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"I never expected that I would be so busy. Why can't there be 25 hours in a day?" complained Liu Ran in Hong Kong as mid-term exams were going on. The 18-year-old was Shandong Province's top scorer in this year's college entrance examination. After graduating from Tai'an No.1 High School, she chose the Chinese University of Hong Kong , although both Peking University and Tsinghua University promised her a place. "I want to experience a more international school and social life in Hong Kong. I'm majoring in journalism, so Hong Kong will surely help widen my horizons," Liu said. It is two months since Liu first set foot on Hong Kong. She missed home a lot at the beginning, because of the food and language problems. "The canteen offers mostly Western or Guangdong food, but it's convenient to cook for ourselves in our dorm if we like. People speak Cantonese and almost all classes are in English," Liu explained. Her English and Cantonese are now both improving, but she still needs more time to adapt to the new environment. "I'm happy that I made the right decision to study here. With a mix of the Eastern and Western cultures, there is so much to discover and learn," she said. Liu has 18 credit hours of classes every week and 23 non-credit hours every other week. She has signed up for four associations including the Chinese Language Debating Team and the drama club. Essays, book reports and presentations also take plenty of time to prepare. And , of course, there are various parties to attend. "I wasn't a party animal before, but that may be interesting part of college. I sense myself changing," Liu said. Liu Ran had to overcome the difficulties in many aspects EXCEPT _ . Answer: something could get wedged during winter if which of these happens? Answer: Light in the evening will do what as fall approaches Answer: Dear friends, My name is Tony. I am English. I am thirteen years old this year. I am tall, and I am good at playing football. I am in Grade Seven. There are thirty boys and twenty girls in my class. We are learning Chinese in our school. Our Chinese teacher is Mr. Wu. He is a little short, but he is very strong. He is very nice to us. I have some good friends in my class. Tom is a tall boy and has short black hair. He is good at playing football, too. Alice is short and she loves wearing red dresses. She is good at English. Shelly has long hair. She can speak Japanese and she likes running. We all study hard. What about your school and your friend? Please write soon. Yours, Tony How many students are there in Tony's class? Answer: Chinese students have tended to come to the UK at a younger age in recent years, which means they come to Britain not only for higher education, but also for high school or even primary school. Asian investors have followed this trend, and started to buy independent schools to serve this demand. An article carried by theTimes of London on October 17 reported that last year Chinese-owned company Achieve Education bought Chase Grammar, a boarding and day school in Cannock, Staffordshire. Chase Grammar includes a program that offers extra support for pupils from China. "This trend is very good and I am not at all surprised," Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, told theGlobal Times, adding that Chinese people like the English education system. "We welcome Chinese investors in British private education." "Chase Grammar School is small, and the classes are small. It gives the school a family atmosphere," Jackie Medhurst, principal of Chase Grammar School, said in a welcome note on the school's website. Small class sizes, personal care, good exam result, and entry to world famous universities are features that are most attractive to Chinese students. But many parents are also worried that foreign investors might expand the proportion of international students, and that might _ the British tradition. It seems that Chase Grammar does not intend to hide their attempts to attract Chinese families. It has set up a China office in Shanghai to facilitate Chinese parents' communication with the school. Tong Zhou, a director of Chase Grammar, told the media that the school does not intent to change the ratio of local students and international students. Some international branches of British boarding schools are very popular in Asia. In recent years, the Chinese passion for the British boarding school system has led some of the best-known schools such as Harrow and Wellington to set up satellite schools in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. And the trend continues. It seems that the rising wealthy class in Asia is not satisfied with international branches in their own countries. They want to send their kids to the original British boarding schools to be surrounded by English people and immersed in the British culture. To support their children studying in the UK, Chinese parents are buying houses in Britain. According to a survey by UK Property Weekly, houses near universities and outstanding primary and secondary schools are the most preferable location for Chinese buyers. Compared to the independent school system, universities are more open. It is reported that China remains the leading source of international students for London. Which of the following is NOT among the attractions of the British schools? Answer:
Question: It's very early in the morning and I'm sitting outside. It's also very cold and dark. With me is Jim Nightingale, and he is the reason I'm up so early. He passes me a hot cup of coffee. "Not long to wait now," he says. I hope he's right. After a few minutes there is a very weak light in the east, and then I hear a bird singing. It sings very loud and very clear. "That's the robin ," says Jim. A few more birds start singing with the robin and Jim knows the names of them too. Half an hour later, there are more and more birds singing, and it's very loud! Suddenly, all around us the air is full of the sound of birdsong. This is the dawn chorus , and it's beautiful. "Wow, this is amazing!" I tell Jim, who is smiling. "Is there a dawn chorus every morning?" "Birds can sing any time of the year but the best time is the end of winter and during the spring. This is when the birds sing most." "Really? So, why do they sing?" I ask. "Well, there are two reasons," explains Jim. "Most of the songbirds who sing are males. They want to find a female so they sing to show how strong they are. The females listen and choose the best singer! The birds also sing to tell other males to go away. They need their own area; they don't like sharing with another male." I listen to the birds; the songs seem too much to me. "Do the birds sing a special song in the morning?" "That's a good question," replied Jim. "The successful birds have many kinds of calls and songs. Sometimes they copy the songs of other birds. This makes it sound like there are many birds in that place already and other males stay away. Also the female likes songs with different notes. Some birds, for example the European wren, have songs that contain over 700 different notes per minute!" So, how does Jim know so much about birds? Well, he works as a volunteer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. He is trying to help the birds live in the modern world. "More and more of the birds' habitat disappears every year. The sparrow, for example, was a very common bird in the UK, now it's in danger." By now the sun is up and the birds are quiet. It's light so they can start looking for food, they need a big breakfast after all that singing. The text is mainly about _ . A. the robin's songs B. the birds' habitat C. why birds sing D. how to protect birds Answer: C. why birds sing Question: Hello , boys and girls ! I'm Anna Green . Look ! This is my bedroom . The wall is white . And this is my bed . B-E-D , bed . It's green . What's this on the bed ? It is a quilt . It's a yellow quilt . And that's a jacket . It's green , too . What are those on the sofa ? They are my books . Oh , what's this on the wall ? It's a map of China . What color is it ? It is green . Oh , no . It's yellow . No , it's blue , yellow and brown . I like my bedroom very much . _ is ( are ) green . A. The bed B. The jacket C. The map D. The bed and the jacket Answer: A. The bed Question: I stood there listening to my father shout at top of his voice. The look on his face said that one of us had done something wrong. "Which one of you did this?" We all looked down at the step. There was child's handwriting in chalk there. I was very frightened. I hope no one could see it. Would he guess it was me? I was so scared. When he asked me, I lied, "Not me, dad." The other denied it as well. Of course, we all knew that one of us must have done it. But as the youngest and smallest of the three, I just couldn't find courage to tell the truth. To find out who had written on the step, Father gave us each a piece of paper and a pencil. "I want each of you to write exactly what you see on the step." I tried my best to write the words differently. I didn't want dad to be able to tell it was me. He gathered up our paper and looked at them. "Since none of you will say yes, then I will punish you all." I stood there and said nothing. The last thing I wanted was for Dad to punish me! "I did it." My sister walked forward and said she had done something she hadn't. she was punished for a month. We didn't talk about that day for many years. Not until we were all older and I knew it was safe to finally tell my dad it was really me. I always felt sorry because of it. That was the last time I let anyone _ for me. I told myself, "One must see to what he or she has done." Which of the following statements is true? A. The writer kept telling lies. B. Her sister told the truth. C. The writer's father punished the children. D. None of the children told the truth. Answer: D. None of the children told the truth. Question: I am a sophomore at Princeton University, where I am majoring in chemical engineering. I chose to study at UCD in the spring of 2015 primarily because I have always been interested in Ireland and Irish culture, but also to take advantage of UCD's courses in pharmacology , a field not offered at my home school. I also chose UCD because of its Introduction to Scientific Research module, which matches visiting students with professors for a term-long research project, and because of the Science office's friendliness and helpfulness. I am convinced that I made the best possible decision! While at UCD I lived on campus, which allowed me to throw myself into everything the university has to offer. I was given the opportunity to work with Geraldine Butler's lab. I loved it so much that I ended up heading to the lab almost every weekday, whenever I wasn't attending my always-interesting classes in pharmacology. After lab, I enjoyed a variety of after-school activities--that was certainly a new experience for me. Living in Dublin provided a great opportunity for seeing the rest of Ireland and Europe. I spent my weekends and spring break traveling to every corner of the island, amazed at all of the history and natural beauty. I was also able to visit the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden. After every trip, it was nice to return to friendly Dublin and head out with my roommates to one of our favorite pubs. I would highly recommend studying abroad at UCD. I learned so much from my courses and my research project and had a wonderful time exploring Ireland. I can't wait to come back! Which is NOT the reason why the author chose UCD ? A. He was attracted by Ireland and Irish culture. B. There was a chance for him to change his major. C. It offered visiting students a guided research project. D. The staff in the Science office were friendly and helpful. Answer: B. There was a chance for him to change his major. Question: Most American students have to say goodbye to fancy fruits these days. In school restaurants across the country, cheaper fruits like apples and oranges have taken their place. "People are afraid to spend now." said Linda Morrow, who owns a shoe and handbag store. "They don't know what the future will bring". During the financial crisis , several of the country's biggest banks have been forced to sell or close. This has made lots of Americans afraid to buy expensive things. The crisis began last year. Experts think it was because US banks lend money too easily. Last year a lot of people and companies, who borrowed money, found themselves unable to pay it back. This left the banks, as well as the people who put their money in the banks, without money. Since the banks borrowed money between themselves and even across borders , the whole world was in trouble. This month the US government agreed on a $700 billion plan to try to save the financial market. But no one is sure whether it will help or not. Last week presidents from 20 countries promised to work together to find a way out of the money trouble. The best title for the passage is _ . A. Ways to Save Money B. Financial Crisis facing the World C. Banks in the USA D. The USA Becoming Poor Answer: B. Financial Crisis facing the World
In the next few years, battery technology is going to grow rapidly. No more charging your smart phone every day... No more "range anxiety" for electric cars, as new lithium batteries allow them to drive hundreds of miles on a single charge, just like a tank of gas. And a tiny Chinese company is to be the leader of it all. It already counts Motorola, Nokia, and Samsung as customers for its advanced batteries. But the real money is going to come when it starts selling electric cars. Right now, the stock is trading at an extreme discount, offering in-the-know investors a chance to get in and _ . You need to know all the details about this opportunity today -- and not a day later. To do that, and to gain access to all the information you'll need to invest confidently, simply sign up for the free e-Letter from Energy & Capital by entering your email address below... Once you do, we'll rush you our latest report, China's $2.00 Lithium Linchpin. After getting your report, you'll begin receiving the Energy & Capital e-Letter, delivered to your inbox daily. Become a member of Energy & Capital today. It is free and there is absolutely no obligation , ever. NO-JUNK: By no means will we EVER rent, sell or give away your email address for any reason. Unsubscribing from Energy & Capital is quick, easy, and painless... with just a few clicks. View our Privacy Policy. Where is this material probably from? Answer: A website. Our plan was to drive into Cambridge, catch the 7:34 train to Liverpool Street Station, then to separate and meet again for lunch. We should have arrived at Liverpool at 9:19, but due to a typical London fog, the train had to move along so slowly that it was not until 10:30 that it got there. In spite of our late arrival, Joan, my wife's sister, decided that she would go to see the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London while we went shopping. It was only after her sister had disappeared into the fog that my wife realized that we hadn't decided where we should meet for lunch. Since I had our three tickets for the concert in my pocket, this was indeed a problem. There seemed to be nothing we could do except taking a taxi to the Tower of London, and try to find her there. Needless to say, we didn't find her. It was now one o'clock, and the concert began at 2:30. "Perhaps she will think of waiting outside the concert hall," suggested my wife hopefully. By this time the fog was so thick that road traffic had to stop, and the only way to get there was by underground railway. Hand in hand we felt our way along the road to where we thought the nearest station should be. An hour later we were still trying to find it. Just as I was about to lose my temper completely when we met a blind man tapping his way confidently through the fog. With his help we found Tower Hill tube station just fifty yards down the road. By now it was far too late even to try to get to the concert hall before the performance began at 2:30, so we decided to return to Cambridge. It took seven long hours instead of the usual two to make that journey. Nor were we able to get any food and drink on the train. Tired and hungry we finally reached home at ten, opening the door to the sound of the telephone bell. It was Joan; she had seen the Crown Jewels, had managed to get another ticket for concert, and had had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant near the hotel where she decided to stay for the night. Now she was ringing to discover whether we had had an equally successful day. Why was Joan separated from her sister and her brother-in-law? Answer: They planned to do different things until lunch time. LONDON(AP)---A suburban house that starred onscreen as Harry Potter's childhood home is on the market---complete with a cupboard under the stairs. Fans of the boy wizard will recognize 12 Picket Post Close as 4 Privet Drive, home of Harry's cruel aunt and uncle, the Dursleys. The couple unwillingly took Harry in after his parents were murdered and made him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. The house in Bracknell, 30 miles(50 kilometers)west of London, was a location featured in the 2001 film "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." A studio set of the house was built for later films of the eight series. Real estate agency Chancellors says the three-bedroom house has recently been made over to an extremely high standard." It's listed at a price of 475,000 pounds$616,000.)" Real estate agent Paul Bosanko said, "the original plan was to take this property to market without using any reference to Harry Potter. But since news of the connection got out, interest has shot up, and that may or may not influence the final price that we achieve at this property," Bosanko said. Neighbor Karen Field said that the house still attracts Potter fans a decade-and-a-half after the film crews left. When the movie first came out, "there were tour buses, literally tour buses coming down the road," Field said. "It's a lot quieter now," she said. "School holidays, you still get people coming along." What is not true with the house? Answer: It belongs to the Dursleys Every year Chris Brogan posts his three words for a new year. I and many others have followed his lead for the past three or four years. They helped me a lot.My words for last year were"passion","focus"and"delegate"and I stayed true to them.This year,2012,my goals are more personal and less professional. FOCUS Focus is making a repeat appearance on my list this year because I'm too much of a multitasker. The problem is that I have trouble finishing one thing with so many things calling me. When I was working as a writer,all my projects were handled via a schedule,which kept me organized.This year I'm going to have each task scheduled.I'm putting a fitness and housekeeping routine into my schedule. HEALTH I get so busy taking care of everyone else,I forget to take care of myself and this has to change. My health suffers and my weight suffers.I have to get my 1}ealth in check,not only for me-but because I promised my 9 year-old son.I'11 make sure to take time to exercise every day and make good food and lifestyle choices. I miss beingthin,and it's time to get it back. CELEBRATE What good is having it all if I'm not taking time to enjoy it?I have a wonderful job,a happy family,and so much to be thankful for. So how come I spend all my time working? Last summer my family took our first vacation in four years,the best thing I've done for myself and my family in a long time.This year,I'm making sure to take time to enjoy life and celebrate its many blessings. Do you have any words for 2012? What can we learn from the passage? Answer: The word"celebrate"can remind the writer to enjoy life. Babysitter Wanted I am seeking a babysitter for my 6-month-old son. A few hours on Saturdays and Sundays to help me and then other times as needed. He or she should be over 18, responsible, loving, warm, and have some experience in caring for babies. This position also suits a college student with experience looking for a part-time job. The pay is $10 an hour. If this sounds like a good job to you, please reply to rebecharv@aol.comor call 800-4964. Office Manager Wanted Our company is looking for a full-time experienced manager to run the business. Strong skills in organisation and business management are required for this position. The office manager will be responsible for keeping financial records, so he or she should be familiar with computers. Please reply to jim@californiaaquatics.comor call 800-6978 to apply. Waiter/ Waitress Wanted A restaurant is looking for an experienced waiter / waitress. Knowledge of wines and experience in dining are necessary. Must work well under pressure and understand the basics of fine dining and customer service. If you're interested, please contact us at job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.orgto apply. This is a part-time job. Office Cleaner Wanted Looking for a Part-time job? A position in the Mississauga area needs an office cleaner! Part-time 4 hours a day from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. Duties include: Cleaning the washrooms Cleaning the furniture Sweeping the floors Other general cleaning Some experience is necessary. Pay:$15 per hour Replyto:job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.orgor call 800-8197. Which of the following is necessary for a waiter / waitress? Answer: Having knowledge of wines.
As a youngster, I liked to stay at my grandfather's farm as there were stone walls around the house, which could provide me endless hours of fun. Since my first visit to the farm, I wanted to climb them. My parents would never agree. The walls were old and some stones were missing and others loose and falling. However, my idea grew so strong. Then, I had all my courage to enter the living room, where all the adults had gathered. "I... I want to climb the stone walls," I said. At once voices of disagreement went up from the women in the room. "Heavens! No! You'll hurt yourself!" I wasn't too disappointed because the result was just as I'd expected. But before I could leave the room, I was stopped by my grandfather's loud voice. "Hold on just a minute." I heard him say. "Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself." "Go," he said to me, "and come to see me when you get back." For the next two and a half hours I climbed those walls, and had a good time of my life. Later I met with my grandfather to tell him about my adventures. I'll never forget what he said. "Fred," he said, smiling. "You made this day a special day just by being yourself. Always remember, there's only one person in this whole world like you, and I like you exactly as you are." Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program, which is being seen by millions of children throughout USA. There have been changes over the years, but what my grandfather said never left me. We can learn from the passage that the writer was _ . Answer: adventurous My name is Jeff. I'm English. But now I live in China. I am a student. This is my classroom. Fifteen small desks and thirty chairs are in the classroom. They are for classmates and me. A big desk is in the classroom, too. It's for my teacher. A clock is on the back wall of the classroom. Next to the clock is a map. It's a map of China. My classroom is nice and clean. I like _ very much. Who is Jeff? Answer: An English schoolboy Worrying about how you'll perform on a math test may actually contribute to a lower test score, US researchers said on Saturday. Math anxiety--feelings of dread and fear and avoiding math--can weaken the brain's limited amount of working capacity, a resource needed to calculate difficult math problems, said Mark Ashcrafi, a psychologist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas who studies the problem. "It turns out that math anxiety occupies a person's working memory," said Ashcraft, who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco. Ashcraft said while easy math tasks such as addition require only a small part of a person's working memory, harder calculations require much more. Worrying about math takes up a large part of a person's working memory stores as well, _ disaster for the anxious student who is taking a high-stakes test . Stress about how one does on tests like college entrance exams can make even good math students choke. "All of a sudden they start looking for the short cuts," said University of Chicago researcher Sian Beilock. Although test preparation classes can help students get over this anxiety, they are limited to students whose families can afford them. Finally, she said, "It may not be wise to rely completely on scores to predict who will succeed." While the causes of math anxiety are unknown, Ashcraft said, "People who manage to get over math anxiety have completely normal math ability." Sian Beilock points out that stress _ . Answer: has side effects on students in college entrance exams Since the pre-historic times, man has had an urge to satisfy his needs.For food, shelter or a mate, he has always controlled the circumstances to the best of his advantages.Probably this might be the reason why we human are the most developed of all living beings on the earth, and probably also in the universe.As we climbed the steps of evolution, we somehow left behind common sense and logical thinking--we forgot that we have stopped thinking ahead of time. If you are hungry, what do you do? Grab a piece of your favorite meal and stay quiet after that? Just like your stomach, even your mind is hungry.But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your dream lover, favorite star and many such absurd things.So it silently began to pay attention to your needs and never let itself grow.When mind looses its freedom to grow, creativity gets a full stop. Hunger of the mind can be actually satisfied through extensive reading.Now why reading and not watching TV? Because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from the childhood.Just like that to develop other aspects of our life, we have to get help from reading.You have innumerable number of books in this world which will answer all, your "How to?" questions.Once you read a book, you just don't run your eyes through the lines, but even your mind decodes it and explains it to you.The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed.Now this seed is unknowingly used by you in your future to develop new ideas.The same seed if used many times, can help you link and relate a lot of things, of which you would never have thought in your wildest dreams! This is nothing but creativity.The larger number of books you read, your mind will open up like never before.Also this improves your speaking skills to a large extent and also makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary.Within no time you start speaking English or any language fluently with your friends or other people and you never seem to run out of the right words at the right time. Actually, I had a problem in sped king English fluently, but as I read, I could improve significantly.I am still on the path of improvement.So, give food to your thoughts by reading. Which of the following is the most important in creating new ideas? Answer: Keeping reading books. Several days ago, a Beijing - based IT company fired about 400 people overnight. No one had expected the job cuts, which broke with traditional ways of letting go of workers in China. Moreover, what was special about this case was that the day before the 400 were fired, they all received from their boss a gift - the book "Who Moved My Cheese?". The book - a bestseller in the US - is being used by men and women to deal with changes in their lives and work. Some large organizations, including Coca- Cola, Kodak and General Motors, ask their employees to read it in order to encourage them to be active towards changes. Cheese is something related to everyone's livelihood - our jobs, the industries we work in, relationships and love as well. With China's official entry into WTO, the whole nation will face up to more changes and challenges. So what should we do once this "cheese" on which we are so dependent is moved? "Whatever challenges and changes we meet, we should face up to them bravely" Jiang Hengwei, a civil servant said after reading the book. Professor Yang in Renmin University of China agrees. "We should change our way of thinking. The coming competitive foreign companies and products provide us with great chances to learn from them and improve our own products to meet international standards and be more competitive." "With hard work and wisdom, we will create a much larger and better piece of cheese. "Zhang smiled confidently. The whole passage is about _ . Answer: people's attitude toward changes and challenges
Saturday, March 20, 2010 Dear Mom and Dad, The time has come: I'm graduating, and I thank you both for all your help during these 15 years. I still remember when you used to say, "You can be whatever you want". I'm so glad you are my parents, especially when I hear kids say they don't get on well with theirs. I'm glad that you support me when I decide to do anything. You always try to help, and that's important to me. Dad, I remember when you first took me fishing. I loved going even though I never caught anything. I also remember when you would get angry with me. I realize you were only trying to show me the right way. When I would cry, you would always be there to try to cheer me up. That's what I call a good, loving, caring dad. Sometimes you and Mom don't agree with me, but you are there by my side in anything that I do, and that's why I love you both so much. Mom, I enjoy going out with you and having our happy time every Friday night, and I hope that never changes. I love telling you everything; the best part about you is that you listen. I'm glad we do a lot together. You love to have fun, and _ You always give me your opinion and I listen. Thank you for bringing me up. Love always, Allison Allison writes the letter to show _ to her parents. thanks The idea of not having a phone at ail could be beneficial sounds crazy to people who are addicted to the global Internet or even just Facebook. Indeed, it sounds like a pain. But some luxuries of a phone-free lifestyle make us realize that freedom has long been absent from our lives with a phone. According to The Wall Street Journal's Anton Troianovski. people expect less of you when you don't have a cell phone. Melissa Hildebrand, for example, doesn't even own n phone. She just leaves if her friends don't turn up on time for an event or meeting. "She gives them 15 to 30 minutes to show up," writes Troianovski. With a cell phone in hand, one receives apology calls, which will lengthen the waiting. Without a phone, that responsibility seems to reduce. Dean Obeidallah of CNN believes that not having a cell phone gives him the ability to see things; A beautiful woman burning past while fixing her makeup; Asian tourists busy taking photos; a businessman talking on his phone and looking important. "Instead of texting or checking my e-mail, I began to actually, look at the people I sharing the streets with. It is truly like a movie set filled with extras from all walks of life, Obeidallah said. Along with these small benefits of not having a phone, however, come all its inconvenience. Nancy Kadlick told The Wall Street Journal that she once missed an airport pick-up due to not having a phone. For Rebecca Greenfield, a columnist for the Atlantic Wire, the inconvenience of not having a phone outweigh(;) these small luxuries. But she also said: "Not having one every once in a while sounds like a nice practice." According to the text, the author believes that_. cell phones rob us of some freedom An interesting study posted on Facebook recently shows how men and women develop new interests as they mature . While women tend to take exercise seriously from the age of 34, men will wait until their 45th birthdays before working hard to get in shape. The average woman spends more time talking about sports, politics, career and money as she gets older. Women's interest in books reaches its peak at the age of 22, while that of men does so when they are in their 50s. Men start to change their focus from the workplace to other things after age 30, while women do not do so until eight years later. Both, however, care most about fashion at age 16. The research used anonymous data donated by thousands of Facebook users, recording the statuses, 'likes' and 'interests' they had posted on their profiles. It found the average woman talks about television most at 44, while men peak much younger, at age 31. Men are also most likely to see a film in a cinema at age 31, while women go out to see films most when they are only 19. Men are most interested in travel at 29, women at 27, while women talk most about food and drink at 35, and men at 38. And if you are middle aged, a safe topic for any audience is the weather, which is a key interest for many as they approach 60. Stephen Wolfram, the British scientist who carried out the research, says, "It's almost shocking how much this tells us about the changes of people's typical interests. "People talk less about video games as they get older, and more about politics." When do women love books best? At the age of 22. First, open the lid (-) and put water, salt, and rice in the pot. Then put the cover on the pot and close the lid. Next, press the button for "white" or "brown", and then press the "start" button. Let the rice cook for about 30 minutes. You'll hear a beeping sound when it's finished, but you should wait about five minutes before eating. Finally, take out the pot. Bring it to the table and enjoy your meal. How long should you wait before eating the rice in total? Thirty-five minutes. Every day, Daisy wakes up next to a man, who has to convince her they are married. When she expresses doubt, he takes out a photo album and shows her pictures of their wedding 13 years ago. Only then does _ Daisy accept that she has been married, and that everything he has told her is true. The lady's condition was caused by brain injuries suffered in two road accidents, a motorbike crash in 1985 and a car accident in 1990. Daisy can recall everything up to 1994, but since then everything that happens on one day is forgotten the next day. She has no day-today memory after the car crash. And it is not just loved ones Daisy struggles with. She uses hundreds of notes and reminders on her mobile phone's calendar to keep her informed of appointments and everyday duties. Anything she has done or anyone she has met must be logged for future reference. And on the rare occasions when she takes the risk of going out of her home alone, she has to be armed with navigation programmed with her address. There are some benefits, however. There is no such thing as a repeat on TV and every joke is funny, because it seemed she has heard it the first time."It's like I am living the same day, day after day, said Daisy, who does voluntary work at a charity for people with disabilities three days a week. Dr Peter Nestor said Daisy was suffering from anterograde( , ) amnesia. He added, "It is reasonably rare, but it does exist. You are able to carry out daytoday things, and don't forget how to do certain things like speaking. But if someone was to ask you what you did yesterday, you wouldn't have a clue." Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? Daisy could still enjoy a lot in spite of her illness.
When Mr. David retired , he bought a small house in a village near the sea. He liked it and hoped to live a quiet life in it. But to his surprise, many visitors came to see his house in summer holidays, for _ was the most interesting building in the village. From morning to night, there were visitors outside the house. They kept looking into the rooms through the windows and many of them even went into the house. He decided to drive the visitors away. So he put a notice on the window. The notice said,"If you want to satisfy your curiosity ,come in and look around. Price: twenty dollars."Mr. David was sure that the visitors would stop coming, but he was wrong. More and more visitors came and Mr. David had to spend every day showing them around his house. "I came here to retire, not to work as a guide ", he said angrily. In the end, he sold the house and moved away. After Mr. David put up the notice _ . Answer: Why was Bastille important to the citizens of Paris? The building of the Bastille had been started in 1370 under Charles V. By the seventeenth century, it had stopped to be important for defense. Cardinal Richelieu turned it into a prison. It was not an ordinary prison to punish common crimes. Its huge doors closed only on enemies of the King. The Bastille's workings were secret. Prisoners were taken to it in closed vehicles. Soldiers on guard duty had to stand with their faces to the wall. No talking was allowed. Worst of all, a prisoner never knew if he would be there a day, a week, a year, or forever. Only the King's letter could set him free. Over the years, the number of arrests by King's letter had become fewer. By the time of its fall, most of the prisoners were writers who had written against the corruptions of the government. Voltaire, the famous French writer, spent a year there in 1717-1718, and another 12 days in 1726. For those who believed in free speech and free thinking, the Bastille stood for everything evil. The day it was captured, only seven prisoners were found inside. Still, the Bastille was hated by the people. It was a symbol of the King's complete power. The Bastille had been a prison _ . Answer: John Smith,an office worker,lives in Washington.He inherited a million dollars when he was 23,but he wasn't happy at all.When his college friends were looking for their jobs,he didn't have to.Jack decided to living a simple life like everyone else.He gave $l0,000 of his money to a charity to help poor children live a better life.Today he is 36.He still wears cheap shoes and clothes and drives a small car only,but he is very happy. Up to now John has helped some children from poor countries all over the world,by sending them each $200 a month.The money was used for the children's study, food, medicine and clothing.John receives a report each year on the children's progress.They can write to each other, but usually the children do not speak English. When John first heard about these children,he wanted to help them."It was nothing special," he said."Until I went to these countries and met the children I was helping,I didn't know anything about their life." Once John went to meet a little girl in Africa.He said that the meeting was very exciting."When I met her.I felt very ,very happy."he said."And I saw that the money was used for a good cause.It brought me happiness.I want to do everything I can to go on helping those children." John learned about the children's progress by _ . Answer: Boys and girls love to watch TV. Some children spend six hours a day in school and four to six in front of the TV set. Some children even watch TV for eight or more hours on Saturday. TV programmes are like books and films. A child can learn bad things from some of them and good things from others. Some programmes help children know the news from the other parts of the world. Some programmes show people and places from other countries or other times in history. With TV, a child doesn't need to go to the zoo to see animals or to the sea to see a ship. Boys and girls can see a film, a play or a basketball match at home. Some programmes can teach children how to cook or how to use tools. It's interesting to watch TV, but it is also interesting to read a book or to visit friends. Which of the following is wrong? Answer: Not only did the students ask for changes in the list of required subjects,but they also demanded the right to choose their courses according to their own taste and future needs.No more fixed programs,no guidance from educators and professors.All they wanted was to get their degree as fast as possible and go to work. Although the educators didn't all agree;a majority recognized that time had indeed changed and that education should perhaps adapt itself to the realities of modern society.Colleges and universities revised their programs to include a large number of specialized courses in business,nursing,engineering,and other professional fields.In the 1960s they also added courses requested by the students because they considered them"relevant "(Women Studies,Revolution,or Black History)or useful(glass blowing,infant care,slow running,or family life).The students were granted the right to choose their courses as they wished.Many traditional subjects had to be dropped,including history and foreign languages;the liberal education courses that were still useful were often neglected by the students,who didn't feel like working hard to learn something that was not required for graduation. Whether the revised programs have helped college graduates to find employment quickly is not clear.But after fifteen or twenty years of experimentation,they have raised a lot of criticism.Some of it comes from the graduates themselves,who discover that their practical knowledge is neither deep nor flexible .As soon as they progress to higher positions,they find that they need management training and more study in their own field.Besides,they feel disabled by their lack of general knowledge,for example,by their ignorance of the language and culture of the foreigners with whom they are doing business. Most of all they suffer from their inability to use English,their own language,easily and properly. Who is it that criticized the new system of education? Answer:
One day a family visited the school where I taught deaf children. They said they would move here and planned to send their deaf daughter to my school as a first grader. They were upset that their child's kindergarten teacher told them not to have high hopes for her. Standing behind them was Katherine, a beautiful five-year-old with long hair and dark eyes. The whole time her parents were there, she didn't make a sound or use sign language, even when her parents asked her to do so. After a few weeks with Katherine, I discovered she was a very smart child. Although she joined in different learning activities, writing was always a problem . I tried all kinds of ways to get her interested in writing, but she always refused to write. One day Katherine got off the school bus and stood in front of the school crying. The teachers there did not know enough sign language to ask her what happened. Finally they led her into the office and gave her a pen and a piece of paper. Katherine wrote:"PACBAK". Then the teachers realized she had left her backpack on the bus. They called the bus driver back to school and soon Katherine got her backpack back. That day _ . From then on she fell in love with writing. She is a young woman now and has become an excellent writer, public speaker and student leader. What was Katherine's problem after a few weeks with the writer? Answer: She didn't like to write Women wearing skirt suits are viewed as more successful than those wearing trouser suits, scientists have found. They are seen as the uniform of the high-flying career businesswoman, but it seems trouser suits are not the best way to make a good first impression . Research has shown women who wear skirts and jackets are considered as more confident, higher-earning and easier to adjust to society than those wearing a trouser suit. Scientists also found that opinions of others, based just on the clothes they are wearing, are formed within seconds of first meeting. So while trouser suits are linked with strong will and success, a skirt suit gives a better first impression.Professor Karen Pine, who co-led the research at the department of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, said, "We make very rapid judgments about people within the first few seconds of meeting based on their clothing. " "It was surprising that studies have suggested that women who dress in a more mannish style were seen as having greater professional status .The skirt suit seems to balance professionalism with attractiveness," added Pine. Researchers showed 306 volunteers a series of pictures of a man or a woman wearing suits before asking them to rate them on a number of personality traits . The facial features of the man and woman in the pictures had been covered so the volunteers were only making judgments about what they were wearing. The woman was rated more confident and: having a higher salary and easy to adjust to society when she was wearing skirt suits. The text mainly talks about _ Answer: women wearing skirt suits seem to be more successful in society "Last week was Road Safety Week at Jason's school. All the students had to take part in a talk on road safety which was given by a police officer. The following is what the police officer said. " "Most traffic accidents shouldn't happen. They happen because people are careless. A frequent cause of traffic accidents is speed. Some people drive too quickly. This means that if they have to stop suddenly, they cannot stop quickly enough to avoid hitting other vehicles or people. You need to remember this when you are crossing the street or walking along the sidewalk. " "It's not only drivers who cause accidents, however. People on foot-pedestrians, and bicycle riders often cause accidents, too. Pedestrians sometimes walk out into the street without looking. You should always look on both sides before stepping into the street. " "Do any of you ride a bike? Bicycle riders can cause accidents by changing directions suddenly or without warning other road users. Before you turn left, for example, you should check behind you to make sure there aren't any cars, trucks or buses coming. You should show with your left hand to tell that you want to turn left. You should not turn until the street is clear. " "The rules of the road are very simple. If we learn them and obey them, we should not have accidents any more. " Which of the following is the best title of this passage? Answer: A Talk on Safety It is time to go home now. I am on a bus on a rainy day, and a woman with a dog gets on the bus. It is a big dog and its feet are not clean. I don't want the dog to sit next to me. But the woman says to the conductor, "oh, I pay for my dog. Can he sit here like the other people?" The conductor looks at the dog and says, "yes, madam. But like other people , he must put his feet under the chair." why do the woman and the dog get on the bus? Because _ . Answer: it is a rainy day Blackacre was a tract of 100 acres retained by Byron, the owner, after he had developed the adjoining 400 acres as a residential subdivision. Byron had effectively imposed restrictive covenants on each lot in the 400 acres. Chaney offered Byron a good price for a five-acre tract located in a corner of Blackacre far away from the existing 400-acre residential subdivision. Byron conveyed the fiveacre tract to Chaney and imposed the same restrictive covenants on the five-acre tract as he had imposed on the lots in the adjoining 400 acres. Byron further covenanted that when he sold the remaining 95 acres of Blackacre he would impose the same restrictive covenants in the deed or deeds for the 95 acres. Byron's conveyance to Chaney was promptly and properly recorded. However, shortly thereafter, Byron conveyed the remaining 95 acres to Dart for $100,000 by a deed that made no mention of any restrictive covenants. Dart had no actual knowledge of the restrictive covenants in Chaney's deed. Dart now proposes to build an industrial park which would violate such restrictive covenants if they are applicable. The recording act of the jurisdiction provides: "No conveyance or mortgage of real property shall be good against subsequent purchasers for value and without notice unless the same be recorded according to law." In an appropriate action by Chaney to enforce the restrictive covenants against Dart's 95-acre tract, if Dart wins it will be because Answer: the deed imposing the restrictions was not in the chain of title for the 95 acres when Dart bought.
Smart phones that react to your moods and televisions that can tell it's you who's watching are in your future as Intel Corporation's top technology expert sets his sights on context-aware computing. Chief technology officer Justin Rattner showed how personal devices will one day offer advice. "How can we change the relationship so we think of these devices not as devices but as assistants or even companions?" he asked. Handheld devices could combine already common geographic location technology with data from microphones, cameras, heart and body monitors and even brain scans to offer their owners advice that today only a friend or relative could give. "Imagine a device that uses a variety of sensors to determine what you are doing at an instant, from being asleep in your bed to being out for a run with a friend, " Rattner said, "Future devices will constantly learn about who you are, how you live, work and play.'' Rattner also demonstrated a television remote control that figures out who is holding it based on how it is held, and then learns the viewer's entertainment preferences. As the world leader for decades in microchips for servers and desktop computers, Intel is hurrying to catch up in the profitable market for smart phones like Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's Blackberry. Telephones with e-mail, global positioning and media players are pointing the way to a future where ever more functions are packed into ever smaller mobile devices. The smart phone industry, including technology giants like LG and Samsung, is likely to sell 270 million phones this year and grow 25 percent in 2011, according to market research company IDC. "I think you can expect to see features that support context-aware computing starting to appear in Intel products in the near future," Rattner said. But analysts say Intel faces an uphill battle getting its microchips into new phones as Nvidia, Marvell and Qualcomm have already made headway with cheap, lower-power processors based on designs by ARM Holdings. Rattner recognized that questions about privacy and people's willingness to be intimate with their computers will have to be settled before the future generation of smart phones he described takes off. "If you think identity threat is a problem today, imagine when your whole context is readily available on the Net.", he said. The best title for the passage is likely to be _ . A Smart phones and Televisions B Context-aware Computing C Personalized Televisions D Personalized Smart phones Answer: D Two billion children in the developing world can't receive good education--the key to human development.However,technology offers an answer which allows the poor in developing countries to learn.It is a tool which holds the ability to change the lives of the poor,as it provides a means of learning and communicating. Educational programmes must break away from old systems.New companies such as One Laptop Per Child(OLPC),an organisation founded by MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte have been active in solving the world's education problem. The Internet has changed the world,allowing educational services to help with the global fight against poverty.Khan Academy is one such service.Like OLPC,it is an organisation founded by Harvard Business School graduate Salman Khan with the task of "providing a world-class education to anyone,anywhere".The education offered includes a large number of math-related topics. The GMAT Pill Review is another company that trains MBA candidates worldwide to prepare for the GMAT exam on both the Quant and Verbal section.Founded by Stanford graduate Zeke Lee,the company offers services which are priced at about 75% less than other similar programmes.It allows students from developing countries who might not be able to afford similar courses to have access to these services. Whether paid or free these services provide educational opportunities to those who would never have had the chance in the past.As a result of the technology revolution ,business schools may see more students from different corners of the world.Because of the Internet,people in developing nations have access to better and more affordable educational opportunities.More and more people will try to improve their lives through educational opportunities outside of their homeland--an idea usually uncommon in developing countries. According to the text,technology can _ . A improve people's reading ability B solve the problems facing the whole world C help the poor to reduce poverty D cause poverty in developing countries Answer: C Fruit or juice, which is nutritionally superior? This is almost the same as the age-old question: The chicken or the egg, which came first? Usually, juicers remove the juice and some pulp from fruits and/or vegetables.It takes a lot of fruit to make a container of juice.We do get all of the vitamins, minerals, beneficial plant chemicals and carbohydrates in juice out of a whole fruit.But we do not get much of the fiber, the part that aids our digestive process, fills us up, and may help protect us against heart diseases and certain cancers. However, you may be surprised to discover that some juices actually contain more necessary nutrients .For example, apples are not a good source of vitamin C, but many types of apple juice are fortified with vitamin C. Juice has more calories than fresh fruit due to added sugar and less fiber.If calories are your primary concern, choose fresh fruit over juice and drink water if you are thirsty.We do not feel as filled up from juice because it does not contain any fiber.For many people, drinking a caloric beverage , such as juice, is not as satisfying as eating the same amount of calories in food.For those of us who need to increase caloric intake (such as athletes, children, or teens) juice is a GREAT choice. Kids love the taste of pure fruit juice, and parents love it because it is a healthy source of nutrients.But avoid junk fruit beverages which are mistaken for juice blends that contain various fruits like grape, apple and pear.These juices do not have the natural levels of vital nutrients that 100 percent pure juices like orange juice provide. What can we learn from this passage? A We can get out of fruit all the nutrients which aid our digestive process. B We can hardly determine which provides more nutrients, juice or fruit. C People may prefer juice to food in taking in the same amount of calories. D If you want more calories, fruit might be your better choice. Answer: B Police received information from an undercover police officer that she had just seen two men (whom she described) in a red pickup truck selling marijuana to schoolchildren near the city's largest high school. A few minutes later, two police officers saw a pickup truck fitting the description a half block from the high school. The driver of the truck matched the description of one of the men described by the undercover officer. The only passenger was a young woman who was in the back of the truck. The police saw her get out and stand at a nearby bus stop. They stopped the truck and searched the driver. In the pocket of the driver's jacket, the police found a small bottle of pills that they recognized as narcotics. They then broke open a locked toolbox attached to the flatbed of the truck and found a small sealed envelope inside. They opened it and found marijuana. They also found a quantity of cocaine in the glove compartment. After completing their search of the driver and the truck, the police went over to the young woman and searched her purse. In her purse, they found a small quantity of heroin. Both the driver and the young woman were arrested and charged with unlawful possession of narcotics. If the driver moves to suppress the use as evidence of the marijuana and cocaine found in the search of the truck, the court should A grant the motion as to both the marijuana and the cocaine. B grant the motion as to the marijuana but deny it as to the cocaine. C deny the motion as to the marijuana but grant it as to the cocaine. D deny the motion as to both the marijuana and the cocaine. Answer: D In ancient Greece,there were four major athletic meetings and the Olympian meeting played the most important part in the lives of the people. As time passed,the Olympian meeting gradually lost its local character and became first a national event and then international. No one knows exactly how far back the Olympic Games go but some official records date from 776 BC. The Games took place every four years on the plain by Mount Olympus. Thousands of people came from all parts of the Greek world to watch the games. The winner of the foot race had the great honor of giving his name to the year of his history. After a long history of almost 1,200 years,the Games were stopped for religious reasons. It was then decided in 1896 to start the Olympic Games again. The meeting was held in Athens and 311 athletes from 13 countries took part in it but the idea of such an international meeting attracted the world's attention. After the 1908 London Olympics,many nations sent their best athletes. Although the Games have been time and again threatened by some unfavorable political events, the Games have taken place every four years. Nowadays, the Games are held in different countries in turn. As the biggest international gathering of any kind in the world,athletes from different countries play games together and this provides them with good chances to learn to live together. The friendly feelings in the Olympic Village make people think of the world as one big family. The Olympic Games will be hosted in Beijing in 2008. It is believed that the Games will be a wonder of the world. The first old Olympic Games took place _ . A a thousand years ago B in the seventh century AD C in modern times D before 700 BC Answer: D
Commodities are basic materials that are used and traded worldwide. The price of commodities helps determine how much a business can charge for a product and the profit it can make. Commodity prices have reached a two-year high since falling sharply during the world financial crisis. Hard commodities are materials like iron ore, oil and gold. Agricultural products are soft commodities. These include wheat, cotton and rice. Economic measures show the world economy is recovering. China and India, for example, have reported strong growth in manufacturing . Developed nations have had slower growth. John James, a business professor at Pace University, says demand in developing economics can push up prices for commodities like oil and iron are used for making steel. But, he says, changing currency values can also influence prices. Gold prices have reached record levels in recent months. That means gold dealers must pay more for the commodity now than they did only a year ago. That affects current prices. Not surprisingly, manufacturers want some control over the prices they pay for commodities. Futures contracts are agreements between a buyer and a seller to exchange something at a set price at some time in the future. These contracts let buyers lock in a price for basic materials. But some traders in futures markets only want to make a profit. They buy or sell contracts depending on the direction they believe prices will go. These speculators get _ when prices rise, or fall, too quickly. The United States, Germany and France are looking into ways to limit this kind of trading. Some experts say exporting commodities is not a good path to long-term economic growth. The United Nations recently reported that the least developed countries must change their economics to provide good incomes for their citizens. A UN official says the least developed countries need to cut dependence on commodities and manufacture products for export. He says only this will let them gain from world trade. What is the leading factor for this round of growth of commodity prices? Growth in manufacturing in developing nations. Winning a race requires you to be reach the finish line in a before your opponents, so using what will measure how much faster you win or lose by? a stopwatch During the day we work and play; at night we sleep. Our bodies rest while we sleep. In the morning we are ready to work and play again. While we are asleep our bodies grow most. Children usually need more sleep. We can get our lessons better and we feel better too, when we have plenty of rest. Boys and girls need ten hours of sleep every night when they are eight or nine years old. Our bodies need lots of air when we sleep. If we do not get enough fresh air we'll feel tired when we wake up. While in bed we must not cover our heads. If we do, our lungs will not get enough fresh air. If we open our windows at night we can have plenty of fresh air. Cool air is better then warm air. Boys and girls must get enough sleep if they want to grow and be strong. Too little sleep makes us _ . tired People all over the world today are beginning to hear and learn more and more about the problem of pollution.Pollution is caused either by man's release of completely new artificial substances into the environment,or by releasing greatly increased amounts of a natural substance,such as oil from oil tankers into the sea. The whole industrial process which makes many of the goods and machines we need and use in our daily lives,is bound to create a number of waste products which upset the environmental balance,or the ecological balance as is also known.Many of these waste products can be prevented or disposed of.But while more and more new and complex goods are produced,there will be new,dangerous waste to be disposed of,for example,the waste products from nuclear power stations.Many people,therefore,see pollution as only part of a larger and more complex problem,that is,the whole process of industrial production and consumption of goods.Others again see the problem mainly in connection with agriculture,where new methods are helping farmers grow more and more on their land to feed our ever-increasing population.However,the land itself is gradually becoming worn out as it is being used,in some cases,too heavily,and artificial fertilizers can not restore the balance. Whatever its underlying reasons are,there is no doubt that much of the pollution caused could be controlled if only companies,individuals and governments would make more efforts.In the home there is an obvious need to control litter and waste.Food comes wrapped up three or four times in packages that all have to be disposed of;drinks are increasingly sold in bottles or tins which can not be reused.This not only causes a litter problem,but also is a great waste of resources,in terms of glass,metals and paper.Advertising has helped this process by persuading many of us not only to buy things we neither want nor need,but also to throw away much of what we do buy.Pollution and waste combine to be a problem everyone can help to solve by cutting out unnecessary buying,excessive consumption and careless disposal of the products we use in our daily lives. Many people see pollution as only part of . the whole process of industrial production and consumption of goods Smartphone, poor sight Look around and you will see people busy on their smatrphones . Smartphones do make our lives easier. But have you ever thought about what they mean to your eyes? According to a study, half of the British people own smartphones and they spend an average ( ) of two hours a day using them. There has been a 35% increase in the number of people in the U.K who suffer from short-sightedness since smartphones were introduced there in 1997. Staring at smartphones for a long time gives you dry eyes. When looking at something in the distance, your eyes automatically blink a certain number of times. However, when you look at the things closer to your face, the blink slows down. This reduces the amount of tears and causes discomfort in your eyes. Another bad habit is using smartphone in dark rooms before going to sleep. If you look at a bright screen while your pupils become larger, too much light goes into your eyes. This can be bad for your eyes and causes a disease called glaucoma . Maybe it is possible for you to stop using your smartphone, but there are a few things you can do to protect your eyes. * Hold your phone at least 30 centimeters away from your eyes when using it. *Take a break every hour and try the following: look at something at least 5 meters away from you and then focus on your nose. Repeat this several times. It should reduce the discomfort in your eyes. ,. The passage advises people _ . to use smartphones in right ways
In 1880, fourteen-year-old Matthew Henson loved to hear sailors tell tales of their exciting lives at sea. The travel, the adventure, the danger, and the steady pay were all attracting young Henson. One day, he found a job as a cabin boy on a beautiful ship called the Katie Hinds. For the next five years, Henson sailed around the world. With the help of the ship's captain and other members of the crew, Henson learned mathematics, navigation, history, geography, and many other subjects. By the time he left the Katie Hinds in 1885, Henson was well educated and had become an excellent seaman. Unable to find work anywhere else, Henson took a job in a hat shop in Washington, D.C. One day in 1887, a man came in to buy a hat. The man, Robert Peary, asked the owner if he knew anyone with experience at sea. Peary would soon travel to South America for the U.S. government. He needed experienced men to accompany him. The shop owner knew about his young employee's skills and experience on ocean journeys, so he introduced Peary to Henson. Using his map-reading and sailing skills, Henson proved himself to be a worthy and smart seaman. Peary soon made Henson his assistant, and they became close friends. One day Peary told Henson about his real dream: to be the first man to stand on "the top of the world" at the North Pole. He asked Henson to help him make his dream come true. Over the next five years, the two explorers made two trips together to the Arctic. However, they were not able to reach the pole either time. The cold, wind, and ice were worse than either of them had ever imagined. In 1908, Peary and Henson were ready to make their final attempt at reaching the North Pole. Both men were over forty years old. The years of hardship in the arctic cold had made them suffer a lot. This would be their last chance. With four Inuit guides, they made a mad rush straight across the ice toward the pole. Peary's feet were injured and he had to be pulled on a dogsled. In April 1909, Henson's instruments showed they were standing at the North Pole. Together Henson and Peary planted the American flag in the snow. In later years, Robert Peary and Henson were greatly honored for their achievements. Today, the two friends and fellow explorers lie in heroes' graves not far apart in the Arlington National Cemetery. The information presented in this passage is mainly organized _ . Answer: in the order that the events happened When I came home to London at the end of my first term at university in December 1968, I was flat broke, and more broke because it was Christmas, so I went to an employment agency for a job. "Would you like to work for the Beatles? " they asked. "Don't you have anything better?" I asked. Fifteen minutes later I got the job. When I asked why they accepted me when millions would have done the job for free, the answer was "That's just the problem." Yes. I owed the job to the fact that I was not a crazy fan. But of course I was a fan. It was difficult not to be. I worked over the winter holiday in 1968 and also during Easter 1969. I had to take a taxi in the days to deliver papers sealed in envelopes to the Beatles' house. I took the envelopes to the address, handed them over to whoever answered the door and lift. Who would entrust such papers to an unknown student today - the envelopes would be opened and the contents of the papers copied and sold to the Press. It never occurred to me to do that. Much has been lost in 40 years! I am always asked how many autographs I collected, and the answer is none. How uncool would it have been to ask for an autograph? Far better just to hear the Beatles' s greets--"Hi, boy." How's it going?" More than 40 years later, this remains the best job I have ever had. It met my immediate material need and provides a memory that can be my life treasure. For a child of the 60s, this was its peak. If some details of the memory are not so fresh, it's because they weren't important then. At 19, you take the things that happen for granted. At 61, they become gold dust. If I had known that then, I would have kept a diary. The author was offered the job as a mail boy because_. Answer: the boy seemed not to be a fan of the Beatles On May 8, last Thursday morning, the Olympic flame was lit on the top of prefix = st1 /MountQomolangma! It was a historic moment forChinaexactly three months ahead of the Beijing Games. Tibetan female climber Cering Wangmo reached the summit with a special extreme-altitude Olympic torch. This event is what Chinahas promised to the world as thehigh pointof the torch relay, the longest and most challenging of all time. Five torchbearers finished the highest relay ever--three of the climbers are Tibetan athletes. Team members said "Beijingwelcomes you!" in Chinese, English and Tibetan, as they stood at the summit celebrating, with the event broadcast on national television. "I finally fulfilled the last dream of my husband," said Gyigyi with tears in her eyes. She was the first torchbearer. Her husband lost his life in an attempt to climb all 14 mountains in Chinamore than 8,000 meters three years ago. "We are on top of the world! One world, one dream," shouted Nima Cering, at the top of his voice. He said that although he had climbed the peak several times, this was the most significant ascent . "As a Tibetan and a Chinese I pray for the success of Beijing 2008," he added. The special torch is different form the one currently touring the Chinese mainland, after an around-the-world relay. Officials organizing the trek up the peak had earlier set an April 26 target to begin the ascent, but high winds and heavy snow had delayed the mission. The Xinhua News Agency said that the Qomolangma _ of the torch relay represents the Olympic motto, "higher, faster and stronger," in practice and will promote unity among all 56 ethnic groups inChina. Which is RIGHT according to the whole passage? Answer: At least two of the five torchbearers are females. Honesty, my mum always used to tell me, is the best policy. Of course, this didin'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 baby was faound very swollen. I took a medical history from his daughter would 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 carch did you do that?" she asked to disbelief. I looked at her andbit my hp. "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 somecone 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_. Answer: he told the daughter what he suspected. Twothirds of the world's major rivers have now been disrupted with more than 50,000 dams in an attempt to store water and provide power.In the US,there are more than 85,000 dams,disrupting large and small rivers,and in most cases transforming natural flow.The most famous of these,the Hoover Dam,constructed in the 1930s,is mainly responsible for the fact that the Colorado River no longer reaches the ocean. Dams,besides all their attractive benefits,also have negative impacts.Creating a reservoir means a large area must be flooded.Communities may lose their land,houses and culturally important sites. Environmentally,the new reservoir can be a paradise for wildlife,especially birds;however,it can cause greenhouse gas emissions and poison the water.Also,the dramatic rise and fall of water levels during dam releases is too extreme for plants and animals to cope with,resulting in dead zones around the shores of reservoirs.Fish that lay their eggs in the shallows,for example,may find a few hours later that those sites are high and dry. Downstream of a dam,the flow may be reduced so that farmers cannot irrigate their fields.Many rivers run through national borders,which may cause conflict over precious water.Disputes have been continuing between India and Pakistan,and Turkey,Syria and Iraq,for example. Dams don't just block the flow of water.They also prevent fish migrations,and dams are a barrier to sediment flows.Instead of rushing downriver,sediments get backed up against the dam wall,which causes the reservoir level to increase over time.However,sediments which are rich in nutrients have become a problem.The fertility of the entire system can be influenced,with soils lost during seasonal rains not being replaced. Perhaps the biggest problem can be seen in deltas,which are sinking into the oceans.Groundwater is being extracted to feed the city,causing the city to sink,and sediments washed away by the ocean are no longer being replaced.The result is that sea level rises in cities from Shanghai to Alexandria. How can dams influence large cities like Shanghai? Answer: They will lie below sea level in future.
