted bought 42 huge balloons. He tied them to a chair and then he sat down in the chair with some beer, sandwiches and a gun. His plan was to fly to 10 meters above his garden, enjoy a few hours in the air, and then shoot some balloons with his gun to get back down. But things did not go as he planned. Once his friends cut the ropes under Ted's chair, the 42 balloons flew into the sky at an astonishing speed until about 4000 meters above the ground with Ted and his chair. He didn't shoot any of the balloons because he was afraid he might break the balanee of his "plane". Ted stayed in the sky with his beer and sandwiches for 14 hours, cold and frightened. Planes heading towards Los Angeles' busy international airport reported the strange sight. And Ted' s balloons caused great danger to them. At last, Ted gathered his courage to shoot a few balloons and slowly landed on the ground, where many policemen were waiting for him. Ted made his dream come true, but it cost him: he was fined $ 1,500 for breaking the law about air safety. When asked by a reporter why he had done it, Ted answered, "A man can't just sit around and do nothing; he should have his dream and go for it. " Why couldn't Ted join the American Air Force? A. Because he didn't finish high school. B. Because his parents stopped him. C. Because there was problem with his eyes. D. Because he was too short. Answer: C. Because there was problem with his eyes. Fifty has never looked better. It's been 50 years since the first James Bond film, Dr. No, premiered in cinemas. As first embodied by Scottish actor Sean Connery, Agent 007 was a fearless, cool-as-ice spy who excelled at sleuthing , fighting and saving the world. Since then, more than 20 films featuring the iconic spy have been released-making it one of the longest-running franchises in the history of cinema. On Nov 9, the 23rd Bond movie, Skyfall, celebrated the legend's 50th birthday. Over the years, audiences have changed. It doesn't matter. Six different actors have acted 007 and it doesn't matter. Even shocking technological and cultural changes can't bend Bond. Why? Is it the action, the sexy women, the cars, the gadgets and the exotic locations? Yes, but the most important reason is still the man himself. Bond can challenge his boss and shoot a bad guy in mere minutes. He is an expert in literature, languages, art and fine wines. He has a sharp tongue besides his wits. In the first film Dr. No, as Connery lit a cigarette, we heard James Bond's voice and saw his cafe for the first time. The simple scene and short phrase have defined the character for half a century. "Next to the Beatles and Stones, James Bond was the greatest British import of the 1960s," David Kamp, a US contributing editor for Vanity Fair, wrote in a recent article about the birth of Bond and its influence on the US. The Bond phenomenon has clearly affected movie culture, pop culture and spy culture. But perhaps the most amazing thing is that 007 has survived in the age of feminism . "Talking of objectifying women, Bond is essential Huge Henfner (founder of Playboy magazine) with a gun," movie critic Xan Brooks told The Guardian. "But women liked Bond, too. He couldn't have run for 50 years with male fans alone." We love Bond for many reasons--after all 50 years, Bond is still breathtaking. thrilling ride into the very heart of an icon like no other. But most of all, we may love him for one reason: "he always gets away with it." one said. What attracts the audience most in James Bond films? A. The violent fighting scenes. B. The sexy women. C. Everything about Bond himself. D. The car racing. Answer: C. Everything about Bond himself. Scientists in Israel have discovered a new way to test for water pollution by "listening" to what the plants growing in water have to say. By shining a laser beam on the tiny pieces of _ floating in the water,the researchers said they hear sound waves that tell them the type and amount of contamination in the water. "It is a red light,telling us that something is beginning to go wrong with the quality of water," said Zvy Dubinsky,an aquatic biologist at Israel's Bar Ilan University."Algae is the first thing to be affected by a change in water quality.""The secret," he said,"is to measure the rate of photosynthesis in the algae,meaning the plant's ability to transform light into energy." During photosynthesis,plants also release oxygen into the air. Dubinsky's technique is easy to perform because of the overabundance of algae in the planet's water.Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from algae.A prototype tester that occupies about one square meter of a laboratory desktop,shoots a laser beam at water samples to stimulate photosynthesis in the algae.But not all of the laser's heat is used.Depending on the condition of the algae and the rate of photosynthesis,some of the heat is shot back into the water,creating sound waves,Dubinsky said.With a special underwater microphone,researchers are able to analyze the strength of the sound waves and determine the health of the algae and the condition of the surrounding water. "Algae suffering from lead poisoning,like waste discharged from battery and paint manufacturing plants,will produce a different sound than those suffering from lack of iron or exposure to other toxins," said researcher Yulia Pinchasov.She said that testing algae photosynthesis can determine water quality more accurately and easily than laborintensive methods now used like chemical and radioactive carbon testing. What would be the best title for the passage? A. Scientists Listen to Plants to Find Water Pollution B. A Prototype Tester Is Used to Determine Water Pollution C. The Importance of Photosynthesis of the Algae D. The Problem of Chemical and Radioactive Carbon Testing Answer: A. Scientists Listen to Plants to Find Water Pollution
Next time a customer comes to your office, offer him a cup of coffee. And when you're doing your holiday shopping online, make sure you're holding a large glass of iced tea. The physical sensation of warmth encourages emotional warmth, while a cold drink in hand prevents you from making unwise decisions--those are the practical lesson being drawn from recent research by psychologist John A. Bargh. Psychologists have known that one person's perception of another's "warmth" is a powerful determiner in social relationships. Judging someone to be either "warm" or "cold" is a primary consideration, even trumping evidence that a "cold" person may be more capable. Much of this is rooted in very early childhood experiences, Bargh argues, when babies' conceptual sense of the world around them is shaped by physical sensations, particularly warmth and coldness. Classic studies by Harry Harlow, published in 1958, showed monkeys preferred to stay close to a cloth "mother" rather than one made of wire, even when the wire "mother" carried a food bottle. Harlow's work and later studies have led psychologists to stress the need for warm physical contact from caregivers to help young children grow into healthy adults with normal social skills. Feelings of "warmth" and "coldness" in social judgments appear to be universal. Although no worldwide study has been done, Bargh says that describing people as "warm" or "cold" is common to many cultures, and studies have found those perceptions influence judgment in dozens of countries. To test the relationship between physical and psychological warmth, Bargh conducted an experiment which involved 41 college students. A research assistant who was unaware of the study's hypotheses , handed the students either a hot cup of coffee, or a cold drink, to hold while the researcher filled out a short information form. The drink was then handed back. After that, the students were asked to rate the personality of "Person A" based on a particular description. Those who had briefly held the warm drink regarded Person A as warmer than those who had held the iced drink. "We are grounded in our physical experiences even when we think abstractly," says Bargh. In Bargh's experiment, the students were asked to _ . A hold coffee and cold drink alternatively B write down their hypotheses C fill out a personal information form D evaluate someone's personality Answer: D The only survivor of one of the two Sandy Hook Elementary School first-grade classrooms where Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children tricked the gunman by playing dead,the girl's pastor said. "She ran out of the school building covered from head to toe with blood and the first thing she said to her mom was,"Mommy,I'm OK but all my friends are dead" Pastor Jim Solomon told ABC News' Lara Spencer this weekend "Somehow,at that moment, by God's grace,she was able to act as she was already dead."he said. The girl, a 6-year-old whose name is not being announced for privacy reasons,was the first student to appear from the lockdown at Sandy Hook,Solomon said.He said the young girl described the shooter to her mom in a way that only a young child can. "Well, she saw someone who she felt was angry and someone she felt was very mad,"Solomon said. "I think it's impossible without the help of God. She has wisdom beyond her years, for sure'' Of the 20 children killed on Friday in the Newtown,Conn., school, eight were boys and l2 were girls Six staff members,all female, were also killed. The gunman,whose mother was also killed by him before he went to the schoo1 classrooms, was found dead at the present spot. "The mom told me--and I thought this was very insightful --that she was suffering from what she felt was survivor's guilt because so many of her friends no longer have their children but she has hers," Solomon said how the girl's mother and father are handling the trauma ."I don't know whether l would have the type of faith that they have if the same thing happened to me." Which of the following best describes the girl ? A Talented and innocent B Serious and insightful C Active and happy D Clever and brave Answer: D Lisa has always been overweight. She wanted to lose weight, not just because she wanted to look more beautiful and healthier, but also because it would make life easier. For example, it was difficult for Lisa to find ready-made clothes that would fit. She had to ask a tailor to make clothes that were large enough. In school, she needed a special chair which was bigger and stronger than the other chairs. If she went for a walk, she got tired very quickly. She was also unhappy about the way people treated her sometimes. "People look at me and even make fun of me. That's unfair! It's true that I'm overweight, but I don't think people should treat me differently because I'm big. I can't enjoy having dinner with my friends because I'm afraid of getting fatter. "Her friends and family never made fun of her. They tried to help her instead. They wanted her to be happy and healthy. Sometimes when Lisa was feeling sad, she didn't want to speak to anyone. But now things are quite different. Last month her classmates were preparing for the School Art Week. Someone advised Lisa to play the lead role of the Proud Queen who was tall and fat. Lisa agreed and practiced a lot. Soon after the play, Lisa became the star! She did so well that everybody remembered the Proud Queen. They stood around her and said "Congratulations"to her. She even won the School Best Actress Award for her wonderful performance. Now Lisa doesn't worry about being fat any more. She believes in the English saying " _ How did Lisa feel about her weight at first? A Proud B Worried C Happy D Strange Answer: B In the U.S. Mother's Day is a holiday celebrated on second Sunday in May. It is a day when children honor their mothers with cards, gifts and flowers. First _ in Philadelphia in 1907,it is based on suggestions by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and by Anna Jarvis in 1907. Although it wasn't celebrated in the U.S. until 1907,there were days honoring mothers even in the days of ancient Greece. In those days, however, it was Rhea, the Mother of the gods that was given honor. Later,in the 1600's,in England there was an annual celebration called "Mothering Sunday." It was celebrated during June, on the fourth Sunday ,the servants, who generally lived with their employers, were encouraged to return home and honor their mothers. It was traditional for them to bring a special cake along to celebrate the occasion. In the U.S., in 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2ed Sunday of May. The next day Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia, Jarvis and others began a letter-writing campaign to ministers, businessmen, and politicians asking to establish a national Mother's Day. They were successful. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914,made the official announcement recognizing Mother's Day as a national celebration that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. Many other countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year. Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May, as in the U.S. What could be the best title for this passage? A Mother's Day of the U.S B Mother's Day of the world C Ana Jarvis and Mother's Day D Styles of Mother's Day Answer: A (2013*,C)One day,when I was working as a psychologist in England,an adolescent boy showed up in my office.It was David.He kept walking up and down restlessly,his face pale,and his hands shaking slightly.His head teacher had referred him to me."This boy has lost his family,"he wrote."He is understandably very sad and refuses to talk to others,and I'm very worried about him.Can you help?" I looked at David and showed him to a chair.How could I help him? There are problems psychology doesn't have the answer to,and which no words can describe.Sometimes the best thing one can do is to listen openly and sympathetically. The first two times we met,David didn't say a word.He sat there,only looking up to look at the children's drawings on the wall behind me.I suggested we play a game of chess.He nodded.After that he played chess with me every Wednesday afternoon--in complete silence and without looking at me.It's not easy to cheat in chess,but I admit I made sure David won once or twice. Usually,he arrived earlier than agreed,took the chess board and pieces from the shelf and began setting them up before I even got a chance to sit down.It seemed as if he enjoyed my company.But why did he never look at me? "Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his pain with,"I thought."Perhaps he senses that I respect his suffering."Some months later,when we were playing chess,he looked up at me suddenly. "It's your turn,"he said. After that day,David started talking.He got friends in school and joined a bicycle club.He wrote to me a few times,about his biking with some friends,and about his plan to get into university.Now he had really started to live his own life. Maybe I gave David something.But I also learned that one--without any words--can reach out to another person.All it takes is a hug,a shoulder to cry on,a friendly touch,and an ear that listens. David enjoyed being with the author because he _ . A wanted to ask the author for advice B needed to share sorrow with the author C liked the children's drawings in the office D beat the author many times in the chess game Answer: B
Honesty,my mum always used to tell me,is the best policy.Of course,this didn't include her when she told me that if I didn't eat all my vegetables Father Christmas would find out and wouldn't give me any presents. But when it comes to medicine.I had assumed it was important to always be honest with my patients.After all,the doctor-patient relationship is based on trust,and therefore honesty is essential.Or so I thought. I had just started working in geriatrics .Mr. McMahon was brought in when his belly was found very swollen.I took a medical history from his daughter who'd accompanied him in the ambulance.She'd been his main carer for years.I stood looking at him as she gave a detailed history."Has he lost any weight recently?"I asked."Well,it's funny you should mention that,but yes."she said slowly.There was silence for a few moments."Why? What are you worried about?"she asked.I hesitated.She was obviously very involved in his care and it was only fair that I told her the truth."Well.we need to prove it's not cancer."I said and talked briefly about some of the tests I was going to order. Half an hour later, a nurse called me:"Mr. McMahon's daughter broke down--she said you told her he had cancer."My heart sank.By the time I arrived at the ward,my consultant was already there,explaining that we still had to run lots of tests and that it was by no means confirmed that he had cancer.I stood silently at the end of the bed.My consultant was obviously angry with me and as we left Mr. McMahon,she turned to me."Why on earth did you do that?"she asked in disbelief.I looked at her and bit my lip."She asked me what I was worried about and I told her."I said,hanging my head."And give her more to worry about?"replied my consultant."You don't say the word'cancer'until it's confirmed.Even if you suspect it,think very carefully before you tell people." As it turned out, it wasn't cancer.But I did learn that when someone is stressed and worried about their loved one they're sometimes selective in what they hear and as a doctor it's important to be mindful of this.In being truthful,I'd made the situation worse. The author's consultant was angry with him because _ . A. he told the daughter what he suspected B. he delayed running the necessary tests C. he failed to confirm the patient's disease D. he forgot what the consultant had advised Answer: A Some children show preferences for friends at an early age. At 9 or 10,children become a were of differences, they begin to form cliques(,).At l0 0r 12 years of age ,as they are separate from parents, identification with peers may become enlarged and cliques may form and change frequently. At middle and high school the issue of belonging becomes even more extraordinary and outstanding. Cliques are small, particular groups of friends who share common characteristics and common interests(music, dress, sports, etc.).Each member is either directly or indirectly connected to other members. Cliques usually refer to groups of girls; however boys are also involved in cliques. There are usually hierarchies of cliques among teens ,from the populars to the losers,and there are often many cliques in schools. Normal adolescent development often circles around cliques - joining cliques, wanting to join cliques, or being out of cliques. Cliques can have a strong positive effect on self-worth. They provide social occasions and help kids develop a sense of belonging support and protection Cliques improve self-respect by making kids feel wanted ,and they enable the cliques member to develop a sense of identity and to deal with social events around themselves. While, cliques can be opposed to other kids and other cliques. In some cases cliques members can become harmful to outsiders by putting them down using teasing, backstabbing, and even violence. Although girls are socialized to suppress physical displays of violence ,it can take the form of intimidating behavior. Cliques can pollute individuality and prevent members from mixing with members of other groups. They usually require some degree of agreement in appearance, attitude, or behavior. They can drive away members for no apparent reason, and they can pressure kids into group activities in order to fit in , creating interpersonal cliques and violence. Which of the following statements about the cliques is TRUE? A. .Cliques members have different characteristics and interests. B. .Once a cliques is formed its members are not changeable. C. .Cliques are more popular among boys and girls. D. .Chques help improve children's self-respect Answer: D By the age of almost four, Elijah Edney has never had a haircut in his life. But now he can ' t wait to visit the barber's - for two reasons: losing his two - foot - long golden hair will mean that strangers stop mistaking him for a girl; the hair will be donated to charity to provide a wig for a child with cancer. Mrs. Edney, who works in a restaurant, says, "Elijah has always had beautiful hair, so I let him grow it as he w8nted. It' s like silk. But now it is at a stage where people mistake him for a girl and he wants it cut into a boy's haircut. " Mrs. Edney and her husband want to collect enough money-PS350-to process Elijah's hair for a sick child. She says, "I couldn't bear to see all Elijah's beautiful hair go to waste and my mum mentioned charities that have human hair made into wigs. " Mrs. Edney says, "If we can raise the amount we want, it will mean a family will not have to pay for the wig and can receive it for free. When you've got children yourself, you hope that if they lost their hair someone would do the same for them by donating their hair. " The two-foot-long hair will be donated to the Little Princess Trust to make a wig for children suffering cancer. Elijah keeps telling people he is giving his hair to poor princesses and he is so excited about it. A spokesman for the Little Princess Trust says, "We're very grateful to anyone who decides to have their hair cut to donate it to the Little Princess Trust. As a result of hair donations like this, the charity receives real-hair wigs for free to pass on to families whose children have sadly lost their own hair through cancer treatment. " Why has Mrs. Edney let Elijah's hair grow so long? A. Because Elijah has beautiful hair. B. Because she likes long hair. C. Because Elijah looks nice with long hair. D. Because she wants to donate his hair to charity. Answer: A At East China University of Science and Technology, students who finish their food in the dining hall can get a coupon when they return their tray . They can exchange coupons for small gifts, such as books, magazines, mobile phone covers and hand warmers. "It's been a big surprise," said Liang Zhaoyun, 19, a student in the university of Shanghai. "It makes us try our best to finish the food!" But some food in the dining hall is so poorly prepared that students are _ to finish it all. Some schools have paid some attention to it. "The dishes in our canteen are all right, generally speaking. We've tried our best to make it tasty. But of course it's difficult to make all the students love it." said Wang. Other universities also pay attention to the size of food. At Nanjing University, rice is divided into three different-sized bowls that students can choose from. "I like to try different dishes at each meal. So I had to throw away a lot of food because the bowls were too big. But now the dining hall offers small sizes. It's great because I can try different dishes at half price and don't waste so much food," said Fan Peng, a student from Nanjing University. But what if you really can't finish all your food? Some universities also provide a take-away service. If you can't finish all your food, you can get a box to take the leftovers home. Even if you feed the cat, it's not wasted. So you see, if we call on students not to waste food, schools should also improve the service and meal quality. In order to reduce the waste, universities do a lot of things except _ . A. trying to make the food as delicious as possible. B. offering different sizes of the food. C. exchanging trays for coupons and gifts. D. raising the price of the food. Answer: D It's a good time for a theme park, according to a report. There was a four percent growth in the number of visitors to theme parks in 2014 compared with 2013. There were a total of 223,450,000 visits to the top 25 theme parks in 2014. But even extreme enthusiasts may not be able to get to every park on the top-25 list. Here are six theme parks that are less known to Americans. But they're truly worth a visit. Ocean Park Hong Kong's Ocean Park is a marine mammal park, animal theme park and amusement park. It came in at No.13 on the top-25 list. Lotte World Located in Seoul, South Korea, Lotte World is famous for having the world's largest indoor theme park together with an outdoor theme park. It's also home to South Korea's largest ice skating rink. It was ranked No.14 on the top-25 list. Everland Also in South Korea, Everland is located in Gyeonggi-Do. It includes a zoo and a water park and was ranked No.16. Europa Park Europe Park, located in Rust, is the largest theme park in Germany and one of four in Europe to make the top-25 list. It got No.21. Tivoli Gardens When you take into consideration that Tivoli Gardens is closed a few months every year, its spot at No.23 is impressive. Located in Copenhagen, it's famous for its fairy-tale atmosphere and antique roller coaster. De Efteling De Efteling is a fantasy-themed amusement park in Katsheuvel, the Netherlands. The attractions are based on elements from ancient myths and legends, fairy tales, fables and folklore. It was ranked No.24. Compared with the year2013, in 2014 _ . A. more theme parks became available B. admission fees to theme parks became higher C. more people went to visit theme parks D. there were more extreme theme park enthusiasts Answer: C
The Government should raise taxes on air travel and high-polluting cars in order to help the environment, an important committee of MPs has said. It also said that the 70 mph speed limit on motorways should be reduced or enforced to bring down the amount of carbon dioxide given off by cars The House of Common Enviromental Audit committee's latest report said that transport was the only sector of the UK where carbon _ have continued to rise since 1990. It said it was time for the Government to make demand for cheap air impossible by raising air passenger tax. Emissions from air traffic have risen by 5 times as much since 1900 and are continuing to rise. The committee welcomed the recent introduction of changed car tax, which means that the lowest-carbon cars pay no road tax, while gas-guzzling 4x4s pay an increased rate of PS210. However, the MPs say it doesn't go far enough and are calling for a top limit of PS1,800 with lower limit of PS200. Committee chairman Tim Yeo said : "Air travel in particular is the fastest growing source of CO2, with emissions more than five times since 1900. The Government should take much more decisive action to reduce the difference of income favor of trains, buses, and lower carbon cars and lorries." Friends of the Earth's senior organizer Tony Bosworth said: "Emissions from transport are still rising and forecasts suggest they will carry on rising for years to come." "Tinkering around the edges is no longer enough to deal with the greatest threat the world faces." A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: "Dealing with carbon emissions in transport is a key problem." Which of the following is the best title for the passage? Transport is the biggest polluter Renee had been married for a long, long time. Her favorite part of being married was the weekend, when she was with her two horses. On the weekend, Renee was at the stables from morning until dark. She fed, groomed, and rode her horses. She was an excellent rider. She would ride the horses bareback on Saturday, and then she would saddle them up on Sunday. Renee loved parades. She used to say, "A parade isn't a parade without a horse." Renee loved parades almost as much as she loved her horses. She belonged to an email list of volunteers for parades. She regularly visited the state website list of parades to see if there were any new parades that she didn't know about. All the state parades were organized in her computer. In the parades file, she listed the date, drive time and distance, parade time, contact people, and other details she felt were important. She knew the parade director of every town within a four-hour drive. She never stayed overnight. She always left the parade in time to get her horses back to the stables before "bedtime". She had to feed them before they turned in. Her horses seemed to like parades, too. They knew a few tricks that always impressed the children. Renee was very generous with her time and her horses. But owning horses wasn't cheap. You had to rent the stables, and there were always vet and feed bills. Renee knew how to cope with expenses, though. Her vet always gave her a 10-percent discount for paying cash. She always bought the no-name, generic food for the horses. Her vet had told her it was just as healthful and tasty as the brand name material. She always bought economy gasoline. And on parade days, Renee always packed her own lunch and ate with her horses. Which of the following words can't be used to describe Renee? mean Today is Saturday. It's sunny and warm. Many children from No. 1 Middle School are at the Old People's Home. Now, they're helping the old people. Look! Li Min and Zhan Ran are cleaning the windows. Ma Lan and Liu Qian are washing clothes. What's Li Na doing over there? Many old people are clapping their hands for her. Oh, she's singing for them. Her song is really beautiful. And where's the American boy, Tom? He likes helping others and he often comes here. Listen! Who's speaking English? It's Tom. He's teaching two old people to speak English. All the children and the old people are very happy. "We are happy when we help others, " says Tom. How many children in the passage? Six. Good afternoon! My name is Sarah. I'm twelve. I'm a student. Nice to meet you! Look at this. What's this in English? Oh, it's a pencil case . It's red. What's in it? Look! This is a ruler. It's green. This is an eraser. It's white. This is a pen. It's yellow. My pencil case is new and it is very nice. I like it very much. Tomorrow is Saturday. It's a hot day. Let me go swimming. I like summer. There is a _ in her pencil case. yellow pen Local businessmen are increasingly facing competition from on line retailers. Larry Pollock, owner of Camera Co/Op on South Congress, said he has been dealing with this kind of problem for years, even before the Internet. The struggle began with mail-order catalogues, which are similar to online retailers in that they have few employees to pay, no sales tax fees and no business venue to lease and manage. "Their overhead is lower, but they don't offer a service like we do," Pollock said. Pollock, however, said providing a valuable service to customers does not always guarantee continued sales. "We spend 30 minutes to an hour with somebody and they go home and buy it online," he said. According to the state comptroller's office, online shopping is developing at a more rapid rate than traditional businesses. In spite of how fair or unfair online shopping may be to the local businessmen, consumers will continue to turn to the Internet for its variety and accessibility, said Mitch Wilson, an online shopper. "You have a larger selection and it's easier to compare prices." Wilson said he built his personal computer and paid a third of the price by shopping online. "Before the Internet, I would have had to go and buy an assembled computer from somebody like Dell," he said. "Before I started shopping online I could never find all the pieces I wanted. No single store had everything needed, so shopping online saved me from having to buy from Dell." Janny Brazeal, a psychology freshman, said online shopping is too impersonal. "I'd rather see it in person, touch it, know that I'm getting it," she said. Brazeal also said she would not give out her credit card number or other personal information online no matter how safe the site claims it is. More people like online shopping because _ . all above
Question: It was already dark when an old man came to a small town. He found an inn and wanted to stay there for the night. After he had gone to his room, the owner said to his wife, "Look at his bag, dear. I'm sure there are lots of valuable things in it. I want to steal it when he is asleep." "No, no," said the woman. "He must look for his bag tomorrow morning. Then he'll take you before the judge." They thought and at last the woman had an idea. "We have forgetful grass," said the woman, "Why not put some into his food? If he has the food, he will forget to take his bag away." "How clever you are!" said the owner, "Don't forget it when you prepare supper for him." The old man had the food with the forgetful grass and went to bed. The next morning, when the owner got up, he found the door was open and the old man had left with his bag. He woke his wife up and said angrily, "What a fool! Your forgetful grass isn't useful at all." "No, no," said the woman. "I don't think so. He must forget something." "Oh, I've remembered!" The owner cried out suddenly, "He forgot..." According to the passage the old man forgot _ . A. to take his bag away B. to tell the owner when he left C. to close the door when he went to sleep D. to pay them the inn money Answer: D Question: Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food 9:00-9:45a.m. Blue Tent Panelists : Jami Bernard, David Kamp, Marion Nestle and Peter Singer. Hosted by Denise Gray, science writer for The New York Times. How does what we eat not only affect our bodies, but also the world? The food and nutrition experts debate the role that the diet plays in both personal and global health, and present a look at food politics. Sports writing: For the Love of the Game 9:50-10:35a.m. Blue Tent Panelists: Christine Brennan, Ira Rosen, Joe Wallace and Joe Drape. Hosted by William C. Rhoden, sports writer for The New York Times. Whether catching that key moment of victory or defeat, or covering breaking news, sports writers are anything but audience. Listen as some professionals discuss the special experience in reporting of sports news. * The Art of the Review 11:15-12:00a.m. Green Tent Panelists: John Freeman, Barry Gewen, David Orr, Celia McGee and Jennifer Schuessler. Hosted by Sam Tanenhaus, editor for The New York Times Book Review. How much of an effect does the book review have on book sales? Join this group of critics as they discuss the reality of the book review and bestseller lists, and how they choose books for review. * New York Writers, New York Stories 3:00-3:45p.m. Green Tent Panelists: Cindy Adams, Richard Cohen, Ric Klass and Lauren Redniss. Sam Tanenhaus is in charge of _ . A. The Art of the Review B. Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food C. New York Writers, New York Stories D. Sports Writing: For the Love of the Game Answer: A Question: Dogs can know the meaning of a human perspective, say researchers. Dogs are more capable of understanding situations from a human's point of view than has previously been recognized, according to researchers. They found dogs were four times more likely to steal food they had been forbidden, when lights were turned off so humans in the room could not see. This suggested the dogs were able to alter their behavior when they knew their owners' perspective had changed. The study, published in Animal Cognition, conducted tests on eighty-four dogs. The experiments had been trying to find whether dogs could make their behavior suitable to react to the changed circumstances of their human owners. It wanted to see if dogs had a "flexible understanding" that could show they understood the viewpoint of a human. It found that when the lights were turned off, dogs in a room with their human owners were much more likely to disobey and steal forbidden food. The study says it is "unlikely that the dogs simply forgot that the human was in the room" when there was no light. Instead it seems as though the dogs were able to differentiate between when the human was unable or able to see them. Juliane Kaminski carried out the research into how dogs are influenced by human circumstances. Dr Juliane Kaminski, from the University of Portsmouth's psychology department, said the study was "incredible because it implies dogs understand the human can't see them, meaning they might understand the human perspective". Previous studies have suggested that although humans might think that they can recognize different expressions on their dogs' faces, this is often inaccurate and a projection of human emotions. "Humans constantly attribute certain qualities and emotions to other living things. We know that our own dog is clever or sensitive, but that's us thinking, not them," said Dr Kaminski. "These results suggest humans might be right, where dogs are concerned, but we still can't be completely sure if the results mean dogs have a truly flexible understanding of the mind and others' minds. It has always been assumed only humans had this ability. Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage? A. Dogs---Our Loyal Companions Understand Us Most. B. Dogs Are Our Best Friends. C. Dogs Can Understand Us In a Way, Researchers Say. D. Dogs Have Certain Qualities and Emotions of Human Beings, Researchers Say. Answer: C Question: After a while, Tommy's parents, who had recently separated, would arrive for a meeting on his failing schoolwork and bad behavior. Neither parent knew that I had called the other. Tommy, an only child, had always been a happy, cooperative and top student. How could I make his father and mother believe that his recent failing grades meant a broken-hearted child's reaction to his parents' separation and divorce ? Tommy's mother entered and took one of the chairs. Soon the father arrived. Good! At least they were enough to be here in time. They ignored each other. As I gave a detailed introduction of Tommy's behavior and schoolwork, I waited for the right words to bring these two together to help them see what they were doing to their son. But somehow the words wouldn't come. Perhaps if they saw one of his dirty, carelessly done papers? I found a sheet in the back of his desk. Writing covered both sides: not the exercises, but a single sentence scribbled over and over. Silently I gave it to Tommy's mother. She read it and then handed it to her husband. Then his face softened. At last he folded the paper carefully, placed it in his pocket, and reached for his wife's hand. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled up at him. He helped with her coat and they left together. In his own way God had given me the words to reunite that family. He had guided me to the sheet of yellow copy paper covered with the pain outpouring of a small boy's troubled heart. The words are "Dear Mom... Dear Daddy... I love..." The author called Tommy's parents in order to _ . A. blame Tommy for his failing grades B. ask them the reason for their divorce C. help them realize their influence on Tommy D. solve the couple's problem of separation Answer: C Question: One process in the formation of sedimentary rocks is when rocks are A. compressed by moving plates. B. heated and subjected to high pressure. C. broken up and deposited in layers. D. moved up along fault planes. Answer: C
Question: This is new for me and I don't know what to say really, so I just want to have a try.I was always a runner and in pretty good shape for most of my life.Then unluckily, I couldn't get myself out to run. I put on weight and it made me feel worse about myself.I found it was much harder to begin to run again after a few years than it used to be and I tried my best through even the shortest, slowest jog. I was out in a run the other day and I had almost decided to give up before I heard someone say ,"You can do it ! It's hard ,but you can do it !"there was a lady walking the other way and had the biggest smile on her face. Those words encouraged me at a time when I was ready to give up.I finished my run and now every time I feel like giving up ,I can "hear"her encouragement. I've never seen her again ,so I've never been able to thank her and let her know that something so simple as a few words of encouragement from a stranger influenced (and still influence)me so much. When the writer wanted to give up ,a _ encouraged her. A. men B. lady C. child D. student Answer: B Question: Timmy had the best grandmother ever. She was very nice because she would always help Timmy when he needed help with his homework. She would sit down with Timmy in the kitchen and help him with his spelling every night. Then she would go back to the living room and watch television when he worked on his math. After that she would cook Timmy a big dinner, and they would both eat it together before Timmy's mom and dad came to pick him up. When Timmy went home he would sometimes call his grandmother to say hello. Even when she was sleepy she would talk with him and tell him a bedtime story. One time she even told him a story about his grandfather who had been a farmer. Timmy loved this story because he never got to meet his grandfather. One day he wanted to be like him and be a farmer. Who would cook Timmy dinner after he worked on his math? A. His mom B. His dad C. His grandmother D. Timmy would cook it himself Answer: C Question: My 16-year-old son, Anton, had gone to the local swimming hole. Most of the kids who swim there are fit and strong teens, and there are plenty of rocks for them to use as safe harbors, so I had no fears for his well-being. Still, the firefighter's first words, "You need to come up here to the Stillwater River," made me catch my breath. When I got to the river, I saw Anton sitting quietly on a low platform of the fire engine, with a towel wrapped about his shoulders. I hurried over to him. "You OK?" I asked. "Yeah," was all he said. But my eyes begged for an explanation. I didn't get it from my son. The story was this: A couple in their 20s, unfamiliar with the Stillwater, had gotten caught in the current and began screaming for help. Without hesitation Anton and his friend dived into the water, swam out to the drowning woman, and brought her safely to shore. In an age in which the world "hero" is broadcast with abandon and seemingly applied to anyone, I realized the real thing in my son and his friend--the disregarding of personal safety for the sake of another human being. I know that teens are headstrong and self-centered, but this didn't lower the gravity of the event and the desire to do good. Along the way home I tried to get some more information from him, but the only words were, "What's for supper?" I thought twice about the tragedy that might have been. Questions flew across my mind like a flight of swallows: Would I have risked my life to save a drowning person? Or would I have chosen to dial 911? Would I have told the story over and over to anyone who'd listen? The next morning, when Anton got up, I half expected him to tell me the story from his point of view, now that he had some distance from the event. But all he did was to toast a pie, pull himself together, and head for the door to begin the new day. The writer caught her breath when she heard the fire fighters' first words because _ . A. her son saved a woman B. she was scolded by fire fighters C. she was anxious about her son's safety D. her son was to blame for a fire Answer: C Question: Hybrid cars are cars that run on petrol and electricity. They have a small standard petrol engine and a battery electric motor to provide electric power. There are some differences between different models of hybrid cars, but the general principle is that the car runs on petrol, and the electric motor kicks in when additional power is required, for example, when going uphill or accelerating. In some hybrid cars the petrol engine turns itself off when not needed, for example when the car has stopped at traffic light, keeping only the electric engine running. Conventional cars have large engines to deal with driving uphill and accelerating. Hybrid cars have much smaller petrol engines, improved by electric motors when needed, so they use less petrol. Another way that fuel consumption is cut is by a system of "regenerative braking". The electric motor is used to slow down the car, rather than conventional brakes. The energy produced by slowing the car is changed into electrical power, which is automatically stored in the battery. In effect, the battery recharges when you brake. In conventional cars the energy produced when braking is wasted. In 1928 Ferdinand Porsche built an experimental hybrid car. The first mass-produced hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, came out in Japan at the end of 1997. However, hybrid cars became available in the USA only in 1999. As they use less fuel, hybrid cars are cheaper to run. There are also many voices in place to encourage people to buy them. In some countries, hybrid car owners pay a lower rate of tax, and don't have to pay on certain roads. In some cities, hybrid cars are allowed to park for free. Hybrid cars consume less energy than conventional cars because hybrid cars _ . A. have large engines to deal with accelerating B. have conventional brakes to slow down the car C. have electric power to assist when needed D. have no energy consumption when stopping Answer: C Question: What type of useful product can be made from the moving winds? A. metal B. wood C. bananas D. electricity Answer: D
The United States of America is a large country. On the same day in the winter, it may be warm in some places and cold in others. In parts of the South , in the winter, the temperature might be over 27degC. At the same time, in parts of the North , the temperature might be below (......) 0degC. In the summer, it may be over 38degCin the South. On the same day, it may be 23degCin the North. The temperature is not the same in all parts of the United States. The rain is also very different in the country. In parts of the West there is little rain. In parts of the South there is much rain. Which season is a rainy season in the United States? _ Answer: The passage doesn't tell us. You get on an almost-empty bus, but the next passenger decides to ignore all the empty seats to sit right next to you. While you are waiting in line at the supermarket, the next customer stands just behind you shouting into his phone. These are attacks of the personal space invaders . Though preferences for personal space differ from culture to culture, we Britons do love our independence and personal space. As the British customs website Debrett has said, as a British person, somebody standing too close may make you "focus less on what somebody is saying than on how close they are to you". Simple acts like putting an arm around someone you don't know that well may seem friendly in China, but they can make us very uncomfortable. The ediplomat.com website explains: "The British are not back slappers or touchers and generally do not show affection in public." Being a British person around people from other countries can therefore be full of problems. People from many European countries such as France and Spain kiss each other on the cheek when they meet, yet to us this seems too friendly and "touchy-feely". Simple matters like how close others stand can be problems to Britons who want to keep their own personal space. Giving advice on how to behave around a British person, Debrett's says that "if you can feel the warmth of their worried breath upon your face, then you're standing too close". So, are British people unfriendly? No. The ediplomat.com website explains that we are not as _ as we may seem, but "very friendly and helpful to foreigners". However, we do have different ideas about our own space to many people from other countries. Just let us know if you're going to come any closer than arm's length, and you'll be fine! What can we conclude from the article? Answer: British people are helpful, although they may not appear to be. Which likely completes a circuit? Answer: your phone's keys Teens' lives hit by economy Some teenagers are crossing their dream colleges off their lists. Others are thinking of skipping their senior trips or reducing prom costs. Many are finding their work hours cut while their expenses rise. So, who exactly is punishing them?Is it their parents, teachers or employers?No, it's the economy . If you are like most teenagers, you probably don't understand what "recession", "negative economic growth" and "subprime mortgage crisis "actually mean. And you probably don't spend your days watching the ups and downs of the stock market. It's safe to say that most teens don't know much about the economy except for one thing:it's bad. But just how exactly is the economy affecting teens? "The single largest thing I have noticed is the recession's ability to affect my college choice, "said Heather Richars from Downey High School in California, US. "With the economic situation the way it is, I have thought less about going to a private or out-of-state university, and more about public schools in California, mainly because of the price of tuition, "said Richars. "I had been a fan of attending a private school up until this year." The economy cuts into other areas of teenagers' lives, too. Joey Camarda, a student at Modesto High School in California, who works at an ice cream store, said," Probably due to the economy, I have been getting less hours at my job, and because of that, I am not getting enough money to help pay for college." Tara Mooney, a senior at Beyer High School, has also begun to notice that money is tight. "Things are getting expensive," she said. "When it comes to applying for colleges and wanting to go on senior trips, I have to pick and choose instead of doing it all." The purpose of writing the passage is mainly to tell us _ . Answer: the economic recession has had a big effect on teens' work, life and study Weather has a strong effect on people. It influences health, intelligence and feelings. In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. People there easily have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in those states will have heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March. The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a 1983 study by scientists, the IQ scores of some college students were very high during storm, but after the storm, their scores were low. Storms can increase intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can decrease it. Students in many schools of the United States often do badly in exams in the hot months of the year(July and August). Weather also has a strong effect on people's feeling. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel depressed during cold weather. In hot summer weather, on the other hand, fat people may feel unhappy. At about 65F, people become stronger. Low air pressure makes people feel free, but it also increases forgetful- ness. People leave more bags and umbrellas on buses and in stores on low pressure days. There is a"perfect weather"for work and health. People feel best at a tempera- ture of about 64F with 65 percent humidity . Are you feeling sick, sad, tired, forgetful, or very intelligent today? The weather may be the reason. In"perfect weather", _ . Answer: the humidity is 65 percent and the temperature is about 64F
Reading newspapers has become an important part of everyday life. Some people read newspapers as the first thing to do in the morning, others read newspapers as soon as they have free time during the day so that they can learn what is happening in the world. Sometimes, we do not have enough time to read all the news carefully, so we just take a quick loot at the front page. At other times, we may be in such a hurry that we only have a few minutes to look at the headlines of te passage. Newspapers can be found everywhere in the world. We can get many different kinds of newspapers in big cities, but in some mountain villages we can see few newspapers. Some newspapers are published once a week, but most of the papers are published once a day with many pages, some even published twice a day! You know different people enjoy reading different newspapers. Some like world news, and others prefer short stories. They just choose what they are interested in. Today newspapers in English have the largest numbers of readers in the world, The English language is so popular that many Chinese students are reading English newspapers such as China Daily or 21stCentury. Also they bring us more and more information with internet. From the passage we can see that _ when people get newspapers. Answer: they have no time to read them It's 5:00 in the morning when the alarm rings in my ears. I roll out of bed and walk blindly through the dark into the bathroom. I turn on the light and put on my glasses. The house is still as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep peacefully. Usually I go for a long run, but today I choose my favorite exercise DVD, Insanity. Sweat pours down my face and into my eyes. My heart races as I face my body to finish each movement. As I near the end of the exercise ,I feel extremely tired, but a smile is of my face. It's a smile because the DVD is over , but a smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit. Some people enjoy shopping, smoking , food, work, or even chocolate. But I need exercise to get through each day. Some shake heads when they see me run through the town. Others get hurt when I refuse to try just one bite of their grandmother's chocolate cake. They raise their eyebrows, surprised by my "no thank you," or by my choice to have a salad. Over the years , I have learned it's okay to just say "no." I shouldn't feel sorry for refusing food that I don't want to eat. So what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m.? What gives me the reason to just say no to ice cream? _ t. A commitment to change my life with a way that reduces daily anxiety, increases self -confidence and energy, extends life and above all improves my body shape. This is the point where a smile appears on my face as I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit just right. It's through commitment and sweat that I can make a difference within myself inside and out. Why is there a smile on the author's face in the morning? Answer: Because she feels a sense of achievement Using less anthracite has a positive impact on the Answer: ecosystem Long working hours,the fewest holidays and the high cost of living mean the big salaries on offer in the UK do not go as far as those earned in other countries,making Britain and Ireland the worst places to live in Europe. France and Spain are the two countries topping the European Quality of Life Index out today,according to the place comparison website Switch.com. The French enjoy longer lives,better healthcare,more holidays and cheaper prices.In contrast Britons work three years longer and die two years younger after paying above the European average for fuel,food,alcohol and cigarettes.The amount we spend on healthcare and education is below the European average. Only Ireland and Poland spend less,but Ireland has more doctors and hospital beds and Poland has more beds than the UK.People in Germany,Spain,France,Italy,the Netherlands and Sweden all enjoy longer life expectancy than Britons.And while we may be giving up work earlier,the average age at which we retire is still the fourth highest in Europe----and the UK state retirement age is set to rise. Ann Robinson,of Switch.com,said:"There's more to good living than money and this report shows why so many Britons are giving up on (......)the UK and heading to France and Spain.We earn substantially more than our European neighbors,but this level of income is needed just to keep a roof over our heads,food on the table and our homes warm" . "It's giving us a _ standard of living,but it's not helping us achieve the quality of life that people in other countries enjoy.For too long the focus in the UK had been on standard of living rather than quality of life." Which of the following about the UK is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: People in the UK pay more than the European average for fuel,food,alcohol and cigarettes. The moon looks bigger than the stars at night. But in fact, it is smaller than any of them. The moon looks big to us, because it is closer to us than any star. The moon goes around the earth. It makes one trip about four weeks. The moon is a round ball and looks beautiful. Don't you think so? Now people know quite a lot about the moon. There is no air or water on the moon so there are not any trees or animals, or people on the moon. The moon gets its light from the sun, but some places on the moon are quite dark. Then days on the moon get hotter than boiling water. The nights get colder than the North Pole on the earth. The moon makes one trip round the earth in about _ . Answer: four weeks