The French spend more time sleeping and eating than anyone else among the world's rich people, according to a survey. The average French person sleeps almost nine hours every night, more than an hour longer than the average Japanese and Korean, who sleep the least in a survey. And while more and more French people have meals at fast food restaurants, they still spend more than two hours a day eating. That means their meals are twice as long as those of the average Mexican, who spends just over an hour a day on food. The Japanese spend close to two hours a day eating and drinking, placing them third behind New Zealanders. The Japanese like to spend their free time watching television or listening to the radio. This takes up 47 percent of free time in Japan. Turks, on the other hand, spend more than a third of their free time staying with their friends.The survey showed that the difference between work and free time within certain countries is clear. As for Italians, men have nearly 80 minutes a day of free time more than women. Much of the additional work time of Italian women is clearly cleaning the house. Japanese and Korean people usually sleep about _ a night. eight hours Luggage We ask you to keep a medium - sized suitcase per person, but a small holdall can also be taken onto the coach. Seats Requests for particular seats can be made on most coach breaks when booking, but since seats are booked on a first come, first serve basic, early booking is advisable. When bookings are made with us, you will be offered the best seats that are available on the coach at that time. Travel Documents When you have paid your deposit we will send you all the necessary documents, so that you receive them in good time before the coach break leaving date. Certain documents, for example, air or boat tickets, may have to be reserved and your guide will then give them to you during the break. Special Diets If you require a special diet, you must inform us at the time of booking with a copy of the diet. This will be told to the hotels on your coach break. The hotels for certain coach breaks are tourist class and they may not have the equipment to deal with special diets. Any extra costs must be paid by yourself before leaving the hotel. Accommodation On any coach break there are only a limited number of single rooms. When a single room is available, it may be subject to an extra charge and this will be shown on the brochure page. Entertainment Some of our hotels arrange extra entertainment which could include music, dancing, films, etc. The nature and frequency of the entertainment presented is decided by the hotel and therefore not guaranteed and could be withdrawn if there is a lack of demand or insufficient numbers in the hotel. It may be necessary to pay extra for _ . single rooms Contests from the Community Annual Playwright Challenge Attention, students! Unleash your creativity and writing skill by submitting an original story for an opportunity to have your entry produced as a full-length musical by the Scripps Performing Arts academy this fall. The winner will also get the opportunity to perform in the show or serve as the assistant director of the production. Also, the winner will attend two playwright workshops with the director to work on the musical together. Entries can be submitted in paragraph, story or script form (1-3 pages) to info@ scrippsperformingarts.com with the subject line: Playwright Challenge Entry. For ages 18 & under. Students are allowed to work individually or as a team of two for each submission. Deadline: April 1. Kids' Poster Contest The City of San Diego's Public Utilities Department invites students, grades 1-6, to make a poster with the theme: "Sam Diegans Waste No Water. All Days. All Ways. " Three winners will be selected for each grade level and will receive gift cards and a Certificate of Excellence. Also, winning posters will be on display in the lobby of the City Society's Gallery and the San Diego County Fair's Kids Best Art Exhibit. Open to students in the cities of San Diego, Coronado and Imperial Beach. To enter, go to www.wastenowater.org. Deadline: March 28. Kohl's Cares Scholarship Program Outstanding young volunteers, ages 6-18, can be rewarded through this annual program. Regional winners will each receive a $1,000 scholarship for higher education, while national winners will each be rewarded a total of $10, 000 in scholarships plus a $ l, 000 donation from Kohl's to a nonprofit of the student's choice. Nominations are now accepted at www.kohlskids.com. Deadline: March 14. Dream House Raffle Enter to win a $ 4 million home in Rancho Santa Fe or $ 2.1 million in cash in this annual raffle that includes more than 1,300 prizes to be given away! In addition to the grand prize drawing on May 17, you can also be part of early bird drawing that offer more chances of winning. Next earlybird drawing is on March 19 (entry deadline: March 7). Proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego. For tickets and the list of prizes, visit www.sdraffle.com or call 888-8254-9939. The passage is written to_. inform the readers of some contests Once upon a time, there was an island inhabited by: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all the rest of it, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment. When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help. Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?" Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you." Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!" "I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered. Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you." "Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!" Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her. Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. What idea did the writer intend to tell us in this passage? Love takes a long period. Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge's new son will be named George Alexander Louis, the royal family says. A statement from William and Catherine's settlement Kensington Palace said the baby, third in line to the throne , would be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge. On Wednesday the royal couple took their son to Catherine's parents' house in Berkshire, following a half-hour visit by the Queen. All three names had been among the favourites listed by British bookmakers and the announcement was relatively quick by royal standards. It took a month for the name ofPrince Charles, the heir to the throne, to be announced, and a week for William, his eldest son. George has been the name of six British kings. The last, George VI, was the father of Queen Elizabeth II and _ from 1936 to 1952. Alexandra, the female form of Alexander, is one of the Queen's middle names and was also the name of the Queen mate of King Edward VII at the start of the last century. Louis is one of William's middle names and was the given name of Prince Charles's tutor and great-uncle Louis Mountbatten, who was murdered by the IRA in 1979. The choice of name, relatively short by royal standards, does not necessarily mean the baby will eventually become King George VII. The Queen's father was named Albert, but chose to be crowned as George VI. "It's interesting that they chose to go with just three names," historian Suzannah Lipscomb told Sky News. "It's almost as if the royal family is coming down with ordinary people, who tend to have fewer middle names than monarchs .It is a name that none can find any problems with. George itself can't be shortened in any obvious offensive way. They've probably gone for something that is safe." From the passage we can know the father of the new royal baby is _ . William
Question: Macao is only forty miles from Hong Kong and it is easy to reach. You can get there by sea. It is an interesting place and it has a long history. Macao is a part of China and most people living there are Chinese. The first Europeans to go to Macao came from Portugal. More than four hundred years ago the Portuguese went there to trade with China. Some settled and made their homes there. They built strong forts to guard the city and the harbor . They also built churches, schools, hospitals and other places. Slowly the city grew. People from many countries came to live and work in Macao. Today many people visit Macao. Some only go there to watch dog-racing or motor-racing or to " _ with their money, whether they lose or win. But Macao is a quiet and peaceful place. It is pleasant just to walk around and look at the old buildings and forts. You feel you are back in the old days. Of course, some of the buildings are now in ruins . The Church of St. Paul has only the front wall with many steps leading up to it. But it is still interesting to see. When you are hot and tired, there are small cool gardens to rest in. When you are hungry, there are good restaurants with many kinds of food. Nearby are some islands, which are also nice to visit and are easy to get to. There is certainly a lot to see and to do in Macao. Which of the following is NOT true? A. Portuguese were the first to go to Macao. B. Some Portuguese settled in Macao and made their homes nearly a century ago. C. The city Macao grew slowly. D. People there put up strong forts to defend the city. Answer: B Question: Reach for the stars at the Euro Space Center. Find out everything you need to know about space -- from the origins of the universe to the future space exploration plans. Light, sound and special effects help to bring your space journey to life. Throughout your tour, our specially trained guides will answer your questions and provide you with any information you require. Begin your tour with our exhibition about the planets, then move on to the Space Laboratory and see some of the experiments carried out in space. Visit our international space station, where you can climb into our full-scale Space Shuttle model and experience life on board as an astronaut. You will know all about space by now and to help you further, our Space Center astronaut will tell you about how young people train as astronauts in our own training school. Finally, you can watch our amazing Space Show in our IMAX cinema, which will help you understand everything you have learned during your visit better. Outside we have an outdoor exhibition including a giant solar system, full-size rocket models and outdoor games. Don't worry if it rains -- much of this is under cover. After that, why not visit our restaurant Resto Space for food and drink on a space theme? And don't forget our Space Shop, offering you a lot of gifts to take home. The Euro Space Center is open every day during school holidays, and also during other times except Mondays. Opening times are 10:00-5:00. For entrance fees, call our booking service on + 32-61-650133. Or you can email us for up-to-date entry information at info@eurospacecenter.be. In the Space Shuttle, visitors can _ . A. enjoy food and drink B. watch an amazing space show C. learn about space experiments D. know how astronauts live in space Answer: D Question: Guilin is my favorite city in China because of its beauty, its waterways, its cafes, and most of all because I met my wife there. It is her hometown and we will both retire there in a few years. Not only is Guilin a fascinating city, but there are many interesting places to visit within a short drive from there. The Ling Canal is the oldest canal in the world. It was built about 2,200 years ago and connects two major river systems, the Yangtze and the Pearl River. The Longsheng Rice Terraces is another manmade wonder that was built around 650 years ago.I have some photos of both of these places in my China Daily homepage Albums. The Gudong Waterfall Park is another attraction that is worth visiting. The hike to the top of all these waterfalls isn't very difficult and if you want, you can take a ride to the bottom on a personal rail car that you control the speed with a _ If you want, you can also climb up some of the waterfalls with the help of chains that are placed for the convenience of amateur climbers . I have only been in Guilin during the winter and spring, but my wife tells me it gets pretty hot in the summer time. That's OK because I grew up in the Midwest of the US where it gets very hot and humid during the summer months. But in Guilin almost everything is within walking distance and if you need to go further the buses come by every 5 minutes on the busy streets and every 10-15 minutes just about everywhere else. There are plenty of taxis, too, and most trips are only 6 yuan. It's a perfect place to retire. The writer likes Guilin best mainly because _ . A. it has many water ways B. he met his wife there C. he likes its beauty D. it has lots of cafes Answer: B Question: The British psychoanalyst John Bowlby maintains that separation from the parents during the sensitive "attachment" period from birth to three may scar a child's personality and lead to emotional problems in later life. Some people have drawn the conclusion from Bowlby's work that children should not be subjected to day care before the age of three because of the parental separation it causes, and many people do believe this. But there are also arguments against such a strong conclusion. Firstly, anthropologists point out that the insulated love affair between children and parents found in modern societies does not usually exist in traditional societies. For example, in some tribal societies, such as the Ngoni, the father and mother of a child did not bring up their infant alone - far from it. Secondly, common sense tells us that day care would not be so widespread today if parents, care-takers found children had problems with it. Statistical studies of this kind have not yet been carried out, and even if they were, the results would be certain to be complicated and controversial. Thirdly, in the last decade, there have been a number of careful American studies of children in day care, and they have uniformly reported that day care had a neutral or slightly positive effect on children's development. But tests that have had to be used to measure this development are not widely enough accepted to settle the issue. But Bowlby's analysis raises the possibility that early day care has delayed effects. The possibility that such care might lead to, say, more mental illness or crime 15 or 20 years later can only be explored by the use of statistics. Whatever the long-term effects, parents sometimes find the immediate effects difficult to deal with. Children under three are likely to protest at leaving their parents and show unhappiness. At the age of three or three and a half almost all children find the transition to nursery easy, and this is undoubtedly why more and more parents make use of child care at this time. The matter, then, is far from clear-cut, though experience and available evidence indicate that early care is reasonable for infants. The passage primarily argues whether _ . A. day care should be widely spread B. the family relationship is different in traditional societies C. children under three should be sent to nursery schools D. children over three will stop crying when leaving parents Answer: C Question: Your particular relationships with your parents, not God or genes, determines your academic performance. In my case, it was my father who made the difference. I had three sisters and my father never showed much interest in their success. He took no notice of the school reports of one of them. They all made it to university. But this was largely because of my mother's encouragement. However badly I did, and it was usually very bad, he always told me I was clever and that I could do well. When I was eight and remained at the bottom of my class, he tried to coach me in Latin and maths. His main goal was to show me that, if I could make myself concentrate on the dull tasks, I could do them. He chose the head of my house at public school with great care. He found a man who made a huge effort to teach _ with which he started when I was 13. Together, they convinced me to take exams seriously. But the most important factor was that I knew my dad loved me. He expressed this in many kind letters. When we were together, he would take me in his arms. He encouraged me to think for myself and to enjoy what I enjoyed. He once watched me eating a huge amount of chocolate and said, "Eat as much as you like -- you won't always enjoy it that much." So I started working hard. I agreed with his own clever ways. And I started to enjoy the learning of knowledge and the expression of ideas. Although exams gave little opportunity for that, I could sort of see _ . A lot of parents do not realize how important the emotional aspect of the relationship is. It determines their child's performance. I recently heard a parent discussing what school their child might get into. "I don't know how bright he is," she said. Many parents are troubled by their children's marks at school. Their relationship with the child is almost wholly built around this. It was not at all like that with my dad. Until I was eight, he did not seem to worry about marks. And, after that, it was never exam performance that he was concerned with. Rather, he concentrated on my self-perception . He constantly showed me that I was not stupid by pointing out things I had said that were signs of intelligence. It meant I had a reasonable self-regard. I kept failing exams. But, my father thought there was a difference between my failing one exam and whether I would be a success or failure in life. Which of the following can be the best title of this newspaper story? A. How my father respect me B. How to enjoy learning something C. Relationship with your parents D. A success or a failure Answer: A
After exiting the gym, the man's heart rate was most likely? Answer: higher Over the years I've been teaching kids about a simple but powerful spirit--the ant philosophy. I think we should study ants. Ants have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part:they never _ . That's a good philosophy. If they're heading somewhere and you try to stop them,they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, and they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where they're supposed to go! Second,ants think about winter all summer. That's an important perspective(,). You can' t be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering their winter food in summer. An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in summer. "There is some reason in what it says. It is important to think ahead. In summer, you've to think about the storm. You've got to think about freezing while you are enjoying the sand and the sun. The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think about summer all winter. That is also important. During the winter, ants remind themselves,"This won't last long;we'll soon be out of here. "And on the first warm day,the ants are out. If it turns cold again,they'll go back,but then they come out again if it is warm. They can't wait to get out. And here is the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that it possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-that-you-possibly-can" philosophy! What a great philosophy to have--the ant philosophy! Never give up,look ahead,stay active and do all you can. If ants have trouble reaching somewhere, they will _ . Answer: get there in another way 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. Owls help humans in that they _ . Answer: help preserve the balance of nature A dense wave of smog began in the Chinese city of Harbin and the surrounding Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning Provinces on 20 October 2013. Unseasonably warm temperatures with very little wind across northeastern China coincided with the smoke from local farmers' burning straws and the start-up of Harbin's coal-powered central heating system. Record densities of fine particulates were measured in the city. In Harbin, the levels of PM2.5 (particulate matter) rise to 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter, worse than Beijing's historic highs. Visibility was reduced to below 50m in parts of Harbin, and below 500m in most of the neighbouring Jilin Province. On Fa Yuen Street in Harbin, visibility of less than 5m was reported. The smog reduced after October 23, 2013 and completely broke up on October 28, 2013 by the first local snow and icy rain due to a cold front moving in from Russia. Harbin lies in the north of China where winter temperatures can drop to -40degC, demanding a six-month heating season. Daily particulate levels of more than 40 times the World Health Organization recommended maximum level were reported in parts of Harbin. The smog remained till 23 October, when almost all monitoring stations in Heilongjiang, Jilin,and Liaoning Provincesreported readings above 200mg/m3forPM2.5. PM2.5 is the amount of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter in the air, with the WHO recommending a maximum 24-hour mean of 25 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m3). On the morning of 25 October, PM2.5 measurements in Harbin had fallen to an average of 123mg/m3. All highways in the surrounding Heilongjiang Province were closed. In Harbin, all primary and middle schools were closed for three days and authorities stopped flights at the airports. Hospitals reported a 23 percent increase in admissions for breathing problems. However, this smog will have no influence on Harbin Ice Festival events later in December 2013. Air pollution in Chinese cities is of increasing concern to China's leadership. Particulates in the air can affect human health and also have influences on climate and rainfall. Pollution from the burning of coal has reduced life expectancy by 5.5 years in the north of China, as a result of heart and lung diseases. What measure might be practical to reduce the happening of heavy smog? Answer: Using natural gas to cook instead of coal. Do animals have a culture? What do we mean by "culture"? Lately social scientists have begun to ask if culture is found just in humans, or if some animals have a culture too. When we speak of culture, we mean a way of life a group of people have in common. Culture includes the beliefs and attitudes we learn. It is the patterns of behavior that help people to live together. It is also the patterns of behavior that make one group of people different from another group. Our culture lets us make up for having lost out strength, claws, long teeth, and other defenses. Instead we use tools, cooperate with one another, and communicate with language. But these aspects of human behavior, or "culture", can also be found in the lives of certain animals. Animals can make tools, for example. We used to think that the ability to use tools was the dividing line between human beings and other animals. Lately, however, we have found that this is not the case. Chimpanzees can not only use tools but actually make tools themselves. Animals can also share knowledge with each other and use their own language to communicate. So it may be important for us to know that the line dividing us from animals is not as clear as we used to think. When we talk about "culture", we mean _ . Answer: the patterns of behavior we learn
Question: Do you know Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng? Fei Junlong was born in 1965. He is a Chinese astronaut selected as a member of the Shenzhou program. He was born in Jiangsu and joined the People's Liberation Army Air Force in 1982 at the age of 17. And since then he has only returned home six times. As a fighter pilot , he was selected to an astronaut in 1998. He married Wang Jie in 1991 and has one son. Nie Haisheng was born in September 1964. He is also a Chinese astronaut selected for the Shenzhou program. He is from Hubei. After graduating from high school he joined the People's Liberation Army Air Force, and became a fighter pilot. In 1998 he was selected for the astronaut program. He was one of the three astronauts who were in the final group to train for the Shenzhou 5 fight. Yang Liwei was also picked out for the flight, with Zhai Ahigang. On September 23,2005 it was reported that Zhai and Nie would be one of the three pairs of astronauts who would be in the final training for Shenzhou 6. But in the end, Fei and Nie were chosen, and Zhai missed his chance to space again. Nie Haisheng got married to Nie Jielin and has an 11-year-old daughter. When did Nie join the army? A. In 1982. B. In 1998. C. In 1991. D. After his graduation from high school. Answer: D. After his graduation from high school. Question: The Zen of Cat The Man was very sad. He knew that the Cat's days were numbered. The doctor had said there was not anything more that could be done, and that he should take the Cat home and make him as comfortable as possible. The Man stroked the Cat on his lap and sighed. The Cat opened his eyes, purred and looked up at the Man. A tear rolled down the Man's cheek and landed on the Cat's forehead. The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Why do you cry, Man?" the Cat asked. "Because you can't bear the thought of losing me? Because you think you can never replace me?" The Man nodded "Yes." "And where do you think I'll be when I leave you?" the Cat asked. The Man shrugged helplessly. "Close your eyes, Man," the Cat said. The Man gave him a questioning look, but did as he was told. "What color1 are my eyes and fur?" the Cat asked. "Your eyes are gold and your fur is a rich, warm brown." the Man replied. "And where is it that you most often see me?" asked the Cat. "I see you...on the kitchen windowsill watching the birds...on my favorite chair...on my desk lying on the papers I need...on the pillow next to my head at night." "Then, whenever you wish to see me, all you must do is to close your eyes," said the Cat. "Close your eyes again," the Cat said. "Now lick your hand." The Man widened his eyes in surprise. "Just do it," the Cat said. "Lick your hand, and think of me in all my familiar places." The Man felt foolish, licking his hand, but he did as he was told. He discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn't, he opened his eyes. The Cat's eyes were closed. The Man stroked the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone. The Man shut his eyes hard as the tears poured down his face. He saw the Cat on the windowsill, then in his bed, then lying across his important papers. He saw him on the pillow next to his head, saw his bright gold eyes and darkest brown on his nose and ears. One day, not long after, there was a new cat on his lap. She was a lovely spotted and white...very different from his earlier beloved cat and very much the same. The word "zen" in the title can be replaced by _ . A. fate B. sorrow C. owner D. philosophy Answer: D. philosophy Question: To: "The Shoe People" <inquiries@shoepeople.com> From: "John Trimbald" <jtconstruction@img.com> Subject: Customer Complaint To Whom it May Concern, I have trusted the Shoe People to protect the feet of my employees for over ten years now. I recently purchased a few pairs of boots from your company for my crew. Though my men were initially satisfied with the boots, the soles began to fall apart on them after just twelve weeks. This was extremely surprising considering they came with a six year warranty. The boots are unsafe to wear because my men are pouring hot concrete. Please respond as soon as possible with instructions on how I can return the boots and receive a refund. Thank you, John Trimbald, Foreman, JT Construction To: "John Trimbald" <jtconstruction @ img. com> From: "The Shoe People" <inquiries @ shoepeople. com> Dear Mr. Trimbald, Thank you for your e-mail concerning the poor quality of our rubber soled black workboots. A representative will be by your office next week to pick up the damaged boots. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you and your crew. Along with five new pairs of workboots for your crew (we included one extra pair), we have enclosed a free year's supply of sole protector spray. In our retail stores, this spray is always recommended to buyers who work on heated floors. This should have been brought to your attention at the time of your initial order. Please excuse our oversight. To date we have had no complaints about these workboots from customers who have used the protector spray. However, should you use the spray and find that you are still unsatisfied with the boots, please return the boots and spray for a full refund. Thank you for supporting The Shoe People. Have a Happy New Year. Sincerely, Stan Mason, President According to the president of The Shoe People, John Trimbald _ . A. can exchange the damaged boots with new ones at any time B. must return the damaged boots to any of the retail stores C. will get new pairs of boots and a free year's supply of spray D. can return the damaged boots and spray for a full refund now Answer: C. will get new pairs of boots and a free year's supply of spray Question: Stinky Pete wanted to build a tree house. He needed to get a ladder to bring wood up the tree. He went to his friend's house to borrow a ladder. He also borrowed a bucket. He needed the bucket to carry nails. His friend is named James. The ladder was too big for Stinky Pete to carry alone. He had James help him carry the ladder back home. The ladder was heavy. They were careful to stay on the sidewalk. Stinky Pete got the hammer from his tool box. He gave James a rope. Stinky Pete and James got to work on the tree house. They worked all day. They painted the inside of the tree house blue. They painted the outside of the tree house red. They did not use green or orange paint. They used the rope to climb down from the tree house. When they were all finished, Stinky Pete helped James carry the ladder and bucket back to his house. Stinky Pete thanked James for helping him. What color paint did they use on the tree house? A. Green and orange B. Red and blue C. Red and orange D. Green and blue Answer: B. Red and blue Question: Education is not an end , but a means to an end . In other words , we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them . Our purpose is to fit them for life . In some modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all whether rich or poor , clever or stupid-one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation . But we can already see that free education for all is not enough ; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degrees , they refuse to do what they think "low" work , and , in fact , work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries . But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor , we can live without education, but we would die if we have no food . If no one cleaned our streets and tooled the rubbish away from our houses , we should get terrible diseases in our towns ... In fact , when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life , it means that we must be educated in such a way that , firstly , each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and , secondly , that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society , and that is very bad to be ashamed of one's work . Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society . The writer wants to prove that_. A. our society needs all kinds of jobs B. our society needs free education for all C. a farmer is more important than a professor D. people with university degrees refuse to do what they think "low" work Answer: A. our society needs all kinds of jobs
To Whom It May Concern: On March 5, 2012 , I bought a Perfect Muffin Kit from your store at Midfield Shopping Center. The cashier who assisted me was George. George was very friendly and told me that the Perfect Muffin Kit would live up to the guarantee on the box: "Perfect Muffins Every Time!". Unfortunately, this product did not live up to what it promised . The muffins I made were far from perfect . I followed the directions in the package very carefully . First , I removed the bag of mix from the box. Then , I poured it into a bowl. Next, I added the correct amount of water to the mix and stirred it. According to the directions, after stirring the mixture , I added half a cup of dried grapes, nuts , berries, or another favorite ingredient . My favorite ingredient happens to be hot sauce . I find that a bit of hot sauce makes pizza and soup taste very delicious. So, continuing to follow the directions, I added half a cup of hot sauce to the mix and stirred it. Finally, I poured the mix into muffin tins and baked it in the baker at 350 degrees for exactly 20 minutes. When the muffins finished baking, I was very excited to eat the "Perfect Muffins" as promised on the box. You can imagine my disappointment when, upon tasting the muffins, I discovered that they were not perfect. These muffins were , in fact , absolutely terrible. Not even my dog was interested in eating these supposedly "perfect" muffins. I would appreciate a full refund( money to be returned) of $3.99 for this product as soon as possible. Enclosed are the receipt, the empty box, and one of the un-perfect muffins so that you can experience it for yourself . Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Michelle Bauer This letter is most likely addressed to _ . Answer: a local storeowner The concept of solar power satellites, or SPS, first put forward in the 1960s, is still not widely known by the general public. For example, at many public exhibitions about energy, SPS is not even mentioned. This is mainly because very little money has been spent on SPS research There are people who claim that SPS is unrealistic - because launch costs are much too high today; or because it is too far away. So why do we believe that it is important to continue to do researches on SPS? The reason is very simple. Humans are going to need huge amounts of electric power in coming decades. Within 50 years the world population is expected to double, while economic growth will continue around the world, especially in the poorer countries. But existing energy sources already face serious problems. They are limited; they are polluted; they are dangerous. So 50 or 100 years from now, where is our power going to come from? Nobody knows. And so we believe that new large-scale possibilities should be studied further. We must remember that humans have some choices concerning our future. To some extent we can choose the direction in which our civilization develops. And choices that are made in the coming decades - such as the energy sources that we will or will not use, will have major, long-term meaning for human life on earth. We believe that if research continues to show that SPS is environmentally and economically attractive, SPS will open the door to a much more attractive future for human civilization than any ground-based energy source, and one that the public will support and that young people will find challenging and exciting. Furthermore energy from SPS can be readily used in developing countries, as the SPS 2000 project will show, thus aiding economic development worldwide. In addition, by creating large commercial fund for space engineering, SPS will open the frontier of space to economic development, thus creating a limitless new field for the growth of the world economy. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage? Answer: The Future Energy- SPS At some places in Florida, sand on the beaches is being reduced. New sand is brought from other areas and spread on the beaches. What process causes this reduction to the beach sand? Answer: erosion Students wishing to safeguard their careers against changes in the job market should opt for science rather than arts degrees, according to a survey of undergraduates. Engineering and chemistry were considered to be the most "future proof", as they are courses most likely to lead to an enduring and adaptable career. Students polled by Pearson College were broadly optimistic that their chosen courses would prepare them for a world in which the job market could change dramatically during their working lives. But opinion was sharply divided over which degrees were best for future-proof careers. Eighty-two per cent of respondents believed engineering would help develop future-proof skills, with 74 per cent believing the same of chemistry and 73 per cent of computer science. But just 33 per cent of undergraduates believed history would lead to a future-proof career, and 40 per cent English. However more than two thirds of students (67 per cent) thought the world of work would be significantly different or completely unrecognizable in 20 years. The findings, published today, come after Education Secretary Nicky Morgan sparked controversy with claims that teenagers should steer clear of the arts and humanities and opt for science or math subjects if they want to access the widest range of jobs. She said that in previous decades students would only take math or science if they wanted to pursue a specific career such as medicine or pharmacy, but nowadays that "couldn't be further from the truth". "If you wanted to do something different, or even if you didn't know what you wanted to do...then the arts and humanities were what you chose. Because they were useful - we were told - for all kinds of jobs. Of course now we know that couldn't be further from the truth, that the subjects that keep young people's options open and unlock doors to all sorts of careers are the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects. " She also described math as 'the subject that employers value most' and said that pupils who study A-level math will earn 10 per cent more over their lifetime. "These figures show us that too many young people are making choices aged 15 which will hold them back for the rest of their lives." she said. What's the students' attitude towards their chosen courses? Answer: Optimistic Do you love the holidays, but hate the pounds that follow? You are not alone. Holidays are times for feasting and celebrating. Many people are worried about their weight. With proper planning, though, it is possible to keep normal weight during the holidays. Whether it is celebrating at the office party or sitting down for the traditional family dinner, regard eating as a time for tasting a variety of the foods. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don't have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. Here are some tips for preventing weight gain and keeping physical fitness: Don't skip meals. Before you leave home, have a small, low-fat meal or snack. This may help to avoid getting too excited before delicious foods. Control portions. Use a small plate (about 10 inches) and put aside the large ones that may encourage you to "load up." You should be most comfortable eating an amount of food about the size of your fist. Once you have your "tasting" serving, move away from the buffet. Doing so will make it less tempting to be eating constantly as your appetite is inspired by the sight of food. Begin with soup and fruit or vegetables. Fill up beforehand on water-based soup and raw fruit or vegetables. Or drink a large glass of water before you eat to help you feel full. Stick to physical activity. Don't let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off extra calories. Avoid high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy may have a large amount of fat. Choose lean meats. Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables. Use lemon juice instead of dressing or butter. Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage? Answer: You had better turn your attention away from delicious foods.
It's something familiar to all parents of young children: you're in a busy shopping street and your child wants to pee and he just can't hold it any longer. But two parents' decision to let their child relieve himself has caused much attention in China. By now, it seems, the whole Chinese Internet is familiar with what happened on a crowded Hong Kong shopping street. A mother holds a nappy while her two-year-old pees. A passerby took pictures which then were put online. The woman explained that they had found a public toilet but saw there was a long queue, so she had no other choice but to let their child to relieve himself on the street instead. Why has this one child's act caused so much upset? Allowing a child under 12 to " _ in any public street" is against the law in Hong Kong and the parents will face a 2,000 Hong Kong Dollar ($250) fine . But the on-line chatter has put all the attention on the fact that this family were tourists from mainland China, rather than being locals. "For Hong Kongers, people might think from time to time that mainlanders are not so polite and often break the public rules," says Martin Yip of BBC. Charmaine Chui, who was born in Hong Kong, told BBC she feels angry to have seen mainland tourists peeing in shopping centers and restaurants. "Hong Kong is a beautiful, modern city. What do these people think of it?" she says. In mainland China, there has also been criticism of the parents' behavior. But most of the people say they find the parents' behavior understandable as they had tried to find a toilet for their child and the mother used a paper nappy rather than simply allowing the baby to pee on the ground. Charmaine Chui feels _ to have seen mainland tourists peeing in shopping centers and restaurants. A. understandable B. sorry C. angry D. happy Answer: C. angry Nearly half of elementary and high schools in the US use the Presidential Fitness Test. It checks kids' fitness levels. Students are tested at least twice a year. In 1956, US President Eisenhower created the test, and it has been a tradition in schools since 1966. There are five activities in the test: sit-ups , push-ups , sit and reach, endurance run or walk and shuttle run . Students who get scores at or above 85 percent on all the activities can get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award. The test encourages students to live a healthy and active life. Students taking the test are really testing their limits, according to the US National Association for Sport and Physical Education. China has a similar test: the physical education(PE) test. Beginning at the age of 7, students in China are tested twice a year to check if they are healthy and strong. They also finish activities like the endurance run, sit-ups and the shuttle run. However, unlike students in the US who get awards, Chinese students get points in PE tests. The highest score is 100. For junior school students, the PE test is more important because it is worth 30 to 40 points in the entrance exam for senior high school. In order to get a good score, most students begin to prepare for the test in their junior one year. What's the purpose of the test? A. To encourage students to live happily and actively. B. To help students prepare for college entrance exams. C. To encourage students to get good scores. D. To help students learn how to overcome difficulties. Answer: A. To encourage students to live happily and actively. According to sociologists , every modern industrial society has some form of social stratification . Class, power and status are important in deciding people's rank in society. Class means a person's economic position in society. A commonly used classification is lower class, middle class and upper class. While sociologists disagree on how these terms should be exactly defined, they do describe societies like the United States quite well. One study shows that 53% of Americans belong to the lower class, 46% the middle class, and 1% the upper class. Interestingly, a surgeon earning $500,000 a year and a bus driver earning $50,000 a year both regard themselves as the middle class! Power refers to the amount of control a person has over other people. Obviously, people in positions of great power (such as governors) exercise big power, but people who take orders from others have less power. Power and class do not always go hand in hand, however. For example, the governor of a state has great power, but he or she may not belong to a corresponding economic class. Generally, however, there is a relationship between power and class. To our knowledge, there aren't too many people who aren't millionaires in the U.S. Senate! Status is the honor or respect attached to a person's position in society. It can also be affected by power and class, but not necessarily so. For example, a university professor may have a high status but not belong to a high social class or have a lot of power over others. According to the text, we know that _ . A. power and class do not always correspond with each other B. status refers to a person's economic position in society C. people with high status have a lot of control over others D. class is less important in deciding a person's social rank Answer: A. power and class do not always correspond with each other Are you a volcano lover? Here is a list of some of the world's most beautiful volcanoes that our travel agency can offer you to visit. Don't miss them! Mount Mayon, the Philippines Located about 450 km southeast of Manila on the island of Luzon, Mount Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines; a September 2014 eruption forced thousands to flee the area. Those who hike the volcano are rewarded with views of the towns in the Albay province and the Pacific Ocean. But even those who prefer the view from a distance have a historical good point at the Cagsawa Ruins, once an 18th Century Franciscan church that was destroyed by an 1814 eruption. Kilauea and Marina Kea, Hawaii Hawaii's volcanoes are known for their active eruptions and extraordinary scenes. Mauna Kea is around one million years old, while Kilauea is the youngest volcano in Hawaii and has been erupting continuously since 1983. The lava falls straight into the sea, creating fantastic forms of black rocks and smoke clouds. Mount Kelimutu, Indonesia Kelimutu's three mysterious crater lakes attract both scientists and tourists to the island of Flores in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province. One is emerald green , another dark red, and the third pitch black. Scientists say the lakes take on such colors because the volcanic gases met the lakes' minerals centuries ago. According to the text, Kilauea _ . A. is an active volcano B. stopped erupting in 1983 C. is the youngest volcano in the world D. forced thousands to flee in 2014 Answer: A. is an active volcano Nowadays, the increase in the prices of agricultural products is one of the greatest concerns of the people and the government. The government has announced a series of policies to prevent the prices from rising further. Rising housing prices is still a big concern for the people, but since farm products are needed every day, the increase in their prices has made life very difficult for them. Many people may think the increase will help farmers. But have higher prices of farm products really benefited the farmers? Take the increase in vegetable prices in the first half of this year for example. Though natural disasters such as droughts and spring frost did not cause the prices of farm products to increase greatly--in fact, prices of some products did not increase at all--vegetables have become dearer by as much as 20 percent compared to that of last year. This means only a small part (or even none) of the extra money that city people have paid to buy farm products has gone to the farmers. The extra cost actually has gone to middlemen. As the fact shows, just increasing prices of farm products will have negative influence on the entire economy. On one hand, the price increase has created some abnormal phenomena, which hurts farmers' interests. On the other hand, resources will enter the agriculture because of the high price of farm products, which would finally create negative effect on the whole economy. In such a case, it would be better to leave the market to decide the prices instead of raising farm products' prices to protect the interests of farmers. Actually, such a way will be better for farmers in the long run. The following statements are true EXCEPT _ . A. the government has done something to prevent the prices from rising further B. it is better for farmers to leave the market to decide the prices in the long run C. natural disasters did not cause the prices of farm products to increase greatly D. rising housing prices has made life very difficult for people Answer: D. rising housing prices has made life very difficult for people
Some children cannot wait to grow up. Because once you become an adult, you are free to make your own decisions. More importantly, you can do all those things that you cannot do now because you are too young. So, the question is, 'At what age do you really become an adult?' Well, people become adults at different ages in different places. In Australia, the 18th birthday is a very important event for young Australians because it means they can do almost anything they want. They can vote, learn to drive a car, get married, join the army and even buy their own houses. However, even if they can do all these things, most Australians have to wait until their 21st birthday to really celebrate becoming an adult. This is the traditional adult age not only in Australia, but also in the USA and the UK. It is their first year of true independence .Traditionally, people were given a key to their houses by their parents when they turned 21, meaning they could come and go as they like. Even though 21 is the traditional adult age in many English-speaking countries, the law nowadays is different in each country. In the UK, you can join the army at 16 and even get married at 16 if your parents allow. Young people in the UK can learn to drive a car at 17 as in Australia, although they have to wait until they are 18 to vote. In China, there is a different age for each of the stages of becoming an adult. You can vote and learn to drive a car when you are 18, but if you want to get married, women have to wait until they are 20 and men until they are 22. Chinese people celebrate important birthdays every 10 years--so when young people turn 20, they can expect a big party! No matter what age you are, becoming an adult is really about learning how to be independent and responsible . Once you are finally able to take care of yourself and make your own decisions, then you can say that you are truly all grown-ups. Which of the following are truly adults according to the passage? Answer: Independent grown-ups. The State of Yuma provides by statute, "No person may be awarded any state construction contract without agreeing to employ only citizens of the state and of the United States in performance of the contract."In evaluating the constitutionality of this state statute under the supremacy clause, which of the following would be most directly relevant? Answer: The treaties and immigration laws of the United States. In the days following the first anniversary of my dad 's death, I felt sad. I still missed him so much. I would walk over to his old house where my daughter now live and still expect to see him sitting out on his front porch . I would see him in my dreams, looking young and strong again. I felt bad too because I regretted not spending more time with him while he was here. I wished I had visited him more, talked with him more, and listened to him more. I wished I had asked the questions that I never did. I wished I had given him more hugs and told him I loved him more often. I wished I had cherished the time I had with him here. I was angry at the destiny because Dad and Mum had both passed away before I was 50, and I was angry with myself because I hadn't made the most of time I had with them. Today, I found myself walking under a cloudy sky, staring at the leafless trees. As I walked along, one of the last golden maple leaves fell from its tree and sailed in the wind until it landed in front of me. I picked it up and smiled. At the moment of peace I felt a sound in my heart and mind: "death is momentary , but love is eternal ." I knew at that moment that my relationships with Mum and Dad were not over. We would see each other again in a place of love, joy and light. We would spend our days in learning, laughter and love. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? Answer: The writer told his dad he loved him sometimes but not very often. The oldest forms of medicine are enjoying a comeback. Modern holistic medicine is an approach that treats the whole patient, not just the disease. It is a way to maintain good health rather than cure illness. The most important influences on today's holistic medicine are ancient Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine, both of which promoted the whole body health. Holistic medicine usually combines diet, physical exercise and meditation, together with other alternative techniques such as massage and acupuncture . Herbal treatment ,a practice of treating illness by using plants, is influenced by the writings of Culpeper as well as Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. Homeopathy is one of the forms of holistic medicine which is widely practiced in Europe and the USA. Homeopathy began in Germany in the early 1800s, when Samuel Hahnemann described how very tiny doses of a drug had an effect on his patients. According to Hahnemann, the more the drug was diluted , the stronger its effects. The substance selected would produce similar effects to the disease itself if given in large doses. In the UK homeopathy is regarded as a non-traditional but just about acceptable treatment. Meditation and contemplation have an important role in holistic medicine. They were brought to Europe by Indian teachers who combined Indian Ayurvedic medicine with Western beliefs. Transcendental meditation is one of the best known of these techniques. People repeat words inside their head to reach a state of deep relaxation. The holistic movement has made many doctors look at the whole patient, not just the disease. Life-style, emotional problems and diet are just some of the factors that can affect a person's health. Holistic medicine emphasizes good diet, exercise and fresh air, all of which contribute to health. Some clinics now offer holistic medicine along with traditional treatments, so that their patients can choose a combination of treatments that suits them. One problem with holistic medicine is that it is difficult for people to be sure a doctor is reliable. To solve this, many countries want alternative doctors to form professional bodies. Which of the following titles best sums up the passage? Answer: Holistic Medicine A modern-day love story of a man seeing the girl of his dreams across a New York subway train and tracking her down over the Internet has failed to have a fairytale ending with the relationship over. For Web designer Patrick Moberg, then 21, from Brooklyn, it was love at first sight when he saw a woman on a Manthttan train last November. But he lost her in the crowd so he set up a website with a sketch picture to find her--www.Nygirlofmydreams.com. Unbelievably in a city of 8 million people, it only took Moberg 48 hours to find the woman, with his phone ringing non-stop and email box overflowing. New Yorkers took pity on the subway Romeo and joined his hunt. The mysterious girl was named as Camille Hayton, from Melbourne, Australia, who was working at the magazine Black Book and also lived in Brooklyn. One of her friends saw the sketched picture on the Web site and recognized her. But after finding each other, appearing on TV and getting international press, the couple took their romance out of the public eye, with Moberg closing down the Web site and with both refusing to make any more comments--until now. Hayton told Australian newspaper The Sunday Telegraph that she dated Moberg for about two months but it just didn't work out. "I say we dated for a while but now we're just friends," Hayton, now 23, told the newspaper. Hayton said she is still recognized about three times a week on the streets of Manhattan as "that girl" and the question is always the same: "So what happened?" "I think the situation was so intense that it linked us," she said, adding, "it linked us in a way that you could mistake, I guess, for being more romantic than it was. I don't know. But I wanted to give it a go so didn't wonder what if, what if?" Hayton told The Sunday Telegraph that she is enjoying single life in New York, keeping busy with acting classes, working in two clothing stores. Last week she had a small role as a waitress in the long-running daytime soap As the World Turns. "I just can't believe it happened. It feels like a long time ago," said Hayton. Moberg, however, was still refusing to comment on the relationship. Moberg found the girl in a short time because_. Answer: he got help from the net citizens
Question: Cancer is feared by everyone. And there is more and more fear about cancer. Not the disease itself -- there is no such thing as a high incidence rates of cancer. Except for lung cancer, mostly caused by cigarette smoking, the incidence rates are not on the rise. However, some kinds of cancer are decreasing. But the fear of cancer is catching, and the country stands at risk of an anxiety. The earth itself is coming to seem like a huge carcinogen . The ordinary, more or less, scientific statement that something between 80 and 90 percent of all cancers are due to things in the environment is taken to mean that none of us will be safe until the whole environment is "cleaned up." This is not at all the meaning. The 80-percent calculation is based on the unthinkable differences in the incidence of cancer in various societies around the world -- for example, the high incidence of liver cancer in Africa and the Far East, stomach cancer in Japan, breast cancer in Western Europe and North America, and the relatively low figures for breast cancer in Japan and parts of Africa and for liver cancer in America. These data show there may be specific environmental influences, but largely based on personal life-style, which determines the incidence of various forms of cancer in different communities -- that is all the data suggest. The overall incidence of cancer, counting up all the cases, is probable roughly the same everywhere. According to the passage, the writer seems to feel that _ . A. the risk of catching cancer is on the rise B. the whole earth is coming to seem like a huge carcinogen C. the risk of catching cancer isn't so great as people think D. cancer can be cured if the environment is cleaned up Answer: C Question: Some of the world's most significant problems never hit headlines. One example comes from agriculture. Food riots and hunger make news, but the trend lying behind these matters is rarely talked about. This is the decline in the growth in yields of some of the world's major crops. A new study by the University of Minnesota and McGill University in Montreal looks at where, and how far, this decline is occurring. The authors take a vast number of data pointing for the four most important crops; rice, wheat, corn and soybeans. They find that on between 24 and 39% of all harvested areas, the improvement in yields that took place before the 1980s slowed down in the 1990s and 2000s. There are two worrying features of the slowdown. One is that it has been particularly sharp in the world's most populous countries,India and China. Their ability to feed themselves has been an important source of relative stability both within the countries and on world food markets. That self-sufficiency cannot be taken for granted if yields continue to slow down or reverse. Second, yield growth has been lower in wheat and rice than in corn and soybeans. This is problematic because wheat and rice are more important as foods' accounting for around half of all calories consumed. Corn and soybeans are more important as feed grains. The authors note that we have preferentially focused our crop improvement efforts on feeding animals and cars rather than on crops that feed people and are the basis of food security in much of the world. The report qualifies the more optimistic findings of another new paper which suggests that the world will not have to dig up a lot more land for farming in order to feed 9 billion people in 2050, as the Food and Agriculture Organization has argued. Instead, it says, thanks to slowing population growth, land currently ploughed up for crops might be able to _ to forest or wilderness. This could happen. The trouble is that the forecast assumes continued improvements in yields, which may not actually happen. Why does the author mention India and China in particular? A. Their self-sufficiency is vital to the stability of world food markets. B. Their food yields have begun to decrease sharply in recent years. C. Their big populations are causing worldwide concerns. D. Their food self-sufficiency has been taken for granted. Answer: A 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. The passage above is probably _ . A. a piece of news B. a conversation C. a story D. an advertisement Answer: D Question: Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring. Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn. But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive . A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain. Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world. There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature. But new techniques are helping scientists to predict how, when, and where big storms will happen. The more exact scientists' warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms. Predictions are improving. "We've gotten better over the years, especially the last few years," says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university. How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction. "For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right," Klotzback says. First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it _ and rises into the air. As it rises, the air containing drops of water cools and turns back into liquid. This process gives off heat. This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase. It drives the formation of a hurricane. If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a " tropical storm", and it gets a name. At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane. Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast Africa. Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world. On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year. About 10 of them get names. There are usually about six hurricanes. Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or a bit higher. The hurricane season lasts from June to November. Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September and October. According to the text, hurricanes usually _ . A. form off the coast of Africa and America B. hit parts of the world in summer and autumn C. cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea D. strike the US but cause no damage Answer: B Question: My father often talks about his definition of success. He tells us that it isn't measured in money or material things, but in love and joy. While my brothers and I were all raised together under the same roof, I wonder how different we can be sometimes. Four kids, four different life paths, personalities and ambitions. We must follow a different path to let our light shine, and that's what makes us so unpredictable and unique. In today's world, expecting every child's education to be the same, progress at the same rate and be measured against the narrow standards of performances is not just outdated, it's also harmful to young people. I experienced this disconnect firsthand after graduating from college. I had many opportunities in front of me, but they didn't test my limits and my creativity to pursue my passions. At first, I took a job at a big consulting firm. However, I couldn't shake my passion for music. I had followed the somewhat predictable path of a college graduate, but I was crazy about how to become an artist. Now I am a nine-time Grammy Awards winner who has sold multiple Top 10 Albums. Imagine what it would look like if our schools were set up to help people discover and pursue a personal passion instead of a predictable path? The good news is that a number of individuals and organizations are finding new ways to innovate in education. The goal is to create more student-centered environments that help young people not just do better in school but also discover what they love. We can't live lives of joy if we can't discover what we love doing with our lives. So let each person discover the power and uniqueness of his or her own passion. We can infer that the writer _ . A. is devoted to reforming the education system B. pursued his passions once he left college C. realized his dream before his graduation D. finally became an outstanding singer Answer: D
Micro-Enterprise Credit for Street Youth Introduction Although small-scale business training and credit programs have become more common throughout the world, relatively little attention has been paid to the need to direct such opportunities to youth living on the street or in difficult circumstances. Over the past years, Street Kids International (S.K.I.) has been working with partner organizations in Africa, Latin Africa and India to support the economic lives of street children. The purpose of this paper is to share some of the lessons S.K. I. and our partner organizations have learned. Background Typically, children end up on the streets not due to a single cause, but a combination of factors: the lack of adequately funded schools, the demand for income at home and so on. The street may be attractive to children as a place to find adventurous play and money. However, it is also a place where some children are exposed, with little or no protection, to exploitative employment, and urban crime. Street Business Partnerships S.K.I. has worked with partner organizations in Latin America, Africa and India to develop innovative opportunities for street children to earn income. * The S.K.I Bicycle Courier Service first started in the Sudan. Participants in this enterprise were supplied with bicycles, which they used to deliver parcels and messages, but they were required to pay for it gradually from their wages. * The Youth Skills Enterprise Initiative in Zambia is a joint program with the Red Cross Society. Street Youths are supported to start their own small business through business training, life skills training and access to credit. Lessons Learned The following lessons have emerged from the programs that S.K.I. and partner organizations have created. * It's important for all loans to be linked to training programs that include the development of basic business and life skills. * Small loans are provided initially for purchasing fixed assets such as bicycles, shoe shining kits. * All S.K.I. programs have charged interest on the loans, primarily to get the business runners used to the concept of paying interest on borrowing money. Generally the rates have been modest. Conclusion There is a need to recognize the importance of access to credit for poor young people seeking to fulfill economic needs. The organization, S.K.I., aims to _ . A give business training and loans to street children B provide schools and social support for street children C share the lessons S.K. I. learned to help street children D draw the attention of the government to street children Answer: A. give business training and loans to street children A visit to a zoo can be an amazing experience for people of all ages. If you want to get close to wildlife, why not visit one of the following zoos in the UK? Longleat Safari & Adventure Park Wiltshire's Longleat Safari & Adventure Park is the UK's oldest safari park. Opened in 1966, it was the first safari park opened outside Africa. It was just a 100-acre lion reserve in the beginning, but it has grown fast over the years. Now you can see parrots and other creatures here, although lions are still popular with many people. Open from mid-February to early November, a day ticket costsPS26 for adults. Admission for 3- to 14-year-old isPS18.50 andPS21 for the over-60s. Located just off the A36 between Bath and Salisbury, it can be reached by taking the A362. Bristol Zoo Bristol Zoo is one of the UK's oldest zoos. It will celebrate its 180th anniversary in 2016. Here, you'll find over 400 different species of creatures. It also has nine animal houses, so even if the weather isn't at its best, there are still lots of amazing creatures to look at, including the endangered red panda. Perhaps one of the most popular places is Bug World, where you can see all kinds of scary insects. Admission for adults isPS14 andPS8.50 for 3- to 14-year-olds. Located in the Clifton region of Bristol, you can reach the zoo by taking either the No. 8 or 9 bus. Clifton Down train station is also close by, and if you are taking public transport, you can buy a discounted entry ticket to the zoo. What do we know about Wiltshire's Longleat Safari & Adventure Park? A It's the first safari park in the UK. B It covers an area of 100 acres in total. C It has a longer history than Bristol Zoo. D It's famous mostly for its parrots and lions. Answer: A. It's the first safari park in the UK. Last year college students in America spent an estimated $700 on textbooks on average. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars in sales of textbooks and course materials. The association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now just make up 2%~3% of sales. But he says that is expected to reach 10%~15% by 2012. Online versions are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. An etextbook can cost half the price of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access to them after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device ,so they are not easy to share. So what do students think of etextbooks?Administrators at Northwest Missouri State University wanted to find it out. Earlier this year they tested them with 500 students in 20 classes. The university is unusual. It provides laptop computers for all 7,000 of its fulltime students. It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them to save money. The school aims to save even more by moving to etextbooks. The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy. They liked the idea of carrying lighter backpacks. And 56% said they were better able to find information. But most found that using etextbooks did not change their study habits. And 60% felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all,almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better. But the survey found that cost could be a big influence.55% said they would choose etextbooks if using them meant their textbook rental fee would not increase. Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest Missouri State University. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the etextbooks now available because the majority are not interactive . He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video,activities,games and other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now,most of the books are just words on a screen. Etextbooks are not better than paper books in that _ . A they cost more money B they're difficult to carry C they're not convenient to share D they can't be downloaded from the Internet Answer: C. they're not convenient to share Bognor Regis is a small beautiful town in the UK. From March 12 to 17 of each year, lots of clowns get together in the town to celebrate the International Clown Festival. The first one was in 1987. During the festival, people can see all kinds of clowns. They are together for the clown shows. They have big feet, red noses and look really funny. They sing and dance in a strange way to make people happy. Children like this interesting festival best. Now women can take part in the clown shows and they're very popular. But in the past, only men could be clowns. _ like the festival best. A Old people B Women C Men D Children Answer: D. Children Chinese female film stars, like Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, due to the charm of their films, have set a good image for Chinese women in the world. Compared with Chinese women, the image of Chinese men is not so good in the eyes of Western women, the Shanghai Evening Post reported. In March 2006, Zhang Jiehai, a doctorate holder at the Sociology Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, led a research team to investigate how Western women look at Chinese men. The survey shows that many Western women think Chinese men are mostly known for their care for the family. Chinese men, as the Western women say, are willing to spend money for women. As to their shortcomings, Western women think that Chinese men do not have good manners and that some Chinese men have the habit of spitting everywhere, keeping nails and hair long, picking their noses and ears in public places, and not cleaning their teeth thoroughly. These bad habits make many Western women think that Chinese men are unwilling to take care of their personal image. The survey was carried out in two ways, by questionnaires and interviews. All the respondents agreed that Chinese men show much tender loving care for the family and that many Chinese men do know how to respect women. They open the door for women and carry their handbags for them. For some American women, the bad image of Chinese men in the world is largely because of Hollywood films. In many Hollywood films, Chinese men usually do not have a good image. But this has been changed by Hong Kong film star Chow Yun-Fat. After the Chinese filmCrouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon was shown in cinemas in the United States in 2002, many Westerners began to change their impression of Chinese men. In some American women's eyes, Chinese men's images are bad because of _ . A Chinese female film stars B Chinese male film stars C Hollywood films D Film stars in Hong Kong Answer: C. Hollywood films
Kataria is the founder of the worldwide laughter movement. The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive activity for world peace and is intended to build up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. The first "World Laughter Day" gathering took place in Mumbai, India, on 11th January, 1998. 12,000 members from India and international Laughter Clubs attended it. Now there are over 5,000 Laughter Clubs worldwide on all 5 continents. "HAPPY--DEMIC" was the first World Laughter Day gathering outside India. It took place on 9th January, two years after the Mumbai gathering. In Copenhagen, Denmark, more than 10,000 people gathered at Town Hall Square. The event went into Guinness Book of World Records. "World Laughter Day" is now organized on the first Sunday of May every year. Hundreds of people gather worldwide on that day to laugh together. Today, many people fear widespread international terrorism. The world has never faced so much unrest before. People are at war within themselves. Laughter is a universal language, which has the ability to unite humanity without religion. Laughter can build a common connection between various religions and create a new world order. The idea may sound over -ambitious , and maybe it is. But maybe it is not. It is our deep belief that laughter and only laughter can unite the world, building up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship. Studies also say that laughter helps your body do the following: lower blood pressure; lighten depression; reduce stress; work out the heart, especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercise. So in life, when you can laugh, you should laugh loudly and with your entire body-because it's good for you. The author's attitude towards laughter movement is _ . A. positive B. negative C. uninterested D. objective Answer: A My husband had just bought a new washing machine for me . I decided to use it the very day and I washed a lot of things . Everything worked well , but I found one of my husband's socks missing . I looked everywhere for it , but I couldn't find it anywhere . The next morning , I got ready for school as usual . When the bell rang , the students came in . I greeted them and told them what we were going to do that day . When I turned around to write on the blackboard , the class bursted out a roar ! They laughed and laughed . They laughed so much , in fact ,that I was afraid the headmaster would be in to see all this . I asked the class to stop , but the more I talked , the more they laughed . I decided to pay no attention to them and I continued to write on the blackboard . when I did this , they roared even more . Finally , the teacher who had the room next to mine came in to see what all the laughter was about . "Good heavens ," I said , "Will someone please tell me what is so funny?" "Oh , God," said the teacher , "You have a brown sock to the back of your skirt !" So that's how I found my husband's missing sock . "Oh , well ," I said to the class , "Let's just say you have had an unforgettable lesson on static electricity . " What was the writer ? A. A washer B. A student C. A headmaster D. A teacher Answer: D 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. What can we infer from the passage? A. It is difficult for a person, who cares about what others say, to succeed. B. It is important for a person to tell others what he wants to do. C. It is necessary for a person, who wants to succeed, to take others' advice. D. It is impossible for an ordinary person to be a writer in the future. Answer: A Stagnant scientific education endangers U.S. economic leadership, says a report by leading business and science figures. Released at a congressional meeting attended by senators and Congress members of both parties, the report updates a 2005 science education report that led to moves to double federal research funding. Nevertheless, the Rising Above the Gathering Stormreview finds little improvement in U.S. elementary and secondary technical education since then. "Our nation's future has worsened," concludes the report panel headed by former Lockheed chief Martin Norman Augustine. The report "paints a discouraging future for America if it were to continue on the _ path it has been following'': * U.S. K-12 education in mathematics and science ranks 48thworldwide. * 49%of U.S. adults don't know how long it takes for the Earth to circle the sun. Although US school achievement scores have stagnated, harming the economy as employers look elsewhere for competent workers, the report says that other nations have made gains. If the USA's students matched Finland's, for example, analysis suggests the US economy would grow 9%-16%. "The real point is that we have to have a well-educated workforce to create opportunities for young people," says Charles Vest,head of the National Academy of Engineering, a report sponsor. "Otherwise, we don't have a chance." "The current economic crisis makes the link between education and employment very clear,'' says Steven Newton of the National Center for Science Education in Oakland. In 2007, however, an analysis led by B. Lindsay Lowell of Georgetown University found that worries about US science education were overblown . It saw three times more science and engineering college graduates than job openings each year. Other reports have found top science and engineering students migrating to better-paying jobs in finance, law and medicine since the 1900s. We can conclude from what Charles Vest says that _ . A. he is satisfied with America's science education B. improving science education helps the growth of the U. S. economy C. American young people have no chance to find good-paying jobs D. Finland's students are not as good as the USA's students in school achievement Answer: B I was fortunate to begin my day camp career at Ramaquois as a four-year-old in 1984. I can clearly remember my first bus ride to camp, sitting next to my older sister. Stepping out of the bus, and into a new, strange world, there was no way I could comprehend how important that moment was for me. Ramaquois would become my summer home until this day. My first summer at day camp was definitely a new experience for me. I had never had a "bunk " or a "cubby " before. My counselors sort of reminded me of my pre-school teachers, but they were...different somehow... I didn't usually enjoy new things and I was slow to warm up to camp. From what my parents tell me, my counselors were very patient with me. When I needed a friend, a counselor was there. When I needed words of encouragement, they got into conversation with me. When I was too shy to ask, they offered help. I don't remember the specific moment when things changed, but I know that at some point that summer, things just became different. I couldn't wait for the bus to arrive in the morning. I feared the weekends. And on the last day of camp, I cried--just like the first day. I was attracted. Ramaquois was a part of my life. I spent 11 summers as a camper at Ramaquois. I had no idea that those summers were just the beginning. I remained at camp for seven years as a counselor, five years a division leader and now I am lucky enough to be an assistant director working with the most unique and talented administrative team in the summer camp industry. I am one of the lucky people that truly enjoys going to work each and every day. The author now is working as _ . A. a camper B. an assistant director C. a bus driver D. a counselor Answer: B
As a teenager in 1972, Bill Gates boasted that he would be a millionaire by the time he was 20. While he did not quite achieve that goal, only 15 years later, he was a millionaire. And by 1992, as head of the Microsoft company, he became the richest man in America with assets of nearly US $ 6.3 billion. Born in Seattle, Washington on 28, October, 1956, Gates was named William Henry after his father and grandfather. From the beginning, he was an extremely energetic and intelligent child. He had read the entire world book encyclopedia by the age of nine. His favorite subjects at school were science and math and his favorite pastime was "thinking". Gates first started to play with computers at the age of 13. Before long he became an expert at working the school's computer. After his graduation from secondary school, Gates was accepted by the three top universities in the USA-Princeton, Harvard and Yale. He chose Harvard and began classes there the next autunm, majoring maths. But he was still obsessed with computers and spent as much time in the computer laboratories as he did in the lecture halls. By 1975, Gates and a partner, Paul Allen, had developed a software program called BASIC. This was not the first program ever created, but its inventors were the first to decide that people who wanted to use it should pay for it. BASIC was a success because until it came along, there had been no efficient way of getting computers to carry out instructions. Although he had not completed his degree, Gates left university and went to work full time for the new company he had formed called Microsoft. His next project was the software program that made him famous and very rich. It was called DOS, short for Disk Operating System, and it was purchased by IBM in 1980. Today it is the operating system used in more than 14 million personal computers around the world. As chief executive officer of Microsoft, Gates is known as a bright man, but one who is not easily satisfied. He is quick to criticize his staff and hates to be questioned about decisions he has made. He was regarded as a loner and unfashionable boring computer nut until his marriage to Microsoft manager Melinda French on New Year's Day 1994. Yet to many people now, Gates, is a person who is, in spite of his great wealth, humble and ordinary. He spends his money carefully. He eats in fast food restaurants and flies economy class. And when praised for Microsoft's great success, he has been heard to say, "All we do is put software in a box and if people see it in the stores and like it, they buy it." Most people think that Bill Gates is _ . A a crazy person B a person obsessed with making money C someone who spends money freely D a quite common, normal person Answer: D. a quite common, normal person Hi, I'm Sandy. I come from America. I have long hair. I like listening to music and singing. I don't like sports. I often call my friends at the weekend. My name is Jack. My Chinese name is Chen Tao. My eyes are not very good, so I often wear a pair of glasses. I enjoy playing computer games and swimming. I like making friends and I have a Chinese friend. Hello, everyone. I'm Luo Wei. I'm from China. My hair is short. I love running and pets. And I have a lovely dog. My name is Daniel. I come from England. I'm good at Maths. I often help my classmates with their Maths. I'm not very tall. I like playing computer games on the Internet. Would you like to be my friend? Please write e-mails to me. What does Luo Wei like? A listening to music. B Swimming. C Running. D Singing. Answer: C. Running. The Touchstone When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book, and so a poor man, who could read little, bought it for very little money. The book wasn't very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the "Touchstone"! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold. So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold, throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. The days continued over a long period of time. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away. So it is with opportunity. Unless we are careful, it's easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it's just as easy to throw it away. We can learn from the passage that the touchstone is _ . A pure B cold C magic D big Answer: C. magic Everyone knows that chickens lay eggs . Most people know that all the other birds do as well. But have you ever thought about other animals that lay eggs? They include bees, snakes and some sea animals. When a mother lays eggs, many more babies can be born at once, or in a few days, because there is very little development inside the parent. Animals that do not lay eggs often have fewer babies. Animals lay many eggs because other animals may eat the babies. However, even though some of their babies are eaten, they will still have some more to continue their family. Some animals that lay eggs do not take care of their young. Turtles come onto the beach and dig holes. Then they put their eggs in the sand and leave. A turtle mother can lay as many as 150 eggs. When the babies come out of the eggs, they must find their own way to the ocean. They must learn how to live on their own. Many young turtles get eaten by other animals. Most eggs have an outside shell that keeps the growing animal inside safe. The egg shell also keeps the young animal from drying out. After the animal is fully developed, it comes out of the egg. The animal grows bigger and bigger. Then it can have its own young. The passage is probably from _ . A a newspaper B a science book C a sports magazine D a story book Answer: B. a science book What do you usually do after class? When class is over , most students in my class go out of the classroom, We have 20 minutes' rest between classes. Look! Most of us are playing during the rest time. Some students are on the playground . They are having a basketball match. Oh, a boy is running with a ball and another boy is trying to stop him. They are so cool. And some girls are watching the match. Some students are still in the classroom. They are talking. A few of them are reading and doing homework. A girl is looking at the birds in the trees, and she has a _ on her face. She is very happy. Where are the teachers? Some of them are working in the office, and some are talking with students. We are all busy and happy. There are _ students in the classroom. A no B some C a lot of D I don't know. Answer: B. some
There is very simple way of measuring the height of a water-tower, which we cannot measure by climbing. Suppose, for example, that we wish to find out the height of the water-tower, AB, in a factory. We first of all go to where the water-tower is standing and measure a distance of, say, 25 feet from it. Then we take a stick, and stand it in the ground at the spot we have just marked. Let us suppose the stick we are using is 4 feet in height. We now walk farther away from the water -tower in the same straight line as when we measured off the distance of 25 feet. We go from the water-tower until we come to point E, where with our head on the ground, we see the top of the stick and the top of the water-tower in the same height line---that is, the top of the stick just covers the highest part of the water-tower. Every schoolboy can work out the height of the water-tower now. Suppose that the line CE is five feet. We know that the stick is 4 feet high and the distance BE is 30 feet. Thus, 5 is to 4 as 30 is to AB. It is clear from this that the problem can be settled by _ . E-mail is one of the biggest threats to your home computer. By understanding how E-mail works, and by taking some steps in how you deal with reading and writing messages, you can keep this threat out of your computer. When you exchange E-mail with someone else, the messages sent between you and that person pass through several computer before they reach their places. Imagine this conversation as it is taking place in an Internet "room", a very, very big room. Anyone, or more exactly, any program can probably understand what is being said, because most Internet conversations are not hidden in any way. As a result, others may be listening in, _ what you send, and using it for their own good. E-mail-borne viruses often arrive in attractive, fantastic appearances, much like the beautiful ads we receive by way of traditional mail that is made to sell us something. By beautiful appearances, an infected E-mail message seems to be something we want to read from someone we know, not a mean virus ready to destroy or damage our computers. There are some steps that you can take to help you decide what to do with every E-mail message with an attachment that you receive. You should only read a message that passes all of these tests: 1) The Know Test: Is the E-mail from someone that you know? 2) The Received Test: Have you received E-mail from this sender before? 3) The Expect Test: Were you waiting for E-mail with an attachment from this sender? 4) The Meaning Test: Do the topic line of the E-mail message and the name of the attachment both have meanings? 5) The Virus Test: Is the E-mail infected? As the Internet is open to anyone, we should _ . A young man worked very hard on his lessons. He was too busy to have a rest. One day he found that he couldn't fall asleep at night. As he became ill, he couldn't go to sleep. When he went to bed, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. But he always failed. After a few days he decided to see a doctor. "I just can't go to sleep at night. What should I do?" he asked. "I have a suggestion," said the doctor. "You can try to count numbers. When you count to one thousand, you will be asleep. I am sure of it. " The next day the man returned to the doctor's office. "Well," said the doctor. "How are you today? Did you try my suggestion?" The man still looked tired. "Yes," he said. "I tried to count one, two, three.. , up to one thousand. But when I counted to five hundred and sixty--nine, I began to feel sleepy. I had to get up and drink some tea so that I could go on counting up to one thousand. But then I still couldn't fall asleep. " The young man counted _ We may have hosted some difficult house guests once or on even more occasions. Are you still worrying about how to deal with them? Here below are some tips on how to deal with those difficult house guests. You've been waiting an hour to eat breakfast but your guests are still sleeping. "Unless you adjusted a time for breakfast the evening before, let your guests sleep-in and enjoy your breakfast without them. If possible, keep their breakfast warm. Or better yet, when entertaining it's always a good idea to have cold breakfast (as well as lunch, dinner and snack) food on-hand." ----Pamela Eyring,president and director of The Protocol School of Washington Your guest's teenage son is a Facebook addict and hogs your computer all day long. "If you have a guest whose fingers are fixated to your keyboard, kindly let him know that you are expecting work email and give him enough time to finish using it." ----Ummu Bradley Thomas, founder of the Freddie Bell Jones Modeling and Finishing School, Inc. Your couch surfing, unemployed nephew has been here a month and is showing no sign of leaving. "There is nothing wrong with saying 'John, you have been here a month and have not put in any applications. What can I do to help you get your resume together? I would like to make a plan that will assist you in getting back on your feet and allow me to eventually have my extra room back for guests that will soon be arriving.'" ----Diane Gottsman, owner of The Protocol School of Texas Your guests expect you to accompany them to every single tourist attraction in your city. It's tiring and expensive. "If your guests didn't offer to treat you, politely decline and offer to meet them afterwards for dinner or drinks. That way they know you enjoy their company." ----Pamela Eyring, president and director of The Protocol School of Washington You gave your friend a closet shelf for her stuff but her clothes are thrown all over the place. "You should simply say 'I am happy to have you use my closet but your clothes seem to have a mind of their own. Would you mind keeping your clothes on the top shelf? It would make it easier for me to find my things when I am in a rush and looking for them. Thank you.'" ----Diane Gottsman, owner of The Protocol School of Texas Which of the following is the best title for this passage? My father has a great sports collection .he love sports very much. And he loves all balls. he likes playing basketball and volleyball. And he likes playing baseball and tennis. he also likes watching ball games. how many balls does he have? He has 15 basketballs,12 baseballs ,10 tennis bats.8 volleyballs and 14 baseball bats. and many other balls. _ has a great sports collection.