There lived a king who liked art. One day an artist offered to paint the most beautiful picture in the world on the wall of his palace. So the king said, "All right, you may work on one of the walls in the new hall." Just then, another artist said, " Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so the either of us cann't see the other." Everyone in the king's court, including the king and the first artist was surprised. So the king decided to give the man a chance. The following day a thick curtain was put into place and both the artists got to work. The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint, oil and water. But the second one would come with a cloth and a bucket of water every day. A month later the first artist said that his work was completed and invited the king to come. So the king sent the message to the second artist, saying he was coming to see their works that evening. After seeing the first artist's wall, the king was very impressed with the painting and gave him a huge sum of money as a reward. He then asked for the curtain to be opened up. The same painting was seen on the opposite wall too! It was exactly like the one on the first wall. But this man had not seen what was going on, on the other side of the curtain. The man said simply, "It's very easy I just polished the wall every day!" It was a wall made of white marble. The fellow polished it till it shone like a mirror. The reflection of the painting across the room showed up in it! What would be the best title of the text? _ A. A king who loved art. B. Two artists and the king. C. Whose painting is better? D. The painting on the wall. Answer: D. The painting on the wall. An experiment was carried out at British school into the performance of new pupils. At the start of the year, the pupils were each given a _ , ranging from "excellent prospect" to "unlikely to do well". These were totally untrue ratings and did not reflect how well the pupils had previously performed. However, these ratings were given to the teachers. At the end of the year, the experimenters compared the pupils' performance with the ratings. Despite their real abilities, there was an astonishingly high connection between performance and ratings. It seems that people perform as well as we expect them to. The Self-fulfilling Effect is also known as the Pygmalion Effect. This comes from an old Greek story. The story was also the basis of George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion", later turned into the musical "My Fair Lady". In Shaw's play, Professor Henry Higgins claims he can turn a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle into a duchess. But, as Eliza herself points out to Higgins' friend Pickering, it isn't what she learns or does that determines whether she will become a duchess, but how she's treated. The implication of the Pygmalion Effect for leaders and managers is massive. It means that the performance of your team depends less on them than it does on you. The performance you get from people is no more or less than what you expect, which means you must always expect the best. As Goethe said, "Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be." The experiment was made in order to _ . A. try out a new teaching method B. pick out the most excellent pupils C. learn if expectations affect performance D. give each pupil a proper rating Answer: C. learn if expectations affect performance Fifteen years ago.I entered the Boston Globe,which was a temple to me then.It wasn't easy geeing hired.But once you were there,l found.you were in. Globe jobs were for life-guaranteed until retirement.For 15 years I worked there--moving from an ordinary reporter to foreign journalist and finally to senior editor.I would have a lifetime of security.if I struck with it.Instead.I had made a decision to leave.I entered my boss's office.Would he burst into anger? I Wondered.He had a famous temper."Matt.we have to have a talk,"I began awkwardly."I came to the Globe When I was twenty-four.Now I'm forty.There's a lot I want to do in life.I'm resigning.""To another paper?"he asked.I reached into my coat pocket,but didn't say anything.I handed him a letter that explained everything.It said that I was leaving to start a new media company.We were at a rare turning point in history.I wanted to meet the challenge in the change."I'm glad for you."he said,quite out of my expectation."I just came from a board of directors meeting and it was seventy-five percent discouraging news.Some of that we Can deal with.But much of it we can't,"he went on."I wish you all the luck in the world,"he concluded."And if it doesn't work out,remember,your star is always high here." Then I went out of his office,walking through the newsroom for more goodbyes.Everybody was saying congratulations.Everybody--even though I'd be risking all on an unfamiliar venture:all the financial security I had carefully built up. Later,I had a final talk with Bill Taylor,chairman and publisher of the Boston Globe.He had turned the Globe into a billion-dollar business ."I'm resigning, Bill,"I said.He listened while I gave him the story.He wash't looking angry or disturbed either.After a pause,he said,"Golly,I wish I were in your shoes." From the passage we know that the Globe is a famous _ . A. newspaper B. magazine C. temple D. church Answer: A. newspaper "Keep your eyes on the ball." That is good advice when you are on the playing field, and good advice for everyday life. "Keep your mind on what's important," is the way I'd put it. But people are funny. They think too much about the details. I had a secretary once. She was very hardworking. I ran a school and people used to call up to enroll for courses. Berry used to get angry at the phone. "If they keep on ringing, I'll never get my typing done!" she'd shout. People just don't see the big picture. One evening, after leaving work, I was sitting next to a man on the train. I was feeling tired. My eyes fell on the paper he had spread out in front of him. You know how you feel to read over someone's shoulder? I read the page and leaned back. I guessed I was waiting for him to turn it. After a while, I realized--he wasn't turning the page. He just kept on reading. Now if you knew the page he was reading, you'd know that there weren't many words on the page to read anyway. The layout was mostly pictures. So I turned to the man and said," You know, you really read very slowly." "What do you mean?" he asked. "Well," I told him, "I read the page in about a minute, and you have taken about ten. And you are still reading. You know," I went on "If you learned to read faster, you could get more reading done." He remained silent for a minute or two. "If I read too fast, my paper wouldn't last me to my station." The passage is mainly about the writer's opinion on people's _ . A. judgment B. work C. life D. habits Answer: A. judgment It can greet people, show DVDs and hand out balloons. "Ubiko", a robot-on -wheels with a catlike face, is joining the crew of temporary workers supplied by a Japanese job-referral company, Ubiquitous Exchange, to stores, events and even weddings. Next month, the 44-inch tall robot will be selling mobile phones at a store. Ubiko can be hired as a temporary worker for two hours for 105,000 yen, or $890. "We see this as serious business. There are jobs that robots are better at," Akiko Sakurai said "people do develop a relation with the robot, and it's lovable." The $255,000 robot, which is equipped with a camera and sensors, greets customers with a nasal electronic voice, shows DVDs with a projector in its head and hands out balloons and other goods with wireless remote-controllable arms. Ubiko sounds like a Japanese female name, which often ends with "ko". Tmsuk, the Japanese company that makes the robot, sold three last month to hospital, where they are working as full-time, rather than temporary, receptionists and guides. One of the hospital's robots serves as a receptionist and has been programmed to greet visitors. It also has a touch-panel on its body, and visitors can use it to get directions for where they want to go. "Just give it electricity, and a robot can work for long hours, even do repetitive work, and you don't have to worry about labor laws," Sudo said. Japan's lower birth rate means that in the coming years it could face a labor shortage, and some experts believe robots could be part of the key to that problem. Robots are very popular in Japan partly because of the popularity of cartoons that describe robots as friends and assistants to humans. The news report is mainly to _ . A. give praise to advanced robots in Japan B. introduce the development of robots in Japan C. tell readers the advantage of the robots in Japan D. introduce a newly-developed robot in Japan Answer: D. introduce a newly-developed robot in Japan
Have you heard about "Survival Holidays"?"Survival Holidays" is for children to go into the lonely place for exciting activities. Now about 1,100 companies are allowed to take children into the great outdoors without their parents. The reason why people like "Survival Holidays" is that they think being close to nature is good for children. Many children in big cities spend all time watching TV and playing computer games. "Survival Holidays" gives them an important change. Is "Survival Holidays" a wonderful idea? Maybe it is. Children need more free time to play. They need to be left on their own, without adults disturbing them. Parents care too much about their children. They like to see the children being busy with activities that are controlled by adults, which causes many problems. They don't know what to do when they are in danger. Even something like crossing a small river seems to be a hard _ . Children are not comfortable with danger. Even slight danger like getting their feet wet or falling down seems very terrible to them. Many people think the survival activities are good for children. Even years later, they will still remember what they have learned. Some have learned to stay calm in different times. Some have learned how to keep safe. Others have learned how to work in a team. All these skills will help them a lot in their lives. What does the passage mainly talk about? A What children do during "Survival Holidays" B Why people like "Survival Holidays". C What children need in their free time. D How to educate children. Answer: B Contact us Email:hywinter@263.net Beijing: Tel:+86-10-82115893 Fax:+86-10-82115893 Add:Room 405,17 Building,Sun Garden,Haidian District,Beijing Post Code:100086 Shanghai: Tel:0086-21-34240860 34240925 Fax:0086-21-34240925 Add:10G of No.38 of Caoxi North Road,Shanghai Post Code:200030 Guangzhou: Tel:0086-20-38981061 Fax:0086-20-38981062 Add:North 6F,Junhui Tower,No.9 of Sports West Road,Tianhe District,Guangzhou. Post Code:510620 Recruitment policy. Please carefully read the following before applying. You are a native speaker of the language you translate into [Target language]. You were awarded at least a Masters Degree or equivalent in your native language. You have a perfect understanding of the language you translate from [Source language]. You have studied or spent a subsequent number of years in the country of the language you translate from. You have minimum five (5) years experience in the translation field. You specialise in only a couple of subjects but have extensive experience in these fields. You have a good command of computer software and are familiar with basic layout techniques. Your spelling and grammar is impeccable. You can show at least two professional references. Your average turnaround for translation is 3000 words daily. You can work easily under pressure and respond quickly to queries. If you can answer "YES" comfortably to these questions,please fill in the application form only for sending details and we would be glad to hear from you. The purpose of the text is _ . A to give advice on how to be a good translator B to introduce a translation company C to encourage native speakers to become translators D to advertise for qualified translators Answer: D Joe Brown has a shop. He sells meat in his shop. One Thursday a woman comes into his shop at five to one. "I'm sorry I'm late," she says. "I need some more meat for my dinner tonight." Joe has only one piece of meat in his shop. He takes it out of the fridge and says, "This is $6.50." "That piece is too small," the woman says, "Don't you have anything bigger?" Joe goes into the room behind his shop, puts the piece of meat into the fridge, takes it out of the fridge again and closes the door with lots of noise. Then he brings the piece of meat to the woman and says, "This piece of meat is bigger and more expensive. It's $8.75." "Good," the woman says with a smile, "give me both of them, please." Can Joe give the woman both pieces of meat? A Of course not. B Sorry, I don't know. C He will try his best. D Yes, he can. Answer: A Mr and Mrs Smith had always spent their summer holidays in New Jersey in the past, staying in a small inn at the foot of a hill. One year, however, Mr. Smith made a lot of money in his business, so they decided to go to London and stay at a really good hotel while they went touring around that famous city. They flew to London and arrived at their hotel late one evening. They expected that they would have to go to bed hungry, because in that small inn in New Jersey, no meals were served after seven. They were therefore surprised when the man who received them in the hall asked whether they would take dinner there that night. "Are you still serving dinner?" asked Mr Smith. "Yes, certainly, sir," answered the man. "We serve it until half past nine." "What are the times of meals then?" asked Mr Smith. "Well, sir," answered the man, "We serve breakfast from seven to half past eleven in the morning, lunch from twelve to three in the afternoon, tea from four to five, and dinner from six to half past nine." "But that hardly leaves any time for us to see the sights of London!" said Mrs Smith. When they arrived at the hotel, they found _ . A no meals were served after seven B dinner was still being served C their plane had arrived too late D they had to go to bed hungry Answer: B Many people like to live in big cities, because there are a lot of interesting things to do and to see there. You can go to different kinds of museums, see plays and films. You can also buy things from all over the world. But there are serious problems in big cities, too. It is expensive to live there. Every year many people move to the cities to find jobs, to study at good schools and to receive good medical care. But sometimes these people can't find jobs or good places to live. Also it is hard to keep the cities safe and clean. Some people enjoy living in big cities. Others do not. Before people move to a big city, they should think about the problems of living there. :1. serious adj. 2. medical care 3. hard adj. ,. Which of the following is RIGHT? A There are many interesting things to do and to see in big cities. B In big cities people can easily find good places to live. C People can easily find good jobs in big cities. D All people like to live in big cities. Answer: A
I chose to study in Madrid because I had a desire to learn Spanish. My first impressions of Madrid were incredible. It was before the New Year that I arrived in Madrid for the first time. While traveling to my Spanish friend's house in a taxi, I appreciated the buildings along the road which were different from those of my own country. There are an incredible number of restaurants and bars from all over the world. If you are really into sightseeing, I hope you have rechargeable batteries for your digital camera, because one week really isn't enough time to see everything here including a number of art, science, and historical museums as well as parks, buildings, and amazing landscapes. What I liked best about life in Madrid was the fact that if you were frustrated with schoolwork and wanted to have some fun, you can easily go out. The nightlife never seems to stop and the people are all very friendly. You can meet people and practice Spanish while having fun at the same time. What I liked least was the fact that many people smoked in the streets. Also, coming from the US, I was used to having a big breakfast every morning, but while living with an actual Spanish family, I wasn't really satisfied with the food in the morning. I think I have definitely become more independent since I came back from Spain. Living in a big city like Madrid ,I found that it is necessary to plan ahead and to make a schedule for future. There is so much to see, not just in the Spanish World, but in the European World as well. What's the purpose of the text? Answer: From Rome and Venice to the rolling hills of Tuscany and the charm of Milan, Italy is a bottomless well of attractions. It is a motherland of artists and scientists that changed the shape of the world. Here are some places you should see on your vacations to Italy. Valley of the Temples Welcome to Sicily and one of its most amazing attractions. The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is an extensive archaeological site containing the well-preserved remains of various Doric temples dating from the 5thcentury B.C. In accord with standard criteria for both Greek and Roman temples, all structures face east so that the statue of the god housed inside will be illuminated by the rising sun. The site being located on a ridge overlooking the town, the term "valley" is obviously a misnomer ,but it quite captures the vastness of the place. Uffizi Gallery The reputation for being one of the finest universally acclaimed museums of all time comes courtesy of masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Rubens. Their timeless works are proudly displayed on the top floor of the palace in Florence. Historic Centre of Siena Siena may not equal Florence in overall artistic achievement, but its charm makes it a place that no other can compare to. Centered on Piazza del Campo, the historic district is a container of 12th-century Gothic, and a mirror of the Middle Ages. Full of pearls of architecture and cultural highlights, the historic centre of Siena is an excellent trip back in time, ideally to be taken in summer. Grand Canal Taking the water bus along the Canal Grande is like going back through centuries of history. The famous Venetian waterway runs more than 3.5 km through all six districts of the historic center. The impressive Renaissance palaces rub shoulders with Gothic arches and marble mixes with gold. Numerous landmarks never cease to provoke admirable sighs on the way. Which of the following would be better to visit in summer? Answer: Although Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities in the world , you will be surprised that there are still some free activities in Tokyo. Free temples ( ) There are many temples in Tokyo.The most famous one is Meiji Jingu.This is the most important temple in Tokyo. If you visit it , you can know more about Japanese history .Of course , it's free. Free museums If you go to Kanto Earthquake Museum , you can see the exhibitions and the memorial for the people who died in the 1923 earthquake _ Free parks There are two famous parks in Japan. They are Yoyogi Park and Ueno Park .Yoyogi Park is one of the largest parks in Tokyo .It is now a great place to see street performers.Ueno Park is popular with many Japanses people and foreign visitors. Free snacks Janpanese food is delicious and healthy . You can try different kinds of snacks , before spending money on them. You don't need to pay for them when you try them. ,, . (1,5) Which is the best title for the passage? Answer: Although the New Year is already here, the great moments of the past year are still in the memory. Let's look back at some of them. United States One of the world's largest New Year's Eve parties was held in Times Square, New York. The festival attracted hundreds of thousands of people to watch a brightly-lit ball drop on a landmark building at the stroke (, ) of midnight. A great amount of confetti was released from the sky at zero o'clock. Britain Painted in shinning colors, blowing whistles, 50,000 party-goers arrived in London's Millennium Dome to dance in the New Year. The Millennium Dome came to life at midnight as 50 DJs started up, competing on five separate dance floors to warm the crowd into the party mood. Russia New Year is the biggest holiday in Russia. It is traditional to put up a tree for celebrations with family and friends. On the very last day of last year, Russians with a taste for a very cold swim braved freezing temperatures to plant traditional, festival trees on the bed of the Northern Ocean and at the bottom of Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake. Malaysia Brave skydivers threw themselves off the world's tallest building near midnight and floated towards the New Year. The jump from the 452-metre Petronas Twin Tower was called a real leap from one year to the next since the group took off in the last second of the old year and landed a minute later in the New Year. "That was really cool," said Roland Simpson, "over crowds of onlookers to the landing spot." In New York the brightly-lit ball dropped _ . Answer: A little stream ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert,"I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert,"she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed. At this time, a deep voice said,"if a breeze can cross the desert, so can a river."It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream answered,"that's because a breeze can fly, but I can't." "That's because you can't give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate into the breeze, and _ can take you across,"said the desert. "Give up what I am now? No! No!"The little stream could not accept this idea. "The breeze can carry the vapor across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again,"said the desert."And whether you're a river or vapor, your nature never changes." Hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the breeze. It carried her to the next stage of her life. What is the main idea of the story? Answer:
A boy woke up super excited for this special day. He could not contain his excitement knowing that the soccer final was today! He had been working all year long to get to this day. He quickly hopped off his bed and went to eat his breakfast. His mom had made pancakes, waffles, and eggs, but the boy felt like eating cereal. His mom had laid out his soccer clothes and after he was done with his breakfast, he couldn't wait to put them on. He quickly changed into the clothes, and ran to the car where his mom was waiting for him to get in. The ride seemed to take a long time as he was super excited to play. The team was there and they started a small practice before the big game! The game started and the boy was very nervous since the other team looked really good. His team was as good too and they were tied at the end! Everyone either got a trophy or a medal for playing in the game, and the boy got a trophy. It was one of the best times the boy had ever had. The day was starting to get dark and he could feel sprinkles on his hands. His parents asked the boy if he wanted to eat ice cream and pizza after the game. The boy said he was tired and went home with his parents and he could not stop talking about how super fun the game was. He talked and talked and talked and his parents were very proud of him. He talked so much that he fell asleep in the car! His dad carried him into the house and put him in his bed. The boy had such a great day that he dreamed of soccer all night long. The trophy he had been given would let him remember about the fun day he had. Who won the game? A No one, it was tied. B It rained so the game was not played C The team the boy was not on D The team the boy was on Answer: A Do you eat good food every day? It's important ! You need oranges and bananas, but you don't need ice cream. You need salad and broccoli, but you don't need French fries. Write a list of the food you eat. Is it good food? Do you eat right? (Like an egg. )Every day? We need _ egg(s) every day. A one B seven C two D three Answer: A Long long time ago,the Creator created a man and a woman,they lived together very happily for a time.But then they began to get angry with each other,and at last the woman left and started off to the Sun land in the east. The man followed alone and felt very sad,but the woman kept on ahead and never looked behind,until the Creator,took pity on him and asked him if he was still angry with his wife.He said he was not,and the Creator then asked him if he would like to have her back again.He answered yes. So the Creator created a patch of the finest ripe tomatoes along the way in front of the woman,but she passed by like seeing nothing at all.Later,he put a patch of beautiful flowers but again she refused to notice.Until suddenly she saw in front of her a patch of large ripe strawberries.They looked delicious. She stopped to pick a few to eat,and as she ate them she turned her face to the west by accident,and at once she remembered her husband and she found herself unable to go on.She sat down,but the longer she waited,the more she missed her husband,and at last she took a lot of the best strawberries and started back along the way to give them to him.He met her kindly and they went home together. The woman stopped for the _ thing that the Creator created. A second B third C fourth D fifth Answer: B I decided a few months ago that l was going to treat myself to a 4-day getaway from Los Angeles and visit Chicago. I turned in some long-saved frequent flier miles for the airplane ticket, but had to shell out cash I really couldn't afford for the hotel. I found a travel website where a discounted promotional 3-night stay was purchased from a recently opened hotel. About three weeks before the trip, I had to regretfully cancel and only then realized the room, while transferable to another person, couldn't be changed to a later date and wasn't refundable .For the next two weeks, I tried selling it on Craig's list with no success. Five days before the "big weekend" I gave up trying to spend any money and decided I'd contact some friends who live in Chicago and offer someone a free "staycation". After trying a handful of people all of whom already had their own plans, I was determined to have the room not go to waste. That's when it suddenly occurred to me that I was looking at the rooms in the wrong way. Instead of viewing them for vacation purposes, surely there must be a way to put them to good use, and that was when the idea that some sort of shelter might be able to use it hit me. I finally found one whose focus is aiding victims of domestic violence. This particular one was willing to listen to my out-of-left-field story and facilitated the transfer of the rooms. The shelter was working with a desperate woman and her young daughter, who were fortunately able to make use of the room. The author purchased a 3-night stay from a newly-opened hotel _ . A to act as a promoter B to experience e-business C to get a free air ticket D to save some money Answer: D Japan's youth are losing interest in science and as a result, threatening the nation's industrial progress. According to Japan Science and Technology Agency, young Japanese are surrounded by high-tech devices , but are not interested in how they work. Japanese businesses have succeeded partly because they've a great many engineers. A drop in interest could lead to a decline in _ numbers and quality. "In the past, the young had a big interest in science and technology," said Hirano, director of the agency's policy department. There are two main reasons for the problem. The first is known as "black box syndrome" of modern technology. Electronic devices depend on tiny silicon chips , which can only be made in big factories, whose workings can't be seen by the eyes. The devices, unlike machines of the past driven by gears and wheels, are simply boxes. Young Japanese, brought up on video games and at home with computers, enjoy using modern technology, but this is a passive interest and different from the interest in how things work. "You need an active interest to get interested in science. This is declining in the young," said Hirano. About two-thirds of Japanese in their 20s use PCs, twice the number of those in their 50s. But only 40% of those in their 20s say they are interested in news about science and technology, compared to 60% of the 50 to 60 year olds. "Another reason for it is that life in modern Japan is too comfortable," he said. "A wealthy society reduces people's desire to modernize and develop their country. To a degree, you can't avoid this when the fruits of science and technology are fully developed." Similarly, science in Europe and the US has also suffered a lack of interest. Japanese youth's interest in science is dropping probably because _ . A scientists don't make much money in Japan B there are too many scientists in Japan already C they're not interested in how high-tech devices work D science is more difficult for young people to learn Answer: C
I'd like to share my unforgettable experience with you. Believe it or not, it was a real happening. We were on tour a few summers ago, driving through Chicago, when right outside of the city, we got pulled over. A middle-aged policeman came up to the car and was really being troublesome at first. Lecturing us, he said, "You were speeding. Where are you going in such a hurry?" Our guitarist, Tim, told him that we were on our way to Wisconsin to play a show. His way towards us totally changed. He asked, "Oh, so you boys are in a band?" We told him that we were. He then asked all the usual band questions about the type of music we played, and how long we had been at it. Suddenly, he stopped and said, "Tim, you want to get out of this ticket, don't you?" Tim said, "Yes." So the officer asked him to step out of the car. The rest of us, inside the car, didn't know what to think as we watched the policeman talk to Tim. Next thing we knew, the policeman was putting Tim in the back of the police car he had parked in front of us. With that, he threw the car into reverse , stopping a few feet behind our car. Now we suddenly felt frightened. We didn't know if we were all going to prison, or if the policeman was going to sell Tim on the black market or something. All of a sudden, the policeman's voice came over his loudspeaker. He said, "Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever, we have Tim here singing on Route 90." The policeman had told Tim that the only way he was getting out of the ticket was if he sang part of one of our songs over the loudspeaker in the police car. Seconds later, Tim started screaming into the receiver. The policeman enjoyed the performance , and sent us on our way without a ticket. The boys probably felt _ when they drove off. joyful It is the summer of 1776. Thomas Jefferson is not happy. He'd rather be home in Virginia than attending Philadelphia's Continental Congress Thomas Jefferson knew he had a job to do. Important men throughout the American colonies were meeting in Philadelphis to discuss and debate the war with Great Briain. The colony of Virginia sent Thomas Jefferson to Philadelphia. But Jefferson wasn't happy. Jefferson wanted to be home that hot summer of 1776. he missed his wife, Martha. She hadn't been feeling well when he left, and he worried about her. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee from Virginia stood up at the Congress and announced that "these American colonies ought to be free and independent states." Jefferson probably knew what was coming next. Here was another resolution to debate. And whenever there was a resolution, there was a declaration. The American colonies had been at war with Great Britain for more than a year, but surprisingly. The colonies had not formally announced their independence. So the Congress appointed a five-man committee to crate a document declaring America's independence. And the committee chose Thomas Jefferson to write it. Jefferson knew he was to list the unfair things Great Britain had done to the colonies. For days and days,, Jefferson wrote and rewrote about the king and his unfair laws. About independence. About freedom. He borrowed ideas from other political writers, but he wrote these thoughts in words that all people could understand. He wanted his ideas to be shared with everyone. And _ were. The Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. on July 8, it was read out loud to a cheering crowd. No one knew who the author was, but they knew what the Declaration stood for-independence and freedom for all. Still, Thomas Jefferson dreamed of home. In late July he begged Richard Henry Lee to replace him in the Congress. In September, Jefferson's dream finally came true, and he traveled home. Since then, the words Thomas Jefferson wrote during that hot Philadelphia summer have inspired people throughout the world. Thank goodness Jefferson didn't go home. What do we know about the Declaration of Independence? It was written in quite simple words We're all connected. You can send an e-mail message to a friend, and your friend can pass it on to one of his or her friends, and that friend can do the same, continuing the chain. Eventually, your message could reach just about anyone in the world, and it might take only five to seven e-mails for the message to get there. Scientists recently tested that idea in a study involving 24,000 people. Participants had to try to get a message forwarded to one of 18 randomly chosen people. Each participant started by sending one e-mail to someone they knew. Recipients could then forward the e-mail once to someone they knew, and so on. Targets, who were randomly assigned by researchers from Columbia University in New York, lived in 13 countries. They included an Australian police officer, a Norwegian veterinarian, and a college professor. Out of 24,000 chains, only 384 reached their goal. The rest petered out, usually because one of the recipients was either too busy to forward the message or thought it was junk mail. The links that reached their goal made it in an average of 4.05 e-mails. Based on the lengths of the failed chains, the researchers estimated that two strangers could generally make contact in five to seven e-mails. The most successful chains relied on casual acquaintances rather than close friends. That's because your close friends know each other whereas your acquaintances tend to know people you don't know. The phenomenon, known as the strength of weak ties, explains why people tend to get jobs through people they know casually but aren't that close to. So, start networking and instant messaging now. As they say in show business: It's all about who you know. Why do people tend to get jobs more easily through casual acquaintances than close friends? Because casual acquaintances can help you know more people and make more friends. A little girl walked to and from school every day. Though it was not fine and clouds appeared in the sky that morning, the little girl made her daily trip to school as usual. When school was over, winds became stronger and it began to rain. The mother of the little girl felt worried that her daughter would be afraid when she walked home from school and that lightning might frighten her child. Following the bright light of lightning, the mother quickly got into her car and drove to her child's school. As the mother drove along the road, she saw her little girl walking alone in the rain.To her great surprise, she found that when a lightning came, her daughter stopped, looked up and smiled. Another lightning came and then another followed. With each lightning, the little girl stopped, looked up and smiled. Inside the car, the mother asked her daughter, "What were you doing? Why did you look up and smile when the lightning came?" The little girl answered with a smile, "Mum, you know, God was looking at me. Each time I felt a little afraid walking in the rain, God would take a picture of me. I knew he was playing a game with me." How did the little girl go to school every day? On foot. Many middle school students don't know how to spend their free time. When they have holidays, they always have nothing to do and feel bored. Some may play computer games all day long and some may stay in bed and sleep all day. It's not a good way. Here are some suggestions . If you don't like to stay at home, you can go for a picnic or play some sports. In this way, you can take some fresh air and keep healthy. If you like to stay at home, you may enjoy some light music or read a few novels. You can play some indoor games such as chess, cards, and table tennis. You can also plant some trees and flowers in your garden to make your home beautiful. It is also a good way to keep a pet and talk with it. Just develop some hobbies and you will feel much happier after a long holiday. What is (are) important to you to spend your free time according to the writer? Hobbies.
A young man once went to town and bought himself a pair of trousers. When he got home, he found that they were about two inches longer. He went to the kitchen, there his mother and two sisters were doing housework. He said to them, "The new trousers are too long. Could one of you help me to shorter them by two inches?" But they were too busy. They said nothing and were still working. After his mother finished washing all plates, she shortened the trousers by two inches. Then one of his sisters remember his trousers and shortened them by two inches. When the other sister came back home from cinema, she also remembered the new trousers. "I nearly forgot that." She thought. Then she shortened them by two inches. His mother was the _ one to make the trousers shorter. first The energy obtained from food is measured in units called Calories When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write and illustrate my own books. Half the students sneered. The rest nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. "Don't be silly, only geniuses can become writers," the English teacher said, "And you are getting a D this semester." I was so humiliated that I burst into tears. That night I wrote a short sad poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the Capri's Weekly newspaper. To my astonishment, they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and paid writer. I showed it to my teacher and fellow students. They laughed. "Just plain dumb luck," the teacher said. I tasted success. I'd sold the first thing I'd ever written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck, that was fine with me. During the next two years I sold dozens of poems, letters, jokes and recipes. By the time I graduated from high school, with a C minus average, I had scrapbooks filled with my published work. I never mentioned my writing to my teachers, friends or my family again. They were dream killers and if people must choose between their friends and their dreams, they must always choose their dreams. I had four children at the time, and the oldest was only four. While the children slept, I typed on my ancient typewriter. I wrote what I felt. It took nine months, just like a baby. A month later Crying Wind, the title of my book, became a best seller, was translated into fifteen languages and Braille and sold worldwide. I appeared on TV talk shows. I traveled from New York to California and Canada on promotional tours. My first book also became required reading in native American schools in Canada. People ask what college I attended, what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is: "None." I just write. I'm not a genius. I'm not gifted and I don't write right. To all those who dream of writing, I'm shouting at you: "Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Don't listen to them." I don't write right but I've beaten the odds. Writing is easy, it's fun and anyone can do it. Of course, a little dumb luck doesn't hurt. Which of the following is the best title? I Never Write Right From the beginning rivers have played an important in the life of man.Man of the earliest times used the rivers as a means of travel.Today rivers still serve as a great waterway for the transport and people. In ancient times, man settled near rivers or on river banks and built up large empires. Water is nature's most valuable gift to man.Man needs water to irrigate his crops, to cook and to wash.In nations all over the world, rivers mean life and wealth.They feed and clothe the nations around them. Water is also a source of energy and power.Man build huge dams across the rivers to control the water for irrigation and get the energy needed to drive generators.The electrical power is then directed to homes, cities, factories and television stations. Man uses water each day.In a small way rivers help to keep man in good health and provide for his amusements.Various forms of water sports keep man strong and healthy. Generators are machines that are used _ . to produce electricit Modern life is impossible without traveling. The fastest way of traveling is by plane. With a modern airliner , you can travel in one day to places which needed a month or more to get to hundreds of years ago. Traveling by train is slower than by plane, but you can see the places you are traveling through. Modern trains have comfortable seats and dining-cars. _ even make the longest journey enjoyable . Some people prefer to travel by sea. You can visit many other countries or different parts of your country. Ships are not so 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. You can make your own timetable. You can travel three or four hundred miles or only fifty or one hundred miles a day, just as you like. You can stop if there is something interesting, for example, at a good restaurant where you can enjoy a good meal, or at a hotel to spend the night. That's why traveling by car is popular for pleasure trips, while people usually take a train or a plane when they travel on business. If we travel by car, we can _ . make our own timetable
Hello, I am a box. I am big and I am green. I have many things. Look! This is a pencil box. It's white. It's Jack's. He likes white very much. What are in the pencil box? Three pens are in it. What is that? It's an orange. It's Linda's. Oranges are her favorite fruit. Some baseballs are in me, too. They are John's and Mary's. They lost them on the playground. Whose keys are these? They are Anna's. She lost them in the library. A boy found _ . You can see an English book in me, too. Whose book is it? I don't know. Who am I? I am the Lost and Found box. What color is the pencil box? A. Blue. B. Black. C. White. D. Green. Answer: C. White. The role of a newspaper is to present and comment on the news. It is vital for keeping people well-informed on current affairs. In most Western countries, journalists try to shape the ideas and opinions of their readers, since in Western countries all newspapers are independent of the government. Some newspaper owners support liberal ideas including economic policies that help poor people. Other owners want policies such as lower taxes for rich people and less money to be given to poor people. You can almost judge the political ideas of a person in the West by looking at the newspaper he reads. All newspapers report national and international news. They give the facts but also provide opinions on controversial issues in the editorials and columns of opinion. The readers of the newspaper can also comment on these editorials or articles. There are many informative articles too as well as reviews of new films and books, etc. These are very important, for if a film or book gets good reviews it will often become more successful. All these articles require many journalists who are experts in different areas of life. All these articles come together and are checked by the chief editor of the newspaper. When he or she has made a decision on the articles, the newspaper is prepared for printing. All this work means that the journalists must work together as a team because there is a lot of pressure when you work in a newspaper office. There are constant deadlines and articles have to be fitted round advertisements, photographs and much, much more. What articles comment on controversial issues? A. Editorials and opinion columns. B. News stories. C. Some of the informative articles. D. Jokes and humor. Answer: A. Editorials and opinion columns. "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. How does "mobile-phone acouasm " come about ? A. Some mobile phones are in poor quality. B. Some people develop the dependency on mobile phones. C. Some people listen to the music on mobile phones too much. D. Something is wrong with some people's hearing. Answer: B. Some people develop the dependency on mobile phones. A man fell out of his plane and fell back into it again. Two people rowed a small boat from New York to England in 56 days. One person was so big that he wouldn't fit in any hospital room. Would you believe these stories? Well, they may sound strange, but they did happen. James Cornell has more strange but true stories like these in a book called Very Strange People. Here is part of the contents of Very Strange People. The contents lists the names of the chapters or parts of the book. It also tells on what page each chapter begins. Chapter Page One A Dog's Life ..........................................3 Two A Lucky Pilot ................... ..............14 Three High Wire Act .................... .............33 Four Fat Men ............................................... 41 Five Over the Falls .........................................43 Six A House without an end ................... .............53 Seven Row, Row, Row Your Boat ................. ..............60 Eight The Tower Builder ....................... ..............85 In 1918, Captain Hedley fell off his plane in the sky, but soon he fell back into it again! You may read about this story in Chapter _ . A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 6 Answer: A. 2 Mark got a letter from his granddaddy that said there was something cool to see. He called his granddaddy on the telephone and asked what it was. He was told that he needs to come over to see it for himself. After asking his parents if it was OK, Mark went to his granddaddy's house. When he got there, they turned off the television and lamp and went around to the backyard. In his granddaddy's backyard, there was a river and lots of plants and flowers. They followed the river and found a pond. The pond was full of goldfish because it was a goldfish pond. There were goldfish of every different color in the pond and it was an amazing sight. Mark had lunch with his granddaddy by the pond and thanked him for showing the interesting pond to him. After that, Mark went home and told his parents about how cool the trip was. What did Mark get that day? A. A free lunch. B. A television for his room. C. A letter from his granddaddy. D. Many different goldfish. Answer: C. A letter from his granddaddy.
Parents are fighting for their child's right to rest across the country. Twenty-three elementary schools in Orange County, Florida, have been cutting back on rest, and even canceling it to increase class time. In a recent Orange County School Board meeting, parents demanded that rest time be carried out in all local schools for all students. Angela Browning, a parent in the area, said that schools' rest is ranging from zero to 30 minutes per day. "Five-year-olds not getting rest means abuse," said Browning, whose twins in the second grade benefit from taking a break and learn better. The main reason for reducing the rest time is Common Core exams including math, language arts and literacy, where the students' performance often controls teachers' pay and sometimes teachers may lose their jobs. Many teachers are using that extra 20 minutes that would have been spent on the schools' scores, everybody is stressful," said Diana Moore, president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association. The decision of whether reducing rest takes place, and for how long is up to each school's rule. "Florida law requires that districts provide 900 teaching hours during the school year," Florida's Department of Education press secretary Cheryl Etters said in a statement. "Whether test is part of the school day is a decision made by the school board." Reducing test also can take away an opportunity for children to learn social skills, according to many experts. "In society, who cares if you have straight A's and you get a scholarship to Harvard if you lack social skills?" said Mallet, a mother of two children. What drives so many teachers to reduce students' rest time? A Parents' demand B Students' lack of social skills C Students' bad behavior D The link between their pay and school's scores Answer: D. The link between their pay and school's scores A meteorite flew fast across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, raining fireballs over a vast area and causing a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and injured l,200 people. People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt the shock wave. According to Russian space agency Roscosmos, the fireball, travelling at a speed of 30km per second, had burnt very brightly across the horizon, leaving a long white trail that could be seen as far as 200km away. Car alarms went off, thousands of windows shattered and mobile phone networks were disrupted. "I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it were day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains. "I felt like I was blinded by headlights." The meteorite, which weighed about 20 tons and may have been made of iron, entered Earth's atmosphere and broke apart 30-50km above ground, according to Russia's Academy of Sciences. The energy released when it entered the Earth's atmosphere was about several thousand tons, the academy said, the power of a small atomic weapon exploding. No deaths were reported, but the Emergencies Ministry said 20,000 rescue and clean-up workers were sent to the region after President Vladimir Putin told Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov to ease the disruption and help the victims. The Interior Ministry said about l,200 people had been injured, at least 200 of them children, and most from broken pieces of glass."While events this big are rare, an impact that could cause damage and death could happen every century or so. Unfortunately there is absolutely nothing we can do to stop impacts." The Russian government's response to the incident was _ . A a little slow but effective B quick and serious C cold and slow D quick but ineffective Answer: B. quick and serious To make hydropower you need A to burn fossil fuels B to stop or slow moving water C to fill a pool with water D to put up windmills Answer: B. to stop or slow moving water Teaching Boys: Developing classroom practices that work Amanda Keddie and Martin Mills Bridges the gap between theory and practice to offer a practical and sustainable framework for teaching boys in classrooms of all levels. Sales points Teaching boys remains one of the most concerned issues in education today. Many books have been published analysing why boys perform less well than girls, and why some boys struggle at school. But they don't show teachers what will work: this book does. The authors offer a research-based framework for classroom strategies that work with boys--and don't disadvantage girls. Description Boys' education continues to be a focus of public anxiety among teachers. Concern about boys' general educational under-achievement and the impact this under-achievement has on the boys themselves, as well as on the broader society, continues to fuel disagreement and debate on the best approach to take in response. Teaching Boys provides a framework for developing practical and sustainable ways to improve boys' education. The book indicates how what teachers do in the classroom can enable boys' academic and social outcomes. With detailed case studies, Keddie & Mills outline a range of practical classroom strategies that will assist teachers to meet the challenge of teaching boys, without neglecting the girls in the process. About the Authors Amanda Keddie is a researcher at the University of Queensland. Her research interests and teaching areas focus on classroom teaching, curriculum and educational sociology. Martin Mills is Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Queensland. He has written several books, and is co-author of Teachers and Schooling Making a Difference (Allen & Unwin, 2010). What can we know from the passage? A Teachers' concern makes the disagreement and debate on the best approach more heated. B Teachers' concern brings about the disagreement and debate on the best approach. C The strategies recommended by the book are of no benefit to girls. D Teaching boys to improve their achievement is a newly-raised issue. Answer: A. Teachers' concern makes the disagreement and debate on the best approach more heated. Can you imagine that several hundred years ago, tomatoes were seen as _ food in Europe? What made Europeans believe this was John Gerard's publication of Herbal in 1597. Gerard wrote: "The leaves and stalks of the tomato plant are toxic." Undoubtedly, Gerard's opinion was based on a misunderstanding of tomatoes. But his opinion was widely spread in Britain and North America for over two hundred years. In the late 1700s, a lot of Europeans held more fears for tomatoes. A nick name for the fruit was "poison apple" because it was believed that aristocrats got sick and died after eating them. But the actual reason was the pewter plates they used. Since tomatoes are high in acidity, when placed on the plates, the lead in the plates would dissolve . This caused many deaths. Unluckily, no one knew this at that time. So the innocent tomatoes were picked as the killer. Today, more than one and a half billion tons of tomatoes are produced every year around the world. Tomatoes are cooked in various ways. This healthy and tasty food finally wins its innocence back. What's the key point for the death of the aristocrats mentioned in the passage? A Tomatoes. B The pewter plate. C Serious illness. D Chemical reaction. Answer: D. Chemical reaction.
Bars are very important in providing a place where people can meet and make friends. People who enjoy a drink in a local bar are happier and have more friends. They are more likely to be engaged in conversations in small community pubs, and social skills improve after a drink. Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University said, "Friendship and communities are probably the two most important factors influencing our health and well-being. Making and maintaining friendships is something that has to be done in the real world. The digital world is simply no substitute(n.). Given the increasing tendency for our social life to be on the Internet rather than in real life, having relaxed, accessible places where people can meet old friends and make new ones becomes even more necessary." Tim Page, chief executive of CAMRA, said, "Bars offer a social environment to enjoy a drink with friends in a responsible community setting. The role of community bars in ensuring well-being cannot be overstated. For that reason, we all need to do what we can to ensure that everyone has a 'local' near to where they live or work." Bars have long been part of British society and have played a key role in British social life since the 16thcentury. Bars came to represent the heart and soul of a community, providing both a place of entertainment and an engine for community bonding. In a world before the arrival of the motor car, the bar provided a venue in which people could get friendships and a sense of community. But the closing decades of the 20th century witnessed major changes in both the style of bars (for example, themed bars) and their numbers. As of 2015, the number of bars declines sharply, with bars continuing to close at an average rate of 29 a week. Why does Tim Page value the role of local bars? Answer: They contribute to people's social happiness. Defendant is charged with murder. The evidence shows that she pointed a gun at Victim and pulled the trigger. The gun discharged, killing Victim. The gun belonged to Victim. Defendant testifies that Victim told her, and she believed, that the "gun" was a stage prop that could fire only blanks, and that she fired the gun as part of rehearsing a play with Victim at his house. If the jury believes Defendant's testimony and finds that her mistaken belief that the gun was a prop was reasonable, they should find her Answer: not guilty of murder or manslaughter. After her husband had gone to work, Mrs Richards send her children to school and went upstairs to her bedroom. She was too excited to do any housework that morning. In the evening she would go to a fancy dress party with her husband. She wanted to dress up as a ghost and as she had made her costume the night before, she was impatient to try it on. Though the costume consisted only of a sheet, it was really splendid. After putting it on, She went downstairs to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear. Just as Mrs Richards was entering the dining-room, there was a knock on the front door. She knew it must be the baker. She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the table. Not wanting to frighten the poor man, she quickly hid in the small store-room under the stair. She heard the front door opened and heavy footsteps in the hall. Suddenly the door of the store-room was opened and in came a man. Mrs Richards realized it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the meter. She tried to explain the situation, saying "It's only me. "but it was too late, the man let out a cry and jumped back several paces. When Mrs Richards walked towards him, he fled, losing the door heavily behind him. What did the man do after he knocked on the front door? Answer: He did not do anything as Mrs Richards had expected him to. School leaders from around the country gathered at the White House on November 19 for"Connected to the Future," a conference about digital technology in education.Connected is the Obama Government's five-year plan to support the growth of digital learning in schools.This growth includes equipping America's schools with high-speed broadband Internet . At the conference,President Barack Obama said the U.S.Department of Education is taking steps to help educators and school districts as they change to digital learning.The department created new guidelines to help schools work to improve their technological infrastructure .The guidelines are also designed to help schools choose the right digital devices and set up policies for their proper use. "We have to do more to offer our children a world-class education,"Obama told the crowd of school leaders."We have to improve our education level if we are going to make sure that every child in America can go as far as their dreams and talents will take them." According to Cecilia Muoz,director of the Domestic Policy Council,less than 40% of public schools in America have high-speed Internet access in their classrooms.She believes that Connected will make America a leader in using technology to educate students. Muoz mentioned the Mooresville school district as a success story.Mooresville provides each student in grades 3 through 12 with a device,and uses a mostly digital subject.Muoz said Mooresville now ranks third in test scores and second in graduation rates in the state. At the end of the president's speech,1,200 school leaders attending the event signed the Future Ready District Pledge on their iPads.It promises the education leaders to help develop a culture of learning through technology at their schools,and to support teachers and students in using technology. "Every child deserves a chance at a world-class education,"Obama added."That's what makes our nation great." Who will take charge of putting the plan into practice? Answer: The U.S.Department of Education. Last night, on my way home I stopped because of being attracted by some hamburgers at a fast food restaurant. On my way in, a homeless man approached me and asked, "Do you have any bottles lying around?" I knew he would recycle them for a few cents, but I didn't have any, so I said no. And again he asked, "Can you spare some change ?" I smiled, and said no again. He was very respectful; he smiled back and said, "OK, thank you." Even though he didn't have anything, he was still in good spirits. From the way he spoke I could tell he was smart. Then I bought one hamburger and enjoyed my meal, but in the back of my mind I wondered whether the homeless man was hungry. After I finished my meal I decided to order another one for him. At this point I didn't know if he was still around, but I tried anyway. At the counter I ordered a hamburger and also a hot chocolate, because it was cold outside, and I thought it would help warm him up. They delivered me the hot chocolate first and as I waited for my hamburger, I noticed the homeless man was standing right beside me. I looked at him and smiled, "This hot chocolate is for you." He replied like a gentleman, "Thank you so much. That's very kind of you." I always believe no matter how _ I am, there are always those who are worse off than I. When you help someone, it's not always about money, it's about love. The love you give today, someone might forget tomorrow. It doesn't matter. Love anyway, because the greatest thing you can give is love. The author wants to tell us that _ . Answer: there is always someone that we can help
In the hit film The bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman meet in hospital in California after they have been diagnosed with cancer. Between them they cook up a "bucket list" ------ a to-do list of all they want to do before they _ . The movie makes you wonder what would be on your bucket list. So let's pack up some and see what it would cost to go out and have a little fun. THE PYRAMIDS, GIZA, EGYPT On to the pyramids, surely on anyone's bucket list. Exotik Tours can take you there on a variety of trips, including their popular Egypt Express which includes three nights in Cairo and a three-night Nile Cruise . From $1,384, including four-and five-star accommodation, 12 meals and a ton of sightseeing. _ 416-646-3347 TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA One of the world's most fascinating images, India's Taj Mahal makes even Nicholson and Freeman look calm. Toronto's Goway Travel has many suggestions for India, including a three-day independent visit to Agra. Stay at the attractive Oberoi AmarVilas overlooking the Taj. Include two breakfasts, touring and airport transfer from $1,420. _ 416-322-1034 THE GREAT WALL, CHINA If the Great Wall of China is on your bucket list, check into Tour East Holiday's four-day Amazing Beijing Tour for $580 per person, four-star accommodation, sightseeing including the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, breakfasts and two lunches, transportation and guide. _ 416-929-0888 THE HIMALAYAS, NEPAL And on to the Himalayas. Talk about something truly majestic . See the top of the world on GAP Adventures' Everest Adventure tour, a 15-day exploration including Everest Base Camp, teahouse lodge stays, and walking through Sherpa villages. Incredibly affordable at just $665 plus local payment of $250. GAP Adventures warns that this is a physically demanding trip. _ 416-260-0999 According to the passage, where can you enjoy a view of the whole Taj Mahal? There is a saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Although eating properly is important, being kind to others is also good tor your health. Studies show that people who perform kind acts are more relaxed, happier, and healthier than other people. In one study at Arizona State University researchers, found that many volunteers experienced a sudden feeling of joy, followed by a long period of calm, after performing a kind act. This feeling, called "a help's high" may actually help reduce stress as the body releases naturally painkillers. Stress can cause' serious health problems, and heart depression, and .sleeping problems. However, the study found that volunteers had fewer *stress-related health problems when they did helpful things for other people. The study also found that people who did nice things for others felt better about themselves as well. They had higher self-esteem , and were' happier. Many believe this is because volunteers spend more of their time with other people. People who are more outgoing are often healthier. Another study at the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center confirmed the health benefits of volunteering. A ten-year study showed that people who volunteered live longer than those who didn't. Although you shouldn't need a reason to be helpful, it is nice to know that kindness may help you live longer. The reading is mainly about _ . Hotels can make a person's stay away from home as restful as possible. Hotels provide warm beds to allow guests a peaceful night's rest. Besides, some hotels offer guests special services such as newspapers to read in the morning, fresh coffee, and even breakfast. Hotel workers want their guests to feel warm and welcome when they stay in their hotel. One hotel near the Arctic Circle, however, is different. This hotel gives its guests a cold welcome. The Ice Hotel, in Sweden, is all made of ice. The Ice Hotel might sound strange, but in some ways it is a special hotel. It has a front lobby where guests check into the hotel, plenty of rooms to sleep in, and even room service, which guests can use to have food delivered to their rooms. The Ice Hotel is different, though, because most of the items are made from ice. It takes more than 30 tons of ice and snow to build the Ice Hotel. It melts in the summer and is rebuilt each winter. Different builders and artists create the Ice Hotel, so each winter this famous hotel has a new shape and design. The effort of building the Ice Hotel is worth it, however. Walking into the Ice Hotel is like walking into a diamond. The walls reflect even the smallest bits of light. Ice pillars support the roof. The floor below shines like glass. Almost every inch of this hotel sparkles inside. Visiting the Ice Hotel is truly an unusual experience. Temperatures inside the Ice Hotel are usually below freezing. Guests wear warm jackets, hats, gloves, and thick boots. Even the owners of the Ice Hotel know that staying in a building with walls of ice four feet thick can be a bit cold. They have a solution though. The Ice Hotel has a sauna for its guests. A sauna is a room filled with steam, where guests can warm themselves. In a way, then, one could say that the Ice Hotel does give their guests a warm welcome after all. What is the purpose of the writer writing the article? Earning a black belt in martial arts and being issued a pilot's license are both impressive accomplishments that take year of effort to achieve, but 30-year-old Jessica Cox has done both despite being born without arms. In spite of all difficulties , but with strong faith and the help of her family ,Cox put herself through high school and then college, typing papers with her toes, She became the first armless black belt in American Taekwondo Association and now has two black belts, She got her driver's license and then, astonishingly, her pilot's license in 2008, The achievement earned her a place in the Guinness Would Records, which recognized her for becoming the first person without arms to fly an airplane. Now Cox is the subject of a new documentary, Rightfooted, Which Cox says the hopes will inspire disabled young people around the world, "Had I watched a film similar to this one earlier, in my life ,I know it would have make a difference." Cox says in a trailer for the documentary. The young woman says her current goal is to become a motivational speaker, particularly for chileren born without arms , She says she believes her message can reach millions of people working to overcome a variety of disabilities. As the next step, she has been invited by non-governmental organization Handicap International to work with disabled children in Ethiopia Cox is extremely excited for the opportunity, She hopes that sharing her story will inspire children with disabilities and encourage Ethiopians to include all children in school because in Ethiopia only one percent of children with disabilities are educated and their parents do not think they can benefit from going to school, She also hopes to meet with government officials to inspire change. The goal of Handicap International in Ethiopia is to _ . Grandfather and 3-year-old boys are natural buddies. On this particular day in May, the grandfather was pleased to have the company of his best little pal when planting the vegetable garden. For a while, the boy seemed to like it too. His small fingers were just the right size to pick up tiny seeds and drop them into Granddad-made holes. They were a great team. But before long the boy became restless and directed his anger at the seeds themselves. "What's this one, Granddad?" "Beets ." "Ugh, I hate beets." "Well, then, let's do the pumpkin instead." "Yuck. I really hate pumpkin." "Okay, buddy. What would you like to plant?" "How about ... doughnuts ?" Just in time, the grandfather stopped himself from saying there was no such thing as a doughnut seed. Looking at the unhappy little face, he suddenly got an inspiration. "Wait a second. I have to go inside and get the right seeds." Granddad returned with a handful of seeds. He and the small boy solemnly planted them in a special corner of the vegetable garden. Weeks later, when the real seeds began to break through the soil, the boy became delighted with the tiny seedlings. He spent many afternoons helping Granddad water and hoe and watch them grow. And when the first baby vegetables were harvested, he liked them after all. For weeks, he forgot all about the doughnuts. But then one day at lunch, he said, "Granddad, what happened to our doughnuts? How come they didn't grow?" Granddad paused a moment. "Well, you know, doughnuts are tricky. Some years when you plant them, you get lots of doughnuts." He sighed sadly. "But other years, all that comes up are the holes." From the first half of the passage we can learn that the boy _ .
Question: Sydney Tower Address: 100 Market St, Sydney Phone: 02 9333 9222 Fax: 02 9333 9203 Open time: 9:00am to 10:30pm ( Saturday to 11:30 pm) Ticket: $ 60 (for an adult) $ 30 (for a child) Website: www. Sydneytower .com. au How to get there: train to Town Hall Station and a short walk along Market Street. How to book tickets: by phone/ fax or through the web Attraction: Sydney's best views are just the beginning ! Sydney Tower takes you to the highest point above Sydney for exciting 360degviews of our beautiful city. If you want to book a ticket to Sydney Tower, you can't _ . A. Email sydneytower @ hotmail. com B. Fax: 02 9333 9203 C. search www. Sydneytower.com. au D. dial 02 9333 9222 Answer: A Question: It came with devastating force,a natural disaster of strange intensity that shocked the world and killed tens of thousands.The waters have now receded,but disease and food and water shortages trouble a number of countries around the Indian Ocean.Millions of survivors face serious problems. The number of survivors in need of food aid after the Indian Ocean disaster has climbed to 5 million people.They stretch from Somalia to Thailand,and the figure could rise further,the United Nations has said. Relief teams hope to reach all of the estimated 700 000 hungry in Sri Lanka within three more days.It could take longer before enough food aid gets to the nearly 1 million people in need in hard-to-reach parts of Indonesia.Another serious problem is the need for purified water. Although aid had poured in from all over the world to the disaster areas,"Logistics is the big problem here--just getting the stuff out to people who need it,"said Ron Libby,emergency management specialist at the USA agency for International Development. Relief efforts are hindered by the difficulty of delivering aid to the more than 1000 islands scattered across hundreds of kilometers of ocean. For those who survived the tsunami's force,disease is now the No.1 problem.Five million people are short of water,food and basic sanitation across the region.World Health Organization(WHO) crisis chief David Navarro said 50 000 more people could die from disease and other causes,as has been the case in previous humanitarian emergencies. WHO said it had already received a handful of reports of malaria and dengue fever and hundreds of reports of diarrhea and infected wounds.It said millions of water purification tablets had been sent to Asia,along with sanitation engineers to rebuild water sanitation infrastructure. Psychologists are warning that mental health problems caused by the tsunami could prove harder to resolve than the physical damage. Some survivors say they are plagued by recurring nightmares about walls of water.Many locals are afraid to return to beachside homes.Officials also warn that suicide rates could rise dramatically as parents struggle with guilt at losing children. Psychologists estimate that 20 to 30 per cent of people who face traumatic events eventually develop symptoms,such as alcohol abuse,lack of concentration at work and an inability to develop close relationships. Although the Thai Government has offered to build temporary beachside housing,many refugee families are refusing to come down from the hills.Others are afraid to go back to jobs on the sea. Over 150 000 people were killed by the tsunami,but hundreds and thousands more have been left with no means to earn a living. In the village of Akirapettai in India,all that is left is the twisted wreckage of the fishing fleet.Dakshina Murti,a fisherman,not only lost three family members,but also lost his boats,his nets,everything. "Everything's gone,"he says.With no government aid so far,all he has is a wreck.There are several million people who suffered the same experience.Homes have been destroyed,as well as wharves,docks,and sheds. For now,rebuilding the economy remains a distant concept. From the passage we learn that _ is the most serious problem for the time being. A. disease B. food C. water D. house Answer: A Question: Deserts do not stay the same size .Sometimes they grow bigger. Sometimes they get smaller. The world's biggest desert, Sahara, is in Africa. Right now, the Sahara desert is growing fast. Why is the Sahara growing ? In some places , People farm too much. In other places ,animals eat all the grass. or people cut down the trees. This makes the soil weak. Weak soil lets the desert grow. Why is it a problem? people can not grow food in the desert. people can not build houses, hospitals , or schools in the desert . so people must leave their homes .They must live somewhere else. What can people do ? They can plant trees. They can also farm less. These things make soil stronger. maybe the Sahara will stop growing . It's a big problem. Many people must work together to solve it? Stopping growing the desert A. is easy B. takes a lot of people C. is not a big problem D. is not important Answer: B Question: Springtime in Paris Departures: May 5, 12, 19 and June 9 4 days for $129 per person Paris in the Springtime was, is and always will be, something rather special. Why not experience it for yourself with this excellent break for four days? This attractive city has something to offer everyone and with prices at just $129. It's great value too. Your break begins with executive coach transfer from regional pickup points and travel to Paris is via crosschannel ferry , arriving at your hotel in the evening. The Ibis is an excellent quality hotel with private facilities in all rooms: satellite TV, radio, telephone and alarm clock. It has a bar and a restaurant and is situated about two miles south of Notre Dame enabling you to explore Paris with ease. The following day, after continental breakfast (included), the coach takes you on a comprehensive sightseeing tour of the city, during which you will see the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, L'Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, in fact almost every famous landmark you will ever have heard of. You then leave Paris and take a short drive to the magnificent Palace of Versailles, the home of Louis XIV. The tour ends midafternoon back in Paris where you will have the remainder of the day at your leisure. In the evening there is a 'Paris By Night' tour showing you the beautiful buildings with bright lights. Day three takes you to Montmartre, perhaps the most picturesque quarter of Paris and home of the Sacre Coeur and the Moulin Rouge. In the afternoon you are free to explore this beautiful city as you wish, perhaps a pleasure voyage on the River Seine, wander around the picturesque gardens or look through among the antique shops . In the evening you will have the opportunity to visit the best nightclub in the city, the splendid Patin. On the final day it's back to the UK via channel ferry. Included in the price of $129 per person: * Return executive coach travel to Paris; * Return ferry crossings; * Three nights accommodation in a twin bedded room in a Central Paris hotel with private facilities; * Continental breakfast during your stay; * Guided sightseeing tour of "Paris By Day" and "Paris By Night"; * Visit to Chateau of Versailles (admission not included); * Tour on Montmartre; * Services of an experienced bilingual tour guide at all times. After paying $129,the tourists will have to pay _ in Paris. A. the continental breakfasts B. tour on Montmartre C. admission ticket to Chateau of Versailles D. services of a bilingual tour guide Answer: C Question: In China, people usually set off firecrackers to celebrate Spring Festival. But this year seemed very quiet. It was really different. A man called Zhang Wei was asked by a reporter in an interview. He said that his friends and he hadn't set off a single firecracker. "We all suffered from last month's smog . If we don't call an end to the firecracker, the environment will get worse and worse during the holiday." said Zhang Wei. He put up a notice in his community in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. In the notice, he called on more people to set off fewer firecrackers during this year's Spring Festival holiday. Lots of parents agreed with Zhang Wei's idea. They said that they hated the noise of firecrackers. The noise used to wake up their babies too early. The babies really needed quiet mornings, More Chinese looked forward to celebrating the holiday in a greener way. They decided not to set off firecrackers. They also decided not to waste food. They said that the new celebrations sounded fashionable. "My family didn't buy any fireworks this year. Instead, we donated the money to charity. It's good for the environment and charity as well." Internet user "Fighter" wrote on Sina Weibo. ,A, B, C, D,. (10) .More people decided _ . A. not to get together B. not to throw away more food C. not to set off firecrackers D. to call an end to all the celebrations Answer: C
After nearly 50 years of separation,an elderly woman has been reunited with the family that she feared was lost to her forever. Celestine Thompson left Mississippi when she was 14 years old and eventually settled in New York,where she spent more than 30 years of her life,according to WLOX 13News. After surviving a fire in 1992,Thompson was in a coma for two years and has since experienced memory loss. The 90-year-old found it difficult to recall details about her family. But later she remembered the name of her nephew Clarence Woodway. Then another woman who knows Thompson in Mississippi was able to track Woodway down and help reunite Thompson with her large family. "In our minds,my brother and I were talking that she wasn't here anymore,because we hadn't heard from her for a very long time,"Donald Davis,another one of Thompson's nephews,told the media."You know,we were overjoyed when we found out that we had gotten in contact with her." A few of Thompson's relatives visited her in New York,and then arranged a larger reunion which was held this past Saturday in Gulfport,Mississippi,the Associated Press reported. Thompson now lives in Greensboro,Alabama,with a caretaker,and,although she is yet to meet them all,she has regained quite a sizeable family of 23 nieces and nephews,64 grand nieces and nephews,66 great-grand nieces and nephews and 34 great-great-grand nieces and nephews,according to the Associated Press. What can we learn from Thompson's story? A Great hopes make a great woman. B Time and tide wait for no man. C Life wonders can really take place. D Misfortune will tell what fortune is. Answer: C. Life wonders can really take place. Long after its introduction into the New World, American English was still considered non-standard English. According to some people of the 1780s American English was a peasant's language that a "gentleman" will not speak. Considered in a bilingual point of view, British English was the dominant language linked to prestige and language purism . The belief in the authority or say in the superior of British English, has remained to the twentieth century, especially in the former British Empire or in the fields of British influence. Thus, it is reported that in prefix = st1 /China, teachers and school textbooks refer to and recommend Received Pronunciation as the model, as well as standard British sentence structures, spelling and words. British English is also encouraged and accepted as the criteria of some major official examinations, for example, College English Test and Test for English Majors which are conducted by government. Similar situations could be found in countries, for example, in Africa, the West African Examination Council and Joint Admission accepts the British English as the standard English. Report can also be found that inCairosome university students received lower grades if they used American spellings instead of British English. In Europe, we find teachers, British people as well as natives of the country in which they work, who follow the British English standard, and laugh at the American English. However, the above attitudes are nothing but the last influence of a long-gone period of British supermacy . The beginning of a clear lead of American English can be traced to the decades after World War II. This coincides with the simultaneous rise of the US as a military and technological power and the decline of the British Empire, which drove many to American English. And from then on, American English has continuously sent its influence to every corner of the planet. The main idea of the passage is_. A there are big differences between American English and British English B how American English developed into standard English in the end C people began to admit American English as standard as British English D American English is having advantage over British English. Answer: D. American English is having advantage over British English. One of the Queen's closest relatives and oldest friends was allowed to give a deep description into the family life of the Royals. Although there have been hundreds of other books declaring to offer a quick look behind the Palace doors, this is the first written by someone who is closely related to the Royal Family and has shared their lives--not only throughout the Queen's reign but also through that of her father, King George VI. The Final Curtsey was written by her Majesty's cousin and childhood playmate the Honorable Margaret Rhodes. It tells in details the story of Mrs. Rhodes's relationship with the Royal family over eight decades. The book, with delightfully informal and never-before-seen pictures, has been written with the full knowledge of the Queen, who has read and approved parts of it. Born in 1925, the Honorable Margaret Rhodes has led an extraordinary life. She was the childhood playmate of her cousin, the Queen; a wartime M16 spy; and she was a lady-in- waiting to her aunt, the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, from 1991 until the latter's death in 2002. At the Queen's 80thbirthday in April 2006, Margaret gave an interview to the BBC which she proved that, in her own opinion and despite several false reports, the Queen would not abdicate . In this charming autobiography ,she told how she was offered a house to live in the Royal farm in Windsor Great Park unexpectedly. One day when she and the Queen were out riding outside, she suddenly returned and said, "Could you bear to live in the suburb?" "I think it should be OK." Therefore Mrs. Rhodes is now still living there. The passage is mainly about _ . A a book about royal family B the Queen's life C the life of Margaret Rhodes D the Queen's abdication Answer: A. a book about royal family Sleep is like food for the brain. Enough sleep helps the body and brain grow and develop. However, many Chinese do not sleep well, and many do not pay enough attention to sleep. The Chinese Medical Doctor Association released the 2013 China Sleep Quality Index on March 19 to mark World Sleep Day - March 21. According to the index, nearly a quarter of Chinese people don't sleep well. Half said that they feel tired after getting up and 15 percent people have trouble falling asleep. Ye Jingying, a sleep expert at Beijing Tongren Hospital, says: "If people often wake up during the night, or always feel weak and tired in the day, they should pay attention to their sleep pattern ." Many people play with their cell phones or iPads before sleeping. The report said that this is one of the main reasons for bad sleep. Other reasons include stress and bad moods. How to sleep well? Above all, get enough sleep. Seven to nine hours of sleep every night is perfect for an adult, and eight to nine hours is best for a teenager. Forming good sleep habits is important. The report suggested that people need to keep away from digital devices for at least an hour before sleep. The lights keep their brains excited for a long while. Other suggestions include: try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends and during holidays, and do the same relaxing things before bed each night, like listening to soft music. From the article, which of the following may NOT cause sleeping problems? A Reading a book late at night. B Having sad or angry feelings. C Playing with digital devices before sleeping. D Being under strong stress about their life or work. Answer: A. Reading a book late at night. During the 19th century, scientists found that when certain parts of the brain of a person were hurt, he would lose the power of doing certain things. And so people thought that each part of the brain does a different job. But modern research has discovered that this is not so, for it is not easy to show exactly what each part of the brain does. In the past fifty years there has been a great increase in the amount or research done on the brain. Scientists have found out that the way the brain works is not so simple as people in general may think. Chemists tell us that about 100,000 chemical changes take place in the brain every second. Some recent researches also suggest that we can remember everything that happened to us. We may not be able to think of the things we have heard and seen but it is kept there in the store-house of the human mind. Earlier scientists thought that the power of one's brain got weaker and weaker as one grows older. But it is plenty of exercise, it keeps its power. It is now thought that is not true. As long as the brain is given plenty of exercise, it keeps its power. It has proved that an old person who has always been active in the mind has a quicker mind than a young person who has done physical work without using much of his brain. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text? A Scientists are working hard at the researches on the brain. B As many as six million chemical changes take place in the brain every minute. C A young man doing physical labor is sure to have a much slower mind. D Even an old man has a quick mind only if his brain is given much exercise. Answer: C. A young man doing physical labor is sure to have a much slower mind.
What contains nutrients for plants? Answer: ground minerals Amanda is learning about different adaptations of animals. Which is an example of a behavioral adaptation? Answer: migration of songbirds The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league with 32 teams in. How does one choose which team to support? Some people choose the team of their hometown, or where they now live, or the team that their parents or their friends follow.[:ZXXK] A boy student from Oklahoma wrote a letter to each of the owners or presidents of the 32 NFL teams. He would see what answers he got, and then choose his team. Bill was home from school sick. It was the week before Christmas. He was "kind of bored" and needed something to do. So he asked his parents if he could write to every professional football team. Bill wrote the 32 letters by hand. "We weren't quite sure what we could get back. He didn't really have one team that he wanted to hear from," his mother said: "He just wanted to see what kind of reply he' d get." A letter to the Carolina Panthers' owner Jerry Richardson was one of those posted. Bill wrote in his letter, "My family and I love football. They are fans of different teams.But I don't have a team to cheer for yet. I am ready to pick an NFL team to cheer on for lifetime!" A few weeks later, Bill's mother was pulling into her driveway when a delivery man arrived with a box from the Panthers. When Bill came home, he excitedly opened the box. Inside he found a signed Carolina Panthers helmet as well as a handwritten note from Jerry. The team owner had written to Bill, "We should be honored if our Carolina Panthers became your team. We would make you proud of your joining us." Bill was overjoyed with what he got. He decided that from then on he would support the Panthers. He keeps the letter from Jerry in his bedroom. His mother says, "It's not the helmet they sent us. It's what they told us." That is what mattered to Bill and why he chose to become a Panthers' fan. Bill wanted to choose a football team to support because _ . Answer: he himself was willing to do it Passport Control If you are arriving at London Heathrow Airport and are not _ to another flight outsideprefix = st1 /BritainorNorthern Ireland, you must pass through Passport Control and Customs immediately after leaving your plane. If you are not Britain or a citizen of the European Community ,you must fill out a special form before your passport is examined. This form is called a landing card and should be given to you during the flight to London. After landing, follow the ARRIVALS signs. Make sure you are in the right channel when you reach Passport Control. There is one channel for holders of European Community Passports, and a second channel marked "Other Passports". Baggage Reclaim Area After passing through the Passport Control, follow the signs to the Baggage Reclaim Area. If you have luggage which is carried in the aircraft hold, it will be delivered to you in the Baggage Reclaim Area. Look for the sign with your flight number. If you have only hand luggage, go directly through the Baggage Reclaim Area to the Customs.Customs All passengers must pass Customs after Passport Control. There is a choice of two channels: Green and Red. If you have nothing to declare, go through the Green Channel. If you are not sure about your Duty Free allowance or if you have something to declare, go through the Red Channel. Information about Duty Free allowance can found on special notice - boards in the Baggage Reclaim Area. You should study this information carefully whether you are going through the Red Channel or not. Please note that if you go through the Green Channel, you may be stopped and asked to open your luggage for inspection. All passengers arriving at Heathrow from outside Britain_. Answer: must go through Passport Control and Customs Of all the animals in the animal kingdom, which one (aside from man) is the cleverest? There are several ways of measuring the intelligence of animals. In one test a scientist sets three same cans on a table. While the animal watches, he puts food under one of the cans. Then he leads the animal away. Some time later, he brings it back to see if it remembers which can has the food. No smelling is allowed; the animal must go directly to the correct can or it fails. This is called a delayed-response test. The idea is to find out how long an animal's memory can keep information. The scientists would try showing the cans to the animal one hour later, or two hours later, or even a full day later. They discovered that chimpanzees and elephants have the best memory, and were able to remember the correct can for at least twenty hours. No other animal is close. Dogs came next, but they only remember for nine hours. To settle the matter, the scientists designed a huge maze and ran the chimps and elephants through it. The maze was very difficult, with many blind paths and dead ends. It took the chimps ten minutes to find their way out. The elephants needed half an hour. Even allowing for the elephants' slower rate of speed, the test shows that chimpanzees are the cleverest animals. From this and other tests, the scientists drew the following conclusion: an animal's intelligence depends on the size of its brain in proportion to the size of its body. The elephant's brain weighs ten pounds. But this is only 1/600th of its 6,000 pounds body. A chimp's brain weighs about one pound, or 1/120th of its total body weight. So in proportion to its body size, the chimp has four times as much brain as the elephant----more brain for less body. The chimp is the champ! The passage tells that elephants _ . Answer: are slower-moving than chimps
Submission Guidelines Before sending us a manuscript , look through recent issues of the Post to get an idea of the range and style of articles we publish. You will discover that our focus has broadened to include well-researched, timely and informative articles on finance, home improvement, travel, humor, and many other fields. The Post's goal is to remain unique, with content that provides additional understandings on the ever-evolving American scene. In addition to feature-length articles, the Post buys anecdotes, cartoons, and photos. Payment ranges from $25 to $400. Our nonfiction needs include how-to, useful articles on gardening, pet care and training, financial planning, and subjects of interest to a 45-plus, home-loving readership. For nonfiction articles, indicate any special qualifications you have for writing about the subject, especially scientific material. Include one or two published pieces with your article. We prefer typed articles between 1000 and 2000 words in length. We encourage you to send both printed and online versions. We also welcome new fiction. A light, humorous touch is appreciated. We are always in need of straight humor articles. Make us laugh , and we'll buy it. Feature articles average about 1000 to 2000 words. We like positive, fresh angles to Post articles, and we ask that they be thoroughly researched. We normally respond to article submissions within six weeks. You are free to submit the article elsewhere at the same time. Please submit all articles to Features Editor, The Saturday Evening Post, 1100 Waterway Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46202, (317)634-1100. Before sending a manuscript to the Post, a contributor is advised to _ . A get a better understanding of American issues B find out the range of the articles in the post C increase his knowledge in many fields D broaden his research focus Answer: B. find out the range of the articles in the post As women in the rich Asian country have become better educated, with five times as many now getting advanced degrees as in 1995, they have also become choosier and are less likely to settle for the role of gentle wife traditionally expected of Korean women. "I heard if you are a female with master's degree, it is much harder to arrange a meeting than if you have a bachelor's degree because of an unfavorable concept 'too smart women' here," said King, a college senior in Seoul. The age at which Korean women are getting _ has risen by an average 4.1 years over the past 20 years to 28.9 years, according to Statistics Korea, and that has created worried mothers getting things rolling for their daughters. "My daughter is in her early 30's, an age considered late for marriage here", said a woman who took her daughter to a match--making agency in Seoul. "If she does not find her match this year, it will be much more difficult to marry in the coming years.So I went to the firm with her and made her join." At DUO, a matchmaking firm, its 26, 000 members can choose between five different membership programs with fees from 1.08 million won( )($971) to 8.8 million won. To attract more customers, the site displays the average annual income of its male and female customers, as well as their professional standing. "In a privately set-up blind date, you cannot be entirely sure of how much of personal information given to you is accurate," said DUO spokesman Yon Jun. Critics say the industry focuses more on income and status.Some of them have coined the phrase "employage" to sum up employment and marriage. "If your father works in the financial industry or is a high-ranking administrator, maybe you will find your match with similar backgrounds through a matchmaking firm, starting a perfect marriage on the back of parental support," said comedian Quan. What leads to the embarrassing state for Korean women in matchmaking is that _ . A they don't want to be gentle any more B most of them are not in good shape C they have a much higher education D matchmaking agencies pushed them too hard Answer: C. they have a much higher education Ted, my little brother, is in Grade One. Last Friday he came back from school with a letter. The letter was from his teacher. "I got a red flower today. Could you please sign this note?" he said to Mum. The note showed that he had been talking in class. Ted hardly gets top scores in his school work. The best he gets is "OK", but often he gets "You can do better than this." Mum knows what it means. She tells me "You can do better than this" means "Extremely bad" in China. In the USA, teachers never say anything too bad about their students, even if the students are making trouble in class or not working hard enough. The worst they might say is "Please be nicer tomorrow". Many parents are satisfied with--- a B-grade for each subject. But things in Chinese schools are quite different. Parents have _ for their children. I sometimes felt that my second-grade cousin spent more time on homework than I did when I was a 6thgrader in the USA! Yet his parents and teachers didn't think he worked hard enough. Is it too strict in China? Or is it not strict enough in the USA? Maybe both are true. Why did Ted come home with .a letter last Friday ? A Because the teacher wanted to visit his mother. B Because he did something wrong. C Because the teacher was happy with his progress. D Because the teacher thought he was too lazy. Answer: B. Because he did something wrong. It was Mother's Day. John was so busy with his work that he couldn't go back home. When he passed by a flower shop in the evening, an idea came to his mind. "I'll send Mum some roses . " While John was picking his flowers, a young man went inside. "How many roses can I get for only five dollars, Madam?" he asked. The assistant was trying to tell him roses were as expensive as forty dollars a dozen . Maybe he would be happy with carnations . "No, I have to have red roses. " He said, "My mum was badly ill last year and I didn't get to spend much time with her. Now I want to get something special, it has to be roses as rose is her favourite. " After hearing it, John said he would pay the rest of the money for the young man. Moved by both of them, the assistant said, "Well, lovely young men, thirty dollars a dozen, only for you. "Taking the roses, the young man almost jumped into the air and ran out of the shop. It was well worth twenty-five dollars John paid to see the exciting moment. Then John paid for his dozen of roses and told the assistant to send them to his mother. As he walked out, he felt nice. Suddenly he saw the young man crossing the street and going into a park. But soon he realized it was not a park but a cemetery . Crying, the young man carefully laid the roses," Mum, oh, Mum, why didn't I tell you how much I loved you ? God, please help me find my mum and tell her I love her. " Seeing this, John turned and quickly walked to the shop. He would take the flowers home himself. John spent _ altogether in the flower shop that day. A $5 B $25 C $ 30 D $ 55 Answer: D. $ 55 I didn't feel well when I woke up yesterday morning. My throat hurt and _ . I also felt hot. My mother said I had a bad cold. I didn't want to get up, so she let me stay in bed all day. I don't usually like being in bed during the day, but I like it yesterday. I listened to the music and read a magazine. I slept a lot. I had all my meals in bed, though I didn't want to eat much. I had just soup and toast for lunch and some rice and chicken for dinner. By evening I was beginning to feel better. I asked my mother if I could get up and watch television but she said no. Today I feel much better, so I didn't stay in bed. I didn't go to school again, though. I'll go tomorrow if I feel well enough. On which days of the week was he probably sick? A Monday, Tuesday B Saturday, Sunday C Sunday, Monday D Friday, Saturday Answer: A. Monday, Tuesday
One day in summer, little Jack was playing on the beach with his father. Suddenly, he saw a little tortoise moving slowly on the sand. He started to look at it carefully and began to touch it with his hand. To his surprise, the tortoise stopped moving. It pulled in its head and legs, and closed its shell tightly. He touched it again but the tortoise didn't move at all. Jack became angry. He used a stick and tried to make it open. When his father saw this, he stopped him and said, "No, son, you mustn't do that! You will kill the tortoise. You won't get it open with a stick." Jack asked, "Why?" "Just wait and see," his father answered. Then he picked up the tortoise and put it in a bag. After they came back home, the father took the tortoise out of the bag. He put it near the fireplace . After a few minutes, the tortoise began to move a little. Then the tortoise stretched out its head and legs. At last, the tortoise began to move across the room. How excited Jack was when he saw this! "Son, now you see," said his father, "sometimes, you can't make someone do things he doesn't like. But if you get him warm first, he will do what you want him to do." One day Jack and his father were playing _ . Answer: My mother and I were in the kitchen fixing dinner. I was setting the table as she was cooking when we heard my father. We went into the living room to see what he needed. He could not find the keys to his truck. We all started looking all over the place and could not seem to find them. My father needed to go to work so he took the keys for my mom's van and left for work. We kept looking for them and when we were about to give up my little brother came walking out of the garage with them in his hands. He was in the garage playing with his bike. My mother called my father at work to tell him the great news. He was happy and we then ate our dinner. where were the keys? Answer: Farmers, especially in developing countries, are often criticized for cutting down forests. But a new study suggests that many farmers recognize the value of keeping trees. Researchers using satellite images found at least ten percent tree cover on more than one billion hectares of farmland. That is almost half the farmland in the world. Earlier estimates were much lower but incomplete. The authors of the new study say it may still underestimate the true extent worldwide. The study found the most tree cover in South America. Next comes Africa south of the Sahara, followed by Southeast Asia. North Africa and West Asia have the least. The study found that climate conditions alone could not explain the amount of tree cover in different areas. Nor could the size of nearby populations, meaning people and trees can live together. There are areas with few trees but also few people, and areas with many trees and many people. The findings suggest that things like land rights, markets or government policies can influence tree planting and protection. Dennis Garrity, who heads the World Agroforestry Center, says farmers are acting on their own to protect and plant trees. The problem, he says, is that policy makers and planners have been slow to recognize this and to support such efforts. The satellite images may not show what the farmers are using the trees for, but trees provide nuts, fruit, wood and other products. They also help prevent soil loss and protect water supplies. Even under drought conditions, trees can often provide food and a way to earn money until the next growing season. Some trees act as natural fertilizers. They take nitrogen out of the air and put it in the soil. Scientists at the Center say the use of fertilizer trees can re-duce the need for chemical nitrogen by up to three-fourths. Trees also capture carbon dioxide, a gas linked to climate change. Through the study, the researchers found that _ Answer: It all started when I was two years old. My parents didn't get along and got divorced . I hated that I couldn't see both of my parents at the same time. So my dad, my younger sister, Alexis, and I went to live with my grandma and grandpa. We lived with them for almost six years. My mom, on the other hand, lived with her boyfriend Michael in Oklahoma. My life was really good, but when my mom called to check up on my sister and me, I cried myself to sleep. I missed her so much. My life at my grandparents' house was really nice. And then on Friday, May 15, 2002, my grandpa died of cancer. I cried for seven days straight. My dad and his new wife were worried about me. So they took me to the doctor and they said that I was too sad and that I needed to find something happy and healthy to do during the day. I prayed to God every night saying that I was sorry for getting myself sick and I also prayed for him to take care of my grandpa. I still pray to this day. And now, at my mom's house, she has a four-year-old girl, my half-sister, Macie. And I have my step-dad , Michael, there for me. I really like Michael. He's really good to me and my sister. And at my dad's house, I have two little brothers, Blake and Justin. Blake is two years old and Justin is ten months old. I have so much to be thankful for, but I'm still looking for more. The writer had to leave her _ when she was two years old. Answer: It's Sunday today. The Blacks(Black) are all at home. Mrs. Black is in the kitchen . She is cooking for the _ family. Mr. Black is in the living room. He is sitting in the chair and reading the newspaper. Their son Tom and his friends are in the garden . They are playing football there. Ann is Tom's sister and she is playing with a cat in her room. Her grandparents are watching TV in the room. How happy the family are! ,, Tom and his friends are _ . Answer:
Three quarters of Britain's parents are too busy to read bedtime stories to their children,according to a study. The study was carried out by CITV to start their new children's show Bookaboo,which is designed to encourage anyone to pick up a book and read with their children at any time of the day. Worryingly,the study showed that only three percent of fathers now find the time to read to the kids compared to 89 percent of mothers. Lucy Goodman,creator of Bookaboo,said,"It's important for young boys to be able to share a book with dads,granddads or male carers and it can be fun and rewarding,too." Of the dads who said they didn't read to their kids, 87 percent blamed work while more than a third said they were too tired. While 89 percent of mums said they did read to their children,more than half of them said cleaning distracted them and 49 percent were distracted by other household things. Researchers also found parents are now relying heavily on other people to lend a hand with reading to their children with grandparents doing the most,followed by sisters and brothers,aunts and uncles. While 95 percent of parents read to their children at some point,only five percent read to their children during the day. More than one in ten said they read every couple of weeks or less,and five percent could not remember the last time they shared a book. The study found parents also seem content with allowing their children to immerse themselves in TV programs or playing computer games rather than reading. Exgoalkeeper David Seaman,who is a dad of two,has been a guest in Bookaboo. He says,"I think it's important that fathers do read to their children because it's a special time. Sometimes my two children will come to listen to the same book--it's a magical moment and I advise fathers just to try it." The study showed that _ . The social sciences, as the name shows, are the scientific study of the behavior of human beings, both in groups and individually. There is no past or present information of human beings who were not in groups. The groups may be small, like the family, or large, like a city or nation. But in order to reach complete development, man must be a member of a society. It is true that some individuals are more solitary than others. Some like monks or hermits may decide, for religious or other reasons, to leave their society and live alone. But these are unusual individuals, and even they cannot separate themselves completely from the rest of mankind. A society, then, seems to be the natural environment of mankind. Scholars who study mankind in social organizations are called social scientists. The human behavior which social scientists study is learned behavior. The behavior of the human body as a living organism is studied by the biologist, the biochemist, or the physician. This behavior of man's physical body is inherited through the genetic development of his species. For example, all physically normal and healthy humans learn to walk as their bodies grow and develop. Social scientists concern themselves with the behavior that man must learn so that he can take his place in a social group. In order to be a functioning member of that group, each member must learn to behave in a way acceptable according to the differences among societies. The social scientists are newcomers to academic studies. By the end of the 19th century, the natural sciences had developed a method, by which they were able to understand the physical world. By using the scientific method, chemists, physicists, and astronauts, for example, learned a great deal about the universe. It seemed reasonable to apply the same method to the study of man's social life. Through this kind of study man may learn to understand himself much better. The scientific method is a way of collecting facts in order to describe an existing situation as correctly and completely as possible. The description must consist only of what can be perceived , analyzed, measured and recorded. Feelings and personal opinions or ideas have no place in scientific description. The fact must be observed and described in such a way that another scientist could repeat the same study and get the same results. What is TRUE about all human beings? Bicycles, roller skates and skateboards are dangerous. I still have scars on my knees from my childhood run-ins with various wheeled devices. Admittedly, I was a foolish kid, but I'm glad I didn't spend my childhood trapped indoors to protect me from any injury. "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." But parents can't handle it when teenagers put this theory into practice. And now technology has become the new field for the age-old battle between adults and their freedom-seeking kids. Locked indoors, unable to get on their bicycles and hang out with their friends, teens have turned to social media and their mobile phones to gossip and socialize with their friends. What they do online often mirrors what they might otherwise do if their mobility weren't so heavily restricted in the age of helicopter parenting. Social media and smartphones have become so popular in recent years because teens need a place to call their own. They want the freedom to explore their identity and the world around them. Instead of climbing out of windows, they jump online. As teens have moved online, parents have projected their fears onto the Internet, imagining all the potential dangers that youth might face. Rather than helping teens develop strategies to deal with public life and the potential risks of interacting with others, fearful parents have focused on tracking, monitoring and blocking. These approaches don't help teens develop the skills they need to manage complex social situations. "Protecting" kids may feel like the right thing to do, but it denies teens the chances of learning as they come of age in a technology-soaked world. The key to helping youth in the modern digital life isn't more restrictions. It's freedom -- plus communication. Urban theorist Jane Jacobs used to argue that the safest neighborhoods were those where communities collectively took interest in and paid attention to what happened on the streets. Safety didn't come from surveillance cameras or keeping everyone indoors but from a collective willingness to watch out for one another and be present as people struggled. The same is true online. What makes the digital street safe is when teens and adults collectively agree to open their eyes and pay attention, communicate and work together to deal with difficult situations. Teens need the freedom to wander the digital street, but they also need to know that caring adults are behind them and supporting them wherever they go. The first step is to turn off the tracking software. Then ask your kids what they're doing when they're online -- and why it's so important to them. According to the passage, helicopter parents may make kids _ . Each year about a quarter of a million Americans study abroad. For many of them, a summer or a semester in a foreign country now involves more than just sitting in classrooms and hanging out with other American students. Instead, they are encouraged and sometimes required to be involved in the local communities they are studying in. "It's ly important that they know something about how people in other parts of the world live and think, and how they behave," says William Finlay, head of the sociology department at the University of Georgia. In 2008, he co-founded a study abroad program with South Africa's Stellenbosch University. It combines traditional academic in-class learning with community involvement. "We've been working with a non-government organization in the township. Our students typically either work with little children in day care centers or work in the library and teach very basic computer skills to young children," says Finlay. The three-week program proved to be an unforgettable experience for Hillary Kinsey. She says, "It was interesting to learn the history of the area and then talk to these people and see what the social dynamics were, and how certain groups felt about other groups." When Hillary Kinsey returned home from South Africa, she and other students in the program established a non-profit group. Kinsey says the group wants to contribute to advancing education and development in South Africa. "One of the purposes of the group is that we hope to raise money and awareness about the situation where those people live and help to promote any sort of educational development that we can, " Kinsey added. While many study abroad programs focus on helping Americans to learn foreign languages, others take a more intensive approach. "In all of our locations, we place students with local roommates," says Mark Lenhart, director of CEF Academic Programs, which sends more than a thousand students to China, Korea and other countries each year. He says American students benefit from such one-on-one interactions, in spite of the challenges they face. Lenhart says, "They have to adjust to the local life. This will enable students to become more employable when they graduate." What is the main idea of this passage? The following are letters to the editor of a school newspaper Dear editor, I'd like to express my opinion about grades. Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades. Fortunately, most educators are becoming aware of the fact that students have different interests and abilities. I understand that grades are useful, but grades often limit creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to pursue music, dramatics and sports. Grades force an arbitrary standard of success on everyone. I do not demand as some extremists do, that grades be removed immediately. However, I do believe that less emphasis should be placed on grades. I hope that someday grades will become optional at Village High School. Magdalena Smith Drama Club Dear editor, I'd like to say something about grades. Let's face the facts about grades. Grades perform three basic functions. First, grades motivate students to work at their highest level of competence. Second, they act as a reward for hardworking students and as a punishment to students who do not work hard. Finally, grades are used as an effective standard by which to measure student achievement. Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university. I've spoken with a number of students who have jobs, and most of them say that they were hired primarily on the basis of their grades. My grades helped me land a part-time job and will help me get into university next year. I think grades are extremely important at Village High School. Simon Harper Science Club From the second letter, we can infer that Simon Harper is a/an _ .