The first part of a new science-fiction series was shown on NBC last night. Star Trek is about a spacecraft which travels faster than the speed of light. The show is developed from three ideas about the 22ndcentury. First, we'll find other life forms great tools which will make amazing things possible. Let's think about these predictions. If we find life forms on other planets, will they be intelligent? I hope so. But we human beings might not be friendly - I don't think we'll believe in the idea of peace one hundred years from now. But this is science fiction, so we can be _ ! And Star Trek's idea of life in the future is 'communicators'. And we will be ablt to have conversatins with people who are on because you'll have an electronic notebook. And if you get ill, the doctor won't have to examine you - a machine will 'read' your body. The strangest manchine includes a 'teleport' which will take people to a different placein a second! The ideas are interesting, and in my opinion there's only one problem with star trek: the acting. The TV company will have to get better actors. If they do that, the show might be a success. If the acting doesn't improve, Star Trek won't last for more than one series. Of course, my prediction may be wrong. I can't see into the future! What is Star Trek? A A TV play. B A popular song. C A spacecraft. D An alien. Answer: A. A TV play. Want to know what we can do to help make our city a better place to live in? Why not take part in "Clean & Green weekend"? Join us, and you can make new friends and help protect the environment at the same time. Park Life Do you like hanging out in the park with your friends? If so,why not take the chance to come with us and tidy up the park as you go?To add some fun, there is a gift for the person who collects the most rubbish! Meet us at the south entrance to Taohe Park at 9 a.m. next Saturday if you want to join in. The Air You Breathe A great way to make the air we breathe cleaner is by planting lots of trees!It is a fact that trees slowly filter a lot of pollutants from the air. So come and help us plant some new ones in Fenhe Park at 2 p.m. next Sunday. War on Graffiti Some people think graffiti is cool. Well, it is not! The best way to stop buildings from becoming totally covered in ugly graffiti is to get rid of it as soon as possible. And that is exactly what we are going to do. We are repainting the school walls from 1 p.m. on Saturday. You don't have to bring any tools, just remember to wear some old clothes! ,. The students who want to join in the rubbish collecting activity must meet _ . A at 1 p.m. on Saturday B at 2 p.m. next Sunday C at 9 a.m. next Saturday D at 3 a.m. on Sunday Answer: C. at 9 a.m. next Saturday People often ask me how I became successful in that six-year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking. They found that easy not to. I found it easy to attend the classes. They said it probably really wouldn't matter. Six years later, I'm a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government and company policies. They neglected to do the basic, easy things. In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing can be summed up in a single word: neglect. It is not the lack of money - banks are full of money. It is not the lack of opportunity - the government continues to offer the most opportunities. It is not the lack of books - libraries are full of books - and they are free! It is not the schools - the classrooms are full of good teachers. We have plenty of good advisors. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is neglect. Don't do the things which cause us to feel guilty and guilt _ our self-confidence. As our self-confidence reduces, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity goes down, so do our results. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. And as our attitude begins changing from positive to negative, our self-confidence becomes even less ... and on and on it goes. So my suggestion is that when giving choice of "easy to" and "easy not to", do not neglect to do the simple, basic, "easy" but potentially life-changing activities. What is the main reason that some people fail to succeed? A They don't have good opportunities. B They neglect the importance of success. C They lack the government's support. D They don't make use of what they have. Answer: D. They don't make use of what they have. Turning left under a bridge in Beijing, Hu Xingxin, 24, suddenly braked to a stop in front of a yellow light at a busy crossroad. "According to the new traffic regulations, running a yellow light is equal to running a red one," said the Beijing-based IT technician. "Since the new rules came into effect I'm always ready to hit the brakes to avoid a penalty." Authorities have since changed the rules and running a yellow light no longer results in a 6-point punishment. New traffic regulations are the latest measure to improve road safety, which has become a problem in China. Experts say that to achieve better road safety, various and comprehensive methods are needed. Updating the rules are only part of the story. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), traffic accidents kill more people around the world than malaria and are the leading cause of death for young people aged 5 to 29 -- especially in developing countries. Each year up to 1.3 million people are killed and more than 50 million injured in traffic accidents around the world. The economic consequences are also significant: according to a study by the World Bank and Harvard University, traffic accidents on average cost a country 1 to 3 percent of its annual Gross National Product.. The newly revised regulations impose much heavier punishment on drivers who violate traffic rules. Under the new regulations, 52 different violations result in penalties, up from 38 under the previous system. Eleven kinds of violations now result in the deduction of 12 points, compared to six points under the previous regulation. These violations include drunken driving and using fake license plates, as well as driving without a valid license. But traffic regulations are only one aspect of many regarding problems with road safety in China. Other components of road safety include technology and urban design. What is true according to the passage? A Traffic accidents leads to very serious economic consequences. B Malaria causes more deaths every year than traffic accidents. C Running a yellow will result in a 6-point deduction. D Most violators of the new traffic rules will end up in prison. Answer: A. Traffic accidents leads to very serious economic consequences. What would you do if you were lost in the dark forest at night? The first sensible lesson is that you shouldn't bother trying to find your way in the dark at all, but just stay put until dawn. Because then you won't trip over things? No, mainly because you'll have an idea of direction. The sun rises in the east. But you will be amazed at how many people forget they know that. Apparently, the area underneath a holly bush provides a good makeshift shelter -- they are thick, and evergreen. The next thing to do -- or rather not to do -- is panic, for the obvious reason that unless there is someone there to hear you scream, it will get you nowhere. Just try to think of nice, happy things. There is always a point in films when a person who is lost in the desert or the snow, dehydrated and exhausted, comes across a set of their own footprints and realizes they have just walked in a huge, round circle. It is wrong to owe it to the unequal strengths or different lengths of your legs. Experiments prove that, without the sun or the moon (or landmarks) as a fixed guide, lots of small errors add up over time so the brain can't correctly identify the "straight ahead" direction. To just get out of somewhere, pick a spot on the horizon and just head for it. There are several ways to find directions in the dark, and by far the best is to establish north using the stars. Most people can identify the Plough, which is part of Ursa Major. It looks a lot like a saucepan. The Plough rotates through the sky, but let's imagine the saucepan lying horizontally , with its handle on the left. You need to trace a line from the star at the right-hand base of the pan, through the star at the right-hand rim , and follow it upwards; the north star is roughly five times the distance between those two "pointer" stars. Then drop a vertical line from the North Star to the horizon and that's north. "Tonight is very cloudy and I can't see the Plough." Maybe luckily, it is quite windy. Keep in mind that almost all of our weather comes from a south-westerly direction. (This only works if you are in the British Isles). To find the direction, you can throw light bits of dried-out grass in the air and see which way they blow; or, if there are clouds and patches of clear sky, see which way they blow across the stars. You can also get an idea of direction from leggy plants. If they look as if they have been blown over, they will probably be pointing north-east. If they are simply leaning in one direction as they grow, there's a good chance that is south (they will be reaching towards the sun). The last thing to do is to judge your direction and off you go. Why will people often walk in a circle if they are lost in the desert or the snow? A Because without anything to refer to for directions, the brain will be confused by errors. B Because one of the legs is longer and stronger than the other. C Because the desert or the snow usually covers a large area for people to get across. D Because people usually feel dehydrated and exhausted in the desert or the snow. Answer: A. Because without anything to refer to for directions, the brain will be confused by errors.
Since 1936, many female space explorers have followed Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova. Let's look at the missions of four important female astronauts to find out what astronauts do in space. In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American women in space. Her team carried out scientific experiments in space and put two communications satellites in space. Satellites make it possible for us to communicate instantly with each other across the world through TV, radio, and telephones. In 1984, Kathryn Sullivan became the first American women to walk in space. During her mission, she discovered important information about the sun's energy and how it affects the climate in very hot and very cold places on Earth. She also took photographs of Earth and measured air pollution. In 1992, Mae Jemison became the first African-American in space. During her mission, she did scientific experiments using the weightless atmosphere. In space, there is no gravity, so everything floats! Dr. Jemison's experiments gave important information about the human body to produce better medicines and healthcare. In 2012, Liu Yang became the first Chinese women in space. She did experiments in space medicine, which look at how astronauts can survive and stay healthy in space. The conditions in space are very hard on the body and space medicine helps astronauts work safely. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage? Don't you think your schoolbag is too heavy to bear? The e-schoolbag will free you from the weight. It is said that e-schoolbags are going to be brought into use in Chinese middle schools soon. An experiment with several hundred e-schoolbags will begin in seven cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. And the e-schoolbags are going to cover all over China if the experiment proves to be successful. In fact, the e-schoolbag should perhaps be called an e-notebook. It is a small hand-held computer for school students. Heavy schoolbags have long been a serious problem for school students. The average schoolbag of middle school students weighs up to 5 kilos. But the e-schoolbag will change everything. It is much lighter than a usual schoolbag, weighing under 1 kilo. Also, it is no bigger than a usual book, but it can still hold all the things for study, such as a textbook, a notebook and exercise book. They could be made into chips that are as small as a stamp. The students can read the text page by page on the screen. They can still take notes using a special electronic pen. If they want to know the meaning or the pronunciation of a new word, or even e-mail their teachers, it's just a press of a button. In some foreign countries, it is becoming common. But it is hard to tell when people will receive this new form of study. Some say that e-textbooks can be easily broken, some say that it is not good to students' eyesight to look at the screen for long. But only time will tell. The e-schoolbag has many functions EXCEPT _ . Jane is only four years o1d and she doesn't go to school. But she is very clever and learns a lot from her grandpa--an old teacher. One day, Jane's mother, Mrs John takes her to a party. The guests all praise a rich woman's son. Mrs John asks him a few questions, but his answers are wrong. Jane begins to laugh. The rich woman is angry. She te11s her friend--a teacher to ask Jane some questions, but the little girl answers all. Then she asks, ''There are three birds in a tree. How many will be left if I kill one?" "One" answers Jane. "You're wrong!" calls out the rich woman. "All of them will fly away","Do you think a dead bird can fly?"asks the little girl. The guests begin to 1augh and the woman's face turns red. From the story we know that Jane _ . How was your Children's Day? What kind of gifts did you get? Eight third graders in some poor places in Hebei Province got new schoolbags as Children's Day gifts. They were very happy. There were pencils, pens, exercise books and many other school supplies in the schoolbags. These schoolbags are from students in Beijing Zhongguancun Fourth Primary School. They are in Class 5, Grade 3. They raised money by themselves. They printed out their writings. Their head teacher Mrs Hou helped them to make books. They sold the books at their school to make 800 yuan. Chen Hongsheng, 9 years old, is one of the students. "We use 800 yuan to buy eight schoolbags at the post office. The post office workers give us a list of the kids. These kids live in poor places. We can choose eight kids by ourselves and post these schoolbags to them," she said very proudly. "These schoolbags are gifts of our class. This summer vacation, I'll send out a schoolbag by myself. I hope the kid with my schoolbag can go to school happily like us in the new term." Which of the following is True according to the passage? Our senses aren't just delivering a strict view of what's going on in the world; they're affected by what's going on in our heads. A new study finds that hungry people see food-related words more clearly than people who've just eaten. Psychologists have known for decades that what's going on inside our head affects our senses. For example, poorer children think coins are larger than they are, and hungry people think pictures of food are brighter. Remi Radel of University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis, France, wanted to investigate how this happens. Does it happen right away as the brain receives signals from the eyes or a little later as the brain's high-1evel thinking processes get involved. Radel recruited 42 students with a normal body mass index. On the day of his or her test, each student was told to arrive at the lab at noon after three or four hours of not eating. Then they were told there was a delay. Some were told to come back in 10 minutes; others were given an hour to get lunch first. So half the students were hungry when they did the experiment and the other half had just eaten. For the experiment, the participant looked at a computer screen. One by one, 80 words flashed on the screen for about l/300th of a second each. They flashed at so small a size that the students could only consciously perceive. A quarter of the words were food-related. After each word, each person was asked how bright the word was and asked to choose which of two words they'd seen-a food-related word like cake or a neutral word like boat. Each word appeared too briefly for the participant to really read it. Hungry people saw the food-related words as brighter and were better at identifying food- related words. Because the word appeared too quickly for them to be reliably seen, this means that the difference is in perception, not in thinking processes, Radel says. "This is something great to me. Humans can really perceive what they need or what they strive for. From the experiment, I know that our brain can really be at the disposal of our motives and needs. "Radel says. What does the writer want to tell us?
Wearing a big hat and playing a guitar, a country music singer is using his rising and falling voice to tell the audience about his love, hope and loss. Few people could avoid getting caught up in his feelings. This is the appeal of country music, which speaks to the basic emotions of human life. Throughout the 20th century, it has grown into one of the most original and lasting American musical forms. Country music's roots are in the songs of the American South, brought over by early immigrants from England. Those songs expressed the hardships of rural life and deep religious beliefs. In the 1920s, country music came into being as its first recordings were made. Early stars like Jimmy Rodger, known as "The Father of Country Music", and the Carter Family established its strong traditions - good song-writing, singing and playing. Much of this music was written for and brought to the American public through the cowboy films of the 1930s and 1940s. It was widely popular then and many singers turned up on stage wearing Western fringe and cowboy hats. In the 1950s, the country music recording industry was set up in Nashville and moved away from its rough roots. But singers like John Denver, with his hit track "Take Me Home, Country Roads", insisted on the originality and emotions of "real" country music. Younger artists in the 1990s turned to older country styles and mixed t3vhem with elements of rock 'n' roll. Steve Earle, with his song "The Devil's Right Hand", is typical of this so-called "another country music". Country music continues to speak to Americans of all ages and backgrounds. And it gives the nation an identity . Unlike pop music, country music was American, and only American. During its development, it continued to emphasize that "American" element and sounded completely different from its English ancestors. It may even be said that its sound and story tell the history of the United States. The author mentioned Jimmy Rodger, John Denver and Steve Earle to _ . show the process of the development of country music The journey two naval officers made some time ago to the very deepest point on the earth makes us realize how much of the world still remains to be explored. The two men went down seven miles to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean inside a small steel ball called a "bathyscaphe" to find out if there are any ocean currents or sings of life. It was necessary to set out early, so that the "bathyscaphe" would come to the surface in daylight, and so be easily found by the mother ship which would be waiting for it. The drivers began preparations at dawn and soon afterwards, when all was ready, the steel ball disappeared under the surface of the water. In time, the temperature dropped to freezing-point and the men trembled inside the ball. They kept in touch with the mother ship by telephone describing how they felt. Then, at a depth of 3,000 feet, the men were surprised by a sudden, loud noise, even the smallest hole in the ball would have meant instant death. Luckily, though, it was only one of the outer windows that had broken. Soon afterwards, the "bathyscaphe" touched the soft ocean floor raising a big cloud of "dust" made up of different kinds of small, dead sea animals. Here, powerful lights lit up the dark water and the men were surprised to see fish swimming just above them quite uncontrolled by the very large water-pressure. But they did not dare to leave the lights on for long, as the heat from them made the water boil. Quite unexpectedly, the telephone began working again and the weak but clear voices of the officers wre heard on the mother ship. After a stay of thirty minutes the men began their journey up, arriving three hours later, _ . The officers started their journey at dawn _ . so that they could return before dark Try this: for a whole day, _ . Eat when you're hungry and sleep when you're tired. What do you think will happen? You may be surprised to find that your day is much like most other days. You'll probably get hungry when you normally eat and tired when you normally sleep. Even though you don't know what time it is, your body does. Inside our bodies are several clocklike systems that follow a 24- hour cycle. Everyone is unique, which is why you might like to stay up late while your sister always wants to go to bed early. Regularly staying up late can make kids do worse on tests and quizzes. And working shifts at night leads to higher rates of heart disease. "There is a growing sense that when we eat and when we sleep are important parts of how healthy we are," says Steven Shea, Director of the Sleep Disorders Research Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "During the night, we are prepared to sleep," Shea says. "During the day, we are prepared to eat and move around, If you reverse ( ) what you are doing, everything is out of phase. That can have adverse consequences. Everything is out of phase. means _ . everything is out of order Which of the following is an observation about grasshoppers that a science class could have made on their nature walk? The grasshoppers are green with long back legs and antennae. While there are many fascinating countries in the world to visit, I think there is something more adventurous, exotic and romantic about visiting an island country. Take a look at some breathtakingly beautiful island countries in the world, which everyone should certainly visit at least once in his lifetime. Malta Malta is a beautiful southern European country in the Mediterranean Sea, which has a rich history and culture. There are amazing sky-high cliffs to climb, splendid temples to explore and lots of wonderful places to go scuba-diving. In fact, there are plenty of interesting things to see and to do in Malta and this island country has something for everyone. The historic part of Malta is shown in its incredible architecture, great walled cities, and many underground tunnels. Fiji Fiji is a fabulous island that has plenty of surprises for any adventurous travelers. It is famous for the world's best surf scenes, and many surfing enthusiasts travel to Fuji yearly to ride the great waves. Well, if surfing is not for you and you love sitting on the beach and relaxing, hiking or seeing breathtaking waterfalls, Fiji is certainly the best island country to visit. Maldives Not only is Maldives one of the most beautiful island countries, but it is one of the most popular honeymoon destinations. Situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Maldives is made up of a series of ancient coral reefs that grow up along the sides of ancient volcanoes, with fascinating beaches and luxurious resorts. In Malta, you can _ . explore temples and tunnels
Question: When a needle points north on a compass and you are thirsty A. head south B. head towards water C. head forward D. head north Answer: B Question: One Sunday morning Mr Green and his child , Bill ,are in a big shop . Mr Green wants to buy a new blouse for Mrs Green . Bill likes oranges , so his father buys two kilos of oranges for him , too . Bill wants to buy some picture--books and colour pencils , too . There are many people in the shop . They are men and women , old and young . They all want to buy something there . Mr Green goes to the shop with _ . A. Mrs green B. his son C. his daughter D. his father Answer: B Question: Once upon a time, a man was walking on a mountain when he found an incredible cave with all kinds of treasure inside it. So he gave up his job, his home, and his friends, and spent all his time guarding the cave. He was so dedicated to it that he hardly ate or drank, and before long he fell ill. One day, when he could hardly move at all, he decided to share the treasure. He crawled into the cave to get a handful of jewels, but discovered, to his horror, that it was empty except for a small emerald . The man took it, and gave it to the first person he came by, a woman. Then an old man came by. "What bad luck!" the man said. "Just a moment ago I gave a woman the last of the treasure I was guarding." "Are you sure there is nothing left?" the old man asked. The man took him into the cave, where they found a chest with jewels and some bags of gold. The man was shocked, and the old man explained to him, "At last! At last someone has broken the spell of this cave. This is the Cave of Treasure, and you're the first to have passed its great test. Many have dedicated their lives to this cave, only to end up realizing there was nothing here..." "And why does this happen?" the man asked. "This magic cave has only as many riches as your own heart. When someone discovers it, the cave is filled with treasure, but later, when they have devoted themselves to guarding the treasure, their hearts empty, as does the cave. The only way to fill it is by filling your heart with all that is good, as you did by giving the woman that last jewel." From that day on, the man understood that it was better to share than to keep. Thanks to the cave and the old man, he became noble and generous. Why did the man give up his job, home and friends? A. Because he possessed a variety of treasure. B. Because he had to guard the treasure cave. C. Because he wanted to find the treasure cave. D. Because he devoted himself to a great test. Answer: B Question: A mother, who wished to encourage her son's progress in playing the piano, bought tickets for a performance by the great Polish pianist Ignace Paderewski.When the evening arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the impressive Steinway waiting on the stage.Not long after they arrived, the mother came across a friend in the hall and they began to talk with each other.Meanwhile the boy slipped away and could be found nowhere. At eight o'clock, the lights in the concert hall began to fail, and then the spotlights came on.Only then did they notice the boy who was up on the piano bench, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".Seeing this, his mother was shocked and embarrassed.But before she could bring her son back, the master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. He whispered gently to the boy, "Don't quit.Keep playing." Learning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part.Soon his right arm reached around the other side and performed a delightful accompaniment .Together, the old master and the young boy performed so wonderfully and harmoniously on the stage and they held the attention of the crowd with their beautiful music. In all our lives, we receive helping hands from time to time--some we notice; some we don't.Equally we ourselves have countless opportunities to offer helping hands--sometimes we want our assistance to be noticed, sometimes we don't.Little of what we all achieve is without learning from others and without support from others.We are supposed to hand out what we have received. The author wrote this text in order to _ . A. show how patient the great master was B. tell the readers a very interesting story C. report an incident in a concert hall D. urge us to reach out to those in need Answer: D Question: What do astronauts eat in space, and why? How did astronaut food come into being? How do astronauts preserve food for long periods of time in space? NASA(the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has been researching food for space travel since the 1960's to find the best way of keeping astronauts from going hungry. The research could date from an accident that took place on the first manned Gemini mission in 1965. astronaut John Young managed to sneak a corned beef sandwich onto the Geminni III capsule to eat during its orbit around Earth. To Young's surprise, the sandwich plan did not go as expected; instead the sandwich began to break apart and scatter through the Geminni IIIcapsule. This could have resulted in disaster, since a small piece of food could have stuck in the air vents and other equipment. The sandwich was stuffed into a pocket to avoid the further mess inside the small space capsule This incident caused NASA to enforce strict rules on what types of food can be taken into space. Space food has come a long way since then. During the Gemini period, the astronauts mostly ate cubed, compressed foods high in calories and lightweight. NASA expects a long shelf life for space food. The majority of food taken into space has been dried out or heat-treated. These process and use of sodium , make the food taken into space last longer. Research is ongoing into space food to seek out healthier ways to preserve it. Too much sodium is unhealthy, and can badly change the taste of some foods. What happened to John Young in the Geminni III capsule? A. His sandwich went bad as expected B. He couldn't eat the sandwich he had bought C. His sandwich caused trouble to some equipment D. He filled his pocket with the sandwich. Answer: B
Question: Inventors are always looking for ways to make our lives easier, greener and a lot more fun.Take a look at 2010's biggest and coolest breakthroughs in science and technology.What in the world will inventors dream up next? Superhero Suit Have you ever dreamed of becoming a superhero? Dream no more.There's a real Iron Man suit, XOS 2, which provides the power to lift 200 pounds with ease .It was designed to help the military with heavy lifting.One person in the suit could do the work of three soldiers. Up, Up and Away! It took him 30 years to develop it, and now Glen Martin's invention is ready to take off.The Martin Jetpack allows its operator to fly 8,000 feet into the air.Unfortunately, you can't soar through the skies too long.The jetpack holds only about 30 minutes' worth of fuel. Hardworking Robot The EMIEW2 robot is the perfect office helper.Need a document delivered? No problem! It can also guide visitors to their destinations.The three-foot-tall robot can identify different human voices and respond to commands.One day, it may serve as a receptionist or a security guard. Green Machine Say goodbye to gasoline! The AirPod car runs on air power.That means this car won't pollute.A high-pressure air tank can fill the car in minutes.The three-wheeler can travel about 130 miles between fill-ups. Beef Power All aboard the beef train! Amtrak's Heartland Flyer runs partly on fuel that is made from cow fat.The goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 10%.The train travels between Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Fort Worth, Texas. Robo-Guard EMILY is a robotic, four-foot-long buoy .She can swim through riptides at up to 24 miles per hour.Her inventor, Tony Mulligan, says that's 15 times as fast as human lifeguards! EMILY is powered by a tiny electric pump and operated by remote. It is known from the passage that the EMIEW2 robot _ . A. is today's best robot to buy B. can tell different voices C. can help you finish your document D. has been widely used as a security guard Answer: B. can tell different voices Question: The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on well with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels. An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it had ever been in the past. "We were surprised by just how positive today's young people seem to be about their families," said one number of the research team. "They're expected to be rebellious and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds: they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There's more negotiation and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don't want to rock the boat." So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. "My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me," says 17-year-old Daniel Lazall. "I always tell them when I'm going out clubbing. As long as they know what I'm doing, they're fine with me." Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. "Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I'd done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that." Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, "Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change. " Compared with parents of 30 years ago, today's parents _ . A. go to clubs more often with their children B. are much stricter with their children C. give their children more freedom D. care less about their children's life Answer: C. give their children more freedom Question: The so-called post-90s generation have become even much "cooler" than the 1980s group, for they can speak "Martian language", a difficult code-like language created by themselves. And they probably think it very original and smart. The idea of this language is to prevent the authorities- parents and teachers- from understanding what is said. Ms. Li, mother of a 15-year-old girl, logged onto her daughter's online space and found lines of codes, mixed English, Japanese and half-finished Chinese characters, which looked completely meaningless to her. Her daughter told her that it was "Martian language" and her _ all used it. The new language is becoming very popular in online spaces- so much so that even some translating software has been created to translate the normal language into "Martian language". A 14-year-old netizen, nicknamed "S. _ Tangguo", explained that the language could be created by anyone. "At first, I just copied the language form other people's articles. Later , I began to create some words by myself. I split some Chinese characters, or use words that have similar pronunciations to interchange with each other, or even add some English, Japanese or Korean words into my article, and that makes the new language. My classmates all chat in 'Martian language'. It's in style and can help us hide our secrets from our parents or teachers." Unlike the worried parents, some experts have found positive aspects in the spread of this unusual online language. Wang Haiyong, a psychologist ,said that there's no need to be too worried about the phenomenon. This so-called "Martian language" is just a little hobby of the post-90s generation. On the other hand, the new language can inspire children's imaginations, which is a good thing. However, Wang also advised teachers and parents to give proper guidance to their children, helping them better distinguish between online language and the normative language of real life. What is the correct attitude we should take towards "Martian language" according to the psychologist? A. Parents should worry about losing control over their children. B. All generations should learn to be cooler by using the new language. C. We should help children understand the difference between the hobby online and the standard language. D. The authorities themselves should try to use the new language. Answer: C. We should help children understand the difference between the hobby online and the standard language. Question: Wonderful Museum Hours Monday - Thursday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Friday: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Saturday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Sunday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Museum Shop is open during regular museum hours. The Museum Library Monday -Friday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm The Skyliner Restaurant Monday - Saturday: during regular museum hours Sunday: 11:30 am - 5:00 pm Admission Adults:$7.00 The aged and students with ID: $6.00 Wonderful Museum offers a 50% discount to groups of 20 or more. Wonderful Museum usually opens _ except on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. A. from Monday to Thursday B. every day C. every day of the week D. on weekdays Answer: B. every day Question: Reusing your paper plates is a good way to avoid making excess A. stars B. rubbish C. ears D. mice Answer: B. rubbish
When Steven was a young boy, he moved quite often with his family and so he never had many friends. He spent a lot of time on his own and liked to play with electronic things. Steven had a neighbour, Steve Wozniak. Steve was a little bit younger than Steven but also liked to play with electronic things. Steven made a microphone and Steve asked him many questions about it until he understood how it worked. Steven liked the fact that such a young boy was also interest ed in electronic things and so he taught him everything he knew. When they were a little older and knew more about electronic things, they made a "blue box". People could make free phone calls by breaking into the phone company's system with this box. They sold this to many people even though it was illegal , but this is not why they are famous today. Steven and Steve were the inventors of the first PC--personal computer. They called their first computer the Apple I. They invented it only for fun and to make themselves known among their friends. They did not think it would become so popular. They just liked playing computer games on it. Their computer made it cheaper and easier for people to own and use a computer. Their PCs were so popular that they made a new PC called the Apple II. Soon many schools, families and factories were using their computers. Without the two clever men, the personal computers might never have appeared. What did the "blue box" do? A. People could play computer games with it. B. It helped people make electronic things. C. It paid for everybody's telephone calls. D. It helped people make free phone calls. Answer: D On Wednesday evening in New York, Apple broke the news that Steve Jobs had died. Since then, praise and respect have poured over the world like rain. He changed industries, redefined business models, fused technology and art. People are comparing him to Thomas Edison, Walt Disney and Leonardo da Vinci, and saying it will be a very long time before the world sees the likes of Steve Jobs again. After all, there are other brilliant marketers, designers and business people. Many of them have studied Steve Jobs, tried to absorb his methods and his philosophy. Surely they can recreate some of his success. But nobody ever does, even when they copy his moves down. So how did he become a visionary who changed every business he touched? Actually, he has given us clues all along. The story of Steve Jobs boils down to this: Don't go with the flow. If Mr. Jobs saw something that could be made better, smarter or more beautiful, nothing else mattered. Apple has attained its current astonishing levels of influence and success because it is sensitive. It is incredibly focused. It has had amazingly few failures. And that is because Mr. Jobs didn't buy into focus groups, groupthink or decision by a committee. At its core ,Apple existed to carry out his vision. He focused on every button and every corner .He lost sleep over the cardboard of the packaging and the color1 of the power cord. He wanted to sell a smart phone that had no keyboard, when physical keys were what had made BlackBerry the most popular smart phone at the time. Eventually, of course, most people realized that he was just doing that Steve Jobs thing again: being ahead of his time. Mr. Jobs is gone. Everyone who knew him feels that sorrow. But the ripple of that loss will widen in the days, weeks and years to come: to the people in the industries he changed. Which of the following best describes Steve Jobs? A. He is a person who has a mind of his own. B. He insists on working for his own company. C. He is good at giving people clues all the time. D. He focuses on nothing but his business. Answer: A Nothing succeeds like confidence. When you are truly confident, it radiates from you like sunlight, and attracts success to you like a magnet . Besides, those who are self-confident can in turninspire (encourage)confidence in others: their audience, their peers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways in which a self-confident person finds success. So how can we build a sense of self-confidence and prepare ourselves on the way to success? First, do what you believe to be right, even if others _ or criticize you for it. Believe in yourself and believe that you can do it in any situations, because if you believe you can, then you really will. The belief keeps you searching for answers, which means that pretty soon you will get them. Second, govern your behavior based on what other people think. What's more important, be willing to take risks and go the extra miles to achieve better results, in which case mistakes can not be avoided. Always be ready to admit your mistakes, and learn from them. Next, work hard to settle the problems in order to cover up your mistakes before anyone notices. Building self-confidence is readily achievable, as long as you have the focus and determination to carry things through. And what's even better is that the things you'll do to build self-confidence will also build success -- after all, your confidence will come from real, solid achievement. No one can take this away from you! As you sow, so will you reap. With your perseverance and improvement, you are getting closer to success. At this stage, wait for others to give congratulations and compliments on your achievements. "Thanks, I really worked hard on it. I'm pleased you recognize my efforts." The congratulations and compliments from others will promote you to gain further success. Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, and it is no wonder that so many people struggle to find it. Self-confidence really can be learned and built on. Besides, whether you're working on your own self-confidence or building the confidence of people around you, it's well worth the effort! The purpose of the text is to _ . A. tell people how to become successful B. convince people to do what they believe to be right C. encourage people to build confidence and achieve success D. criticize people who lack confidence and thus fail in their career Answer: C Saturday and Sunday together are A. 72 hours B. 24 hours C. 48 hours D. 36 hours Answer: C In the course of working my ways through school , I took many jobs I would rather forget . But none of these jobs was as dreadful as my job in an apple plant. The work was hard ; the pay was poor ; and, most of all , the working conditions were terrible. First of all , the job made huge demands on my strength . For ten hours a night , I took boxes that rolled down a metal track and piled them onto a truck . Each box contained twelve heavy bottles of apple juice. I once figured out that I was lifting an average of twelve tons of apple juice every night . I would not have minded the difficulty of the work so much if the pay had not been so poor. I was paid the lowest wage of that time -- two dollars an hour. Because of the low pay , I felt eager to get as much as possible . I usually worked twelve hours a night but did not take home more than $ 100 a week. But even more than the low pay, what made me unhappy was the working conditions. During work I was limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spent outside loading trucks with those heavy boxes in near-zero-degree temperatures. The steel floors of the trucks were like ice, which made my feet feel like stone. And after the production line shut down at night and most people left, I had to spend two hours alone cleaning the floor. I stayed on the job for five months , all the while hating the difficulty of the work, the poor money , and the conditions under which I worked . By the time I left , I was determined never to go back there again. How is the text organized? A. Topic -- Argument -- Explanation B. Opinion-- Discussion -- Description C. Main idea -- Comparison --Supporting examples D. Introduction-- Supporting examples -- Conclusion Answer: D
Girls really prefer pink and boys prefer blue, recent research shows. The reasons could have its origins in the hunt for food on the African savannah thousands of years ago. Evolution may have developed women's preference for pink, perhaps because it helped to find ripe fruit and healthy men with reddish faces, while both men and women have a natural desire for blue, according to scientists at prefix = st1 /NewcastleUniversity. " Everyone in today's western culture, from parents to toy manufactures, seems to assume that little girls like pink." Said Prof. Anya Hulbert, who wanted to find out whether the reason was cultural or to do with biology. A love of salmon, _ and coral does seem to be rooted into females, rather than picked up from their mothers. The participants in the study were Chinese and British. The Chinese students showed a marked preference for red, " Culture may contribute to this natural female preference," said Pro. Hulbert. In her experience, 208 young adult men and women were asked to select, as rapidly as possible, their preferred color1. Hulbert and her colleague Dr. Yazhu Ling marked the results and found that while men preferred blue, women tended to choose pink. Hulbert said she could only prefer about the preference for blue: " Here again, I would favor evolutionary arguments. Going back to our savannah days, we would have a natural preference for a clear blue sky, because it signaled good weather. Clear blue also signals a good water source." By saying " the Chinese students for red." In Para. 5, the writer means _ . A. red is the Chinese students' favorite color1 B. the Chinese prefer red more than the British C. culture influences people's color1 preferences D. the study was carried out by two nations Answer: C Earth's distance from the Sun helps the planet sustain life. If the Sun were larger, what would most likely also have to be true for Earth to sustain life? A. Earth would have to be further from the Sun. B. Earth would have to be closer to the Sun. C. Earth would have to be smaller. D. Earth would have to be larger. Answer: A Bob is a middle school student. He is 13years old. He lives in Shanghai with his parents and his twin brother, Jack. They are in the same( ) school, but in different classes. Bob is good at Maths, but not good at English. He thinks it's a little difficult for him. But he plans to spend more time on it. Every morning, Bob gets up early. He usually reads English for half an hour. And then he has breakfast with his family. He usually has two eggs and a glass of milk. After breakfast, he walks to school with his brother. It takes them about twenty minutes to get to school. They get to school at about 7:40. Bob begins his classes at 8:00. After four lessons in the morning, he has a hamburger, some fish and vegetables for lunch at school. Then he has three classes in the afternoon. His last class is over at 4:50p.m. After school, he usually plays football or basketball from 5:00 p. m. to 6:00 p.m. He says it is good for his health to play sports every day. He gets home at 6:20 p.m. He usually eats some rice and vegetables for dinner. Sometimes, he eats some noodles. After dinner, he does his homework from 7:30to 9:30. Then he listens to music or reads books for a while( ). He doesn't watch TV or play computer games on weekdays. He goes to bed at 10:30 p.m. His friends say his lifestyle is very healthy. Do you think so? How long does Bob play sports after school? A. For an hour. B. For half an hour. C. For one and a half hours. D. For two hours. Answer: A Conservationists have unveiled plans to preserve and protect the world's most important species of coral, in a response to increasing threats that they say will lead to "functional extinction" within decades. Led by scientists at the Zoological Society of London, the Edge Coral Reefs project has identified 10 coral species in most urgent risk of becoming extinct.The scientists say that reefs are under pressure from a variety of threats including rising sea temperatures due to climatic instability, increased acidity , overfishing and pollution. The Edge plan, which focuses on the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species , will take a regional approach to conservation.This means focusing on the "coral triangle" around the Philippines, the West Indian Ocean around the Mozambique channel, and in the Caribbean channel. "Coral reefs are threatened with functional extinction in the next 20-50 years, due predominantly to global climatic instability," said Catherine Head, coordinator of the reefs project."In these regions, we'll be supporting and training in-country conservationists to carry out research and implement targeted conservation actions," she said."Their projects will last initially for two years.We provide them with a whole host of tools to carry out their projects including funding and intensive training." She added. Coral reefs are the planet's most diverse marine ecosystem , known as the rainforests of the oceans.Despite taking up under 0.2% of the ocean floor, they provide food and shelter for almost a third of all sea life.If we lose the ecosystems, we lose not only the biodiversity , but we also lose the capability of people to obtain income and food from coral reefs. Climatic instability, which leads to rising sea temperatures, causes corals to bleach.Bleaching occurs when sea temperatures rise and this causes the coral tissue to expel their symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae - these are what give the coral their colour.Bleached corals often die if the stress continues.Among the 10 species chosen to start the Edge project are the pearl bubble coral, a food source for the hawksbill turtle, and the Mushroom coral, which supports at least 15 brightly colored fish. What will probably happen to coral species with the increasing threats? A. Decrease. B. Losing functions C. Disappearance. D. Existence Answer: C Tony Wheeler was born to travel. His father worked for an airline. For the first 16 years of his life, Wheeler and his family lived in many different countries. In the early 1970s,Tony met a young woman named Maureen. They soon married. Before getting jobs, Tony and Maureen wanted to travel. They took a year long trip from England, through Asia, to Australia. On the trip,they visited places like Iran ,India, and so on. When Tony and Maureen arrived in Australia, people asked many questions about their trip. To answer these questions, Wheeler wrote a book called Across Asia on the Cheap. The book told people about different countries' weather, customs , and places to see. But unlike other travel books then,Tony Wheeler's book also talked about places most tourists did not go. He also wrote about unusual things to see and do. The book was very popular. Tony and Maureen started a company called Lonely Planet. They continued travelling. They wrote books for each place they visited. Today,800 people work {or Lonely Planet. The company has over 650 books. Tony Wheeler,the great traveller, still writes about travels to many places and will bring us more surprises. Tony Wheeler wrote the bookAcross Asia on theCheatto _ . A. make money for his next trip B. tell people about his new company C. draw people's attention to his family D. answer people's questions about his trip Answer: D
Are we getting more stupid? According to Gerald Crabtree, a scientist at Stanford University in the US, we are. You may not want to hear this, but Crabtree believes that human intelligence reached its peak more than 2,000 years ago and ever since then has been going downhill. "If an average Greek from 1,000 BC were transported to modern times, he or she would be one of the brightest among us," Crabtree told The Guardian. At the heart of Crabtree's thinking is a simple idea. In the past, intelligence was critical for survival when our ancestors had to avoid dangerous animals and hunt for food. The difference of being smart or stupid is often life or death. However, after the spread of agriculture, when our ancestors began to live in dense farming communities, the need to keep their intelligence in peak condition gradually reduced. This is not hard to understand. Most of the time, pressure is what keeps us going - you need the pressure from your teachers to finish your homework; the pressure of looking pretty prompts you to lose weight when summer comes. And the same is also true of our intelligence - if we think less, we become less smart. These mutations are harmful to our intelligence and they were all developed in the past 3,000 years. The other evidence that Crabtree holds is in our genes. He found that among the 2,000 to 5,000 genes that we have that determine human intelligence , there are two or more mutations in each of us. However, Crabtree's theory has been criticized by some who say that early humans may have better hunting and surviving abilities, but people today have developed a more diverse intelligence. For example, spearing a tiger doesn't necessarily require more brainpower than playing chess or writing a poem. Moreover, the power of modern education means a lot more people have the opportunity to learn nowadays. "You wouldn't get Stephen Hawking 2,000 years ago. He just wouldn't exist," Thomas Hills of the University of Warwick, UK, told Live Science. "But now we have people of his intellectual capacity doing things and making insights that we would never have achieved in our environment of evolutionary adaptation." According to Crabtree, ancient humans _ . Answer: were forced to be smart due to natural selection pressures Sailing Welcome to our TV showOn the Go. Today we are going to talk about an exciting sport--sailing. First let's talk to Sue,an 18yearold girl who loves sailing. Host: When did you start sailing,Sue? Sue: I started sailing when I was 15 years old. Host: Is it a difficult sport to learn? Sue: Yes,it is more difficult than any other sport. For example,you need to learn about the wind directions and how to move the sails in the right way. Host: How often do you go sailing? Sue: I go sailing with my father every weekend. Host: How far do you go sailing? Sue: It depends on the wind. Host:OK. Thank you,Sue. Good luck with your sailing. Are you interested in sailing after hearing the interview? If you want to learn sailing,here is a chance for you .The Water Sports Center will organize sailing lessons. Each lesson will cost you Y=20 and there are 5 lessons altogether . What does Sue think of learning sailing? Answer: Difficult. As we know, there are many kinds of clubs in the US middle schools, such as the music club, the sports club, the chess club, the swimming club.... But do you know the homework club? It is a popular club in many US middle schools. More and more students spend their afternoons in the homework clubs. The US middle school students need a quiet place to study. But games, computers and TVs are all around kids at home. So the homework club is just for them to do their homework. The club is quiet and it's good for students to study. Some teachers are there, too. They can answer students' questions and help with their homework. If students finish their homework, they will get a _ . It's always students' favorite food. Then they can go home and play games or watch TV happily. ,. The students in the US middle schools can go to the homework club _ . Answer: in the afternoon In order to save money for a trip to Thailand to visit her family and friends, Emma White, a keeper in California, worked overtime. She saved more than 900 dollars and was planning to buy a ticket, but she lost her purse with all her money and credit cards . Emma looked through the garbage and all the buildings where she worked but came up empty-handed. She went home heartbroken. She believed that she had lost her money forever. While Emma was at home, sad and depressed, a homeless man was searching through the garbage looking for things to sell. As he was looking through a garbage bag, he found something wrapped in a plastic bag. The homeless man, who did not want to be recognized, took the purse to Sherry Wesley, because Sherry Wesley knew him from her volunteer work at a homeless shelter. The homeless man came to Sherry Wesley with the wad of money and said, "This probably belongs to someone that you work with; can you find the owner?" Sherry Wesley works in one of the buildings that Emma cleans and she knew Emma had lost her purse. Emma was amazed when she heard the good news. "I couldn't believe it when they called me," she said. "He has a very big heart. If someone else had found the purse, the money would be gone." As a reward, Emma gave the man 100 dollars. The homeless man gave half of the money to Sherry Wesley and asked her to donate it to charity for him. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: Sherry Wesley worked in a building cleaned by Emma. Have you ever noticed that people have thinner arms and legs as they get older? As we age it becomes harder to keep our muscles healthy. They get smaller, which reduces strength and increases the possibility of falls and fractures . New research is showing how this happens and what to do about it. A team of Nottingham researchers has already shown that when older people eat, they cannot make muscle as fast as the young. Now they've found that the ability to prevent muscle breakdown is reduced with age. When older people eat, they don't build enough muscle with the protein in food; also, the insulin fails to shut down the muscle breakdown that rises between meals and overnight. Normally, in young people, insulin acts to slow muscle breakdown. The research just published compared one group of people in their late 60s to a group of 25-year-olds, with equal numbers of men and women. "We studied our subjects first -- before breakfast -- and then after giving them a small amount of insulin to raise the hormone to what they would be if they had eaten breakfast," Professor Rennie said. " The results were clear. The younger people's muscles were able to use insulin we gave to stop the muscle breakdown, which had increased during the night. The muscles in the older people could not. In the course of our tests, we also noticed that the blood flow in the leg was greater in the younger people than the older ones," added Professor Rennie. However, scientists think that weight training may reactivate muscle blood flow and help retain muscles for older people. "In fact, doing exercise three times a week over 20 weeks reactivates the leg blood flow responses of older people. They became identical to those in the young," said Professor Rennie. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? Answer: The insulin in older people's muscles could not stop muscles breakdown.
Question: Mr Jones and Mr Brown worked in the same office. One day Mr Jones said to Mr Brown "We are going to have a small party at our house next Wednesday evening. Would you and your wife like to join us?" Mr Brown said, "Thank you very much. That is very kind of you. We are free that evening,I think. But I will telephone my wife and ask her. Maybe she wants to go somewhere else that evening." So Mr. Brown went to the other room and telephoned. When he came back,he looked very uneasy . "What's the matter?" said Mr Jones. "Did you speak to your wife?" "No," answered Mr Brown, "She wasn't there. My small son answered the telephone. I said to him, 'Is your mother there,David?' and he answered, 'No,she is not in the house!' 'Where is she then?' I asked. 'She is somewhere outside!' 'What is she doing?' 'She is looking for me.'" Mr. Brown spoke to _ on the phone. A. Mrs. Brown B. Mrs. Jones C. David D. David's friend Answer: A Question: NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed Lander on Mars' icy North Pole to search for clues for water and possible signs of life. The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in the Martian arctic in 2008. The stationary probe will use its robotic arm to dig into the icy land and pick up soil samples to analyze. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter spotted evidence of ice-rich soil near the arctic surface. Scientists hope the Phoenix mission will find clues to the geologic history of water on the Red Planet and determine whether microbes existed in the ice. Phoenix will be the first mission of the Mars Scout program, a renewed, low-cost effort to study the Red Planet. "The Phoenix mission explores new territory in the northern plains of Mars analogous to the permafrost regions on Earth," Peter Smith said. True to its name, Phoenix rose from the ashes of previous missions. The lander for Phoenix was built to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program. But the program broke down after the well-known disappearance of the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. The Polar Lander lost contact during a landing attempt near the planet's south pole after its rocket engine shut off _ , causing the spacecraft to fall about 130 feet to almost certain destruction. The Phoenix probe had been in storage at a Lockheed Martin clean room in Denver before it was reused for its present mission. It will carry science instruments that were designed for the Mars Surveyor program including an improved panoramic camera and a trench-digging robotic arm. Phoenix will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007 and land on the planet nine months later. The passage mainly tells readers that _ . A. clues of water will be found in Phoenix B. Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars C. August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off D. the Mars Scout program will be carried out Answer: B Question: 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 thinks that hiking is especially valuable for _ . A. single person B. families C. old people D. everyone Answer: B Question: Australia's Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to perform euthanasia --that's to say, doctors are permitted to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. Word that the law was passed by the vote of 15 to 10 immediately flashed on the Internet and was picked up by John, the director of the Right to Die Society of Canada, who posted it on the group's homepage online, saying, "This isn't merely something that happened in Australia. It's world history." The NT Rights of the Terminally Ill Law has left physicians and citizens trying to deal with its moral and practical influence. Some have breathed sighs of relief; but others, including churches, right to life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the law. 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. In the U. S. and Canada, where the right to die movement is gathering strength, _ . Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death--probably by a deadly injection or pill--to end suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as incurably 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, 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 disturbing 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. According to the text, which of the following statements is TURE? A. Patients will ask their doctors for euthanasia if they are afraid of illness. B. Australia, Canada and the US speak highly of the law of euthanasia. C. All people in Australia don't share the positive attitude to euthanasia D. If a patient requests death, he should sign a certificate after 48 hours. Answer: C Question: I'm beginning to think whether my grandmother was right when she complains, as she frequently does, that children nowadays aren't as well-behaved as they used to be. She recounts in detail how she used to be told to respect her elders and betters. She was taught to speak when she went out on her own, she was reminded to say please and thank you. Children in her days, she continues, were expected to be seen and not heard , but these days you are lucky if you ever hear parents telling their children to mind her manners. If you give her the chance she then takes out of her writing desk the old photograph album which she keeps there, and which she never tires of displaying. Of course when you look at pictures of her parents you feel sure that , with a father as strict looking as that , you too would have been "seen and not heard". Besides him sits his wife , with their children around her, Granny and her elder brothers. It always occurs to me that perhaps those long, stiff, black clothes were so burdensome to a little girl that she hadn't enough breath left to be talkative, let alone mischievous . It must have been a dull and lonely life too, for she stayed mainly at home during her childhood, while her brothers were sent to school from an early age. However, my childhood was much freer than Granny's. I went to school with my brother. I played football with him and his friends . We all spoke a common language , and we got up to the same mischief. I would have dies if I had to stay indoors , wearing tight , stiff clothes. When Granny was young , children were expected _ . A. to speak to the elders loudly B. to learn dancing C. to be present quietly D. to stay still and study and be themselves Answer: C
Joe Black, coach of a football team, and his family go to a small town for their holiday. One rainy afternoon, they can't go out to have fun, so the families go to the family. Joe, his wife and their three daughters walk down to the town's only cinema, buy tickets and go into the cinema. The lights are still on , and there are just six other people there. As Joe walks in, some of them see him and start clapping . Joe gives them a smile and turns to his wife, "Aha, I can't believe that they know me and they are giving me a warm welcome here," he says , " I guess they see my games on TV." They sit down and then a young man comes up to Joe and gives out his hand, "Thanks a lot," says Joe, " I just can't believe that you know me." The young man says, " I only know that they will not show the film until at least ten people buy tickets. In fact the people in the cinema greet Joe because _ . with his family they can see the film It's Jimmy's birthday and he is 9 years old. He gets a lot of presents from his family and one of them is a big drum . His grandfather buys it for him. Jimmy likes it very much. He plays with it every day and he often makes a terrible noise . His father works in the day and Jimmy is in bed when he gets home in the evening. So his father doesn't hear the noise. But Mrs Black doesn't like the noise, so one morning she takes a knife and goes to Jimmy's room when he hits his drum. She says to him, "Hello! Jimmy. Do you know there is something very nice in your drum? Here is a knife. Please open the drum and let's find it." Why does Mrs Black give Jimmy a knife? Because she doesn't like the noise. Sharon,Aged 22 The most important thing to keep in mind when going into high school is to be yourself.Besides, I don't know what your middle school was like, but high school teachers will not care about things such as how much homework you already have in one night.It's best to just learn to deal with things and manage your time wisely so you can achieve everything you need to. Frank, Aged 21 I think almost every kid feels both nervous and excited before their first day.You will probably love it.I know I did.You should join some sports or activities that will make your high school experience more enjoyable.Good luck! Eddie,Aged 20 When I started high school I was really nervous too,especially since I had been homeschooled all through middle school and didn't really know anyone.I suppose the best advice would be to just relax.The first couple of days can be a little bit hard,but things will become easier before you know it. David,Aged 19 I'm not going to lie.The first day is kind of frightening .But you'll get used to it.Don't be afraid of anyone;upperclassmen will pick on you more if you let them know you're afraid.Just take it easy.Making some friends and staying with them will greatly help you get used to high school quickly.After the first week it's really not bad at all.Don't worry. How did Eddie feel on his first day of high school? Worried. Where Are They Now: Life after Olympic Gold These celebrated Olympic champions from decades past wrote sports history, but what are they up to now? Here's the latest on some of the greatest. Edwin Moses _ : Gold Medals in 400 Meters Hurdles (1976 Montreal Games, 1984 Los Angeles Games) _ : Moses earned a degree in physics and later held a full-time job as an engineer.After retirement, he earned his master's degree in business.In 2000, Moses took on the role of executive chairman of Laureus. Kerri Strug _ : Gold Medal in Gymnastics (1996 Atlanta), when she competed through the pain of the ankle damage to land the gold-winning vault. _ : Strug lives in Tucson, Arizona.She does public relations for USA Gymnastics, speaking regularly at events and attending the Games on behalf of sponsors. Dick Fosbury _ : Gold Medal in High Jump (1968 Mexico City Games) _ : Fosbury is an executive committee member of the World Olympians Association.But he hasn't left the tracks just yet - he coaches teenager athletes at Dick Fosbury Track Camps. Greg Louganis _ : Gold Medals in Diving (1984 Los Angeles Games, 1988 Seoul Games) _ : Louganis developed AIDS and retired in 1989.It wasn't until the mid-90s that he announced he was HTV-positive.Since then, Louganis has been an outspoken advocate for HTV awareness. Dominique Dawes _ : Gold Medal in Gymnastics (1996 Atlanta Games) _ : President Barack Obama appointed her and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees as co-chairs of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Dawes is also the co-host for Yahoo! News Weekend Edition. Who won two gold medals? Edwin Moses and Greg Louganis. On Sunday , April 22nd , people all over the world take time out to appreciate the earth that we all share .It's Earth Day , a special day to learn about our planet and how to take care of it . On Earth Day , some people listen to speeches about the environment . Others help clean up their offices or save water and electricity at home .Your parents may even decide to take a day off from driving their cars . The idea for Earth Day came from a U.S. Senator . He was worried about pollution and the health of plants and animals . And the idea quickly caught on . In 1970 , the first Earth Day was celebrated . More than 20 million people in cities all over the U.S. took part in it .Since then, Earth Day has been used to educate people about their roles in taking care of our planet . Now , Earth Day has become a worldwide celebration. In 1990, two hundred million people from 140 countries took part in clean-ups , tree planting and other environmental events on Earth Day . Why has Earth Day become a worldwide celebration ? Because _ . Earth Day can teach people how to take care of our planet
Jack was not a stupid kid,nor was he the shiniest spoon in the drawer. He didn't care for school. With his "I'd rather be fishing" attitude, Jack missed a lot of classes. Knowing that graduating from middle school was not going to be written in his life, Jack became a dropout at the age of fourteen. Jack was sent to live on his uncle's farm in Wisconsin. He happily stayed there until he reached the age of eighteen. He wanted to see more about the United States, so he went to California. He found a good job at an aircraft company. He had to lie about his education. Worrying that his background was found out, Jack was employed there. Two years later, Jack got married. He wanted to better his life, so he signed up for a home study course to get his high school diploma .He chose his elective subject to be automotive technology .Sadly, this was ended when he took his wife and son back to his uncle's farm. Jack found a job as a worker in a wire factory. Seven years later, Jack began dreaming of something better for them all. He wanted to be an automobile engineer, and he knew that it needed education to get into that field. Because of Jack's efforts, he joined a junior college in California. Jack was accepted to go for his Associates in Arts degree in automotive technology. Jack found that for the most parts, the studies covered most of what he had learned in elementary school. He studied hard for two years and passed the final examination. He received his diploma. Jack went on to work as an automotive technician for an excellent company. Within a year he was the engineer. To better the life of his family, Jack realized the importance of _ . A being honest B having fewer children C receiving more education D having more work experience Answer: C. receiving more education The temperature changing may produce A daisies B black holes C magic D time travel Answer: A. daisies My name is James Brown. I have an 8-year-old daughter. Her name is Ann. Her favorite activity is watching movies. She watches movies once a week . Movie World is in my neighborhood . And it is the biggest movie theater in the city . It has the most comfortable seats and the best sound . She likes watching movies there. Last Sunday, I took her to Movie World to watch the movie Epic . Epic is a movie about a father Bomba and his 17-year-old daughter Mary. Bomba was interested in looking for Leaf Men. He said they lived in a forest, but no one believed him. One day , Mary was swept into the world of the Leaf Men, and she found her father was right. At this early-afternoon showing, the theater was almost full. 60% of the _ were kids aged three to ten and their fathers. I didn't think it was because of the movie itself. In fact, a study showed that dads were 50% more likely than moms to take young kids to the movies in the United States. ,. Mary is _ years older than Ann. A 8 B 9 C 11 D 17 Answer: B. 9 Because of the stem of plants, they are able to do what in the soil A fly B balance upright C cry D sing Answer: B. balance upright I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham's for the first fortnight of the January sale.I can't say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I'll never forget. I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales, where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced.Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn't sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them.Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale.Clever! Lastly, they buy in "seconds"(clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply. When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building.This made me very nervous. When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand.The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in.I couldn't believe my eyes; this wasn't shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn't keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind. Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted.Quarrels broke out.Mothers were using their small children to crawl through people's legs and get hold of things they couldn't get near themselves. Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose; each wanting to be the first served.Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper81 was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why twice a year, Graham's were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this. In the sale fever; people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying.As long as it was a bargain it was OK.You won't believe this.But as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours.Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale. What kind of clothes is likely to be s0ld 5% cheaper? A Last summer's clothes, B Clothes not in perfect condition. C Clothes bought in specially for the sales. D Clothes for winter. Answer: D. Clothes for winter.