Three travelers, Allan, Carl and Paul were sitting on the chairs in a train station. They were waiting for a train that was very late. To pass the time, they began talking to each other. At first, they talked about the weather and their work. Then Paul said, "Tell me--what would you most like to do if your doctor tell you that you have only three months to live?" The other two men thought about this for a while, then Carl spoke. "Well," he said, "if I have only three months to live, I'll take all my money out of the bank and go to foreign countries for holidays with my best friend, Erik. I'd like to travel to the places in the world as many as possible. And I'll stay at the best hotels and then eat the best food. I think I'll have a wonderful time." "That's very interesting." Paul said. With these words, he turned to the other man, saying, "And what about you?" "I'll tell you a secret," Allan said. "I always want to be a racing driver. So if I have only three months to live, the first thing I'd like to do is to sell my house. With the money I'll buy the fastest car in the world. Maybe I can enter all the big motor races." Then he laughed, "I might even end up (......) world champion." "Now it's your turn," Allan went on, "If your doctor tell you the bad news, what would you most like to do?" "Oh," said Paul with a smile. "I'll go and see another doctor." The three men were talking _ . Answer: Chris Waddell wants to climb Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair; George Del Barrio wants to make a film in Cambodia; Jeff Edwards wants to write a book: they want you to fund their dreams. A website called Kickstarter.com is making it possible for people like this to raise money from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars to fund anything that catches the imagination of Internet users with a little money to spare. It worked for Emily Richmond, a 24-year-old living in Los Angeles who plans to sail solo around the world for two years. She's raised $ 8,142 from 148 people who'll receive gifts such as photos from the trip or a telephone call when she crosses the equator . "This was a perfect learning experience for my daughter," Landon Ray said, adding that he also dreamed of sailing the world himself. Jason Bitner's plan for $ 7,500 to pay for a film about the small Midwestern town of La Porte, was so popular that it raised $ 12,153. It's about a record of pictures by a photographer who died in 1971. About a third of his supporters were friends and family. Others include people of La Porte but also people from as far as Australia. "It's a creative marketplace," said Jonathan Scott Chinn, who is collecting $16,500 to make a short film. "You're given the opportunity to make yourself known, and if it's really interesting, it'll take off." Independent singer & songwriter Brad Skistimas, 26, has been using the Internet for eight years to promote his one-man band Five Times August. He used Kickstarter to raise $ 20,000 to help his new album Life As A Song. "It's a great way to get in touch with fans," Skistimas said. "I was marketing to my own fans, so I said 'If you want more music from me, now's a great time to help me out'" . According to Brad Skistimas, Kickstarter. com is a good place _ . Answer: Public bookshelves are appearing across Germany on street corners,city squares and in suburban supermarkets. In these freeforall libraries,people can grab whatever they want to read,and leave behind anything they want for others. There's no need to register,no due date,and you can take or give as many as you want."This project is aimed at everyone who likes to read .It is open for everybody," Michael Aubermann,one of the organizers of the free book exchange said. The western city' s latest public shelf was put up next to Bayenturm. It is the fourth free shelf that Aubermann' s group,the Cologne Citizen's Foundation,has placed outside."We set up our other outdoor shelves last year and it's been working really well," said Aubermann. The public bookshelves,which are usually financed by donations and cared for by local volunteer groups,have appeared independently of each other in many cities,suburbs and villages. Each shelf holds around 200 books and it takes about six weeks for a complete turnover,with all the old titles replaced by new ones. Even commercial book stores and online book sellers seem to support the idea of free book exchanges."We see this project rather as a sales promotion than as competition,"said Elmar Muether."If books are present everywhere,it helps our business,too." So far,the Cologne book group has had few problems with damage or other problems. Aubermann said,"Propaganda is the only kind of literature we do not allow here." At another bookshelf in the Bayenthal neighborhood,the lower shelves are reserved for children's literature only."It is important that we make it easy for everyone to participate in this 'reading culture on the street'--from old readers to kids to immigrants,"Aubermann said. While most of the shelves have so far been put up in _ ,Aubermann and the 20 volunteers who help look after the project are planning to put up future shelves in poor neighborhoods,where citizens often don't have as much access to literature. According to Aubermann,the public bookshelves _ . Answer: Elephants have four distinct personalities that help their herd survive in the African bush, scientists have found. With their grey skin, mournful eyes and slow heavy pace, you could be forgiven for thinking elephants are uniformly melancholy creatures. But scientists have now discovered the largest living land animals have personalities to match their size. In a new study of African elephants, researchers have identified four distinct characters that are common in a herd - the leaders, the gentle giants, the playful rogues and the reliable plodders . Each of the types has developed to help the giant mammals survive in their harsh environment and is almost unique in the animal kingdom, according to the scientists. Professor Phyllis Lee and her colleague Cynthia Moss studied a herd of elephants in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya known as the EB family -- famous for their matriarch Echo before she died in 2009. Using data collected over 38 years of watching this group, the researchers analyzed them for 26 types of behavior and found four personality features tended to emerge. The strongest personality to emerge was that of the leader. Unlike other animals, where leadership tends to be won by the most dominant and aggressive individual, the elephants instead respected intelligence and problem solving in their leader. Echo, the matriarch and oldest in the group, her daughter Enid, and Ella, the second oldest female, all emerged as leaders. The playful elephants tended to be younger but were more curious and active. Eudora, a 40-year-old female in the herd, seemed to be the most playful, consistently showing this feature throughout her life while playfulness in some of the other elephants declined with age. Gentle elephants, which included two 27-year-old females Eleanor and Eliot, touched and rubbed against others more than the others. Those that were reliable tended to be those that were most consistent at making good decisions, helped to care for infants in the herd and were calm when faced with threats. Echo and her youngest daughter Ebony seemed to be the most reliable. Professor Lee said that elephants with these features tended to be the most socially integrated in the group while those who tended to be less reliable and pushy were more likely to split from the herd. From the passage we get to know that _ . Answer: Albert was an ordinary worker in an oil company in America. His workmates gave a nickname "Four dollars a bucket " to him, for he was always used to leaving an advertisement of his company "Four dollars a bucket of oil" below his name whenever and wherever he wrote down his name. As time went by, people forgot his real name. Later, when Rockefeller, the board chairman of the oil company, heard of it, he was very surprised, so he invited Albert to come to his office. "Some people give you a nickname for 'Four dollars a bucket'. Why aren't you angry?" asked Rockefeller with some puzzlement in his eyes. "Oh! Mr. Rockefeller! I like this nickname very much, because 'Four dollars a bucket' is our company's advertisement. As long as someone calls me 'Four dollars a bucket' once, I think it's a free advertisement for our company. I have no reason to get angry. Don't you think so, Mr. Rockefeller?" "Oh! What a fantastic man!" Rockefeller said excitedly when hearing Albert's words. "Young man, work harder! You must succeed in the future! I believe in you!" Five years later, Albert became the second board chairman after Rockefeller. Later Albert said in one of his reports, "I don't think we should feel frustrated when we have no way to do the world-shaking things. We should treat every thing actively because maybe our future success will begin from a small thing!" What is the main idea of this passage? Answer:
There once was a zoo worker named Charlie. He really liked his job that allowed his to meet new people every day and take care of zoo animals. One day, Charlie showed up at the zoo that he worked at and saw that a turtle had escaped! He quickly picked up the radio and told all of the other workers to look out for the missing Turtle named Brian. Because of this, the zoo had to close down for the whole day! They were trying so hard, but still could not find any clue to where the turtle went. Finally, a girl named Samantha went on the radio and said that she found Brian eating lettuce in the Polar Bear cage. She also told everyone that the Polar Bears were protecting Brian! For hours, the zoo team tried to find a way to get Brian out of the cage without getting hurt themselves. Charlie finally had an idea. He was going to take a stuffed turtle from the gift shop, sneak into the cage, put the Polar Bears to sleep for a little bit, and then place the stuffed turtle where Brian was eating his lettuce. Charlie's plan worked, but the Polar Bears woke up and weren't happy! They took the stuffed turtle and ripped it up! Samantha went to find some fish to make them happy again as Charlie told Brian the turtle to never run off again. What was the turtle eating when they found him? The life of an actor appears attractive and many young people dream about becoming one. But the truth is, it is very hard work. If you're successful, there are deadlines to be met, appointments to keep and the press to deal with. If you're not successful, then life is extremely tough. I remember when I started out, I had to search the advertisement board at my drama school every day to look for acting jobs. Drama school was expensive and I needed extra cash to help pay the fees. I welcomed every small job. I played extras in many crowd scenes and became a confident participant in a lot of TV commercials for hair shampoo, soap and washing powder. I had been working for about two years before I got my lucky break. One day, as I was passing the drama school, I decided to go in to check the notice board. There was nothing on it and I was just leaving when the secretary came along the corridor with a piece of paper. She asked me how I was and I told her life was hard and work was difficult to find. The next moment, she put the paper in my hand and walked away. My hands were shaking as I unfolded the paper, full of expectation. To my surprise, it was an audition for a clown for the Canadian circus. I couldn't stop myself from laughing. I had expected an audition with a famous director for a new film! When I was at drama school, there had been a course in acrobatics and clown tricks. I had gained top marks in this course for originality and daring. Later I went to the audition feeling very strange. This was not what I'd had in mind when I enrolled in drama school. To my surprise, the job as a clown turned out to be exactly what I wanted. I loved every moment of getting dressed up and putting on the make-up. I had the opportunity to travel the world and I was more than an actor, I was an entertainer as well. I had visited over 32 different countries and entertained millions of people. Which of the following would be the best title? Since weeks ago, China has been involved in a worldwide A/H1N1 flu that has already killed more than 80 people in the middle of May, 2009, in Mexico and has turned into a global _ . The central government has asked people entering China from the virus-hit countries to report flu-like symptoms to the authorities.In an emergency notice issued on Saturday night, the country's top quality watchdog ordered the Customs to check passengers' temperature, too. A Beijing airport official Li said Customs officers are on a high alert level. "Three temperature detectors are now in operation.We're ready with protection garments and equipment, too.Passengers flying in from Mexico and other A/H1N1 flu-hit countries are being monitored closely," he said. The Ministry of Health, however, said yesterday there was no evidence to suggest that a person would contract the disease by eating pork. Hong Kong, too, has raised its alert level against the flu to "serious".Secretary for Food&Health, Mr.York Chow urged people to avoid visiting places from where A/H1N1 flu cases have been reported, and said the virus would be added to Hong Kong's list of the diseases which have been noticed. The terrible A/ H1N1 flu has been contracted by about 4000 people in Mexico, and most of the killed were aged between 25 and 45. The virus has also infected about 5,000 people in the US.The US Center for Disease Control said this kind of virus is spreading from human to human, raising fears of a global pandemic. Why does the flu cause global fears? Today is November 8th. It's Gina's birthday. She is twelve. Jim, Kate and Bill are her friends. They want to buy some presents for Gina. They go to the store near the school. There are lots of things in the store. They buy a big cake , two boxes of color pencils, a pencil case and some nice books. They want to buy two dolls for Gina, but the dolls are too dear . -- When is Gina's birthday? -- _ Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet fighter pilot in Viet Nam. After 75 missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb parachuted down into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. One day, Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant when a man from another table came up and said "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Viet Nam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!" "How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "I packed your parachute," the man replied. "I guess it worked". Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today." Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning. How are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was 'just a sailor'". Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know. Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes. Which is the best title for the passage?
We like to consider ourselves the superior race, and we are. It's true that we are getting to know more and more, and we actually live in "the information age". Our human vanity makes us believe that we really have to know everything! Surprisingly, we do not have this ability. The question "what is happening in the Bermuda Triangle" is the very proof. Where is the Bermuda Triangle located? The mysterious triangle is believed to be situated between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico, where too many unusual events have happened. On December the 5th1945, five U.S. military planes took off from Florida on a clear day only to disappear over Bermuda. Furthermore, some other disappearances took place; in 1947, an American C54 plane simply disappeared at 100 miles from Bermuda; at 80 miles, a Star Tiger plane disappeared in 1948. Even Columbus had trouble in Bermuda. Some of his journals were about the strange happenings there: "the waters are changing their colors" and "compasses are going wild". Maybe it's why it is called the Devil's triangle or the Atlantic cemetery. Many _ were stated in order to explain the strange events. In spite of these attempts, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle remains unsolved. Some people get to say that maybe aliens are involved in it. Other imaginative scientists relate the happenings in Bermuda to Einstein's theory, saying that the missing ships and planes are translated to another dimension of space and time and taken into another world. Maybe we will just have to wait to go to Heaven and ask the One who made it. The answer will surely be a satisfying one! The writer may probably think that _ . humans can know more in "the information age" Children are our future, and it's up to us to arm them with the tools to succeed. Sadly, today's children are being armed with more dangerous tools like weapons , drugs and gangs. Once a relatively peaceful environment, many schoolyards of today are becoming unsafe for both students and teachers. Home schools are available to give you choices. Home schooling provides top-quality education, flexibility, and freedom to create your own schedule. At Heritage Home School we believe the choice should be yours. Thanks in part to modern technology, home schooling information is becoming readily available across our nation. A recent study by the ITBS (Iowa Tests of Basic Skills) and TAP (Tests of Achievement and Proficiency) shows us that students of home schools do particularly well when compared with the nationwide average. In every subject at every grade level, students of home schooling scored obviously higher than those in public and private schools. If you're new to home schooling, you may be asking yourself, "Will home schools really work for my children?" Fact: A nationwide study using a random selection of 1,516 families found students of home schooling to be scoring, on average, at or above the 80th percentile in all areas on standardized achievement test. Note: The national average on standardized achievement tests is the 50th percentile. Collectively, the staff at Heritage Home School brings 65 years of experience in home schooling curriculum. We've placed students in the top 2 % of the nation in math and many are successfully moving on to college. One study found that of the home schooled adults, 0% were unemployed, 0% were on welfare and 94% said home education prepared them to be independent persons. For more home schooling information, call us today toll free at(877)532-7665. The advertisement is mainly aimed at _ . parents Which form of energy are x rays and ultraviolet light? electromagnetic Three-dimensional printers are fast becoming everyday devices in the United States. Three-D printers are used to make everything from automobile parts to bone replacements for human patients. American research scientists are now working on creating replacements for living tissue. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have been working on creating and manufacturing living tissue since 2003.This process is called biofabrication . It requires special printing equipment and a special kind of ink. Traditional printers require ink to produce an image or design on a piece of paper. For their three-D printer, the South Carolina researchers prepare complex nutritious solutions they call bio-inks. Bio-inks are made of proteins and glucose , which normally provides energy for most cells of the body. The researchers also add living cells taken from the animal that will receive the new, printed tissue. The bio-inks are then added to a device that researchers call the Palmetto bio-printer. Sarah Grace Dennis is one of the researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina. She says new technology, like the Palmetto bio-printer, is a great help to the biofabrication process. The bio-inks are placed in three dispensers , containers, inside the printer. Lasers control both the position of the printing surface and the places where the bio-ink is released. Michael Yost is a leader of the research team. He says the printing process is fully automated-- machine-operated. He says that the Palmetto bio-printer makes it possible to create complex tissue types. The researchers say bio-printing is still experimental. But they hope in a few years they may be able to print tissue to replace damaged human organs. But there are still some problems which need to be solved. Some scientists worry about how to get blood to the replacement tissue. The flow of blood is important to keep the printed tissue alive. Michael Yost hopes that more people will believe in the benefits of biofabrication. "Tissue biofabrication is a reality, and it is a reality now, and if you come here and you get to see it. You will get to see it. You can't touch it, but you will see it and think this is real. And this is really human." According to Michael Yost, we can infer that _ . the Palmetto bio-printer will have a bright future in medical use "China now has 350 million smokers, accounting for one-third of the world total. Chinese smokers now become addicted to nicotine at the age of 19, five years earlier than the average starting age of 24 in 1997," a report said a couple of years ago. Of the 1.1 billion smokers all over the world. more than 800 million are in developing countries. And as the world's largest developing country, China also has the largest number of smokers. Some frightening facts start to appear when we examine who China's smokers are. Of the 350 million addicts, more than 100 million are under the age of 18, while more than 50 percent of male teachers and doctors are smokers. Such a high rate of addicts among male teachers and doctors will certainly have a bad impact on the young generation. Teachers are usually expected to be role models for students who tend to consider whatever they do is right and follow their example. It is very likely that the number of teenage smokers will increase in the near future unless measures are taken to forbid teachers from smoking in front of their students or designate schools as no-smoking zones. What is truly puzzling is why so many doctors smoke. They are aware of the results of the habit, such as high blood pressure and lung cancer. Their example only helps justify the addiction of so many others. If educated people set an example by stopping smoking at least in public places. it would be much easier to drive home the notion that it is uncivilized to smoke in public places. In China, there should also be a national law to ban smoking in public places. These would make a massive contribution to cutting the number of people in China who are smoking themselves into early grave. In the writer's opinion, who have influenced young smokers, especially those under l8? Teachers and doctors.
No matter where you travel in Asia, you'll find yourself faced with a new culture, amazing food and special and friendly people. Here are some of these wonderful cities. Beijing, China Beijing serves as the capital of China. The city is old. In fact, almost all buildings have some cultural or historical significance --no matter how small they are. Throughout the city you can find temples, palaces, and works of art that can make you breathless. Siem Reap, Cambodia The wonderful town of Siem Reap is actually a good place to visit, though most people regard it only as a base point for further trips to Angkor and other nearby attractions. Visitors will be amazed by the beautiful temples and artworks that still exist today. Kathmandu, Nepal Located in the heart of the Himalayas, Kathmandu, the largest city and the capital of Nepal, is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in existence today. It is well-known for its beautiful views of the Himalayas. The shopping districts are world-famous and the hotels in Kathmandu are among the best in the world. Kyoto, Japan The city of Kyoto served as the capital of Japan from 794 to 1868. No longer the capital, it is known as the seventh largest city in Japan instead. Kyoto was destroyed many times throughout history by fires and wars. Now the city is home to more than 1.4 million people and presents a modern look to the world. The purpose of the author in writing the text is to _ . Answer: Dear David, I'm glad you would like to share your feelings with me.It's hardly surprising that your feelings of not being "grown up" have come on strongly at this point in your life,just before you're about to become a father.You are asking:will I make a good father?How will I cope? Should I have brought another little person into the world? Can l provide for it? Help! I think nearly every sensitive about-to-be-parent must have these occasional feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy before the birth and it would be most unusual if you didn't share them.It's difficult,honestly,to feel grown-up unless you have something less grown-up to relate to. The boss with a hen-pecking wife may feel like a seven-year-old when he's at home.But as he walks through the office door,and knows he's going to be surrounded by staff looking to him for Advice,he grows into a fully mature man.And I think it's a mistake to imagine that we all feel,as we age,a kind of progression of states,from the baby to the adult.Most people feel,on Tuesday,about three years old,and on a Wednesday,around 80. There's a common remark that "all men are little boys",but it's not true.It's more true that men often behave like little boys.But nearly all people,at some moments in their lives,are capable of groat maturity. Once your baby arrives,you'll soon feel less childlike,or rather,less often.When your child tries to put its fingers into the electric plug,the adult in you will rise up to prevent it.You'll see you have very little in common with a needy child,particularly if it's looking to you for comfort and support. Comfort yourself,David,with two truths.One is that your friends laugh when they talk about this subject because they,like you,feel frightened.And remember that people who haven't grown up don't go around talking about the fact that they don't feel grown-up. Hope my advice will be helpful and good luck to you and your little one. Yours sincerely Miss Advice Miss Advice holds that _ . Answer: Dear Daughter, As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write to tell you all that is on my mind. First, I want to tell you how proud we are. Getting into Columbia is a real testament of what a great well-rounded student you are. You should be as proud of yourself as we are. Your college years will be the most important of your life. It is in college that you will discover what learning is about. This will be the period when you go from teacher taught to master inspired, after which you must become a self-learner. So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you learn is of no practical use in real life, the learning skills you get will be something you will value forever. Follow your passion in college. Take courses you think you will enjoy, don't be bothered by what others think or say, but make up your own mind. Most importantly, make true friends and be happy. Don't worry about their hobbies, grades, looks, or even personalities. Start planning early what you'd like to do. Where would you like to live? What would you like to learn? I think your plan to study fashion is good, and you should decide where you want to be, and get onto the right courses. I will always be there for you, but the time has come for you to be in the driver's seat--this is your life, and you need to be in control. Being in control feels great. Try it, and you'll love it! So please treasure your college years -- make the best use of your free time, become an independent thinker in control of your destiny, and learn through your successes and challenges. May your years at Columbia be the happiest of your life, and may you grow into just what you dream to be. Love Dad & Mom (Excerpt from Kai-Fu Lee's letter to his daughter) We can read between the lines that _ . Answer: Alan Izhar-Bodner, an Israeli inventor, has developed a swimming suit for divers to breathe underwater without carrying heavy oxygen tanks. His suit makes use of the air that is dissolved in water, just like fish do. The system uses the Henry Law which states that the amount of gas that can be dissolved in a liquid is proportional to the pressure on the liquid. Raise the pressure ---more gas can be dissolved in the liquid. Decrease the pressure --- less gas dissolved in the liquid releases the gas. This is exactly what happens when you open a can of soda; carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in the liquid and is under pressure in the can. Open the can, releasing the pressure, and the gas fizzes out. Bodner's System obviously uses a special machine to lower pressure in part of a small amount of seawater taken into the system; dissolved gas is taken out. The patent reads: A self-contained open-circuit breathing instrument for use within a body of water naturally containing dissolved air. The instrument is adapted to provide breathable air. The instrument contains an inlet for taking out a quantity of water from the body of water. It further contains a separator for separating the dissolved air from the quantity of water, thus gaining the breathable air. The instrument further contains an outlet for expelling the separated water back into the body of water, and another outlet for removing the breathable air and supplying it for breathing. The air is supplied so as to enable it to be expelled back into the body of water after it has been breathed . Human beings have been thinking about how to breathe underwater since they started swimming. This long-held desire plays an important part in one of the first great science fiction novels, Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. From the passage we learn that _ . Answer: When Dr Jane Goodall was a kid growing up in England, she dreamed of one day living among wild animals. That opportunity came when Goodall was 26 years old. Goodall moved to the African country and spent 25 years there. What she learned about chimpanzees fascinated people all over the world. After studying animals for the first part of her career, Jane Goodall began working to protect not only chimpanzees, but all creatures. Her new book,"Hope for Animals and their World," is a collection of conservation success stories. Time For Kids talked to Goodall about her new book and her advice for young people. TFK: What inspired you to write a book about conservation success stories? Dr Goodall: Because of all my travels , I meet these extraordinary people and hear about these amazing project, and they really do give hope. They show that we can turn thing around. TFK: Why are these stories important? Goodall:There are a lot of young people who are going out and wanting to save species, and they are so often told,"Give up. It's hopeless." And if we have that attitude, then soon there will be noting left. TFK: How should kids who want to help get started? Goodall: Join Roots and Shoots. It gives them an opportunity to interact with other young people. The website at www.rootsandshoots.org is a way for them to learn more. ,A.B.C.D . (3;1.5,4.5) Dr Goodall wrote the conservation stories _ Answer:
People who breathe infected air from a TB patient can become infected with the tuberculosis bacteria . However, most people with active tuberculosis do not expel (,)very many TB bacteria. So, the spread of the disease usually does not happen unless a person spends a large amount of time with a TB patient. Those most at risk are family members, friends and people who live or work closely with a patient. Tuberculosis can attack any part of the body. However, the lungs are the most common targets of the bacteria. People with the disease show several signs. They may expel air from the lungs suddenly with an explosive noise. This kind of cough continues for a long period of time. People with a more severe case of tuberculosis also may cough up blood. People with the disease often have high body temperatures. They suffer what are called night sweats, during which their bodies release large amounts of water through the skin. TB victims also are tired all the time. They are not interested in eating. So their bodies lose weight. One thing that is especially dangerous about TB is that people with moderate signs of the disease may not know they have had it. They may spread the disease to others without even knowing it. So, it is very important for people to get tested for tuberculosis. Why may some TB patients spread the disease to others without even knowing it? Answer: Because these patients' signs of the disease are too weak to be noticed. The world shares him and London claims him, but Stratford-on-Avon intends to spend 2016 celebrating Shakespeare as their man: the bard of Avon, who was born there in 1564, and died there 400 years ago. Stratford remained hugely important throughout Shakespeare's life, argues Paul Edmondson, the head of learning and research at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. "People have seen Shakespeare as a Dick Whittington figure, who turns his back on Stratford and his family, goes to London to earn his fortune and only comes back to die," he said. "But Stratford is where he bought land and property, where he kept his library, where he lived and read and thought. We are going to spend the year re-emphasizing the importance of Shakespeare, the man of Stratford." The anniversary of the death of the most famous and the most performed playwright in the world will be marked across Britain and the globe. Macbeth is about to open in Singapore, Romeo and Juliet in Brussels. Shakespeare's Globe is completing the first world tour, in which it has taken Hamlet to almost every country. North Korea is still holding out, though. The Globe director recently jokily claimed Shakespeare as a true Londoner. Stratford, however, will be insisting that the town made and educated Shakespeare. "His old school room in Stratford-on-Avon where Shakespeare learned 'small Latin and less Greek' --as kindly laughed at by his friend Ben Johnson--will open its doors, scarred by centuries of naughty schoolboys, to mark 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death," said Paul Edmondson. Shakespeare bought the splendid New Place, the second best house in the town, when he had made his fortune on the London stage. "You don't buy a house like New Place and not live there," Paul said. He believes that after Shakespeare bought it, all his thinking time was spent there, and that the late plays, including The Tempest, were at least planned in his library and probably written there. What made people regard Shakespeare as a Dick Whittington figure? Answer: His life experiences. Researchers conducting a study of hospital stays for over two hundred and eighty six thousand older folks found something interesting in their data. The number of hospitalizations for heart disease and stroke went down significantly among a certain group of people at a certain time of year. What folks, and what time of year, you ask? Flu season and the lucky people were the ones who got flu shots . It's generally recommended that people over fifty get their flu shots every year. Influenza is no small thing. it's responsible for around thirty six thousand deaths a year in the U. S. alone. Getting the shots also cuts down on the chances of getting pneumonia , which is especially dangerous in seniors. But what wasn't known was that there seems to be an added benefit to getting a flu shots in terms of _ heart problems. The data,in fact, are quite strong in suggesting this is the case. In this study, flu shots cut clown the number of hospitalizations for heart disease by nineteen percent. Stroke went down sixteen percent one season and a whopping twenty-three percent a second season.These are big results. So what's the connection between getting a flu shot and having a stronger heart? It isn't yet known. Researchers speculate that the flu virus itself may do damage to blood vessels , possibly making clots more likely. Blood clots in the heart can cause heart attacks, and blood clots in the brain can cause strokes. Whatever the specific details are, there's one more good reason to follow your doctor' s advice and get that annual flu shot. According to the passage, we'd better _ . Answer: get flu shot every year 1. Need a room close to the US Embassy for a week in early January I need a room close to the US embassy for a week in early January. My parents are going to the US embassy for visa interview on January 7th. I am looking for a place for them to stay around this date. Hotels are too expensive for them since they have been retired long ago. They speak Chinese only. Rent can be made through Paypal in USD or cash in CNY, if the price is right. Reply to: house-510574487@craigslist.org 2. House wanted May 17-24 Looking for 5 bedrooms from May 17-24. Can be one large apartment or 2 smaller ones, but they must be close to each other. Please email me at jcshap@sina.com if you have a nice place with air conditioning, high speed Internet. 3. Home swap or share I have a beautiful 3-bedroom home with pool and spa in Las Vegas, the USA, 10 minutes from the strip . I am willing to share or swap my house for yours (home or apartment) during the holiday. I need a place for 2 or 3 people in Shanghai from May 19-25. in exchange, you can have my house for any week either during the holiday, or any other time as long as I have a one-month advance notice to set up for you so you can have my house all to yourselves. If interested, please email me at sdiem@cox.net and I will send photos for my home. 4. Apartment or house wanted May 8-28, 2013 My daughter is working in Shanghai and my family wants to be there to stay with her for some time. We are looking for a 2-3 room apartment or house to rent from May 28 in the Pudong District. Need air conditioning. Thanks Reply to: wcondon7@msn.com If your family leave Shanghai for America for a seven-day trip next month, you will probably contact _ . Answer: sdiem@cox.net As a child, Alain Robert was afraid of height. One day, when he was 12, he returned home from school. At the front door of his building, he looked for his keys. He didn't have them. It was 3.30 p.m. and his parents worked until 6.00 p.m. Alain looked at his apartment on the eighth floor. He saw an open window. He closed his eyes and imagined himself climbing the building. When he opened his eyes, he told himself,"I can do it."Fifteen minutes later, he was in his house and his fear of height was gone. Today Alain still climbs buildings. In 2003, he climbed a building in London dressed as Spiderman to advertise the movie. In 2004, he climbed Taipei 101(one of the tallest buildings in the world). To reach the top of a building, Alain uses only his hands and special shoes. He has no rope or other safety tools. Alain climbs as a hobby. He also does it to raise money for _ (for poor children and the homeless).When he climbs, he wants to send a massage to people. If you have a dream----something you really want to do, it can become real. But you must be brave and keep trying. If something bad happens, don't give up. Close your eyes and tell yourself, "I can do it." What can you learn from this passage? Answer: If we have a dream, we must be brave and hold on to it.
My parents taught me not to waste food. My mum always found ways to make leftovers taste good. I went to YiLan to learn about some of their special food. As I was there, I learned about the food and the history of the area. I learned that they don't waste food, either, and they use leftovers! Many years ago, there was not enough food for everyone. People learned to cook and eat almost everything. They had to think of ways to make special dishes. One of these dishes is kao zha.It made with leftovers like meat, soup, oil and fat. That might not sound very good, but it does taste good. Today, kao zha is a special dish at big banquets . Another famous dish is called zao bing. It's made with fruit, meat and other things. I really liked it! But I didn't want to eat too much. It has a lot of fat in it. I smelled something burning and I saw smoke, so I found another special food of the YiLan area duck meat. The duck meat is put in a big oven to cook it. Smoke keeps the meat fresh. I don't usually eat meat, but this duck meat was delicious! It tasted sweet. YiLan is a great place with delicious food. I hope I can come back again! Kao zha is a good dish that is made with _ . A fruit,meatandotherthings B freshandsweetduckmeat C somedifferentleftovers D meat,soupandfruit Answer: C. somedifferentleftovers I love charity shops and so do lots of other people in Britain because you find quite a few of them on every high street. The charity shop is a British institution, selling everything from clothes to electric goods, all at very good prices. You can get things you won't find in the shops anymore. The thing I like best about them is that your money is going to a good cause and not into the pockets of profit-driven companies, and you are not damaging the planet, but finding a new home for unwanted goods. The first charity shop was opened in 1947 by Oxfam. The famous charity's appeal to aid postwar Greece had been so successful that it had been flooded with donations. They decided to set up a shop to sell some of these donations to raise money for that appeal. Now there are over 7,000 charity shops in the UK. My favorite charity shop in my hometown is the Red Cross shop, where I always find children's books, all 10 or 20 pence each. Most of the people working in the charity shops are volunteers, although there is often a manager who gets paid. Over 90% of the goods in the charity shops are donated by the public. Every morning you see bags of unwanted items outside the front of shops, although they don't encourage this, rather ask people to bring things in when the shop is open. The shops have very low running costs, and all profits go to charity work. Charity shops raise more than PS110 million a year, funding medical research, overseas aid, supporting sick and poor children, homeless and disabled people, and much more. What better places to spend your money? You get something special for a very good price and a good moral sense. You provide funds to a good cause and step lightly on the environment. The first charity shop in the UK was set up to _ . A sell cheap products B deal with unwanted things C raise money for patients D help a foreign country Answer: D. help a foreign country A student drops a ball. Which force causes the ball to fall to the ground? A electricity B friction C gravity D magnetism Answer: C. gravity For many in the prefix = st1 /United States, Arab-Americans are an invisible part of the population. Though Arab-Americans as a community have made great contributions to American society in fields from literature to politics to medicine, many Americans know very little about Americans of Arab backgrounds. Arab history in the United Statesgoes back to the late 1800's when large numbers of Arab immigrants first began making their journey to a land known simply as "Amreeka". Historians generally describe Arab immigration to Americain two waves. The first wave took place between 1860 and 1924.The first wave consisted of Lebanese and Syrian, and some Egyptian immigrants. These new immigrants, who were mostly Christian, came toAmericain search of better opportunities. Even the doomed Titanic, which set sail forAmericain 1912,had close to a hundred Arab passengers aboard. The majority of Arab-Americans today are descendents of the first wave of immigrants; they are the third or more generation Americans. The second wave of immigrants followed after World War II, caused by political unrest in the Middle East. This second wave of immigrants consists of mainly Arab Muslims and continues to this day. Arab-Americans make up 3 million of the population in the United States, according to demographers. And quite different from popular belief, 64% of them are American-born. 82% percent of Arab-Americans are US citizens. Arab-Americans are beyond the national average in both education and income. Education is important among Arab-Americans; 82% have high school diplomas, 36% have bachelor's degrees or higher, and 15% have graduate degrees. The average income among Arab-Americans is $39580, which is higher than the USaverage. What would be the best title for the text? A Arabs in America. B The Two Arab Immigration Waves to America. C Arab-Americans, Contributions to America. D Arab-Americans, Education and Income. Answer: A. Arabs in America. Thomas James Hanson will remember for a long time the snowstorm that hit the state of New York on November 22. The 47-year-old man from Niagara Falls was stuck in his car on the highway for almost eight days after his vehicle was accidentally pushed to the side of the road and covered with snow by workers employed to remove the snow from the streets. Driving on the Interstate Highway 190 during the worst of the snowstorm, Mr. Hanson decided to pull over his old 1993 Volkswagen Passat to the side of the road and wait for the weather conditions to improve. He remained motionless for approximately five hours before a snow plow arrived to clear the way. Unfortunately for the poor man, the driver of the gigantic snow removal vehicle did not see the small car, pushing it into the ditch and covering it with more than 2 meters of snow. Fortunately for the father of two children, the snow that was stacked over his vehicle was not very dense and allowed for enough fresh air to get through to enable him to survive. He was able to drink Thomas Hans water that he obtained by melting snow with his lighter in an aluminum coffee cup, and he ate the few items of groceries he had bought before going home. "If I had known I would be stuck for eight days, I would have bought more than a jar of dill pickles , a bottle of ketchup and two sticks of beef jerky ," said the survivor with a smile.on had almost lost all hope of being rescued when his car was hit once again this morning by another snow plow, which revealed the poor man's location. Which of the following would be the best title of the passage? A Heavy Snowstorm Caused Disaster to New York B Man Found Alive after Being Stuck 8 Days under Snow C Thomas James Hanson - a Black Sheep in the Snow D Wonderful Eight Days of Experience in the Snow Answer: B. Man Found Alive after Being Stuck 8 Days under Snow
Question: Most Westerners--particularly most Americans--are not nearly as concerned about protocol in social matters as Chinese people are. America is a nation of immigrants. It's made up of people from all over the world, all of whom bring their own traditions and habits with them. Thus you needn't worry much about "proper" behavior :who sits next to whom at the dinner table, what is the suitable dress for the occasion, etc. , unless you receive a formal invitation to a dinner or party. Americans are very direct people. When you want something you say "Yes" and when you don't, you say "No". If you want something different from what is offered, you ask for it. Westerners will not ask you again and again or try to press something on you after you have said you don't want it. In fact, if you say "No" when you really want something to drink or to eat, you may find yourself very thirsty or hungry. But there are a few Western customs which are very important and you should try at all times to observe.A Westerner doesn't leave his paper or cloth on the table. He puts it on his lap where it's supposed to protect his clothes from spilled food or uses it to wipe his hand or mouth when necessary. A Westerner doesn't put his own fork, knife or spoon into a serving bowl. He uses it in the bowl to put some of the food on his own plate, and then returns the serving fork(knife or spoon) to the bowl. A Westerner doesn't spit food anywhere. If he has bones in his mouth, he takes them out with his fingers and places them on the edge of his plate, never on the table or floor. A Westerner doesn't belch out loud. If he does, he says "Excuse me" quietly and goes on with the conversation. People in America _ . A. come from different countries in the world B. mainly come from Europe C. mainly come from Asia D. come from China Answer: A. come from different countries in the world Question: Early last Tuesday, six men carrying machine guns, a pistol and a hunting rifle got on a four--car electric " milk train" at the Dutch town of Assen. Shortly after it left Beilen, ten miles away, the terrorists stopped the train and seized the passenger as hostages. As police and Dutch soldiers ringed the train, another group of terrorists stuck in Amsterdam, forcing their way into the Indonesian consulate and taking 41 more hostages, including 16 children. By week's end the terrorists had murdered three people aboard the train, and four more had been wounded in the raid on the consulate. The kidnapping, and the subsequent cold--blooded murders, virtually rocked the Netherlands. While the Cabinet met in emergency sessions, television and radio station paused normal programming in favor of solemn music and news bulletins. The terrorists were Indonesians from the South Moluccan Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and they were demanding that the Dutch help them gain independence from the Jakarta regime. The twin acts of violence were not the first signs of South Molucca anger. Just before a 1970 visit to the Netherlands by Indonesia's President Suharto, they attacked the Indonesian embassy in the Hague, killing a Dutch policeman. Last week's kidnappings are two days before the Dutch Appeals Court was to trial 16 South Moluccan's who were implicated in a plot last April to kidnap Queen Juliana and other members of the Royal family. They planned to storm the palace at Soestdijk after attacking the gates with an armoured car . The Moluccan headache is a heritage of the old days of empire. A chain of islands at the eastern of the Indonesian archipelago, the Moluccas were once known as the Spice Islands. When the Netherlands gave up its East Indies colonies in 1949, the Moluccans wanted to set up a South Moluccan Republic, some 12,000 islanders were allowed to settle to the Netherlands. Their number swollen by Dutch--born children now reached 35,000. the young Moluccans here are demanding that the Dutch help them gain independence from the Jakarta regime. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage? A. Dozens of people were seized by the terrorist as hostages. B. The Indonesian consulate was located in Amsterdam. C. The terrorists were Indonesians living in the Netherlands. D. The terrorists all surrendered to the police and soldiers. Answer: D. The terrorists all surrendered to the police and soldiers. Question: Researchers Jose Cordova and Erich Astudillo have discovered a new molecule that kills the bacteria Streptococcus Mutans, long known to be responsible for breaking down sugars in food in the mouth, which damages tooth leading to decay . The new molecule they call "Keep 32" has been found to kill the bacteria. The two have applied for a patent on their discovery and have also begun a marketing strategy aimed at both oral care products and food products. They say either product, if left in the mouth for just 60 seconds ,will kill all the harmful bacteria in the mouth and keep _ at bay for several hours. If the new molecule passes health and safety tests, the two believe products using their new molecule should be on the market in as little as a year and a half. They expect the market for such a product to reach $300 million in just the first year. The two have been working together since 2005 using money from the Founder Institute and say the aim is to approve the process for creating the molecule they've discovered for big companies like Procter & Gamble, Colgate even candy companies such as Hershey's. In interviews, Astudillo has suggested that the two researchers are already heavily into discussion with several companies, some of which are interested in buying the patent once it is approved. Over the years many products have _ with announcement of reducing tooth decay and even the loss of teeth, but other than the introduction of fluoride into drinking water, not much progress has been made. If the announcement made by this new team proves true however, it could foresee a mark in saving the world of tooth decay as well as helping to improve the health for millions of people as tooth decay has been linked to many other health problems throughout the body including heart attacks. The phrase "come on the scene" in Para. 4 is closest in meaning to _ . A. performed B. occurred C. existed D. arrived Answer: C. existed Question: Nowadays, pollution is becoming worse and worse. A starry night seems to be a luxury for people living in cities. Is there any ideal place for stargazers ? A small town in New Zealand is here to surprise you with its breathtaking starry night sky. Lake Tekapo is located at the heart of New Zealand's South Island. It has been a popular tourist destination for stargazers. At night, innumerable stars dot the sky above the small town. The Milky Way and various constellations can be clearly seen. Visitors can also watch meteors shooting across the sky. For people living in big cities, these can only be seen in movies or fairytales. Though stargazing is common for people in Lake Tekapo, the local people have paid great attention to protecting their starry night sky. After midnight, all landscape lights must be turned off. In 2005, Lake Tekapo's starry night sky was even listed as a world heritage . Besides its starry sky, the town has many other things to offer. One of them is the flower, Russell Lupin. Every summer, Russell Lupins make Lake Tekapo more attractive. However, once the Russell Lupins die off, the banks of Lake Tekapo look bare. After reading the above introduction of Lake Tekapo, you must envy the local people a lot, because they can see the starry sky every night and appreciate the beauty of Russell Lupin every summer. If you are interested in Lake Tekapo, why not go and visit it this coming summer vacation? What do the local people do to protect their starry night sky? A. Plant the flower, Russell Lupin B. turn off all landscape lights C. Put it in the list of world heritages D. Offer many others things for tourists Answer: B. turn off all landscape lights Question: A Paul Zindel's death on March 27,2003 ended the brilliant life of a famous writer. Not only did Paul Zindel win a Pulitzer Prize as well as an Obie Prize for his 1970 play The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, but he was one of the earliest writers in the field of contemporary literature for young adults . The Pigman, published in 1968. is still one of the most well-known and widely-taught novels in the genre, the American Library Association has named it one of the 100 Best of the Best books for Young Adults published between 1967 and 1992, and Zindel's autobiography. The Pigman and Me, was among the 100 Best of the Best Books published for teenagers during the last part of the twentieth century. Six of Zindel's books, in fact, have been voted the Best Books for Young Adults, and most of his recent horror books--such as The Doom Stone and Rats--have been chosen as Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Clearly, he was a writer who knew how to interest contemporary children. Recognizing that, the American Library Association in 2002 honored Paul Zindel with the Margaret A. Edwards Prize for his lifetime achievements , and later that same year he was presented with the ALAN Prize for his contributions to Young Adult Literature. With his passing, young readers, teachers, and librarians have lost a great friend. When did Paul Zindel win the ALAN Prize? A. In 2002 B. In 2003 C. Between 1967 and 1992 D. Between 2002 and 2003 Answer: A. In 2002
Gina's sister lives in England. She knows something about China on TV. But she wants to know more. So she is looking forward to visiting China. She will have a holiday next week. She is going to visit Beijing because she likes Chinese culture. She is going there by plane and then stay in a hotel. In Beijing she is going to do sightseeing, and visit the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and walk up the Great Wall. Gina's sister also likes animals. She likes Chinese pandas very much. So she is going to visit Beijing Zoo to see the pandas there and take some photos of them. On the last day in Beijing she is going shopping. She wants to buy Gina a present. She knows that Gina likes Chinese silk and Chinese paintings. Gina's sister wants to take some photos of the pandas because _ . In a very special course at Knnet School, the social-science teacher Adam Smith guides his students through the "married life". Unlike the traditional course, Adam makes his students experience the real problems married ones may face like housing and child care. "No one tells kids about money-managing problems," says Adam. Each student should act out in ten weeks what normally takes couples ten years to finish. In the first week, one member of each couple is asked to get an after school job -- a real one. During the term, the income rules their life-style. In the third week, the couples must find an apartment they can afford. In the fifth week, the couples "have a baby" and then struggle to cover the costs of baby clothes and furniture. In week eight, the marriage comes to the breaking point by such disaster as a mother-in-law's moving in or death. It's all over by week ten (the tenth year of marriage). After serious discussion with lawyers about alimony and child support, the students get divorced . Adam's course, which has "married" 1,000 students since its beginning six years ago, is widely supported by parents and students. Some of the students have found the experience making them realize their real life marry plans are wrong. Marianne Baldrica, 16, who tried "marriage" last term with her boyfriend Eric Zook, 15, said, " Eric and I used to get along pretty well before we took the course together. But I wanted to live in the city, he wanted the country. He wanted lots of kids, I wanted no kids. It's been four weeks since the course ended and Eric and I are just starting to talk to each other again." After taking the course, Marianne will _ . A few days ago we - that's me and the husband - took a cab to the station. Chat with the driver fell to the wrong of cyclists, and the misunderstanding of the road rules. So far as the rules of the road go, there seems to be one basic principle: when you are driving a car you hate bikes, when you are riding a bike you hate cars (and I guess walkers hate everyone). There is an obvious difference of viewpoint built in here. It wasn't until I started to drive a car (almost 20years after I had first rode a bike) that I actually realized that you could not see a cyclist at night without lights. In fact I now want to shout at late night cyclists without lights(like motortists once did at me): "You'll get killed, sunshine, I can't see you." The problem is that cyclists do ride headlong into danger. It's not just not having lights. It's biking on pavements (and so threatening to injure a load of innocent walkers in the process) and biking down one-way streets the wrong way. I admit that I do bike the wrong way down a one-way street sometimes. My feeble defense is that I try always to do it as if I know I was doing wrong. That is slowly, with an apologetic look on the face, and ready to get off at any minute. I can't bear the guys (usually, but not always it is guys) who do it as if they owned the place, and at high speed. So cyclists are not entirely innocent. But they are among the disadvantaged groups, because the bottom line is that a car or a lorry can kill a cyclist and not the other way around. What can we learn about the writer? Life comes in a package.This package includes happiness and sadness, failure and success, hope and _ .Life is a learning process.Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us a better person.With each passing day we learn to deal with various situations. Love plays a main role in our life.Love makes you feel wanted.Without love a person could become cruel.In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who show us with love and care.They teach us about what is right and wrong, good and bad.But we don't always care about it.It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands others' feelings. Happiness can bring people a peaceful mind.No mind is happy without peace.Sadness is the cause of the death of a loved one or the failure.But all of these things will pass away. 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, pride and self-respect. Hope is what keeps life going.Parents always hope their children will do well.Hope makes us dream.Hope builds in patience.Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night there is a day. Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and is out of our control.Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dark. _ We usually have to accept _ if we want to be successful. There is one word you must learn before you visit the USA. That is "Freeze". Remember it has a special meaning besides the usual one. It means "stand still and don't move". Often policemen use it when they are ready to use their guns. If one doesn't obey the order and moves, he or she will be shot to death. One evening in Los Angeles, someone rang the bell of a house. It was a dangerous area at night, so the _ of the house took his gun with him when he answered the door. He opened the door and saw a strange man. But the man turned round and started walking away from the house. The owner cried: "Freeze", but the young man went on walking without obeying the owner's order. The owner thought he was trying to run away, so he shot at the young man and he was killed. Later, police found that the dead man was a Japanese student who was studying in Los Angeles University. He went to visit a friend, but unluckily could not remember the number of the house. When he realized he went to the wrong house he turned round and left. He didn't know much English and so didn't understand the word "Freeze". What a lesson we should get for this! What's the best title of the article?
These days we hear a lot about how air pollution is changing temperatures on the earth. New evidence from a mountaintop in China now suggests that pollution can also change the amount of rain and snow that falls in some places. Usually, more rain falls in mountainous places than in flat areas upwind from the mountains. That's because air can hold a lot of water. When wind blows wet air up a mountainside, the air gets colder. This temperature change often forces water to fall as rain or snow. In recent years, however, many mountainous areas in the western United States have been getting less rain than normal. Mountains that are downwind from cities have experienced the biggest drops. Some scientists have theorized that pollution drifts from the cities into the mountains, affecting rainfall, but proving this link has been difficult. Searching for answers, a team led by a scientist from the Hebrew University went to s mountain in China called Mount Hua, which is 2,060 meters tall and lies about 120 kilometers east of the Chinese city Xi'an. Since 1954, scientists have been collecting details about rainfall, humidity , and visibility in the area. Using this data, the scientists compared rainfall on Mount Hua to rainfall in the nearest city, Huayin, on days with different levels of visibility. When the air was clear and people could see as far as 20 km, the scientists found that 65% more rain fell on the mountain than in the city. But when the air was smoggy, allowing only 8 km of visibility through the mist, the mountain received just 20% more rain than the city. The new data supports the theory that pollution affects rainfall. Some scientists believe that there are other explanations for the numbers. It's possible, for example, that natural particles in the air, rather than particles produced by pollution, are affecting visibility. According to the passage, what will probably happen when the wet air in the sky gets colder? A. It will probably rain or snow B. It will probably be cloudy. C. It will probably wind D. It will probably become dry. Answer: A. It will probably rain or snow My name is Jane King. Jane is my first name and King is my family name. I'm twelve. I'm also an English girl.I have a brother. His name is John. He is only five. He is very lovely. Both my father and mother are teachers. They love their work. They work very hard. We have a house with a garden. The house is big and nice. The garden is not big but nice. There are some flowers and small trees in it. We often play games there. We all like our house and garden. Jane's brother's full name is _ . A. King B. John C. John King D. King John Answer: C. John King At a certain time in our lives we consider every place as the possible site for a house.I have thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live.In imagination I have bought all the farms, one after another, and I knew their prices. The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when I bought the Hollowell place.But before the owner completed the sale with me, his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it, and he offered me additional dollars to return the farm to him.However, I let him.keep the additional dollars and sold him the farm for just what I gave for it. The real attraction of' the Hollowell farm to me was its position, being about two miles from the village, half a mile from the nearest neighbor, bounded on one side by the river, and separated from highway by a wide field. The poor condition if the house and fences showed that it hadn't been used for some time.I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden behind a forest area, and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks, cutting down the apple trees, and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields.I wanted to buy it before he made any more of his improvements.But it turned out as I have said. I was not really troubled by _ .I had always had a.garden, but I don't think I was ready for a large farm. I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted .It makes but little difference you own a farm or not. What does the author believe as important in life? A. To own a farm B. To satisfy his needs C. To be free from worries D. To live in the countryside Answer: C. To be free from worries There have always been laws against copying other people's ideas. However, when copying was only limited to copying something by hand, problems were solved easily. The solution was always the destruction or removal of the copy. Nowadays, the rise of the Internet has made the issue of intellectual property more complicated. Almost every bit of information can be cut and pasted with a few clicks of a mouse. Many art forms such as writings, films, and music need new protection to ensure that people do not simply transfer them for free. Online illegal copying has been blamed for a huge reduction in the sales of many records because it is hard to convince people to buy something that they can get for free. Even the ideas behind traditional games, such as Scrabble, have been used without the owners' permission. Old laws have been struggling to keep up. While music companies have been successful in persuading courts that action should be taken against people who illegally download music, the law is difficult to carry out. Furthermore, intellectual property rights vary widely from country to country, so it's up for debate which laws apply. Finally, there is the fact that many people simply do not see the act as theft , since once the work has been digitized there is no clear physical object to steal in the first place. All of these issues mean that companies involved with intellectual property -- ideas or easily digitized information -- are fighting desperately to get people to pay for the information they use, rather than paying for an object like a CD that they use. While the companies have sometimes been successful, the practical barriers to full protection seem _ . Finally, all that concerned parties can do is hope that their few successes scare off others and try to find new ways of making money. What can be inferred from this passage? A. Music and films will be unnecessary in the future. B. New laws are necessary but difficult to put into practice. C. The Internet is likely to become more important in the future. D. Laws are just a way for greedy companies to control their products. Answer: B. New laws are necessary but difficult to put into practice. Have you heard about Post Office Cats in Britain? They are mouse hunters. The post office has actually employed cats since 1868. They are not employed to sort or deliver mail, of course, but to protect the mail and keep the population of mice under control. They make sure your morning post arrives free from damages caused by rats and mice. London post offices were the first to try out the experiment. Within a few months the population of mice had _ sharply. Other post offices all over the country were soon using cats in the war against rats and mice as well. Within ten years the pay of the cats was improved from one and a half old pence a day to six or nine pence a day. Now the average rate of pay is about a few pounds a month. Some of the hard-working cats have become quite famous. In 1980, a cat named Lucky stopped an attempted robbery in a Worcestershire post office on her own. As the two burglars made their way in through the window, Lucky started an attack and they fled empty-handed. Another excellent cat was Jerry, of Earls Court post office in London. He served the building for 16 years and was on duty for 24 hours every day. He drove all the mice away. However, there are fewer cats employed by the post office than at any time in the past. With the faster movement of the mail and better surroundings, post office cats are not always needed. But many post offices still employ them and they become great friends with the postmen. According to the post office, there is no plan for their services to be discontinued in the foreseeable future. The cat named Lucky became famous because _ . A. She served the post office for 16 years around the clock. B. She alone drove two burglars away from the post office. C. She protected mails from being bitten by mice. D. She was employed to sort and deliver mail. Answer: B. She alone drove two burglars away from the post office.
Question: The Blacks are American tourists. They visits now in Beijing. This is their first visit to China. They are going to stay in China for three months. They want to visit some big cities and villages. They hope to learn some Chinese, too. Mr Black is a taxi driver. He likes to drive in Beijing. Mrs Black is a school teacher. She is visiting a city school today and a village school tomorrow. Their daughter is a middle school student. She is going to meet some Chinese students. They are taking a lot of pictures in China. When they return to America, they are going to show the pictures to their friends. They want the American people to know more about China. The Blacks are staying in _ now. A. England B. Beijing C. Shanghai D. New York Answer: B. Beijing Question: The 18-meter-tall Rubber Duck arrived in Beijing on Friday. It was placed on waters in the International Garden Expo Park, where the Yongding River passes through. The Rubber Duck exhibition was designed by Dutch artist, Florentijn Hofman. It was part of the activities of Beijing Design Week, which ran from September 26 to October 3 in 2013. The Rubber Duck stayed in the park until September 23, then moved to the Summer Palace, a famous Beijing tourist spot, where it was on display until October 26. The duck is made of over 200 pieces of rubber. It was guarded not only by staff, but also by 10 volunteers wearing yellow T-shirts and hats with a rubber duck logo. Sun Yidong, a volunteer who guided visitors to the duck, said the art brought energy to the traditional Chinese park. "Seeing the giant Rubber Duck makes me feel like I'm a kid again." Sun said. Because of the rain on Friday, there were not too many people coming to see it. The Expo workers said they expected more people to come and visit the duck on weekends. Zhao Yan said she had been following news about the duck since 2007, when the duck began its journey. "I even considered going to Hong Kong to see it. It's great that the duck is in Beijing," Zhao said. Before arriving in Beijing, the Rubber Duck traveled to 13 cities in nine countries. "The aim of the Rubber Duck is simply to bring everyone back to their childhood again," said Zeng Hui, a leader of the Beijing Design Week Organizing Committee Office. "It can be a toy for adults." ,. The Rubber Duck arrived in Beijing on _ . A. Thursday B. Friday C. Saturday D. Sunday Answer: B. Friday Question: About 18,000 refugees from Burma have come to the United States each year since 2007. Some have settled in Howard County, Maryland between Baltimore and Washington. A local school began teaching English to the children of the refugees. But while the children learned the language, their parents did not. That made communication with teachers _ . At present, almost fifty children from Burma attend Bollman Bridge Elementary School. Laurel Conran is a teacher there. She said, "The main idea is the global idea." She teaches English to speakers of other languages. One of her students is Tha Neih Ciang. Another student is Tha Neih's mother, Tin Iang. Ms. Conran practices English with Tin Iang at the mother's workplace. Many refugees from Burma work at Coastal Sunbelt Produce, a supplier of fruits and vegetables to restaurants and other businesses. Laurel Conran started classes at the company to help refugees from Burma learn English. Laurel Conran said, "The program is a six-week session. It's once a week, on every Wednesday, from twelve to one o'clock. So every Wednesday I go to Coastal Sunbelt." As the workers eat lunch, they also practice their new language skills. Lisa Chertok has a child at Bollman Bridge. She is also a manager at Coastal Sunbelt. She helped Ms. Conran develop the lessons, which she says have really helped. Lisa Chertok said, "Well, when the Burmese employees got here, they were very, very shy. Now I find that they are more outspoken than before. They're more communicative. As parents, they are also more involved in their children's school." Jonathan Davis is the headmaster of Bollman Bridge Elementary School. Mr. Davis hopes the lessons will help these parents feel better about communicating with the school. He said, "Even as simple as making a phone call to say that their son or daughter is sick, even if that's the amount of English that they have got from the program, that truly will help us." When the refugees from Burma first arrived in Howard County, _ . A. neither the children nor the parents could speak English B. the parents liked communicating with the teachers C. the parents could help their children speak English D. the children could speak very good English Answer: A. neither the children nor the parents could speak English Question: Scientists have discovered thirteen kinds of vitamins. They say vitamins help to carry out chemical changes within cells. If we do not get enough of the vitamins we need in our food, we are at risk of developing a number of diseases. Which foods should be eaten to keep us healthy? Let us look at some important vitamins. Vitamin A helps prevent skin and other tissues from becoming dry. People who do not get enough vitamin A cannot see well in darkness. Vitamin A is found in fish liver oil and the yellow part of eggs. Vitamin B-1 is also called thiamine. Thiamine changes starchy foods into energy. Thiamine is found not just in whole grains like brown rice, but also in beans and peas, nuts, and meat and fish. Vitamin B-12 is needed so folic acid can do its work. Together, they help produce red blood cells. Folic acid has been shown to prevent physical problems in babies when taken by their mothers during pregnancy. Vitamin B-12 is found naturally in foods like eggs, meat, fish and milk products. Vitamin B-12 is found in green leafy vegetables and other foods, like legumes and citrus fruits . Vitamin C is needed for strong bones and teeth. The body stores little vitamin C. So we must get it every day in foods such as citrus fruits, tomatoes and uncooked cabbage. Vitamin D prevents the children's bone disease rickets . Ultraviolet light from the sun changes a substance in the skin into vitamin D. Fish liver oil also contains vitamin D. Vitamin K is needed for healthy blood. It thickens the blood around a cut to stop bleeding. It can also be found in pork products, liver and in vegetables like cabbage, kale and spinach . Vitamins are important to our health. A lack of required vitamins can lead to health problems. What can change a substance in the skin into vitamin D? A. Fish liver oil. B. Ultraviolet light from the sun. C. Fresh milk drunk by people. D. Doing a certain amount of exercise. Answer: B. Ultraviolet light from the sun. Question: In Shanxi Province you may be offered brains to eat. Frightened? You shouldn't, because the brains is only a kind of food, which is famous for its unusual name and rich nutrition . Brains as food was invented more than 300 years ago by Fu Shan, an artist whose mother had been ill for a long time. To help her become well again, he studied medicine and invented a kind of soup made of meat, vegetables and a number of Chinese medicines. Rice wine was also used in the soup to help treat illnesses caused by old age. After taking the soup his mother got better little by little and lived a long life. Fu's soup became the talk of the town. Many people came to see him. One day a restaurant owner asked him what was in the soup. "I'll tell you," Fu said. "But if your restaurant is going to sell the soup, you must call it brains because of its shape and colour. And your restaurant should be renamed after my mother." What has made brains a popular food in Shanxi? A. It is served in many restaurants there. B. It is good for health and has a strange name. C. It is made of Chinese medicines and wine. D. It must be used to help the sick. Answer: B. It is good for health and has a strange name.
We have heard about people who have special memories. Recently there has been a report about a woman from Australia who can remember almost every detail of all the events in her daily life. Rebecca Sharrock, 25, is one of just 80 people worldwide who have been identified as having Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory ( HSAM,). It means she can remember every small event-which most people would forget with in (......) days-as if it had happened just minutes ago. "I remember my mum putting me in the driver's seat of a car and taking a picture of me when I was 12 days old," she said. "That's my earliest memory. I remember every day since then. I can't tell all the dates exactly because I was too young to understand calendars, but I remember what I did that every day, what the weather was like and so on." Rebecca can also re-experience taste. If she's eating something that she doesn't like, she thinks about Black Forest cake, her favorite food, and the memory will be so strong that she can nearly "taste" it. However, sometimes her memories prove to be painful. Because they're not just events that she remembers. "When I relive memories, the feelings return, too," Rebecca said. "For example, I remember falling over when I was three at my grandparents' house and hurting my left knee. Talking about it now, I feel painful in my left knee. " "At night, I have to sleep with the radio/recorder and a soft light on, she added. "1f it's too dark or quiet, my mind would be filled with all these memories and I can't sleep. " What happened to Rebecca on the day when she was 3 years old? Answer: Every day 25 million U.S. children ride school buses. The safety record for these buses is much better than for passenger cars; but nevertheless, about 10 children are killed each year riding on large school buses, and nearly four times that number are killed outside buses in the loading zones. By and large, however, the nation's school children are transported to and from school safely. Even though the number of school bus accidents is not large, the safety of children is always of intense public concern. While everyone wants to see children transported safely, people are divided about what needs to be done-particularly whether seat belts should be compulsory. People in favor of seat belts on school buses-many of them parents and medical organizations-argue that seat belts are necessary not only to reduce fatality and injury, but also to teach children lessons about the importance of using them routinely in any moving vehicle. A side benefit, they point out, is that seat belts help keep children in their seats, away from the bus driver. People who object to seat belt installation suggest that children are already well protected by the school buses that follow the Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) safety requirements set in 1977. They also believe that many children won't wear seat belts anyway, and that may damage the belts or use them as weapons to hurt other children. A new research council report on school bus safety suggest that there are alternate safety devices and procedures that may be more effective and less expensive. For example, the study committee suggested that raising seat backs four inches may have the same safety effectiveness as seat belts. The report sponsored by the Department of transportation at the request of Congress, reviews seat belts extensively while taking a broader look at safety in and around school buses. What is the writer' s attitude towards the safety of the school bus is _ . Answer: Dear students, Volunteering has never been an easy task. But if you are one of us, you will make a difference. Anyone who wants to volunteer-whether you work full-time or part-time-can find a way to help in our area. Below is an easy how-to guide to becoming a volunteer in our school. First, you need to complete an online volunteer form, which includes your personal information and volunteering experiences. The form is only on the school website. Once you are told that you can volunteer, you will only have to sign in with our clock system, wear your badge with your name on it, and when leaving, sign out to make sure your volunteer hours are recorded. Things you need to remember: 1. Sign in with the clock system every time you are in school. 2. Wear your badge. 3. Sign out when you leave to make sure your volunteer hours are recorded. Everyone, whether you are a volunteer or a visitor, will be asked to show one of the following to tell who you are in order to get past the school gate: 1. A driver's license in use; 2. A state-issued ID card; 3. A work visa; 4. A green card. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out a school volunteer form and return it to the school Volunteer Officer or front office. The school volunteer officer will call you to discuss ways in which you can help in our school. Kevin Winberry Volunteer Program Director If you want to become a volunteer in the school, you need to _ at first. Answer: Now let us look at how we read. When we read a printed text, our eyes move across a page in short, jerky movement. We recognize words usually when our eyes are still when they fixate. Each time they fixate, we see a group of words. This is known as the recognition span or the visual span. The length of time of which the eyes stop ---the duration of the fixation ----varies considerably from person to person. It also varies within any one person according to his purpose in reading and his familiarity with the text. Furthermore, it can be affected by such factors as lighting and tiredness. Unfortunately, in the past, many reading improvement courses have concentrated too much on how our eyes move across the printed page. As a result of this misleading emphasis on the purely visual aspects of reading, numerous exercises have been devised to train the eyes to see more words at one fixation. For instance, in some exercises, words are flashed on to a screen for, say, a tenth or a twentieth of a second. One of the exercises has required students to fix their eyes on some central point, taking in the words on either side. Such word patterns are often constructed in the shape of rather steep pyramids so the reader takes in more and more words at each successive fixation. All these exercises are very clever, _ Reading requires the ability to understand the relationship between words. Consequently , for these reasons, many experts have now begun to question the usefulness of eye training, especially since any approach which trains a person to read isolated words and phrases would seem unlikely to help him in reading a continuous text. Which of the following is NOT true? Answer: The American political class has long held that higher education is vital to individual and national success. The Obama administration has labeled college as "the ticket to the middle class", and political leaders all have praised higher education as the best way to improve economic opportunity. Yet despite such advice, total college enrollment has fallen by 1.5% since 2012. What's causing the decline? While a shortage of birth in the mid-1990s accounts for some of the shift, big foreign enrollment makes up for that lack. The answer is simple: The benefits of a degree are declining while costs rise. A key measure of the benefits of a degree is the college graduate's earning potential and on this score, their advantage over high-school graduates is fading. Since 2006, the gap between what the median college graduate earned, compared with the median high-school graduate, has narrowed by $1,387 for men over 25 working full time, a 5% fall, women in the same category worse, losing 7% of their income advantage. A college degree's declining value is even more noticeable for younger Americans. According to data collected by the College Board, for those in the 25-34 age range the difference between college graduate and high school graduate earnings fell 11% for men, to $18,303 from $20,623. The decline for women was an extraordinary 19.7%. Meanwhile, the cost of college has increased 16.5% in 2012 since 2006, according to the Office of Labor Statistics' higher education tuition-fee index. Tuition discount from universities has slowed down the rise, but not enough to balance the clear increase adjusted to the inflation . Underemployment has arisen with this situation. The 2013 College Affordability and Productivity Report showed explosive growth in the number of college graduates taking ly unskilled jobs. In 1970 less than 1% of taxi drivers had college degrees. Four decades later, more than 15% do. This is only partly the result of the economic depression and public policies that have failed to produce employment growth. It's also the result of an academic arms race in which universities have spent large sums on elegant dormitories and campus expansion. More significantly, it's the result of sending more high-school graduates to college than professional fields can accommodate. In 1970, when 11% of adult Americans had bachelor's degrees or more, degree holders were viewed as the nation's best and brightest. Today, with over 30% with degrees, a significant part of college graduates are similar to the average American --- not apparently smarter or more well-organized. Declining academic standards and grade inflation add to employers' opinions that college degrees say little about job readiness. Underemployment occurs mainly because _ . Answer:
What's the difference between the British Isles, Britain, the United Kingdom and England? The British Isles is made up of two large islands: One is called Ireland and the other Britain. Britain, or Great Britain, is the larger of these two islands and it is divided into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England. The United Kingdom (UK) is short for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is made up of Scotland, Wales, and England (i.e. the whole of Britain), and also about one-sixth of Ireland, the Northern part. The rest of Ireland is self-governing . England is the largest, most populous , and generally speaking, the richest section. English people often use the words "England" and "English" when they mean "Britain" and "British". This sometimes makes the Scots and the Welsh angry. The Scots are very proud of their separate nationality. The Welsh too do not consider themselves as England, and have a culture and even a language of their own. Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1801, but is soon grew discontented , and for forty years the "Irish Question" was the greatest headache of British Parliament . At last, Ireland divided itself into two: Northern Ireland remained loyal to the Crown , and in 1922 the rest of the country broke away to form Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland. Which is the largest in area? A The British Iles B Great Britain C England D The United Kingdom Answer: A Look closely at ,your hands-are they clean? It doesn't matter how many times you was your hands. They're still crowded with microbes, which are also called "germs" or "bacteria". Microbes are everywhere. But don't worry-most microbes don't harm you. and many actually help you stay alive. Now, scientists say the microbes that live on our hands could be used in a surprising way: fighting crime. When police visit the scene of a crime, they often look for fingerprints to try to identifythe criminal. But according to a recent study, investigators could even use microbes to help break a criminal case. Every person has his or her own set of microbes that live on their hands, according to scientists at,the University of:Colorado. That means the mix of different kinds of microbes on everybody's hand is unique-much like one's fingerprint. The scientists wanted to know whether this microbe mix could be used as a new kind of fingerprint-especially in a crime scene where fingerprints might be hard to find. And policemen use forensics such as studying fingerprints to identify the criminal. "Microbe fingerprints are harder to hide," said Noah Fierer, one of the scientists. "You can't sterilize(......) a surface just by wiping it off. " His team compared the bacteria on the hands of 273 people with the bacteria found on each person's computer keyboard. For the study, the keyboards had been used only by the people who were being tested. The study showed that the mix of microbes from each per- son's hands matched the mix of microbes on that person's keyboard. The scientists were easily able to tell the 273 people apart-just by looking at their keyboards. But there are a lot more than 273 criminals. Other scientists wonder whetherthe microbe fingerprint can really be that useful. Fierer agrees that scientists have a lot more work to do before the microbe fingerprint will be a useful tool. We can learn from the passage that _ . A your microbes may give you away B scientists will come to a clear conclusion soon C many scientists think microbe fingerprints useless D the microbe fingerprint has been used in many cases Answer: A What kind of life do you seek for? One that is frustrating and full of complaints every day? Or one that is filled with thankfulness, gratefulness and a positive mind? The moment we open our eyes each day, we should be grateful that we are still alive. We are given a brand-new day. We are given another day to love. We are given another day of hope. We are given another chance to do whatever we have failed to accomplish. Those who have chosen to leave this place do not have any second chance. We should be grateful every day. By being grateful, we will treasure the things around us. We will learn to appreciate life in a better way. Treat others better and find ourselves in a better mood every day. When we are thankful and grateful for the things we have, the universe tends to give us more. By being thankful and grateful for our personal health, we will focus our attention on it and we would want to have a better well-being for our health. We will want to eat healthier food to nourish our body. After all, the body is the temple of our soul. We have to treat it well so that it can carry us a longer journey in life. When we face problems in life, be thankful and grateful too. They are designed specifically for us so that we will be stronger and wiser. We are like a strong oak tree, facing the _ weather time to time. After each storm, we will grow stronger and strengthen our foundations for the next harsh weather. The year 2013 has come to an end. Have you achieved what you aimed for in the past year? Be grateful for those you have achieved and especially for those you have not--both successes and failures. Failures and mistakes will give you valuable lessons. So, pick yourself up and try again this year. Good luck! According to the text, how many kinds of life are mentioned? A One. B Two. C Three. D Four. Answer: B "No, no, no, dear, I want that wrapped in red paper." A middle-aged woman came through my line and talked to me as if my IQ were that of a grade school kid. When I first started working, it was simply a way to decrease the time I spent at home and make my parents happy. I never thought that a year and a half later, I would still be at Marshalls, waiting for this woman to get through my line. I smiled and said, "Oh, that's no problem." She bent over the counter to look at the computer and made sure I was doing my job correctly. Her sweater grazed my hand and she smiled like she meant well. I wanted to roll my eyes but instead I just smiled. Ever since I started working here, I've tried not to let people like her get to me. And forget judging a book by its cover, because I have been proved wrong time and time again. The wealthy middle-aged women were far ruder than the teenage boys. At first, I was constantly surprised. Now, I tried not to even guess how the person coming near my line was going to act, because it was never the way I imagine. I never expected people to be so rude and at the same time nice. But for every rude person I saw, at least five pleasant customers came through my line. "Here you go," I handed the woman her receipt and hoped her $5 wine glass was wrapped to her liking. "Have a nice day!" I said. And just as I thought I was fed up, the next customer came through. "She had about one more minute and I was going to tell her to get out of line," she whispered to me with a smile. Why did the writer work at Marshalls? A To have more time to go out. B To make money for the family. C To find a way to be happy. D To improve her IQ on doing business. Answer: A Summer Camp Contact Kitty 6219-7830 Are you looking for a place where you can enjoy Chinese study and experience Chinese culture during the summer holiday? Hua Mandarin could be your wise choice. The new summer camp will start on July 28th and end on August 18th. We provide very small groups with 2-4 people for you to learn Chinese in an effective way. Activities including calligraphy , painting, culture show, Chinese movies, kung fu, swimming, and so on will help you walk into Chinese culture with fun. Welcome to call at 62197830 * Kitty for more details. Comments The earlier camp finished last week. Students are happy here, although they have to learn a lot upon parents' request . Teachers here are trying to help children to learn in a funny way. Please sign in to add a comment. . . The new summer camp will last for _ . A half a month B twenty-two days C one month D two months Answer: B