Mr. Jackson is a teacher of science in a middle school. His students like his classes because his classes are very interesting. They can learn a lot in his class. The students can make many things. His little son Val also likes making things. He makes lots of machines , such as a machine like a man. It can do the job that is dangerous for people to do. He says, "I want to be a scientist." ,. What does Mr. Jackson teach? Answer: Scientists have not come close to understanding all the different kinds of life on the planet, but US researcher Craig Venter is already working on creating the first artificial life. Venter and his researchers made a breakthrough this August. They successfully moved the DNA of one type of bacteria to a yeast cell, changed it, then put it into another bacterial cell. "Bacteria have systems that protect them from foreign DNA," Venter explained to the BBC. In the experiment, the team managed to block this system. The experiment was performed on a simple type of bacteria called Mycoplasma mycoides. The team took the bacteria's genes and put them into a yeast cell. Putting the DNA in a yeast cell allowed the team to change the genes----in this case, taking out a gene that was not necessary for the bacteria to live. They then put the gene into a host bacteria cell. The cell went on to divide normally, producing new healthy bacteria. In January, the team created artificial genes of a new type of bacteria. Their next goal is to put the artificial DNA into a host cell to create a new species, according to a report inSciencemagazine. "If we don't make any errors, I think it should work and we should have the first artificial species by the end of the year," Venter said in the report. The first artificial life from is likely to be a simple man-made bacteria, to prove that the technology can work. But that form will be followed by more complex bacteria that turn coal into cleaner natural gas, or algae that can take in carbon dioxide and change it into fuel. Many scientists think it's good news to have this artificial life, but others are worried that the technology to create new organisms might end up in the wrong hands, with dangerous results. Craig Venter and his team are working to _ . Answer: Young Jack moved to a new house. When entering his new bedroom, he saw that it was full of toys but it was tidy. That day he played all he liked, but went to bed without tidying up. The next morning, when Jack got up, he found all the toys had been put back in their proper places. He was sure that no one had entered his bedroom, but the boy didn't pay much attention to it. The exact same thing happened that day, and the next day. But on the fourth day when he went to get his favourite toy, the toy jumped out of his hands and said, "I don't want to play with you!" Jack felt surprised, but the same happened with every toy he touched. Finally, one toy said to him: "We don't want to play with you. You always leave us so far away from our proper places. You don't know how _ it is for us to climb back up onto the shelves, or jump into the box. We feel most uncomfortable and unhappy. You don't know how uncomfortable and cold the floor is! We don't play with you any more if you don't promise to leave us in our proper places before you go to bed." Jack remembered how comfortable he felt in his bed and how bad he felt when he had once slept in a chair. He realized how badly he had treated his friends, the toys. He asked for their forgiveness , and from that day on he always put his toys nicely in their proper places before he got into bed. when Jack moved into his bedroom, _ . Answer: How many hours do you spend sitting in a chair every day? Eight hours in the office plus three hours in front of the TV after work is the norm for many people. You probably don't need an expert to tell you that sitting too much is not good for your health--from an increased risk of heart disease and obesity in the long term,to reduced cholesterol maintenance in the short term,not to mention the strain on your neck and spine. To make matters worse,many researches show a good diet and regular exercise call't reduce the negative effects of sitting too much. A 2010 study of nearly 9,000 Australians found that for each additional hour of television a person watched per day,the risk of dying rose by 11 percent.Another study tracked the health of 123,000 Americans between 1992 and 2006.The death rate for men who spent six hours or more per day sitting was about 20 percent higher than for men who sat for three hours or less. So what can we do about it? Health experts suggest we break up those many hours spent sitting with more hours spent standing. The BBC conducted a simple experiment with a group of 10 volunteers who usually spent most of the day sitting.They were asked to stand for at least three hours a day.The researchers took measurements Oil days when the volunteers stood,and when they sat around.When they looked at the data there were some striking differences,the BBC reported. Blood sugar leveled off much quicker on the days when the study subjects stood compared with the days they spent in a chair.Standing also burned more calories----about 50 calories an hour.A member said although doing exercise offers many proven benefits,our bodies also need the increase in muscle activity that standing provides. The researchers believe that even small adjustments,like standing while talking on the phone,will help. What is the purpose of the experiment in the text? Answer: Robert and Peter study in the same university. They do everything together and help each other. But they often play jokes on each other. The school year was over last month and they decided to travel through the country in America. They drove a car and could stop wherever they were interested in and started whenever they wanted. Of course they enjoyed themselves. It was very hot one day and they were both hungry and thirsty. They stopped in front of a restaurant by the road. They came in, sat down at a table and ordered some dishes. Robert looked around and found there was a small bowl on the table. He thought there was some ice cream in it and took a spoonful of it and put it into his mouth. Immediately he knew it was mustard ,but it was too late. Tears ran down his face, but he pretended nothing had happened. The other young man, seeing his friend crying, asked, "What are you crying about, Robert?" "I'm thinking of my father who was hanged twenty years ago," was his reply. After a while, Peter made the same mistake. Tears ran down his cheeks, too. And his friend asked him why. "I wonder why your father hadn't been hanged before he got married!" The writer mainly wants to tell us _ in this passage. Answer:
Many scientists theorize that global warming will melt the polar ice caps. What would most likely happen if the polar ice caps melted? Answer: Ocean levels would increase. Pretending to be happy can actually make you more miserable--especially if you're a woman, according to a new study. Researchers found that walking around with a forced smile and faking happiness simply led to people feeling gloomier. So, putting a brave face on your woes could actually be counterproductive. The research found that women suffered more than men when pretending to be happy. Psychologist, Dr. Brent Scott, who led the study, said employers should take note because forcing workers to smile when workers were dealing with clients could backfire . He said:"Smiling for the sake of smiling can lead to emotional exhaustion, and that's bad for the organization." Dr. Scott said the research showed customer service workers who"faked smiles"throughout a day worsened their moods and then withdrew from work, so their productivity dropped. He added:"Bosses may think that getting their staff to smile is good for the organization, but that's not necessarily the case."Dr. Scott, assistant professor of management at Michigan State University, analyzed a group of bus drivers during a two -week period. The study is one of the first of its kind to examine emotional displays over a period of time and compare the different effects that they have on men and women. His team examined the effects of"surface acting"--or fake smiling--compared to what was termed"deep acting", or cultivating positive emotions by recalling pleasant memories. Dr. Scott said: "Women were harmed more by'surface acting', meaning their moods worsened even more than men and they withdrew more from work. However , they were helped more by'deep acting',which meant their moods improved more." Dr. Scott suggested women tended to suffer more when pretending to be happy because they were expected to be more emotionally expressive than men. Therefore, faking a smile while they are feeling down is more likely to go against their normal behavior and cause more harmful feelings. Although,"deep acting"seemed to improve moods in the short term, Dr. Scott said it was not a long-term solution to feeling unhappy. He said:"You're trying to cultivate positive emotions, but at the end of the day you may not feel like yourself any more" Deep actingis helpful to women in that_. Answer: their moods are getting better Have you wondered why you have two eyes and why they are set close together on the front of your face? The reasons are simple and important to the way you see the rest of your world. Your eyes are like two small cameras. A camera catches an image of an object and records it on film.Similarly,when you look at something,each eye takes in what it sees and sends this image to the back of the eyeball.Because your eyes are set close together,they view the world from about the same height but from slightly different angles. Working as a team, the eyes send the images to your brain, which puts them together into a single, centered image. Seeing in stereo means seeing with two eyes working together,which is called stereoscopic sight.This allows you to view the world in three dimensions,or 3-D.Seeing depth helps you to judge the distance between you and the objects you see and to adjust to the changing angle at which you see something as you move closer to or farther away from it.If images are coming from only one eye, however,only two of these dimensions-height and width-can be perceived.A world seen with one eye is thus two-dimensional,as in a photograph. Now consider why your two eyes are on the front of your face.Think of other animals with this same arrangement.They are all animals that hunt,like lions and wolves.Their eyes face directly in front of them.This provides a field of sight about 180 degrees wide,which is called binocular sight.On the other hand,animals that are hunted have eyes on the sides of the head,which provides nearly 360-degree field of sight.In order to stay alive,they need to see things coming from the sides and from behind.However,without stereoscopic sight,they have difficulty determining how far a danger is. With sight both stereoscopic and binocular,humans share with animal hunters the ability to see from side to side and to accurately determine the distance.If you think it would be great to have another type of sight,perhaps with hundreds of tiny eyes like many insects do,think again! Each tiny insect eye sees only a tiny part.Besides,what if you needed glasses? Be glad for the eyesight that you have. Stereoscopic sight is a result of having Answer: two eyes close to one another that work together American English is full of colorful expressions. One such expression is to touch all bases. There are four bases in baseball - first, second, third and home plate. When a baseball player hits the ball, he must run to each base - in order - and touch it with his foot. It is the only way to get a point. If the player hits the ball and fails to touch all the bases, the point will not be counted. The importance of touching all the bases was shown at the start of the 1974 baseball seasons. Hank Aaron was a player with the Atlanta Braves team. He was trying to find the record for hitting the most home runs . Aaron needed just one home run to be well matched with the record held by Babe Ruth, the greatest hitter in baseball history. Aaron got that home run the very first time he had a chance to hit the ball. That gave him 714 home runs - the same as Babe Ruth. After that day, baseball fans held their breath every time when it was Hank Aaron's turn to hit. When would he hit home run number 715? The wait was not long. In the second week of the season, Aaron again hit the ball over the wall. He had beaten Babe Ruth's record. But first, he had to run around the four bases. The other players on his team watched carefully to make sure he touched each one. So, to touch all bases means to do what is necessary to complete an activity. The expression is used to business and politics. No business deal or political events are really complete until you discuss all the problems involved. Or, as it is said, until you touch all bases. When was the importance of touching all the bases shown? Answer: At the start of the 1974 baseball seasons. Caffeine not only gives us a daily jump start, but new research suggests it also can strengthen long-term memory. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, nearly 90 percent of people worldwide consume about 200 milligrams of caffeine each day. That' s equivalent to about one strong cup of coffee a day. Writing in " Nature Neuroscience" , Johns Hopkins University researchers say their findings show that caffeine strengthens certain memories for up t0 24 hours after being taken in. " We've always known that caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects , but its ,particular effects on strengthening memories and making them resistant to forgetting has never been examined in detail in humans, " said senior author of the paper Michael Yassa. " We re- port for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours. " Conducting a double-blind trial, the researchers worked with a test group of people who didn't regularly consume caffeinated products. Five minutes after studying a series of images, the test subjects were given either a placebo or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet. To check the caffeine levels of their test subjects, the research team took saliva samples from them before they took their tablets and again one, three and 24 hours after- wards. Both groups of test participants ( those who took the placebo and those who took the caffeine tablet) were tested the following day to see if they could recognize the images they' d seen the previous day. The test included showing the test subjects another series of images that included some new images , those that were shown the previous day, as well as other images that were similar, but not the same as those they had viewed earlier. The researchers found that more members of the group who were given the caffeine tablets were able to correctly identify some of the new images as " similar" to previously viewed images rather than incorrectly identifying them as the same. "We also know that caffeine is associated with health and longevity and may havesome protective effects from cognitive decline like Alzheimer' s disease . " said Yassa. During the research ,the researchers did the following things EXCEPT Answer: encouraging the test subjects to drink more coffee
Dukuly Dogbah, a 14-year-old Liberian boy, grew up in a war. He was born in the same year the Liberian war started. Since then fighting between the government forces and the rebel armies has not stopped. Dukuly is one of around 10,000 child soldiers in Liberia. At 10, Dukuly lost contact with his family in the war and had to fight for the rebels. During the war he learnt to kill people with guns. He has killed many people and seen many of his friends die. "You have to," he said, "because it is war." Lots of children had to join the army. Some did it out of their own will. They thought they would be safe with a gun. The army leaders use child soldiers because they are easy to control and do not get paid much. Child soldiers do terrible things. Most of them take drugs. "I cannot control myself because it makes me brave," Dukuly said. There are 120,000 child soldiers in Africa and 300,000 around the world. Many child soldiers die and nobody cares for them. According to a United Nation's report, 23 armies in the world use children. Some African and Asian countries often use child soldiers. Myanmar has the highest number of child soldiers in their army: around 50,000. Most of the child soldiers are under 18 years of age and the youngest is only 7 years old. The UN has called for the protection of children in war. The UN Children's Fund wants African countries to ban child soldiers. Many UN organizations are trying to take child soldiers away from war and send them back to school. The following are the reasons for so many child soldiers EXCEPT _ . Answer: they like to do terrible things. There's no better place to be than beside the seaside in the summer. And even in Britainyou can still find beaches away from the crowds with golden sand. COMPTON BAY, ISLE OF WIGHT This wide sandy beach is on the south west coast, between Freshwater and Brook and is part of the TennysonHeritageCoast. There are striking views of the white cliffs further along the coast. A coastal path passes behind the beach, and you can enjoy scenic cliff top walks in either direction. Accommodation: Sandpipers Hotel (01983 758150, www.sandpipersh.tel.com) with doubles fromPS10pp. KINGSGATE BAY,KENT Around the beach round a bend in the coastal road from Ramsgate is white cliffs with KingsgateCastledominating the whole landscape. It is fairly isolated, with few facilities, but is perfect for summer bathing or for bracing winter walks. Accommodation: Fayreness Hotel (0188 86866, www.fayreness.com) with doubles with breakfast fromPS69. 15pp. RINGSTEAD BAY, DORSET A picturesque 210ft crescent of pebbles with clean water that's a perfect escape from some of the busier beaches around Weymouth. You reach it by passing through the village of Upton,then along a narrow country road. Next to the car park is a well stocked shop. The cliffs behind RingsteadBayare an excellent place for fossil hunting. Accommodation: Glenburn Hotel (01305 832318, www.glenburnhotell.com) with doubles fromPS7 9 including breakfast. BRANSCOMBE.DEVON Lying on the EastDevonHeritageCoast, Branscombe has good facilities with toilets and a car park close to the beach, as well as a small picnic area. A well stocked shop sells the most attractive dairy ice cream. Next to the shop is the Sea Shanty restaurant--open every day until 5 p.m. during the summer. Accommodation: The Mason's Arms, Branscombe Village (01297 680300, www.masonsarms.co.uk) with doubles fromPS6 5 pp with breakfast. What's the purpose of the passage? _ Answer: To attract more tourists. At a talk to some businessmen earlier today, one fellow asked me, "Would you give money to a homeless person, even when you know he's going to use it to buy alcohol?" I replied, "If all I was giving was money, it'll be one thing.But for me, whenever I do give money, that's just the wrapping .The real gift is hidden inside - it's love.And l haven't ever found any reason to limit gifts of love " By the end of the night, I decided to get some pizza.In front of me in line was a homeless-looking man.He was counting the few dollars bills in his hand, over and over again, until it was his turn to order.Just then, he told the young woman behind the counter, "I'II have the full cheese pizza." "Full?" she countered."It's really big." she added, although what she really meant to say is that it'll be too expensive for him."Yeah, the full " "$18.65," she submitted.The bills he was counting weren't going to make it.I wasn't intending to get the whole pizza for him.But thinking back to my conversation with the business man, l realized that money was really just the wrapping. I made my move."Can you charge that pizza with my order" I said to the cashier."Really?'' the homeless-looking man said."Really?" the young woman behind the counter repeated."Yes, really." That confused man and I had a sweet silent moment.To his silent question of why I was doing it, I added, "Just pay it forward for someone else." And he said, "Well, you know what? I was actually treating those five homeless guys out there." He was actually paying it forward, in the first place! What an unexpected fortune to get a chance to be a part of a man's act of kindness. Why did the homeless-looking man want to buy the whole pizza? Answer: Because he wanted to help some homeless people. Mr. Jackson was a doctor in a small town. He was very absent-minded . One afternoon, he went to visit a friend who lived not far from the town. They had dinner together and then talked and talked, for Mr. Jackson was very fond of talking. It was already midnight, then one o'clock, two o'clock and still Mr. Jackson kept on talking. But this time the friend was feeling very tired and kept looking at the clock on the wall. He didn't want to be impolite , but at last he said, "Charles, my dear friend, I don't want to put you out, but I have to go to work at six tomorrow morning, I must go to bed now. " "Oh, my God!" said Mr. Jackson in surprise. "I thought you were at my house. " After reading the story, you know Mr. Jackson was _ . Answer: careless I was on the escalator in a market. There was an old man who was about five or six people in the front of me. People behind him were all in a hurry and saw him as a rock. The old man knew these clearly and tried hard to step aside. I remember...Sometimes when walking or driving behind an older person, I've gotten impatient and upset. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me!" said the old man, "I don't mean to hold you up." He then tried his best to get off the escalator. I suddenly saw this in a whole new light. I felt sick to my stomach. The old man was apologizing to everyone, when we should have helped him to calm his fears. One by one, people went around him quickly. By the time I got to him, I asked, "Sir, can I help you?" The man thought for a while, then said, "Well, yes, thank you!" I placed my hand under his left arm and walked away from the rush of people quickly. "So what are you shopping for, sir?" "Oh, today is Mother's Day. I want to buy something for my neighbor. She's a single mother and she is always so nice to me." he said, stopping suddenly as he searched his pocket. "Oh, it's here! I always carry them with me," he said. Then he took out some business cards and handed me one which read: "John Smith. Friend to all...enemy to no one! I said a prayer today and you were the answer. Thank you!" "That's for you," he said. "Thanks for stopping to help an old man." "My friend, you helped me. I discovered why I was unhappy with the world. Now I know how to solve the problem. No more with me!" What did the writer think about the people that passed by? Answer: Cold.
Question: I began to think about my future job at the age of fourteen. I was born into a family of teachers. My parents are both teachers and I like the job. When I was a little girl, I often went to school with my mother. When my mother was in the class I watched her, and I wanted to be popular among (......) pupils like her. One day in the 9th grade, the head teacher asked me to give an English lesson to the 5th grade pupils because their English teacher caught a cold. When I entered the classroom, many pupils had been at their desks. I said, "Good morning," and began the lesson.[:ZXXK] I wanted the pupils to like English. We read, wrote, sang songs, asked questions and answered questions. Later, I gave English lessons several times and I was happy teaching the pupils. Now I know what I am going to do after leaving school. I want to be an English teacher. It's a very interesting but difficult job. It's interesting because I can work with pupils. It's difficult because I have to teach them a foreign language. To be a good teacher means to know a lot. Every day I improve my English by reading books, reading English newspapers, looking through magazines and speaking with English people. I like English and I want to be a good teacher. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. The writer has left school and is a good teacher now. B. The writer often went to school with her mother when she was young. C. The writer gave an English lesson to the 5th grade pupils one afternoon. D. The writer's English teacher asked her to give an English lesson to the 5th grade pupils. Answer: B Question: "A child is dying---out of breath!" I had just begun my working day in the city, when these words came through the radio of the police car I was driving. I turned on the red lights and siren and drove off as fast as I could. "Just my luck!" I thought. I didn't know this city well and my first call of the day was a life-and-death sudden happening, several kilometers away. I got to the house. A mother, filled with fear, handed me her baby, his face already blue. Was I too late? Dear me! I did what had been taught to do in such a serious condition. A small thing flew out of the baby's mouth on to the floor. It was a button. Thank heaven! The holes in it let a little air through. A doctor rushed into the room. He had with him an oxygen bag. The child began to cry at the top of his voice, burned red and started to look for his mother. He was angry but was saved. The writer of the story is _ . A. a policeman B. a driver C. a doctor D. the boy's father Answer: A Question: Paper is one of the most important products ever invented by man. The invention of paper meant that more people could be educated because more books could be printed. Paper provided an important way to communicate with knowledge. Paper was first made in China about 2,000 years ago. In Egypt and the West, paper was not very commonly used before the year 1400. Paper was not made in southern Europe until about the year 1100. After that, the forest countries of Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the United States became the most important in paper-making. Today Finland makes the best paper in the world. When we think of paper, we think of newspapers, books, letters, envelopes, and writing paper. So paper plays an important role in our lives. Paper is very good for keeping you warm. Houses are often with paper. You have perhaps seen homeless men sleep on a large number of newspapers. They are insulating themselves from the cold. In Finland, in winter it is sometimes 40 degrees below zero. The farmers wear paper boots in the snow. Nothing could be warmer. When was paper made in southern Europe? A. Before 1100 B. After 1400 C. After 1100 D. Before 1400 Answer: C Question: Several days ago, while I got online, my cousin's QQ head popped out . We hadn't seen each other for a few months, so I decided to start a talk with her. My cousin is studying in a college of our city. Her hobby is surfing the Internet. Every time I am on the computer, she is always online, listening to music or decorating her "personal space". I like visiting her space. It's creative and modern. I can't design such a colorful web page as hers. When I read the sentences she sent to me, I noticed that the Chinese characters had been changed, but I could still guess their meanings. I took a strong interest in this type of new characters. Further watching made me realize that they added some common Chinese radicals to the original characters, making them more vivid , a little like Japanese. My cousin said this gives new life to the Chinese language and culture. It is true that the Internet has _ our language, but I still can't accept this new change. Some Chinese characters have meanings in the shapes; one shouldn't superficially change them by adding an additional radical. So I advised my cousin to change her new idea and use standard characters to communicate. And she willingly accepted my advice. The author would like to visit his cousin's space _ . A. because he wants to design a web page B. because the music is well worth listening to C. because it is very creative and modern D. because it is the best one on the Internet Answer: C Question: Relax and unwind in our new state of the Loch Ness Easery. Whether you are looking for a snack or a full meal we have almost anything to be suitable for everyone. We will be ready for helping you at all times. * Fresh Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate etc. * Good choice of Home Baking and Cakes. * Home Made Soup and Sandwiches. * Packed lunches for those who prefer a picnic. * Seating for over 150 visitors. Tel:+44(0)1456 450321 Web: www.lochness.com At the Loch Ness Eatery, visitors can _ . A. book comfortable rooms B. have a picnic C. cook for themselves D. get a good relaxation Answer: D
Question: It seems that school children all over the world complain about their school food. What do students of your age eat for lunch at school in other countries? Japan High schools have dining rooms. They serve everything from noodles to rice, but not burgers and chips. Other children bring food from home, such as cold rice balls, meat or fish, pickles and vegetables. Twice a year parents are invited to have a taste of the food. United States A typical menu from a US school is made up of a hamburger with fried potatoes or roast chicken, lettuce and pickles, fruit and cookies. School lunches must also provide at least one third of the daily amount of necessary nutrition , such as, vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium . Australia Meat pies, sausage rolls and hotdogs are all traditional dishes in Australian school shops. But as the country pays more attention to children's health, healthier foods have started to appear on school menus. Many schools have used a traffic light system. The sale of red labeled c) foods, including cookies, chocolate and soft drinks. Is served only twice a week. Healthier green labeled foods such as sushi, sandwiches, corn and watermelons, however, are available every day. South Africa Most of South African schools do not serve meals at all. Classes end at l; 30 p. m. and students get their own lunches. Many students bring food from home, usually sandwiches. Fast food and fried food sell the best among students. As a result, it has caused a rise in obesity c) among children. But as more people began to realize that being too fat may cause different kinds of serious illnesses, some schools in towns have led the way towards better nutrition. Now students at these schools are offered lunches of porridge with vegetables, such as cabbage, onions, beans, carrots and tomatoes. Which are traditional dishes in Australia? A. Meat pies and hotdogs. B. Chocolate and soft drinks. C. Cookies and sushi. D. Sandwiches and corn. Answer: A Question: About 35 percent of British adults sleep with teddy bears. Many more share a bed with a partner or spouse. Others still co - sleep, alongside children in a family bed. But lying with your iPad? A recent survey by marketing agency Rosette found that 68 percent of tablet owners use the device in the bedroom, more than in any other location. The living room took a close second place, at 63 percent, reports AdAge. com, and only 45 percent of respondents said they use their tablets on the go. But bringing devices into the bedroom is a bad idea, if quality rest is your goal. One of the most important factors of sleepiness is darkness, which signals to the brain that it's time to start speeding up production of the sleep - inducing hormone melatonin. But as the New York Times points out, in our modern world, we are exposed to light long after the sun sets. While any type of light can disturb your sleep, the blue wavelength light given off by cell phones, laptops, tablets and other gadgets is particularly troublesome. Research shows that this blue light causes alertness so decisively that it can actually be used to fight tiredness. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 95 percent of Americans use some device, whether it's a TV, laptop, cell phone or other products, within an hour of killing time. "Artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed at night push our sleeping sense to a later hour - making it more difficult to fall asleep," said Charles Czeisler, Ph. D. , M. D. , chief of the division of sleep medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Instead, experts recommend turning off all devices an hour before bedtime and finding another method for relaxation, like reading a book, taking a warm bath or performing a series of calming yoga poses. It's also a good idea to exercise and lay off the caffeine several hours before bedtime. What can we know from this passage? A. The light from cell phones is harmful B. Modern people have trouble falling asleep C. Darkness can create a good sleeping environment D. Blue light can prevent sleepiness decreasing Answer: C Question: "When I grow up, I want to be..." Almost all of us have thought about, or been asked to think about, our future careers. Our answers may differ greatly. Even now your aspirations may have changed from when you were in primary school. However, it seems career options aren't only based on personal taste. In a survey carried out by Teens, doctors, lawyers, and bankers were some of most popular careers that people said they hoped to follow. This is in line with a similar survey carried out in the UK in May 2011 by job website monster. Co.uk, in which medicine was the top choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17. Medicine and law are two of the oldest and best known professions. Their prestige may come from the fact that doctors and lawyers are some of the most esteemed members of society, and they make good money. Joining these high-profile professions is often seen as a sign of upward social mobility. It is equally unsurprising that banking is now one of the most common career choices. Youngsters worldwide think of banking and see the money rolling in. Wealth is increasingly becoming one of the most important indicators of a successful career. British young men list the UK tycoon Alan Sugar, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg as their top role models "for their wealth". Just as Chinese teenagers see being a banker as a good and fun pathway to "wealth". However, not every child has the makings of doctor, lawyer, or banker. They are those who see fulfillment and happiness in other areas, and many teenagers dare to ink more individuality into their career options. As the Teens' survey discovered, a variety of unconventional jobs---coffee shop owner, gourmet ,waiter at a fast food restaurant---are among teenagers' career choices. They can be equally interesting and rewarding jobs. With every choice comes responsibility and challenge, and all career paths require specific education and training, you have to learn to balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills. According to the article, all of the following are the benefits of being a doctor except _ . A. respect from others B. the oldest profession C. high pay D. upward social mobility. Answer: B Question: Sports City Bar Every Tuesday and Thursday evening in Sports City Bar everyone can enjoy a "Buy one, get one free"Tex-Mex &seafood Buffet* for 118 yuan. At our Sunday Family Buffet, we have exciting games for children. The buffet lasts from 11:00am to 2:00 pm. And costs 98 yuan per adult. Children aged 12 to 16 eat for half price, and children under 12(limited* to two) eat for free. Happy hours at Sports City Bar lasts from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. But one soft drink, get one free. Tel:65118976-4228 Location: The fourth floor, Blue Sky shopping centre. If you are thirteen, you _ A. can't buy one, get one free in Sports City Bar. B. Can eat for free at Sunday Family Buffet. C. Must pay 49 yuan for your lunch at Sunday Family Buffet D. Must go to the Sports City Bar with your parents Answer: C Question: The Firegathering 18-20 May The Firegathering festival returns to an unidentified place somewhere in the Sussex countryside this May.The ticket price is a very agreeable PS40,an amount that the organisers promise covers only the costs of staging the event.As well as the nightclub singers and dancers and circus performers,you can expect live performances from local stars.If this looks like it might be right for you,you'd be well advised to book your ticket soon;the event has sold out every year since its beginning four years ago. Sheep Music 20-22 July Sheep Music started life as a garden party and has developed into a fullscale community event.Even though the advertising has always been limited to word of mouth,the huge number of people in 2005 left organizers worried that the large crowds could ruin the festival's family feel.Luckily July sees the return of this brilliant party.The climax comes in the shape of Saturday night's fullscale parade and fancy dress ball that you just would not expect to happen in the other sleepy Welsh borders. The Big Chill 3-5 August Ten years on and The Big Chill could very well be close to becoming a big pop festival like Glastonbury.That said,the many thousands in attendance are still able to relax in the beautiful Eastnor deer park and listen to plenty of music that would otherwise pass them by.Families have always been given a warm welcome and it's fair to say that The Big Chill is probably the most childfriendly of all the mediumsized festivals.If you've never been,you should certainly go. Summer Sundae 10-12 August Although only a year old this summer,Summer Sundae has quickly inspired the imaginations of Leicesteks music lovers.Last year's event was a success,noted by more than a few mentions at the UK Festival Awards.It is set in the impressive grounds of De Montfort Hall.Although the performers are still to be confirmed,the cabins are sure to be there.These small buildings are made from wood and carpets,storage space,and can fit a family for the night. What can we learn about The Firegathering? A. The festival will take place in a park. B. No profits will be made from the festival. C. The audience will be bigger than expected. D. A lot of national stars will perform at the festival. Answer: B
Jealousy is a horrible feeling that weeds its way into your life and relationships before you know it. You might want something someone else has, or feel like they're happier than you. It might seem like an uncontrollable emotion, but it's truly not! Remember your big accomplishments. If your coworker gets the promotion you wanted, it doesn't mean you haven't done great work. List out your accomplishments and think about how you got them and what you've done since then. You'll quickly find that you're just as worthy as the person you're envying! Appreciate your own good fortune. Think of where you are in your life and how you got there. Did you just buy your first car? Are you able to save one paycheck each month? Are you surrounded by loving family and amazing friends? You have a lot of good things,and you have a lot of good fortune coming your way. Stop letting jealousy eat you alive and realize that you can better spend that energy on furthering your own success and happiness. Appreciate that others can do what you can't. How boring would life be if everyone was the same? What if the entire population of your city was applying for your job, and they all had the same qualifications? Appreciate that everyone is different. Some people are better in powerful management positions, while maybe you're better working with people. A friend might be an excellent artist--a quality you're envious of, but don't forget that you're a great musician! Acknowledge that people need to be different, need to be better at various things. We should appreciate that others can do what you can't, because _ . Our lives were supposed to be more flexible and family-friendly thanks to the technology at our fingertips. But in this age of BlackBerrys, recession pressures, working at home after hours and on weekends, family time may not be working out the way we thought. Busy parents who expected more time with the kids are Finding that more work hours at home don't necessarily translate into quality time with them. A new generation of parents needs to discover the meaning of "quality time," researchers say. "Personally, just given the life I lead, I think there is something to this idea of quality time- spending productive time with children vs. just being around," says Peter Brandon, a professor at Carleton College. He says engaging or interacting with a child in activities such as reading or playing counts as quality time rather than "passive monitoring," such as washing the dishes while the child is watching TV. " _ ," Brandon says. He notes that good parent-child relationships result in children being happier and more successful, including at school. As parents struggle to be more available to their kids, new research on work and family schedules to be presented Friday at the meeting in Dallas includes a study that shows parents' availability is on the decline because more parents are in the workforce. Although parents today may be spending more time on child care, they are less available overall. Working parents who spend less time with their children should try to make sure the time they do spend is communicating with them, vs. doing the dishes or spending more time on themselves, Brandon says "The trade-off is not necessarily taking away time from your kid," he says "You're taking away time from other things" According to Brandon, the quality time means Have you ever been ill? When you are ill,you must be unhappy because your body becomes hot,and there are pains all over your body. You don't want to work,you stay in bed,feeling very sad. What makes us ill? It is germs . Germs are everywhere. They are very small and you can't find them with your eyes,but you can see them with a microscope. They are very small and there could be hundreds of them on a very small thing. Germs are always found in dirty water. When we look at dirty water under the microscope,we shall see them in it. So your father and mother will not let you drink dirty water. Germs aren't found only in water. They are found in air and dust. If you cut your finger,if some of the dust from the floor goes into the cut ,some of the germs would go into your finger. Your finger would become big and red,and you will have much pain in it. Sometimes the germs would go into all of your body,and you would have pain everywhere. What is a microscope used for? Poet Dean Young has dealt with impermanence( )a lot in his career, but it's a particularly strong theme in Young's latest collection, Fall Higher.The new collection was published in April, just days after the poet received a life-saving heart transplant after about a decade of living with a weakening heart condition. Young, whose work is often frank and rich with twisted humor, tells NPR's Renee Montaigne that as he recovers from operation, he's also slowly returning to his everyday writing habits. "I'm getting back to it," Young says."Not with the sort of concentration and sort of flame that I look forward to in the future, but I am blackening some pages." And on those blackened pages you'll find poems like " How Grasp Green," which carries themes of springtime and rebirth.It's one of the first poems Young has written since his transplant. It's easy to spot clues to Young's awful health situation in the lines of his poetry. Fall Higher's "Vintage" opens with, "Because I will die soon, I fall asleep, during the lecture on the ongoing emergency." And the poem "-The Rhythms Pronounce Themselves Then Vanish--published in The /Vew Barker in February --opens with the CT scan that revealed Young's heart condition. Young says "Rhythms" was written about the beginning of his illness. "I had been having a lot of physical pain so that I could hardly walk a block.I got sent to a gastroenterologist and he did a series of tests, and then the tests came back to me and it was all heart related," he says." And the outlook wasn't good. Hearts tend to come up a lot in poetry, and that's especially true of Young's work, which has clearly been influenced by the troubles of his own heart, "A lot of times, it's not just a metaphor ," Young says."For me, it's an actual concern because I've been living with this disease for over 10 years.My father died of heart problems when he was 49, so it's been a sort of shadowy concern for me my whole life. But Young's poems also deal with more abstract matters of the heart.He wrote Fall Higher's, "Late Valentine" for his wife."We've been married since late November and most of it has been spent in the hospital," Young says of his marriage to poet Laurie Saurborn Young, who says " 'Late Valentine' is very sweet. Today, Young says, his friends can't help but comment on how pink his cheeks have become--the result of a new heart and better circulation .But Young wrote the poems of Fall Higher before the transplant, at a time when, at its weakest point, his old heart was pumping at 8 percent of what it should have been. He was staring death in the face--but he was still able to look at his life and see art in it. Young's work also touches on themes of randomness and fate --two factors that contributed to him getting a second chance in the form of a new heart from a 22-year-old student. "Everything in life is molecules bouncing against molecules," Young says, and having a successful transplant is no different." Somebody had to die; it had to be a fit; my blood and his blood had to not have an argument; the heart had to be transported; I had to get it." There were, in short, an amazing number of variables that led to Young being here today. "I just feel enormous gratitude," he says of his donor ."He gave me a heart so I'm still alive-"I'm sure I'm going to think about this person for the rest of my life." We can learn from the text that Young _ . Are you looking for a fun vacation spot? Do you like to sleep in a hotel, go shopping, and eat fancy meals? If so, Mona Island might Not be the place for you! That's because Mona Island has no hotels, no museums, no shops, and no restaurants. None at all! But if you like nature , Mona Island is an amazing place to take a vacation. Some of the animals living there are not found anywhere else in the world. There are beautiful beaches and caves to explore. The sea around the island has colorful fish. There are many things that make Mona Island an unusual place. Mona Island is very small, On a map it looks like a tiny green lima bean floating in the big blue ocean. the only way to get there is by taking a long boat ride from the island of Puerto Rico. The government of Puerto Rico takes care of the island and has made it a natural reserve. That means the island's animals and plants are protected from being harmed by people. Mona Island is different from most places because people are not allowed to live there. Only a few park rangers are able to stay. The park ranger's job is to keep Mona Island safe and beautiful. They insist that rules be followed. One rule is that only 100 people at a time can visit the island. That way, the park rangers can make sure the land and animals remain safe. B. Why is Mona Island different from most places? Because _
Question: The Kingdome in Seattle was destroyed on March 26, 2000. It was taken down to make room for a new stadium. The blast from the falling building caused the earth to shake as if an earthquake had happened Scientists placed more than 200 earthquake recorders in the earth to measure the movement. They found which parts of the city shook the most. This information helped them know which parts of the city would be damaged in a real earthquake at an early time. A real earthquake happened on February 28, 2001 in Seattle. The Nisqually earthquake was 6.8 on the Richter scale(6.8). It damaged the same parts of Seattle that scientists had predicted from the pulling down of the Kingdome. It was a plate quake. It started deep in the earth, 37 miles below the surface on the Juan de Fuca Plate. Sometimes, huge plates under the earth cause earthquakes when the plates move against each other suddenly. Scientists have learned that deep earthquakes have very few aftershocks . The Nisqually earthquake had only 4 ones. Another earthquake in California that was close to the surface had over 120 aftershocks. Scientists do not know why the deep earthquakes have fewer aftershocks. Scientists plan to blast in the ground near Seattle with the purpose of testing the plate. The shockwaves from the blast will jump off the plate and give them an idea of where the plate is and how it is moving. This will give them more information in case another real earthquake hits the area. According to the passage, _ have the most aftershocks A. blast earthquakes B. earthquakes close to the surface C. deep earthquakes D. earthquakes more than 6.8 Richter scale Answer: B. earthquakes close to the surface Question: I was eleven years old, waiting for my exam at Saraswati Vidyalaya, my school in Nagpur. "No. 12, please come forward." Kirti, a very fat girl from my class, stepped ahead. I heard my classmates laughing and so I tried to stop them with my eyes. But my good intentions were mistaken. The next morning, my teacher, Mrs. Kamble, told me, "Ashwini, I've received a complaint about you." I was shocked. The girl I was protecting thought I'd been laughing at her. I tried to explain but the teacher refused to hear me out. She punished me by making me stand by the door. I knew I was right. Such punishment to a class topper was simply unheard of. But, slowly, my pride disappeared. Instead of being angry, I understood the other students who have been punished at times. For the first time, I felt humbled . Three years later, I was in the math class. Mr. Prabhuraman, wrote an equation -- one he'd taught us the day before -- on the blackboard. "Anyone who doesn't know how to solve this," he said, "please leave the class at once." I knew I could solve only the first two steps. But my pride made me stay there. Unfortunately, the one who was asked to solve it was me. I just stood there, chalk in hand, trying not to look foolish. I prepared myself for a good talking-to , but Mr. Prabhuraman told me kindly, "Go back to your seat." Today, two decades later, those incidents have made me think. One teacher punished me for something I didn't do; the other forgave me for something I did wrong. Both experiences had an effect on me. They remind me that no matter what you accomplish , you must always be humble. When the very fat girl appeared, Ashwini _ . A. took no notice of her B. laughed at her C. said hello to her D. tried to stop others making fun of her Answer: D. tried to stop others making fun of her Question: One day a rich boy bought a magic mirror . When he got home, he looked in the mirror. His face looked sad. He tried to smile , his face looked still sad. The he did many happy things, but his face always looked sad. " Oh, what a terrible mirror! It doesn't work!" he said angrily. The next day on his way to buy some chocolate, he saw a little girl crying sadly. The rich boy went up to her and asked what had happened. The little girl said she couldn't find her parents. "Don't worry. I'll help you." The rich boy said. So they went to look for them together. Finally they found her parents. They were so thankful for his help . After the rich boy arrived home, he looked in the mirror as usual. To his surprise,his face looked very happy. The boy understood the magic of the mirror. The mirror could show the true feelings of its owner. This was true--the rich boy had helped that little girl so he felt really happy. The little cried because _ . A. She lost her money. B. She couldn't find her home. C. She couldn't find her parents. D. She had no money to buy chocolate. Answer: C. She couldn't find her parents. Question: (This selection was originally published in 1992. Pluto is no longer classified as a planet.) Pluto is in many ways the strangest of the planets. It is small and has a large moon(called Charon). Its orbit is unusual, which may cause it to have seasons in the sense that when it is close to the sun, the liquid methane on its surface boils to form a kind of atmospheric haze . When the planet moves farther away from the sun, it starts to snow solid methane. Pluto is not dark. Despite its great distance from the sun, the surface of Pluto is probably as bright as a moonlit night on Earth. The reason is all that methane, which is as white as newly fallen snow. The discovery of Pluto was more accident than design. The American astronomer Percival Lowell had predicted the existence of a ninth planet(he called it Planet X)based on what he took to be irregularities in the orbit of Neptune. Today astronomers argue that these "irregularities" weren't real, but the result of instrumental error. Nevertheless, Lowell produced predictions about where Planet X ought to be(although, to be honest, the predictions changed occasionally when he redid the calculations).In any case, in 1930 Clyde Tombaugh, doing a systemic sky survey that would have found the planet no matter where it was, discovered the planet we now call Pluto. By coincidence, its position was pretty close to where Lowell's last prediction said it should be. Was it just luck? We'll never know. The text mainly wants to _ . A. give a brief introduction of Pluto B. talk about the discovery of Pluto C. prove the exact position of Pluto D. describe the strangeness of Pluto Answer: A. give a brief introduction of Pluto Question: Viruses are killed by objects used in a A. backyard B. bathroom C. kitchen D. living room Answer: C. kitchen
Question: If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they will become weak; when you start using them again, they will slowly become stronger again.Everybody knows that .yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way.When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault.But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame, and few of us know that it is just his own fault.Have you ever noticed that some people can't read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write so they have to remember things; they cannot write them down in a little notebook.They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memories are being exercised the whole time.So if you want to have a good memory, learn from these people:Practise remembering. Some people can't read or write, but they usually have better memories, because _ . A. they have saved much trouble B. they have saveed much time to remember things C. they have to use their memories all the time D. they can't write everything in a little notebook Answer: C Question: Eat,drink and be merry. That's what Spring Festival is all about. But there are millions of people,too,who love to let happiness go up in smoke. Offering cigarettes to guests is a traditional Chinese way of showing respect for them. A cup of tea and cigarettes are perhaps the most common way of welcoming a guest in China,especially during festive occasions. No wonder,40 percent of the people surveyed recently said they would smoke at least twice the usual number of cigarettes during the Spring Festival because of all those gatherings and parties. Only 20 percent of the respondents said they would refuse a cigarette when offered one. Why can't the others do the same?Because they could be seen as being rude,said more than half of the respondents. Fifteen percent feared they could be taken as "someone who cannot get along well with others". The Think tank Research Center for Health Development and sohu.com survey shows 61 percent Chinese think offering a cigarette is useful for socializing,and 52 percent have offered cigarettes to others. The study surveyed 3,800 people,64 percent of them men. One third of those surveyed were smokers,out of which 57 percent said they couldn't give up smoking because of the offering and accepting culture. "People have accepted offering cigarettes as an effective way of making friends," research center director Wu Yiqun says. China has more than 350 million smokers,catering to the tobacco market that is worth 500 billion yuan. "The survey shows we still have a lot of work to do," Wu says. "Since Beijing is trying to make the Olympic Games smoke free,it is time to let people know that offering a cigarette is a bad habit and it should be given up immediately." The passage is written with the purpose of _ . A. telling us a custom about the Chinese Spring Festival B. introducing a way to make friends with Chinese C. stopping smoking during the Beijing Olympic D. telling us that offering cigarettes is a bad habit Answer: D Question: Katie was in big trouble.She was such a sweet kid; a third-grade teacher always dreamed of having a classroom filled with Katies, she was never ever a discipline problem. I just couldn't imagine why she had made her parents so angry. It seemed that Katie had been spending money in the lunchroom. Her parents explained that Katie brought a great homemade lunch each day, and there was no reason for her to buy school lunch. They wondered why but failed.So they asked me to help them get to the bottom of this situation. The next day, I asked Katie to my office. "Why are you buying lunches, Katie? What happened to your homemade lunch?" I asked. "I lose it," she replied. "I don't believe you, Katie. Is someone stealing your lunch, Katie?" I asked. "No. I just lose it," she said.Well, there was nothing else I could do. The problem was still unsolved the next week when I noticed a boy who was new to the school sitting alone at a lunch table. He always looked sad and scared. I thought I would go and sit with him for a while. As I walked towards him, I noticed the lunch bag on the table. The name on the bag said "Katie". Now I understood and I talked to Katie. It seemed that the new boy never brought a lunch, and he wouldn't go to the lunch line for a free lunch. He had told Katie his secret and asked her not to tell anyone that his parents wanted him to get a free lunch at school. Katie asked me not to tell her parents, but I drove to her house that evening after I was sure that she was in bed. I had never seen parents so proud of their child. Katie still buys lunch every day at school. And every day, as she heads out of the door, her mom hands her a delicious homemade lunch. What can we learn from the passage? A. Katie's secret of lunch was discovered by the writer. B. Katie was told that her parents had known her secret. C. Katie told the writer the truth of her lunch during their first talk. D. Katie stopped buying lunch at school after her secret was discovered. Answer: A Question: There are plenty of possible reasons why you don't have any flowers near you. Perhaps, you just don't like them. Or maybe someone nearby doesn't. Maybe you're at work, and flowers are not allowed. Assuming the problem is simply that you don't have time to go out and get flowers, you may be surprised to learn just how easy it actually is. It's good to get flowers for yourself, but even better to be given them. I'm sure you know this, just as I'm sure there's someone special in your life who feels the same way. So why not take the chance to make someone happy, and get them some flowers? I know, you would, but it's just too much trouble. Well, that's where you're wrong! It' s a good excuse, and while it might have worked in the past, I'm afraid it doesn't work any more. Perhaps you are really too busy to go into town and get some flowers. On the other hand, the fact that you are reading this clearly shows that you have enough time to go online. Nowadays, you can buy pretty well anything online, and yes that includes flowers. By the way, there's another point to consider here. Price. I'm sure you've noticed that you can usually get things cheaper if you buy online, and flowers are no exception . For the same price as a few roses, you could have a full bouquet of flowers picked and arranged by an expert. So why are you still here? Go online, and hunt down some flowers! There are plenty of flower shops available , and you should have no trouble finding one that near you, especially if you live in a city or large town. Then you're just a few clicks away from a beautiful bouquet. , The following reasons why you don't like flowers are talked about except A. You don't like the flowers B. The flowers are expensive C. You're at work D. Flowers aren't allowed Answer: B Question: Juno was a very playful dog but she was also very disobedient. One afternoon Juno was out in the front yard playing tag with Sasha the kitten, when Billy came to fetch her for her bath. Juno did not like baths very much and she ran away every time Billy got close to her. Billy soon got tired of Juno's game, so he left her in the garden hoping she would keep running around and tire herself out. Sasha the kitten followed Billy and Juno was surprised to find herself alone, she had hoped Billy would keep on playing this fun game. To pass the time she watched some birds building a nest in a tree, Juno was so bored she even tried to play hide and seek with George, the parrot. Finally, since there was nobody to play with Juno laid down to take a nap. A little later Billy came back out into the yard to fetch Juno. What Billy didn't know was, Juno had been sleeping since he left and she was ready for another game of catch me if you can, her favorite game. Juno took off running as soon as she saw Billy. Billy sat down on the grass to wait. Billy found a ball and started to throw it for Juno to fetch. Billy kept on throwing the ball and Juno kept on bringing it back until Juno dropped the ball and lay down on the grass, panting, tired out. Billy quickly slipped the collar and leash on her. Billy got Juno on her feet and the two of them walked round to the back yard where the family were sitting outside enjoying the sunshine. Billy's father called him to come and enjoy some ice cream with them but Billy said no, he'd rather get Juno's bath time over with and then he could enjoy his ice cream. Billy knew he had to hurry or his brothers Allen and Greg would finish the Rocky Road ice cream which was Billy's favorite. Billy tied Juno's leash to the fence and then he brought the hose over and switched it on. Juno immediately tried to run away but she had no choice but to stay there and let Billy soak her. Billy quickly added soap to Juno's coat and soon she was covered in soapy suds. Soon Billy once again turned the hose on Juno to rinse all the soap out of her coat. The last thing to be done was to rub Juno down with a towel and dry her off Once Billy had finished he took the collar and leash off and Juno lay down in the sun happy that bath time was over once again. Billy went to join the rest of the family and his father said he could choose between Chocolate Chip, Caramel Delight, Cookies and Cream or Rocky Road ice cream. Billy quickly said he wanted the Rocky Road and his father put down a large dish of the ice cream and said 'good job son' What was Billy's favorite ice cream flavor? A. Caramel Delight B. Chocolate Chip C. Rocky Road D. Cookies and Cream Answer: C
Joe Brown had a shop. He sold meat in his shop. One Thursday a woman came into his shop at five to one. "I'm sorry I'm late," she said. "I need some more meat for my dinner tonight." Joe had only one piece of meat in his shop. He took it out of the fridge and said, "This is$6.50." "That piece is too small." the woman said, "haven't you for anything bigger?" Joe went into the room behind his shop, put the piece of meat into the fridge, took it out of again and closed the door with lots of noise. Then he brought the piece of meat to the woman and said, "This piece of meat is bigger and more expensive. It's $8.75." "Good," the woman said with a smile, "give me both of them." How many pieces of meat were kept in the fridge? Only one piece of meat. Dear Jenny, I'm sorry you're sick and can't come to school this week. Let me tell you what you have on Monday next week. We have math at 8:00. How boring! Then we have English. That's interesting. I know you love English. Next is P.E.. The fourth lesson is art. That's my favorite subject! In the afternoon, we have history with Mr. Chen. He is fun but history isn't. Then at 2:00 we have science with Miss Jones. You know how strict she is. I don't like her. Our last class of the day is math. Yours, Ben _ is not at school this week. Jenny Lucy was walking with her family in the woods, far away from the city. Her father helped her see all kinds of animals. It was like going to the zoo. They saw deer, a moose, a fox, and a bear. The bear ran away when her brother shouted. Lucy thought that was lucky, because she was a little scared of it. Her father showed her a whistle to blow in case she got lost. Her brother kept stealing it. While they were walking down by a stream, Lucy's Mom was making sandwiches for everyone. Lucy's brother Jim kept blowing the whistle. He told her that he was going to steal her sandwich if he got there first. That made her mad! She really wanted her turkey sandwich and not a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When their mom called, they both ran back as fast as they could. Since Jim was older, he was faster and beat her to the picnic. Lucy started crying. She thought Jim stole everything! What kind of animal ran away when her brother shouted? A Bear. Ian became a highway robber to support his family. He continued as a robber day after day and year after year. One day, Ian went to rob a traveler. Unlike those who have been robbed by him before, the traveler showed no fear and asked, "Why do you do this every day?" Ian was surprised and answered without thinking, "Because I have a family. Robbing is the only way I can earn money to support my family." "Are your family members prepared to share your punishment with you?" Ian was puzzled and said he didn't know. The traveler told him to go home and ask them. Ian asked his wife, "Do you know how I work to support you?" His wife replied, "Yes, I know." Ian asked, "Are you going to share the punishment I'll get for the way I earn my living?" His wife answered, "No. You married me and you should take care of me." Next, his parents replied, "Son, we raised you with great care. Now we don't have the energy to work. So it's your duty to look after us. We won't share any of the punishments placed upon you for what you've done." Ian hadn't expected their answers. He became sad and returned to the traveler. Ian told him all the conversations. The traveler said, "You have to take the consequences yourself." Ian thanked him for letting him see the errors in his ways. After this incident, Ian started learning in order to work and support the family in legal ways. How long did Ian work as a highway robber? Several years. I'm sure you know the song "Happy Birthday". But do you know who wrote the song and for whom it was written? The retired professor, Archibald A. Hill in Lucasville, USA could tell us the story. Ninety-seven years ago, two of Mr. Archibald Hill's aunts, Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were asked to write some songs for a book called "Song Storied for the Sunday Morning". Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were both kindergarten teachers then. They loved children very much and wrote many beautiful songs for the book. One of them was the famous "Good Morning to You." The song said, "Good morning to you, good morning to you, children, good morning to all." This song was very popular at that time among kindergarten children. But not many grown-ups knew it. A few years later little Archibald was born. As his aunt, Miss Patty Hill sang the song "Happy Birthday" to the melody of "Good Morning to you" to her little nephew . She sang the song like this: Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, Archie! Happy birthday to you! Miss Patty Hill and her sister had never expected that this song would become so popular, but it really did. People all over the world like the song because of its simplicity in tune and friendliness in words. The sentence "it really did" means _ . The song really became popular
Davis decided to kill Adams. He set out for Adams's house. Before he got there he saw Brooks, who resembled Adams. Thinking that Brooks was Adams, Davis shot at Brooks. The shot missed Brooks but wounded Case, who was some distance away. Davis had not seen Case. In a prosecution under a statute that proscribes any attempt to commit murder, the district attorney should indicate that the intended victim(s) was/were Answer: Brooks only. Many of the world's pollution problems have been caused by the crowding of large groups of people into the cities. Supply for the needs of the people leads to further pollution by industry. If the rapid increase of world population in countries continues at the present rate, there may be much greater harm to human beings. Some scientists speak of the increase in numbers of people as "population pollution." About 2,000 years ago, the world population was probably about 250 million. It reached a billion in 1850. By 1930 the population was two billion. It is now three and a half billion. It is expected to double by the year 2,000. If the population continues to grow at the same rate, there will be 25 billion in the world a hundred years from now. Man has been using the earth's resources more and more rapidly over the past years. Some of them are almost used up. Now many people believe that man's greatest problem is how to control the growth of the population. The material supplies in the world will be far from enough to support the human population in time to come, if the present rate of increase continues. Already there is overcrowding in many cities and starvation in some countries. Should man's population keep on growing so rapidly as before? Many people believe that human survival in the future depends on the answer to this question. If the present rate of increase continue, _ . Answer: the earth won't be able to support the growing population in the future This year's lunar New Year holiday season is likely to see the fierce competitions at the country's box office among three movies that come from reality TV programs instead of legends, novels and original stories. The Chinese movies Running Man, Where are We Going, Dad? II and Emperor's Holidays are all based on South Korean TV shows. Where are We Going, Dad? hit an amazing box-office run of 700 million yuan in 2014, and it was one of the most popular Chinese-language movies last year. And this year's Where are We Going, Dad? II shows four famous fathers trying to "survive" with their children on an island of the Republic of Fiji . Running Man was also one of the most well-known shows from last October to this January. It has got 227 million yuan at the box office in the first three days after it was on in the cinema. It's reported that people laughed 86 times while watching the 88-minute movie. Emperor's Holidays is directed by Wang Yuelun, who was a celebrity father in the fatherhood series' first season. The movie was screened in Chinese theaters on Feb 19, the same day as Dad II and also the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. For these kinds of movies, different people have different opinions. Some may think it is not worth spending money watching them, because the producers just want to make money. However, others may think whatever the producers' aim is, these movies can inspire people to live more healthily and make them keep laughing and happy. So they choose to enjoy them in the cinema. Some people still choose to watch these movies in a cinema because _ . Answer: these movies can inspire people to live more healthily and make them keep laughing and happy. Jessica Alba rebelled from her "strict" parents when she was just five. The 29-year-old actress admits her Catholic education made her want to "break away" from her mother Catherine and father Mark. She explained: "It's always been weird because I grew up in a very traditional, Catholic household. My parents were very strict but I broke away from that at an early age. I was a feminist when I was five. These days, I am much more independent but I still respect their beliefs." As Jessica has grown older she has learnt to accept her parents' views, but still considers herself an independent woman. In her latest film 'Machete' Jessica gets to stab a love rival in the eye with her stiletto heels , something she thoroughly enjoyed. She said: "Walking in 3in heels wasn't as much fun as putting one in someone's eye. It was 104 degrees where we were shooting in Texas and they were not comfortable." Jessica - who has a two-year-old daughter Honor with husband Cash Warren - is regularly referred to as one of the world's most beautiful women, but she doesn't think of herself as "sexy". She added in an interview with the Metro newspaper: "I don't really pay attention to that sexy image. It just goes with the character in the movie. At the end of the day, it's all a part of selling a product." Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage? Answer: She cares more about her sexy image because she is very proud of her beauty 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. What is the passage mainly about? Answer: A legend about a monster.
Lori owns a house next to the lake. She uses lots of fertilizer to keep her lawn green. Which impact could fertilizing her lawn have on the lake? A. an increase in the algae population B. an increase in the fish population C. an increase in the mosquito population D. an increase in the lake's depth Answer: A This is news on the Hour. Ed Wilson is reporting. The President and First Lady will visit Africa on a goodwill tour in May. They plan to visit eight African countries. Reports from China say the Chinese want closer ties between China and the U.S. and Western Europe. A group of top China scientists starts its ten-nation tour next month. Here in Milmi, the mayor is still meeting with the leaders of the teachers' union to try to find a way to end the strike. City schools are still closed after two weeks. In news about health, scientists in California report findings of relationship between the drinking of coffee and the increase of heart disease among woman. According to the report in the American Medical Journal, the five-year study shows this: women who drink more than two cups of coffee a day have a greater chance of having heart disease than women who do not. In sports, the Chargers lost again last night. The BBS beat them one to nothing. The Wingers had better results. They beat the Rifles 7 to 3.It was their first win in their five matches. That the news of the Hour. And now back to more easy listening with Jan Singer. The passage is about _ A. an official visit to Africa B. the improvement of relationship between China and the U.S. C. the news broadcast on the air D. the strike led by the teachers' union Answer: C Look at the picture. Who is the girl? She is my friend. Her name is Alice Black. She is an English girl. Alice has a big family. Her grandparents have two daughters and one son -- her father. Alice lives with her grandparents, parents, two brothers and one sister. Alice has two dogs -- Bobby and Tony. Bobby is black and Tony is white. Alice likes them very much. Alice is a middle school student. She has a good friend at school. Her name is Helen. They are cousins, too. _ is the girl's last name. A. White B. Brown C. Black D. Green Answer: C Introduction to Piano No matter what you do in life, it's always important to start with the basics. Taught by experienced musician Dennis Dykstra, this class will give beginning piano learners an introduction to the keyboard, keys, scales, chords, melodies, and note reading. This class is combined with adult class. Brinton ( Beg. , Ages 8-17 )...# 487919 Sat. , Apr. 13---Jun 1, 10:30 AM---12 PM $56 Residents / $112 Non-residents Guitar Lesson Learn basic chords, notes, and different strumming techniques. Strum your way to fun. Bring your own guitar. Classes are combined with youth guitar classes. Brinton ( Beg./ Int. , Ages 12-17 ) ...# 37623 Sat. , Apr. 13 --- Jun.1, 2 PM --- 3:30 PM $110 Residents / $220 Non-residents Hip Hop Culture & Modern Dance Hip hop is a dance form that has origins in New York's folk culture and has become popularized by the entertainment industry. The steps _ from tap, jazz & belly dance. The class will consist of clean hip hop music techniques, steps and a routine. Hamilton( Ages 6-12 )...# 38475 Tue. , Apr, 16---Jun 4, 7 PM --- 8 PM $18 Residents / $36 Non-residents Science of Magic and Fantastic Fliers This super science sampler introduces participants to two hot topics: magic and flight! In science of magic, participants learn the science behind illusions, mind reading and perform a magic escape! Amaze and amuse friends. In fantastic fliers, participants will fly through flight and aerodynamics ( ) basics. Discover the four forces that affect flight. Make and test various plane designs to see these forces in action! Not suitable for free or reduced fees. Jueau ( Ages 4-12 )... #370956 Mon. , Feb. 4, 5:30 PM --- 7:30 PM $80 Residents / $160 Non-residents The activity Introduction to Piano is intended for those _ . A. who just begin to learn how to play the piano B. who are experienced in playing the piano C. who show interest in teaching the piano lessons D. who are willing to make the piano for musicians Answer: A Preparing for a medical emergency involving your pet is always best accomplished before the event takes place.This series is designed to help guide you through the important decisions about first aid, as well as how and when to transport your pet quickly and safely to a veterinary hospital or emergency ability. VeterinaryPartner.com has provided this complete reference book online for you to skim through, expanding your knowledge of dog and cat first aid;however, we encourage you to buy the book to keep in your home or car as a quick reference during an emergency. This book is an emergency preparedness ready-reference for dogs and cats.Wise preventive measures, intelligent use of first aid principles, coupled with recognition of abnormal symptoms and treatment of disorders, diseases, and problems, lead to effective health care. A working knowledge of this information will help you get rid of some potentially dangerous circumstances and help you prepare for emergency situations. It includes information on what to do and what not to do in specific emergency situations.The authors encourage careful reading and occasional rereading.We have tried to make this book easy to understand, avoiding technical terms as often as possible, but defining them in context when they are necessary. Why are we advised to buy the book? A. Because it's very cheap and may be useful to all the people. B. Because it contains a working knowledge of information about dogs and cats. C. Because it contains information on specific emergency situations. D. Because it is convenient to know things dealing with dog or cat in an emergency. Answer: B
The Wonder of Argentina Iguazu Falls Missing the sun? Well, down in Argentina, its summertime and beautiful destinations like Iguazu Falls are waiting to be discovered. Lots to do and see, this is one place everyone needs to visit at least once in their lifetime. Located in the northern province of Misiones, Argentina on the Iguazu River (iguazu being the Guarani word for "great water"), Iguazu Falls is known as one of the world's largest and most attractive waterfalls. Upon former US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to the Falls, she said, "Poor Niagara!" The Falls divide the river in half, making the upper and lower Iguazu. The largest of the 275 falls that swallow the river is "Devil's Throat", and with a height of an astonishing 80 meters, it's a fairly impressive sight to view! The Park In order to see the Falls in all its glory, you'll need to visit the Park, which was created in 1934 to preserve the biological diversity of the subtropical rainforest and the breathtaking scenery surrounding the Falls. It was declared a Natural Heritage in 1984 and covers an area of approximately 660 square meters. Approximately 400 species of birds, 2000 species of plants and a world of insects call the Park their home. You'll especially love the butterflies that constantly surround and play with you! The Devil's Throat The "Garganta del Diablo" (means Devil's Throat) is the reason for this trip! Once in the Park, you can enjoy walking along the scenic 1100-meter-long path that starts from Garganta station and takes you to the viewing balcony , where you'll be able to get an overall view of one of the most beautiful sights you'll ever see! However, be prepared to be wet through by the powerful spray coming off the Falls. Don't Miss Take a boat ride that place you right under the falls----but be prepared to get totally _ !---- and walk along more stunning paths; enjoy a photo safari through the forest, or view the Falls at night under the light of the full moon! According to the passage, you can do all the following things in the Park Except _ . A. meeting a lot of birds, plants and insects B. getting a full view of Devil's Throat on the viewing balcony C. walking right under the falls D. viewing the Falls during the nighttime Answer: C Vegetable gardening is the relaxing art and science of turning a love for growing plants into a worthwhile activity. Vegetable gardeners agree that many home-grown vegetables picked at their best are superior to those vegetables purchased from markets. From spring through late fall, a well-planned and well-kept garden can prove a supply of fresh vegetables, thus increasing the nutrition of the family diet. Freezers make it possible to keep some of the vegetables to be enjoyed at a later date. Other vegetables can be stored for a few months in a cool area. Having vegetables in the backyard makes home gardening appealing for many people. In addition, vegetable gardening provides exercise and fun for both urban and suburban families. Although the money spent for a garden may be little, one cannot escape the fact that gardening requires hard work and time. Many of the gardening tasks must be performed at times that are most inconvenient. Not doing jobs that should be done on a regular basis may result in failure and a negative feeling toward gardening. One should not plant a garden that is too large for him to care for. A small, well-kept garden is more enjoyable and profitable than a large neglected one. Vegetables do well in full sunlight and need at least five or six hours of sun during the middle of the day. Too much shading results in poor plants and few vegetables. If possible, the garden should be near the house so the gardener can work in it at odd moments. Soils for vegetables should be easily broken up and porous for quick water drainage and good aeration . A deep, fine, sandy good quality soil is best. Usually the hoe owner has little choice in the soil type he can choose. Fortunately, many vegetables can be grown on poor soils if the soils are properly prepared. The author suggests that an ideal vegetable garden _ . A. should be sunny B. should be within walking distance C. should be large-sized D. should consist of sandy soil Answer: A I am a 21-year-old boy, and this is my story. One month after I graduated from high school in 2009, I was coming home from swim practice and was involved in a car accident. I was so seriously injured that I was in a coma for over two months at Prince Georges Hospital. I died eight times during my coma and I couldn't talk or communicate when I woke up. Walking was never going to happen again due to all the extreme injuries. Just like my body, my dreams were almost _ . But I was not going to let my injuries prevent me from living my dreams. After 14 operations and blood transfusions, I had to learn how to talk, eat, walk, shower and live independently again. When I was out of hospital, I still had to go to outpatient therapy in Waldorf, Maryland. After spending a few months in a wheelchair, I took baby steps to walk on my own. It was a miracle that I could walk again, but I wanted to prove that I could not only walk, but run. When it came true, I wanted to get back in the pool again. After a few lung tests, I was able to go in the pool a little bit each week. After a few months of swim training, I began my freshman year at St. Mary's College of Maryland and became a proud member of the swim team. By telling my story, I want to make a positive influence on the world. I am just trying to live each day to the fullest and inspire other people never to give up their dreams no matter how bad a situation is. I remember when I was still in my hospital bed, I would have my mom and dad push me around in my wheelchair to the other rooms to see the other patients and talk to them and their families. I wanted to let them know that everything was going to be okay. Somehow, things would work out for the best. It can be inferred that the author _ after he woke up from his coma. A. was out of hospital B. was in surprise C. faced physical and mental challenges D. was worried about his lung Answer: C Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives. To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a mainly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient. Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to reducing biodiversity. All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require thorough thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are certainly more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be "zero impact". The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage. Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity. What is important is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production. How do people often measure progress in agriculture? A. By its impact on the environment B. By its contribution to economic growth C. By its productivity D. By its sustainability Answer: D An early morning winter storm had brought several inches of snow on my small town in the mountains. Schools were canceled, roads were dangerous and all I wanted to do was to stay in bed. Still, I knew I had to get the day started so I put on warm clothes and walked outside. The snow got all over my shoes. The cold wind dried my lips and my eyes. _ Yet, when I looked out on the white blanket that covered the ground, I couldn't help but smile a bit. It was so beautiful. It softened the bare trees and hid the dead grass. In the distance I could hear the sound of the snowplow on the road, the barking of a happy dog and the laughter of children playing outside, enjoying their way off from school. The sweet music of that laughter brought back a hundred memories of winters past. I remembered catching snowflakes on my tongue, building snowmen, making snow angles, running down hills and always losing snowball fights with first my brothers and then my own children. Standing there in that warm coat of memories made the wind a little less cold and my back a little less sore . I turned up my head, stuck out my tongue and for the first time in years caught a snowflake on it. It tasted so fresh and clean. It tasted like youth, like joy and like love. May you always feel young in spirit, no matter how old or achy your body may be. May you always delight in the simple joys of life. May you always share your happiness with the hearts of children. And may you always give your love, your light, your laughter and your warmth to others even on the coldest days. What does the author mainly want to tell us with this article? A. Appreciate every snowstorm you spend with your family. B. Snow brings both fun and trouble. C. Memories can change our opinion. D. We should stay young at heart. Answer: D
"When studying foreign speech, don't forget about body language," Anne Merritt said. Something as simple as a smile can show friendliness in one culture, embarrassment in another, impatience in a third. Even silence means different things in different places. If you want to avoid making some mistakes when traveling abroad, you should pay attention to the following. Touch Britain, along with much of Northern Europe and the Far East, has a "non-contact" culture. In those countries, there is very little physical contact in people's daily talks. Even brushing someone's arm by accident is the reason for an apology. However, in the high-contact cultures of the Middle East, Latin America, and southern Europe, physical touch is a big part of daily life. What's more, there are different standards for who touches whom and where. In much of the Arab world, men hold hands and kiss each other in greeting, but would never do the same with a woman. In Thailand and Laos, it is taboo to touch anyone's head, even children's. In South Korea, elders can touch younger people with force when trying to get through a crowd, but younger people can't do the same. Eye contact In most Western countries, frequent eye contact is a sign of confidence and attentiveness . We may think that a conversation partner who looks away is either not listening to us or lying. Of course, this is not the standard around the world. In many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, the unbroken eye contact would be considered impolite and rude. These cultures consider avoiding eye contact a sign of respect for bosses and elders. In these parts of the world, children won't look at an adult who is speaking to them, and nor will employees look at their bosses. In Britain, when people are talking, they usually_. It was a simple letter asking for a place to study at Scotland's oldest university which helped start a revolution in higher education. A 140-year-old letter written by a lady calling for her to be allowed to study medicine at St Andrews University has been discovered by researchers. Written by Sophia Jex-Blake in 1873, the seven-page document, which urged the university to allow women to study medicine at the institution, was released yesterday on International Women's Day. The document was discovered buried in the university archives by part-time history student Lis Smith, who is completing her PhD at St Andrews Institute of Scottish Historical Research. She said: "We knew that Sophia Jex-Blake and her supporters, in their effort to open up university medical education for women, had written to the Senatus Academicus at St Andrews in an attempt to gain permission to attend classes there, but we didn't know documentary evidence existed. While searching the archives for information about the university's higher certificate for women, I was astonished to come across what must be the very letter Jex-Blake wrote." In the letter, Sophia and her supporters offered to hire teachers or build suitable buildings for a medical school and to arrange for lectures to be delivered in the subjects not already covered at St Andrews. Although her letter was not successful, it eventually led to the establishment of the Ladies Literate in Arts at St Andrews, a distance-learning degree for women. The qualification, which ran from 1877 until the 1930s, gave women access to university education in the days before they were admitted as students. It was so popular that it survived long after women were admitted as full students to St Andrews in 1892. Ms Jex-Blake went on to help establish the London School of Medicine for Women in 1874. She was accepted by the University of Berne, where she was awarded a medical degree in January 1877. Eventually, she moved back to Edinburgh and opened her own practice. Lis Smith found Sophia's letter to St Andrews University _ . How often do you let other people like a bad driver, a rude waiter, or an angry boss, change your mood ? Sixteen years ago I learned a lesson. I got in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver used his brakes , the tires made a loud noise, and at the very last moment our car stopped just 3cm from the back of the other car. I couldn't believe it. But then I couldn't believe what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, turned his head around and he started shouting at us. I couldn't believe it! My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy could have killed us!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck". He said, "Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of anger and disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. So I started thinking how often I let Garbage Trucks run right over me and how often I take their garbage and spread it to other people. I began to see Garbage Trucks. I see _ people are carrying. I see them coming to dump it. And like my taxi driver, I don't take it personally. I just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. What happened to the author on his way to Grand Central Station? As a professor at a large American university,there is a phrase that I hear often from students:"I'm only a 1050."The unlucky students are speaking of the score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test(SAT),which is used to determine whether they will be admitted to the college or university of their choice,or even if they have a chance to get a higher education at all.The SAT score,whether it is 800,1100 or 1550,has become the focus at this time of their life. It is obvious that if students value highly their test scores,then a great amount of their self-respect is put in the number.Students who perform poorly on the exam are left feeling that it is all over.The low test score,they think,will make it impossible for them to get into a good college.And without a degree from a _ ,they fear that many of life's doors will remain forever closed. According to a study done in the 1990s,the SAT is only a reliable indicator of a student's future performance in most cases.Interestingly,it becomes much more accurate when it is set together with other indicators-like a student's high school grades.Even if standardized tests like the SAT could show a student's academic proficiency ,they will never be able to test things like confidence,efforts and willpower,and are unable to give us the full picture of a student's potentialities .This is not to suggest that we should stop using SAT scores in our college admission process.The SAT is an excellent test in many ways,and the score is still a useful means of testing students.However,it should be only one of many methods used. This passage is mainly about _ . First lady Michelle Obama turns 50 on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. Michelle Obama has spent the first half-century of her life breaking barriers and checking off a series of firsts. Now, as she reaches her milestone birthday Friday, the nation will be watching to see in what other areas she will leave her mark. Five years after moving into the White House, and without a re-election campaign to worry about, she has more room to relax in her role and, political watchers say, possibly become more vocal on political issues in the three years left in office. So far, critics have complained about Michelle's silence on issues where they expected to hear her voice: Last year, at the start of her husband's second term, she disappointed advocates for tighter gun-control measures after she failed to push harder on the issue in response to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. She also disappointed some feminists who wanted her to defend their causes instead of falling back on her self-described role as the nation's "mom-in-chief." Nor did she handle racial issues during her second term, as some had expected. "The most important thing to remember is, whether you are black, white or Hispanic, you're the first lady and the president of all the people in the United States. That's a huge melting pot, so to reinforce that she's African American over anything else would not be wise," said Anita McBride, who directs programming and national conferences on the legacies of America's first ladies and their historical influence at American University. Valerie Jarrett, a top White House adviser and a close friend of the Obamas, said the first lady doesn't want to " _ " "She really wants to have a maximum impact and to do that in fewer areas," Jarrett told the Associated Press. "That, she said, "is better than trying to take on every single possible cause." But Robert Watson, a Lynn University professor, said he expects Obama to "go a little harder at issues" over the next several years. "Second-term first ladies usually feel more at ease to speak more forcefully about issues close to their heart," he said. Myra Gutin, a Ryder University communications professor and frequent lecturer on first ladies, said she expects Obama to continue making both of them a priority in her remaining years in the White House, given their success. Michelle launched the "Let's Move" campaign in 2010. It in particular has gained widespread support, ranging from the National Football League to the Sesame Street franchise , which even gave permission to the produce industry to use its licensed characters for free on fruits and vegetables. "There's no such thing as a traditional first lady, not anymore in this technology-filled world. Is Mrs. Obama cutting edge? Is she an activist? No. As first ladies go, I think she's been politically careful because she does not want there to be a major flare-up that would require her husband to use his political capital to clean up," she said. "But she's not exactly just sitting in the White House pouring tea and having receptions, either." According to the professors or advisers, which of the following statements is NOT true?
To get a chocolate out of a box requires a lot of unpacking: the box has to be taken out of the paper bag in which it arrived, the cellophane wrapper has to be tom off, the lid opened and the paper removed, the chocolate itself then has to be unwrapped from its own piece of paper: But _ . It is now becoming increasingly difficult to buy anything that is not done up in beautiful wrapping. The package itself is of no interest to the shopper, who usually throws it away immediately. Useless wrapping accounts for much of the refuse put out by the average London house-hold each week So why is it done? Some of it, like the cellophane on meat, is necessary, but most of the rest is simply competitive selling. This is absurd.Packaging is using up valuable energy and resources and polluting the environment. Recycling is already happening with milk bottles which are returned to the dairies , washed out, and refilled. But both glass and paper are being threatened by the growing use of plastic. More dairies are experimenting with plastic bottles. The trouble with plastic is that it does not rot Some environmentalists argue that the only solution to the problem of ever increasing plastic containers is to throw away plastic altogether in the shops, a suggestion unacceptable to many producers who say there is no alternative to their handy plastic packs. It is evident that more research is needed into the recovery and re-use of various materials and into the cost of collecting and recycling containers rather than producing new ones. Unnecessary packaging, intended to be used just once, and make things look better so more people will buy them, is clearly becoming increasingly absurd But it is.not so much a question of throwing away packaging as using it wisely.What is needed now is a more advanced approach to using scarce resources for what is, after all, a ly unimportant function. Some environmentalists think that _ . Answer: A petition on change.org with some 75000 signatures is asking a Florida school district to change the name of a high school that is named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, a founding member of the original Ku Klux Klan. The KKK was a secret American political organization of white men who opposed people of other races or religions. According to Marsha Oliver chief of communications for the Duval County School District, it doesn't matter how many people sign the petition because the process for changing a school's name is community-based and the final decision is up to the school board . The school board was asked by the School Advisory Council in April 2007 to change the name but the board voted 5-2 against it. Its membership has changed since then. The school was named after Forrest when it opened with white students only in 1959, a name suggestion that came from an organization called Daughters of the Confederacy. Now, more than half of the school's students are African-American. The change.org petition was drawn up by a man named Omotaya Richamond, who wrote the following to explain his action: I moved to Jacksonville from Long Island 12 years ago. Since then, I have put down roots here. I have helped raise a beautiful daughter here. This place is my home now. Jacksonville is home to Nathan Bedford Forrest High School, named in honor of a founding member of the original Ku Klux Klan. I don't want my daughter, or any student, going to a school with such a name. Five years ago, the school board voted 5-2 to keep the name. But a lot has changed in five years. All five members who voted for Nathan Bedford Forrest High School have been replaced. There is a new school superintendent who publicly stated that he would support a push from our community to change the name. Now is the time to correct a historical wrong. African-American Jacksnville students shouldn't have to attend a high school named for someone who killed and terrorize their ancestors one more school year. Please support changing the name today. The author writes this passage mainly to _ . Answer: A few years ago I was shopping with a friend and his 12-year-old daughter in downtown San Francisco.A street musician,whom my friend happened to know from his own musician day,was playing the saxophone on a street corner.His name was Clifford,and he had attracted a large crowd with his performance.After he finished,my friend introduced him to me and his daughter.Clifford asked her if she played any instrument.When she replied that she was taking trumpet lessons and played in her junior high school band,he said,"That's fine,little lady.Learn your instrument well and you can play anything."Somehow these simple yet wise words struck me as suitable not only for a trumpet player but also for a reader.If you learn to read well,you can read anything you want--not just newspapers and magazines,but more difficult material like philosophy,film criticism,military history--whatever interests you as your confidence grows.You would not be limited in any way.If you have the vocabulary -or at least a good dictionary near at hand--you can pick up a book,concentrate on it, and make sense of the writer's words. In the United States,reading instruction often ends at elementary school,so students sometimes have difficulty as they progress through school.They must take their assignments,armed only with their elementary,school reading skills.The result,too often,is frustration and loss of confidence.And the assigned reading in your college courses will be even greater than they were in high school.Developing Reading Skills is designed to accomplish several tasks:to show you the skills that will enable you to read with greater comprehension,to help you deal with reading assignment with confidence,and to teach you to become an active reader. The talk between the girl and Clifford serves as an introduction to _ . Answer: I go to work at ten o'clock every night. When I ride a bike to my office, I talk with other doctors. Then I go to help all the sick people. Some nights are very quiet, but some nights are really busy, especially on weekends. On busy nights, I even have to help other doctors. I can go home at six o'clock every morning. On my way home, I can see only a few people on the street. When I get home, I eat breakfast with my family first. Then, I read newspapers. That's my habit. I can get some news from the newspapers. After that, I go to bed. My job isn't easy, but I like _ a lot because I can help people. ,. The writer goes to work by _ . Answer: Five Booming Careers in Health Care Loving what you do is great,but knowing your career will be there tomorrow is even better. And when it comes to booming fields,the health care industry is one that's primed for growth. Want to prepare to take your place in the health care field?Check out these five indemand health care careers. Career 1 Medical and Health Services Manager If you want to take your leadership skills into the growing health care field,consider pursuing a career as a medical and health services manager. As a medical and health services manager you might plan,direct,and organize health services in an entire health care facility,or a specific department or clinical area,says U.S. Department of Labor. Daily duties could include handling a facility's finances,creating work schedules,and making sure that health care services are delivered efficiently. Career 2 Medical Assistant If you are interested in working in a doctor's office,consider preparing for a career in the indemand field of medical assisting. As a medical assistant,you could play a role in helping patients' visits go smoothly from when they first walk in the door. Your duties might include measuring vital signs,assisting the physician with examinations,recording health information,and scheduling appointments,according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Career 3 Registered Nurse Ready to put your helpful nature to use in the largest health care field?Look into prepping to pursue a career in registered nursing. As a registered nurse,you could work closely with patients by providing care,education,and emotional support. You might give patients medicines and treatments,observe their conditions,or perform diagnostic tests,says the U.S. Department of Labor. Career 4 Physical Therapist Assistant Want to enter an indemand health care field where you could really play a handson role in helping patients restore their physical functionality?If so,a career as a physical therapist assistant could be a good fit. Under the supervision of a physical therapist,you could help patients regain movement as they recover from injuries,illnesses, or surgery. Your role in the rehabilitation process could include assisting patients with techniques(massage[],stretching)and therapeutic methods like electrical stimulation and mechanical traction,says the U.S. Department of Labor. Career 5 Pharmacy Technician Prefer a health care career that is less handson?Consider pursuing a career in the growing pharmacy technician field. Pharmacy technicians can be responsible for counting pills,filling prescriptions,providing customer service,and fulfilling administrative tasks under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist,according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The author writes the passage mainly to _ . Answer:
Which statement describes how muscles work to allow a person to extend an arm from a curled position by straightening the elbow? Answer: The triceps contract and the biceps relax. Kindness and kids just seem to go hand in hand. But 62% of more than 2,600 participants in the NBC News State of Kindness Poll believe that today's kids are less kind than those in the past. Women(66%) feel about this kindness fall more strongly than men(58%). Most of the participants who feel that way(77%) thank parents caused the seeming lack of kindness among today's children, with a few thinking that society, schools, or friends caused it. At the same time, Americans say they don't put kindness first when it comes to teaching kids values. Among all participants, honesty is taught more than kindness as well as other things like courage, leadership and storing work ethic . But the younger generation--those aged 18-24--think highly of kindness rules. They choose kindness by 10% over honesty as the most important quality to teach kids. The question of whether kindness is learned or taught--or somewhere in between --causes different opinions. According to the study, Americans have different opinions on whether kindness in something one is born with or needs to be learned and _ over time. Slightly more than half(52%) of the participants believe that all of us are born with the ability to show kindness, while 48% believe kindness must be developed. Parenthood makes a difference to your thoughts on the causes of kindness. Those without kids(56%) are more likely to think that people are born to be kind, while 50% of the participants with kids think kindness is developed. Also, 51% of dads and 54% of men with no kids believe kindness is something time is born with. Slightly more than half of the moms say kindness must be learned, while 48% believe it is what one is born with. What do participants aged 18-24 consider the most important for kids? Answer: Kindness. Raising Money to Find a Cure, One Ribbon Barrette at a Time How many times a day do we tell our kids that we're proud of them? Probably not nearly enough. As a daughter of Chinese parents, it's not in our culture's nature to celebrate incredible accomplishments by announcing them to the world, but I'm going to break the rule and announce that I'm so proud of my 10-year-old daughter and all that she has done to raise money to support research to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis(CF,) "Mommy, " said Emily as we rushed around the house packing our things for another day at the pool last summer. "I'm going to bring my ribbon barrettes to sell during adult swimming" Emily's best friend is one of the 30,000 children and adults living in the United States with Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. In the 1950s, very few children with CF lived to attend elementary school. Although great progress in understanding and treating CF has led to great improvements in the length and quality of life for those with CF, there still isn't a cure. Last spring, Emily donated $ 140 CFF's Great Walk in honor of her best friend living with Cystic Fibrosis. She had no idea what the summer would bring for her CFF ribbon barrette fundraise when school ended for the year. Fortunately, every time I shared a photo of Emily's ribbon barrettes on the Internet, we received orders that privately message me or email me with requests for barrettes in their favorites colors. Three weeks into the summer, Emily had raised $ 297 and I was spending a lot of time running her to the craft store to restock her supplies for a very good cause while my husband was packing and shipping orders all over the country. My social media accounts have served as the most powerful tool for Emily to spread the _ . People notice kids doing great things and want to help the girls who are raising money to help find a cure, one ribbon barrette at a time. Emily and her best friend have named their activity Ribbon Barrettes for Research. They have business cards and a brand new shiny website developed on a free platform, to show that any kid can do what she has been doing. To my daughter, each sale is a victory and each order that goes out is an opportunity to spread awareness about CF. The handwritten thank-you note included in each order further shows the importance of teaching kids and parents how much their purchase support research that we hope will one day find a cure for CF. As a parent, I love that Emily has found the power in her own voice and she has inspired others to advocate causes they care about. According to the passage, Emily's ribbon barrettes are sold mainly _ . Answer: on the Internet Your schooldays should be some of the best and happiest days of your life. How can you gain the most from them, and ensure you do not waste this wonderful opportunity to learn? Be positive about school. Don't say things are difficult or boring. Be interested in school-life and your school subjects. Join lots of activities. Be quick to put your hand up. Go round the school with a big smile. Expect to work. School is not a holiday camp. If you are not working, you are not learning, and you are wasting your time at school. Teachers cannot make everything enjoyable. Keep fit. If you do not eat a good breakfast, you will be thinking about food in class. If you go to bed late and do not have enough sleep, you will be sleepy in class. Play some sports to keep your body strong. Do today's work today. Do not say you will do things tomorrow. If you get behind the class, it is very difficult to get back in front. You cannot finish a race if you rest all the time. Don't be too disappointed if things sometimes go badly. Everyone fails some tests, loses some matches and has bad days. Friends are not always perfect, and they sometimes say and do unpleasant things. Don't let small problems seem very big and important. Talk about problems. Sometimes they are only the result of misunderstanding. Don't be too embarrasssed to ask for help. You are young. No one thinks you can do everything. Plan your time. Don't waste life lying in bed on Saturday morning. Go and play a sport, learn the piano, work on a project, read a book, practise English, or help someone with problems. There are always a lot of things to do. Set targets. If your last grade was a D, work for a C. try to make progress bit by bit. Think of small targets: "I will speak in class four times this week", "I will finish my project on Wednesday" or "I will get two more marks this week". Follow our advice, and have a happy school-life! If Johnny wants to read comic books, not textbooks, he needs to read _ . Answer: Expect to work. Helen Thomas, born on August 4, 1920, is a famous news reporter, a Hearst Newspapers columnist, and member of the White House Press Corps. She served for fifty-seven years as a correspondent and White House bureau chief for United Press International (UPI). She is called "First Lady of the Press". Born in Kentucky, Helen Thomas was raised in Detroit, Michigan where she attended public schools and later graduated from Wayne State University. Upon leaving college, Helen served as a copy girl in an old company in Washington. In 1943, Ms. Thomas joined United Press International and the Washington Press Corps. Thomas served as president of the Women's National Press Club from 1959 to 1960. In November, Helen began covering then President-elect John F. Kennedy, following him to the White House in January 1961 as a UPI correspondent. She later became White House Bureau Chief for UPI, where she was employed until her resignation on May 17, 2000. Thomas then became a White House correspondent and columnist. Thomas was the only woman journalist traveling with then President Nixon to China in January, 1972. She has traveled around the world several times with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, during the course of which she covered every Economic Summit.The World Almanachas cited her as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America. On March 21, 2006, Thomas was called upon directly by President Bush for the first time in three years. Thomas asked Bush about Iraq. Helen Thomas has written four books and she is also a popular speaker at events nationwide. After reading the passage it can be inferred that _ . Answer: President Bush received Thomas once in his term.
John is thirteen now. He began to study in a middle school two years ago. His home is in a small village and it's nearly five kilometers from the school. He has to get up early in the morning. After a quick breakfast, he has to run to school and get there on time. His father hopes to borrow some money to buy a bike for him, but he knows his mother is always ill and his father spends much money on medicine. He doesn't agree with him and keeps running there every day. Now he's very strong and never late for class and his teachers often praise him. Last week there was a sports meeting in his school. John ran faster than any other boy and won the boys' 800 meters, 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. The whole school knew him. He was very happy. He told his grandma about the good news as soon as he got home. "I broke two school records today, Granny." called out the boy. To his surprise, the old woman wasn't happy. She thought for a while and said, "I'm sorry to hear that. We have no money to pay for them, you know!" John _ after the school sports meeting. A ran faster B worked harder C became famous D got a bike Answer: C. became famous Students want to plant a lemon tree at their school, but the cold winter temperatures in Massachusetts would kill the tree. Which of the following is the best solution to this problem? A planting several lemon trees together in a row B building a greenhouse to shelter the lemon tree C giving the lemon tree extra fertilizer in the winter D tying a stake to the lemon tree for support during the winter Answer: B. building a greenhouse to shelter the lemon tree An elephant and a monkey were arguing. "Look, how big and strong I am!" The elephant said. The monkey disagreed, "Look, how fast I can run and climb! Can you?" At last they asked a wise tiger, "Which is better--to be strong or to be quick?" The tiger said, "Go across the river and pick the fruit on that tree for me, then I can tell." So they went to the river, but the water ran fast and the monkey was afraid. "Get on my back," said the elephant proudly, "I shall carry you." Soon they crossed the river. There stood the tree. But the fruit was too high for the elephant to reach. He also tried to pull the tree down, but failed. "Don't worry." The monkey climbed quickly up the tree, and picked the fruit. Then they returned and gave the tiger the fruit. "Which is better--to be strong or to be quick?" The tiger smiled, "Neither of you could get the fruit alone. It took both the elephant's strength and the monkey's quickness to get it." How did the monkey and the elephant finally get the fruit? A By working together. B By pulling down the tree. C By arguing with friends. D By asking the tiger for help. Answer: A. By working together. The Ghost Bridegroom At the time of this story, there was a great family gathering at the castle to meet the promised bridegroom of the Baron's daughter. An arrangement had been made between the Baron and an old nobleman of Bavaria, Berton, for a marriage between their children. It would increase the importance of both families. The initial plans had been made in the usual way: the young people were engaged without having met each other and the date set for the wedding. The young Count Von Altenburg had been recalled from the army and was on his way to the castle to meet his promised bride. Messages had been received from Wurtzburg where he was accidentally delayed. The messages indicated the day and time when he might be expected to arrive. The castle was in a fever of preparation to provide him with a suitable welcome. Anne had dressed with particular care. Bertha and Wilda had selected her clothing and quarreled all morning about what she should wear. The young lady had taken advantage of their arguments to wear exactly what she wanted and had chosen very well. She looked as beautiful as any young bridegroom could wish for, and the excitement made her look even lovelier. The two aunts constantly directed her, as single aunts usually take a great interest in the love affairs of others. They were giving her the final instructions on how to behave, what to say, and how to greet her intended husband. Hour by hour passed. The sun, which had been so warm over the rich forests of the Odenwald, was now setting along the tops of the mountains. The Baron went to the tallest tower in the castle to see if he could see any sign of the Count and his escorts. Once, he thought he saw them. The sound of horns came floating up from the valley. A party of men was seen far below, riding slowly along the road. It was a false alarm, for when they reached the foot of the mountain, they suddenly rode off in a different direction. The sun, by now, had set, and the bats began to fly about in the evening light. It was getting dark, and the only movement on the road was the occasional worker returning home. What can best describe the bridegroom? A He accepted his intended marriage arranged without his knowledge. B He was eager to meet his intended wife so he retired from the army. C He wouldn't have been welcome by the bride had he arrived on time. D He didn't like the marriage so purposely delayed going to the castle. Answer: A. He accepted his intended marriage arranged without his knowledge. When you turn on the radio, you hear an advertisement. When you watch television, you hear and see an advertisement. If you turn the pages of a newspaper or magazine, again you find an advertisement. If you walk down the street, you see one advertising board after another. All day, every day, people who want to sell you something compete to catch your attention. As a result, advertisements are almost everywhere. In the West, advertisements are the fuel that makes mass media work. Many TV stations, newspapers, magazines, radio stations are privately owned. The government does not give them money. So where does the money come from? From advertisements. Without advertisements, there would not be these private businesses. Have you ever asked yourself what advertising is? Through the years, people have given different answers to the question. For some time it was felt that advertising was a means of keeping your name before the public? and some people thought that advertising was "truth well told." Now more and more people describe it in this way: Advertising is the paid, non-personal, and usually persuasive description of goods, services and ideas by identified sponsors through various media. First, advertising is usually paid for. Various sponsors pay for the advertisements we see, read, and hear over the various media. Second, advertising is non-personal. It is not face to face communication. Although you may feel that a message in a certain advertisement is aimed directly at you, in reality, it is directed at large groups of people. Third, advertising is usually persuasive. Directly or indirectly it tells people to do something. All advertisements try to make people believe that the product, idea, or service advertised can do good to them. Fourth, the sponsor of the advertisement must be identified. From the advertisement, we can see if the sponsor is a company, or an organization, or an individual. Fifth, advertising reaches us through traditional and nontraditional mass media. Included in the traditional media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and films. Nontraditional media include the mail, matchbox covers, and billboards. The existence of the privately owned mass media depends financially on _ . A the government B their owners?families C advertisements D the audience Answer: C. advertisements
Bruno was a boy of eight. His father worked in a cinema and his mother worked in a shop. He lived not far from his school. He always walked there and walked home. On his way to school he had to pass a playground. It was very wet after it rained. One day, when he got home, his clothes were all wet. His mother became angry and said, "Don't play in the water on your way home from school!" On the next day Bruno came home with wet and dirty clothes. His mother became even angrier. "I 'll tell your father if you come back wet again." said his mother. "He will punish you, you know." The third day the little boy was dry when he came home. "You 're a good boy today." His mother said happily. "You didn't play in the water." "No, "the boy said unhappily. "There were too many older boys in the water when i got there this afternoon. There wasn't any room for me at all." That afternoon, the boy's clothes were dry because _ . A. nobody made room for him in the water. B. there was no water on the playground C. He took off his clothes before he played there. D. He played in the water carefully. Answer: A. nobody made room for him in the water. Orville Wright was born on August 19, 1871 in Dayton, Ohio, USA and died on January 30, 1948. Together with his brother, Wilbur, he was the first airplane builder. The brothers created the first controlled, powered and heavier-than-air human flight. His parents were Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Koerner and besides the two famous brothers they had five children. One day after a trip his father brought as a gift a small helicopter. The kids loved it and as they played daily with it after a while it broke. The brothers managed to create a new one. Wright even let go his plans of attending Yale. He spent his time helping his ill mother and reading in his father's library. In 1884 the family decided to move to Dayton and they remained there until the 1870's. A printing press was built by the two and Wilbur was an editor. In 1892 they started being fascinated by the aeronautical events of that time. Then they started to create an airplane and Wilbur was considered the head of the team. They were the inventors of "three axis-control", which permitted the pilot to _ the aircraft's balance. In 1900 they had their first attempts to make a functional glider -- of course it didn't have a pilot. After three years they thought of introducing an engine to the glider. At first, their patent application was refused in 1903, but after one year it was accepted. Orville's first flight lasted 12 seconds and had 36.5 meters. He was responsible with the public shows near Washington in the United States. On September 9, 1908 his flight was 62 minutes and 15 seconds long and the success was huge. Wright didn't go to Yale probably because _ . A. he had to create a plane B. he didn't have enough money C. he would like to learn by himself D. his mother asked him to stay at home Answer: A. he had to create a plane Surfing the net when you should be finishing a work report, changing clothes when you have a train to catch, or perhaps even lying in bed when you've promised yourself you'll work out. Sound familiar? You aren't alone. We all procrastinate sometimes, especially when it comes to things we aren't really fond of. And while the number of activities we delay doing in any given week varies from person to person, it's fair to say that none of us is super-efficient 100 percent of the time. A study revealed that we spend about 218 minutes procrastinating every day, which amounts to 55 days of lost time each year. We might not think these figures particularly worthy of worry, but when we look at the overall impact of procrastination on our lives, _ Not only does this cost financial loss, it also affects peace of mind. And procrastination isn't just a money thief ---- it steals time too. In general, people who continually put things off are unhappier, as well as being less wealthy and healthy. So why do we do it? "When we avoid taking action, we're really avoiding pain," explains psychiatrist Phil Stutz. For most of us, pain avoidance isn't limited to one situation. It applies to almost anything that's painful. Most of us try our best never to leave a comfort zone. That's why we sacrifice something much more valuable: time. "Our time on earth is limited," Stutz adds. "Every moment is an opportunity we'll never have again. Procrastinators act as if they have all the time in the world. But deep down, they know they're wasting parts of their life. The trouble is, most of them don't know how to free themselves." One way he says we can reach this level of freedom is by overcoming the pain of avoidance using daily visualization . "Picture the pain you're avoiding as a black cloud in front of you," Stutz says. "Notice how you're fed up with the ways this pain has held you back in life, and tell yourself that you're determined to conquer it. Then it's time to get through the cloud and to the other side -- where you're free." It is obvious that this tool works when we want to procrastinate. We then get into the habit of moving "towards" pain instead of away from it. In addition to the fact that procrastinators suffer more health problems, procrastination also destroysteamwork and personal relationships because it shifts the burden of responsibilities onto others. So next time you think about putting something off, remember the impact it will have. Experts insist: procrastinators can change their behavior, it takes a lot of self-work but in the end, it's worth the effort. And start today, not tomorrow. One possible way to stop procrastination is to _ . A. overcome it mentally B. avoid the pain C. take some self-work D. reach the freedom Answer: A. overcome it mentally Consider yourself warned. Sunday is April Fools' Day, a day when you are encouraged to play tricks on loved ones and even the people you meet at the bus stop. It's a strange tradition, but how did it get started? Nobody is completely sure about the origin of this, the silliest of holidays. However, the urban legend experts at Snopes. com say that most experts owe it to Pope Gregory XIII, who, in the 1500s, gave the world the Gregorian calendar. In 1562, the Gregorian calendar moved the first day of the year from April l to January l. Word did eventually get around, but some people were a bit slow to hear the news. These folks continued celebrating the new year on April l , unaware that they were now three months behind the times. These "April fools" were tricked by those who knew it. The tradition eventually made its way to the US. And it's still going strong. Over the past week, Web searches on " April Fools' Day jokes" and " April Fools' Day tricks" have more than doubled, and related lookups for "easy April Fools' Day tricks" and "April Fools' Day jokes for work" have also increased greatly. Bottom line: Keep your guard up, especially if somebody offers you a word search puzzle. Lookups for "impossible April Fools' Day word searches" are up by 200%. But really, there is no way to be certain you'll escape trickery because even companies are out to trick you on April l. In 1957, the BBC reported Swiss farmers were harvesting spaghetti from trees. And in 1996, Taco Bell took out ads in major newspapers announcing that the company had purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell. What is the author's purpose of writing the text? A. To teach us how to avoid being tricked. B. To point out the best way to trick others. C. To introduce the history of April Fools' Day. D. To stress the importance of April Fools' Day. Answer: C. To introduce the history of April Fools' Day. Sir Nicholas Winton, rescuer of children, died on July 1st,2015,aged 106. When the letters and the honor came knocking on the door of his house in Maidenhead, and the filmmakers came calling, Nicholas Winton always protested that he was no hero. Heroes faced danger; he never had. They put their lives on the line; he had just worked at home in Hampstead, after a day being a stockbroker in the City. They avoided bullets and the secret police; he wrote letters, made telephone calls,and composed lists. The fact that he had rescued 669 children from Czechoslovakia just as the Nazis invaded did not, in his mind, constitute heroism. He hadn't gone out there in 1938 with any burning urge to do good; just for a holiday, in fact. Nor had he gone looking for children to rescue. Instead they and their parents had come to him, as soon as word got round that he might be able to help them leave Prague and get to the West. From 6.00 a.m. the knocks would come at the door of his room in the Europa Hotel, and he would open it to find some shivering, starving, desperate figure. When faced with a problem, his instinct was to solve it. So he made lists of the children, took their photographs, got them Home Office entry permits, found them foster families and organised their departure on trains, via the Netherlands, to Liverpool Street. After just three weeks in Prague, he went back to Britain and carried on the work from there. The British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia gave him almost no help, so he took sole charge himself. The Home Office was slow with entry permits, so he copied some illegally. In search of foster-parents for the children he put their photos in Picture Post; in the hope of farther havens for them he wrote to governors and senators in America and even to President Roosevelt, to no avail. He could have rescued at least 2,000 more, he said later, if America had been willing to take any. A hero might have got involved in the stress and distress of individual cases. He avoided that by treating them like a commercial transaction: like the world he knew, in fact. A market was created, takers were sought and any likely bidder would do. Siblings were separated, if necessary. Jewish children they were almost all Jewish were often placed with Gentile families. Mr Winton did not care and he just had to get the children out alive and fast. When they arrived, exhausted, at Liverpool Street he seldom greeted them himself, preferring to stay calmly at a distance. Only one event traumatised him: the disappearance of 250 children on the last transport of September 1st 1939,as war was declared. But this awful thing too he stored at the back of his mind, realising that he had done all he could and his part was over. The scrapbook of lists, photographs and begging letters went up to the attic; he said nothing about it, and moved on. He liked it that way. The silent background suited him very well. For 50 years he sat on the Czech story, not supposing anyone would want to know, until in 1988 the scrapbook came to light and, with it, a blaze of publicity, culminating in an evening on Esther Rantzen's "That's Life" TV show when the whole audience suddenly stood up round him, applauding him,and every one was a child he had saved. It was " ly awftil",he thought; and wept with long-suppressed joy. He was still no hero, though, in his own book. He had had no desire to improve the world: indeed, not even much idea which job he was best suited for. At his father's suggestion he had tried banking first, having left Stowe with nothing much to show for it. After the war he dabbled in business,but it didn't take. In later years he worked for a mental-health charity and helped to set up homes for the elderly; and wondered why saving the Czech children was deemed more heroic than those things. He had simply done what needed doing at that time, in that place. Surely any decent person would have done the same? What made Winton decide to help rescue the children? A. His strong desire to do good. B. His determination to be a hero. C. His hatred towards Nazis. D. His sympathy for children's fate Answer: D. His sympathy for children's fate
Soccer is not a violent game. But players can hit the ball with their head to purposely change the direction of the ball. In the sport this move is known as a header. Unfortunately, they may sometimes crash into other players, the ground or goal posts. During the World Cup semifinal soccer match in Sao Paulo, Brazil, July 2014,Netherlands,Dirk Kuyt went for a header with Argentina's Javier Mascherano and Ezequiel Garay, making his competitors injured in head. Catherine McGill is a neuropsychologist at the Children's National Health System in Houston. She examines many children who have suffered concussions ,which are the most common brain injury. She says concussions from soccer and other youth sports are increasing. "Firstly,parents, coaches, and medical providers alike are getting better at recognizing and responding to the injury, and it,s a huge proof to media paying more attention to this and leagues paying more attention to the safety of their players. Also, kids are getting bigger, faster, stronger across the sports, and so more injuries may be occurring simply because of that." Catherine McGill spoke at a recent conference on ways to make soccer safer for young players which was held recently in New York. She says researchers are examining the effects of soccer-related head injuries. They want to know whether repeated hits to the head can cause CTE, which is a brain disorder that worsens as a person ages. She says parents often ask what age children should start "heading" or whether there should be "heading" at all. She thinks it,s a very individual decision. The age for one child may be quite different from another. What's the main purpose of the passage? A. To entertain us with exciting soccer matches. B. To warn us of something dangerous in sports. C. To inform us of risks of heading in soccer. D. To share ways to make soccer safer for children. Answer: C Every artist knows in his heart that he is saying something to the public. Not only does he want to say it well, but he wants it to be something that has not been said before. He hopes that the public will listen and understand ----he wants to teach them, and he wants them to learn from him. What visional artists like painters want to teach is easy to make out but difficult to explain, because painters translate their experience into shapes and colors, not words. They seem to feel that a certain choice of shapes and colors, out of the countless billions possible, is very interesting for them and worth showing to us. Without their work we should never have noticed these particular shapes and colors, or have felt the delight which they brought to the artists. Most artists take their shapes and colors from the world of nature and from human bodies in movement and at rest; their choices show that these aspects of the world are worth looking at, that they contain beautiful sights. Modern artists might say that they only choose subjects that provide an interesting pattern, that there is nothing more in it. Yet even they do not choose totally without thinking about the character of their subjects. If one painter chooses to paint a decaying leg and another a lake in moonlight, each of them is directing our attention to a certain aspect of the world . Each painter is telling us something, showing us something, emphasizing something - all of which means that, consciously or unconsciously, he is trying to teach us. It is hard to explain what a painter is saying because _ . A. most painters do not express themselves well B. a painter uses unusual words and phrases C. a painter use shapes and colors instead of words D. many painters do not say anything Answer: C A thousand years ago, Hong Kong was covered by a thick forest. As more and more people came to live in Hong Kong, these trees were cut down and burnt. Now there is no forest left, though there are still some small areas covered with trees. We call these woods. Elephants, tigers and many other animals were living in the thick forest. When people came to live in Hong Kong, the animals began to die out. Early farmers grew rice and kept pigs and chickens in the valleys. They cut down the trees and burnt them. They needed fire to keep themselves warm in winter, to cook their food and to keep away the dangerous animals. Elephants quickly disappeared because there was not enough food for them. Many other animals soon died in the same way. You might think that there are no longer any animals in Hong Kong except in 2005. But there are still about 36 different animals living there. One of the most interesting of Hong Kong's animals is the barking deer. These are beautiful little animals with a rich brown coat and a white patch under the tail. They look like deer but they are much smaller. They are less than two feet high. They make a noise rather like a dog barking. In Hong Kong the barking deer has only a real enemy---- men. People hunt these little animals though it is illegal, There are now not many barking deer left. So it is important for people to protect wild animals. Elephants quickly disappeared because _ . A. they didn't want to live there B. there wasn't enough food for them to eat C. they liked living with other people D. they didn't like Hong Kong at all Answer: B Some weird , wild and wonderful stories color1ed the news in 2010: A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its vehicles for people looking for a partner."Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the British Arriva 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 Verona, Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin among the items on display.The phones 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 clerk's 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 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 needing surgery after shooting each other in the buttocks during a drinking session to see if it would hurt were charged 400 dollars separately. A Kuwaiti MP proposed state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in a bid to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the state. What is special about the coffin in the second news? A. It is golden B. It has a cell phone. C. It is a luxury D. It has many items Answer: B Huangshi will have new rules about behaviour standards for middle school students very soon. Middle Schools are going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. The best students won't only have high marks. The new rules will be used first in No. 2 Middle School of Huangshi in September 2015. The following are some of the new rules. Tell the truth Have you ever cheated in an exam, for example, copying answers from a book or looking at other students' answers? Don't do it again! That's not something honest students should do. Do more at school Good students don't only think of themselves, but they also care for other people and the surrounding. Look at the people around you; do they need help? Give a hand to whoever is in need. You are in a big family! Pay attention to the environment. Wherever possible, do something to protect the earth we live on. Be open to new ideas Have you ever thought people may live on the moon or travel in space? Having new ideas means possible inventions and discoveries. Protect yourself Has a thief ever broken into your classroom and taken your money from your schoolbag? Don't let it happen again. And if you have to go back home late, you should let your parents know. Use the Internet carefully The Internet can be very useful for your study. But some things on the Internet aren't good for kids, so try to look at the good Web pages, which you can use for fun or homework. Which is your best choice if you have to go back home late? A. Leaving with the classroom door open B. Taking money from your classmates C. Phoning your parents and let them know D. Speaking to strangers Answer: C
The Internet can be a great way to connect with people. The latest web craze is social networking on websites such as MySpace. More than 65 million young people use online social networking sites. That cyberspace trend is causing problems in school, however. In a recent survey, nearly 36 percent of school administrators said that social networking sites troubled learning in their districts. Should school districts ban sites like MySpace? Teachers are worried that some students use social networking to post personal information and to cyber bully other students. One of the biggest dangers comes from people who find out kid's personal information. Many districts have blocked students from accessing or using social networking sites from school computers, and some have suspended students for posting harmful material on those sites from their home computers. Nearly two-thirds of US kids have computers in their homes, according to the US Census Bureau. "It is important to keep in mind that just blocking access to social web sites at school is not the end of the story," warns NSBA executive director Anne Bryant, "Most of the misuse of these sites takes place at home but still affects the classroom." _ . They say the main problem with sites like MySpace is that students don't understand the dangers involved in using them. "Many students are posting personal information about themselves without regard to who has access to that information," Jim Hirsch said, "Schools should focus on educating their students and their parents on how to be safe online." Experts argue that too many schools are forbidding students to use social networking web sites without thinking about their educational benefits. "Social networking web sites can help connect students in the United States to their peers in other countries, providing invaluable lessons in foreign cultures," explains Hirsch. What might be the most suitable title for the passage? A Lessons Online? B Friendship Online? C Dangers Online? D Information Online? Answer: C Teenagers shouldn't eat too much junk food. Teenagers shouldn't eat food with too much salt. Salt can cause high blood pressure in the future. Teenagers should eat food with less fat, oil and sugar. Teenagers need to eat some fruits and vegetables every day. Fruits and vegetates are rich in vitamins and have little fat. Teenagers need to drink more milk. Milk will help their bones grow. Teenagers need to eat breakfast every day. This is good for their bodies and minds. The best title for this passage is _ . A Bad Habits. B Junk Food. C Unhealthy Food D Advice on Healthy Eating Answer: D May 5 is Japanese Children's Day. In fact, it is usually called Boy's Day because it is mainly celebrated ( ) by boys. The celebration of Boy's Day has a long history. It is said that the festival comes from the Dragon Boat Festival in China. On Boy's Day, Japanese boys eat a special kind of rice cake. It is covered with a leaf and filled with bean paste ( ). Children love to eat it very much. On this day, children don't have to go to school. Each family with a boy hangs up huge carp-shaped flag ( ). The flags are usually three colors: black, red and blue. Black stands for the father, red stands for the mother and blue stands for the son. Japanese parents believe that the flags will bring their boys good luck and give them courage and power. Japanese parents believe that the carp-shaped flags will _ . A bring their boys good luck B give their boys courage. C give their boys power D All the above. Answer: D Kate White has a big family. There are nine people. Her grandfather's name is James White. He is a doctor. Her grandmother's name is Alice White. She is a housewife . They have a son and a daughter. Her father's name is Thomas White and he is an actor. Her mother's name is Jenny White and she is a nurse. Kate is 13 years old and she is a junior high school student. She has a little brother, Jimmy. Jimmy is three. Charles in her uncle, and Casey is her aunt. They are teachers. They have a baby. His name is Tommy. Kate likes her family very much. ,. James is Kate's _ . A grandfather B father C brother D uncle Answer: A One afternoon, Coyote went hunting. Suddenly, a large frog laughed in front of him. Coyote pounced and pinned Frog to the ground. Frog thought quickly and came up with a plan. "Brother Coyote," he called. "You must not eat me today!" Coyote laughed loudly, _ "Why, I have a bet to make with you," Frog stated. "Tomorrow there is to be a race." Coyote's ears twitched. "A race?" "Yes," Frog continued. "You and I will race. If you win, then you may eat me." Coyote agreed. Frog hurried to the lake. In the morning, the animals gathered to watch as Coyote and Frog agreed on the course they would run. They were to start at the large stone and circle all the way around the lake. The first one back to the stone would be the winner. When the sun reached the noonday mark, they were off. Coyote ran as quickly as he could. Frog bounded into the grass and waited. Coyote looked behind him. Seeing no sign of Frog, Coyote was sure he would win. As Coyote was beginning to tire, Frog's look-alike friend jumped onto the course from behind an alder tree ahead. Coyote was surprised to see what he thought was Frog, and ran even faster, determined to win. Coyote dashed past him and called, "You may be fast, but I'm faster, I'll wait at the finish line to eat you up, Frog!" When Coyote came in sight of the finish line, Frog had appeared from his hiding place and easily hopped across the line. "You may be fast, Coyote, but I've managed to beat you!" Frog joyfully called out. Silently, he added, "With the help of my friends." Coyote went home puzzled and hungry again. From this passage, we can make a conclusion that _ . A it is better to be fast than slow B it is better to be big than little C it is better to be a rabbit than a mouse D it is better to be clever than strong Answer: D
Dear Alcohol, You've been around forever. I can remember all the pain you've caused for me. Do you remember the night you almost took my father's life? I do. He loves you. Sometimes I think he loves you more than he loves me. He's addicted to you, to the way you promise to rid him of his problems only to cause more of them. You just sat back and laughed as his car went spinning through the street, crashing into two other cars. He wasn't the only one hurt by you that night. Do you remember the night of my first high school party? You were there. My friends _ you. They treated you as if they were never going to see you again, drinking all of you that they could. I spent two hours that night helping my friends who had fallen completely. "I'm so embarrassed," they said as I held their hair back so that they could vomit . "I'm sorry," they said when I called taxies for them, walking them out and paying the driver in advance. "This won't happen again," they said as they were sent to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped. Two 15-year-old girls slept in hospital beds that night thanks to you. Do you remember the night when you took advantage of my 17-year-old neighbor who had to drive to pick up his sister from her dance lessons? Do you know how we all felt when he hit another car and killed the two people in the other car? He died the next morning too. His sister walked home from her dance lesson, and passed police cars and a crowd of people gathering on the sidewalk just two blocks away from the dance studio. She didn't realize her brother was in the midst of it all. She never saw him again. And it's all your fault. I wish you'd walk out of my life forever. I don't want anything to do with you. Look at all the pain you've caused. Sure, you've made people happy too from time to time. But the damage you've caused in the lives of millions is inexcusable. Stop luring in the people I love. Stop hurting me, please. Sincerely, Anonymous What did alcohol do to the author's father? Answer: It made him get into a car accident and badly injure himself. A lot of kids have dreams they'll never achieve due to the limitations of their little bodies. They want to fly, or to become a dinosaur, or to learn how to act like Spiderman. Luka Tavcar, 12, has muscular dystrophy and is totally dependent on his wheelchair. Nevertheless, late last year, he had an inspired plan: to be photographed walking around and having fun. He approached Matej Peljhan, an amateur photographer and a psychologist at CIRIUS rehabilitation center near Ljubljana, Slovenia, where Luka is a patient. At first, Peljhan was perplexed. How could he photograph a boy who can not move or act in motion? "Luka wanted to see himself playing and having fun, but it seemed impossible," he says. Then Peljhan had a brainstorm: Luka could lie down on a piece of cloth and, with the help of an assistant, Peljhan would pose the boy as if he were jumping, climbing stairs, moving downhill on a skateboard, and playing basketball. Then Peljhan would shoot these images from above. The photos took about a month to produce; all were shot early this year. Peljhan, who lost his right arm and left eye as a child, says his own disabilities motivated him to make the photographs. "I understand people with limitations," he says. He named the series "The Little Prince" after the French story by Antoine de Saint-Exupery in which a boy teaches a man about trust, hope, and friendship. Luka loves the photos. Matej himself understands what it is like to live with limitations--he lost his right arm and left eye as a child."Luka wants to stay positive and his imagination helps him forget his physical limitation," says Peljhan. "He's fragile, but he can see the world differently." The idea of photographing Luka in motion was from . Answer: himself Teachers Wanted Are you a teacher? Do you like kids? Can you help them with Chinese? Come to join us. Call John at 378-5788. Ping-pong Club Do you like to play ping-pong? Do you want to play ping-pong well? Mr. Cai can teach you. You can come here every Saturday afternoon. Tel: 368-5778 Add: Room 212 in School's P.E. Buliding. Teachers help kids to learn Chinese on _ . Answer: weekends These days picture news is very popular with young people. Here are some chosen from the Internet by Jack. Read on to find out which one you like best. SPRING is coming, together with butterflies ! On March 31,the Natural History Museum in London, UK, had a butterfly show. Children came over and played with these beautiful creatures. They also got to know how butterflies grow up. Colorful butterflies flew freely at the show. They sometimes landed on visitors. Look! A large blue butterfly sits on the nose of the girl. Earlier in April 2014, Sanlian Taofen Bookstore became the first 24-hour bookstore in Beijing. It hopes to encourage more people to read books. "We welcome everyone who loves to read books at any time." The general manager of the store told China Youth Daily. Although many people can now buy books online, many readers still like the feeling in bookstores. They can touch the books and smell the print. This year, many children in the UK will have a new language to study: Chinese. Starting in 2014, students aged 7-11 in the UK need to study one of seven foreign languages. They can choose from French, German, Spanish, Italian, Latin, Greek and Chinese. The British government is offering to train a group of Chinese-language teachers. They will teach Chinese to more than 3,000 primary school students. China and the UK work together in many fields. So it's important that the future generation can speak Chinese. The best title for the third news should be _ . Answer: Chinese comes to the UK Linus Pauling,the only person who has won two undivided Nobel Prizes,was born in Portland,Oregon. He attended Washington High School but because of an unimportant detail he did not receive his diploma until 1962,long after he had received his Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Orgon State College in 1922. He had chosen to study his major because he could get a good job with it. He won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1954 for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the explanation of the structure of complex substance. His interest in the "behavior" of molecules led him from physical chemistry to biological chemistry,especially of the human body. He began with proteins and their main parts,the amino acids ,which are called the"building blocks of life".In 1950,he constructed the first satisfactory model of a protein molecule,a discovery very important to the understanding of the living cell. During World WarII,Pauling was a member of the Research Board for National Security,for which he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit in 1948. However,the use of the atomic bomb near the end of the war turned Pauling in a new direction. Having long worked on the structure of molecules,he took an immediate interest in the deadly effects of nuclear fallout on human molecular structures. From then on,Pauling protested the production of the hydrogen bomb and supported the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons. Through his efforts,The NuclearTestBan Treaty,declaring all nuclear tests to be illegal except underground ones,came into effect on October 10,1963,the same day Linus Pauling was awarded the Nobel Peace. Which of the following things did Pauling pay much attention to at first? Answer: Physical chemistry.
Thousands of hungry birds left the countryside of Britain in the bitter winter to find food and warmth in urban gardens. The move included species such as the redwing and the fieldfare, almost unknown outside rural areas The hard situation of farmland birds has been revealed in the latest survey of bird populations from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds released today. The redwing has an obvious stripe over the eye and a red flash on the flanks , while the fieldfare has a grey head, a peach underbelly, and a distinctive dark band on the tail. Graham Madge, the society's spokesman, says, "For many urban birdwatchers the sight of these striking species is a real treat. Many people have never imagined there being such an amazing chance." "Frozen ground prevented them from getting food in the countryside and they have been saved from starvation in towns," he added. He says the unusual sight this year somewhat _ the frustration felt at the suffering of small garden birds such as robins and wrens. These birds are sensitive to cold and must eat almost continuously to stay alive. Data from people who took part in the society's Big Garden Birdwatch recorded sightings in 280,000 gardens during the last weekend of January, with the goldcrest down 75 percent, the longtailed tit down 27 percent, and the coal tit down 20 percent. The study highlighted the need for food to be left out for birds during winter. The redwing and the fieldfare are relatively unknown outside the eastern part of the country. The research shows, however, that they moved to the other side of the country where the climate is generally mild in winter and that many for the first time have reached Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. The number of redwing sightings was up 185 percent, those of the fieldfare 73, and of the yellowhammer 68. Another surprise garden "guest" this year was the blackcap. This robinsized, silvergrey bird was rare in Britain 50 years ago, but increasing numbers now arrive each year from Germany and Austria. How did the urban birdwatchers probably feel when seeing the hungry birds? Answer: At 57 you would think I know what my future looks like. But I don't. I'm still searching for it. Our friends are becoming grandparents. My kids are still in college, so this makes me feel younger than I am. I felt the same way in my 40s when my friends' kids were entering high school and I was attending Christmas shows at the elementary school. "What do you mean you've never heard of Barney or the Rugrats?" I'd ask. At the age of 57, I find myself trying to find meaning at a time when some might think my best days are behind me. Each morning I wake with the intention of finding the sunshine in the day ahead. I am working temporary accounting jobs because that is the job I fell into many years ago, but I spend most of my time writing. When asked what I do for work, I find myself answering, I am a writer. I've published two novels, I blog, and I write pieces here on the Huffington Post, so yes, at 57 I can call myself a writer. At this point in my life I realize Paul Bowles was correct when he said "security is a false God". What I am searching for at 57 are not possessions or money in the bank, for all those things can be lost in an instant. Job losses, illness, the loss of a loved one, all these things can and will rock that false sense of security. At 57 I live with the choices and mistakes I have made, along with the curveballs that were thrown in my way. I accept the fact that there will always be more questions than answers. As at any age, the only true choice I have is how I deal with life's ups and downs but at 57 I have come to accept this. Time is my most precious commodity and I intend to make the most of it. What makes the author feel she is younger than she really is? Answer: The best and worst part about being a twenty-something is that every decision you make can change the rest of your life. Once you're in your 30's or 40's, it gets harder and harder to reinvent yourself. So I made an interview with Dr. Meg Jay, the clinical psychologist. He explains why the twenties matter, and how to make the most of them. In Dr. Meg Jay's opinion, our 20s are the _ decade of adulthood. 80% of life's most important moments take place by about age 35. And 2/3 of lifetime wage growth happens during the first ten years of a career. More than half of Americans are married or are dating or living with their future partner by age 30. Personality can change more during our 20s than at any other decade in life. Female fertility peaks at 28. The brain caps off its last major growth. When it comes to adult development, 30 is not the new 20. Even if you do nothing, not making choices is a choice all the same. Don't be defined by what you didn't know or didn't do. On the other hand, I also ask him how the 20s track their progress toward their future goals and whether milestones like 21 and 30 are really important. Dr. Meg Jay think it ly important. Milestones--21, 25, 30, New Year's, birthdays, reunions--are important because they cause self-reflection. What he mentioned are as follows: Am I where I wanted to be by this age? Did I do what I said I would do this year? If not, why not. And if not now, when? A 20-year-old girl who interviewed me recently told me about a question she was advised to ask herself as she moved through adulthood: "If you keep living your life exactly as it is, where will you be in 3 years?" If you don't like the answer, now is the time to change course. Surely the 20s are for experimenting, but not just with philosophies and vacations and substances . The 20s are your best chance to experiment with jobs and relationships. Then each move can be more intentional and more informed than the last. Once you make a decision in your 20's, it will _ . Answer: What is most likely to occur before a rainstorm? Answer: More sulfur dioxide is being added to the atmosphere. How will this most likely affect the hydrosphere? Answer:
Nowadays, a cellphone service is available to everyone, everywhere. Probably thousands of people have already been using it, but I just discovered it, so I'm going to claim it and also name it: Fake Foning. The technology has been working well for me at the office, but there are infinite applications. Virtually in any public space. Say you work at a big university with lots of talky faculty members buzzing about. Now, say you need to use the restroom. The trip down the hall will take approximately one hour, because a person can't walk into those talky people without getting pulled aside for a question, a bit of gossip, a new read on a certain line of Paradise Lost. So, a cellphone. Any cellphone. Just pick it up. Don't dial. Just hold that phone to your face and start talking. Walk confidently down the hall engaged in fake conversation, making sure to tailor both the topic and content to the person standing before you whom you are trying to avoid. For standard colleague avoidance, I suggest fake chatting about fake business: "Yes, I'm glad you called, because we really need to hammer out the details. What's that? Yes, I read Page 12, but if you look at the bottom of 4, I think you can see the problem begins right there." Be engaged in your fake fone conversation. Make eye contact with the people passing, nod to them, gesture keen interest in talking to them at a later time, point to your phone, shrug and move on. Shoppers should consider fake foning anytime they spot a talky neighbor in the produce department pinching unripe peaches. Without your phone at your face, you'd be in for a 20-minute speech on how terrible the world is. One important caution about fake foning. The other day I was fake foning my way past a colleague, and he was actually following me to get my attention. I knew he wanted to ask about a project I had not yet finished. I was trying to buy myself some time, so I continued fake foning with my doctor. "So I don't need the operation? Oh, doctor, that is the best news." And then: Brrrrrrng! Brrrrrmg! Brrrrrmg! My phone started ringing, right there while it was planted on my face. My colleague looked at me, and I at him, and naturally I gasped. "What is the matter with this thing?" I said, pulling the phone away to look at it, and then putting it back to my ear. "Hello? Are you still there?" Oops. According to the passage Fake Foning is _ . Answer: If you are interested in animals, you probably heard about the tragedy at Seaworld Orlando. On February 24, Tillicum, a six-ton orca ,was performing with his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, who stood on a platform by his pool. They had done the same show together many times before, without incident. This time, though, events took a terrible turn. Without warning, Tillicum leaped from the water, took hold of Branchcheau by her hair, and dragged her deep below the water's surface. Before other trainers could react, Brancheau drowned. Although known as killer whales, orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family. They are easy to train, and performances like Tillicum's have been done safely thousands of times. Yet Dawn Brancheau's death was a shocking reminder of what can happen when human being act together with wild animals. People began to ask, "Should orcas be kept in captivity " Yes Worldwide, only 42 orcas are being kept by humans. Scientists know very little about these huge sea animals, which are difficult to study in the wild. However, they do know that orcas are easily harmed by pollution. As our oceans become ever more damaged by human activity, observing orcas up close helps us understand them and do a better job of protecting them in nature. "I think that some dangerous animals, such as killer whales, should be kept in captivity because it raises awareness about them and educates people about wild animals," says Lauren, 12, a 6-grader from Colorado. "Keeping some in captivity will help protect their species." No Enclosed habitats can be painful to wild animals, and make them act in unpredictable even harmful ways. "It is wrong to keep these animals in captivity", says Prathm, 12. The 7th-grader from New Jersey, adds, "They should live in their own habitats, not be used as entertainment slaves." Richard Ellis, a marine conservationist in New York, agrees. "It is part of human nature to keep wild animals in small spaces and train them to do tricks," he says. "I' m against it because I think it _ the animals." The text is mainly about _ . Answer: Americans like to think of themselves as martyrs to work. At this time of the year they admire the laziness of their European cousins, particularly the French. Studies show that the average American gets only four weeks of paid leave a year compared with seven for the French and eight for the German. In Paris many shops close down for August; in Washington, where the weather is really hot, they remain open, some for 24 hours a day. But when it comes to the young, the situation is just opposite. American children have it easier than most other children in the world, including the supposedly lazy European children. They have one of the shortest school years anywhere, a mere 180 days compared with an average of 195 for OECD countries and more than 200 for East Asian countries. German children spend 20 more days in school than American ones, and South Koreans over a month more. Over 12 years, a 15-day deficit means American children lose out on 180 days of school, equal to an entire year. Americans also divide up their school time strangely. They cram the school day into the morning and early afternoon, and close their schools for three months in the summer. The long summer vacation acts like a mental eraser, with the average child reportedly forgetting about a month's worth of instruction in many subjects and almost three times that in mathematics. American academics have invented a term for this phenomenon, "summer learning loss". It is leaving American children ill-equipped to compete. They usually perform poorly in international educational tests, coming behind Asian countries that spend less on education but work their children harder. California's state universities have to send over a third of their classes to take some extra courses in English and math. In the writer's opinion, American children _ . Answer: Researchers are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people's depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. "No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated ," Edwards points out. "The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution." In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activities before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner. "I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice," says a seventy-year-old lady. "When I'm watching TV, he'll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own." The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns. "At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog because it was metal and not furry," Beck says. "But it's amazing how quickly we have given up that belief." "Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more valuable health helper. They will record their masters' blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people's minds." The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may _ . Answer: You can tell a lot about a person from the clothes they wear, but you can also tell a lot about a person simply from the handbags they carry. It's hard to believe, but you can find out a number of things about a woman's personality just by looking at the type of handbag she carries. Below you will find a number of handbag styles and colors as well as what each specific type of handbag says about the owner. Styles: Under-the Shoulder - handbags which are smaller and fit tightly underneath the shoulder indicate class and sophistication. A women working in an upscale office or someone of high status would choose this form of handbag. Big and Bulky - Big, bulky and oversized bags are casual and are often associated with younger individuals. These are used for individuals who carry a number of things (binders, books etc) and require a lot of space. Down-to-earth, lower-maintenance women would carry this type of handbag. Designer - Designer handbags often cost an arm and a leg and therefore are usually associated with high-maintenance females. Females who are confident and require top of the line accessories will settle for nothing less than a name-brand designer purse. Guys watch out for these girls, they tend to be a handful. Cigar Box Purses - A women who carries a cigar box purse likes to be unique and stand out from the crowd. These women have minds of their own and cannot be told what to do. They are comfortable in their own skin and tend to be very independent. Leather with Buckles and Zippers - women who choose leather purses with lots of buckles and zippers are leashing out their wild sides. These women tend to act before they think and are always ready for a good time. The extra buckles and zippers tend to signify a "bad girl" image. Colors: Bright Colors - Bright colored handbags like pink, purple, bright blue and green indicate that the woman is fun, friendly and approachable. Women who are out-going and sociable will tend to choose these colors. This is the type of woman who will strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. Black and Brown - women who choose black or brown handbags tend to be more formal in manners and are often mistaken as being snobby or restricted. These types of handbags are often associated with down-to-earth women, who are shy at first, but open up after a while. They tend to exude a shy confidence, which is sometimes mistaken as someone who thinks she's better than others. The style and color of your handbag says a lot about you. Choose your handbag very carefully and remember you can choose more than one style. You may feel like being reserved one day and the center of attention another...it's natural to want different things in life. Who is likely to start a conversation with a complete stranger according to the passage? Answer:
Mary can't understand such sentences as "She is blue today." "You are yellow." "He has a green thumb ." "He tells a white lie." and so on. And she goes to her teacher for help. Mary: Mrs. Smith, there is a colour in each of these sentence. What do they mean? Mrs. Smith: In everyday English, blue sometimes means sad. Yellow, afraid. A person with a green thumb grows plants well. And a white lie is not a bad one. Mary: Would you please give me an example of a white lie? Mrs. Smith: Certainly. Now I give you some cake. In fact, you don't like it. But you won't say it. Instead, you say, " No, thanks. I'm not hungry." That's a white lie. Mary: Oh, I see. Thank you very much. He is _ today. It means his father is ill. Answer: Henry's family has a picnic on the weekend.They ask their friends,Nancy and her husband ,to go with them.On Sunday morning,Henry's wife ,Kate,gets up early to get ready for(...)some food for the picnic.At nine o'clock in the morning,Nancy calls and tells Henry she would like to bring something to the picnic.Kate calls her back and asks her to bring a big bottle of orange juice.The two families go to a park near Nancy's house.There are tables and chairs under the trees near the river .They can see the blue sky and green water there.Everyone likes the picnic and they have a nice Sunday afternoon in the park. They have the picnic _ . Answer: America is growing older. Fifty - eight years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 65 or older. To day, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 65. The aging of the population will affect American society in many ways--education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying of America has made us a very different society-- _ in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior is suitable at various , ages. A person s age no longer tells you anything about his/her social position, marriage or health. There's no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that kept us on time and told us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn't as strong as it used to be. It doesn't surprise us to hear of a 29 - year - old university president or a 35 - year -old grandmother, or a 70 year - old man who has become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing. Many people say, "I am much younger than my mother-- or my father-- was at my age. "No one says"Act your age" any more. We've stopped looking with surprise at older people who act in youthful ways. If a 25 - year - old man becomes general manager of a big firm, the writer of the text would most probably consider it _ . Answer: They are among the 250, 000 people under the age of 25 who are out of work in the Netherlands, a group that makes up 40 percent of the nation's unemployed. A storm of anger boils up at the government-sponsored youth center, even among those who are continuing their studies. "We study for jobs that don't exist," Nicollets Steggerda, 23, said. After thirty years of prosperity, unemployment among 10 member nations of the European Community has reached as much as 11 percent, affecting a total of 12.3 million people, and the number is climbing. The bitter disappointment long expressed by British youths is spreading across the Continent. The title of a rock song "No Future" can now be seen written on the brick walls of closed factories in Belgium and France. One form of protest tends to put the responsibility for a country's economic troubles on the large numbers of "guest workers" from Third World nations, people welcomed in Western Europe in the years of prosperity. Young Europeans, brought up in an extended period of economic success and general stability, seem to be similar to Americans more than they do their own parents. Material enjoyment has given them a sense of expectation, even the right to a standard of living that they see around them. "And so we pass the days at the discos, or meet people at the cafe, and sit and stare," said Isabella Cault. "There is usually not much conversation. You look for happiness. Sometimes you even find ." What Nicollete Steggerda said (Para.2) means that _ . Answer: Can you believe your eyes? A recent experiment suggests that the answer to that question may depend on your age. Martin Doherty, a psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland, led the team of scientists. In this experiment, Doherty and his team tested the perception of some people, using pictures of some orange circles. The researchers showed the same pictures to two groups of people. The first group included 151 children aged 4 to 10, and the second group included 24 adults aged 18 to 25. The first group of pictures showed two circles alone on a white background. One of the circles was larger than the other, and these people were asked to identify the larger one. Four-year-olds identified the correct circle 79 percent of the time. Adults identified the correct circle 95 percent of the time. Next, both groups were shown a picture where the orange circles, again of different sizes, were surrounded by gray circles. Here's where the trick lies in. In some of the pictures, the smaller orange circle was surrounded by even smaller gray circles -- making the orange circle appear larger than the other orange circle, which was the real larger one. And the larger orange circle was surrounded by even bigger gray circles -- so it appeared to be smaller than the real smaller orange circle. When young children aged 4 to 6 looked at these tricky pictures, they weren't fooled -- they were still able to find the bigger circle with roughly the same accuracy as before. Older children and adults, on the other hand, did not do as well. Older children often identified the smaller circle as the larger one, and adults got it wrong most of the time. As children get older, Doherty said, their brains may develop the ability to identify visual context. In other words, they will begin to process the whole picture at once: the tricky gray circles, as well as the orange circle in the middle. As a result, they're more likely to fall for this kind of visual trick. Visual context may work when children get older than _ . Answer:
Question: When people think of Hollywood, they think of the city where dreams come true. This did not apply to F. Scott Fitzgerald, a screenwriter who had his share of ups and downs in this land. Fitzgerald was not a successful Hollywood writer because he was not good at the career path he chose. He was an amazing novelist, but his efforts of turning them into screenplays ended in disappointment and confusion. It was because of a lack of potential for screenwriting as well as his addiction and desire to be famous. Growing up as a boy, Fitzgerald went to movies a lot. He wanted to write stories that would eventually turn into movies. The problem was: just because Fitzgerald wanted to do something didn't necessarily mean that he was good at it. He made his attempts, but most of these efforts ended in disappointment because he thought about the change from script to screen too much. His plot was too detailed and complicated; his tone was too serious or his dialogue too sentimental . Fitzgerald's quick rise to fame also led to his fall. In life, things are not meant to happen all at once, all that the same time but it did for Fitzgerald. At his best time, three of his early stories were made into short films, including The Great Gatsby and Babylon Revisited. As the twenties approached, he was gradually forgotten by the reading public. He became drunk and constantly took pills both to sleep and wake up. His marriage was destroyed and his wife broke down mentally. He seemed unsure about his life. Fitzgerald had another chance at success when many opportunities came his way, including revisions of Emlyn William's play The Light of Heart and production of one of his own scripts, Cosmopolitan. However, these were all put aside and he was right back where he started, left behind and called a "ruined man". Fitzgerald simply wanted too much in his life. He wanted "to be both a great novelist and a Hollywood success, to write songs like Cole Porter and poetry like John Keats". His addiction to fame held him back and led to his failure as a Hollywood writer. Which of the following was NOT written by Fitzgerald? A. The Great Gatsby B. Babylon Revisited C. The Light of Heart D. Cosmopolitan Answer: C. The Light of Heart Question: Which layer of the atmosphere contains the greatest amount of water vapor? A. thermosphere B. mesosphere C. stratosphere D. troposphere Answer: D. troposphere Question: Who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years? Jane Addams (1860 - 1935) Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She created shelters, education opportunities and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964) Rachel Carson was born in the rural river town of Springdale, Pennsylvania in America. The popular 1962 book "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson made people realize the dangers and the harmful effects of pollution on humans and on the world's lakes and oceans. Angela Merkel (1954 - ) In 2005, Germans chose Angela Merkel as their first woman head of the country. She had been a scientist in the past. As Germany's leader, she has had an effect on the whole world. Sandra Day O'Connor (1930 - ) When Sandra Day O'Connor finished her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work because she was a woman. However, she became the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981 after years of hard work. Margaret Thatcher (1925 - ) In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman Prime Minister . She served until 1990, which made her the first British leader to serve three terms in a row. Because of her high standards and strong will, people called her Britain's Iron Lady. Marie Curie (1867-19245102534) Polish-born scientist Marie Curie discovered that some types of metal give off energy called radiation . Her research led to new medical treatments and arms. She received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and in Chemistry in 1911. Who once won the Nobel Prize? A. Jane Addams and Marie Curie. B. Jane Addams and Margaret Thatcher. C. Marie Curie and Angela Merkel. D. Marie Curie and Rachel Carson. Answer: A. Jane Addams and Marie Curie. Question: Decision-making can be extremely difficult. Decision-making styles are significantly different in different cultures. In any approach to a problem and in any negotiations, the Western world turns to the"I to you" approach while Japan,the "you to you" approach. The former means both sides present their arguments openly from their own point of view. Naturally, often comes a conflict situation, which Westerners are very skillful in dealing with.The latter is based on each side trying to understand the other person's point of view. Thus, the direction of the meeting is a mutual attempt to reduce confrontation and achieve harmony. Besides, Western decision-making goes mostly from top management and often does not consult middle management or the worker. However, in Japan great consideration is given to the thoughts and opinions of everyone at all levels. Based on "bottom-up direction", ideas can be created at the lowest levels, travel upward through an organization and have an effect on the final decision. Difference in decision-making also comes from different communication styles. The Japanese business person works to achieve harmony, even if the deal fallsthrough, and will spend whatever time is necessary to determine a "you to you" approach, communicating personal views only indirectly. They put a thorough job above the Western deadline approach. So the Japanese are thorough in their meetings. Thus Americans are often annoyed by the many meetings in many Japanese businesses. But where the American is pressingfor a specific decision, the Japanese is trying to think up a rather broad direction. On the other hand, once a given agreement is made, it is the Japanese who sometimes wonderat the slow pace in which Westerners carry out the decision. The Japanese are eager to move forward and Westerners, perhaps, fall behind as they take the time for in-depth planning. A Japanese business bases its decision _ . A. on top-down direction B. on nothing but its workers' views C. on bottom-up direction D. only on its top leaders' opinions Answer: C. on bottom-up direction Question: On a Sunday morning, I was driving down a road and saw something I couldn't believe. A little girl, less than two, was pushing her stroller across the road. It was Sunday morning and traffic was not heavy. I stopped my car at once and ran toward her. This little girl knew enough to run from a stranger. I tried to catch her in order that I could get her out of the road. Suddenly her father came running down a hill across the road from where I had parked my car. He ran right to her and caught her up, saying "bad girl" to her. I picked up the stroller and gave it to him. The father grabbed the stroller and walked toward where he came from without a word. I went back and sat in my car for a few minutes with my son. My hands were shaking and tears were about to run out of my eyes. "Do you feel cold, Mom?" asked my son. I just shook my head. After this happened, I thought about how thankful I am. Even though the father didn't say thank you, I feel that I did something good. Doing something for someone else is pleasing, even when it's only a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I didn't really "save" her, but I feel like it was important that I happened to be there. It is sad that I was the only one who stopped. It really made me a little disappointed that no one else stopped to help. Why were the author's hands shaking? A. Because she was not feeling well. B. Because she was too excited to keep calm. C. Because the weather was very cold at that time. D. Because she failed to be understood by the girl's father. Answer: D. Because she failed to be understood by the girl's father.