Some strange,wi1d and wonderful stories color1ed the news in 2011: A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on its vehicles for people looking for a partner." Even love at first sight is possible on the bus",said a spokesman to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat "sign . Shoppers at an international fair in Verona,Italy,found a cellphone-equipped golden coffin among the items on display.The phone will help" the dead" contact s if they have been buried alive by mistake. A man in New York came up with a disarming way to set off his latest bank heist ,approaching the clerks window with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a hold-up note saying "give me the money"! An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years.The whole cost is 400 dollars. A set of artificial teeth made for British war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world "sold for nearly 18,OOO pounds(21,500 euros,24,OOO dollars)at auction. A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping a cat in a rubbish bin.She was fined 250 pounds(280 euros,400 dollars) after admitting guilty. The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died. TWO Australian men who needed surgery after shooting each other in the bottoms during drinking to see if it would hurt were charged 400 dollars separately. Love seats put on each bus are intended for _ . John Steinbeck once said, "All Americans believe they are born fishermen. For a man to admit to a distaste in fishing would be like denouncing mother - love or hating moonlight." I can't say that I'm the biggest John Steinbeck fan. Actually, the only thing I can ever remember reading by him was "The pearl" when I was in middle school, but I couldn't agree more with the man when it comes to fishing. Whether I am on a boat in the middle of the Lay Lake, fishing off the shores of the Florida Keys for tarpon or catching rainbow trout in the Shoshone River of Wyoming, fishing is my life. According to the American Sports Fishing Association, the fishing industry brings in more than $ 116 billion per year from fishermen across the country. Though a beautiful picture to imagine, fishing is much more than that. Fishing is a way of life for many people and a way to escape everyday stress. Being a fisherman makes me a member of a wonderful group of people extending to all walks of life. Even President Obama can be found fishing on his farm in Texas with his good friend Roland Martin when the job gets too stressful. I can remember fishing with my grandfather when I was 5 years old on his boat at Lake Mitchell. Although I didn't understand what I was doing, I did know that my grandfather was happy and that made me happy. Since then I've spent the past 16 years on the rivers and lakes of Alabama. After days of practice, before and after work, I slowly developed an understanding of fishing. My boss, Ric Horst, took me back to the Shoshone, and I managed to bring in a 19-inch cutthroat trout. Fishing with Ric was a life-changing experience for me. He not only showed me how to fish correctly, but also told me how fishing could be a way to escape your problems. Since then, prime-time season seems to take forever to arrive. Now, with the ending of February and beginning of March in sight, the excitement of heading out Lake Tuscaloosa or Lake Lurleen before classes and catching something has finally returned. .What is the purpose of the writing? I still remember my college days after I was initiallygiven my assignments of writing different papers. I enjoyed my first week with new friends and teachers as they were quite friendly and sociable. But I didn't realize that there was a dark era in my life, which was the horrifying day after I found that my term papers with empty pages. I had no way out. I was not alone. All the new students were feeling exactly the same way. I gathered some courage and started thinking to find methods to help me write my term papers. I went to my history teacher. She was very kind and always prepared to help new students. She told me that I should act like a professional student and not take my work lightly. She also provided some encouraging tips which really improved my confidence. I was instructed to go to the library and gather books that have relevant material or topics about the term papers. The next step was to find related chapters in those books. I did as I was ordered. Throughout the whole process of term papers there was something quite interesting and pleasing. She didn't assist me in doing any practical thing, but gave instructions one by one. With a large pile of reference books, we left the library and she told me to review those chapters. I got a lot of information and data. I had been feeling proud and happy as I got a good idea about the topics. She told me to create a 2000-word essay in my own words. I had been happy that it took only two days to finish my task. She did further editing and told me to make a bibliography , which was not a hard task. I felt quite lucky to see the term papers had a professional appearance. I also felt lucky to have such a good teacher as her. What did the author think of the beginning of his college life? My dad loved pennies, especially those with wheat. Those were the pennies he grew up with in Iowa and he didn't have many. When I was a kid, Dad and I would go for walks together. We'd spy coins along the way. Whenever I picked up a penny, he'd ask, "Is it a wheat?" It always thrilled him when we found one of those special coins produced between 1909 and 1958, the year of my birth. He told me he often dreamed of finding coins. "I have that dream too!" I told him. It was our secret connection. Dad died in 2002. One grey day, not long after his death, I was walking down Fifth Avenue and I found myself in front of the oldest church in Manhattan, which my father had been attending. I was greeted in warmly. The song was Dad's favorite, one we'd sung at his funeral. After the service, I walked out, stepped onto the sidewalk--and there was a penny. I picked it up, and sure enough, it was a wheat, a 1944, a year my father was serving on a ship in the South Pacific. Then, wheat pennies began turning up on the sidewalks everywhere. I got most of the important years: his birth year, the war years, the year he met my mom, the year they got married. But, no 1958 penny-my year. The next Sunday, after the service, I was walking up Fifth Avenue and spotted a penny in the middle of the street. It was a busy street, but I risked my safety and got it. A wheat! There was my birthday. _ What do we know about Dad in the text? To discover how durable a certain mineral may be, one could
What is the relationship between tissues and organs? Answer: Organs are made from different types of tissues. Could cities that float on the sea solve the problems caused by floods and provide food for the world? Some scientists think so. The idea is already being tested and they believe that floating citied will provide more homes for a growing population, without having to use land needed to grow food. And they believe floating areas will allow more food to be grown, so that no one in the world is hungry. In some places, cities that float on the sea are already being planned, A company in the Netherlands called DeltaSync thinks that sea cities will save the world, with more than one in ten people living in them. They say sea cities solve many of the problems the world faces in the 21st century, like not having enough land , more and more people needing homes, fossil fuels running low and the increasingly serious problems caused by floods. DeltaSync says building in the desert is not possible because there is no enough water and that developing ways for people to live in space is still too expensive. So they believe the answer is our oceans, which cover over two thirds of the Earth's surface. Their plans for floating areas include using algae to produce fuel and food. More than a quarter of the land in the Netherlands already lies underwater and scientists there have spent years trying to find ways to deal with it. In the city of Rotterdam they already have floating homes. Bart Roeffen from DeltaSync says: "We have plans for neighbourhoods including roads and, in the end, I believe we can build floating cities on the sea." DeltaSync is a company that wants to build cities _ . Answer: on the sea An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years. His house was dirty, and the bad smell coming out of the house was horrible. The neighbors could not stand the smell any more, so they asked the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years. The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire . They waited outside his house expecting to share the good news with him. When the old man arrived home that evening, one of the officers told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire. But the old man said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train and sat at the street corner and continued to beg. Clearly, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing. What makes us happy is what matters in the end, not what we acquire. Why did the police officers clear the old man's house? Answer: Because the neighbors of the old man asked them to do. Before we send humans into deep space, we'll have to find out just how long the human body can survive in a weightless environment. One problem is that in space there's no physical sensation to let you know when you're upside down and astronauts have to rely on possible clues from their surroundings. A few hours after reaching orbit , one in three of all astronauts will experience space sickness--a feeling rather like carsickness. There is also the problem of protection from the extreme hazards of space such as constant meteorite bombardment and radiation. It is going to take some clever technology to keep rockets and astronauts from these dangers. Even with a well-protected spaceship, space travel isn't going to be easy. No matter what you travel in, it is going to be a long flight in space! Science fiction writers often imagine using suspended animation , a kind of forced long-term sleep, as a way for astronauts to escape the boredom of long missions. An even stronger measure might be to freeze the astronauts. We already use cryogenic techniques to preserve dead bodies and store human embryos . Freezing living adults may not be so far away, but perhaps we don't have to do that. Perhaps we should use our existing technology and send frozen embryos to the far corners of universe. Hundreds of years from now, billions and billions of miles away, the embryos will be thawed and their hearts will start beating. These astronauts of the future will not grow inside a mother's body but will be produced in a machine. They will be brought up by robot. It may seem strange but one day it might just happen. In the future astronauts for extreme long journeys will grow up _ . Answer: during the space trip New York, the city that never sleeps, fell silent last week--schools were closed; bus and subway services were stopped; flights were canceled, and even the stock market closed for the first time since 1985. All the disorder was caused by one thing, the arrival of hurricane Sandy. This big storm landed on Oct 29 on the US east coast and brought damaging winds, flooding, blackouts and heavy snow. Sandy is one of the largest storms that have ever hit the US, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By the afternoon of Nov1 (Beijing time), about 140 deaths were caused by the storm as it traveled across the Caribbean islands and into the US. Unlike most hurricanes that happen during summer, Sandy was strengthened not only by warm ocean water, but also by the cold air coming from the northwest. Sandy's power grew because of the difference in masses between the warm and wet air and cool and dry air. It became a kind of "super-storm", the Guardian reported. The flooding was particularly severe. Scientists said it was because Sandy's arrival happened together with a full moon, which normally means higher-than-usual tides . "The most worrying aspect of Sandy is the high tides," Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee told Reuters before the storm arrived. "With the full moon on Monday, with Sandy coming up the bay, we're very concerned about flooding in our low-lying coastal areas." Apart from the power of Sandy itself, another reason why her arrival has caused so much damage is that its target area is crowded with big cities such as New York and Philadelphia. These urban areas are home to tens of millions of people. The flood, the snow and the blackout have brought the country's financial and political centers to a stop. "The size of this alone, affecting a heavily populated area, is history making." Said Jeff Masters, a hurricane specialist. According to the text, hurricane Sandy _ . Answer: brought with it strong winds, high tides, blackouts and heavy snowfall
Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands, which consist of(...)Diaoyu Dao, Huangwei Yu, Chiwei Yu, Nanxiao Dao, Beixiao Dao, Nan Yu, Bei Yu, Fei Yu and other islands, are in the northeast of China's Taiwan Island, in the waters between 123deg20'-124deg40'E and 25deg40'-26deg00'N . They belong to the Taiwan Island. The total area of these islands is about 5.69 square kilometers. Diaoyu Dao, in the western tip of the area, covers an area of about 3.91 square kilometers and is the largest island in the area. The highest part on the island stands 362 meters above the sea level. Huangwei Yu, which is about 27 kilometers to the northeast of Diaoyu Dao, is the second largest island in the area, with a total area of about 0.91 square kilometers and a highest height of 117 meters. Chiwei Yu, about 110 kilometers to the northeast of Diaoyu Dao, is the easternmost island in the area. It covers an area of about 0.065 square kilometers and stands 75 meters above the sea level. Ancient ancestors in China first discovered and named Diaoyu Dao through their fishing activities on the sea. In China's historical books, Diaoyu Dao is also called Diaoyu Yu or Diaoyu Tai. The earliest historical record of the names of Diaoyu Dao, Chiwei Yu and other places can be found in the book Voyage with a Tail Wind published in 1403. It shows that China had already discovered and named Diaoyu Dao by the 14th and 15th centuries. These historical reports clearly show that Diaoyu Dao and Chiwei Yu belong to China. The sea waters around Diaoyu Dao is traditionally Chinese fishing ground. Chinese fishermen have been involved in fishing activities in these waters for generations . How did ancient Chinese people find Diaoyu Island? A. They grew up there. B. They wrote historical books there. C. They worked and fished on the sea there. D. They drank water there. Answer: C. They worked and fished on the sea there. I am usually in a bad mood after a long day at work, but on this particular Friday afternoon I was in a cheerful mood.I planned to have a good meal and watch Bridget Jones's Diary. My local supermarket is always busy.The first parking space I spotted was convenient, but I'd noticed a woman in an old car circling for a while.I let her have it.On the edge of the car park I backed into the next available spot--it was a tight fit. In record time I'd made my way through the supermarket and was back in the fresh air.In such a rush of good spirits, I emptied my purse change into the hands of a homeless man and helped a struggling woman go backwards into a parking space. Just as I spotted my car, 1 saw the woman I'd let have my car space earlier.I smiled and wished her a pleasant day. As I got back into my car, I spotted the same lady looking ill at me."Hello," she said, hesitantly."This might sound crazy but I was on my way to drop some of my mother's things off at tile charity bins." I looked quickly at the orange bins in the corner of the parking lot, confused."I saw you helping those people, and you seemed so happy.My mom had a dress just like that." She looked at me meaningfully.I smiled at her in encouragement, hoping she wouldn't notice that the dress she was admiring was now full of holes."I was going to give these away, but you are just so much like her." She passed a box in through the window.Shocked, unthinking, 1 took it automatically."I think she would like you to have it." She smiled and walked away. After a pause, I opened the box.Inside was a beautiful gold necklace.It was the nicest gift I'd ever received, and it was from a complete stranger. Later, I thought back on the day.I didn't feel the usual sense of exhaustion.The necklace was around my neck, a warm reminder of human kindness. This Friday afternoon, the author _ . A. watched a new movie B. was in the mood to help others C. had trouble parking her car D. spent a long time in the supermarket Answer: B. was in the mood to help others Many people have never heard of Mesothelioma and are unaware of its symptoms. Although considered a rare form of cancer, each year the number of cases grows. With the prevalence of this disease on the rise, it is critical to understand why and how Mesothelioma develops and what courses of action can be taken in the event of diagnosis. The following is a list of frequently asked questions and answers that will provide you with some information on Mesothelioma, and the legal issues surrounding it. What is Mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is the term used to describe a cancerous tumor found in the mesothelial cells of an organ. The organs where this form of cancer is most commonly found are the lungs, heart and abdominal organs. Pleural Mesothelioma is cancer of the lung lining(,)and is the most common form of Mesothelioma. What causes Mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos . Asbestos is often found in building materials used before the mid 1970's. In addition, materials such as pipes, boiler insulation, floor, ceiling and roof tiles may contain asbestos. How much asbestos exposure will cause Mesothelioma? Generally, the probability of developing this form of cancer is in accordance with the length of time you are exposed to asbestos. Also, your health is at risk if your exposure to asbestos is intense. It should be noted that Mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years. This means that you may develop the disease long after your exposure to asbestos. On average, people tend to develop Mesothelioma somewhere between 35 and 40 years after exposure. How quickly does Mesothelioma progress? The onset of Mesothelioma is quite slow. Patients will begin to experience symptoms such as lower back pain and chest pain. These symptoms may also be accompanied by weight loss, fever and difficulty breathing. Unfortunately, once Mesothelioma develops, it quickly becomes aggressive and treatment must be sought immediately. Can Mesothelioma be treated? Doctors are able to use several traditional methods of cancer treatment for Mesothelioma, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Like all forms of cancer, detecting the disease at the earliest stage possible greatly increases the patient's chances for survival. If you have worked in an industry such as construction or suspect that you may have been exposed to asbestos, be alert for symptoms and contact your doctor immediately. What legal courses of action can be taken? Anyone suffering from Mesothelioma is entitled to compensation from asbestos manufacturers. Additionally, if you are the spouse or child of someone who has died from Mesothelioma, you are entitled to file a claim and seek compensation. If you work in an industry exposed to asbestos, you should _ . A. give up the job immediately B. ask for a rise from your boss C. file a claim and seek compensation D. go to hospital and have your body examined Answer: D. go to hospital and have your body examined Scientists have argued for long over whether birds show real intelligence. Some scientists believe birds have abilities including communication and different kinds of memory. In some unusual cases, their abilities seem better than those of humans. Irene Pepperberg, a birds expert, did research about a grey parrot named. Griffin. Ms. Pepperberg says Griffin can arrange objects in order of size. She says the talking bird also can combine words in the right order. For example, he will combine words when asking for a piece of food. The researcher says experts had thought that only humans and other mammals with large brains have the ability to combine objects and words. She believes that bird brains have the ability to understand that complex tasks must be done in the correct order. Some birds have other memory skills. For example, they collect and store thousands of seeds in autumn, and find them later in winter. Alan Kamil and Alan Bond of the University of Nebraska are studying the memories of birds called jays and nutcrackers. Their experiments show that these birds use natural objects to find the seeds they have stored. It's said some birds can learn as many as 2,000 different songs. Songs may have developed as a way for birds to communicate with other birds. According to Verner Bingman of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, birds must have a special guidance system in their brain. He says that understanding how a bird's brain operates may help us better understand how a human brain processes information. However, some scientists do still believe birds do many things that appear to be acts of thoughtful intelligence. In most cases, they say, their behavior is simply instinctive , no reasoning power directing it. It can be inferred from this passage that _ . A. most scientists believe birds have real intelligence B. mammals understand the relationship between objects and words C. maybe trees help jays to find the seeds they have stored D. birds always communicate with one anther by singing Answer: C. maybe trees help jays to find the seeds they have stored Overhead bridges are found in many parts of Nanjing, especially in places where traffic is very heavy and crossing the road is very dangerous. The purpose of these bridges is to enable passengers to cross road safely. Overhead bridges are used in very much the same way as zebra crossings. They are more efficient although less convenient because people have to climb up a long flight of steps. This is inconvenient especially to old people. When passengers using _ , traffic is held up. This is why the government has built many overhead bridges to help passengers and to keep traffic moving at the same time. The government of Nanjing has spent much money in building these bridges. For their own safety, passengers should be encouraged to use. They can't risk their lives by running across the road. Old people may think that it is a little difficult to climb up and down the steps, but it is much safer than walking across the road with all the dangerous of moving traffic. Overhead bridges serve a very useful purpose. Passengers, both old and young, should make it a habit to use them. This will prevent unnecessary accidents and loss of life. Why were overhead bridges built in Nanjing? A. Because they stop traffic from being held up. B. Because they provide an easy way for the drivers to cross the road. C. Because they save money for the government. D. Because they save time for the passengers. Answer: B. Because they provide an easy way for the drivers to cross the road.
In Jewish history, King Solomon is considered to be the wisest man who ever lived. There are many stories about the wisdom of King Solomon. Here's one. One day two women came before the King. They carried with them a little baby, which was set down on the floor, at the foot of Solomon's throne. One of the women said "Five days ago I gave birth to a child. This woman and I live in the same house, and three days later she also gave birth, but that same night her child died, and at midnight she arose and, while I was sleeping, took my son away from me, and laid her dead child in its place. When I awoke in the morning I thought at first that my son was dead, until I realized that it was not my child." "No," interrupted the second woman, "she is lying, my lord, she is lying! The living child is mine and the dead is hers!" "No," cried the first woman, wildly. "No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine." King Solomon raised his hand for silence. "One of you says 'my child lives and yours is dead ', and the other says 'your child is dead and my child lives': there is a simple way to resolve the matter. Bring me a sword." A sword was brought, and the crowd waited to see what the King would do. "Very well," he said, "cut the child in half, and give them each half." The first woman turned pale. She said in a trembling voice. "Give her the child. I beg you, do not kill it." But the other woman's face remained hard. "Let it be neither mine nor yours," she said, "divide it as the King has ordered." Then Solomon arose, and pointed to the first woman. "The child belongs to her," he said. "Give her the child, and do not kill it. She is its mother." Word of this judgment spread throughout Israel, and people marveled at the wisdom of the King. The lesson of this story is rather simple. It is easy to tell the people who really care: they are willing to give up their half in order to keep the whole alive. In short, sometimes insisting on getting your fair share is still a losing strategy. From the story we can know that _ . Answer: Prices for the Lunar New Year's eve dinners in 2007, the most important dinner for the Chinese people, will be 5 to 9 percent higher as restaurant reservations boom for the festival, Shanghai Morning Post reported on Thursday. This year, the Lunar New Year's eve festival falls on February 17. The tradition meal, know as nianyefan, is for family reunions in prefix = st1 /Chinaand to enjoy a homecoming feast, similar to Christmas dinners in the west. "Agricultural products are more expensive than previous years, and this directly leads to the prices increase of nianyefan," Xia Xiangqing, a senior official with the Shanghai Restaurants Association, told the newspaper, "Labour and transport also cost more." Up till a few years ago, almost every family in the city ate at home or the home of a close , with restaurants shutting down for the evening. However, most families in the city now prefer to head out to a restaurant on that night to save the trouble of cooking and cleaning at home. In fact, "if you haven't reserved a table yet, you may be out of luck as most of the city's restaurants are already booked before the new year," Xia said. "In the past, restaurants decided everything," Xia said. "They sometimes refused to return the customers deposit if they wanted to cancel their reservation." Xia also told the newspaper yesterday that the association is working on some standards for nianyefan to avoid complaints from customers. If the price of dinner in a retaurant is 600 yuan normally, it will be _ yuan for the Lunar New Year's eve in 2007 at least. Answer: Wang Tao is a little boy. He often goes for a walk with his father. He likes water very much and he wants to swim like a fish in the water. One Sunday morning, Wang Tao went to a park with his father. There is a big swimming pool in the park. Wang Tao asked his father to take him to the pool. "Why do you want to go there?" asked his father. "I want to learn swimming," said Wang Tao. "And you can teach me." "Oh, sorry. I can't swim," said his father. "You can't swim? Li Qiang's father swims very well. Why can't you swim?" "His father likes eating fish, so he can swim like a fish," said the father. "Oh, I see," said Wang Tao. "But you like eating chicken very much. Can you lay eggs ?" . From the passage , we learn that there is a(an) _ in the park. Answer: Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration, the Five Friendlies will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace and blessings from China to children all over the world. Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, the Five Friendlies also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals--the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow--and the Olympic Flame. Each of the Friendlies has a rhyming two-syllable name--a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow. When you put their names together--Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni--they say "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of the Five Friendlies as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games. The Five Friendlies also embody both the landscape and the dreams and aspirations of people from every part of the vast country of China. In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature--the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky--all stylistic rendered in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art and ornamentation. The Five Friendlies embody _ . Answer: We find that bright children are rarely _ by mix-ability teaching. On the contrary, both their knowledge and experience are enriched. We feel that there are many disadvantages in streaming pupils. It does not take into account the fact that children develop at different rates. It can have a bad effect on both the bright and the not-so-bright child. After all, it can be quite discouraging to be at the bottom of the top grade! Besides, it is rather unusual to grade pupils just according to their intellectual ability. This is only one aspect of their total personality. We are concerned to develop the abilities of all our pupils to the full, not just their academic ability. We also value personal qualities and social skills, and we find that mixed ability teaching contributes to all these aspects of learning. In our classrooms, we work in various ways. The pupils often work in groups: this gives them the opportunity to learn to co-operate, to share, and to develop leadership skills. They also learn how to deal with personal problems as well as learning how to think, to make decisions, to analyze and evaluate, and to communicate effectively. The pupils learn from each other as well as from the teacher. Sometimes the pupils work in pairs; sometimes they work on individual tasks and assignments, and they can do this at their own speed. They also have some formal class teaching when this is proper. We encourage our pupils to use the library, and we teach them the skills they need in order to do this efficiently. And advanced pupil can do advanced work. It doesn't matter what age the child is. We expect our pupils to do their best, not their least, and we give them every encouragement to obtain this goal. The author argues that a teacher's chief concern should be the development of the pupil's _ . Answer:
The bed should be reserved as a place for sleep, but people tend to read an iPad a lot in bed before they go to sleep. Charles Czeisler, a professor at Harvard Medical School, and his colleagues got a small group of people for an experiment. For five days in a row, the people read either a paper book or an iPad for four hours before sleep. Their sleep patterns were monitored all night. Before and after each trial period, the people took hourly blood tests to paint a day-long picture of just how much melatonin was in their blood at any given time. When subjects read on the iPad as compared to the paper books, they reported feeling less sleepy at night and less active the following morning. People also took longer to fall asleep on the iPad nights, and the blood tests showed that their melatonin secretion was delayed by an hour and a half. The researchers conclude in today's journal article that given the rise of e-readers and the increasingly widespread use of e-things among children and adolescents, more research into the long-term consequences of these devices on health and safety is urgently needed. Czeisler and colleagues go on, in the research paper, to note:"Reading an iPad in bed may increase cancer risk." However, software has been developed that can reduce some of the blue light from the screens of phones and computers according to time of day, and there are also glasses that are made to filter short wavelengths. While they seem like a logical solution for the nighttime tech users, it needs more research. In Charles Czeislers experiment, all the subjects were asked to _ . A sit in a row and receive the strict tests B have their sleep patterns observed all night C read a paper book and an iPad at the same time D have their blood tested per hour during the trial Answer: B A few days ago I got a call from my old college friend whom I haven't seen for a very long time. The topic, which was about all the good old times that we had changed to a touching story when he started talking about his father. His father's declining health made him stay at the hospital. Because of his illness, his father suffered from insomnia and often talked to himself. My friend, who had not been able to sleep for a few days as he had to keep watching his father's condition, became irritated and told his father to keep silent and try to get some sleep. His father said that he really wanted to sleep well because he was very tired and told my friend to leave him alone in the hospital if he did not want to keep him company. After his father finished talking, he fell unconscious . My friend was very sorry for speaking the ill words towards his father. My friend, whom I knew as a tough person, cried as a baby on the other end of the telephone. He said that from that moment on, he prayed every day, asking God to let his father wake up from his coma. He promised himself that whatever words came out from his father's mouth after he regained his consciousness, he would gladly take them. His only hope for God was to give him a chance to _ his past mistake. Often, we complain when we have to accompany or watch over our parents for years, months, days, hours or even minutes. But do we realize that our parents keep us company and watch over us for as long as we (or they) live? From the day we were born to our adulthood, and even when deaths come to us, they are always at our side. Imagine how sad our parents will be when they hear a seemingly innocent word of "no" come out from our mouths. We can make promises to ourselves that from now on there will be no more complaints that come out from our mouths when we have to watch over or accompany our parents. No more complaints come out from our mouths when we feel that our parents have treated us like little children. There are so many unlucky ones who have neither fathers nor mothers. They long to have the things that we most complain about, but never have them. Actually, it takes only a second to think and light the lamp that will bring us to a place where peace is dwelling. What does the writer want to tell us in the passage? A Your parents will keep talking to themselves when they are old. B Be good to your parents when you still have the chance. C You will regret in your life if you don't show your kindness to your parents. D It is not easy to take good care of sick old parents. Answer: B Read the advertisements, and then choose the best answers. Driver Wanted 1. Clean driving license 2. Must be of smart appearance. 3. Aged over 25. Apply to :Capes Taxis, 17 Palace Road, Boston Air Hostesses for International Flight Wanted 1. Applicants must be between 20 and 33 years old. 2. Height 1.6m to 1.75m. 3. Education to GCSE standard. 4. Two languages. 5. Must be able to swim. Apply to: Recruitment office, Southern Airlines, Heathrow Airport West HR37KK Teachers Needed For private language school. Teaching experience unnecessary. Apply to: The Director of Studies, Instant Language Ltd, 279 Canal Street Ben, aged 22, fond of swimming and driving, has just graduated from a college and can speak two foreign languages. Which job might be given to him? A Driving for Capes Taxis. B Working for Southern Airlines. C None of the three jobs mentioned above. D Teaching at Instant Language Ltd. Answer: D Dogs reproduce differently from A bears B wolves C cats D earthworms Answer: D Mr Green has a car. In the morning he takes his children to school in his car. Then he drives to work. Mr Green and his children do not have lunch at home, but Mrs Green does. She does not go to work. She stays at home and does some shopping and cleaning in the morning. In the afternoon she usually goes to see some of her friends, has tea and talks a lot with them. Then she cooks supper for her family. Mr Green comes back home much later than his children. They do not come back in their father's car. They take a bus home. They usually come back home before five. Mrs Green _ . A does housework at home B goes to work with her friends C goes shopping in the afternoon D talks with her friends at her home Answer: A
Question: Scientists are trying to find out how things affect our feelings. How you feel is controlled by many things, such as your personality , the actions of others. Maybe you don't know the weather can affect your feelings as well. People often say they feel good when the sun is shining and sad when it is cloudy. In fact, sunlight makes us feel good. When sunlight hits our skins, our bodies makes vitamin D(D). Vitamin D helps our bodies make a special chemical . This special chemical affects our brains and makes us feel happy. For example, there are long, dark winters of little sunlight in Sweden and Norway, so many people in these countries often feel sad. To help the people in these countries feel better, scientists build special "sunrooms" for people to go there and get "sunlight" for an hour or two! The weather can also affect people's feelings in other ways. Hot weather can make people angry because people don't feel comfortable when they are hot. In the same way, rain can make people angry because being wet can be unhappy. As you can see, the weather can have an effect on the chemicals which control our _ . Through these ways, the weather can affect our feelings in these ways. Sadly, while the weather can change us, we cannot change the weather. What may be the best title for this passage? A. Why Do We Feel Sad B. The Weather Influences People's Feelings C. People Need More Vitamin D D. We Can Change the Weather Answer: B. The Weather Influences People's Feelings Question: Oxford University has introduced confidence classes for female students to get them to compete for jobs in future and win chances to work in best companies. They may be young and gifted but research at the excellent institution has found that female undergraduates are shying away from applying to jobs in banking, finance, management consultancy , engineering and resource management. Partly as a result, starting salaries for women when they graduate are on average PS2,000 to PS3,000 lower than their male counterparts. "Women are earning less on leaving Oxford. It is ridiculous," said JonathanBlack, the careers service director at the university. "We have high quality, high achieving students of both genders. But it appears that women are selecting lower paid jobs. They accept more prejudice in certain industries and are saying I won't struggle for that really high paid job'. We are not trying to push loads of women but we are trying to say, you should feel able to apply for these sorts of jobs. Boys seem to have a more self-confidence and see the bigger picture generally, even when their self-belief is not necessarily based on any greater academic advantage." The four-day programme at Oxford will help 45 female undergraduates improve their self-confidence and decision making, think positively and build on their strengths. Confidence training will teach them how to deal with opposition and challenging situations. Successful female employees from RBS and BP, which are supporting the course, will talk about their lives and careers. RBS's involvement follows a promise by the bank toincrease its national percentage of female graduate applications from 35 percent to 50 per cent by 2014. What is the worrying situation for female undergraduates? A. They don't like to work in companies offering low wages. B. Their opportunities are limited and their salary is lower. C. There are fewer females admitted to Oxford University. D. They refuse to work in banking and finance fields. Answer: B. Their opportunities are limited and their salary is lower. Question: Listening to music while you drive can improve your speed and ability to get away from accidents, according to Australian psychologists. But turning your car radio up to full volume could probably make you end up in an accident. The performance of difficult tasks can be influenced if people are subjected to loud noise. The experience of pulling up at traffic lights alongside cars with loud music made some psychologists in the University of Sydney look into whether loud music has something to do with driving. The psychologists invited 60 men and women aged between 20 and 28 as subjects and tested them on almost the same driving tasks under three noise conditions: silence, rock music played at a gentle 55 decibels , and the same music at 85 decibels. For 10 minutes the subjects sat in front of a screen operating a simple machine like a car. They had to track a moving disk on screen, respond to traffic signals changing color1, and brake in response to arrows that appeared without warning. On the tracking task, there was no difference in performance under the three noise conditions. But under both the loud and quiet music conditions, the performers "braked" at a red light about 50 milliseconds sooner than they did when there was no rock music at all. That could mean a reduction in braking distance of a couple of meters actually, the difference between life and death for a pedestrian. When it came to the arrows that appeared across the visual field, the psychologists found that when the music was quiet, people responded faster to objects in their central field of sight by about 50 milliseconds. For the people listening at 85 decibels, response times were dropped by a further 50 milliseconds -- a whole tenth of second faster than those "driving" with no music. "But there's a trade-off," the psychologists told the European Congress of Psychology. "They lose the ability to look around the whole situation effectively." In responding to objects that suddenly appeared, people subjected to 85-decibel rock music were around 100 milliseconds slower than both the other groups. Since some accidents -- such as children running into the road -- take place without any notice, drivers listening to loud music must be less safe as a result. On the whole, which of the following is the best way to make driving safer? A. Loud music. B. Quiet music. C. Silence. D. Heavy metal music. Answer: B. Quiet music. Question: It's Sunday morning. My parents, my uncle, my sisters and I are all at home.My father is sitting near the window. What is he doing? He is reading a newspaper. He wants to know what happens all over the world. My mother is watering the flowers in the small garden. There are some beautiful flowers in it. Some are red, and the others are yellow. They look nice. My uncle is my mother's brother. He is a worker. He is watching TV now. He is a basketball fan . And he is good at playing basketball. Now he is watching NBA on TV. Where are my sisters? Lily is over there, and she is listening to the radio . She likes popular music very much. Lucy is in her room. She has a computer. Now she is surfing the Internet. She is writing an e-mail to her friend. What am I doing? I am doing my homework. My uncle is _ . A. playing basketball B. a teacher C. my father's brother D. a basketball fan Answer: D. a basketball fan Question: The World Bank is warning that the West Africa Ebola outbreak could seriously harm the economies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone unless action is taken quickly. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim spoke to reporters recently to discuss the effects of the Ebola spread. "Our findings show that if the virus continues to spread, the economic cost to these countries could grow eight times by 2015. This would be a big _ to their already weak economies," said Kim. Mr. Kim says, "saving lives and preventing new spread" is most important. The bank has given $117-million for an "immediate help." The World Bank President says the SARS outbreak between 2002 and 2004 showed how a disease could damage economies. 800 people died from SARS and the economic losses were up to $40-billion. Mr. Kim says SARS and the H1N1 outbreak of 2009 taught that fear and avoidance resulted in about 90-percent of the economic losses. That means the disease is causing two levels of economic damage. "There are two kinds of contagion . One is connected with the virus itself and the second is connected with the spread of fear about the virus," said Kim. The World Bank thinks the losses to the economies of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will be big .Mr. Kim says losses could be about $97-million at the moment. Mr. Kim says fast action is necessary. He says getting the disease under control is still far away. That is because there are not enough health care workers in the affected areas. The World Bank President says the most important measure is to act quickly in order to limit economic losses. If quick action is not taken to stop the spread of Ebola, the economic losses could reach about _ by 2015. A. $800-million B. $97-million C. $117-million D. $40-billion. Answer: A. $800-million
NEW YORK-- Picking a Christmas tree takes most people a few minutes, or a couple of hours if they head for the woods. Dave Murbach needs 11 months. Almost every day of every year, Murbach's thoughts turn to vision of a perfectly shaped evergreen tree that will take everyone's breath away. Murbach is the man responsible for finding the towering tree that makes more attractive Manhattan's Rockefeller Center each Christmas season. "I'm always looking for a tree," the center's chief gardener says. "I look for it even when I go to the beach in the summer. It' s like a homework assignment hanging over your head." And if he gets it wrong, there's nothing hiding it. "Every day it's up, 400,000 people go by, and 2.5 million people watch the lighting celebration on television,"he says. This year's tree, a 74-foot Nomy spruce from Richfield, Ohio, flown to New York on the world's largest cargo plane, was lighted on December 2. The arrival of the tree leads in the Christmas season in New York -- a tradition dating back to 1931, when the workers building Rockefeller Center put up a small tree with ornaments . The search for the next year's tree starts soon after the old tree is chopped up for wood chips and horse-jumping logs. Murbach has three standards: The tree must be at least 65 feet high, at least 35 feet across and leaves dense enough not to see through. That's not as simple as it sounds. Though forests are full of evergreens, few get enough sunlight or space to fill out. And branches in snow regions often break under the weight, making trees unbalanced. Back at the office, he sorts through hundreds of letters from people offering their trees, many addressed simply to "Mr. Christmas Tree Man." Though there was occasional anxiety attack and sleepless night, Murbach knows the effect the tree has on people: "It's for bringing people together, attempting to bring together people you love. That's what I hope it sets off." But Murbach says he's always too worn out to celebrate Christmas. Why does Murbach take his job seriously? New Yorkers are gradually getting used to more bicyclers on those hot blue City Bikes.But what about local bike shops? Is City Bike rolling up riders at their expense? At Gotham Bikes in Tribeca,manager W.Ben said the shop has seen an increase in its overall sales due to the bike-share program."It's getting more people on the road,"he said.James Ryan,an employee at Danny's Cycles,said City Bike is a good option for people to ease in a city famous for its traffic jams."They can try out a bike without buying one."he said. Rentals are not a big part of the business at either Gotham Bikes or Danny's Cycles.But for Frank's Bike Shop,a small business on Christopher St.,the bike--share program has been bad news.Owner Frank Arroyo said his rental business has decreased by 90% since City Bike was rolled out last month.Arroyo's main rental customers are European tourists,who have since been drawn away by City Bikes. However,Ben said the bike--share is good for bike sales at his shop."People have used the bike--share and realized how great it is to bike in the city,then decide that they want something Dicer for themselves,"he noted.Andrew Crooks,owner of NYC Velo,at 64 Second Ave.,said at first he Was concerned about bike--share,though,he admitted,"I was happy to see people on bikes.It seemed like a great idea,but one that would be difficult to implement ."Crooks said he worried about inexperienced riders' lack of awareness of biking rules and strong negative reaction from non--cyclists.However,he said.it's still too early to tell if his business has been impacted.While it's possible that bike--share will cause a drop in business,Crooks thought that the idea was a positive step forward for New York City. What happened to Gotham Bikes as a result of the bike--share program? Mr. White works in a park. He can't hear or speak. He looks after the chairs in the park. Some chairs in the park look very old. Mr. White wants to paint them. It is cloudy today. There are few people in the park,so Mr. White starts to paint a chair. After he paints it,he goes back to his office and brings a card with "WET PAINT" on it. He wants to put the card near the chair. He takes the card and walks to the chair. Dave is taking a walk in the park. He feels a little tired .He wants to sit on a chair. He sees the chair. He is walking to it,too. Mr. White finds someone behind him walking to the same chair. He walks quickly. When Dave sees this,he begins to run. Mr. White begins to run,too. Dave runs faster than (......)Mr. White and he sits on the chair. He does not know the paint is wet. Mr. White is not happy to see him sitting on the chair. He shows Dave the card. Dave feels very embarrassed . Mr.White goes to his office to _ after he paints the chair. Mr. Samson was a newspaper editor in Boston, America. On the night of August 28, 1988, when he was on night duty, he dreamed that a volcano near the Island of Java erupted , and that the local people were buried under lava . When he woke up from the bad dream with a start, he thought it was very interesting material, so he wrote it down on a piece of paper, left it on the desk and went home. Early in the morning, the editor-in-chief came to work and saw the paper. He took it for the latest news that something important had happened last night and published it immediately. Only later did he find out it was just about what Mr. Samson had seen in his dream. But it was all too late because the newspaper had already been delivered .And it caused a great panic. In no time the editors met to discuss the serious problem. They finally decided to make an apology in the newspaper. Just at that time word came that a volcano on a small Island between Java and Sumatra did erupt. The eruption made the small island lose two thirds of its area, and the seismic sea waves caused tragedy in human. What is the best title for the passage? The following are the results of the tests done by "Family and Home Magazine" on some Pocket Tape-Recorders on the market now. Pearlcorder S702 $64 This simple model at the bottom of the Olympus range scored the most points for its excellent quality of recording. Background noise hardly affects the sound and recording from a pocket is perfectly possible, but it doesn't turn off automatically. Tape length: 30minutes per side. Weight: 240g. Sony M9 $49.95 Small and very good looking, Sony's latest offering scored most for its appearance. Sounds clear, but there is slight machine noise. The big control buttons are a great improvement on some of the complicated little controls on other tape-recorders. It doesn't switch off automatically, but a red light shows if the machine is still running. Tape length: 60minutes per side. Weight: 195g. Sony M400 $115 Lots of little control buttons that make a noise are difficult to use. Recording is good but machine noise loses points. Tape counter and automatic switch-off when tape has finished recording or rewinding are useful. Tape length: 60 minutes per side. Weight: 230g. Imperial OEM MC7 $ 29.95 Cheap and simple compared with the rest, but recording is good as long as there is no background noise. Use only its own-make of cassette. No light to show it is on; no fast-forward button and the record button makes a loud noise. Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 285g. Philips 585 $80 Handsome and simple to use, but recording is very poor at more than the recommended distance of 5 cm-designed for dictation. No recording light. Tape length: 15 minutes per side. Weight: 220g. What disadvantage does only the Imperial OEM MC7 have?
Dear Sir, I am writing to express my concern about the plans to build a motorway near our village. Haldersham is one of the loveliest villages in England. It is peaceful and quiet, and it is situated in a very attractive valley. There are also several beautiful countryside walks in the surroundings, with a view of many rare trees and plants. Most of the people who live in Haldersham have moved here from other places, often from London and other big cities. They have bought houses here to live in a place far away from the noise and the stress of the big city. They paid a lot of money for their houses, but they knew they would get a high quality of life for it. If the planned motorway is built, life in Haldersham will change greatly. There will be a lot of noise around us, and nobody will want to go on the walks. House prices will certainly go down, because nobody will want to buy houses in a place close to a motorway. Haldersham will become an ugly place. I don't think any of the people living in this beautiful village want that, and we all believe exposure to noise pollution can have a direct influence on our health. So, let's all tell the politicians who support the motorway plans what we think about them! Yours faithfully, Hilary Riley Many people move to Haldersham because_. A it has a good environment B it is not far away from big cities C they want to be a help to the village D they prefer to study rare plants in this area Answer: A. it has a good environment When you are learning English, you find it not clever to put an English sentence, word for word, into your own language. Take the sentence "How do you do?" as an example. If you look up each word in the dictionary, one at a time, what is your translation ? It must be a wrong sentence in your own language. Languages do not just have different sounds, they are different in many ways. It's important to master the rules for word order in the study of English, too. If the speaker puts words in a wrong order, the listener can't understand the speaker's sentence easily.Sometimes when the order of words in an English sentence is changed, the meaning of the sentence changes. But sometimes the order is changed, the meaning of the sentence doesn't change. Let's see the difference between the two sentences:"She only likes apples. " "Only she likes apples. " When you are learning English, you must use it as the English speaker does. The writer thinks it is _ in learning English. A difficult to understand different sounds B possible to remember the word order C important to master the rules in different ways D easy to master the rules for word order Answer: C. important to master the rules in different ways Although English is not as old as Chinese , it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating new words and we are often able to know where most words come from. Sometimes, however, no one may really know where a word comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe. They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburg. They didn't speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them eating round piece of beef, they asked the Germans what it was. The Germans didn't understand the question and answered, "We come from Hamburg." One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He cooked some round piece of bread and started selling them. Such bread came to be called "hamburgers". Today, "hamburgers" are sold in many countries around the world. Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is interesting. Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too. This reason, for most English words, can be found in any large English dictionary. From the story, we can know that the word "hamburger" comes from _ . A China because it has a long history B English because Germans don't speak good English C The round piece of beef which those people from Hamburg were eating D English speakers because they always create new words Answer: C. The round piece of beef which those people from Hamburg were eating Sometimes people give us nicknames in order to be mean or make fun of us, which can really hurt. Four eyes. Metal Mouth. Dumbo, Slow Poke, Crater Face. We've all heard kids calling unpleasant nicknames like these. Maybe you've even used similar nicknames on other kids, or been stuck with one yourself. A playground _ or cut usually disappears after a couple of days, but the pain and anger coming from being called a cruel nickname can last a lot longer than that. If you've ever picked on another kid by making up or using a tease nickname, or of you've ever been on the receiving end of one, you know that names like Fatso, Smelly, and Short Stuff can be very hurtful. Plus, they have a habit of sticking to us like glue! People use negative nicknames as a way of keeping someone out of a group of gaining power over someone, or of making themselves feel more important. You may know a kid in your class who always comes up with nicknames for the other kids. This student likes to feel cool by acting like the official "nicknamer." This can give a student a feeling of power, but that power comes at the cost of making other kids feel bad. Kids who give others hurtful nicknames are often trying to cover up the fact that they really feel bad about themselves. Like other kinds of insults , a cruel nickname can be used to make a kid feel being left out or angry. Sometimes they're even nastier than most ways of being mean, because they can be so hard to shake off. The author believes that_. A those who have hurtful nicknames are not confident B those who give others hurtful nicknames are confident C the "official nicknamers" are usually very cool D the "official nicknamers" usually feel bad about themselves Answer: D. the "official nicknamers" usually feel bad about themselves Few people ever took notice of Mr. Jimmy Tan whenever he entered a room. He was a shy, quiet and simple man who preferred to keep to himself in public. On the other hand, Mr. Thomas Kim, a fellow scientist, was a man everyone would notice on the streets. He wore bright outfits with huge flower prints, spoke with a booming voice, and his laughter could be heard from all corners of a room. In addition to the differences in their characters, Mr. Kim and Mr. Tan were also great _ at work in the Institute of Future Science. On Christmas Eve, everyone left work early to celebrate the special occasion, except for Mr. Tan and Mr. Kim. They were in their laboratory analyzing the results of their latest experiments. Mr. Tan realized that something special was taking place in his experiment --the bacteria he had cultured were growing extremely quickly under high pressure and at a very low temperature. After noting down the findings in his notebook, he left the room to prepare for another round of tests. Shortly after, Mr. Kim entered. "Hey Jimmy," Mr. Kim called out, "do you have an extra copy of the laboratory booking form?" There was no reply, so Mr. Kim looked through Mr. Tan's things. He soon found Mr. Tan's notebook and was horrified to see that Mr. Tan had managed to make one of the most important discoveries in modern science. He then looked into the deep-freeze cupboard where a dish containing the bacteria was kept. He put _ into his pocket and returned to his own laboratory. Mr. Tan came back an hour later to find his notebook and the dish missing. He knew that Mr. Kim had taken them and went to Mr. Kim's laboratory to find out. When he opened the door, he found Mr. Kim lying on the floor motionless. His face was pale and his skin had turned black. The deadly bacteria had been handled improperly. He shook his head and left. Which of the following is true according to the passage? A Mr. Kim was afraid Mr. Tan might succeed ahead of him. B Mr. Tan's bacteria grew very fast in a warm container. C Mr. Tan worked much harder than Mr. Kim. D Mr. Kim was so tired that he fell down into sleep. Answer: A. Mr. Kim was afraid Mr. Tan might succeed ahead of him.
Which is a way the agricultural biotechnology industry could have a positive impact on the environment? Answer: by reducing the need for countries to import food There have been big changes in the attitudes of most parents over the last few years. Physical punishment is banned in schools in most countries, and in many countries, there are moves to ban all physical punishment of children even at home. However, many parents still believe that they have the right to use some physical punishments to deal with certain misbehavior at certain ages. It's easy to find reasons to allow some physical punishments. One issue is that many parents find it very difficult to abandon physical punishment completely. Parents argue that this was the way they were brought up and that it didn't do any harm to them. They believe that for the child's sake they have the right to discipline the child in any way they consider fit, including using some physical punishments. The other one is that physical punishment can be quick and effective. There is not much point reasoning with a screaming child in the supermarket. However, there are several reasons why we should stop using physical punishment. One point is that most parents are not trained to deal with misbehaving children. They don't have enough resources or choices to handle the situation. As a result, they immediately react by hitting the child even if there are other solutions to the problem. Another point is that unless people are challenged or forced to change their belief, they may keep following negative habits. An example is seat belt use --now most people wear seat belts without thinking, while years ago the idea of using seat belts was strange to most people. In the same way, banning physical punishment will force people to change their habits. In conclusion, parents have to change some of their belief and ideas about how children should be raised. It is possible to avoid the use of physical force, and doing so will help us move closer to the dream of removing violence from our society. The main purpose of the author in writing this passage is to _ . Answer: advise parents to give up using physical punishment Making friends is a skill like most skills. It improves with practice. If you want to meet people and make friends, you must be willing to take some action. You must first go where there are people. You won't make friends staying home alone. Joining a club or a group, talking with those who like the same things as you do is much easier. Or join someone in some activity. Many people are nervous when talking to new people. After all meeting strangers means facing the unknown. And it's human nature to feel a bit uncomfortable about unknown. Most of our fears about dealing with new people comes from doubts about ourselves. We imagine other people are judging us, finding us too tall or too short, too this or too that. But don't forget that they must be feeling the same way. Try to accept yourself as you are, and try to put the other person at ease. You'll both feel more comfortable. Try to act self-confident even if you don't feel that way. When you enter a room full of strangers, such as a new classroom, walk tall and straight, look directly at other people and smile. If you see someone you'd like to speak to, say something. Don't wait for the other person to start a conversation. Just meeting someone new does not mean that you will make friends with that person--friendship is based on mutual liking and "give and take". It takes time and effort to develop. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE? Answer: Before making friends with someone, judge him if he's too this or too that. Internet use appears to cause a decline in psychological well-being , according to research at Carnegie Mellon University. Even people who spent just a few hours a week on the Internet experienced more depression and loneliness than those who logged on less frequently, the two-year study showed. And it wasn't that people who were already feeling bad spent more time on the Internet, but that using the Net actually appeared to cause the bad feeling. Researchers are puzzling over the results, which were completely contrary to their expectations. They expected that the net would prove socially healthier than television, since the Net allows users to choose their information and to communicate with others. The fact that Internet use reduces time available for family and friends may account for the drop in well-being, researchers suggested. Faceless, bodiless "virtual" communication may be less psychologically satisfying than actual conversation, and the relationship formed through it may be shallower. Another possibility is that exposure to the wider world via the Net makes users less satisfied with their lives. "But it's important to remember this is not about the technology _ ; it's about how it is used," says psychologist Christine Riley of Intel, one of the study's sponsors. "It really points to the need for considering social effects in terms of how you design applications and services for technology." The best title for this passage would be _ . Answer: Internet may Cause Depression London has held two Olympic Games , in 1908 and 1948, with a third one in 2012. The thirtieth Olympic Games will make London the first city to have held the modern Games of three Olympics and it's the only city in the United Kingdom to have ever held the Olympics. The Games will start on 27 July local time, which is 28 July Beijing time. And it will end on 12 August. Athletes from different countries and areas will take part in 300 events and have a good time. When talking about London Olympic Games, "London Bowl" is often mentioned . It is not the bowl that Londoners use to eat during the Olympics, but the main place where athletes take part in the games. Do you still remember "You and Me", the theme song of the Beijing Olympic Games ? For the London Olympic Games, you will hear another song called "Passion" . The Olympic Games will begin in 2 months, but the ticket price is still unknown. It's said that half of the tickets will be less than 20 pounds each. So would you like to go? From the passage we know that _ . Answer: There are 300 events in the 2012 London Olympic Games
One day, while a woodcutter was cutting a branch of a tree above a river. When he began crying, God appeared and asked him, "Why are you crying?" The woodcutter told him that he had dropped his axe into water. God went down into the water and reappeared with a golden axe. "Is this your axe?" God asked. The woodcutter said "No." God again went down and came up with a silver axe." Is this your axe?" God asked. The woodcutter said "No." God again went down and came up with a iron axe." Is this your axe?" God asked. The woodcutter said "Yes." God was pleased with the man's honesty and gave him all the three axes. The woodcutter went home happily. One day while he was walking with his wife along the river, his wife fell into the river. W hen he began crying, God appeared and asked him, "Why are you crying?" "My wife has fallen into water." God went down into the water and came up with Jennifer Lopez. "Is this your wife?" God asked him. "Yes." he said. God was furious ,"YOU CHEAT !Now I am going to curse you." The woodcutter quickly said, "Forgive me my lord. It is a misunderstanding. IF I say 'No' to Jennifer Lopez, you will come up with Catherine Zeta Jones, If I also say 'No' to her, you will finally come up With my wife and I will say, 'Yes.' Then you will give all the three to me .I am a poor man .I will not be able to look after all the three. So that's why I've to say 'Yes' " The impression that the woodcutter makes on you is that he is ----- Tests administered to most elementary and high-school students in the United States exert an unfavorable influence on science and math teaching, according to a new $1 million study performed for the National Science Foundation.And because schools with high minority enrollments generally place a greater reliance on scores from these tests, the study finds,there tends to be "a gap in instructional emphases between high and low minority classrooms that differs from our national concern for the quality of education." George F.Madaus and his colleagues at Boston College analyzed not only the six most widely used national standardized tests, but also the tests designed to accompany(go with)the four most commonly used science and math texts in fourth-grade,eighth-grade,and high-school classrooms.Though curriculum(teaching program)experts argue that schools should place greater emphasis on problem solving and reasoning, the new study shows that the tests focus on lower-level skills--primarily mechanical memorization of routine formulas . Researchers surveyed more than 2,200 math and science instructors,interviewing in depth some 300 teachers and administrators.Especially in schools with high minority enrollments,teachers reported feeling pressured to help students perform well on these tests.Some states judge schools and some schools determine teacher assignments based on students' test scores. "With so much worry,"Madaus says,"teachers feel forced to focus their instruction on drilling what the tests will measure--at the expense of the more valuable,higher-level skills." The author of this article states that _ . Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for. We do know, however, that they existed over 5,500 years ago in ancient Asia. The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in 2002 in Slovenia. It is over 5,100 years old. Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn't become popular for a while, though. This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around. But it could also be because of a difficult situation. While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces, roads with smooth surfaces weren't going to be constructed until there was plenty of demand for them. Eventually, road surfaces did become smoother, but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later. There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of modem road design. In the mid-1700s, a Frenchman came up with a new design of road--a base layer of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller stones. A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong, lasting road surface became a reality. At around the same lime, metal hubs (the central part of a wheel) came into being, followed by the pneumatic tyre in 1846. Alloy wheels were invented in 1967, sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads . As wheel design took off, vehicles got faster and faster. What do we know about road design from the passage? Leonard was the high priest of a small cult of Satan worshippers living in New Arcadia. As a part of the practice of their religious beliefs, a cat was required to be sacrificed to the glory of Satan after a live dissection of the animal in which it endured frightful pain. In the course of such a religious sacrifice, Leonard was arrested on the complaint of the local humane society and charged under a statute punishing cruelty to animals. On appeal, a conviction of Leonard probably will be A businessman, who was very fond of music, was asked by a poor widow to give her some help. Her husband, who was a musician, had died, and left her very poor indeed. The businessman saw that the widow and her daughter, who was with her, were in great distress. He looked with pity into their pale faces, and was sure that their sad story was true. "How much do you want, my good woman?" said the businessman. "Five dollars will save us," said the poor widow, with some hesitation, after she thought for a few seconds. The businessman sat down at his desk, took a piece of paper, wrote a few lines on it, and gave it to the widow with the words, "Take it to the bank you see on the other side of the street." The widow thanked the man, and then quickly walked to the bank with her daughter, without stopping to read the note. The banker at once counted out fifty dollars instead of five, and passed them to the window. She was amazed when she saw so much money. "Sir, there is a mistake here." she said. "You have given me fifty dollars, and I asked for only five." The banker then looked at the note once more, and said, "The check calls for fifty dollars." The banker then asked her to wait a few minutes, while he went to see the businessman who gave her the note. "Yes," said the businessman, when he had heard the banker's story, "I did make a mistake. I wrote fifty instead of five hundred. Give the poor widow five hundred dollars, for such honesty is poorly rewarded with even that sum." On her way to the bank, the widow _ .
Question: When you enter a crowded room or go on a picnic or to a party, who is the most attractive and appealing person? It is the person who is cheerful, has a smiling face and behaves as if he or she is enjoying every moment of the event! Such people have an optimistic opinion on life. They are the ones with a positive attitude. On the other hand, let's see that fellow in the corner with a long face. He is most probably thinking about the time and money wasted in having fun. He is a pessimist, one with a negative attitude. A person with a positive attitude gets on well with the job at hand. He doesn't worry about what's gone before or what might happen in the future. If there is a problem, he quickly thinks of ways to solve it. If the problem cannot be solved singly, he seeks help from someone else. He doesn't feel that it's beneath his dignity to seek assistance. When Sonal lost her history notes days before an important examination, she sat down and cried. Then she pulled herself together, borrowed a friend's notes, worked day and night and managed to copy down whatever she had lost. Sonal passed the exam with flying color1s. It's just not possible, even for the greatest optimist, to smile all the time and feel good all day. Everyone has a period of blues now and then, when everything seems sad and without cheer. But once you develop a positive attitude, once you realize that life is a series of ups and downs, dark clouds and bright sunshine, in no time at all, you've _ , ready to welcome the world again with open arms and a huge smile! So from this moment on, keep your face to the sunshine and you'll never see the shadows. What might be the best title of the passage? A. To live with an aim in life B. To be a pessimist or optimist C. Life is full of ups and downs D. Develop the positive attitude Answer: D Question: Mr and Mrs Smith come from America. They teach English in Yangzhou. They like their jobs. They have a son, Tom and a daughter, Mary. They are all in China now. Mr Smith can speak Chinese. He likes swimming and singing. Mrs Smith likes swimming and running. Tom and Mary like playing chess. They often play games with Chinese boys and girls. Mr and Mrs Smith like Chinese food very much, but Tom and Mary don't like it. They like French fries and hamburgers. Mrs Smith wants them to eat more vegetables and fruit. One day, Mrs Smith cooks some vegetables for them. Tom sees them and says, " I am full ." And Mary says, "I have something to do." And she runs away. What does Mr Smith like? A. Playing sports. B. Swimming and singing. C. Playing chess. D. Swimming and running. Answer: B Question: Visiting the forest zoo Come and see the Indian elephants and the new tigers from Northeast of China. The beautiful birds from England are ready to sing songs for you, and the monkeys from Mount Emei will be happy to talk to you. The lovely dogs from Australia want to laugh at you. Sichuan pandas will play balls for you. The giraffes from Africa are waiting to look down on you. Tickets Opening time Grown-ups : 3 yuan 9:00 a.m.--4:00 p.m. (Monday--Saturday) Children over 1.4 m : 2 yuan except Friday (closed) Children under 1.4 m : Free 10:00 a.m. --3: 00 p.m. (Sunday) Keep the zoo clean! Do not touch , give food or go near to the animals. How much does Mr. Smith have to pay if he visits the zoo with his 3-year-old son? A. 3 yuan. B. 4 yuan. C. 5 yuan. D. 6 yuan. Answer: A Question: if a farmer needed the plants in the garden to multiply, which of these could help? A. introduction of cactus plants B. introduction of grasshoppers to the garden C. introduction of Bombyliidae to the garden D. introduction of weevils in the garden Answer: C Question: Karen Finley was born in the U.S. in 1956. When she was only fourteen, she became interested in performing. She graduated from a performing arts school in 1981 and then began to perform in theaters. In her performances, she showed people some of the problems in the world. Karen's The Constant State of Desire was first performed at The Kitchen in New York City in 1986. In this performance she wanted people to notice some of the difficult experienced women have because of men. It soon because controversial . Many people did not feel comfortable with the performance. They thought that Karen hated men to much and was out of control. She was strongly criticized by the newspapers. But some other people thought differently and spoke for her. They said that they felt the experiences Karen showed in this performance were true to life. Karen hoped that people would think about the sad stories that happen every day. She believed people would understand her and learn some lessons if they could "read"her performances more carefully. What did Karen Finley want to do by performing? A. To make more friends. B. To become a superstar. C. To show people her ideas. D. To make money for poor women. Answer: C
At Denver there was an crowd of passengers into the coaches on the eastbound B. & M. express. In one coach there sat a very pretty young woman dressed in elegant taste and surrounded by all the luxurious comforts of an experienced traveler. Among the newcomers were two young men, one of handsome presence with a bold, frank face expression and manner; the other a ruffled, glum-faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed. The two were handcuffed together. As they passed down the aisle of the coach the only available seat offered was a reversed one facing the attractive young woman. Here the linked couple seated themselves. The young woman's glance fell upon them with a distant, swift disinterest; then with a lovely smile brightening her face and a tender pink tingeing(,) her rounded cheeks, she held out a little gray-gloved hand. When she spoke her voice, full, sweet, and deliberate, proclaimed that its owner was accustomed to speak and be heard. "Well, Mr. Easton, if you will make me speak first, I suppose I must. Don't you ever recognize old friends when you meet them in the West?" The younger man aroused himself sharply at the sound of her voice, seemed to struggle with a slight embarrassment which he threw off instantly, and then clasped her fingers with his left hand. "It's Miss Fairchild," he said, with a smile. "I'll ask you to excuse the other hand; "it's otherwise engaged just at present." He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining "bracelet" to the left one of his companion. The glad look in the girl's eyes slowly changed to a bewildered horror. The glow faded from her cheeks. Her lips parted in a vague(,), relaxing distress. Easton, with a little laugh, as if amused, was about to speak again when the other forestalled him. The glum-faced man had been watching the girl's face expression with veiled glances from his keen, shrewd eyes. "You'll excuse me for speaking, miss, but, I see you're acquainted with(,) the officer here. If you'll ask him to speak a word for me when we get to the pen(,) he'll do it, and it'll make things easier for me there. He's taking me to Leavenworth prison. It's seven years for cheating." "Oh!" said the girl, with a deep breath and returning color. "So that is what you are doing out here? An officer!" "My dear Miss Fairchild," said Easton, calmly, "I had to do something. Money has a way of taking wings with itself, and you know it takes money to keep step with our crowd in Washington. I saw this opening in the West, and well, an officer isn't quite as high a position as that of ambassador, but--" "The ambassador," said the girl, warmly, "doesn't call any more. I needn't ever have done so. You ought to know that. And so now you are one of these brave Western heroes, and you ride and shoot and go into all kinds of dangers. That's different from the Washington life. You have been missed from the old crowd." The girl's eyes, fascinated, went back, widening a little, to rest upon the glittering handcuffs. "Don't you worry about them, miss," said the other man. "All officers handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. Mr. Easton knows his business." "Will we see you again soon in Washington?" asked the girl. "Not soon, I think," said Easton. ." "I love the West," said the girl irrelevantly. Her eyes were shining softly. She looked away out the car window. She began to speak truly and simply without the gloss of style and manner: "Mamma and I spent the summer in Denver. She went home a week ago because father was slightly ill. I could live and be happy in the West. I think the air here agrees with me. Money isn't everything. But people always misunderstand things and remain stupid--" "Say, officer," shouted the glum-faced man. "This isn't quite fair. I'm needing a drink, and haven't had a smoke all day. Haven't you talked long enough? Take me in the smoker now, won't you? I'm half dead for a pipe." The bound travelers rose to their feet, Easton with the same slow smile on his face. "I can't deny a require for tobacco," he said, lightly. "It's the one friend of the unfortunate. Good-bye, Miss Fairchild. Duty calls, you know." He held out his hand for a farewell. "It's too bad you are not going East," she said, reclothing herself with manner and style. "But you must go on to Leavenworth, I suppose?" "Yes," said Easton, "I must go on to Leavenworth." The two men sidled down the aisle into the smoker. The two passengers in a seat near by had heard most of the conversation. Said one of them: "That officer is a good sort of man. Some of these Western fellows are all right." "Pretty young to hold an office like that, isn't he?" asked the other. "Young!" exclaimed the first speaker, "why--Oh! Didn't you catch on? Say--did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand?" Why did the glum-faced man urge Easton to the smoker? Answer: Because he was afraid Miss Fairchild would find the truth. Many people love going on a trip by plane , but an airport is usually far from the city . You have to arrive there and wait for hours for the plane to take off and it is often late . You can't open the window .You can't choose the food .Planes are fast ,but it takes hours to get out of the airport and into the city . I like travelling by train .I think trains are safe . Train stations are usually in cities . when you are late for a train , you can catch another one . You can walk around in the train and open the windows . You can see many interesing things on your way . I know it takes a little more time . I also like cars . You can start your trip when you want to . and you don't need to get to a station . You can carry many things with you too . But sometimes there are many cars on the road . Many people like travelling by plane because _ . Answer: it is fast Prepare: Plan ahead and think about what you are going to say. In the words of Mark Twain, it usually takes you more than three weeks to prepare for it. Know your subject: Always make sure that you know the subject and have background information at hand for question time. Know you audience: Find out who you will be addressing so that you can tailor your comments accordingly. Make a point: Keep your speech short and brief and have a few clear points that you need to convey . Practice: Never learn your speech by heart as your speech will become stilted, but do practice it a few times in front of the mirror, your parents or your dog. Eye contact: If the thought of looking into a sea of faces scares you, adjust your gaze regularly at different points in the room to create the same effect. First impressions: Your first impression is important when making a public presentation. Find out about dress codes at the place so that you look your best and, if possible, check the microphone beforehand to ensure you know how to use it. Get help: If public presentations are a major part of your life, read up on the art of speech---writing and delivery to improve your skills. The advice benefits _ . Answer: actors US researchers have found traces of an ancient lake on Mars recently, increasing hopes of discovering evidence that billions of years ago the Red planet hosted life. The lake, which dates back some 3.4 billion years, appears to have covered as much as 80 square miles and was up to 1,500 feet deep, said the team from the University of Colorado. "This is the first clear evidence of shorelines on the surface of Mars," said Boulder's research associate, Gaetano Di Achille, in a study published in the latest edition of Geophysical Research Letters. "The identification of the shorelines and accompanying geological evidence allows us to calculate the size and volume of the lake, which appears to have formed about 3.4 billion years ago."[:] Analysis of the images has shown the water carved out the canyon in which it was found, which then opened out into a valley depositing sediment which formed a delta . "Finding shorelines is a great discovery to us," said assistant professor Brian Hynek, adding it showed the lake existed at a time when Mars was thought to have been cold and dry. Scientists believe the oldest surfaces on Mars formed during the wet and warm era known as the Noachan epoch, about 4.1 billion to 3.7 billion years ago. The newly discovered lake is believed to date from the Hesperian era and postdates the end of the warm and wet period on Mars by 300 million years, according to the study. Scientists believe deltas next to the lake may well hold secrets about past life on Mars as such places on Earth have become the natural deposits of organic carbon and other markers of life. Why do scientists think deltas near the lake may hold secrets about past life on Mars? Answer: Because similar places on Earth have become natural deposits of markers of life. We can see trees here and there. Trees are important in the world. They are useful to man in three important ways. First, they give man food, wood and clean air. Trees give man food and they give many animals food, too. If there are no trees, many animals can't live. And it's not easy for man to live. Second, trees can give us _ . On a hot summer day, children would like to relax under the shade of a tree after they play for a long time. Third, trees can help to stop bad weather. But in many places , people cut down a lot of trees. And then the weather gets bad. Trees can't give man _ . Answer: sunshine
They sit by the door waiting for me. And while I may speak more about the narrowness of my very limited life than their real worth, just the fact that they're sitting there, waiting for me, makes me happy. I speak, of course, of my wonderful, brilliant, intelligently designed, calf-high rubber boots. They are a piece of industrial genius . They are real and vibrant , and make my life more worth living. My rubber boots are real and they do not fail me. I slip them on over my socks at a moment's notice. They go on easily. My feet feel joyful like the wagging tail of a dog waiting for its walk. My feet know they are safe. I step outside the house and nothing can stop me--the late season snowstorm, the pool of standing water at the bottom of my doorsteps that will never give off, the mud and dirt this season brings. My feet are warm and dry and happy. And so am I. My boots are modest. They make no promise they can't keep. I found them at one-third the price of the long boots I looked at longingly for years. Mine are American-made and inexpensive and unattractive and brown and solid. They are now three years old and still look new. I know I will have them forever. I will die with them on. They are homely and they are wonderful. My rubber boots make me braver and kinder and more generous. Yes, I will get the mail. Yes, I will get the newspaper. Yes, I will walk the dog. Yes to the garbage. Yes. Yes. Yes. I have rubber boots, good strong rubber boots--and I am not afraid. We can infer from the passage that _ . A the writer has a small life circle B it must be very cold in winter where the writer lives C the writer enjoys the dog wagging its tail D the boots are designed by an industrial talent Answer: B. it must be very cold in winter where the writer lives 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 Xavier Claramunt's attitude towards the space tourism industry? A Quite critical. B Slightly worried. C Highly optimistic. D Fully satisfied. Answer: C. Highly optimistic. Mr and Mrs Green come from Australia .They are in Beijing now .Mr Green is a teacher in a high school .He teaches English ,He likes reading and running .His son, Jim, is a student.He likes playing football very much .He likes school, too. He does his homework every day . Mrs Green is a teacher ,too. She can speak a little Chinese. She likes Chinese food .She doesn't like doing housework at all, but she likes cooking .They all like China a lot. Mr and Mrs Green come from _ A Canada B America C Australia D English Answer: C. Australia While I was on a trip to Papua New Guinea to take underwater photographs, I asked a local dive guide to help me find a pygmy sea horse . I wanted to take a picture of it. These sea horses can be red or yellow-and-orange. The red pygmy sea horse lives on only one type of coral, a red sea fan that grows at depths below ninety feet. This depth made the job even tougher. As the pressure on my body increased, I had to breathe harder, which used my air supply faster. So the deeper I dived, the shorter my time underwater. I had a lot to do. First, I had to find the pygmy sea horse's special type of fan .Then I had to look over the whole fan with my magnifying glass to see if a sea horse lived on it. If not, I had to find another fan--all the while keeping an eye on my oxygen supply. The second fan rewarded me with a find. The dive guide held the magnifying glass so I could have my first look at the tiny fish. My next challenge was to focus my camera on such a small subject. The dive guide pointed at the tiny creature. I looked through the viewfinder on my large underwater camera housing , found the guide's finger, and followed it to the sea horse. It was hard to hold ourselves steady because both of us were floating in mid-water, but our system worked. I could hardly contain my excitement as I focused on the eyes of the cutest sea horse imaginable. Why did the author write the passage? A To study the natural habitat of sea animals. B To explain why sea horses are endangered. C To tell us how to be an underwater photographer. D To show us how she took pictures of a sea horse. Answer: D. To show us how she took pictures of a sea horse. It is widely acknowledged that it is by no means an easy task to bring up a child well.And our ancestors already understood it well."It takes an entire village to raise a child."That's an old proverb that is being quoted more and more often these days.And I'm pleased about that. Today,more and more schools are reaching out to involve parents, community members and businesses to help shape a child's future. Parents need to be involved in their children's education in many ways.Helping children with homework and studying,going on a field trip,teaching a craft or coaching a child's sports team are all great ways to be involved with your child's education.And don't forget to communicate with teachers -- they need and respect your input.Studies show that children learn more and schools function better when parents and schools work together.It's important to stay in touch with your child's education all through his or her school career. Communities can help children create and achieve new goals.Help with homework, read to a child,coach a children's team,or provide emotional support.Help solve problems and build self-esteem .Kids need role models and advisers can be role models by sharing their experiences and wisdom. Businesses can also help shape our children's future.invite a class from your local school to visit your workplace.You may be providing a glimpse that opens a new world of possibilities.Show students what goes on during a typical day.Give a mini course for students:how to use a computer;how products are made;how machinery works.You may have a developing electrician,teacher,nurse,or even a newspaper reporter on your hands. It really does take an entire village to raise a child.So share the responsibility-- and the joy-- of bringing a child to his or her full potential. The text was written mainly for _ . A newspaper reporters and developing electricians B school teachers and students C parents and members in organizations D education experts and government officials Answer: C. parents and members in organizations
A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That's the finding of a study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed at least an ounce of salt water fish per day compared to those who never ate fish. The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific support to the long held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart. Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States, with more than 550,000deaths occurring from heart attacks each year. But previous research has shown that the level of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption averages more than 3 ounces. For 20 years, the Dutch study followed 852 middle-aged men, 20 percent of whom ate no fish. At the start of the study, average fish consumption was about two-thirds of an ounce each day, with more men eating lean fish than fatty fish. During the next two decades, 78of the men died from heart disease , The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese of Eskimos, This _ was true regardless of other factors such as age, high blood pressure, or blood cholesterol levels. The passage is mainly about _ . A the changes in people's diet B the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures. C the high death rate of disease in some countries. D the effect of fish eating on people's health Answer: D The United Nations is warning that the world is not prepared to deal with the fast growth of cities. The World Economic and Social Survey 2013 calls for new ways to meet the needs of city populations. More than 6.5 billion people are expected to be living in cities by 2050. Most new city dwellers will be in developing countries. The United Nations says the effect on limited resources in many countries will be huge. The World Economic and Social Survey points to the increasing demand for energy, water, sanitation, public services, education and health care. The world population is expected to rise to more than nine billion by 2050, two-thirds of all people are expected to live in cities. The United Nations says about 80 percent of this growing urban population will be found in Africa and Asia. The report says sustainable development of urban areas requires coordination and investments to deal with important issues, these include land-use, food security, job creation and transportation. Willem Van Der Geest is with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, he says cities need to work closely with rural communities, so that food supplies can be secured, and the environment can be protected. "We need enough integration(,) with cities... An integration between the rural and urban economies is absolutely vital for issues of nutrition, food security, and environmental sustainability." The report says development in a sustainable way is important to end poverty. The report also examines the problem of food insecurity, which affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. One in eight people still severely lack nutrition. UN officials say some things are clear. The Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, Shamshad Akhtar, says world food production will have to increase by 70%, that increase will be needed to feed the additional 2.3 billion people expected on the planet by the middle of the century. She says an important part of meeting that need is to waste less food. "There has to be efforts to reduce food wastage. ." Food and nutrition security are core elements of the sustainable development agenda. From the passage we can infer that _ . A cities grow so fast that the world can't find out new ways to deal with the growing population. B the growing city dwellers who mainly come from the developing countries greatly challenge limited resources in the world. C sustainable development of urban areas requires coordination and investments to deal with important issues D food wastage is an effective way to feed the additional 2.3 biilion people by the middle of the century. Answer: B Ladies and Gentlemen, some strange, wild and wonderful stories colored the news in 2010, you may like them. * A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its buses for people looking for a partner. "Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the company to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat" sign. * Shoppers at an international luxury fair in Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin among the items on display. The phones will help "the dead" contact relatives if they have been buried alive by mistake. * A man in New York came up with a disarming way to perform his latest bank _ , approaching the clerk's window with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a note saying "give me the money!" * An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years. The whole cost is 400 dollars. * A set of artificial teeth made for Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world" sold for nearly 18,000 pounds (21,500 euros, 24,000 dollars) at auction . * A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping a cat in a rubbish bin. She was fined 250 pounds (400 dollars, 280 euros) after pleading guilty. * The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died. * Two Australian men needed surgery after shooting each other in the bottoms during a drinking session to see if it would hurt and they were charged 400 dollars separately. * A Kuwaiti MP suggested state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in an effort to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich state. Who has to spend 400 dollars to do the surgery? A A British woman who dumped a cat in a rubbish bin. B One who bought Winston Churchill's artificial teeth. C An Australian man who was shot in bottom to test the hurt. D An Englishman crossing the Channel without legs and arms. Answer: C Here is the tour that's voted "3rdbest tour in London" on the Best Things to Do-TripAdvisor! Hairy Goat is the best and most original tour company in London. Do you like walking around a city and discovering something that makes a great photo? London is full of interesting photo chances and maybe you need someone to lead you to them.The tour is perfect for team events,families,groups of friends and school or college classes. Bring A fully charged camera and plenty of memory cards or film,a drink and wear comfortable walking shoes.Dress for three hours' walking outside. Price PS45 per adult (18yrs and over),PS40 per child (12-15yrs) and full-time students (student ID required).Some tours to be booked and paid in advance.Please call or email for details.Please follow the links on the website or call Corinna at +44(0)7540832771. Meet in front of the Royal Exchange Building at Bank Underground Station.Take Exit 3 or 4 from the underground station. When See the website for scheduled dates. Duration Three hours,at a comfortable walking pace. Finish By an underground station within the city.Location varies daily. According to the passage,the tour. A is intended for individuals only B offers chances to take great photos C has been voted the best tour in London three times D takes three hours on a sightseeing vehicle Answer: B Have you ever had an embarrassing experience? Last week we asked readers to tell us about embarrassing experiences. We received thousands of letters! Here is a selection. Tony: My most embarrassing experience happened when I had just left university. I had just started teaching in a Liverpool secondary school. One morning my alarm clock didn't ring. I woke up at half past eight and school began at nine. I quickly washed, dressed, jumped into my car and rushed to school. When I arrived, the students had already gone into class. I didn't go to the office, but went straight into class. After two or three minutes the students began laughing, and I couldn't understand why! Suddenly I looked down and understood. I had put on one black shoe and one brown shoe! Henry: The most embarrassing experience I've ever had happened two years ago. After seeing a film, my wife and I had lunch in our favorite restaurant in town. Then we decided to take a walk along the street. The street was very busy and we started holding hands. Suddenly my wife saw a dress in a shop window and stopped. I started looking at some watches in the next window. After a minute or two I reached for my wife's hand. There was a loud scream, and a woman slapped my face. I hadn't taken my wife's hand!I'd taken the hand of a stranger! The students began laughing when they saw Tony _ . A wearing a wrong shoe B carrying an alarm clock C looking down suddenly D rushing into the classroom Answer: A
I am always nervous when I get an email from my parents with "FYI(For Your Information)". My parents are in their late 70s, and while they are quite healthy for their ages, I worry about what messages they are going to give me. I got such an email in September from my father. He sent an email from my cousin who told that her father, my uncle Reese, had passed away. The news made my mind go blank though I have met him less than a dozen times in my life, because Reese was the first of my parent's siblings to die, and I was simply not ready for that. The memorial service was set in Florida, and I quickly decided I needed to go. I needed to be there for my father, and I needed to go for myself. Reese is about nine years older than my father, and I started to do the math in my head. I know that doesn't make sense, but I will do anything to reason that I still have a lot of time before I am in my cousin's shoes. Reese's memorial service was small with only family and perhaps a dozen of his friends. The funeral was attended by an even smaller number, and then, the family gathered at a nearby bar to look at old photographs found among Reese' possessions. As we drove back to the Orlando International Airport, I thought about how I am not sure what my parents want, not only in their memorial services, but also how they want to be remembered and where they want to be laid to rest. These are going to be difficult conversations, but I know I need to have them. Maybe not right now, but we do need to open the discussion at some point. It may feel too early, but I trust my parents will know that when adult children raise these questions, we do it out of love to honor their lives and their wishes. What does the author decide to do after the funeral? Since we started offering China private tour packages on North-America market in 2006, CTSI has enjoyed great reputation. Whether you design your tour route or choose one of our pre-designed packages, we will be able to provide a private tour for you.You will be served by professional bilingual personal guide, experienced bus driver and private air-conditioned van. Features Group organizer travels free, and even the Chinese visa is free. If you organize a group of 15 people or more with the same route, we will offer you, the organizer, a free trip, regardless of whether you design your own route or choose one of our tour packages.This is our way of showing gratitude to you as a tour organizer.We even give you a free Chinese Visa.Is that amazing? As an organizer, your main job is to find tour members.Once the tour route and travel arrangements are confirmed, your task as an organizer is completed and you get ready to enjoy the free trip. Pick your favorite Airlines Airfares are a big determining factor of the tour price.CTSI, with strong ties with almost all the airlines that fly between North America and Asia, offers the best price on flight tickets to China and meets various needs of customers. If you are seeking low-priced tickets to China, you can choose a flight with a layover ,such as Korean Air, Air Canada, and Cathay Pacific. Chinese Airlines usually offer huge discount on China domestic flights if you purchase both the international and China domestic parts together.[:,,Z,X,X,K] If you wish to save on flying time, we would recommend direct flight provided by America Airlines and United Airlines. Flexibility Sightseeing Spots: you can change or cancel, even add some sightseeing spots when you are on the tour. Timing: you set up the departure and return time of the day, as well as the sightseeing time in specific sightseeing spots. Trip cancellation: some member may cancel the trip in last minute, and huge fines may occur.Do not worry, if you can find someone to replace you, we save you more than 80% of the fines. What should one do if he wants to enjoy a free trip? In order to record the passing of a distant comet, which instruments would be the most useful? Would you like to visit Britain one day?--Our country would like to welcome you! Overseas travel can be expensive. But there are ways of visiting Britain cheaply. We hope that we can give you some good ideas. When to come? If you can avoid the busy months --July and August ,your visit may be cheaper. There will be smaller numbers of visitors. British weather is pleasant from April to the end of September. Of course, you can visit it in winter, but it is often dark by 4pm.Many places, such as large houses and castles ,are closed early in winter. However, if you are interested in museums, art galleries or theatres, winter may be a good time to visit. Be prepared. If you are a student, it's a good idea to apply for an International Student Identity Card .With this card, you can save a lot of money. You can get the card from your local student travel office, and you can also call (44)-08708-413224 to get it. To get the card, you need to show that you are a student, get a passport photo, and pay a little money. Which is the most popular time for visitors to Britain? A friend of mine, in response to a conversation we were having about the injustices of life, asked me the question: "Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?" Her question was a good one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster-life isn't fair. One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves or for others, thinking that life should be fair or that someday it will be. It's not and it won't. One of the nice things about accepting the fact that life isn't fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have. Accepting this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand; everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions, and everyone has those times that they feel wounded or unfairly treated. The fact that life isn't fair doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole. On the contrary, it suggests that we should. When we don't recognize or admit life isn't fair, we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves, a self-defeating emotion that does nothing except make everyone feel worse. When we do recognize life isn't fair, however, we feel sympathy for others and for ourselves. And sympathy is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving kindness to everyone it touches. The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of _ . You may be surprised that it can push you out of self-pity and into helpful action. The author thought of his friend's question as a good one because _ .
Two friends were walking through the desert. During the journey they had an argument , and the taller boy slapped the shorter one in the face. The short boy was hurt, but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand: "Today my best friend slapped me in the face." They kept on walking until they found a pond, and they decided to take a bath there. But the short boy got stuck in the mud and started to sink . He cried, "Help! Help!" Luckily, he was pulled to safety by his friend. After that, he carved on a stone: "Today my best friend saved my life." The taller boy asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote it in the sand and now you carve it on a stone. Why?" The shorter boy replied: "When someone hurts you, you should write it in the sand where winds can erase it easily. But when someone does something good for you, you must carve it in the stone where no wind can ever erase it." You have to learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in the stone. ,A, B, C, D,. What did the shorter boy do after he was saved? Answer: He carved it on a stone. Hiking is not only one of the best forms of physical exercise, but it is also one of the best forms of mental relaxation. It is good for all ages and especially good as a family and group activity. Since there are so many different kinds of hiking, it is not possible to give any general rules to follow. Short and frequent hikes, needing no planning or special equipment, are enjoyed by most people. Keep in shape by walking at a fast pace for at least 15 minutes every day. Climbing stairs instead of using a lift and running not too far are also good ways of keeping in shape. On any hike nothing is more important than good, comfortable shoes. The things you take might include matches in a waterproof box, a knife, compass, map first aid items and flashlight. Cameras may be taken, but don't load with too much. On longer hikes keep a comfortable, steady pace and take rest stops often. Drink only safe water. If in doubt, boil the water. Don't go along the busy roads. When you have to use a road, keep as far over on the left as possible. Leave word at home or some other place as to where you are going and when you plan to return. On almost any hike, a map is a good idea. If going into a strange place, a detailed map is most useful. Take along a field guide on flowers, birds, rocks, or other subjects depending upon your interests. This can add greatly to the enjoyment and educational value of your hike. The author feel that the most basic things on a hike is _ . Answer: a pairs of good shoes A change in the environment that causes a response is known as a Answer: stimulus I was 15 months old, a happy and _ kid, until the day I fell. It was a bad fall. I landed on a piece of glass that cut my eye badly. from then on, my injured, sightless, cloudy gray eye lived on with me. Sometimes people asked me embarrassing questions. Whenever kids played games, I was the "monster". I was always imagining that everyone looked down on me. Yet mum would say to me, "Hold your head up high and face the world." I began to depend on that saying. As a child, I thought mun meant, "Be careful, or you will fall down or bump into something because you are not looking." As a teenager, I usually looked down to hide my shame. But I found that when I held my head up high, People liked me. In high school I even became the class president, but on the inside I still felt like a monster. All I really wanted was to look like everyone else. When things got really bad, I would cry to my mun and she would look at me with loving eyes and say, "Hold your head up high and face the world. Let them see the beauty that is inside instead of your appearance ." My mum's love was the sunshine that made me bright. I had faced hard times, and learned not only to be confident but also to have deep compassion for others. "Hold your head up high" has been heard many times in my home. I say it to my children. The gift my mum gave me will live on. Why did the writer's mum say "Hold your head up high"to her? Answer: To make her more confident. Four Simple Keys to Transform Your Life The Power of Choice.Every one of us makes countless choices every day.Every choice we make has an impact on our lives.Even insignificant choices can affect what we experience and how we feel.When hunger strikes, we can reach for a healthy, nutritious snack, or we can choose the sugar high of junk food.The more important the decision, the greater its effect.For instance, how do I act towards that person who treated me badly? Do I generally choose to be passive, or do I actively set clear intentions and create what I want in my life? Every choice we make, however big or small, affects us in some way. How Do You Make Choices? If you are interested in living a richer, fuller life, there is a foundation upon which you can base all of your decisions which can make life better not only for you, but also for those around you.This foundation is to choose based on what's best for all.Imagine a world where every parent, spouse , friend, teacher, business person, and politician truly did their best to choose what's best for all involved in every decision they made. We would certainly live in a more caring, supportive world. It's the Intention."But how do I know what is really best?" you might ask.The answer is simple.It doesn't matter.What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention beind your choice.What matters is that whatever decision you make, you are clear in your intention of choosing based on what's best for all.If it later turns out that you made what appears to have been a bad choice, there's no need for guilt.Knowing that you did your best to choose with a sincere desire for what's best for all, your conscience stays clear and open.This then allows you to more easily learn from your mistakes, and to live with a clear heart and mind. What's Best for Me, Too! Choosing what's best does not mean you have to always sacrifice yourself for others.An overly exhausted mother can lose her temper easily.Some time off for this mother might seem selfish, yet in the long run, it can help her to be a better mother to her children.So as we move through each day of our lives, let us remember to include ourselves as we do our best to choose what's best for all. How to choose what is best for us? Answer: We need to put away some time for ourselves.