Catherine Destivelle is a rock star. She loves rock, but she can't sing or play the guitar! She is a rock climber and a big star in France and Italy. She is the most famous woman climber in the world because she often climbs without ropes. She climbs in many countries but most often in the French Alps near Chamonix, where she lives. She started climbing near her home in Paris when she was five. Then, at fourteen, she joined the French Alpine Club to learn more, but immediately she climbed better and more quickly than the older members of the club. She won her first competition in Italy in 1995. Three years ago she found a new route up the Dru Mountain near Chamonix. The climb took eleven days and for four days the snow was so heavy that she could not move. Last year other climbers tried to follow the new Destivelle Route, but they failed. They are going to try again this year. People always ask her about her climbing. She says, "I climb because I'm in love with mountains. I like touching the rock and reading the face of the rock. I like it a lot. I felt at home on the side of a mountain. I prepare well before I go, so I'm never worried." Catherine chooses new mountains from books--like buying from a shopping catalogue! "I see a nice mountain and I go to climb it!" Her next mountain is in Pakistan. She is going there next month. "It's much bigger than the Dru, so it's going to take longer to climb. An American climber, Jeff Lowe, is coming with me to help." She had great trouble finding a new route up the Dru Mountain because _ . A she lost her way B the climb took 11 days C she needed help from an American climber D there was heavy snow Answer: D. there was heavy snow Say you are a 17th century construction worker who's worked hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor. Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, this story is about the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive as the building itself. First, there's the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Mad in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial to celebrate their love. The heartbroken Jehan ordered his wife's dying wish carried out, and more than 20,000 workers worked nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653, Jehan placed Mumtaz's remains under the center of the building. Later, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Jehan lived the rest of his days, eight years, imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But never again would he be allowed to visit it until he was buried next to his wife. Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange and sad story, people who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the that inspired its construction. The Taj Mahal was first built as _ . A a memorial building B a tourist attraction C a prison D a gift to Mumtaz Answer: A. a memorial building Spending hours playing violent video games prevents teenagers from their moral growth, a study has found.It is thought that regular touch to violence and lack of contact with the outside world makes it harder for them to tell right from wrong.They also struggle to trust other people,and see the world from their viewpoints. Researchers from Brock University in Ontario found that those who spend more than three hours each day in front of the screen are particularly unlikely to have developed the ability to empathise . The Canadian researchers surveyed 109 boys and girls,aged 13 and 14,about whether they played video games,which games they liked,and how long they spent playing them.Their findings found that 88 percent of teens said they played games,and more than half admitted to playing games everyday.Violent games were among the most popular. The teenagers also filled in a questionnaire designed to measure their moral development.For example,they were asked how important it is to save the life of a friend. Previous studies have suggested that a person's moral judgement goes through four phases as they grow from children and enter adulthood.By the age of 13 or 14,scientists claim young people should be entering the third stage,and be able to empathise with others and take their viewpoints into account.The research found that this stage appeared to be delayed in teenagers who regularly played violent video games. It is also thought that teenagers who play games regularly did not spend enough time in the real world to learn to take other's thoughts into consideration.Researcher Mirjana Bajovic said:"The present results indicate that some teenagers;who spent three or more hours a day playing violent video games,are deprived of such opportnnities."Writing in the journal Educational Media International.the researchers added:"Touch to violence in video games may influence the development of moral reasoning because violence is not only presented as acceptable but is also justified and rewarded." They concluded that rather than trying to enforce an'unrealistic'ban on the games, parents and teachers should encourage teenagers to do charity work and take up after-school activities. What call we know from the words of Mirjana Bajovic? A Vio1ent games cost teens social experiences in real life. B Playing games regularly will improve teens'intelligence. C Playing games inspires teens to develop fast. D Playing games makes teens help others. Answer: A. Vio1ent games cost teens social experiences in real life. 2011 is a special year to all the people in Shenzhen. The 26 World Universiade will be held in the city from August 12 to 23 . As we all know, "Start Here" is the slogan of this great event. Does anyone know that a new life of two giant pandas will start here as well? Shenzhen is expecting the pair of pandas for the Summer Univcrsiade. The pandas, a male and a female from Wolong Panda Research Center in Sichuan Province, will be "universiade Pandas", just like "Asian Games Pandas" and "Olympic Pandas". Shenzhen Safari Park will rebuild its panda house to welcome the pandas. The panda house has been empty since another panda, Yongba, 25, was returned to Sichuan in 2009 because it was too old. How old are the Universiade Pandas? What are their names? What are they like? What are their living habits? We will find out the answers in June when they arrive. The pair of pandas comes from _ . A Shenzhen B Sichuan C Guangzhou D Beijing Answer: B. Sichuan One day, I went to see my last patient, an old woman. In the doorway, I saw she was struggling to put socks on her swollen feet in the bed. I stepped in, spoke quickly to the nurse, read her chart noting . I was almost in the clear that she was not in serious condition. I asked, "Could I help put on your socks? How are you feeling? Your sugars and blood pressure were high but they're better today. The nurse mentioned you're anxious to see your son. He's visiting you today. It's nice to have a family visit. I think you really look forward to seeing him." "Sit down, doctor. This is my story, not yours." She said with a serious voice. I was surprised as I helped her with the socks. She told me that her only son lived across from her house, but she had not seen him for five years. She believed that was the main cause of her health problems. After hearing her story and putting on her socks, I asked if there was anything else I could do for her. She shook her head no and smiled. All she wanted me to do was to listen. Each story is different. Some are detailed and others are simple. Some have a beginning, middle and end but others don't have clear ends. Some are true but others not. Yet all those things do not really matter. What matters to the storyteller is that the story is heard -- without interruption or judgment . It was that woman who taught me the importance of stopping, sitting down and truly listening. And, not long after, in an unexpected accident, I became a patient. 20 years later, I sit all the time -- in a wheelchair. For as long as I could, I continued to see patients from my chair. I believe in the power of listening. How did the doctor know that the old woman's son was visiting her? A The nurse told him. B The old woman told him. C The woman's son told him. D The doctor got it from her chart noting. Answer: A. The nurse told him.
Some people in Manchester, Britain, will soon be paying for goods and services with so-called "smart" credit cards. These cards are more secure than the traditional magnetic-strip version and can be used to travel on buses, check bank accounts and do shopping. The Manchester project is one of the biggest smart card schemes in the world. Every time people use the cards on a bus or train, the fare is deducted (reduced) from the value of the card. When they have no credit left, the cards can be recharged at a local shop. A smart card looks just like a normal plastic card but it has a silicon chip in it. It is possible for the same silicon chip to perform a number of different functions, so one plastic card in your pocket could do a large number of different jobs. The card has much more memory space than a magnetic-strip card, so many more things can be recorded on it.There are two types of smart cards. One is the contact card which is used in the same way as a magnetic-strip card. Information is transferred by running the card through a narrow opening in an electronic reader. In the slot, electronic probes make contact with the magnetic-strip or silicon ship and read the information. The other type is the contactless smart card where the electronic reader communicates with the card by short-range radio waves. This makes the card quicker and more convenient to use because it does not have to leave your wallet. It is also more reliable as it is not easily influenced by scratches or dirt. However, the biggest advantage that smart cards have over magnetic-strip cards is that they are more secure. They are much more difficult to make than conventional cards and they have to be made by specially trained manufacturers. In addition, they have a large number of extra security features on them and if a smart card gets lost or stolen a quick phone-call to the distributor ensures that its individual number is made invalid and unreadable. This can be done more quickly than with a magnetic-strip card. A smart credit card can do many kinds of jobs because _ . A. it is smart B. it is a plastic card C. it has a silicon chip in it D. it can be recharged Answer: C Several years ago, I had to replace a receptionist for my unit. Before I advertised for the position, I was approached by another manager, and asked ifl would consider a transfer from his staffinstead of opening a new competition. My natural question was to ask who he wanted me to consider and why. It appeared from his description of this employee, Maria, that she was having a lot of problems performing her duties, and had difficulties with her boss, and did not appear to respond to any attempts he, the manager, had made to settle the issues. Now, after listening to his explanation, I really had severe doubts. What crossed my mind, after this discussion, was that he wanted me to take a problem off his hands. I told him I would think about it and would let him know the next day. As promised, after thinking more about this potential performance issue, I decided that I would agree to speak with Maria privately before I made any decision. And, what I found out during this interview, left me deep in thought. As it tumed out, the performance issue appeared to result from working for a boss who never extended a good morning. greeting, never gave a word of encouragement, and was constantly changing the work load and routines. The end result was a totally ruined employee who was unconfident, hated to see a new work day start. I decided to accept her transfer to my unit. What started out as a shy, withdrawn and frightened employee turned out to be one of the most productive and loyal employee that I had eyer worked with. Maria couldn't do enough and was constantly asking for more and for more responsibility. I was morethan happy to give her what she needed-praise for work well done, respect as a person, and encouragement for doing well in anything she dealt with. Sometimes, we are guilty of holding others back from accomplishing or doing, or developing as they should or could. It may be a wise idea that we all look in the mirror, from time to time, to seewhat we are really like. The writer accepted Maria's transfer to unit probably because he thought that A. she was a ruined employee B. she would need his protection C. she would turn out to be a good employee D. she was a shy and frightened employee Answer: C Once upon a time,a hippo lived in a river next to a big tree. One day,a bird came and nested in the tree.The songs of the bird filled the hippo with so much envy that he couldn't think of anything else.Every day he would think why he wasn't born to be a bird even though the bird told him many times he was so lucky to be so big and such a good swimmer. Finally,the hippo made up his mind that he would come out of the river,climb the tree and start singing.However,when he tried to climb the tree,it was very clear that the hippo didn't have wings,nor claws to climb with. Realizing that he would never climb up the tree,he angrily hit the tree until it came crashing to the ground.Then he stepped onto the leaves of the fallen tree,and began singing. Unfortunately,hippos can't sing,either.All that came from his mouth were terrible noises,and when the other animals heard this,they all came around to make fun of the hippo. He was so ashamed by this.He also felt bad about having knocked the tree over.He used all his strength to raise the tree back up again,and look after it until it completely recovered. . After reading this passage,we know _ . A. the writer is telling us a true story B. the story happened on an autumn day C. the bird thought he was luckier than the hippo D. the hippo tried to do something against his nature. Answer: D I remember a day when I was a little kid. I was making a sandwich in the kitchen when I noticed the date on one of the wine bottles. " Dad, dad!" I cried. "This wine is too old to drink." " Son, hold on," he said. " No, you can't drink this tonight! This bottle of wine was made 10 years ago." " Wait, let me tell you..." " Would you like me to throw it away fro you?" I asked. " Son, wait a second," he said. "Son, some wines get better over time. The longer you wait to drink it, the better it will be. Although this may seem strange, it is true." When I was young, I didn't have any understanding of what this meant, but now, this would have been very helpful to remember as I went through my teenage years. In our society, we forget this simple rule: The longer you want for certain things, the better they will be. But we want the best job as quickly as possible; we want to graduate from college in as few years as possible; we even speed through our homework just to chat with friends. When we do this, we lose something of great importance. We all want to get to the next step so quickly that perhaps we don't get ready enough to get there. This has a negative effect on our society. When trying to go to the right college, we will do anything to get in and when we rush through our class-work, we may not study enough for the test, and end up failing. We need to be ready for whatever comes, ready for the unexpected. Wine gets better over time, so do the things in our paths of life. What the author's father said _ . A. made the author puzzled when he was a little child. B. was too simple a rule to be meaningful to the author. C. threw the author into deep thought then. D. was an excuse to drink the wine. Answer: A Want ads (1) Wanted :"Are you hard-working ?" Do you like to meet people? If your answer is "Yes", then we have a job for you as a waiter, call AL Hotel at 556779! (2)Summer Job: Do you like to talk with people ? Do yu like to write stories? If you want to work for our magazine as a reporter. Please call Karen at 558366. (3)Help wanted: Do you like babies ? Can you look after one baby for two days ? If you are sure to take good care of it, call us at 766588. $80 or more. Today ! Hurry ! (4)Cleaner wanted: Can you make a large house clean and tidy? If you hope to get the job paid at $20 once, call us this evening 18:00-20:00 Tel : 633800. The above job ads are probably from _ A. a newspaper B. a story book. C. a science book D. a guide book Answer: A
FESTIVAL 24TH MAY--9TH JUNE 2014 Art Shows of paintings, drawings and photographs are from all over the world, with over 400 works for you to see. Early century advertisements will be on show at this year's festival. You can buy copies of these advertisements at the Box Office. Music There will be different types of music in this year's festival from dance music to modern jazz. Many famous musicians will visit the festival as well as at least two famous bands . Lunchtime concerts --every day of the festival All lunchtime concerts begin at 1:00 p.m. and last about 55 minutes, except on Monday, 26 of May, which is to be held in the Guildhall. All tickets are priced at PS2.00. How to get the tickets Telephone reservations : 63362/6641 from 1st April. We will then send you the tickets by post. You can buy tickets in person from 1st May. The festival Box Office will be open as follows: Monday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. --5:30 p.m. Sunday(during the festival only)9:30 a.m. --1:00 p.m. It is not possible for you to buy a ticket in person at _ . A 5:30 p.m. on Sunday B 10:30 a.m. on Monday C 3:00 p.m. on Saturday D 1:00 p.m. on Friday Answer: A Hours & Admission Open Daily 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. except major holidays (see below) July and August only - Thursdays until 7:00 p.m. Please Note: all MIT Museum sites are wheelchair accessible. Admission beginning July l, 2013 Adults: $10.00; youth under 18, students, seniors: $5:00; children under age 5: free Admission is free the last Sunday of each month, all day, from September 2013 -June 2014 Evening programs are free with Museum Admission Visit our Partner Organizations pages for more information about discounts . Closed, 2013: January l: New Year's Day May 27: Memorial Day July 4: Independence Day September 2: Labor Day November 28: Thanksgiving Day December 24 & 25: Christmas Eve & Christmas Day December 31: Early Closing for New Year's Day Which of the following statements is TRUE? A Children under the age of 7 do not have to pay. B It is possible for the disabled to go there on wheelchairs. C Visitors have to pay some extra money for the evening programs. D There are definitely no more discounts besides those listed here. Answer: B What looks like an angry old man and lives at the bottom of the ocean? It's the world's ugliest animal---the blobfish . Its strange skin is shaped by its habitat. It lives 800 meters below the ocean's surface, a depth where very few other creatures can survive. Most fishes have a swim bladder , which is filled with gas and helps them stay afloat. At the depth that the blobfish live, water pressure is 80 times higher than that at higher sea levels and any swim bladder wouldn't be able to serve its purpose. The blobfish don't have a swim bladder because their skin works the same way. It helps them stay afloat without having to use any energy. The blobfish have a pretty relaxed attitude towards eating. All they do is stay and wait for crabs or lobsters to come by. Since the blobfish like to eat crabs and lobsters, they often get caught in nets that are used to catch lobsters or crabs and end up dying or being killed. They are not suitable for eating so they are useless for fishermen. There's a purpose behind the blobfish's new title; it has become the new mascot for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, an organization whose purpose is to preserve endangered ugly animals. "We've needed an ugly face for endangered ugly animals for a long time and I've been amazed by the public reaction," said the Society's Simon Watt. "For too long cute animals have taken the limelight but now the blobfish will be a voice for those who always get forgotten."They hope this new face will help the world know that we need to help preserve the populations of ugly animals too. We can learn from what Simon Watt said that _ . A most ugly animals are in danger B the population of the blobfish is increasing C the blobfish have attracted the public's attention D people knew nothing about the blobfish in the past Answer: C It's 10:30 pm, and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. The message becomes clear: "R U awake?" Brandon' s use of technology doesn' t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles ( ) in his room. With so many choices, it' s no surprise that when he isn' t at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found. The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten. Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. " If you've got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?" media expert Cheryl Olson says. Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. " It' s a matter of balance," says Olson." You've got to work on it. " Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. "It' s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply, " says Rideout. With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. " Kids should try," adds Rideout. " But parents might have to step in sometimes. " Which of the following is an example of multitasking according to the passage? A Watching TV while using the computer. B Talking on the phone while staying with others. C Playing video games on the Internet. D Listening to music while relaxing. Answer: A I go to work at ten o'clock every night. When I ride a bike to my office, I talk with other doctors. Then I go to help all the sick people. Some nights are very quiet, but some nights are really busy, especially on weekends. On busy nights, I even have to help other doctors. I can go home at six o'clock every morning. On my way home, I can see only a few people on the street. When I get home, I eat breakfast with my family first. Then, I read newspapers. That's my habit. I can get some news from the newspapers. After that, I go to bed. My job isn't easy, but I like _ a lot because I can help people. ,. The writer has breakfast with _ . A the sick people B his workmates C his family D his friends Answer: C
Fucheng Garden Villas is situated along the North 4th Ring Road, just 2 kilometres east away from the Asian Games Village with easy traffic connection. It is 5 kilometres from the Beijing Lufthansa Centre. Fucheng Garden Villas occupies an area of 34.7 hectares , over 80% of which is covered by trees and green, just like a garden in the city. All the 108 villas were designed by American Company IDI, in American style, luxurious besides comfortable. All materials of the construction and decoration as well as equipment are famous American products. From now to July 31st, preferential prices for sale and rent are offered. You can move into Fucheng Garden Villas on signing an agreement. Bank will provide a 50% mortgage for 5 years. Overseas sales License: NO.124. Developer: Beijing Hongda Read Estate Co.Ltd. 60 East, North 4th Ring Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing. Tel: (8610)64967050 64967049 Fax: (8610)64933575 (From Wednesday, June 25, 1997 CHINA DAILY) The advertiser is _ Answer: A lot of grown-ups worry that spending too much time playing video games isn't good for a kid's health. Now some doctors have noticed that kids who bring their hand-held game players to the hospital seem less worried about being there. These patients also seem to experience less pain when they are concentrating on a superhero adventure or a car race. At the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Maryland, young patients are finding hospital visits easier to deal with, thanks to a test program called the Hospital-based On-line Pediatric Environment (HOPE). Patients in HOPE have a life-threatening condition where their kidneys no longer filter wastes from their blood. To get their blood cleaned, these kids must be hooked up to dialysis machines at the hospital three times a week, for at least three hours each time. HOPE allows kids to play online sports, racing, and adventure games with each other. Eventually they will be able to connect with kids in other hospitals who are suffering from the same problem. "We want to use the power of the Internet to bring together kids who feel that they are separated by their illness, and let them know that they are not alone," said Arun Mathews, the doctor who heads the program. He loves video games himself and got the idea to connect kids all over the country. Many researchers elsewhere are testing video game programs that might help young patients. For example, nine-year-old Ben Duskin of San Francisco, who was struggling with cancer helped to design a video game where players get rid of cancer cells. That's all great news, because doctors already know that reducing pain and worry helps patients heal faster. According to Arun Mathews, the main purpose of HOPE is to _ . Answer: I'm trying to be a writer, but I can't even start. What should I do? Abraham, Nebraska There are many ways to come up with ideas, one of which is to write down a list of your experiences, as well as things from your imagination. When you want to write, look in the notebook for ideas. Books for writers often have good suggestions, too. One we like isSpilling Ink: A Yong Writer's Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. Perhaps your library has it. My classmates keep asking about a new movie I've seen. But I don't want to spoil it for them. What should I do? Corinne (by e-mail) You could ask your classmates whether they are sure they want to know and if they insist, go ahead and tell them. You may be able to give them a general idea of the movie without revealing details of the ending. I'm going to a soccer camp for youth, but I'm not sure if I'm good at soccer or if I'll make friends. Louise, New Hampshire Soccer camp is for people who share an interest in the sport. No matter what a person's ability is at the beginning, it's likely that everyone will leave camp with improved skills. Sharing a common interest may make conversations easier. Smile, be friendly, and have a sense of humor. Before long, you may find that you've made some good friends. Someone invited me to a birthday party. When I got there, kids were doing stuff I'm not interested in, like watching scary movies. I told them my mom would pick me up, so I just left. Was I rude for doing that? Sam (by e-mail) You just did the right thing and that isn't being rude. We hope you'll talk with your parents about this. They're probably proud of what you did. They may have other suggestions for you, too. Talk about different situations that might come up and what would be the best way to handle them. Who is interested inSpilling Ink: A Yong Writer's Handbook? Answer: In many British schools, the pupils usually wear their school uniforms to school on weekdays.However, recently the students at LVS Ascot Junior School in England wore something quite different.What they wore was what people wear when they go to bed--pyjamas .They did this not only for fun, but for a local charity called Christopher's Smile. Christopher's Smile was set up in 2008 by Karen & Kevin Capel whose only son Christopher died of cancer at a young age.They hope their charity will help pay for more research into children's cancers.Since then, the charity has raised a lot of money and gotten more and more volunteers.Every year, thousands of people take part in different activities such as charity walk or run to show their support for Christopher's Smile. The students of Grade 6 at LVS Ascot Junior School also wanted to do something for the sick children.They organized the event "Pyjamas Day" to support Christopher's Smile."We wanted to raise money for our charity in a way that the whole school could join in it, so each pupil paid PS1 to wear his or her pyjamas to school on Pyjamas Day," said the young organizers.Both the students and their teachers took part in the event with great interest.Together they not only raised some money, but also had a good time. What is NOT mentioned in the passage? Answer: 1 Day Fly-Fly Aboriginal Rock Tour Tour Details Operator: Adventure North Australia Destination: Cooktown Departs From: Cairns Tour Description Voted as one of Australia's Must-Do-Experiences. Treat yourself to an amazing day out with Aboriginal Elder Willie Gordon. Depart Cairns Domestic Airport for the Skytrans Flight to Cooktown. Flight departs Cairns at 6:45 a.m. Enjoy a 45-minute flight with wonderful views from Cairns to Cooktown as you fly along the coast between the World Heritage rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. On arrival in Cooktown you will be met by Willie Gordon, the traditional storyteller of the Nugal-warra clan . Willie Gordon takes guests to his ancestral rock art sites, set high in the hills above Hope Vale, outside Cooktown. Here he shares the stories behind the art, and explains how the paintings speak of the most basic and important quality of life and the knowledge of his people. The tour takes you through an impressive view of six rock art sites, including an ancestral Birth Cave and the Reconciliation Cave. This includes a 30-minute bush walk on generally easy terrian . (Covered closed-on shoes must be worn.) Return to Cooktown at 1:15 p.m. where Willie will take you to the Nature Power House Museum, Cooktown's Visitor Information Centre. Lunch is included at the Verhandah Cafe. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore historical Cooktown before your transfer to Cooktown airport and return flight to Cairns. Flight arrives at Cairns Domestic Airport at 6:40 p.m. Own arrangements on arrival in Cairns. Prices Adults: $ 549.00 Children: $ 390.00 Families(2 adults and 2 children): $ 1,869.00 After viewing rock art, tourists will go to _ . Answer:
Question: The use of mobile phones over a long period of time can raise the risk for brain tumors , a new Swedish study said on Friday , contradicting (......) the conclusions of other researchers . The Dutch Health Council , in an overview of research from around the world , last year found no evidence radiation from mobile phones and TV towers was harmful . A four-year British survey released in January showed no link between regular . long-term use of cell phones and the most common type of tumor . However , researchers at the Swedish National Institute for Working Life said they looked at the mobile phone use of 905 people between the age of 20 and 80 who had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and found a link " A total 80 of these 905 cases were so-called high users of mobile phones , that is they began early to use mobile and or wireless telephones and used them a lot , " the study said . " The study also shows that the rise in risk is noticeable for tumors on the sided of the head where the phone was said to be used , " it added . Kjell Mild , who led the study , said the figures meant that heavy users of mobile phones , for instance of who make mobile phone calls for 2 , 000 hours or more in their life , had a 240 percent increased risk for a malignant tumor on the side of the head the phone is used . " The way to the risk down is to use handsfree , " he told Reuters . He said his study was the biggest yet to look at long-term users of the wireless phone has been around inprefix = st1 /Swedenin a portable form since 1984 , longer than in many other countries . How many of 905 people surveyed suffer tumor ? A. 20 B. 80 C. 85 D. 905 Answer: C. 85 Question: Welcome to my room. Open the door . You can see a desk. There are some books on the desk. My pens are on the desk, too. Behind the door there is a basketball. I love it very much. On the wall there are two pictures. Look at the boy. It's me. Where is my football? Oh! It's on the sofa . Is my computer on the desk? No , it isn't . It's next to the desk. I love my room. It's very nice , isn't it? . There isn't a _ in my room. A. computer B. football C. basketball D. TV Answer: D. TV Question: Do you know that a fast reader can get the ideas better than a slow reader can? Of course, you save time by reading fast, but this is not the main reason for fast reading. The main reason is that you understand better what you are reading when you read fast. As your eyes move along the line of point, they make fixations or pauses . It is important that you see several words at a fixation. It is also important that your eyes leave a group. The numbers of letters or words that you see at a fixation are called your eye span . Pay more attention to improving your rate of reading. With practice you can learn to read faster than you usually read. The way in which you read always depends on what you are reading and for what purpose. You should know the different ways of reading so that you can apply whatever method is necessary. Here are four ways of reading: (1) Skimming is an important kind of reading. This method can be used when you wish to review something that you have forgotten. You can skim to get the main points. (2) Rapid first reading and then rereading certain parts carefully is important. You may use this type of reading to study a science lesson or a history lesson. (3) You need to do careful reading and rereading sometimes. This type of reading is necessary for making an intensive study of your school subjects, solving math problems or reading directions. (4) Rapid reading is used when reading stories for enjoyment. You may also do rapid reading when reviewing materials that you already know well. The main reason for reading fast is that you can _ . A. get the ideas B. save time C. understand better D. learn well Answer: C. understand better Question: When I was growing up, 16 was always a magical age, a symbol of maturity, responsibility and of course more independence and freedom. I sat through the hours of Driver's Ed classes eager to get out on the road. I couldn't wait to get my driver's license. But it's a different story for today's teens. In January, the U.S. Department Transportation released 2012 data that showed only 30.7 percent of U.S. teens got their license at age 16, Twenty years before, that number was almost 45 percent. There are numbers of reasons for the fall - off. The growing responsibilities like paying for insurance and high gas prices discourage teens from getting behind the wheel. Plus, many teens today are so busy with homework, endless hours of activities and part-time jobs, that finding the time for Driver's Ed classes may be more difficult that ever. In addition, many states have raised the driving age, or restricted when teens can drive and who they can have in the car. Parents may also be making their own personal restrictions until they feel their teens are responsible enough to drive safely. Driving is part of the American culture, but it's not the central focus like it was 25 years ago. They have so many other things to do now. One of the more interesting factors delaying teens driving might be the change of their social life. Today, teens need to look no further than Face book or other social networking sites to connect with their friends. There is simply less need, maybe less desire, to be able to grab the keys and go. Michelle Wei got her license as a senior in high school because her digital social life made it easy no to drive. "If I couldn't get a ride to see my friend who lives a town over," the 19-year-old said, "I could talk on IM or Skype." Research has shown that these online relationships can lead to higher quality friendships, so it isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, it's important to find a balance. If old face-to-face friendships are good, why not drive to find them? What does the passage mainly talk about? A. Desire to drive on the road declines among American teens. B. Getting a license costs much more than ever before. C. Social networking sites are changing the life of American teens. D. American teens are becoming more responsible than ever. Answer: A. Desire to drive on the road declines among American teens. Question: It's sometimes reported that strange objects have been seen high up in the sky. These unidentified flying objects - UFOs have made a lot of people interested. Some of the reports about them are difficult to believe.Some have been explained in scientific ways, others have never been explained. It is not easy to decide whether a report is true or not. One report of UFOs came from a British plane on its way from New York to London in 1954. The British plane was flying over an island at 19,000 feet when the captain noticed that something was on their left and a little lower than their plane. It's about five miles away. "It was not one object but several," the captain said. "We saw one large and six smaller objects. I sent a radio to report about them and I received the answer that the other planes were coming out to meet us. Before the planes arrived, the smaller objects entered the big objects. The big object then became smaller and moved away fast." The captain _ and saw something on the left of their plane. A. looked down B. looked up C. looked back D. looked ahead Answer: D. looked ahead
Postmen wanted English teachers wanted No experience nec essary but you must be Warm and patient college students. Hard--working. Able to speak standard English, good with children. Free to choose working hours. Time: on weekends Write to No.38 Changehong Rd...Xiangyang E--mail address: Sunshine--School@163.com Taxi drivers wanted Tour guides wanted Full--time taxi drivers. Over five years Two years 'working experience. experience, good knowledge of the city. Good English and good at talking to people. Under 45 years old. Age:20--30 Fore more information, please come to Shunda Go to Friendship Traveling Company to ask the Taxi Company to visit the manager. manager for more information If you want to be a taxi driver,you should _ . A. be over 45years old B. know the city very well C. write to No.38Changhong Rd D. speak English well Answer: B. know the city very well Which of the following best describes a change in Earth's atmosphere made by early photosynthetic life? A. increased level of oxygen B. increased level of carbon dioxide C. decreased ability to support life D. decreased ability to transmit light Answer: A. increased level of oxygen What Is Today's American Dream They may not have called it the American Dream, but for centuries people have gone to America in search of freer, happier, and richer lives. But is today's American Dream a mythical concept or still a reality? Isabel Belarsky's tiny Brooklyn apartment fills with the sound of her father's voice. Sidor Belarsky sings an Aria in Russian and 90-year-old Isabel, her lips painted an elegant red, sways gently to the song coming from her stereo. Isabel speaks with pride about her father's talent and his success as an opera singer: Albert Einstein was such a fan she says that he invited Sidor to accompany him on his speaking engagements and would ask him to sing to the audience. How the Belarskys came to be in America is an extraordinary tale that Isabel loves to tell. It was the offer of a six-month job by a Mormon college president, who had seen Sidor singing in Leningrad, that enabled the Belarskys to escape from Stalin's Russia in 1930. "Our dream was being in America," Isabel says. "They loved it. My mother could never think of Russia, it was her enemy and my father, he made such a wonderful career here." Like generations of immigrants before them, the Belarskys came to America in search of freedom--to them the American Dream meant liberty. But Isabel says it promised even more. "The dream is to work, to have a home and to get ahead. You can start as a janitor and become the owner of the building." The American Dream is not written into the constitution but it is so ingrained in the national psyche that it might as well be. Many point to the second sentence in the Declaration of Independence--the "certain unalienable rights" that include "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" as the "official" version of the phrase. But it was actually in 1931 that the term was popularized, when historian James Truslow Adams wrote in The Epic of America that the Dream means "a better, richer, and happier life for all our citizens of every rank". The concept of the American Dream has not stayed static. For European immigrants, like Isabel, fleeing persecution in the first half of the last century, the Dream was about a life without persecution. But somewhere in the middle of the last century the dream changed. As America's post war economy boomed, the new arrivals wanted more than freedom--they wanted a share of the prosperity as well. In the 1950s, TV commercials featured housewives proudly showing off kitchens filled with gleaming appliances. The quest for liberation became a quest for Coca Cola. As the century wore on, the materialistic slant of the dream overtook the political side. Dallas and Dynasty suggested this was a country where it was possible to become not just rich, but filthily rich. Cheyanne Smith was shocked at the deprivation that greeted her in America. She arrived in New York from the Caribbean seven years ago. Having watched endless American TV shows as a child, she thought she knew what to expect when her family moved to Brooklyn. Instead, the deprivation of one of New York's poorest neighbourhoods shocked her. "I thought this is not America because this is not what I see on television," she says. Like Cheyanne, 18-year-old Franscisco Curiel is also ambitious. He came from Mexico City three years ago to go to college here but he's worried that Brooklyn's schools aren't going to give him a good enough education. "The system is broken; we can't get the superior education that they supposedly want to give us," he says. Through the centuries America's immigrants have endured terrible hardship and sacrifice so that they and their children can get ahead. Perhaps it's not surprising to hear the members of the Bushwick youth group lament the multiple, low paid jobs that their parents must do simply to get the rent paid and put food on the table. What is startling is that these bright, ambitious youngsters just don't believe that talent and hard work are enough to ensure they will ever have a shot at that mythical American Dream. What can be inferred from the passage? A. The American Dream is deeply-rooted in the national psyche. B. The concept of the American Dream has gone through changes throughout the time. C. American Dream is still firmly believed by the majority of the immigrants. D. The concept of American Dream will remain unchanged in the next two decades. Answer: B. The concept of the American Dream has gone through changes throughout the time. Sun falling on mountains and the dessert at the same time leaves the area susceptible to A. meltdowns B. convection C. earthquakes D. power failures Answer: B. convection Every year 2.2 million tons of oil are spilled ( , ) into the ocean. Actually, this only amounts to a small percentage of the total 1.6 billion tons of oil shipped around the world each year.However, this spilled oil has terrible effects on ocean life, including the coastlines where the off washes up onto shore. Some of the largest spills in history were caused by oil tankers running into each other or by an oil tanker sailing into shallow water and hitting the bottom of the ocean. After these spills, officials try to discover who or what was at fault to help prevent similar accidents in the future. One of the worst oil spills in history occurred along the Alaskan coastline in 1989. In this accident, 42,000 tons of oil spilled from a tanker which resulted in terrible damage to this sensitive natural area. In this spill, the tanker's captain, who was tired from overwork and drinking alcohol, had gone to take a rest. He gave control of the ship to the third mate. The third mate was unfamiliar with the path the ship took, and he ran the ship onto Blighe Reef. Blighe Reef is a natural underwater rock wall near the Alaskan coast. Damaged by the reef, the ship leaked oil out into the ocean. More than 1,600 kilometers of coastline were affected by the oil spill. Some scientists who studied nature in the area guessed that 580,000 birds and 5,500 otters died when the oil from the spill covered their skin. As well, smaller shellfish and other sea creatures were later eaten by seals, whales, and other animals. The most oil ever spilled was actually dumped on purpose as an act of ecological warfare. The term ecological warfare means to fight by doing harm to nature in the area under attack. In 1990, Iraq sent soldiers into Kuwait and set off the Persian Gulf War. As part of the Iraq war plan,900,000 tons of oil were let out into the Persian Gulf Way Iraq. This oil covered 1,500 square kilometers of water in the Persian Gulf. The oil also damaged 650 kilometers of the coastline of both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In some places, oil floating on the water was measured to be 43 centimeters thick. Water birds, water plants, and baby fish were all seriously affected by the oil. The long-term effects of this act on the food chain in the area are bound to cause problems tar into the future. The third mate ran the thanker agound in this accident because _ . A. he was tired B. he was drunk C. he was talking on the phone D. he did not know the sea Answer: D. he did not know the sea
2011 is a special year to all the people in Shenzhen. The 26 World Universiade will be held in the city from August 12 to 23 . As we all know, "Start Here" is the slogan of this great event. Does anyone know that a new life of two giant pandas will start here as well? Shenzhen is expecting the pair of pandas for the Summer Univcrsiade. The pandas, a male and a female from Wolong Panda Research Center in Sichuan Province, will be "universiade Pandas", just like "Asian Games Pandas" and "Olympic Pandas". Shenzhen Safari Park will rebuild its panda house to welcome the pandas. The panda house has been empty since another panda, Yongba, 25, was returned to Sichuan in 2009 because it was too old. How old are the Universiade Pandas? What are their names? What are they like? What are their living habits? We will find out the answers in June when they arrive. The passage tells us that _ Answer: Yongba left Shenzhen in 2009 In 1956, Silo Cement Company constructed a plant for manufacturing ready-mix concrete in Lakeville. At that time Silo was using bagged cement, which caused little or no dust. In 1970, Petrone bought a home approximately 1,800 feet from the Silo plant. One year ago, Silo stopped using bagged cement and began to receive cement in bulk shipments. Since then at least five truckloads of cement have passed Petrone's house daily. Cement blows off the trucks and into Petrone's house. When the cement arrives at the Silo plant, it is blown by forced air from the trucks into the storage bin. As a consequence cement dust fills the air surrounding the plant to a distance of 2,000 feet. Petrone's house is the only residence within 2,000 feet of the plant. If Petrone asserts a claim against Silo based on nuisance, will Petrone prevail? Answer: Yes, if the cement dust interfered unreasonably with the use and enjoyment of Petrone's property. Summer Posts Once again we require 10 excellent TEFL Teachers for our summer program. Large thriving Arels- Felco school offers special package to qualified, TEFL experienced teachers.$1,500 and free accommodation for 200 hours teaching from 2 July-24August. Overtime available. Good Possibility of longer term and permanent posts. Shorter contracts available. Letters of application and C.V. to Teacher Recruitment (Dept. E),prefix = st1 /ChurchillHouseSchool,40-42 Spencer Square,Ramsgate,KentCT11 9LD. Fax: (0843)584827. Established 20 years. Recognized by the British Council. Arels-Felco is probably _ . Answer: an educational organization One day a young princess named Amelia was looking out of the window of her castle. Amelia loved to sing, but was tired of singing only the songs her mother, Queen Anne, allowed her to sing. Princess Amelia thought it might be fun to write her own songs instead. So, on Saturday Princess Amelia went to the garden with a pen and paper. She thought and thought, but couldn't come up with any words for a song. What could she write about? Daisy, her cow? Her frog, Pete? Nothing came to mind. She sat there all day. And the next day too. Amelia was tired and hungry. But she wanted to stay until she had a song. Finally, on Monday, Queen Anne came looking for Amelia and forced her to return to her room. She gave Amelia a large book of songs to sing. Amelia was happy. How long did Amelia sit in the garden? Answer: three days Many people have tried to simplify the spelling of English words. Unlike other languages , English sometimes spells the same sounds in very different ways . For example , there is "light "but" white", "loan "but "phone" ,and there are at least seven different ways of pronouncing "ough": "though", "through ","bough". "cough" "enough ", "ought" and "thorough ". The American President Theodore Roosevelt almost succeeded in simplifying English spelling .In 1906, Andrew Carnegie started the Simplified Spelling Board .He was one of the richest men in the United States of America .The board's plan was to make the spelling of words nearer to the way they sound .For example , the word "though" would be spelt "tho" and "through "would become "thru". Other people on the board were Melvil Dewey , the head of the New York libraries , and Professor Brander Matthews of Columbia University . They explained their idea to President Roosevelt , who thought that it was indeed logical .He immediately asked the government printer to sue simplified spelling in all government letters . But people didn't like the change, even if it made life easier. So the new simpler spelling was not popular. More importantly, when the American politicians discussed the plan, they did not like it either. Because Roosevelt did not want to have any problems with the politicians, he changed his mind and told the printer to go back to the old way of spelling. Since then no one in any government has dared to simplify English spelling. However,people do simplify some words, mainly in advertisements. For example, we often see "tonite" instead of "tonight" and "thru" instead of "through". Who is NOT a member of the Simplified Spelling Board? Answer: Theodore Roosevelt.
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. From the passage, we learn that the author _ . Answer: was quite free to know and befriend old people in his childhood Amy Chua may well be very _ . What kind of a mother will drag her then 7-year-old daughter's dollhouse out to the car and tell her that it is going to be donated if the poor kid doesn't master a difficult piano composition by the next day? What kind of a mother will inform her daughter that she is nothing but "garbage"? And what kind of mother will believe, as Chua tells readers, that "an A- is not always a good grade"? The only activities her children should be permitted to do are those in which they can eventually win a medal, which must be gold. What kind of a mother she is? Why, a mother who is raising her kids in the typical Chinese way, rather than the Western way. In her new book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Chua tells her adventures in Chinese parenting, and -- so _ as she may be -- she is also mesmerizing . Chua's voice is that of a happy, knowledgeable serial killer -- think Hannibal Lecter -- who's explaining how he's going to cut his next victim, as though it's the most self-evidently normal behavior. There is another attractive aspect of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. There are methods to Chua's madness, enough method to stir up self-doubt in those readers who support the more educating parenting styles. It is trusted that Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is going to be a book club and parenting blog phenomenon; there will be fevered debate over Chua's tough love strategies, which include unchangeable bans on such Western indulgences as sleepovers, play dates, and any after class activities except practicing musical instruments, which must be limited between the violin or the piano. The back story to Chua's book is this -- she is the daughter of a couple of Chinese immigrants and is now a professor at Yale Law School and the author of two best-selling "big-think" books on "free-market democracy" and "the fall of empires". When Chua married her husband, her fellow Yale law professor and a novelist Jed Rubenfeld, they agreed that their children would be brought up in "the Chinese way," in which punishingly hard work, enforced by parents produces excellence; excellence, in turn, produces satisfaction. The success of this strategy is hard to debate. Their older daughter is a piano talent who played at Carnegie Hall when she was 14 or so. The second, a more rebellious daughter, Lulu, is a gifted violinist. Chua rode the girls hard, making sure they practiced at least three hours a day even on vacations, when she would call ahead to arrange access to practice in hotel lobby bars and basement storage rooms. Chua also rarely refrained from criticizing her daughters. She explains: Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable to Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, "Hey so fatty, lose some weight." By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of "health" and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in treatment for eating disorders and negative self-image. ... Western parents are concerned about their children's minds. Chinese parents aren't. They assume strength, not weakness, and as a result they behave very differently. What's the writer's purpose of using the example of "weight problem"? Answer: To make a comparison between Western and Chinese mothers. "Racism is a grown-up disease," declares the saying on Ruby Bridge's website along with a photo of Mrs. Bridge today, a 6-year-old girl four decades ago. In the photo, she is walking up the steps of the William Frantz Public School in New Orleans, a little black girl accompanied by two officers who protect her on her way to school. Her name then was Ruby Nell. It was Nov. 14, 1960. She was the first black child to enroll at this all-white elementary school according to the court order to desegregate in New Orleans schools. Her story is moving -- she was a very courageous child -- and remains a significant proof against intolerance of all kinds. Ruby's photo brings out another powerful image on her website: Norman Rockwells symbolic painting for Look magazine on Jan. 14, 1964, "The Problem We All Live With." Rockwell was an illustrator of exceptional skill and charm. He produced a vast number of unforgettable images over a long career, many of them involving children. His American kids are innocent and appealing, but often, at the same time, decidedly naughty. His method was to photograph his models, and the resulting paintings were photographic. But it is revealing to see how the artist slightly changed facial expressions from photo to oil painting in order to make his paintings communicate with the viewer. Communication, even persuasion, lay at the back of his work; this was art for effect. "The Problem We All Live With" belongs to Rockwell's later work, when he began openly showing his strong belief in liberty. This is a highly persuasive image. Before he arrived at the final copy, one sketch shows the little girl closer to the two officers following her than to those in front. In the finished picture, the girl seems more determined, independent, and untouched. The unfriendly tomatoes thrown on the wall are behind her now, and she, is completely unaffected. Ruby Nell was protected by officers on her way to school, because _ . Answer: she was the first black to study in an all-white school The United States is one of the greatest fruit-growing countries in the world. Fine red apples come from Washington and New York. Golden oranges come from Southern California and Florida. Fruit grows in all parts of America. The kind of fruit that is grown depends on the weather in each place. Orange trees cannot be grown where temperatures drop below freezing. Southern California and Florida are far from each other, but their weather is much the same. They do not often have freezing temperatures. In Washington, apple trees are planted near the Atlantic Ocean. In New York, they grow near the Great Lakes. Apple trees are often planted near water. Water temperature changes more slowly than land temperature. Near water, temperature does not drop so fast. There is less chance of frost in late spring or early autumn. Frost can kill apples. America has many kinds of weather. It has many kinds of soil. Because of this, they grow and eat more fruit than any other country in the world. Which of the following does this passage make you believe? Answer: The fruit we eat comes from many places in the country. My parents want to take me to visit Beijing this summer holiday. I want to plan a good trip. So I must learn something about Beijing on the Internet. Beijing is a beautiful city. Autumn is the best season. There are many places of interest in Beijing. We want to visit the Great Wall, the Palace Museum and the Summer Palace. Beijing Duck is very famous all over the world. I hope I could have a try. We can get to Beijing by train. I want to buy a gift for my good friend. I also want to send a postcard to my teacher. I think I will have a great holiday. How can they go to Beijing? Answer: By train.
Spring is just around the corner and it's a time to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors. Here is a selection of festivals around the country that are a great excuse to travel and get back in the spring sunshine. Dana Point Festival of the Whales Dana Point, California March 7 to 8 and 14 to 15, 2010 Each year, over two sunny weekends in March the town of Dana Point, California celebrates the return of migratory California gray whales to this part of the Pacific Ocean. Festivities include whale-watching, an arts festival and educational hands-on activities for the entire family. Prices start at $29 per adult and $19 for children. For more information, visit: www.dpfestivalofwhales.com Chandler Ostrich Festival Chandler, Arizona March 13 to 15, 2010 Chandler is the center of ostrich ranching in the USA. You can see ride these feathered beasts around the ostrich track at Tumbleweed Park. General admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for children aged 5 to 12 and kids 4 and under are free. For more information, visit: www.ostrichfestival.com Festival of Houses and Gardens Charleston, South Carolina March 19 to April 18, 2010 The Historic Charleston Foundation gives curious travelers the opportunity to explore gardens of some of the finest private residences in America. Each 3-hour tour (afternoons from 2 to 5 pm and evenings from 6 to 9 pm) lets you visit 8 to 10 properties dating from the American colonial period. Prices range from $25 to $45. For more information, visit: www.historiccharleston.org Tulip Time Festival Holland, Michigan May 1 to 9, 2010 You don't need to travel to the Netherlands this spring to see and smell some of the world's finest tulips . The annual Tulip Time Festival, one of the largest flower festivals in the country, will kick off with fireworks on May 1. Admission fee ranges from $6 for the children's area to $38 for theatre tickets. Tickets and more information are available at: www.tuliptime.com A couple with their 4-year-old son will go whale-watching. They have to pay _ . A. $58 B. $38 C. $48 D. $77 Answer: D Dear Susan, Today is Wednesday. I'm very happy because I have a history class in the morning. Our history teacher, Mr. Meng, always tells us some history stories. I think they're quite interesting. But my good friend, Chen Kun, doesn't like Wednesday. He doesn't like history. He thinks it's difficult. He can't understand our history teacher. He loves Chinese because he can read his favourite novels in this class. Lin Xiao's favourite day is Thursday. She likes music. She can sing and dance in the class. She loves the music teacher, Miss Zhang, because her class is quite relaxing . She thinks Miss Zhang is very beautiful. Yours, Jane Chen Kun thinks history is _ . A. interesting B. boring C. difficult D. relaxing Answer: C Earth's magnetic patterns are helpful A. to birds building a nest B. to lions roaming the Sahara C. to birds looking a warmer locale D. to whales trying to find a mate Answer: C Where would an arctic hare be least likely to be seen by a predator? A. sitting on the dirt B. on a sand dune C. on a grass lawn D. on a hill covered in deep, white, cold stuff Answer: D This holiday my sister and I went to Shanghai. My sister had just graduated and she wanted to find a job in Shanghai. My uncle lived in Shanghai, so we lived with him after we got there. On the first day we went to a lot of interesting places, including Waitan and Huangpu Park. We spent the next few days helping my sister find a job. We read many advertisements in newspapers to find one. My sister couldn't get the first job because they said she was too young. Then we lost our way and couldn't find the second company. We had a map but the city is so big, so we had to ask someone for help and finally found the second company. The boss had a talk with my sister and asked her to wait at home for their decision. A month later we went home. My sister couldn't find a job in Shanghai because she was not knowledgeable enough or she didn't have enough experience. In this holiday we learned that if we want to succeed in life, we have to work hard and get a lot of knowledge. Why couldn't my sister get the first job in Shanghai? A. Because she was too young. B. Because she couldn't find the second company. C. Because the city is so big that we lost our way. D. Because she was not knowledgeable enough or she didn't have enough experience. Answer: A
Disneyland may look like a straightforward theme park. But there's a secret world hidden behind the balloons, castles and cotton candy -- a place where wild cats wander at midnight, Mickey Mouse hides in the wallpaper, and movie stars drink martinis behind closed doors. Cat security -- It's not easy keeping the ground of Disneyland spotless, as well as free of unwanted pests. Every night after closing time, 200 wild cats were freed into the park to help keep the rodent population under control. Though Disney doesn't comment on the matter, rumor has it that the cat taskforce dates back to 1957. After unsuccessful attempts to chase them out of the park, Disney decided to put the cats to work instead. Hidden Mickeys--At Disneyland the round-eared Mickey Mouse image is everywhere. But you can also see hundreds of "Hidden Mickeys" across the park, which are very difficult to spot: they're camouflage in the architecture and landscaping as well as in the smallest stylistic details. Cocktail behind closed doors-- _ unless you can manage to get your name on the list at Club 33. The secret cocktail club has a limited membership of just 487 and a waiting list of approximately 14 years. Walt Disney designed the club as a special space to entertain possible investors; since then, it has hosted US presidents, film stars and foreign guests. Always on stage--At Disneyland, a doorman isn't a doorman, he is a "cast member". So are the large numbers of cashiers, painters, ride operators, gardeners and performers. All "cast members" are trained to follow a specific rule that helps preserve the Disney magic. On the list of dos and don'ts? Never break character. If wearing a costume that belongs in Fantasyland, don't set foot in Tomorrowland--it might Confuse visitors or break the park's orderly image. Cast members have a Disney "look book" that details the fresh-faced ideal--no long fingernails, beards, or unnaturally colored hair allowed. It's a return to Walt Disney's All-American standards: when the park opened even guests with facial hair weren't allowed entrance. From the passage we can know that in Disneyland "Hidden Mickeys" are _ . A. small B. obvious C. everywhere D. dishonest Answer: C My parents lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s and I heard stories from both of them about how their lives changed because of it. The same was true of my in-laws whose lives were also affected negatively. For example, my husband's grandfather owned a factory. Owing to the stock market crash, he lost the factory and went back to work in the very factory he'd once owned. He could no longer afford to send my father-in-law to college. My father-in-law worked full time as a pipe fitter and went to school part-time to earn his degree, which took seven years. Somehow, my husband and I never dreamed that we would live through anything similar. However, as they say, history often repeats itself. In 1929, the stock market crashed in the month of October. The same thing happened in 2008. My husband, who had invested all our money in the market, was in a state of shock. Each day the news was more terrible. "We've lost more than half of our wealth," he told me. I just stared at him. "How can that be?" "I thought we had good, solid investments, but it seems I was wrong." "Well, we do have pensions ," I said. "Hopefully, they won't be affected. Since we have never lived a high lifestyle to begin with, I don't think we have to worry." "I did hope to leave our children and grandchildren a generous inheritance ," my husband said. He shook his head in disbelief. "We'll still be able to give gifts. Love is the most important gift anyway." Our children are grown and we always try to be generous to them and our grandchildren. "It just won't be the same." "The world is always changing," I said. "You never know what will happen. The main thing is not to get discouraged. As long as we have our health and can afford the necessities of life, there's no reason to be upset. When you have your health, you can always earn more money." I hugged my husband and he kissed me in return. "I guess you're right," he agreed. "We love each other. We have our health and enough money to live on comfortably. That's all that matters." We had to move out of our house into an apartment. Since few people could afford a house in those hard days, we decided to offer it for considerably less than it would normally be worth. Even so, several buyers changed their mind days before closing. But finally, our home was sold. As we shook hands with the new owners, I told them how fortunate they were. "Not only are you getting a bargain in the price, but this house has good luck. We bought the house from a family who lived in it for nine years. They were a happy family, a husband, wife and five children. It was a cheerful house and we had a good feeling about it. We raised our children here as well." "That's good to hear," the young woman said with a smile. "We have two young children ourselves. And I believe in luck too." We nodded our heads in agreement, understanding each other. "You'll live only six houses from the best primary school in the town and your children won't even have to cross a street," I said. "Our children used to come home each day and have lunch with me." "We like the woods in the back," the young man told us. "We're going to plant a large garden in the backyard." They seemed so young and happy and full of plans. My husband and I had to smile. At least some good was coming out of the economic difficulty. We no longer needed a house. It was good to know that another young family would now be living in what had been a happy, loving home for us. Also, the house needed work that we no longer had the energy to perform. These may be tough times economically, but as for me, I intend to look forward, not back. As Shakespeare said in Macbeth, "what's done is done and cannot be undone." It's the present and future that matter. We can learn from our mistakes and make our lives better. Which of the following can be the best title of the story? A. Selling the House. B. Stock Market Crash C. What's Done Can't Be Undone. D. A Change in Lifestyle. Answer: D How to Study Smarter, Not Harder Here are some of our favorite study tips that will help any student study smarter, not harder: Recite As You Study Reciting--saying things out loud should first take place as you read through each paragraph or section. Test yourself. This will help you to understand as well as learn faster because it is more active than reading or listening. It will also help you to notice your mistakes and the topics you have trouble understanding. Take Fuller Notes Notes should be in your own words, brief and clear. They should be tidy and easy to read. Writing notes will help you better than just underlining as you read, since it forces you to rewrite ideas in your own words. Study the Middle The best time to review is soon after you've learned something. You are more likely to remember the material at the beginning and the end of the lesson, so make sure you focus on the middle when you review. Sleep On It Study before going to bed, unless you are very tired. It's easier to remember material you've just learned after sleeping than after an equal period of daytime activity, because your brain continues to think even after you've fallen asleep. Combine Memory and Understanding There are two ways to remember: by memorizing and by understanding. Multiplication tables, telephone numbers, and math formulas are better learned by rote. Ideas are best learned by understanding. The more ways you have to think about an idea, the more meaning it will have; the more meaningful the learning, the better you can remember it. Pay attention to similarities in ideas and concepts, and then try to understand how they fit in with things you already know. Never be satisfied with anything less than a completely clear understanding of what you are reading. If you are not able to follow the thought, go back to the place where you first got confused and try again. The writer advises you to _ as it is easier for you to remember material. A. study after a period of activity B. do some exercise after studying C. study as soon as you get up D. study before going to sleep Answer: D It' s Sunday morning. There are many people in the park, some boys are playing basketball. There are some girls under a big tree. They' re singing and dancing. What are those women doing? They are drinking tea. Look at the woman in a blue coat. Who' s she? She' s my mother. She is talking to Edward. Edward is her student. He is a good student. He studies hard . He' s good at all the subjects. And he' s friendly to all his teachers and his friends. My mother' s coat is _ . A. blue B. white C. red D. yellow Answer: A No matter what your age or style, MNA (Museum of Northern Arizona) Education Programs have a program to fit your desires. Stay close to home and enjoy the following: MNA Ventures The MNA Ventures program offers opportunities to discover and explore the Colorado Plateau -- 130,000 square miles of mountains and canyons centered in the Four Corners area of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Discovery Programs The Discovery Programs offer educational experiences that emphasize the artistic traditions, natural sciences, Native American culture, and history of the Colorado Plateau. A variety of program choices provide fun learning opportunities for students of all ages and interests. Programs range in length from half-day classes to week-long classes, and offer experiences for three-year-olds to adults. Discovery classes take place mainly in the Museum grounds but may include field trips to go with the experience. Custom Tours The Museum of Northern Arizona's Custom Tours offer opportunities to discover and explore the wonders of the Colorado Plateau. Experience the rich natural wonders and cultures of this area through experts' eyes by traveling with scientists, writers, artists, and professional guides. Group Exhibit Tours There are self-guided programs for the archaeology of the Colorado Plateau, Native American culture, and the geology and biology of the Colorado Plateau. According to the text, the Colorado Plateau _ . A. is an area without much culture B. is mainly made up of grasslands C. ranges over at least four states D. has a history of 130,000 years Answer: C
Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for-its stadium and theatres, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii's people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2000 years. Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe, But they were not. In August of AD 79 , Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii . When the eruption ended , Pompeii was hurried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead. For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash. Then, in the year 1861,an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD79 , There were streets and fountains, houses and shops, There was a stadium with 20,000 seats , Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine, They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in the bakery .In one bakery there were 81 round , flat loaves of bread -a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today . Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup. What do we know about the Pompeians who lived 2000 years ago? Answer: According to some surveys, there are at least 87 languages that are completely _ now. What's worse, while there are around 6,000 or 7,000 languages spoken around the world today, researchers estimate that fifty percent of those languages will not survive the turn of the century. Google, however, is determined to provide a safe place for some of these dying languages. Recently, the company started the Endangered Languages Project. It is an online archive that will use technology and media to protect endangered languages around the world. Google hopes the archive will allow people to do something for endangered languages by offering tools that will help create high-quality recordings of the last speakers of a language. The site makes it possible for users to share research and video documents that will support endangered languages, as well as connect people who are working to protect specific languages. Languages on the site are put into different types, such as, "at risk", "endangered" and "seriously endangered". Navajo, a language spoken mainly in New Mexico today, is listed as "at risk", with about 120,000 speakers worldwide. If the Endangered Languages Project works, it may not only help protect Navajo, but also help protect hundreds of other languages. And while these languages may never become the language of international business, making sure that they don't disappear is important -- to protect out cultural heritage and to provide us with valuable information that can help us to better understand ourselves. What is the best title of the text? Answer: Two old men lived in a room on the third floor of an old people's home. Both men were very old and badly ill, and they spent 24 hours a day in bed in the room. Luckily, one of the old men had his bed by the window, and every day he spent hours telling his friend far from the window what he could see through the window. He told him about the traffic going by, the children playing in the park opposite, and the birds flying in trees. The old man far from the window got a lot of pleasure from hearing about the world outside, but after a time he began to get rather unhappy. How nice it would be, he thought, if he had the bed by the window and could see everything for him, instead of just hearing about it. One night, the man by the window called to his friend, "Quick! Pull the alarm by your bed; I don't think I can get through the night!" But his friends, expecting an empty bed by the window, did nothing---he just closed his eyes and went back to sleep. The next morning, the nurse found the man dead in his bed by the window. The old man was very excited as they moved him into the empty bed by the window. He sat up in bed, pulled back the curtain, looked out --- and saw only a wall. Which of the following is TRUE according to the story? Answer: Which is the most accurate statement? Answer: I'm an English girl .My name is Kate. I'm twelve. I have two sisters. My sisters and I are all at school .We go to school from Monday to Friday. We don't have classes on Saturday and Sunday. My mother is a teacher and my father is a doctor. I like reading. My favorite subject is English .My favorite teacher is Miss Smith. She teaches us English. My favorite sport is tennis. My favorite school day is Friday because we have two English classes on Friday. _ Is a teacher. Answer:
Moving to a new city and state was difficult for me, especially in winter. Little did I know that a Colorado snowstorm would greet me after I had been in my new home for only a week. I just missed home. But more than the old house and the beach, I missed Stacey, my best friend. And I missed our lovely tea. Going to a sweet little tearoom, we had discovered was a special treat for us. The place was a Victorian dream, with delicate teacups and tablecloths with flower prints. The hat shelf near the front door swept us back to childhood. Stacey and I became little girls, trying on different hats until we found the perfect one for our dress-up tea party. We would then choose a lovely table and order our tea. That was a precious time, filled with laughter between scones and sharing our lives between tiny cucumber sandwiches. Springtime descended upon Denver, and the sun lightened my heart. But I still fought loneliness almost every day. I decided to explore the Denver area. While my husband went to the office, I took time to see what our new area had to offer. One day, I was walking along the street when suddenly the words "Tea Leaves" caught my eye. A tea room? Here, in the land of loneliness and pain? I walked through the doors, and tears came to my eyes. It was a beautiful room, not Victorian, but simple and lovely. I sat down and ordered a pot of tea, a cucumber sandwich, and some scones.It felt silly and wonderful --- and it felt like home. For the first time since moving, I felt as if this new city and state could be, would eventually be, my home. I would come back here and bring new friends. When Stacey visited, we would come here. I lifted my cup and made a silent toast. I toasted Stacey, whom I missed ly, and I toasted the sweet little tearoom that lessened my pain. Which of the following about "Tea Leaves" is true? Answer: It touched the author. Sydney is a young city. Its history goes back just over 200 years. But in Australia, it is the oldest city. It is also the country' s largest city. Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and the most popular city of Australia. The climate of Sydney is very good. It' s not too cold during the winter and not too hot during the summer. The sky is blue, the air is fresh, and birds sing in the garden. People who live in Sydney seem to have an easy life style. They will tell you, "Don't worry. " Many people think that Sydney is one of the most attractive cities in the world. It has many tall and modern buildings. Among them, Center point Tower is the tallest. Standing on the 305-metre(80 storeys)tower, you will have a great view of the city. Sydney is famous for its deep harbor . The harbor has many bays and beautiful surf beaches. Among them, Bondi beach is the most popular. Sydney Harbor is not only beautiful, it also serves as a large port. Ships carry wool, wheat and meat from Sydney to other countries. People living in Sydney like to call themselves Sydneysiders. They are mostly friendly and easygoing. When they are not working, they love to have a good time at the beach, swimming and sailing. What do you think of people in Sydney? Answer: warm-hearted We all have fond memories of taking a few lazy months off after the stress of A-levels. So now that summer has arrived, let's take full advantage. It goes without saying that summer vacations are the perfect time to go traveling. Tickets go up greatly when you turn 26, so make the most of cheaper rates while _ . Overseas volunteering won't amaze future employers, but it can be very useful. Finding a reliable company that won't cheat you is important, as is discovering a program that interests you. There are plenty of websites where you can see other people's suggestions. Of course for most of us, money is tight. To avoid overspending you can combine employment and vacation. Hannah Warn, a psychology student at the University of Winchester, is spending her summer at Camp America where students enjoy a good time on a summer camp. "Being thrown into something where I don't really know what to expect is exciting," she says. "It gives me a chance to experience being away from home in a different way." Those with a talent for languages might also consider working abroad as an au pair . The work may be a chance to involve yourself in a new culture while your employer pays most of the bill. If you have an idea of the sort of career you'd like, getting work experience is wise. In many careers, graduating with only your degree to show for your three or four years just won't make it. Send applications off early and to as many places as possible. Make sure you take a well-earned break this summer. It can be inferred from the passage that _ . Answer: students may enjoy lower-price tickets when traveling Every time I came home from work at midnight, I often saw a shadow walking in our neighborhood. Was it "a night walking"? Someone walked alone in the dark, and this always made me afraid a lot. I think it was "a sleep walker". So I never bothered it. But one night, when I walked past it quietly and quickly as usual, I heard a low voice. "Do you often have to work at night?" I was a little afraid. I looked around, but no one was nearby. I ran home as quickly as possible. Later on, I heard it was a neighbor, an old man who has been living alone at home. He's NOT a sleep walker. He enjoys having a walk at night. So I seldom see him in the neighborhood in the day. It's said that he was a soldier many years ago. He has two children, a son and a daughter. His son has a family in Shanghai. His daughter went abroad, in Sydney. He has been living alone since his wife died several years ago. Without any children living with him, he feels lonely and helpless. I feel sorry for the old man. We might care less about our parent who lives alone. When we grow up, our parents get old. We should often go back home even though we're busy with work. What was the old neighbor when he was young? Answer: A soldier. Once upon a time, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything on the land ---- animals and plants. One day while walking through the woods, the old man found a cocoon of a butterfly. He took it home. A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and cut the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then came out easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, or they would be smaller. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man in his kindness and hurry did not understand was that the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through our life without any difficulties, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly. What does the author want to tell us by writing the passage? Answer: Struggles in our life can make us stronger.
Little Brother By Cory Doctorow, 382 pages, $19.95 In the very near future, Marcus Yallow is walking with his friends in San Francisco when a 9/11-sized terrorist attack occurs blocks away. Everyone around is secretly taken away by the Department of Homeland Security to see whether they're terrorists. However, during the investigation, one of his friends dies mysteriously. The friends try to find out the truth. If you read only one science-fiction novel this year, make it this one. The Flying Troutmans By Miriam Toews, 274 pages, $32 The heart of the book is a road journey in Canada made by Hattie,Thebes and Logan to find Cherkis, the kids' dad. It's rich in dialogue, sometimes funny, sometimes surprisingly sad, always character-true. Toews is an extraordinarily gifted writer, with tough-minded compassion for her characters. Reading By Lightning By Joan Thomas, 388 pages, $22.95 We're in 1930s Canada, where Lily's father arrived three decades earlier to be promised fertile agricultural land. But they had been cheated and thrown in the middle of Manitoba. Now William Piper and his wife farm their land and place little hope in this life. What They Wanted By Donna Morrissey, 325 pages, $32 A father has a heart attack; a brother and a sister leave Newfoundland and go to Alberta, Canada to work; a tragedy brings reconciliation , but also terrible loss. Primarily a novel of character, it's also a novel of Canada, of two very specific and vividly drawn places. Donna Morrissey's characters are troubled, sensitive, quick to be moved to anger or pain, and just as quick to laughter and affection. According to the text, we know that The Flying Troutmans is_. A full of dialogue B a sad story C about tourism D a real story Answer: A. full of dialogue Every now and then we hear about an event that has taken place. This information helps us prepare ourselves for any problem in the future. Current affairs serve different purposes for different people. Theses days, the importance of current affairs has risen. Most people focus on certain areas of information according to their needs and interests. There are certain areas like science and technology, which attract only a special kind of crowd, and thus have a lesser audience compared to fields like the entertainment industry. Science and technology are completely ignored by a common man, unless he or she happens to be "a techno-freak ". Yes, this is the word given to people who show interest in current affairs related to science and technology. However, they are the ones who have much more knowledge of the current world. Why is it so? Mainly because today's world is driven by science and technology. It is the techno-freaks that cause the development in science and technology, and thanks to them you can see a miracle of new inventions. The old way of living has been replaced by the high-tech modern way of living. It will be a world of robots in the near future. If somebody decides not to get to know about current affairs related to science and technology, he or she will be separated from the real world. We must stay abreast with the new inventions so that we can predict the future. For example, if you know the current conditions of science and technology of 2012 well, you will better understand what will take place in 2012. Therefore, you must gain enough knowledge on current affairs in science and technology. There are the Internet, newspapers and magazines to provide you with all the information of science and technology. What does the author think of "techno-freaks"? A He thinks highly of them. B He looks down upon them. C He thinks poorly of them. D He thinks they are strange. Answer: A. He thinks highly of them. Tom was nine years old and he went to a school near his house. He went there on foot and came back home usually at 4 o'clock. But last Monday he was very late. His mother asked, "Why are you so late today, Tom?" "Because my teacher asked me to stay behind " Tom answered. "Why did the teacher make you stay behind?" the mother asked again. "Because no one could answer the teacher's question except me," Tom said. "What was the question?" his mother asked. "The question was 'Who broke the window of the classroom?'" Tom said. His mother might be very _ when she heard about that. A hungry B pleased C happy D angry Answer: D. angry Look at this photo! It is a photo of Sam' s family and Jack' s family. They are at Jack' s home. They have a party there. Sam and Jack are good friends. Jack and his family will go on a round-the-world journey . They will start from their home in America, and they will go to Japan, China, India, Australia, Egypt, England, etc. Jack and his family have the party to say goodbye to their friends. Jack' s son Nick is only 8. Sam's son, William, is Nick's good friend. He can't see Nick for a long time. He gives Nick a nice pen. He says it can help Nick remember good things on their journey . What do Jack and his family have the party for? A To say goodbye to their friends. B To ask their friends for help. C To thank their friends. D To make new friends. Answer: A. To say goodbye to their friends. Jim is a little boy. He stays with his grandma. He likes sweets and cakes. He always eats some food with sweets before he goes to bed. And as soon as he gets up in the morning, he can find some cakes on the table in his bedroom. One morning, before Jim got up, his grandma took some cakes to his bedroom. She saw Jim crying in bed. "What's the matter, dear?" his grandma asked in a hurry. "I've a bad toothache," said Jim. So his grandma had to take him to the dentist's. The dentist pulled out the bad tooth for him at last. Two days later Jim felt better and was at school again. Mrs. Hunt asked, "What was the matter with you those days, Jim?" "I had a bad toothache, madam," answered Jim. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Mrs. Hunt. "Is it better now?" "I don't know, madam. I left it with the dentist." Mrs. Hunt is Jim's _ . A teacher B mother C grandma D family doctor Answer: A. teacher
Question: The world is full of amazing things. Today, I'm going to talk about something amazing. We have lots of things to do every day, so many of us will be tired after a busy day. They all choose sleeping to have a rest. But do you know that sleeping can consume many calories. The energy consumed is even more than watching TV. If you want to have a good health, I think you can't sleep too much. Do you like animals? There are a lot of surprising things they can do. Goldfish are a lovely kind of fish. Most goldfish have quite a short life -- only 6 to 7 years. Once, the goldfish called Freb had a very long life. It lived up to 41 years. It was the oldest goldfish in the world. Now if people take good care of the goldfish, they can live more than 10 years. Animals are our friends. We should know more about them and give them a good home. Do you have any interesting stories about amazing things? If so, tell us. Let's share them together. When we are sleeping, _ . A. we consume less calories B. we won't worry about anything C. we use more energy than watching TV D. we have a good health Answer: C. we use more energy than watching TV Question: Rita stepped into the cool, moving water. She pushed a black inner tube in front of her. She had a worried look on her face because she had never floated down a river before. "Let me hold your tube while you climb on," said her father. He smiled at her. "There's not a cloud in the sky. It's a great day to be in the river, isn't it?" Rita looked out across the water. People were floating by on tubes. Some talked and laughed as they floated easily down the river. Others leaned back with hats pulled over their faces. None of them looked terrified. "We'll stay together," said Rita's father. "I'll hold on to your rope ." "Will we go very fast?" Rita asked. "No," said Dad. "We'll move slowly for a while, and then it will get a little faster near the river's bend . Don't worry, Rita. You'll be fine." Rita looked at her tube. It gently moved up and down in the water. She saw a girl of her own age float by. The girl seemed to be having fun. Suddenly Rita's worries disappeared . "I'm ready to climb on and ride, Dad," she said. Which of these happened last in the story? A. Rita pushed her black tube. B. Rita saw a girl of her own age. C. Rita stepped into the water. D. Rita looked worried. Answer: B. Rita saw a girl of her own age. Question: When you tidy your messy bedroom,it gets a lot easier to find things.Dreams may work the same way for a messy brain,helping you learn by organizing memories and ideas. To test how much dreams can help learning,Robert Stickgold had some students play a shapefitting game called Tetris for a few hours and then go to sleep.Soon they were dreaming of falling Tetris shapes.Interestingly,the worst Tetris players had the most Tetris dreams and improved their game the most.Similar tests have shown the same results for all kinds of skills. As we dream,many important tasks are getting done.The brain decides what to keep and what to forget.It is connecting new experiences to older learning.In fact,the brain is learning all night long. Another important task of dreams may be to help us deal with emotions .At night,emotions are in the driver's seat.People who have had an upsetting experience often dream about it afterward.Often the dream event changes somehow--another way the brain tries to make the memory less upset.So if your best friend moves away,you might dream that you're the one who's moving.In fact,dreams have a proven power to improve mood,and people who dream about what's bothering them usually feel better sooner than those who don't. Everybody dreams for a couple of hours every night--in the course of your life,you'll spend about 25 years asleep and 6 years dreaming.There's probably no single answer to the question why we dream,but there doesn't have to be.One dream might help you remember your math facts,while another might lead to a new invention,or give you a fun,crazy story to tell your friends.It's all in a night's work for our busy,mysterious brains. What does the text focus on? A. Dreams and memories. B. Dreams and emotions. C. The benefits of dreams. D. The patterns of dreams. Answer: C. The benefits of dreams. Question: Here are some advertisements taken from a newspaper. (1) Dear Drew Carter, Your first year on this earth has been a pleasure ride for all of us. We love you! Dad and Mom and many friends (2) Lawlis---Clarke The Doctor Virgil and Marjorie Lawlis are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Diane Susan to Mr. Robert Brent Clarks, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Clarks of Herford, Texas. A spring wedding is planned in House. (3) Isbell---Foss Mr. and Mrs. Davis K. Isbell announce the marriage of their daughter Dang to Mr. Stanley Foss, son of Mrs. John Sipe of Ada, Minnessota. The wedding will be early April at Abiding Love Lutheran Church. (4) Story-Kurio Miss Stephanie Story and Mr. Todd Warren Kurio were married on February 5, at half past seven o'clock in the evening in Highland Park Prebytefian Church in Dallas, Texas. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Brue Story Jr. of Dallas. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Stanley Kurio of Austin. Lawlis and Clarke are going to get married _ . A. in a church B. where Clarke's parents live C. against their parents' will D. to Lawlis' parents' joy Answer: D. to Lawlis' parents' joy Question: What do you use to get around town? A car? A bike? Your feet ? perhaps you should try a segway! The Segway is perfect for short journeys. It's an electric vehicle that consists of a platform between two wheels, with a pole that connects the platform to the handlebars. To ride it , you step up onto the platform, and control the Segway by moving your body. Lean forwards to go faster, and back-wards to slow down. On older models, direction was controlled by a twist grip on the left handlebar. This varies the speeds between the two motors, and a decrease in the speed of the left wheel would turn the Segway to the left . With newer models you simply lean to the left or right. Meanwhile, a gyroscope detects your movements and prevents the machine from falling over. The Segway has a maximum speed of 19 km per hour and a range of about 38 km. after that, you need to plug it and recharge the battery. Segways are used for a variety of purposes. People with mobility problems can now enjoy walks in the country with their friends and family. Some golfers see them as an alternative to the golf cart . And dog owners now have an easier way to take the dog to the park. A few police forces use Segways, too. They allow officers to move quickly while maintaining contact with the public. They're also becoming a common sight on airport . However, the most popular use is in tourism , particularly for city tours . Visit any major tourist city in summer, sit outside a cafe for a while and there's a good chance you'll see a group of tourists passing on Segways. How far can you travel on a Segway at most? A. Less than 19 km B. About 19 km C. About 38 km D. Over 45 km Answer: C. About 38 km
Question: Long long ago, a young man found a spring of delicious clean water while he was going through the desert. He brought some back to the oldest man in his village, who had been his teacher before. After a four-day journey he sent the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village happily. The next day, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It went bad because it had stayed in the old leather container for so many days in such hot weather. The student asked his teacher why he pretended to like the awful water. The teacher _ , "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for love and kindness. And nothing could be sweeter than these." I think we understand this lesson best when we receive small gifts of love from very young kids. Whether it's a slice of bread or a piece of colored paper, the natural and right response is to show our thanks and happiness because we get love from the gift. To show our thanks doesn't always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults only see the thing itself. They never feel the meaning of the thing. We should tell ourselves and teach our children about showing thanks and happiness to the persons who give the gifts from their hearts because gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart. Where did the young man find the water? A. In a spring. B. In a river. C. In a lake. D. In a village. Answer: A Question: Two kittens were playing. They had come in from outside. Now they were in the living room in the house. One kitten was named Snowball and one kitten was named Fuzzy. Suddenly, Snowball saw something interesting. "Look at that!" said Snowball. "What is it?" asked Fuzzy. "It's a ball of yarn. On the top shelf!" said Snowball. She had seen the yarn that was kept in a basket up there! "That looks like it's fun to play with!" said Fuzzy. "But how could we get to it? It's so high up," he wondered. "I have an idea," said Snowball. "Watch this!" Suddenly, Snowball jumped up on to the couch. "What are you doing?" asked Fuzzy. "Just watch!" said Snowball. Snowball then jumped to the table next to the couch. Then, she jumped to the middle shelf. "That's dangerous!" said Fuzzy. Snowball and Fuzzy were still small kittens. They weren't used to jumping very high yet. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. I think we're allowed to be up here." said Snowball. Then, she jumped all the way to the top shelf, where the yarn was. "Look out below!" she yelled, and pushed the ball of yarn off the shelf and on to the floor. "Whoa!" said Fuzzy. "Thanks!" Snowball then jumped down to the middle shelf, and down to the table, and down to the couch, and back to the floor. There, she and her brother played with the ball of yarn until they got tired and took a nap. Why was it dangerous for Snowball to get the ball of yarn? A. Balls of yarn are dangerous for kittens to play with. B. Jumping is bad for her. C. She is not allowed to be on the shelf. D. She is still small, and wasn't used to jumping very high yet. Answer: D Question: US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is likely to visit China at an "appropriate" time this year, a senior Chinese military official said on Monday. Colonel Tu Qiming, director of the American and Oceania Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Affairs Office at the National Defense Ministry, made the remark during Sino-US defense talks this week. This is the first ever "special defense policy dialogue" between the two defense ministries, according to the Chinese military. * FRANCES Agriculture Ministry has confirmed the first case of mad cow disease detected in a goat last Friday. The goat killed in 2002 tested positive for mad cow disease. It is the first case in the world of the fatal disease being found in an animal other than a bovine. The human form of mad cow disease causes brain-wasting, personality change, loss of body function, and ends in death. The European Commission has not advised any change in farming and consuming goats, said the French Ministry in a statement published last Friday. * MOBILE phone sales hit a new record in 2010, with some 684 million units sold around the world, the US research institute Strategy Analytics said on Thursday. The number represents an increase of 32 per cent over 2003, when 571 million units were sold. Strategy Analytics predicts a more modest rise of 8 per cent for this year, to 735 million. Finnish cell phone provider Nokia stayed out in front in 2010, with sales of 207.6 million units, giving it a market share of 30.4 per cent. Motorola moved to No 2, just ahead of the South Korean company Samsung. *** SIX male penguins at a German zoo are proving stubbornly resistant to females brought in from Sweden to make them into breeding .Of the ten male penguins at the zoo, six have formed into "homosexual" couples and have shown no interest in the females, making breeding an impossibility. So the zoo imported the four female penguins from Sweden last month, full of hope that the new arrivals could "turn" the males. But so far, the boys are remaining strictly with the boys. From the fourth piece of news we know that _ . A. the scientists haven't succeeded in doing their experiment B. the scientists have successfully got six female penguins into breeding. C. the Sweden girls made the boys show interest in them D. German boys don't like Sweden boys Answer: A Question: The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Aron Presley was born on 8 January 1935 in Tupelo. His talent in singing did not come up as a surprise, as he had a good voice right from his childhood. When Elvis was ten years old, he participated in a Talent Contest at Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show and won a prize for the song he sang. When Elvis was 13 years old, his family moved to Tennessee. To support himself and his father, Elvis took on a job as a truck driver. A disc containing two ballads that Elvis had recorded for his mother as a birthday gift was first heard by Sun Studio's president Sam Phillips. After listening to Elvis, Sam made Elvis an offer and that was the birth of a new singing sensation ; a new superstar was born. In 1954 his first record was released from Sun Studio. In 1955, Elvis singed a $35,000 recording contract with RCA Victor (through Thomas Parker), who promised to help in projecting Elvis Presley (a Local Star) as a National Level Star. As promised, Elvis was shown in newspapers, television appearances, photographs where he was claimed to be the next superstar of the music world. In 1956, his first performance with "Heartbreak Hotel" on The Milton Berle Show successfully put Elvis on the top list of the superstars and the nationwide "Elvis Craze" was started. Elvis became the prince who ruled hearts of his millions of fans. In 1960, he quit performing in concerts and concentrated in making movies. As his first movie Love Me Tender was a big hit, he had no problem in marking his comeback in movies. After making several very successful and hit movies, Elvis returned to the world of music. In 1968, Elvis once again started working with his old band and gave some more smashing hits to the world. In 1972, he released his last top-ten single Burning Love. It's nearly impossible to measure the level of popularity he had reached in his career. Elvis Presley had more than 100 records on the billboard charts and out of which, about 18 records were on number one position on the charts. During his lifetime, he worked in about 31 movies; all of them were huge success. The text is organized in the pattern of _ . A. time and events B. comparison and contrast C. cause and effect D. definition and classification Answer: A Question: Welcome to our restaurant! We have many kinds of food and drinks here. We have fish, chicken, rice, eggs and vegetables for you to eat. We have apple juice, orange juice, milk and beer for you to drink. Many people come here for dinner every day. We have Sichuan food, Shandong food and Guangdong food. All these Chinese food are nice to eat. _ . Would you like to have some? Please come in. Our telephone number is 6821-8301. Can people have beer in the restaurant? A. Yes, they can. B. No, they can't. C. Yes, I think so. D. I'm nut sure. Answer: A
Franklin's ships had everything they needed . They had enough food in tins for three years and thousands of litres of lemon juice to stop disease. They also had two libraries with 3,000 books , excellent maps , scientific instruments , musical instruments and a new invention: a camera. Franklin and his men left Engand on May 19th , 1845 and they sailed without problems across the Atlantic towards Canada . When Franklin arrived at Baffin Bay in July 1845, things were going very well for the expedition . On July 26th , some sailors saw Franklin's ships when they were entering the bay . That was the last time that anyone saw Franklin and his men alive . The British government became very worried when they heard nothing from Framklin . They sent expeditions to 1ook for him , but the expeditions all returned without any news . The government offered PS20,000 to anybody who could help Franklin or anybody who had information about Frailklin . Nobody came with information . Then, in August 1850 some sailors found the first signs of the Franklin Expedition while they were searching on Devon Island: some old food tins , some papers , and , something very strange , the graves of three men . The men all died in January 1846 while Franklin was waiting in Baffin Bay for the ice to melt . But why did they die? The three men were all young and three deaths in the first months of the expedition were very strange . What happened to them ? And where were the ships and all the other sailors? The mystery of the Franklin Expedition was growing stronger... At last the first signs of the Franklin Expedition were found_. A in August 1850 on Devon Island B in January 1846 near Baffin Bay C on May 19th , 1845 near Baffin Bay D in January 1846 on Devon Bay Answer: A. in August 1850 on Devon Island My husband, Michael, a co-owner of a development company, came home from work one day said , " it 's not looking good."At midnight, I'd wake up and see him sitting in a chair,with his hand on his forehead As a family, we'd always talked about traveling more, but we'd been tied to routines. Now l saw no point in sitting around worrying when we could see the country. We'd take our kids, Aidan, 11, Charlie, 8, and Rosie ,6, out of school and teach them on the road. It was the perfect time, before they reached high school. Michael resisted at first but realized that with his cell phone and computer, he could work anywhere. We listed our house for rent and got a great deal on an RV . I created a website for us familyofftrack. com--and secured five major sponsors, including Geico and Encore campgrounds. Their ads on our site would help bear the travel cost , and we'd promote their brands. All spring and summer, we visited treasured lands, our first stop was Springfield, Illinois, home of Abraham Lincoln. In the south, we drove along the Natchez Trace, lined with Civil War history. At Bandelier national monument, we climbed ladders up to the ancient cliff dwellings of native Americans. And we took swims in Oregon' s rivers. we kept a video blog; Aidan added the music. Rosie made a slide show of photos, while Charlie put receipts in a folder. By the end of August ,we were ready to return home. Michael's company continued to slide. But Michael and l spent so much time planning that we're now going to make the RV a permanent part of our lives. I've always felt that my husband and I make a great team. Now I feel it even more .Together we made our kids realize: Nobody ever made history by living 100 percent by the book. According to the passage , we can know _ . A Some trouble happened to the author B Michael didn't approve of going traveling C Michael's company was trapped in trouble D Michael was tired of planning the travel Answer: C. Michael's company was trapped in trouble Steel cans are separated from aluminum cans in a recycling center. Which of the following is the best way the recycling center can separate the steel cans from the aluminum cans? A sort the cans by size B put the cans in water C cool the cans to a low temperature D put the cans under an electromagnet Answer: D. put the cans under an electromagnet Removing the tree an owl makes it's home in A demolishes the owl's home B means the owl will go with the tree C allows the owl to remodel D causes the owl to perish Answer: A. demolishes the owl's home Keen to share your views and have your articles published in the Campus Link? We are calling for contributions to the following sections: Lifestyle: Do you travel widely, keep a journal of your adventures and have nice photographs that you might want to share? Or have you simply been somewhere that caught your imagination? Tell us all about your travels! Are you an eager movie-goer? Be Leonard Maltin for the day and share your views of the latest blockbuster with our readers! If food is your preferred choice of relaxation, try your hand at being food critic and send us your views on food/restaurants worth trying. Research: If this noble line of work is your bread and butter or passion, we want to hear from you! Share with Campus Link your research developments and breakthroughs. If you know of someone (your schoolmate or teacher) whose research work is a source of inspiration for our community, do not hesitate to send in your suggestions! If you are interested in sharing any of the above, or if you know of someone worthy of feature, please get in touch with the Editor-in-Chief, at karinyeo@campuslink.sg. Contributions will be selected based on their relevance and quality and Campus Link reserves the right to publish or reject a submission . All contributions will be edited for clarity and length. Please send your submissions in word.doc files and your photos in jpeg format. Which of the following is TRUE about Campus Link? _ A It offers readers bread and butter. B It welcomes research developments and breakthroughs. C It helps you to recognize your schoolmates and teachers. D It is a source of inspiration for the community. Answer: B. It welcomes research developments and breakthroughs.
One day, in an English class, the students are doing their lessons. Their teacher, a young woman, is very happy. She sings some nice songs with them and then she goes to the blackboard and writes "SMILES" on it. "This is the longest word in English, " she says to the class. A girl stands up and says, "It has only six letters. How can it be the longest word in English?" The teacher smiles and says, "Oh, look! There is a mile between the first letter and the last one. " What does the teacher write on the blackboard? Answer: A word. Mary was a little girl who loved to sew. She liked to sew dresses, shirts, and skirts but Mary hated to sew quilts. She didn't like anything about sewing quilts and blankets because it took too long. One quilt or blanket took a week to make, when a skirt or shirt took one night! Mary's mother didn't understand why Mary didn't like to sew quilts and blankets because Mary's mother loved to! Mary was a normal little girl even if her friends didn't think so all the time. Mary's friends liked to play games and play outside but all Mary liked was to sew. She woke up and she began to sew. She only stopped to eat and use the bathroom. Mary's father was very worried about Mary. He said that little girls needed to laugh and play, not sew all the time. One day Mary's father took Mary's sewing things and gave them to the poor children. "No more sewing, Mary!" He said. He wanted her to go laugh and play with her friends instead of sew but instead of going outside to play she ran into her room and cried. Mary was very sad that she couldn't sew any more. Soon her friends came over to see why Mary hadn't come over to play like her father said she would. When they saw her crying on her bed they had to think of a way to cheer her up. Billy said that maybe they could let her sew at their houses. Abby thought it was a great idea. So then all Mary's friends bought sewing things with their money so that Mary would be happy again. When Mary's father saw Mary go to one of her friend's house he was very happy. Soon everyone was happy again. What are two of Mary's friends' names? Answer: Billy and Abby. In March 2004, Joe Ryan got a collection notice from a billing agency for Littleton Adventist Hospital near prefix = st1 /Denver,Colorado. The hospital wanted payment for surgery totaling $41,188. Ryan had never set foot in that hospital. Obviously there was some mistake. "I thought it was a joke," says Ryan. But when he called the billing agency, nobody laughed. Someone named Joe Ryan, using Ryan's Social Security number, had indeed been admitted for surgery. He figured clearing this up would take just a few phone calls. Two years later, Ryan continues to suffer from the damage to his credit rating and still doesn't know if his medical record has been cleared of wrong information. Joe Ryan was the victim of a little-known but frightening type of consumer fraud that is on the rise: medical identity theft, which involves using your name to get drugs, expensive medical treatment and even cheating insurance payments. As Ryan discovered, money isn't the half of it. When someone steals your name to receive health care, his medical history becomes part of your record -- and setting the record straight can be extremely difficult. That's because, in part, the information is distributed among dozens of caregivers, from doctors to medicine stores to insurance companies and labs. "I wanted to help straighten this out," says Ryan, "so I went to the hospital, and they had a three-inch-thick record for me, but they wouldn't let me see it. I showed them my ID, and they said that's not Joe Ryan's signature. Well, of course not! They had this other guy's signature." Ryan had fallen into a victim's Catch-22: If your record doesn't appear to be yours, you may not have the right to see it, much less change it. Ryan's next step was a visit to the Police Department. But the cops concluded there was not much they could do; local law enforcement has little experience with medical ID theft, and cases can end up being considered a civil matter. The billing agency sent Joe Ryan a notice to _ . Answer: inform him of the payment for his surgery During which chemical process is energy absorbed? Answer: plants photosynthesizing Your best friend is possibly the most important person in your life. But sometimes friendship's road is not always smooth, or it's a total dead end. What do you do when this happens? Scenario 1: Drifting Apart You've found that your friend no longer wants to jog with you. She'd rather hit the chat rooms, or she's become crazy about hanging with her new interest. It's a _ when old friends start having less in common. But it might still be worth trying to get into your friend's new interest, trying something new on your own, or meet some new folks who like doing the things you enjoy. Another thing to try is talking to your friend about it- in a non-this-is-your-fault way. The goal is telling how you feel, not "winning". Scenario 2: Fights "Yes, he is." "No, he isn't." the argument could continue forever. No matter how sure you are that you're right, friendship is based on RESPECT. Since you and your friend aren't clones , you will disagree sometimes! Is it worth fighting over? If it is trivial , why not give it up? Agree to disagree and get on well with life. Even if you'll never agree, try to see the other person's viewpoint. At least honor his right to have his own opinions. Never get physical. Violence can make a small problem into a disaster. Scenario 3: End of the Road Is the friendship over? If you are not the one ending it, it feels as if a knife cut your heart into pieces. But the thing is that you can't force someone to be your friend. Give yourself time. But don't freeze in a looking-back, holding pattern . Be open to new friendship. You never know when the "best friend forever" will come along. In the writer's opinion, showing disagreement _ . Answer: is natural and normal behavior of human being
Jockeys are the smallest athletes. They are rarely over five feet six, or 120 pounds. The lighter the weight on the horse, the faster it can go. Riding fast horses on the track is tough on the small jockeys. The jockey doesn't"sit"on the horse. He leans forward on his legs. The strain is on his thighs and calf muscles. As jockeys age, their legs"go"first. Jockeys also need arm strength. It's a strain holding a 1000-pound racehorse. On muddy days, jockeys get a pounding of mud. The mud comes flying off the hooves of the horses in front. "It feels like someone is punching you all over,"says one rider. And a jockey can be hurt. A jockey can have a leg jammed between two horses. Or it can get caught between horse and the rail. The worst accidents are from falls. A horse may fall on his rider. Or horses behind may trample if he hits the track. In one year about 240 riders are hurt badly. That's one out of six jockeys. But the jockeys are well-paid. A jockey keeps about ten percent of the money his horses win. Jacinto Vasquez, a five-foot-three comer, has ridden horses to $7,000,000 in wins in the last eight years, which means he does almost $100,000 a year. Why do some jockeys do better than others? "It isn't the way a boy sits on a horse or uses the reins or the whip,"says Conn McCreary. McCreary was a top jockey of the 1950's. He rode two Kentucky Derby winners. "Most jockeys do this the same. It's the 'feel' he has for the horses." "When you come right down to it, it just seems that horses run better for some riders," McCreary says. "A real good jockey doesn't lose with the best horse. And sometimes he'll win with the second or third best." Many Latin-American riders, like Jacinto, seem to have the _ . "Maybe it's because we grew up with horses,"says Jacinto. "Maybe it's because we like to ride. There was a strike at Aqueduct last year. We, Jorge Velasquez, and Angel Cordero (two other top Latin riders) went to a park. We rented horses, and rode around the bridle path !" The most dangerous problem for a jockey arises _ . A when his leg is jammed between two horses B when his clothes are splashed over with mud. C when the jockey's horse falls on the jockey D when the jockey is not well paid Answer: C As the light died out of the sky, and I watched the colour of the snow on the mountain tops change, I felt I was waking from my unhappy dream, and I began to understand how much I loved Agnes. She had been the one who had always guided and supported me, and now I realized I needed her love for the rest of my life. Had falling in love with Dora been a mistake? We had both been very young, it is true. I had always called Agnes sister, and now perhaps I no longer had the right to ask whether her love for me was more than sisterly. However, I decided to return, and travelled home to England, after three years of absence. I was delighted to find that Traddles had married his Sophy, and was doing well as a lawyer. My aunt had moved back to her old Dover house, and was living happily there with Mr.Dick and Peggotty. When I visited my aunt, I took the opportunity of asking her about Agnes. "Has she--has she any young man she'd like to marry?" I asked as lightly as possible. My aunt looked carefully at me as she replied, "I suspect she has, David. She's never mentioned it to me, but I think--I feel sure she's going to marry soon." I was firm with myself and did not show my feelings. I borrowed a horse and rode to Canterbury to ask Agnes myself. When I saw that beautiful, gentle face again, I knew I had come home. I knew how dear she was to me, and would always be. "Agnes," I said, "I am so grateful to you, for making me what I am, for helping me to be good! But I think you have a secret. Let me share it, Agnes, as your brother! Tell me whom you love!" Agnes turned away from me and burst into tears. Somehow these tears did not sadden me, but gave me hope. "My dear Agnes! Don't cry!" "David, leave me! I can't talk about it now!" she sobbed. "Agnes, you're dearer to me than anything in the world. Don't think I'll be jealous of any man you choose to marry. I only want you to be happy!" She had stopped crying now and was calmer. "If I have a secret, David, it is--not a new one. It has been my secret--for a long time!" I was wild with hope. "Not a new one!" Did she mean ...? "Dearest Agnes! Dare I hope to call you more than a sister!" She was in my arms and sobbing again, but this time with happiness. "I went away, Agnes, loving you! I returned home, loving you!" We held each other for some time, sure now of each other's love. "There is something I must tell you, David," she said gently, looking calmly into my face. "I have loved you all my life!" She added, "And something else--before our sweet Dora died, she asked me--can you guess--to fill the empty place in your heart." And Agnes laid her head on my shoulder, and cried. And I cried with her, although we were both so happy. Which might be the best title for the passage? A Returning from abroad B Discovery of true love C Dreams and efforts D Love between David and Dora Answer: B My Left Foot (1989) Imagine being a prisoner of your own body, unable to make any movements except to move your left foot. The main character in My Left Foot, based on the real story of cerebral palsy sufferer Christy Brown, can barely move his mouth to speak, but by controlling his left foot, he's able to express himself as an artist and poet. For his moving performance of Brown, Daniel Lewis won his first Academy Award for best actor. Shine (1996) Do you have a talent you're afraid to share with the world? David Helfgott seemed meant from childhood to be "one of the truly great pianists," but the pressures of performing (and pleasing his father) resulted in a complete breakdown. Ten years in a mental institution didn't weaken Helfgott's musical gift: When he was rediscovered, he was playing concertos in a bar. Shine received s even Oscar nominations , and Geoffrey Rush won best actor for his performance of Helfgott. Life Is Beautiful (1997) Nothing's more powerful than the love between a parent and a child. In this heartbreaking Italian film, a father (Roberto Benigni) makes an unbelievable sacrifice for his 4-year-old son: trapped in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945, the Jewish man convinces his boy that they are playing a complicated game. He manages to spare him the horror of the terrible war, and even in his final moments of life, keeps his son smiling and hopeful. Benigni won the best actor Oscar. Stand and Deliver (1988) Few people can inspire us more than a good teacher. Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos got Oscar nomination for best actor) is a great one. Employed at a high school where kids are expected to fail, Escalante challenges his math students to struggle for better things, like getting good grades in the AP exam. Despite the obstacles in their lives, the classmates accomplish their goals, thanks to Mr. Escalante's support. The real Jaime Escalante, the Best Teacher in America, says that Stand and Deliver is " 90% truth, 10% drama." If you want to watch a movie about wars, which may be one of your choices? A My Left Foot. B Life Is Beautiful. C Shine. D Stand and Deliver. Answer: B This is a time of year when we think about giving and receiving presents. Can you find a little extra to give? On this page we suggest a few organizations you might like to help. Littleton Children's Home We DON'T want your money, but children's toys, books and clothes IN GOOD CONDITION would be very welcome. Also, we are looking for friendly families who would take our children into their homes for a few hours or days as guests. You have so much-will you share it? Phone Sister Thomas on 55671 Children's Hospice We look after a small number of very sick children. This important work needs skill and love. We cannot continue without gifts or money to pay for more nursing staff. We also need storybooks and toys suitable for quiet games. Please contact the Secretary, Little Children's Hospice, Newby Road. Street Food In the winter weather, it's no fun being homeless. It's even worse if you're hungry. We give hot food to at least fifty people every night. It's hard work, but necessary. Can you come and help? If not, can you offer a little money? We use a very old kitchen, and we need some new saucepans . Money for new ones would be most welcome indeed. Contact Street Food, c/o Mary's House, Elming Way. Littleton Phone 27713 Littleton Youth Club Have you got an unwanted chair? - a record-player? - a pot of paint ? Because we can use them! We want to get to work on our meeting room! Please phone 66231 and we'll be happy to collect anything you can give us. Thank you! The Night Shelter We offer a warm bed for the night to anyone who has nowhere to go. We rent the former Commercial Hotel on Green Street. Although it is not expensive, we never seem to have quite enough money. Can you let us have a few pounds? Any amount, however small, will be such a help. Send it to us at 15, Green St, Littleton. Please make check payable to Night Shelter. What kind of things would Littleton Youth Club like to collect? A Old furniture and second-hand electrical equipment. B An apartment and some saucepans. C Hot food and storybooks. D A sum of money and children's toys. Answer: A A splash in the pool caused the water to move A in the nearby river B outside of the pool C in another nearby pool D on the other side of the pool Answer: D
People eat different things in different parts of the world. In south China we eat rice every day. Sometimes we eat it two or three times a day, for breakfast, lunch and supp-er. We usually eat it with fish, meat and vegetables. The Japanese eat rice, too. They also eat a lot of fish. They sometimes eat raw fish. In Africa, maize is the most important food. People there make maize into flour .From this flour they make different kinds of bread and cakes. In western countries such as Britain, Australia and the U.S.A, the most important food is bread or potatoes. People there usually make their bread from wheat flour. They cook the potatoes in different ways. In England the most popular food is fish and chips. Sometimes people cook this food at home, but usually they buy it at the shop. They eat this food at home, in their work place, in the park or on the road. People call it "take-away" food. The most important food for African people is _ . Answer: The freezing Northeast hasn't been a terribly fun place to spend time this winter, so when the chance came for a weekend to Sarasota, Florida, my bags were packed before you could say "sunshine". I left for the land of warmth and vitamin C(C), thinking of beaches and orange trees. When we touched down to blue skies and warm air, I sent up a small prayer of gratefulness. Swimming pools, wine tasting, and pink sunsets(at normal evening hours, not 4 in the afternoon) filled the weekend, but the best part- particularly to my taste, dulled by months of cold- weather root vegetables- was a 7 a.m. adventure to the Sarasota farmers' market that proved to be more than worth the early wake-up call. The market, which was founded in 1979, sets up its tents every Saturday from 7:00 am to 1 p.m, rain or shine, along North Lemon and State streets. Baskets of perfect red strawberries, the red-painted sides of the Java Dawg coffee truck; and most of all, the tomatoes: amazing, large, soft and round red tomatoes. Disappointed by many a broken, vine-ripened promise, I've refused to buy winter tomatoes for years. No matter how attractive they look in the store, once I get them home they're unfailingly dry, hard, and tasteless. But I homed in, with uncertainty, on one particular table at the Brown's Grove Farm's stand, full of fresh and soft tomatoes the size of my fist. These were the real deal- and at that moment, I realized that the best part of Sarasota in winter was going to be eating things that back home in New York I wouldn't be experiencing again for months. Delighted as I was by the tomatoes in sight, my happiness deepened when I learned that Brown's Grove Farm is one of the suppliers for Jack Dusty, a newly opened restaurant at the Sarasota Ritz Carlton, where- luckily for me- I was planning to have dinner that very night. Without even seeing the menu, I knew I'd be ordering every tomato on it. What was the author going to that evening? Answer: An early example of harnessing wind power would be Answer: As a high school dropout myself, I often feel it is my duty to defend my fellow non-scholars. Common wisdom would have you believe we are the "bad kids", the future criminals, the worst sort of people. But not all dropouts will deal drugs, shoplift, or even shoot pool all day. My own favorite hooky hangout was always the public library. My early retirement meant that at last I had the time to read everything I wanted to. Best of all was the time I finally had to myself. I felt uncontrolled and free. I had been in school nearly my whole life. I wanted to find out for myself who I was, and until I did, everything else felt like a waste of time. To be honest, though, my daily life as a dropout consisted mostly of long hot baths, afternoon naps, and microwave food. After nearly three years of such self-centered pleasure, a series of strange thoughts began to enter my mind continuously. Images of myself at the age of 35-still living at home, collecting dust balls on the couch, reading the same book over and over-began to bother me in my sleep. And a voice in my head began asking over and over, "Who is paying the hot water bills? Who buys the microwave pizza?" The answer, of course, was my poor old parents. Sure, I was having a wonderful time doing plenty of nothing, discovering myself and all, but they were getting a raw deal. What parents long to see their child drop out of school, with no plans for the future? Could they be expected to support me forever? Certainly not. I had been visited by Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility, and there was no looking back. I immediately moved out of the house and out of town, in search of a future for myself. And it is here, in my new home of San Francisco, that I have decided to do what was once unthinkable: go back to school. I plan to take adult education classes and get me GED (General Educational Development), and then enroll in City College. So next time you see a dropout, that unchangeable anti-student, be understanding. And please don't push him to do something he doesn't want to do. It never works. He'll come around when he's ready. The writer went back to school because _ . Answer: "YOUR password has expired ," a message said on my screen, with instructions for changing it. Coming up with a new code doesn't seem like a big deal, unless you work at my company, where we have to change it monthly, using at least one uppercase character, one lowercase character, one symbol, and one number. Oh, the whole password can't be fewer than eight characters. And I can't use any of the same passwords I've used in the past three months. Suddenly I was furious . What didn't make it any better was that I was deeply depressed after my recent divorce. Disbelief about what she had done to me was all I thought about every day. I remembered a tip I'd heard from my former boss. He'd said: "I'm going to use a password to change my life." I couldn't focus on getting things done in my current mood. There were clear signs of what I needed to do to get control of my life again. My password became the sign. My password reminded me that I shouldn't let myself be a victim of my recent breakup and that I was strong enough to do something about it. I made my password Forgive@h3r. I had to type this several times a day. The simple action changed the way I looked at my ex-wife. That constant reminder led me to accept the way things had happened and find a new way of dealing with my depression. As the month wore on, I felt a slow healing begin to happen. By the time my server asked me to reset my password the following month, I felt free. One month later, my dear Exchange server asked me yet again to reset my password. I thought about the next thing that I had to get done. My password became Quit@smoking4ever. I quit smoking overnight. This password was a painful one to type during that month, but doing it helped me to yell at myself in my mind as I typed that statement. It motivated me to follow my monthly goal. One month later, my password became Save4trip@thailand. Guess where I went three months later: Thailand. Seeing how these reminders helped to achieve my goals kept me motivated and excited. While it's sometimes difficult to come up with your next goal, keeping at it brings great results Why couldn't the author focus on doing things? Answer:
Speaking in public is most people's least favorite thing. The reason is that we're all afraid of making fools of ourselves. The more important the speech is the more frightened we become. But stop biting your finger-nails. Public speaking is easy. It's just plain talking, and you talk all the time. Public speaking is not a "gift" like musical talent or being able to draw. Anybody who can talk can speak in public. Here are some tips: Keep it simple. Your audience is going to learn one or two from your main ideas by heart. If you can't express, then your speech is not focused well enough. And if you don't have a clear idea of what you want to say, then your audience will have no interest in your speech. Get organized. No matter how long or short your speech is, you'd better get your materials in order: how you're going to start, what major points you want to make and how you're going to close. You may often write the last sentence first. When you know what your aim is, you can choose any ways to get there. A strong close is powerful. The last thing you say is what your audience will most likely remember. Keep it short. The standard length of a vaudeville act was 12 minutes. If all those troupers want to sing and dance, they may make the audience bored. So make your speech short. What does the author teach us here? A Not to make fools of ourselves. B How to make a speech. C To talk all the time. D How to have a clear idea when you speak. Answer: B Winter is a very special time in Northern Norway. Winter also means skiing, and Narvik can offer some of the best skiing in Norway. The view and light change frequently and no two days are the same. For many people, the northern lights are an unforgettable sight, and in Narvik the sky is especially clear and great for watching at night. The tourist season lasts from February to April, although May can be fascinating too, often with fantastic dry snow and an unbelievable light lasting well into the evening. Ski hire It is possible for adults and children to hire skiing equipment such as snowboards. All equipment is prepared for us. If you would like to book your equipment, please email Narvikfjellet. Cross-country skiing There are 12 kilometers of cross country ski run in Narvik. You need to bring your own skis as there is no cross-country hire. However, equipment can be bought at local sports shops in and around Narvik. Off-piste skiing In order to explore Narvik's off-piste opportunities you need to know the dangers when choosing routes. It is suggested that you bring necessary equipment such as a shovel and a GPS locator. Ask Narvikfjellet for an experienced guide. With a guide you can explore Narvik's special off-piste areas in a safe manner. Sometimes it is nice to do something different and not everybody enjoys skiing. Then you can go horse-riding, or visit the local museums. Price examples for the 2013--2014 season Time Children(8-15 years old) Adults 1 day NOK 230 NOK 325 3 days NOK 590 NOK 835 5 days NOK 815 NOK 1,170 7 days NOK 970 NOK 1,375 Children 0-7 years can enjoy the service for free . If Mr. and Mrs. Smith stay in Narvik with their six-year-old daughter for three days in 2013, they should pay _ . A NOK 1,160 B NOK 1,425 C NOK 1,670 D NOK 2,260 Answer: C Known as the "crazy nest lady", Katie Deline-Ray isn't quite sure how many mini handmade harbors she's knitted for injured baby animals. But she's certain it's a lot. Deline-Ray is founder of Wildlife Rescue Nests. She designs and makes strong, soft nests, which she donates to wildlife rescue groups to use as little recovery nests for sick and injured animals. She also shares her patterns for others to copy. Deline-Ray began making her nests in 2013, while she was recovering from a broken hand, and "spending too much time online."One thing led to another -- as happens on the internet -- and she discovered a woman who was making similar nests for U.S.-based wildlife groups, as an alternative to the hard boxes used to contain the animals these groups care for. "I thought it was such a wonderful idea and went searching to see whether there was anything like it set up for our wildlife rescues in Canada," she says. "To my surprise there wasn't. So I started contacting wildlife rescues and they agreed to try some out." Some modifications were made to already-existing patterns. And then, like a little bird taking its first flight, the nests went out into the world. These days, Deline-Ray sends nests -- always for free -- to 60-some wildlife rescue groups, where injured birds and rabbits nestle inside the soft spaces while they are recovering. Her future plans include making more nests, organizing new volunteer knitters and helping as many wildlife rescuers as possible take care of their animals in this charming way. "I have no formal training with wildlife, just a great love for it." Deline-Ray says. "I love making the nests because I have a great admiration for all the amazing work the wildlife rescues do. I feel like I have a part in giving back to wildlife in a small way." According to the passage, we can know Katie Deline-Ray _ . A admires what the wildlife rescues do B has designed the first nest pattern in the world C knits nests which are only intended for injured baby birds D keeps a record of the nests she has made over the years Answer: A World Wrestling Entertainment is the largest professional wrestling organization in North America. It was called World Wrestling Federation until it changed its name because of a legal dispute. Its more than one hundred wrestlers fight each other in competitive matches that are written and practiced before they are performed. Professional wrestlers are athletes but act as entertainers. They are not seeking athletic records, but instead want to excite an audience. To do this, they use unusual names and wear special clothing during wrestling matches. These wrestlers include the Stone Cold Stunner and the Undertaker. Most professional wrestling matches are between two men or two women. They fight inside an area called a ring that is separated from the audience by ropes. Each match continues until one wrestler forces the other's shoulders to the floor and holds them there for a count of three. Most World Wrestling Entertainment matches continue for only about four to seven minutes. An organization official called a promoter decides before the match who will win. But who wins and who loses is not the important thing in professional wrestling. The important thing is that the audience enjoys the pretend fight. Some wrestlers rarely win, but continue to be popular. Not all wrestling matches are between two people. Some are called tag team matches and involve teams of two, three or four wrestlers. Another kind of match is called a battle royal. It involves thirty to sixty wrestlers competing against each other. A wrestler loses when he or she is thrown out of the ring. The winner is the last wrestler still standing. Professional wrestlers' main aim is to _ . A excite the audience B make a record C win a prize D win the match Answer: A Mr.Brown got up late this morning. He was going to be late for work. Lt was raining hard and the streets were wet. He drove so fast that he didin't see the red lights. He couldn't stop his car and hit a car. An old man got out of the car and called out angrily, "What are you doing? How can you drive so fast?" "l'm sorry,sir," said Mr.brown, "l didn't see the lights turn red." Then he brought out a bottle of wine and gave it to the old man. "It's cold today, sir," said Mr.Brown. "Please drink a little, and then you'll get warm." The old man drank some wine and became happy. He asked, "l'm felling much better now. Why don't you drink any?" "l can't drink anything now ,sir, "answered Mr. Brown ,"l'm waiting for the policeman. Only drunkards cause accidents, you kown !" Mr.Brown hit the car because of the following EXCEPT that _ . A he didn't see the red lights B he drove fast C he couldn't drive at all D it was raining hard Answer: C
Harry Houdini(1874--1926) was a world-famous magician and a performer of death-defying stunts . His world fame was based on a series of astonishing escapology tricks. He was able to free himself from obviously escape--proof devices, including leg irons, handcuffs (as many as ten pairs at the same time), locked prison cells and crates which had been nailed shut. His most striking skill was when he escaped from an airtight tank that was filled with water. Houdini was born in Budapapest, prefix = st1 /Hungary, and his family moved to theUSAwhen he was a child. For a time, they lived in a cheap boarding house inNew Yorkand they struggled to make a living. One of Harry's first jobs was an apprentice to a locksmith , which is where he mastered the art of opening locks without using a key. In 1891, Houdini became a professional magician, but at first he met with little success. When he began experimenting with escapology, however, he so impressed a theatre manager who saw him that he was strongly advised to concentrate on that part of his act. Within months, he was a huge success, performing at top theatres, not only in the USAbut also in Europe. He created a sensation inLondon, when he made an elephant disappear from the stage of the Hippodrome Theatre. What the audience didn't know was that below the stage was a swimming pool filled with water, where the somewhat terrified elephant finished up! Back in the USA, he produced the most dangerous act of his career--the Water Torture. He was suspended(,) upside down in a water tank which was full to overflowing. He had to hold his breath for more than three minutes to escape. In a fictionalised film of his life, he "died" doing this trick. This is not true. He actually died of peritonitis in a Detroit hospital. Who was Harry Houdini? Answer: A famoust American magician This morning as I was getting the children ready or school, I helped them prepare breakfast and pack their lunches. I reviewed spelling words with them and made sure that their homework was collected in their bags. I had seen the weather forecast for the day and knew it was going to remain cool all day. I suggested they wear sweaters for the walk to the us stop. My kids chose to _ my advice. My son decided that all he needed was a T-shirt, not a sweater. I didn't force them to wear sweaters and we went to the bus stop. It is a full kilometer walk to the top of a treeless hill and the wind felt like a knife cutting through the skin. My children endured the cold until halfway, when I gave them with the sweaters I had quietly carried under my arm. Then took them without complaint, and I bit my tongue from saying, "I told you so." What I was asking my children to do was to trust me. Trust Mom to have their best interests in mind. Trust Mom to know what she is talking about. Even though they didn't know that I had read the outdoor thermometer before they woke up and I had seen the day's weather forecast, I wanted them to trust me. By ignoring me, they were saying that they didn't believe I knew what was best for them. What they knew was that yesterday was a warm enough day for shorts. What they knew was that it was warm enough in the house to wear shorts. Therefore, they felt sure enough to make their own decision on what to wear outside. Too many times we depend on what we know of yesterday, and how we feel today, and so we make decisions based on them. Too many times we think that we know better, so we can deal with things better. But we are wrong. What can be learned from the passage? Answer: The author takes great care of the children in life. There's no danger of 88-year-old Harry Ward forgetting his wife Doris's Valentine's Day card - the couple still use the same one he bought her 70 years ago. When 17-year-old Harry Ward presented Doris with a Valentine's Day card as he boarded a train to join the wartime effort on February 14, 1941, he must have been fairly confident about his affections . After all the couple had been dating since they met in a cafe three months earlier. But little can he have imagined that 70 years on, not only would he still be happy about having married Doris, but that every year she would present him with the very same card he gave her that Valentine's Day. "I bring it out of the cupboard and put it on our mantelpiece every Valentine's Day," she said. "It's a special to me now as it was 70 years ago. Harry has never bought me one since, because I have this one every year." They first met in a cafe. "Harry was in the cafe drinking and he said hello. He asked me my name and we got talking happily. He offered to walk me to the bus stop but when we got outside, a bombing raid had started and we had to run to a nearby air-raid shelter ," Doris said. Mr. Ward said,"I knew Doris was the one for me the moment I met her. I gave her the Valentine's card then and she is still my Valentine now." Mrs. Ward's card is not the only thing that has endured the passing of time. "Harry is quite romantic and we are as still in love as the day he first gave me this card,"Dorris said. Why does Mrs. Ward always use the same Valentine's Day card? Answer: She values the card very much. If you don't often wash your hands, you can touch lots of viruses from many places and make yourself ill. You may have a cold when you touch your eyes, nose or mouth. One of the most common ways people have colds is by touching their noses or their eyes when there are cold viruses on their hands. If you don't often wash your hands, especially when you're sick, you may make other people ill. So you should follow the advice and wash your hands: * After using the bathroom. * After touching your nose or coughing. * Before eating, serving or preparing food. * After touching pets or other animals. * After visiting the sick people. * When your hands are dirty. There's a right way to wash your hands. Follow these advice and you can keep your hands clean. * Use warm water (not cold or hot). * Wash for 15 seconds . * Wash well under warm running water. If there are cold viruses on your hands, don't touch your _ .It's easy to have a cold. Answer: eyes and nose Speaking from my past experience, it is very difficult to find good friends that you can trust but once you have found them, they are worth keeping forever! Therefore, I think friendship is the most important relationship that anybody could have. The qualities I look for in a friend are a good sense of humor but sensitivity when it matters. Also that friend would have to be strong-minded and highly spirited. I think that these qualities are the key qualities to look for in a good friend. Even the strongest friends can still have arguments, although usually about more serious topics, rather than the usual teenage childish arguments. Some matters can seriously affect a friendship. If one of your friends started experimenting with harmful and dangerous drugs, what would you do ? A good friend would try to help as much as possible, whereas a bad example of a friend would simply shrug and turn a blind eye. Not only the bad things affect friendship ---- good activities do too. Such as bonding with one another, not just by going out on a night with them but by spending quality time with them and talking to each other, which indicates a good ability to communicate. This is a key aspect of a good friendship. Good friends do not always have to be in the same age group as you. I have a good friend and she is 47 years old and I am 16. Unfortunately, some people lose contact with their friends as they grow older, which is a sad way to lose a good friend. I think friendship is one of the most important things in life because if you have no friends you will have no happiness. Which of the following saying can match the author's view on friendship? Answer: A life without a friend is a life without the sun.