The "Bystander Apathy Effect" was first studied by researchers in New York after neighbors ignored--and in some cases turned up the volume on their TVs--the cries of a woman as she was murdered (over a half-hour period). With regard to helping those in difficulty generally, they found that: (1) women are helped more than men; (2) men help more than women; (3) attractive women are helped more than unattractive women. Other factors relate to the number of people in the area, whether the person is thought to be in trouble through their own fault, and whether a person sees himself as being able to help. According to Adrian Furnham, Professor of University College, London, there are three reasons why we tend to stand by doing nothing: (1) "Shifting of responsibility"-the more people there are, the less likely help is to be given. Each person excuses himself by thinking someone else will help, so that the more "other people' there are, the greater the total shifting of responsibility. (2) "'Fear of making a mistake''-situations are often not clear. People think that those involved in an accident may know each other or it may be a joke, so a fear of embarrassment makes them keep themselves to themselves. (3) "Fear of the consequences if attention is turned on you, and the person is violent." Laurie Taylor, Professor of Sociology at London University, says: "In the experiments I've seen on intervention , much depends on the neighborhood or setting. There is a silence on public transport which is hard to break. We are embarrassed to draw attention to something that is happening, while in a football match, people get involved, and a fight would easily follow. " Psychotherapist Alan Dupuy identifies the importance of the individual: "The British as a whole have some difficulty intervening, but there are exceptional individuals in every group who are prepared to intervene, regardless of their own safety: These would be people with a strong moral code or religious ideals." Which phenomenon can be described as the "Bystander Apathy Effect"? Answer: Which of the following crops was the first staple in the human diet? Answer: One day, Soapy Smith and I visited a shelter for badly-treated women located in a deserted section of the city. No one smiled a greeting, and they appeared uninterested in Soapy. One little girl in particular moved like a wisp in the background. The staff informed me that she had been there for over a month and had not spoken the entire time. Her mother said she had talked at one time but not in recent memory. I didn't want to imagine what could have happened to rob this little girl of the natural curiosity and enthusiasm so natural to childhood. Spreading a blanket on the floor, I sat down and put Soapy on the blanket. As the silent child circled past me, I told the group that Soapy would come to talk to them if they sat on his blanket. Several children did this, including the silent girl. She sat rigidly at the edge of the blanket, legs held stiffly out straight in front of her. She was staring hard at Soapy. It appeared that he kept making eye contact with her. She didn't reach out to him or encourage him in any way. Rather she sat tensely, just staring. Finally Soapy came to a stop about two inches from her. He quietly reached out and laid his chin on her knee. I was astonished. While a common behavior for dogs, this is not a behavior exhibited by rabbits, especially not by this rabbit. The child did not reach out to touch Soapy. Instead, she slowly leaned toward him. When her face was within inches of his, she carefully reached out and circled him with her arms. So softly that no one in the room could hear, she began to talk. Folded around the rabbit, she pillowed her head on his back and whispered to him. Soapy remained motionless. I looked up and noticed that the shelter workers had stopped talking. Every adult in the room froze in place. Time seemed to have stopped. The little girl reappeared when I was preparing to leave. She reached her hands out and looked me directly in the eye. I held Soapy out to her. She wrapped him in a big hug and pressed her face against him. Suspended from my hands as he was, I was concerned that he would begin to struggle. Instead he reached out his head again and laid it on the child's shoulder. His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes. As quickly as it happened, the little girl released her hug and stepped back. As she turned away, I thought I saw the beginnings of a faint smile. The rabbit in his cloud of soft, warm fur had touched something deep in the child -- something that had died from too much hard experience. Soapy's innocence and trust appeared to arouse those very same qualities in the little girl. It seems the language of the heart is simple after all. The little girl didn't speak any word because _ . Answer: Which event becomes more likely during a drought in a prairie ecosystem? Answer: What lives in some zoo exhibits? Answer:
Bullis School Visual and Performing Arts Program is designed to advance a student's ability through artistic expression. Students will choose their Majors and Minors and will commit to each of these courses for the academic year. Courses are listed as follows: * Majors: Band, Choir , Dance, Theater * Minors: Painting, Music Ensemble , Visual Arts Arts course meetings will vary according to the term: * Fall Term: 3 Majors - 4 classes / course / week; 1 Minor - 2 classes / course / week * Winter Term: 2 Majors - 3 classes / course / week * Spring Term: 2 Majors - 3 classes / course / week; 2 Minors - 2 classes / course / week Descriptions of Majors: Band: This class is designed to help students progress towards proficiency in a range of musical instruments. An audition will only be required for students who are not current members of the band. Members of the band will be expected to take a weekly lesson with a private instructor. Choir: Choir is a mixed vocal ensemble devoted to the study and performance of music from a wide range of traditions. The course is for students who want to learn to respond to different musical styles. The course also focuses on developing vocal skills. Dance: This course is designed for students who have had little or no dance background. Students have the opportunity to explore the principles of dance skills, develop awareness and control the body. Theater: The primary goal of this course is to introduce students with greater experience to the art of acting. More specifically, it allows students to recognize their own personal responses to a given situation and use these reactions to create individual and unique characters. Where can we most probably read this text? A In a personal diary. B In a science report. C In an educational magazine. D In an art textbook. Answer: C Which are likely slightly larger in size than its liquid counterparts? A solid steel B solid wood C solid glaciers D solid mercury Answer: C Look! This is a photo of my family. My name is Brooklyn. I am 11 years old now. You know my father? Yes, he is David Beckham. He is a good football player . He is thirty-nine years old now. This is my mother. Her name is Victoria. She is thirty-six years old now. I have a brother. But he is not in this photo. He is only 1 year old. His name is Romeo. We are very happy. ,. My name is _ . A Beckham Brooklyn B David Beckham C Romeo Beckham D Brooklyn Beckham Answer: D Many processes on Earth occur at or near tectonic plate boundaries. Which geological events are most common along tectonic plate boundaries? A erosion and deposition B hurricanes and tornadoes C earthquakes and volcanoes D tidal waves and sedimentation Answer: C WHEN there are some strangers in front of us, which of them will we trust? According to a new study in the online PloS One (<<*>> ), people make their decisions to trust others largely based on their faces. Your appearance can do a lot for you, especially if you are in the financial industry. The more trustworthy you look, the more likely people will buy what you're selling. Researchers from Britain's University of Warwick Business School, University College London, and Dartmouth College, US, did a number of experiments. The research team used computer software to make 40 faces, from the least to the most trustworthy-looking. The study said that the difference between a trustworthy face and one that isn't as trustworthy comes from features that look slightly angry or slightly happy, even when the face is at rest. However, a slightly happy face is more likely to be trusted. Researchers gave participants some money and asked them which face they trusted to invest the money for them. Then researchers gave some good and bad information about the people with these faces, and asked the participants again whom they trusted. The results showed that even if they got different information, the participants didn't change their choices. They were still more likely to invest their money with the more trustworthy-looking faces. Chris Olivola, one of the study's authors, said in the University of Warwick's press release: "It seems we are still willing to go with our own instincts about whether we think someone looks like we can trust them. The temptation to judge strangers by their faces is hard to resist." Which of the following about the experiment is TRUE? A The trustworthy faces were given good information. B Researchers took photos of the 40 people's faces in college. C Most participants gave their money to the trustworthy-looking faces. D Participants liked to choose the faces with good information. Answer: C
The world's most popular musical, The Sound of Music is coming to China! Presented by Lunchbox Theatrical Production, we are looking for talented young performers to play the roles of the von Trapp children. This is a fantastic chance to perform with musical theater professionals. Since its first performance on Broadway 55 years ago, The Sound of Music has been singing its way into everyone's hearts with some of the most popular songs ever performed on the musical theatre stage. This June, after a tour around the world with stops including the UK, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, and New Zealand, this show will take to the stage in China. Don't miss it! We are looking for young talented performers for the roles of: Friedrich (1.55m tall, unbroken voice, playing age 14) Louisa (1.5m tall, undeveloped body, playing age 13) Kurt (1.45m tall, unbroken voice, playing age 11) Brigitta (1.4m tall, playing age 9/10) Martha (1.35m tall, playing age 7) Gretl (up to 1.2m tall, playing age 6) Interview Dates: 16-18/04/2016 Application Deadline : 13/04/2016 Interview Address: National Theatre of China Rehearsals : 5 May until performances Performances: 15 June--20 June 2016, National Center for the Performing Arts Who can play the role of Martha? A Susan, 1.5m tall, 13 years old B Elizabeth, 1.45m tall, 12 years old C Linda, 1.4m tall, 10 years old D Rachel, 1.35m tall, 7 years old Answer: D. Rachel, 1.35m tall, 7 years old Weleome to Chatsworth Times and dates for the year 2008 Open 2nd April to 21st December,House open daily 1l:00 a.m.to 5:30 P,m,last admission 4:30 p.m.,closes 5:30 p.m.Last entry to Scots Rooms.open 4;00p.m.gardens open 11:00a.m.to 6:00p.1111.,last admission 5:00 p,m,(open 10:30 a.m.June-August),closes 6:00 p.m.Farmyard and Adventureplayground 10:30 a.m.to 5:30 p.in.last admission 4'30 p.m.,closes 5:30 p.m. Admission Adults:PS6.50 Senior citizens&students:PS5.25 Children:PS3.00 Children under three:Free Family Ticket:PSl 6.75 Car Park:PS1 00 Shopping Two Gift Shops,w11 h many items based on designs from tbe House arid Garden. Christmas shopping available at weekends from November to Christmas. Eating Restaurant servmg home made food.Bar serving drinks and cakes Special Events in 2007 Angling Fair Weekend 8th and 9th May.One of the fairs in the Country for game and sea fishing funs. Flower and Garden Show Weekend 26th and 27th in June.Tbe second year of this event,with flower shows and sales and gardening advice. Guided Tours[:ZXXK] Gulded tours for children and students it:English and French at an exlra eharge.Further details from the Booking Office after 10:30 a.m. The 1000 acre Park in the banks of the River Derwent is open,free,throughout the year. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT _ . A Chatsworth is open every day from 2nd April to 21st December. B It costs 1ess if you buy a family ticket. C You will not be admitted into Farmyard and Adventure playground if you arrive at 5:00 p.m. D Chatsworth is open to the public in Christmas Day. Answer: D. Chatsworth is open to the public in Christmas Day. Choose the best answer (,) Suppose you are 17 and live alone with no money. Years ago, that was my dad. His father died when he was 10, and as the oldest of five, he had to take care of his brothers and sisters. When his mother remarried, my dad had to leave home. With few choices, he joined the army, and worked as hard as he could for a job, a nice house, and a family. Having a dad like him has made me different from other people; with his help and advice, I set and meet my goals. When I wanted to play basketball, my dad said, "Don't let anyone tell you what you can or can't do." People thought I was too small to play, but he let me know I could. Looking back now, I know why my dad said this to me: it was something his father and mother never told him. Time flew by. It was time for me to look for a job. A department store offered me a job as cart assistant. For the whole day, I pushed shopping carts. It was so cold that I couldn't move my hands. But my dad wouldn't let me give up, even though I wanted to. He kept saying it would get better, and he was right. I've worked there for a year now and I do much more than just push carts. My dad helped me grow into the person I'm becoming. When I was younger, I was small. The other boys called me " _ Nicky". I hated it. I went to my dad for a help. He encouraged me and helped me make an exercise plan and I got to work. In my life, there are different roads. My dad helped me get on the one I continue on today. I know I am just at the beginning. There will be difficulties. But there will always be my dad. Even when he is not physically here for me, his words won't leave my mind. My father helped me _ . A move my hands B play basketball C give up D make an exercise plan Answer: D. make an exercise plan Experts have put forward detailed plans for a tunnel to join Taiwan with the Chinese mainland. The shortest proposed route would be 126 kilometers--more than twice the length of the English Channel Tunnel.And the longest proposed route would be 207 kilometers. A recent conference in xiamen,Fujian Province brought together more than 70 experts.The event was cosponsored by universities from Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.Fujian is the province where both proposed mutes would begin. There is no direct passenger access between the mainland and Taiwan by air or sea at the moment. Experts say that it is better to start research sooner rather than later,although there is a lack of government funding .There are no technical problems t0 build a Taiwan tunnel.But it will require an improved political relationship across the Straits. A professor of TsinghHa University said,"A special feature of huge projects is that the period of preparation is longer than the period of construction." For example,he said,the English channel Tunnel took 14 years of planning and had been discussed for two centuries.And preparations for the huge Three Corges dam on the Yangze River began in the 1950s. The xiamen conference focused on the longest southern route,which would use the Taiwan-controlled islands of Jinmen and Penghu as steppingstones. The first stage of the new project could be a bridge to cross the five kilometers between Xiamen and Jinmen.This would mean that traveling from Xiamen to Jinmen by car would only take five minutes. The longest tunnel now being planned anywhere in the world is the 54-kilometer land tunnel to link Lyon in France with Turin in Italy.The tunnel will not be completed until 2015-2020. Which is the longest tunnel in the world at present? A The English Channel Tunnel. B The tunnel between Lyon and Turin. C The prefix = st1 /Taiwanstraits tunnel _ D The passage doesn't mention it. Answer: D. The passage doesn't mention it. Ask just about any college student you know,and he is likely to tell you that he is a member of facebook.com.Many students say they check their e-mail.It's so popular "facelooking"has become a verb "Everywhere everyone is doing it,"college student Katie Silverman said,"It's like everyone's center of life." Facebook is an online social meeting place where students create profiles ,share personal information, and meet other members. It is password protected and targeted to high school and college students;members must have an edu.email address to join. Many students say it has changed their social lives, giving them an easy way to find and chat with classmates who share their interests."Some people might be too shy to go to talk to someone they like in one of their classes,but on facebook it's a lot easier to strike up a conversation,"said Rahul Vanjani. The website was founded by two Harward University students who wanted to meet more of their classmates.It became so popular that the website is at 2,200 colleges and at 22,000 high schools.It says that it has 6 million active users,two--thirds of whom are on it every day.Many of the facebook members said their parents had no idea they were on it ."No way.My parents certainly don't know about it," said a college senior who asked us not to use his name. To keep it popular,Facebook says it stops students posting improper information.Some students have paid the price.At Fisher College in Boston,two students were kicked out for using facebook.com to do something that is against the law.At North Carolina State University,four students were punished for posting photos about drinking. To become a member of Facebook,you must _ . A have an edu,e--mail dress B have your own profile C be a high school student D offer main personal information Answer: A. have an edu,e--mail dress
A popular saying goes, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." However, that's not really true. Words have the power to cheer us up or let us down. It doesn't matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves -- the positive and negative influences are just as lasting. We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We're usually too shy to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn't be because more and more scientists believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit. This "self-talk" helps us make ourselves active, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. It is said that as much as 77% of self-talk is likely to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. _ . The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying "Good job!" Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the influence they will have. But we should realize that our words cause certain influence in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the salesperson will probably answer in a similar manner. Otherwise you may get into trouble. Words have power because of their lasting influences. Many of us feel sorry for something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn't pass this test, then it's better left unsaid. Words have power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-confidence and encourage others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to cure? The choice is ours. In which column of the newspaper can you most likely read this passage? Culture. Smoking harms the body in many ways. It is most harmful to which organ? lung Is there a nationwide shortage of nurses? It's hard to say. However, some characteristic symptoms often indicate that there is indeed a shortage. One symptom is the vacancy rate, or the percentage of budgeted positions that are unfilled. New England's hospitals currently report that an average of 7 to 12 percent of their registered nurse positions are vacant, the highest level since the last shortage in the late 1980s. Vermont has a ly low vacancy rate, at 7.8 percent. But its vacancies were at 1.2 percent just five years ago. Another symptom is the increased use of stopgap measures to fill empty positions. For instance, many nurses report an _ in how frequently they are asked to stay past their shifts. According to Murphy, working in the St. Elizabeth's Hospital, "The shortage has definitely created a lot of opportunities of overtime for our nurses, whether they want them or not." Similarly, a national survey of registered nurses shows that in an average week, nurses in the U.S. work 2.4 more hours than they are scheduled to. Much of this extra time is voluntary, as nurses earn overtime pay when they stay to fill in blanks in the schedule. When they can't fill open positions by more traditional means, health care providers hire temporary staff to tide them over. Travelling workers are the largest part of the temporary health care workforce, hired for thirteen-week reduction at health care facilities facing short-term lack of workers. Temporary workers, mainly nurses, cost hospitals $ 7.2 billion in 2000. "Any successful solution to the shortage depends on convincing more people to become nurses, and that is not an easy goal to reach. To achieve it," says Buerhaus, "society needs to place more value on nursing. Legislation can't do that - it should come from people." And if this continues, we might have to learn to care for ourselves in the hospital. The temporary staff hired by a hospital _ . meet the need for nurses in the hospital for a short time Plaintiff sued Defendant for breach of a commercial contract in which Defendant had agreed to sell Plaintiff all of Plaintiff's requirements for widgets. Plaintiff called Expert Witness to testify as to damages. Defendant seeks to show that Expert Witness had provided false testimony as a witness in his own divorce proceedings. This evidence should be admitted only if elicited from Expert Witness on cross-examination. Are people less happy or more happy the older they get ? A study found that people generally become happier and experience less worry after age 50. In fact, it found that by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were at 18. The finding came from a Gallup survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States in 2008. At that time, the people were between the age of 18 an 85. Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 22 and 25. Stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties. Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. But the people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties. The survey also found that men and women had similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men did. The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age. So why would happiness increase with age ? One theory is that, as people get older, they become more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences. The original goal of the study was to confirm the popular belief that aging is connected with increased sleep problems. The survey did find an increase during middle age, especially in women. But except for that , people reported that they felt their sleep quality improved as they got older. Which of the following may be the topic of this passage ? Old people's feeling of happiness.
On a cool summer night in Wyoming, Dean Biggins waits patiently in his truck. Suddenly, Biggins, a wildlife biologist, spots a pair of eyes in the distance. Baggins can't believe his luck: He's just caught sight of a black-footed ferret --one of the world's rarest animals. Just over a century ago, hundreds of thousands of black-footed ferrets lived on the grasslands in North America known as the prairie. But the animals died off as prairie dog disappeared. Black-footed ferret depend on prairie dogs for both food and shelter. After a ferret has eaten a prairie dog, it moves into the animal's burrow . When cattlemen started setting up ranches on the prairie in the early 1900s, they thought prairie dogs, which eat grass, might compete with their cattle and sheep for food. To make sure that didn't happen, they killed off billions of prairie dogs. As prairie dog populations dropped, black-footed ferrets disappeared. By 1979, researchers couldn't find any ferrets and declared the species extinct. Then, two years later, a small group was discovered. Although scientists were excited about the discovery, it soon became clear that the ferrets were in danger. A disease called sylvatic plague was killing the ferrets. Soon, just 18 ferrets remained. "To help the species survive, the researchers put all the ferrets in cages in 1986 and began raising them," says Randy Matchett, a wildlife biologist. To help the black-footed ferrets learn survival skills, wildlife biologists put them through a process called preconditioning. Researchers build a fence around old prairie dog burrows and put the ferrets in them when they are a couple of months old. While the animals get used to their new home, researchers feed them live prairie dogs so they can practice hunting. "Now about 1,000 black-footed ferrets are back in the wild. Despite their amazing comeback, black-footed ferrets aren't out of the woods yet," says Matchett. Sylvatic plague is still a threat, and ranchers still don't want too many prairie dogs on their land. "We have come a long way, and we've learned a lot," says Matchett. "I think if we keep working, we'll be able to help this species recover." Black-footed ferrets once became extinct mainly because _ . A. they lacked food B. they were overhunted C. a disease attacked them D. their habitat was destroyed Answer: A. they lacked food A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct species. The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard Universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants -- the Asian elephant, African forest elephant, and African savanna elephant. Once they obtained DNA sequences from two fossils , mammoths,and mastodons the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths. The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephant and the African forest elephant have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists. There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species, but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species. Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species, despite the elephants' significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5 metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2.5 metres. The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons, roughly double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA. Alfred Roca, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, said, "We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purposes. Since 1950,all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinctive animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority for conservation purposes." Which of the following can be the best title for the passage? A. Naturalists' Beliefs about Elephants B. Amazing Experiments about Elephants C. An Unexpected Finding about Elephants D. A Long Scientific Debate about Elephants Answer: C. An Unexpected Finding about Elephants Flow like the river of change Little stream ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert. "I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert, "she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed. "Maybe I can't reach the ocean, "she said sadly to herself. At this time, a deep voice said, "If a breeze can cross the desert, so can a river. "It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream answered, "That's because a breeze can fly, but I cannot. " "That's because you can't give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate into the breeze, and it can take you across, "said the desert. "Give up what I am now? No! No! "The little stream could not accept this idea. "The breeze can carry the vapor across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again, "said the desert. "And whether you're a river or vapor, your nature never changes. "Hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the breeze. It carried her to the next stage of her life. The course of our lives is like the experience of the little stream. If you want to go through difficulties in your life to head for success, you should also change the way you are. The little stream finally crossed the desert by _ . A. evaporating into the breeze B. forming a river C. disappearing into the sand D. changing her nature Answer: A. evaporating into the breeze The class in America is almost the same as that in China. But something is different. 1.In America, if the teacher asks you a question but you don't understand, you should put up your hand and ask the teacher to repeat it. If you don't know the answer, it is all right to tell the teacher that you don't know. Then he or she knows what you need to do. 2.You mustn't be absent on a test day. If you are seriously ill, call and let the teacher know you will not be there for the test. If your teacher allows you a make-up test , you should take the test in one or two days after you go back to school. 3.Be on time! It is impossible to be late. If you come in late, be sure to do it quietly. Take your books out of your bag after you enter the room. Then go to your seat and sit down quietly. In the US, you needn't knock before you come into the classroom. 4.If you have to leave during the class, do it quietly, too. There's no need to ask for the teacher's agreement. When can a student take a make-up test? A. When he's too sick to take the test. B. When he gets a bad grade in his test. C. When he doesn't finish the paper in his test. D. When he is late for a test. Answer: A. When he's too sick to take the test. Judie is a good student. She usually gets up at half past six in the morning. She does morning exercises for half an hour. Then she reads English from 7:00 a. m. to 7:30 a. m. She has breakfast at home. She goes to school at 7:45 a. m. She has four classes in the morning. She usually has lunch at school, but on Sundays she has lunch at home with her family. She has three classes in the afternoon. She goes home at 5:00 p.m. She usually has dinner at about 6:00 p.m. Then she does her homework from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. She doesn't like watching TV in the evening. What time does Judie usually get up? A. At 6:00 a. m. B. At 6:30 a. m. C. At 7:00 a. m. D. At 7:15 a. m. Answer: B. At 6:30 a. m.
The air here is fresh. There are not many tall buildings in our town. The best building is in our school. There are four hundred students and twenty-five teachers in our school. In the front of the school, there is a playground. I often play basketball with my classmates on it. There is a little garden behind our school. And we can grow beautiful flowers and plant trees in the garden. Next the garden, there is an orange orchard . You can hear birds singing everywhere. There is a river not far from our school. In summer, we usually go swimming in it. The students often _ in summer. go swimming I was reading these interesting stories behind a group of great logos in the world. Personally Nike is my favorite one--it's so simple. And I liked the stories behind them, which made me forget all other things. McDonald's, Apple, Mercedes Benz and Adidas own great logos as well, and they are among my favorites. Nike In the Greek myth, Nike is the goddess of victory and the source of inspiration for soldiers. This logo represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek goddess. Nike's logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 for $ 35, and was registered as a trademark in 1995. McDonald's The logo was designed in 1962 by Jim Schindler to resemble the archshaped signs on the side of the company's then walk-up hamburger stand. Later on, the two golden arches were combined together to form the M. The McDonald's name was added to the logo in 1968. Apple There are different stories behind Apple's logo. The first logo was a reference to the religious story of Adam and Eve, in which the apple represented the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One year later, the second logo was designed in 1977 by Steven Jobs and Ronald Wayne, and it described Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This logo didn't stay long. One year later it was replaced almost immediately by graphic designer Rob Janoff's " rainbow apple", a rainbow- colored silhouette of an apple with a bite taken out of it. And then the rainbow- colored apple was replaced by the one- colored logo in 1998. It has not been changed so far. Mercedes Benz The Mercedes Benz logo, which was originally created by Gottlieb Daimler in 1909, consists of a simple description of a three- pointed star that represents its rule of the land, the sea and the air. The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Marcedes is the name of Maybach's elder daughter, while Benz came as a result of a combination with Benz, Cie.and DMG in 1926. Adidas The Adidas logo, which was created by the founder of the company Adi Dassler, represents mountains, pointing towards the challenges that are seen ahead and goals that can be achieved. The logo was used for the first time in 1976. What does the author think of the stories of the great logos? They are attractive (Reuters) -- A group of Chinese scientists and explorers are looking for international help to organize a new search for the country's answer to Bigfoot, known locally as the "Yeren", or "wild man". Over the years, more than 400 people have said they saw the half-man, half-ape Yeren in a remote, mountainous area of the central province of Hubei, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday. Expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s found hair, a footprint, and a sleeping nest suspected of belonging to the Yeren, but there has been no _ , the report added. Witnesses describe a creature that walks upright and is more than 2 meters tall with grey, red or black hair all over its body, Xinhua said. Now the Hubei Wild Man Research Association is looking for volunteers from around the world to join them on another expedition to look for the Yeren. "We want the team members to be devoted, as there will be a lot of hard work in the process," Luo Baosheng, vice president of the group, told Xinhua. But the team will have to come up with about 10 million yuan ($1.50 million) first, and is talking to companies and other bodies to secure the money, so there is no timetable yet for when they may start, the report added. China is no stranger to _ . There are many tales about mysterious, monster-like creatures in remote parts of the country. For example, Tibetans have long talked about the existence of the Yeti , or "Abominable Snowman", in the high mountains of their snowy homeland. The timetable for starting the trip depends on _ . the money Melissa is creating a new product to quench people's thirst. She thinks it will be more popular if it is less flat. She decides to add some dissolved carbon dioxide College libraries are designed primarily for research and study. To explain its use, let us choose a research topic and follow the step-by-step procedure of looking up the material for the paper. Suppose your assignment is to write a paper on a novel called The Sun Also Rises by American writer Hemingway.The first step is to go to the main catalog.Many small drawers on the large wooden cabinets are lined up in alphabetical order.Each of the drawers contains hundreds of alphabetical ordered cards.These cards are printed references to all material available in the library.Title cards are cataloged by the first word of the book title, leaving out the articles like "a", "an" and "the".And then you get the cards for the books you need.On the upper left corner of each card is the call number.This is the numerical code that shows where the book is located in the library.The library has open and closed stacks.If your book is on the open stacks, you can go to the open-stack room, and according to the call number find it out by yourself.There are only about 30,000 books on open stacks, while most of the 800,000 books in our library are kept in closed stacks, which are accessible only to teachers and graduate students. For undergraduates like you, borrowing books from the closed stacks have to be done with the help of our librarian.In that case, you must fill out a call slip for the book, showing the call number, author and title.You can get call slips on tables near the catalog cabinets.You show your call slip together with your library card to a librarian at the information desk.He or she will help you find the book out in the closed stacks. What letter you should look for on the title card for the book The Old Man and the Sea by the Hemingway? The letter "o".
Mark Twain, the famous American writer, was traveling in France. Once he was going by train to Dijon. That afternoon he was very tired and wanted to sleep, so he asked the conductor to wake him up when they came to Dijon. But first he explained that he was a very heavy sleeper. "I'll probably protest loudly when you try to wake me up," he said to the conductor, "but do not take any notice, 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 was in Paris already. He realized at once that the conductor had forgotten to wake him up at Dijon. He was very angry. He ran up to the conductor and began to shout at him."I have never been so angry in all my life," Mark Twain said. The conductor looked at him calmly. "You are not half so angry as the American whom I put off at Dijon," he said. Mark Twain wanted to sleep because _ . A. he was tired B. he was hungry C. he was a lazy man D. he liked sleeping Answer: A Each year,millions of children around the world are unable to go to school.To draw attention to this widespread problem,the United Nations (UN) is putting education first.Recently,the UN screened a documentary film called Back to School.The film is the second in a series of documentaries for the project Time for School. These films follow seven children from seven different countries.This 12year project began in 2003,when the children first started school."This is something we could do to help the education crisis in the world,"said producer and writer Judy Katz."Documentary filmmakers can get deeply involved in a problem and do something about it." More than 100 million children will never set foot in a school.Sixty percent of those children are girls.Cheryl Faye,head of the UN Girls Education Initiative,spoke about the many factors that prevent girls from getting an education.One problem is the long distance many children must travel to get to school.Also,girls in many cultures are traditionally expected to marry early and work to help their families."We need to make a special effort for girls,"Faye said. As part of the UN's Millennium goals,the organization wants every single child to get at least an elementary education by 2015. Students from Lawrence Middle School in New York were deeply moved after they saw the film.The seventhgrade class is raising money to help build a library on the outskirts of Nairobi,Kenya,where Joab--a child in the documentary--lives.The class teacher,Karen Weiner,and the class are known in their school as the "Kenya crew".All the kids were really happy to support Joab and said they felt great about their fundraising efforts.Like the seventhgraders at Lawrence Middle School,kids can work together to make a difference in places like Nairobi.By raising money for education,kids can help children on the other side of the world have a chance of a better,happier life. Which of the following could not be the factor that prevents girls from getting an education? A. Long distance from school. B. Being born weak. C. Helping work for the family. D. Early marriage. Answer: B if a person travels on foot from home to school, which of these is given off? A. a release of vitamins B. a release of water vapor C. a blaze of fire D. a release of heat Answer: D "The British government will offer PS1,000,000 to anyone who can solve the world's biggest problem--whatever it might be," said Prime Minister David Cameron at a science conference. In an unusual competition, the Government will ask people to find out the greatest challenge today, such as finding a replacement for oil, producing low cost food or curing AIDS/HIV. When the toughest problem has been decided, the Prime Minister will give away PS1,000,000 to the person who successfully works out the answer. The competition follows the example of the Longitude Prize started by the government in 1714, which offered PS20,000 (worth PS6,000,000 today) to anyone who could discover how far east or west ships had sailed. Sailors could work out their location north and south, and were able to decide their local time from the sun. However, they needed to know the time at a reference point in order to find out how far they had travelled east or west. Many people thought the problem was impossible to solve, but the prize was finally won by John Harrison, an ordinary worker. He did this by designing a clock that kept accurate time at sea and made it possible for sailors to work out their location. Almost exactly 300 years on, Mr Cameron will have a group of scientists collect suggestions and draw up a short list of problems facing the world. He will then start a race to solve the most difficult problem. A government officer said, "We want people to think big: what does the world need and how can we achieve that? We are looking for the next penicillin , airplane or World Wide Web. Something that is going to really change what we do and how we live our lives--sending us ahead in the global race. "According to Mr Cameron, it is important to "encourage new ideas" and "attract back the best and the brightest" to Britain. Which of the following is true according to the text? A. John Harrison was sure that he would win the prize. B. The million pound prize will go to a British scientist. C. The British government pays special attention to the nation's creativity. D. A replacement for oil is considered as the toughest problem by the scientists. Answer: C Music notes fly through my ears. Soft sounds float in the air, as if they are floating on water. Music is like a paintbrush, painting sounds in the sky. A warm sun shining bright, clouds drifting far away in the night, to the sounds of music. Music is nature's friend, as one paints our earth, and the other fills our hearts. The poem expresses the idea that the author _ . A. likes to fly in the air with the sound of music B. likes painting clouds while listening to music very much C. enjoys music because music can comfort his heart D. would like to compose music with his paintbrush by himself Answer: C
Laura adds 50 mL of boiling water to 100 mL of ice water. If the 150 mL of water is then put into a freezer, at what temperature will the water freeze? Answer: We would probably all be amazed if we watched a videotape of ourselves performing basically unconscious acts as we go about the business of the day. These unconscious acts consist of all the little personal habits that we don't even think about, but definitely should. These are some of the things that present an image of who we are to others, and if we are careless in performing them, this image may well be other than we would like it to be. Parents who insist that their children practice good manners and habits at home are doing them a great service, for these habits then become lifelong and the natural way they do things. It proves true that their unconscious actions will reflect a well-mannered person. People who, for example, eat with both arms on the table at home will likely do so when out. Those who are lazy and slow in private will certainly be so in public. Children who are permitted to be disrespectful to their parents will follow suit with other adults, and will, most likely, become adults who are disrespectful of others. This is an area where the saying "practice makes perfect" may be applied. There is an article about the actress, Audrey Hepburn, known for her beautiful carriage and posture. According to her biographer, her grandmother tied her neck to the back of her chair, at table, so that she would not drop down suddenly over her food, but rather would learn to put only small amounts of food on her spoon or fork and bring them to her mouth. This is a rather extreme "at home" method for the development of erect posture, but it does illustrate the effectiveness of practicing good habits so that, when in public, they are instinctive. Which of the following are NOT true? Answer: A huge shire horse in Australia has been declared the biggest horse in the world by its owner , beating the current Guinness World Record by several inches . The huge five-year-old , from Pakenham , S. E Australia , measures an amazing 20.1 hands , or 2.057m tall . He weighs over 1.3 tons ( 1,300kg) -- about the same as a small car -- and is still growing . His owner , horse trainer Jane Greenman , 47 , says the only time the horse runs is when there is food on offer . " He eats an unbelievable amount . I would hate to run a team of eight horses his size--it would send you broke . " she says . The massive horse , whose name is Noddy , was born in Australia with its parents imported from England . Noddy's grandfather , Ladbrooke Edward (UK) was the world's tallest horse during the 1980's .But Jane had no idea that the horse she raised from the age of six months would grow this big . Noddy immediately began to rocket and soon overtook both his parents in size . Although she says that she is not interested in the Guiness Book of World Records , nevertheless Jane has carried out her own research and is sure that Noddy comes top . " The nearest is a horse in Texas , at 20 hands ," says Jane . " Noddy is already an inch taller than that . The frightening thing is he still hasn't finished--shire horses aren't fully grown until they're about six or seven ." Jane has said that Noddy could be sold overseas , possibly even fetching a record price to match his height . She is unwilling to sell , but to fund the high cost of keeping him she needs to put him to work . " He needs a job . It's very hard to find jobs for such a big horse in Australia . I wish he could stay here but I've tried everywhere , " she says regretfully . " I just want people to enjoy this beautiful animal as much as I do ." It can be inferred from the passage that_. Answer: Mark began to introduce the guest speaker to the listeners, but then stopped for a while. He had forgotten her name. Barbara hid her valuable things when she went on vacation. When she came back, she couldn't remember where she'd put them. Perhaps you've had such experiences like these. Most people have. But most of them haven't realized that they have a memory problem. Neither do they know a simple but important fact: Memory can be improved. If you'll just accept that, the following will show you how. First, relax. If you are over worried about something, you'll forget it. If you keep telling yourself that your memory is bad, your mind will come to believe it and you won't remember things. When you forget something, don't follow up with saying like "Oh, my god! I always forget things!" Such words will have a bad result on you and your memory. But relaxing isn't enough. To improve your memory, you'll need to take an active role. Like your body, your memory can be made strong through exercise. Look for _ to exercise your memory. For example, if you're learning a language, try to actively remember a lot of new words. If you don't take notice of things actively, you won't remember them. So, you can make pictures of what you see in your mind every day. For example, don't just put your keys down! If you want to find them again, make a mind picture of the place where you're putting them. According to the passage, _ can make your memory better. Answer: Almost nothing we do in this world is done in isolation. At work or at play, you'll find yourself in groups, working with other people: your team at work, a meeting with fellow workers, your family, a holiday with friends, a group of students working together, a group of neighbors wanting to make changes. It is now realized that being able to work successfully with other people is one of the main keys to success, partly because we need to do it so often. In almost every situation where you're in a group, you will need a skilled leader. All groups need leaders and all successful groups have good leaders. Groups without leaders or with weak leaders almost always break down. Members of a leaderless group often begin to feel disappointed and helpless. Time is wasted and the tasks are not achieved. There are often arguments and nervousness between people as there is nobody to keep the goals clear. Some people are natural leaders. The well-known cook, Antonio Carlucci says, "True leaders are born and you see them in kitchens." They're people who are strong, fair, and humorous. Although a lot of people agree that there are some natural-born leaders, most people now know that leadership can also be taught. Experienced teachers can train almost anyone how to be a successful leader. Good leaders don't make people do things in a controlling way. You can learn how to join others, encouraging the whole group to work towards a common goal. Successful leaders also need to be calm and wise. They need to be able to work out good solutions and make perfect judgments under pressure. Lastly, and probably most importantly, good leaders need to be sensitive*, confident and be able to get on well with different kinds of people. Good leaders always have many ways of doing things except _ . Answer:
Do you often lose things? Don't worry. Now a new tool that can be connected to any object you might lose may be the way to solve your problem. The Tile, a small square linked up to your iphone or ipad by means of Bluetooth, lets you see how close you are to your missing item, within a 50-to-150-foot range. If the item goes out of your phone's 150-foot range, it can still be found on other smart phones with the same app. When you drive the app on your phone, it shows you, with green bars that increase or decrease, how close or far away you are from the Tile. You can also program it to make a sound when you get close to the Tile. And you can link up your phone with up to ten Tiles. And if your lost object--a dog, for example, or a stolen bike--go out of your own phone's 150-foot Bluetooth range, you can set it as a "lost item". If any of the phones with the Tile app comes within range of your lost item, a message will be sent to your phone, telling you its position. The Tile app also has the function to remember where it last saw your Tile, so that you can easily find where you left it. Since the Tiles use Bluetooth rather than GPS, they are never out of battery or needn't to be charged, and they work for one year before needing to be replaced. And the app works with all generations of iPhones and iPads. For further information, please visit www. tile666.com. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? The Tile cannot be linked up with a phone without Bluetooth. These eco-inspired books get kids thinking about nature and environment. How to Raise Monarch Butterflies --By Carol Pasternak Have you ever watched a monarch transform from a caterpillar to a butterfly from up close? In this book, learn everything about the monarch life cycle and how to raise monarchs from eggs to adult butterflies. You will also get to know the efforts involved to protect the species. A Kid's Guide to America's Parks --By Erin McHugh This year, the US National Park Service's National Park Week is on April 21-29. During the week, all the national parks offer free admission. Enrich your knowledge with this book, as it introduces the national parks and some interesting places in the US, including their geography, specific animals as well as environmental challenges. The book's featured places include Yosemite National Park, Ellis Island (home of the Statue of Liberty) and the National Park of American Samoa, the only U.S. national park south of the equator . Where Do you Recyclable Materials Go? --By Sabbithry Persad Tiana had been learning about recycling at school. But when her dog, Bubbles, gets lost running after a recycling truck, she ends up learning a lot more about recyclable materials than ever! Follow Tiana and her family as they search for Bubbles around town and at the Material Recovery Facility. Along the way, readers will learn a lot about recycling and how they can do their part in protecting the environment. Scrap Kins Build-It Book Volume1 --By Brian Yanish Meet the Scrap Kins. They are creative, friendly monster who live in a recycling center, known as Scrap City. They'll show you how to turn junk into pretty cool things. Readers will learn how to create cute bags from old jeans, beautiful ships from milk boxes, and more. Remember that one person's trash is another person's treasure! The common goal of the four books is to _ . raise kids' environment awareness "You get excited about everything because you were born in the summer!" Does that sound like something your grandparents used to say to you? Of course, you're a learned person who doesn't believe in such things. But scientists now say that it might not all be superstition . Researchers from Semmelweis University in Hungary recently asked 366 university students to fill out a questionnaire. The answers given included things like "My mood often changes for no reason", "I love to deal with new projects, even if they're risky ", and "I complain a lot". They then compared students' answers to their birthdays. They found that the season of your birth may have some effect on who you are. Researchers found that people born in the summer were more likely to quickly change between sad and happy emotions. People born in the winter, however, were less likely to become angry. Spring birthdays were more likely to make people overly positive, while people born in autumn were less likely to be depressive . So, why could the seasons cause such differences? "Biochemical studies have shown that the season in which you are born affects some monoamine neurotransmitters ," lead researcher Xenia Gonda said in a written statement. "This led us to believe that birth season may have a longer-lasting effect." Monoamine neurotransmitters are given off from neurones . They affect our emotions. So the researchers believe they might have an effect on the development of our personalities. Different seasons also have different food and nutrients to offer. In addition, mothers usually get more physical exercise and enjoy more sunlight in warm seasons than in cold seasons. All these are "environmental factors " which may influence a person's personality, said Gonda. But the research only included a survey and didn't follow participants over time. More research is needed before a final answer can be given on the connection between season and personality. Don't worry, though. Even if the connection is proven, it won't mean that your birth month completely decides who you are. Being happy or sad is up to you. According to the research, people with emotional instability are more likely to be born in _ . summer Once upon a time, there was a farmer called Da Niu. One day he was walking in the forest and found a bird. The bird's was hurt and it cried. Da Niu picked it up and took it home. He looked after it carefully every day. The bird got well soon. One morning Da Niu enjoyed the sunshine next to the wall. The bird took his hat and flew away. Da Niu was very _ and ran after it. He shouted , "What a bad bird you are!" Suddenly he heard a big noise from his back. The wall he sat next to just now. fell down . What is the best title of the passage? The farmer and the bird My name is Bill. I come from China. Now I am in Grade Eight. I have to get up very early in the morning , because my home is very far from the school. After breakfast, I take the subway to get to school. This term, I have a new subject . It's physics. I like it best. I think it is very easy and interesting. I have physics classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They are all my favorite days. Mr.White is my physics teacher. He is now forty years old . Now he is in front of the blackboard. What's he doing now ? "Where is my physics book ? I am looking for it ." My deskmate , Mike , stands up and says , "Sir , it's in your hand ." We all laugh . Mr. White is very forgetful . ,. What is Mr. White doing in front of the blackboard ? He is looking for his book.

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