In the world, soccer (or football) is the most popular sport. This is because many countries have wonderful teams for the World Cup. The World Cup is held every four years. To remember the 2002 FIFA World Cup, children from different countries and more than 60 children from different Japanese schools came together and spent three weeks drawing a big picture called"Dream World Cup"in Japan. The children drew animals, flowers and people playing soccer under bright blue sky. They wished each football team good luck by drawing the flags of all countries that would take part in the World Cup in Japan and South Korea. The picture was put up in a park near a playground in Yokohama. Are you a football fan? The World Cup makes more and more people interested in football. Teenagers like playing and watching football. Many of them love some football stars so much that they get pictures of their favorite players such as, Figo, Oven and Pauleta. And they put the pictures up on the walls of their rooms. That is the way to show their love for the World Cup. ,. The next World Cup will be held in _ , after 2006. A. 2007 B. 2008 C. 2009 D. 2010 Answer: D The sun was just coming up when I headed out to work last May at 6 a.m. Not quite dark but dark enough to need my headlights. I turned onto one of the lonely rural country roads. Maybe it was because I was listening to the radio, maybe it was because I was already thinking about some projects at work, that I didn't spot the dark object on the road until I was too late. I ran over it and felt the back left tire pull, and then sink. I stopped and got out of the car. No mystery here---- my back left tyre was cut like a loaf of bread. Back 50 yards was a piece of sharp iron I had run over. I had never changed a tyre. I looked up the road. Not a car in either direction. The nearest service station was miles away. I threw up my hands. Then I remembered---- my cell phone! I powered it up before realizing, I didn't know who to call. Wouldn't you know it, I spotted a car coming from the opposite direction. The driver slowed as he approached. I guessed he could see I was in trouble. He stopped his car, got out and immediately saw the trouble. "Madam, would you like me to change that tyre for you?" he asked. The man couldn't have been more friendly. I was frightened out there and he put me completely at ease. "There," he said, after putting on the spare, "you are all set to go." "Good thing for me that you were driving this way," I told him, as I climbed back into my car. "Funny you should say that," he said. "Just like you, I was heading to work, but my job is in the opposite direction. I made a wrong turn at some point. I don't know what I was thinking." The end of the story tells us that the man _ . A. went a wrong way B. felt the writer funny C. didn't know what he was doing D. come specially to help the writer Answer: A The population of which of the following 26 organisms would most likely decline if small animals like rats, rabbits, and snakes were eliminated from an ecosystem? A. earthworms B. grasses C. hawks D. mushrooms Answer: C At the beginning of the 20th century there was a big farm called Hollywood Ranch. It was near Los Angeles in California. A few years later Hollywood was one of the famous places in the world. From the 1910s to the 1950s Hollywood was the film center of the world. Every family knew the names of its film stars--Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman and hundreds more. The reason why people went to Hollywood to make films was the sun. At first,people made films in New York on the east coast of the United States. But then they heard about Los Angeles where there are 350 days of sun every year. As they made all the films by sunlight,the west coast was a much better place to make films. Also near Hollywood you can find mountains,sea and desert. They did not have to travel far to make any kind of film. When TV became popular, Hollywood started making films for television. Then in the 1970s they discovered people still went to the cinema to see big expensive films. After about thirty years they are still making films in Hollywood and people watch them all over the world. Hollywood used to be a _ . A. cinema B. big farm C. park D. market Answer: B Mrs Brown was very fat. Her husband thought she should go on a diet, and he made her eat no meat or cakes. One morning, Mrs Brown made a nice cake for her husband, and he ate half of it. After he went out, Mrs Brown cut a very small piece of the cake and ate it. It was very delicious. Then she cut a bigger piece and ate it, too. In a few minutes she finished up the cake. "My husband is going to be very angry," she thought. "What should I do?" She made another cake very quickly, ate half of it, and put the other half on the table. Mr. Brown came back later. When he saw the half of the cake on the table, he was very happy. ,. (5,2, 10) Why was Mrs Brown's husband very happy when he saw the half of the cake on the table? A. Because he was very hungry. B. Because Mrs Brown made it for him. C. Because he thought Mrs Brown didn't ate any cakes. D. Because the cake was nice and delicious. Answer: C
According to a new study by Israel researchers from University of Haifa, posting blogs to express feelings and emotions is _ for children aged 13-17. Psychology professors Meyran Boniel-Nissim and Azy Barak have found that a teenager writing a publicly-viewed blog on the Internet is more effective for relieving stress rather than keeping a private diary. The study, published in the journalPsychological Services, supports that expressing oneself through writing can be therapeutic. To conduct the research, Boniel-Nissim and Barak randomly selected Israeli high school students who displayed a certain degree of stress. The teenagers were then divided into six groups. Two groups were asked to post blogs twice a week about their social difficulties, but only one of them was asked to open the blogs for comments. The next set of groups were also asked to blog twice a week to post about whatever was going on in their mind, again with one group allowing comments. The two control groups were asked to keep an old-fashioned private diary. The researchers then collected the blog posts and diaries to discuss the adolescents' emotional and social position. From the research, they saw that the greatest improvement in mood was with the bloggers who wrote about their personal troubles and allowed people to interact with their posts. The research also noted that the comments were mostly positive and constructive. Boniel-Nissim and Barak said that the commentators' interactions helped the bloggers while they were distressed. The conclusive research noted that expressing yourself on the Internet not only let others know what was personally going on with you, but also helped you figure out some things about yourself too. The research shows that teens benefit most when _ . This is most likely to be conserved: Mr. Rock has some apple trees in his garden . He looks after them carefully . Now there are very good apples on the trees and Mr. Rock is happy. This afternoon when he looks out of the window, he sees a boy in one of his apple trees. He is eating the nice apples! Mr. Rock opens the window and shouts. "Hey! What are you doing there? Come down and go away, or I'll go to see your father!" "Dad!" the boy looks up and cries , " Mr. Rock wants to see you!" Mr. Rock wants the boy _ . According to the British "Daily Mail" reported on May 22nd, the United States of America "Forbes" magazine recently released the 2013 annual "most powerful women list". German Chancellor(,) Angela Merkel for three consecutive years reelected top. There are 9 Chinese including Chinese first lady--Peng Liyuan. Brazil President Dilma Rousseff ranked second. "Bill and Melinda Gates foundation" co-chairman, Gate's wife Mi Linda (Melinda Gates) was third. The United States first lady Michel (wife of Obama) in 2010 in the first, from 2012 second drop to fourth. Former American Secretary of state Hillary Clinton as a fifth. The queen of England fell 12,drop to fortieth. another list of British women's female writer JK Rowling, ranked ninety-third. The list of Chinese women, including Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan, intelligent mobile phone maker HTC founder Wang Xuehong, chief executive of Chongqing Longhu real estate development limited company chairman Wu Yajun, SOHO China Ltd and co-founder Zhang Xin, the World Health Organization Director-General Chen Fengfuzhen (Margaret Chan), Huawei chairman Sun Yafang, the Li Jiacheng Foundation Director Zhou triumph, Baidu Inc chief financial officer Li Xinzhe, Sun Media Klc Holdings Ltd chairman Yang Lan. "Forbes" magazine said, this year the list of people are political, business, media, the humanitarian field, entertainment and technology industry elite , but also some women were selected because of the huge wealth, including funds, media exposure and influence. The entertainment industry representatives include Beyonce Knowles, actress Anngelina Jolie and Lady Gaga. The list of women from 26 countries, there are 153000000 of them in Twitter "fans", 16 of them own Create Company. There are 15 new this year, including South Korean President Park Geun-hye . If you want to know more, click chinadaily.com.cn. Which is true according to the passage? It's not about how much money you make, and it's not about who your daddy is. And no, it's definitely not about whether you look like Tom Cruise or his wife Katie Holmes ... What it is about is these simple things, things that maybe even a person like Tom Cruise does not have. We're talking about being attractive in general, whether it's on a job interview or just gaining the respect of your colleagues. Ask lots of questions In other words, be humble. If you come across as a know-it-all (even if you really do know it all!), it really pushes people away. Rather, asking lots and lots of questions (even dumb ones) makes people feel like you care, you can be trusted, and you are... humble. Stay busy Do you really know the power of this? We're told to stay busy to prevent depression and feelings of anxiety. But did you know you should also stay busy to be really attractive? It's true. Always have something to do. Have you ever seen someone just sitting around, doing nothing? How unattractive. Always be busy with something, even if for some reason you have to make something up. Show your pearly whites (or just smile) Smile more, no matter how ugly your teeth are. I'm not kidding about this one. It's not all about the teeth. If you are smiling genuinely, you can draw everyone for 100 meters around to you. Be interested in other men Be interested in the other person. Again, ask them questions. Don't talk about yourself... remove attention from yourself. If you are truly interested in the person, it will come across. And if you want to talk about yourself, you'll find that putting the other person first actually opens him up to return the favor and ask you questions. See how fun this is? So, yes it is possible to be the most attractive person in the world. If you've noticed the ring throughout the article, it has a lot to do with just being confident in who you are. Nobody needs to look like Tom Cruise or Will Smith or their wives, or anyone else for that matter. Every person, of every race, of every nationality, of every background, can be the most attractive person in the world. In the writer's opinion, attractiveness is determined by a person's _ .
Areas of Tokyo which had usually been packed with office workers like sushi restaurants and noodle shops were unusually quiet.Many schools were closed.Companies allowed workers to stay home.Long queues formed at airports. As Japanese authorities struggled to avoid disaster at an earthquake - battered nuclear plant 240 km to the north, parts of Tokyo resembled a ghost town.Many people stocked up on food and stayed indoors or simply left.transforming one of the world' s biggest and most populated cities into a shell of its usual self. "Look, it' s like Sunday --no cars in town," said Kazushi Arisawa, a 62 - year - old taxi driver, as he waited for more than an hour outside an office tower where he usually finds customers within minutes." I can' t make money today." Radiation in Tokyo has been _ , briefly touching three times the normal rate on Tuesday, smaller than a dental X -ray.On Wednesday, winds over the Fukushima nuclear-power plant blew out to sea, keeping levels close to normal.But that does little to relieve public anxiety about a 40-year-old nuclear plant with three reactors in partial meltdown and a fourth with spent atomic fuel exposed to the atmosphere after last Friday' s earthquake and tsunami. " Radiation moves faster than we do," said Steven Swanson, a 43-year-old American who moved to Tokyo in December with his Japanese wife to help with her family business.He is staying indoor but is tempted to leave."It's scary.It's a triple threat with the earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear radiation leaks.It makes you wonder what' s next." The passage is mainly about _ . the effects of the nuclear radiation leaks Mr. and Mrs. Wu were fed up with their neighbor. He was always borrowing things from them. "It's not right." Mr. Wu said to his wife one evening. "At some time or another that man has borrowed nearly everything we have. Almost every day he comes over to borrow something." "You are quite right," his wife replied, "and most of the things he's never returned." "What I want to know," her husband said, "is why he can't buy the things he needs like everyone else." "Because people like us are foolish enough to lend him what he needs." she replied. "As long as we are willing to lend, he'll keep on borrowing." "Then we'll never lend him anything again." Mr. Wu said. "The next time he asks to borrow something, I'll say no." "We must have a good reason for saying no," his wire said, "and we must always try to be polite to him. We don't want to make an enemy of the man." It was not long before their decision not to lend their neighbor anything ever again was put to the test. The next morning there was a knock on the door. Mr. Wu went to answer it. Their neighbor was standing there. Mr. Wu knew he was going to ask to borrow something, and was ready to refuse him politely. "Good morning," their neighbor said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, but I wonder if I could borrow your garden scissors." "I'm sorry," Mr. Wu said, "but I'm afraid my wife and I will be using them today. We'll be spending all day working in the garden." "Oh, ! see." the neighbor said, "In that case, may I borrow your golf clubs? You won't be needing them if you are working in the garden all day, will you?" Mr. and Mrs. Wu's decision to treat their neighbor was not to lend anything more One day an old man is selling a big elephant . A young man comes to the elephant and begins to look at it slowly. The old man goes up to him and says in his ear, "Don't say anything about the elephant before I sell it. Then I will give you twenty dollars." "All right," says the young man. After the old man sells the elephant, he gives the young man twenty dollars and says, "Now, can you tell me how you found the elephant's bad ears ?""I didn't find the bad ears," says the young man. "Then why are you looking at the elephant slowly?" asks the old man. The young man answers, "Because I didn't see an elephant before, and I want to know what it looks like." The young man is looking at the elephant slowly. He wants to find out--------- _ . what it looks like Mark Twain's works are enjoyed worldwide. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens and he was born on November 30th, 1835, in the village of Florida, Monroe County, Missouri. After his father's death in 1847, Twain was apprenticed to a printer and wrote for his brother's newspaper. Later, Twain worked as a licensed Mississippi riverboat pilot, adopting his name from the call ('Mark twain!'--meaning by the mark of two fathoms) used when sounding river shallows. After the Civil War, Clemens brought an end to the steamboat traffic and moved to Virginia City. On February 3, 1863, 'Mark Twain' was born when he signed a humorous travel account with his new name. In 1864, Twain went to San Francisco to work as a reporter. He traveled in France and Italy and his experience were recorded in 1869 in the Innocents Abroad, which brought him wide popularity, and made fun at both American and European prejudices and manners. In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon. Together they relocated to Harford a year later. Meanwhile, Twain continued to lecture in the United States and England. Between 1876 and 1884 he published several masterpieces, including Tom Sawyer, the Prince and the Pauper, Life on the Mississippi, and Huckleberry Finn. In the 1890s, Twain lost most of his earnings in financial speculations and in the downhill of his own publishing firm. The death of his wife and his second daughter brought a sense of gloom in the author's later years, which is seen in writings and his autobiography. Twain died on April 21st, 1910. The name 'Mark Twain' was first used in 1863 If doctors want to test you for something, they'll usually take a blood or urine sample . But wouldn't it be much more convenient if they just asked you to breathe through a special instrument? In fact, your breath can say a lot about you. In traditional Chinese medicine, doctors draw a conclusion about the health state of a patient based on the smell of his or her breath; trained dogs and rats can identify the smells of the breaths of people suffering from certain cancers; traffic police also monitor drivers' alcohol consumption by testing their breaths. Just like blood and urine, your breath contains lots of " metabolites " --- the waste chemicals that the body produces, which vary from person to person. They are like personal health fingerprints, which is why scientists sometimes call them " breath prints", according to Science Daily. Compared to blood or urine testing, breath testing takes only seconds instead of hours, and it requires neither a needle nor a container to hold the body fluids . This means the test can be taken frequently to better detect early signs of diseases and monitor the progress of a medical treatment. On the other hand, as an identifier, you might think that breaths are not as reliable as fingerprints since they might change based on what you eat. However, researchers in Zurich, Switzerland mapped 11 healthy volunteers' chemical patterns by having them breathe through a special instrument, and they found that each pattern was unique and the patterns didn't change much throughout the day, reported BBC. "Our goal is to develop breath analysis to the point where it becomes competitive with the established analysis of blood and urine," said Malcolm Kohler, professor at the University Hospital Zurich. According to the text we know that _ . doctors can test one's breath to find about his illness
Finding true happiness is a universal aspiration . We all want it, but can we all have it? Genuine happiness is written all over our faces when we are truly contented, and, likewise, a forced smile does nothing to hide underlying sadness. Believing that everyone can create their own lasting joy, Matthieu Richard has been declared the Happiest Man in the World. Richard earned his "happiest man" status after a series of laboratory tests in 2004. Richard has shared his thoughts on happiness with a worldwide audience. As an experienced speaker, he has explained his insights into happiness to everyone, from students to corporate groups. Looking inwards to find joy rather than relying on outer conditions, he believes, is the way to achieve well-being. "It's quite clear that the outer conditions are not enough. The way we interpret those outer conditions in our inner experience is what determines either a sense of well-being or misery. We love to go jogging for fitness and we do all kinds of things to remain beautiful, yet we spend surprisingly little time taking care of what matters most: the way our minds function. It's the essential thing that determines the quality of our experience." Besides this, Richard stresses that it is not what's happening around us that makes us unhappy, but rather the way we choose to react to it. The pursuit of happiness is becoming a modern obsession . As life becomes more complex, our ability to process our reactions to various outside influences comes under strain. "Genuine happiness" he says, "doesn't mean pleasant feelings one after the other. It's more like a series of qualities that we can develop as skills -- like openness, genuine love, compassion, inner strength and inner peace." What determines the quality of our experience? Some people think that singing can lift our spirits ( ), while some other people don't think so.They don't like singing and they think singing can never make them happy.I do think singing can make us feel good, and it can lift our spirits.Let me tell you more about that. Some researchers once did some surveys and proved it.The surveys show that singing can bring a lot of health benefits .If you sing with your friends, the effects may be even better. John Lennon was once a teacher of Vocal Performance at Emporia State University.He says, "Singing is an inborn need.Babies sing to themselves and they seem so happy.Like babies, when we sing, we feel so good and singing makes us feel even better.I like singing and I am happy every day." Music is a part of human nature.And singing is a form of expression that can be understood by everyone.Some people say that music is like a kind of language.The language can show people's opinions and attitudes to their life.Some songs can cheer people up when they are in trouble.Some songs can make people happy and excited.That's why the TV show The Voice of China is so popular with people. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? an animal needs to burn complex carbohydrates to Did you sleep the day away on March 21? Well, you should have done that because it was World Sleeping Day. This is the one day of the year when people around the world care about their sleep and ask themselves a lot of questions about sleep. Why do we need sleep? Nobody as yet can give a correct answer to this question. However, tests have shown that lack of sleep over about four weeks leads to a strong drop in body temperature, great weight loss and finally sickness. Different people need different amounts of sleep. Eight hours a night is considered the average amount of sleep. For teenagers the least number of sleeping hours advised by doctors are ten hours for primary school students, nine for junior highs and eight for senior highs. Some people seem to get along just fine with very little sleep at night. Leading American scientist Thomas Edison said that sleep was a waste of time. He did, however, take naps during the day. On the other hand, Albert Einstein, another great scientist, said he needed at least ten hours' sleep a night. Here are some of the most useful suggestions, for a good night's sleep. Go to bed regularly. Use your bed only to sleep. Don't exercise in the evening. Keep the bedroom dark and quiet. Drink a glass of milk before sleep. Which is NOT a useful suggestion for a good night's sleep? In the 1500s, South American fishermen said that the sea became warmer every few years. They gave this special event a Spanish name 'El Nino', meaning 'the baby'. It is called 'the baby' because it arrives around Christmas. El Nino is a huge area of warm water in the middle of cold water in the Pacific Ocean. It happens every two to seven years. It moves around the ocean and becomes bigger and smaller at different times. This warm water affects the weather. It is always raining over El Nino. El Nino contains a lot of energy. Scientists think this energy is formed when wind comes from the northern half of the world. The winds blow across warm sea water in the south. When the strong wind hits the warm water, violent weather happens. Scientists think that El Nino existed for many thousands of years. El Nino affects every person in the world because it affects the entire world's weather. It can bring the rain that farmers need. It can bring storms that destroy homes. It can mean that fishermen cannot catch fish, and it can bring floods. There is nothing we can do about El Nino. It is an event of nature. We can help the world's weather by trying to stop the greenhouse effect and air pollution. The most important job for scientists is to learn how to predict when El Nino is going to bring dangerous weather. Then, people can try to prepare for storms, floods and droughts. New technology like satellite pictures and temperature measuring equipment can help. Still, it is very hard to say when or where El Nino will cause damage. El Nino affects _ .
An extinct mountain goat that was once common in the Pyrenees became the first animal to be brought back from extinction. Researchers used frozen DNA to produce a clone, but the newborn kid died within minutes of birth due to breathing difficulties. The Pyrenean ibex is a type of mountain goat,which is believed to have died out completely in 2000. Before the death of the last known individual(a13-year-old female known as Celia), biologists took cells from her skin and ears. An earlier cloning attempt to use the skin cells failed. But the latest attempt involved the creation of 439 cloned embryos. Of these cloned embryos, 57 were put into the female domestic goats, but only one goat gave birth and the newborn cloned kid died after seven minutes as a result of lung disease. Researchers say that other cloned animals, including sheep, have been born with similar lung disease, but they say that overall the experiment was a major step forward in the effort to bring the ibex back to its mountain home. The leading researcher Jose Folch says, "the cloned kid was genetically like the ibex;in species such as the ibex,cloning is the only possibility to avoid its complete disappearance." The failure to produce a living clone from DNA that was frozen only a decade ago shows the difficulty researchers would face in trying to bring back species that have been extinct for decades or centuries. Researchers have had the idea of bringing back the Tasmanian tiger, which went extinct in 1936. There are, however, other species that have been seriously suggested for cloning,such as the giant panda, the African bongo antelope, the Sumatran tiger and the pygmy hippo. Supporters believe cloning provides hope of keeping these endangered animals alive before they die out. Jose Foleh would agree that cloning _ . A is not suitable and should be banned. B requires immediate attention. C should be carried out cautiously. D may help prevent animal extinction. Answer: D Growing up in Puerto Rico, our family was no different from so many others. My parents got married after my father came back when the war ended. Both of my parents were struggling with the hard economic realities of the time. But somehow, they found time to cherish those cultural values that shaped our everyday life. In our daily life, we celebrated together with our friends or family members every birthday, every graduation, and all holidays with music and dancing, typical foods. When we visited our family in the countryside -- a trip that took about two hours in a car, with five children fighting as to who would get a window or the front seat -- we would break into song, and somehow the trip would turn into one full of happiness and fun. We would sing not only interesting children's songs but also beautiful love songs -- songs about the love of the country though we didn't understand the meaning of the words many times. I came to Philadelphia for the first time in 1973 to do a residency in family medicine. I remember the many hours of work. I was facing issues of life and death and suffering the clearly social unfairness and issues of poverty and race. These were all aggravated by my feeling of cultural differences. An important turning point in my life happened one Saturday night when I attended a concert of Puerto Rican singer and composer Antonio Caban Vale. The music showed my familiar rhythms, and the words spoke to my heart. I had found a space to express, celebrate, and share my culture in Philadelphia. Therefore, I believe diversity is seen as an advantage and not as a disadvantage. As a Puerto Rican, I am a mixture of races and I believe in my strength because of this. What did the concert make the author aware of? A The possibility of celebrating her own culture. B The right to share one's culture with others. C The happiness of possessing unique cultural values. D The right of cultures to coexist in society. Answer: D There are many kinds of cars in the world. My grandmother thinks that is because cars are like their drivers. She says, "Rich people have expensive cars, big people have large cars, and old people have old cars," But I don't agree with her. My neighbor, Mrs. Hill, is 82 years old. She drives only on Tuesday, and she drives only to the bank. She never drives more than 30 kilometers an hour. Do you think Mrs. Hill has a very old and small car? No! Her car is new. It is very large and it can go 200 kilometers an hour! My friend Mike is an artist. He draws beautiful pictures with a lot of colors. But his car is black! Mrs. Bates has a very old car. It often has engine trouble. Does she have that kind of car because she is very poor? No, she has four factories and two million dollars in the bank. My aunt Mary has a car. Every Sunday, she drives to the country with her husband, her three children , her mother and their dog. Now you read about my friends and their cars. Do you agree with my grandmother? Mrs. Bates may be _ . A a worker B an artist C a boss D a bank clerk Answer: C Sure. you know their names, possibly better than you know the name of the street you live on. When the need comes, these names roll off our tongues like they were our own brothers. I am writing about the famous Webster s Dictionary and Roget s Thesaurus. Webster s Dictionary. Many people can respond immediately: Noah Webster. We are aware that he is the father of the dictionary. But who was he? What did he do for a living? When did he live? Noah was born in 1758, graduated from Yale University in 1778. and later graduated from law school He produced the first American dictionary in 1806 and published his influential work An American Dictionary of the English Language in l828. His interests led him to be a lexicographer . textbook editor, author, Bible translator and spelling reformer. He also produced a large number of writings in medicine, mythology , and the relationship of European and Asian languages. In addition, he .founded the first New York daily newspaper in 1793. He died in 1843. Roget's Thesaurus. And it gives us The chance to learn about Roget, the man-Peter Mark Roget, And who? What? When? Englishman Peter Roget, MD, was born in 1779. He studied medicine and mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. He is considered as the creator of the first-ever thesaurus . It has been called one of the three most important books ever printed. along with the Bible and Webster s Dictionary. He began his work Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases in I 805 but did not publish it until 1852-47 years later. In his lifetime. he became a noted lecturer and writer on anatomy( ). geology .bees,and more . When Roget died in 1869 at age 90. his son, John . took over the Thesaurus arid he gradually expanded it. So now you know the two famous books. Not enough information? As well-known humourist James Thurber suggested in the title of his 1941 magazine short story about baseball, You Could Look It Up! According to the text. Noah Webster and Peter Roget are alike because they both _ . A had many interests B studied medicine C were professors D liked baseball Answer: A Digestion is when stomach acid breaks down what? A food essays B sustenance C water D air Answer: B
A new enemy is threatening Japanese traditions: leisure. A part of its attempt to increase imports, the government is trying to get people to work less and spend more. The workers are disgusted. The figures support the western prejudice that the Japanese are all working without play. Trying to force workers away from their desks and machines, the government said last April that the country should cut down from its 2,100 hours average work year to 1,899 hours and a five-day by 1992. Beginning in February, banks and offices two Saturdays a month. The government hopes that others will follow that practice. But some persuasion will be needed. Small companies are very angry about it and they fear competitions may not cut hour. The unions are no happier: they have even advertised in newspapers arguing their case against the foreign pressure that is forcing leisure upon them. They say shorter hours are a disguised pay cut. The industrialists, who have no objection to the government's plans, admit that shorter hours will help them cut costs. Younger Japanese who are supposed to be acting against their hard-working parents, show no sign of wanting time off either. But unlike older workers, they do spend money in their spare time. Not content with watching TV, they dance, dress up, sit in cafes, go to pop concerts and generally drive the leisure-industry boom. Now that they know how to consume, maybe the West can teach them to relax and enjoy themselves too. A possible reason for workers' unwillingness to accept more leisure is that _ . Answer: For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas.Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States. There are various kinds of apples but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale.The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, golden Delicious and McIntosh. Apples are different in color1, size and taste.The color1 of the skin may be red, green or yellow.They have various sizes with Delicious apples being among the largest.The taste may be sweet or tart .Generally sweet apples are eaten fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce.Apples can also be found in many foods (especially desserts) and drinks. Many beneficial health effects have been found from eating apples. However, the seeds are slightly poisonous. Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve meters.They do best in areas that have very cold winters.Although no fruit is _ during the winter this cold period is good for the tree. At least 55 million tons of apples were grown worldwide in 2010, with a value of about $ 10 billion. China produced about 35% of this total. The United States was the second-leading producer, with more than 7.5% of world production. Iran was third, followed by Turkey, Russia, Italy and India. Cold winter weather is good for _ . Answer: Why does everything else seem so interesting when you have to study? Let's find out how to stay focused.Follow each piece of advice that is given below. Switch Off Your Cell phone Nothing's worse for a teenager to stay without their cell phone even for a minute.However,if you can't find yourself focused for a long time,you know that it's the continual sound in your cell phone that isn't letting you learn.Stop sending text massages to your friends saying'I can't study'or'how much have you finished'.Remember,you don't have enough time to kill,do you? Soothing Music Helps Bizarre as it may sound,while things such as TVs,PCs,or MP3 players are not acceptable while studying,researchers claim that listening to soothing music actually helps you stay focused.Try it.It might work for you. A New Timetable Every Day One of my personal techniques,tried and tested,is creating a new timetable every day. You don't really need to draw one.Instead,just stare at the clock,and divide your hours.Suppose.2 hours of continuous study require a 30-minute break after that.Relax and then go back to study for another two hours.Just be true to yourself, and try not to get distracted in those two hours. Try Different Places to Study The idea is,looking for a place that doesn't have much to focus upon is the best way of staying organized while studying.A lonely corner in your house is perfect in this case.Hey! Why don't you go to your school library,if things get worse? It has the perfect atmosphere,silence,and a librarian,every time! Now this will work for sure,trust me. What's the text mainly about? Answer: Many people go to church on Sunday, but others don't. Many people sleep late on Sunday morning, but others don't. Some people work on Sunday, but most don't. However, almost everyone reads the Sunday paper. Often the paper is waiting outside the door when the family gets up. The newspaper boy has put it there. The paper has many advertisements and many different parts. The parents in the family like the front page and the world news part. Many men also read the sports pages and the financial pages. Most men don't read the women's pages, but the mother of the family usually does. The women's pages have the news about parties and some good ideas about food, health and clothes. Most Sunday papers have interesting stories. Children enjoy them. Old people read the death notices. They tell about people who have died during the week. There is something for everyone in the Sunday paper. The Sunday papers are sent to people _ . Answer: Time Temp Glasses Are you a person who wants to know the time and temperature during the day? You might like Temp Glasses. These special glasses show the time above your right eye and the temperature your left eye. It is surely easier than wearing a wristwatch, and you never have to guess the Tature. Alarm Fork Do you eat too quickly? Do you eat too much? How can the Alarm Fork help you? Aren't you is ? Well, this special fork has two lights: one green and one red. When the green is on, it's OK to eat a piece of food. The fork "knows" when you eat a piece, and soon the red goes on. Wait for the green light before you eat another piece. Smell This Sow do you know if your breath smells nice, or if it smells bad? It's difficult It) know, because it's very hard to smell the air that comes out of your own mouth. Smell This is useful for this ion. Smell This covers your nose and your mouth. Docs your breath smell nice, or do you need a piece of gum ? Banana Suitcase Has this ever happened to you? You put a banana in your bag lunch in the morning, and when pen the bag at noon, the banana looks like someone drove a car over it. If you put your banana Banana Suitcase, this will never happen. It keeps a banana safe, delicious, and looking like a m! Which invention is most helpful for someone waiting for a train? Answer:
ARLANDA, Sweden (Reuters Life!) - Many people hate the idea of having to sleep on a plane. But Swedish entrepreneur Oscar Dios thinks they can be persuaded otherwise and he has created a new kind of hostel to prove it. Dios says it is the world's first jumbo (unusually large) jet hostel, an actual jet-plane at Sweden's main airport outside Stockholm which has been changed into a 25- room guesthouse that sleeps as many as 72 people. "I learned about this plane that was standing deserted at Arlanda airport and I've been trying the concept of hostels in many different houses and buildings," he told Reuters. "I thought, 'Why not a plane?'" Jumbo Hostels opened for business on Thursday, giving customers the chance to check in and sleep in a room that can best be described as comfortable." "The most challenging part with this project is trying to build something inside a metal hull - it's just really, really tight." The jet, which was originally produced for Singapore Airlines, was taken out of service in 2002. It is held on a concrete foundation with the landing gear secured in steel cradles. One feature of the hostel is its price - a room starts at 350 Swedish crowns (about $ 41), which is a lot less than hotel rooms outside of major airports. Another feature is that customers can get married on the wing of the plane and stay in the plane's more luxurious honeymoon suite . Instead of walking down the aisle in the church, lovebirds can take what Jumbo Hostels calls the "wing walk," where they can be joined in great happiness at the wing tip. The hostel has someone ready to perform the ceremony. But in some respects this hostel remains a plane - most customers have to share the jet's nine bathrooms and the staff only wear air host and hostess outfits. The only room that has its own bathroom is the honeymoon suite. We can learn from the text that _ . Answer: The Time Machine This move is based on a science fiction story. A scientist and inventor decides to prove that time travel is possible. He wants to change the past. To test his idea, he travels 800000 years into the future with the help of his own invention -- a time machine... It will be put on in the National Theatre on Aug. 25thto 29th. E.T A group of aliens visit the earth and one of them, E.T.. gets lost and is left on this planet. He is found by a 10--year--old boy, Elliot. Soon the two begin to communicate and start a different kind of friendship .E.T. want to go home, but if Elliot helps him, he'll lose a friend...It'll be shown in the National Theatre on Aug. 26thto 30th. Mission to Mars In the year 2020A.D., a mysterious storm kills all but one crew member of the first manned mission to Mars. A rescue mission is Iaunched... It will be on in the National Theatre on Sep. 1st TO Sth. ,A, B, C, D,. According to the passages, which of the following sentence is true? Answer: Once a great boxer , Tom Brown, went to a restaurant for dinner. He put his bag near the door, but he was afraid that someone would take it. So he got out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote on it: "The great boxer, Tom Brown, left his bag here. He'll come back in a few minutes. " He put the paper on his bag and went to have his dinner. When he came back, his bag wasn't there. But he found a piece of paper on the ground. It said: "A great runner took away your bag, and he will not come back. " When Mr Brown came back he _ . Answer: Many people say that they are working too many hours. They don't have enough time to relax or to stay with their family. Work hours are different from one country to another. In France, people spend about 1,646 hours a year at work. In Japan, however, people work about 2,159 hours a year. Why do people work so many hours? Some people work extra hours because they want to make more money. However, many companies don't pay overtime. Their workers don't get more pay for more work. Some people think it's their duty to work more hours. Some are afraid of losing their jobs if they don't work more hours. Many people say that their vacations are too short. In France, people get five weeks of paid vacation a year. In Germany, they get four to six weeks, and in the United States, two weeks. One study shows fewer than half of workers used all their vacation days. In Great Britain, there is a saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." If that is true, there must be a lot of dull people in the world. What can we infer from the passage? Answer: The brothers Grimm , Jacob and Wihelm are synonymous with fairytales. The stories they gathered have been read by millions of children in all countries over the last two hundred years. It's difficult to think that any children could not be attracted by a tale like Red Riding Hood ,which never seems to grow old. This year, Dec20 marked the 200thanniversary of publication of the tales. The Brimms collected the stories and gave them to the world because they wanted to show what German culture was about. In their time, Germany was not yet a nation; it was a collection of little states. Like many patriotic intellectuals ,they thought they could help people in German territories to understand their own traditions. Quite a few adult were shocked by brothers Grimm's work. They wrote about a wolf who eats a little girl's grandmother and an awful old woman who wants to put Hansel and Gretel in a stove. In fact, the original Grimm fairy tales are often far more unpleasant, and more adult in theme .There is a lot of cruelty too. In the wedding scene of Snow White ,the stepmother dances in red-hot iron shoes that kills her. However, other people came along and made these stories more "suitable" for children. The modern children's writer Philip Pullman recently published a book of his versions of some Grimm tales. He points out that the Grimms themselves changed the stories, but for the better. They knew how to hold the attention of readers. "A Grimm tale," he says, "moves with a dreamlike speed from event to event, pausing only to say as much as is needed and no more." So, when we read a story from Grimms' collection, we're getting something from old Germany, but our enjoyment is also thanks to the brothers' great storytelling skills. In which section of a paper is the passage taken from? Answer:
Question: The Asuncion zoo is looking for a mate for Coco, an endangered hyacinth macaw ,and it is the last known male of his species left in Paraguay. Coco was sent to the zoo eight years ago. A recent DNA test showed that he is male. Zoo worker Celia said To avoid mixing species, the zoo has had to keep him apart from the other macaws, which has left him lonely and bored. "He is quite sociable, although he has only learned to say 'Hello', but when he hears music, he dances" Celia said He has a yellow circle around his eyes that set off the rest of his blue feathers. He is more or less a cousin to Blu , he macaw that starts in the movie, Rio.That species, cyanopsitta-spixii ,is all blue and even more endangered than the hyacinth macaw. Like the bird in the movie, scientists hope to find Coco a mate to- rebuild the species. Because international laws against animal training are now so strict, nobody is willing to lend the zoo a female. "The best solution is to find a female hyacinth macaw in our country. " Celia said, "there are at least two other known hyacinth-macaws but without DNA test, it is impossible to know if they are female, and the owners are not willing to help,because the mating process can take some time and be a little hard on females." From the text we know that Coco _ A. is the last known hyacinth macaw B. lives apart from the other macaws C. has adapted to being left alone D. can say "Hello" when he hears music Answer: B Question: Today, as in every other day of the year, more than 3,000 U.S. adolescents will smoke their first cigarette on their way to becoming regular smokers as adults. During their lifetime, it can be expected that of these 3,000 about 23 will be murdered, 30 will die in traffic accidents, and nearly 750 will be killed by a smoking-related disease. The number of deaths due to cigarette smoking outweighs all other factors, whether voluntary or involuntary, as a cause of death. Since the late 1970s, when daily smoking among high school seniors reached 30 percent, smoking rates among youth have declined. While the decline is impressive, several important issues must be raised. First, in the past several years, smoking rates among youth have declined very little. Second, in the late 1970s, smoking among male high school seniors beat that among female by nearly 10 percent . The statistic is reversing . Third, several recent studies have indicate high school _ have excessively high smoking rates, as much as 75 percent . Finally, though significant declines in adolescent smoking have occurred in the past decade, no definite reasons for the decline exist. Within this context, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) began its current effort to determine the most effective measures to reduce smoking level among youth. By "dropout" the author means _ A. students who failed the examination B. students who left school C. students who lost their way D. students who were driven out of school Answer: B Question: Zhongshan, China Beijing is a beautiful city with a long history. There are many Travel Agency famous buildings and mystery stories here. It's a good place to Complaint telephone: go sightseeing and relax. You will have fun if you join us. 400-581-278 Best of Beijing 5 Days From Y=799 2 nights Beijing Hotel & 2 nights Changcheng Hotel Book online or call 400-581-467 www.zhongshantour.com Beijing Hotel: Close to Tian'anmen Square Prize-winning garden Bars&French restaurant Swimming pool Changcheng Hotel: Gardens with mountain views Restaurant & Cafe Buses to the downtown Departure Date Price Apr 8, 2013 Y=899 May 29, 2013 Y=999 Jun 30, 2013 Y=799 To book, choose your Preferred date Business Hours Monday~Thursday:24 hours Friday: 8:00 am~9:00 pm Weekends: 8:00 am~6:00 pm Zhongshan, China Do you like beautiful sunshine? Do you want to see blue sea and Travel Agency colorful fish? Do you want to enjoy the fresh air? Do you want to Complaint telephone: relax yourself on the beach? Come and join us! Let's go to Hainan. 400-581-258 Best of Hainan 5 Days From Y=1,566 2 nights Haitian Hotel & 2 nights Blue Sea Hotel Book online or call 400-581-620 www.zhongshantour.com Haitian Hotel: Close to Yalong Bay Delicious seafood Swimming pool Blue Sea Hotel: Five minutes' walk to the nearest beach Breakfast is free Night Club Buses to the downtown Departure Date Price Mar 6, 2013 Y=1,566 April 8, 2013 Y=1,666 May 10, 2013 Y=1,766 To book, choose your Preferred date Business Hours Monday~Thursday:24 hours Friday: 8:00 am~10:00 pm Weekends: 8:00 am~6:00 pm This passage is a/an _ A. story B. newspaper report C. advertisement D. traveling diary Answer: C Question: Playing sports is a way for most kids to make friends, get exercise and have a good time. But what happens when kids have a disability preventing them joining in? Challenge Alaska has worked out a national program to give those disabled kids a chance to enjoy the sports they otherwise may not be able to. Alex thought a simple game of bocce ball was out of reach before. Alex was hit by a car when he was 5 years old, an accident that left him with a broken body and a mind full of dreams. "Those dreams are harder to do because you can't move your hands, and you can't move your legs," he said. But today Alex was getting the chance to live his biggest dream. With some help, he can get the bocce ball across the playing field and he said he was getting the biggest joy from his favorite. Today, Challenge Alaska worked together with another organization, the US Paralympics Academy , to give kids with physical disabilities a chance to try some new sports. "They offer a lot of sports for people with disabilities and that's cool," Alex said. But this program is not just about teaching these kids about sports. "It's an opportunity to learn how to work on a team, how to work with other people, how to win graciously and how to lose graciously -- all about the lessons you can use throughout life," said Jeff Dick, leader of Alaska Paralympics Academy. Challenge Alaska also has a program called Blaze Sports, which holds different events throughout the year. Dick says skills learned at these free programs increase kids chances of getting college scholarships to play these sports. Challenge Alaska mentioned in the passage must be _ . A. a famous person who wants to help the disabled B. a national program designed to help the disabled C. an organization that provides sports chances for the disabled D. a sports club which aims to improve people's health Answer: C Question: Why do earthquakes happen? Scientists explain that the outside of the earth is made of a number of different plates . For example, at San Francisco the Pacific Plate which is moving towards the northwest meets the North American Plate. The Pacific Plate is moving very slowly-at 5. 3 centimetres a year. Sometimes these two plates stop and do not move for years. Then suddenly, they jump and an earthquake is felt. As the movement of these plates, West America near the sea has always been a bad place for earthquakes. When the 1906 earthquake happened, the Pacific Plate jumped 5-6 metres to the north. We cannot stop earthquakes, but we can do things to make sure they don't destroy the whole of cities. First ,it is not a good idea to build houses along the lines, where two of the earth's plates join together. Second, if you think there may be an earthquake, it is better to build houses on rock not on sand. Third, you must make the houses as strong as possible. Weak buildings will fall down in an earthquake, but strong ones may stay up. Scientists explain that _ . A. the outside of the earth is made of a plate B. the inside of the earth is made of different plates C. the outside of the earth is made of lots of different plates D. the earth is a plate Answer: C
When Harvard was founded in 1636, there were no other colleges in the American colonies, and it would become the model for many of those that followed. When it began requiring applicants to take a test known as the SAT in 1935, Harvard started another trend. Two years ago, after it announced an aggressive new financial-aid policy, it helped push social class to the center of the national debate over higher education and forced two of its main competitors, Stanford and Yale, to follow its lead. Last week. Harvard began to make another effort to affect higher education in its image, its president, Derek Bok, announced that the college would abandon its early admissions program, which for decades has allowed high school seniors to apply in October and get an answer yes, no or maybe - in December, shortly before the regular deadline for applications. Harvard officials argue that the program is beneficial to rich students who don't need to compare financial-aid offers from various colleges. After the announcement, many people within education urged other colleges to take a similar step. "We're thrilled," said Laurie Kobick, a college counselor at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va. "I think it's going to make admissions better in so many different ways. It will indeed go a small way toward leveling the field among applicants. Of course, it will also have an effect on colleges, and the biggest winner will almost certainly be Harvard. a fact that may prevent many other colleges - perhaps all of them - from following Hazard this time. Because any college that does so will risk losing some of its best applicants." Why does Laurie Kobick think other colleges may not follow Harvard? Because they may attract fewer top students than he[ore, When thinking about placing a human being in space, one of the most important questions was how to design special clothing needed to protect a person from the dangers of the space environment. The cold of space will freeze skin in a short time. The fierce heat of the sun can cause serious burns. The lack of atmosphere can cause gases in the body to expand and even burst. With no oxygen to breathe, a human being will die in only a few moments. Radiation from the sun is another risk in space. So is damage from small pieces of rock and objects like meteoroids . In 1933, an American flyer, Wiley Post, designed one of the first successful devices to protect a pilot at extreme heights. It was a large device that looked like a can surrounded the pilot's head. Astronauts in the American space agency (NASA) flew the first American space flights in the early 1960s. The clothing was similar to that invented by Wiley Post. Today, astronauts wear very different protective clothing. It lets them move, do useful tasks, and stay outside their spacecraft in comfort and safety for several hours. The spacesuit is called the shuttle extravehicular mobility unit or EMU. It was designed to _ longer and to permit more movement than earlier spacesuits. The EMU has a number of parts that an astronaut can link together by using only one hand, which makes it possible for each astronaut to select the parts that fit correctly. Nowadays, NASA scientists are also considering the kind of spacesuits that would be needed for exploration on the planet Mars. Because of the gravity on Mars, spacesuits may have to be designed to be lighter than suits used in orbit or on the moon. The equipment may also have to protect astronauts from dust carried in the winds on Mars. And, they must be easy to repair and keep clean during a longer flight to and from the red planet. Which of the following statements is true, according to this passage? Astronauts in earlier spacesuits had difficulty in moving, doing useful tasks and so on. The Batsquatch is described as a great winged bat. It's reported that it lives in the shadows of Mt. Saint Helens. It has purple skin, red eyes and the character is quite similar to the bat's. Since reports tell it likes eating small animals like chickens, goats and pigs, some believe that it is actually a flying primate . But researchers say that it is more closely related to the fruit bat of northern America. Fear still fills the hearts of men, women and children of Washington. In May of 1980 during the eruption of Mount Saint Helens, the Batsquatch showed itself in the shadows of clouds from the eruption. In 1994, a local mountaineer was able to take pictures of the Batspuatch making the rumor seem real. During this event some farm animals seemed to disappear though luckily no humans were reported missing at the time. The local mountaineer told about his meeting with the Batsquatch. When he suddenly heard a loud deep voice from the shadows, the mountaineer was knocked down. He tried to look for the creature that had made the sound. He saw a great creature with purple wings in the sky. It looked like it was about 30 feet tall. The mountaineer kept this story a secret in fear of being laughed at by others but when new stories came in about the Batsquatch he shared his story. The reality of the Batsquatch can no longer be ignored. It is only a creature that is trying to live. Respect! This is how we should take news such as this. Respect for a living creature instead of fear. When the Batsquatch appeared, the mountaineer _ . found it was a 30-foot-tall creature that could fly 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. We can learn from the passage that _ . three robots have been sold to a hospital As each semester begins, my colleague greets his students wearing a jacket and tie. "You make only one first impression," he says. So while the rest of the semester he teaches class in his usual, more casual clothes, the first week he presents a different image. His thought is that students will remember their first meet positively and more readily think highly of him as the semester goes on because that favorable first impression has an influence on them. The sequence that we meet matters in how we judge subsequent information. The big influence of first impressions is related to the halo effect, where the perception of positive qualities in one thing or part gives rise to the perception of similar qualities in related things or in the whole. Here is an example: You meet a friendly person at a party and later are asked to collect money for a worthy cause. You call that person because you think she will make a contribution. In reality, there is no connection between being pleasant and being generous. Yet the halo effect leads you to think that the two are related. The halo effect is powerful, but it is questionable whether it matters much in long-term relationships, such as that between teacher and student. While dressing up may make students think the teacher must know his subject matter because he creates a professional first impression, the effect wears thin if the person turns out to be a poor teacher after all. First impressions matter but they don't have the final word. Facts speak louder. If you had never seen or heard of Einstein, the first time you saw him your impression would most likely be negative. Now his face is connected with genius , not madness because he is the person who has come to define what genius is. The problem is that few of us are Einsteins and we often don't get the chance to change a negative first impression. In the author's eyes, the halo effect _ . may affect our judgment of others
Many things -- genetics, environment, the food you eat, illness, sleep, even the seasons -- influence your emotional state. But at the heart of it is how you regard yourself. If you have a healthy level of self-esteem, you not only cope with life's challenges better than people with low self-esteem, but you're probably more content, confident, and successful. You're probably also healthier. Studies show that positive self-esteem actually helps inoculate (......) people against depression and anxiety, conditions that may present increased risk of everything from colds to heart diseases. Most people's good sense of worth is rooted in their childhood -- in the early approval of their parents, teachers, and friends. But as we get older, most of us judge ourselves by our sense of how effectively we're managing in the world, especially in the areas of love and work. Our ability to love and to be loved can give us a sense of purpose and deep fulfillment. We can also find satisfaction and pride in work-related accomplishments and the people we meet and work with can reinforce our sense of self and our role in life. Once midlife comes along, however, our self-esteem can take a turn in response to changes in our lives. Marital relationship may change, children may leave home , and we may begin to scale back our work as we approach retirement. Of course, the view in the mirror may not be what it used to be, either. If you find your self-esteem eroding a bit, try to build it up again. As the saying goes, it's better to try something and fail than to be successful at not trying anything . Focus on goals that are linked to activities you're really interested in, so you'll enjoy a sense of purpose and gain pleasure from the pursuit whether or not you achieve your goal in full. According to the passage , all of the following factors may affect our emotion, EXCEPT _ . Answer: Taj Mahal, Agra, India As many as 28 different varieties of precious stones were used to decorate the outside of the Taj Mahal. Construction took around 20 years. The building, which was made from white marble from the quarries of Rajasthan, appears pink in the morning, white in the day and golden in the moonlight. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Akashi Strait, Japan It took 10 years to construct the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. It connects the city of Kobe, on Japan's mainland, with Iwaya on Awaji Island. Before it opened, the only way to get between the two cities was by ferry. However, the waterway was at the mercy of severe storms and when two ferries overturned in 1955, killing 168 people, public anger convinced the government of the need for a bridge. It's the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a length of 1,991 meters. Panama Canal, Panama More than 4. 5 million cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of this canal's locks and dams. The Panama Canal is a 47-mile long waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The earth and rubble dug to make way for it was enough to bury Manhattan to a depth of four meters. A series of locks allows ships to pass through the water. Each lock door weighs 750 tons and each lock fills with 52 million gallons of water to accommodate the 15,000 ships that use the canal every year. Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona The Skywalk's foundation is strong enough to support 71 million pounds , Located 1,219 meters above the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon's Sky Walk consists of one million pounds of steel and 83,000 pounds of glass. It was the creation of Las Vegas businessman David Jin, who approached the Hualapai Tribe with the idea of a glass walkway over the Grand Canyon in 1996. The Sky walk was assembled on site. In which section of a book can the text probably be seen? Answer: How to Order Ordering from BooksFirst is easy and safe. Selecting Your Books When you have found a book you would like to order, just click on Add to Basket and it will be added to your shopping basket. To make it easy to keep track of the books you've selected, My Shopping Basket will display your choices wherever you are on the site. When you're ready to place your order, select View Basket. View Basket This is where you select the postal destination for your order, indicate whether you would like Next Day Delivery in the UK and choose gift-wrapping. You can also amend the contents of your basket by making any changes and then selecting Update Basket. Overseas customers ordering three or more books can also request reduced airmail charges here. When you're happy with the contents of your shopping basket, go to the Secure Checkout. The Order Form After you've completed the order form, you will receive an on-screen acknowledgment. This will be followed by an email confirming the details of your order. We will then inform you when your order has been sent. If this is your first order, we will also inform you of your personal BooksFirst account number. Your First Order We'll send you a personal account number after you have placed your first order. For following orders all you need to do is enter your personal account number and email address. Returning Customers If you have ordered from us before, online, by mail or telephone, you will have already owned a personal account number. You then only need to complete the full order form. Using your account number allows us to find your details from our records (they are not accessible online). However, you do not need your BooksFirst personal account number to place an order--simply present all the required details on the order form. If you don't have a note of your account number just Contact us so that we can supply it to you. Which of the following is true? Answer: Koalas are found only in prefix = st1 /Australia. Even if called koala bear, this animal has nothing to do with the actual bear; it is not even a mammal , but a marsupial , like the kangaroo. Its closest living s are the wombats . A koala is about 60-80cm long and weighs 5-14kg. The name "koala" means "no drink", and refers to the koala's ability to go for days without water. Koalas get the water content they need from the eucalyptus leaves on which they feed. The koala is the only mammal with a digestive system that can feed only on eucalyptus leaves--incidentally, these leaves are highly poisonous if eaten by humans. One individual consumes about 5kg of eucalyptus leaves daily and it may never drink water! The koala is a _ mammal. They prefer to move around just after sunset, spending daytime sleeping in the fork of a tree. A koala spends sleeping 75% of its time. The eucalyptus leaves they eat are rich in fiber and poor in proteins and fats. The adult must detoxify leaves with energy expense, while fiber is hard to break down. Because of this poor diet, koalas save energy by sleeping most of the day, while their movements are very slow. Koalas only have one young per year. In summer, baby koalas are born about a month after mating. The female takes it with her mouth and places it into her poach. In 6 months, the young can get out and feed on leaves. There are probably around 2,000 to 8,000 wild koalas in Australiaat present. The extremely fine gray fur is the reason why koala has been heavily hunted in the past. Koalas are killed every year by dogs, cats, dingoes, eagles and owls. They also die of disease and accidents. Why does the koala spend most of its time sleeping? Answer: "I'm a little worried about my future."said Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate.He should be so lucky.All he had to worry about was whether to have an affair with Mrs. Robinson.In the sixties,that was the total sum of post-graduation anxiety. Hoffman's modem peers are not so fortunate.The Mrs. Robinsons aren't sitting around at home any more.They are out in the workplace,doing the high-powered jobs the graduates want,but cannot get.For those fresh out of university,desperate for work but unable to get it,there is a big imbalance between supply and demand.And there is no narrowing of the gap in sight. Parents feel as badly let down as the young people themselves.Middle-class families see their graduate offspring on the dole queue and wonder why they bothered paying school fees.Working-class families feel an even keener sense of disappointment.For many such families,getting a child into university was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.It was proof that they were living in a dynamic,economically successful country.That dream does not seem so rosy now.Graduate unemployment is not,ultimately,a political problem.Job-creation for graduates is very low down in the government's schedule.If David Cameron's Conservatives had a brilliant idea for guaranteeing every graduate a well-paid job,they would have presented it by now.It is a social problem,though a more deep-seated social problem than people perhaps realize. The main purpose of the passage is to _ . Answer:
Bob and his family like eating fish very much. He often buys some fish in the shop and takes them home for dinner. His wife often asks her friends to their home to have lunch and eat fish. One day, Bob buys some fish home and goes to his office to work. His wife sees the fish and thinks, "Good! I can ask my friends to come for lunch." When Bob comes home from work in the evening, he can't find his fish. His wife says, " Oh, It's your cat. Your cat eats it." And she gives Bob some bread for dinner. The husband is very angry . He takes the cat and his wife to the shop near their home to _ the cat. Then he asks his wife, "You see, my fish is one kilo, and this cat is one kilo, too. My fish is here. Then where is my cat?" ,. Who eats the fish? Answer: Do you know anything about the history of weather? Don't look at the sky. Don't look for old weather reports. Looking at the tree rings is more important. Correct weather reports date back only one century, but some trees can provide an exact record of weather even further back. It is natural that a tree would grow best in a climate with plenty of sunlight and rainfall. It is also expected that little sunlight or rainfall would reduce the growth of a tree. The change from a favorable to an unfavorable climate can be found out by the reading pattern of rings in a tree trunk. To find out the weather of ten years ago, you can count the rings of a tree trunk from the outside to the inside. If the tenth ring is far from the other rings, then it is certain that plenty of sunny and rainy weather occurred. If the rings are close together, then the climate was bad for the tree. Studying trees is important not only for the history of weather, but also for the history of man. In an area of New Mexico you can find only sand -- no trees or people. However, many centuries ago a large population lived there. They left suddenly. Why? A scientist studied the pattern of the rings of dead trees that had grown there. He made up his mind that the people had to leave because they had cut down all the trees. Trees were necessary to make fires and buildings. So, after the people destroyed the trees, they had to move. In this example studying tree rings uncovered an exciting fact about the history of man. By studying the rings of dead trees in an area of New Mexico, the scientist found _ . Answer: What doomed the Titanic is well known, at least in outline. On a moonless night of April 15, 1912, the ship hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic ,with 1,500 lives lost. A century later many people presented new theories to explain the real reason for the disaster. Now two new studies argue that rare states of nature played major roles in the disaster. The first says Earth's nearness to the Moon and the Sun -- a proximity not matched in more than 1,000 years -- resulted in record tides that help explain why the Titanic met with so much ice, including the fatal iceberg. Recently, a team of researchers found an apparent explanation in the heavens. They discovered that Earth had come unusually close to the Sun and Moon that winter, enhancing their gravitational pulls on the ocean and producing record tides. The rare orbits took place between December 1911 and February 1912 -- about two months before the disaster came about. The researchers suggest that the high tides refloated masses of icebergs traditionally stuck along the coastlines of Labrador and Newfoundland and sent them adrift into the North Atlantic shipping lanes. And a second, put forward by a Titanic historian from Britain, contends that the icy waters created ideal conditions for an unusual type of mirage that hid icebergs from lookouts whose duty was to watch carefully for danger ahead and confused a nearby ship as to the liner's identity, delaying rescue efforts for hours. Most people know mirages as natural phenomena caused when hot air near the Earth's surface bends light rays upward. In a desert, the effect prompts lost travelers to mistake patches of blue sky for pools of water. But another kind of mirage occurs when cold air bends light rays downward. In that case, observers can see objects and settings far over the horizon. The images often undergo quick distortions -- not unlike the wavy reflections in a funhouse mirror. Now, scholars of the Titanic are debating these new theories. Some have different opinions on it. Over all, though, many experts are applauding the fresh perspectives. (words:353) This passage is organized generally in the pattern of _ . Answer: Though chopsticks are used in many Asian countries, they have their beginning in China. Chinese history says that the Chinese had chopsticks as far as the Xia Dynasty (about 4, 00 years ago). In the Spring and Autumn Period copper and iron chopsticks appeared. With the Han Dynasty lacquered chopsticks came, followed by gold and silver chopsticks still later. Today we have chopsticks made of plastics. The most expensive are made of part of tusks of elephants and hard green stone. Chopsticks tell Chinese tradition in their way. In ancient times the rich used hard green stone or gold chop-sticks to show their wealth . In history many kings used silver chopsticks to take their food to see if it was poisonous . It was said that if it was, the silver chopsticks would turn colour. Chopsticks are traditionally given to a daughter when she marries to show that they should have a son very soon, for "Chopsticks" in Chinese is pronounced like "quick a son"! Tianzhu chopsticks from Hangzhou, wooden chopsticks from Shanyang of Shanxi Province, and Beijing's chopsticks are well-known. Many westerners, businessmen, tourists put aside their knives and forks in favour of chopsticks in China. Chopsticks appeared in the old Chinese story: an old man teaches his sons a lesson by showing how he could easily break a single chopstick but not a number of them. In China, chopsticks are connected with good luck. So on the country's New Year's Eve many families will lay out new chopsticks at dinners as a way of making requests for luck. Copper and iron chopsticks appeared in _ . Answer: Have you ever wondered? 1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east? It can take five hours to go west-east from New York (NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite direction. 2. What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off? Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something around your head on a string , it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. 'Switching off' gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attached to the Earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly _ upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things outside would fly off into space. Where can we most probably read this text? Answer:
If you are having trouble seeing the TV, what can you do to see it more clearly? A. closing your eyes B. moving closer C. eating D. dying Answer: B. moving closer The expression "Go for it!" is a way of encouraging someone to try something. "Go for it!" means you should not worry about failure or be too careful. You should take a chance, be brave, and act firmly. "Go for it!" gets name from football. Not football as it is played in most countries such as England, Egypt or Japan, but the kind of football played in the United States and Canada. One of the most exciting times in football comes when a team has failed, after three attempts, to move the ball forward ten yards. The team must make a critical decision. The conservative choice is to kick the ball and accept temporary defeat in order to gain a good position for your team the next time it gets the ball. The more exciting choice, however, is to try a fourth and final time to gain the remaining yards needed. In the nineteen eighties, people began using this expression in many kinds of situations to encourage someone to act bravely. There is no guarantee that the action you "Go for it!" will succeed. But that is the chance you take when you decide to go for it. You put your fears behind. You choose courage over safety. You hold your breath and go for it. In which of the following situations should we use the expression nowadays? A. We decide to avoid trouble or danger for the future. B. We try to improve our English for better education. C. We need to make a quick decision at the last moment. D. We have to make a choice between success and failure. Answer: C. We need to make a quick decision at the last moment. Matt's hobby was collecting stamps. He had stamps from many countries, like America, Egypt and China. On his birthday, can you guess what people gave him? That's right----stamps. Matt's favorite stamps came from France. He had almost every stamp from 1954 to 2003 except one. That was a 1974 special edition . It was very hard to find. He looked for it everywhere. He asked his friends and relatives to help him. But nobody could find the stamp. It made Matt very sad. "Don't worry," his father said to him. "You'll find it one day." "I hope so," Matt said. "Be patient ,"his father said. "Don't give up." Besides collecting stamps, Matt liked writing. He had a pen friend in France. They wrote to each other every month. Matt's pen friend, Philip, gave him a big, green stamp. It looked old. When Matt received the letter, he was very surprised. On the envelope, he looked closely at the stamp. It was the 1974 special edition stamp. Matt was so happy! He told his sister, his mother and his father. "You see," his father said, "You did find your stamp. So, you see, it's good to have two things in life." "What are they?" Matt asked. "Friends and patience ." he answered. _ sent Matt the letter with the special edition stamp on it. A. Philip B. Philip's mother C. Matt's father D. Philip's friend Answer: A. Philip Science has a lot of uses. It can reveal laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there's always a temptation to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author ofThe Social Animal, The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation. Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest bookThe Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren't? To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of subjects. Because of this, you might expect the book to cover a variety of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unusual, and perhaps unfortunate way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader's attention. So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters. On the whole, Brooks's story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong characters, the more serious problems withThe Social Animallie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks's attempt to translate his tale into science. The author mentions the functions of science at the beginning of the passage to _ . A. show the value of Brooks's new book B. show where science can be applied C. remind the reader of the importance of science D. explain why many writers use science in their works Answer: D. explain why many writers use science in their works One day my teacher said, " ." From that moment, I knew I had to enjoy my life.Do not waste time, because, you know, time will not come back.You cannot buy it.It is one of those things in life that you must really, really value. When you see an opportunity, take it.You might not get it back.Never let an opportunity pass.And if it is too hard, remember that in the middle of every difficulty lies an opportunity. Remember, you cannot choose how you' re going to die, or when.You can only decide how you' re going to live.Study as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow.Don' t just think of the present, but also think of your future. Your future is yet another chapter in your life and another way to live it. Every single living thing has a purpose in life."The purpose of life is a life of purpose," said Robert Byre. Learn to use time wisely, take opportunities, and enjoy life.We can discover the meaning of life in three different ways: (1) by doing a deed; (2) by experiencing a value; (3) by suffering.Life. 57.According to the author, what can you decide? A. How you die. B. When you die. C. How you live. D. When you succeed. Answer: C. How you live.
Edward Sims was born in 1892. He was the fifth child and only son of Herbert and Dora Sims. Herbert was a blacksmith , and had a thriving trade making horseshoes. He was determined that his first-born son would follow him into the blacksmith. For this reason, Edward had to leave school at the age of 12,and worked with his father. However, Edward was _ a blacksmith. Although he has an athletic body, he didn't have strong arms like his father, and he felt dizzy in the heat of the smithy. When he tried to find alternative employment, he found it difficult because he had never learnt to read or write. One day, he went for an interview at a solictior's office. The job was a runner, taking documents from the office to other offices in the city. The solicitor was pleased to see that Edward was physically fit, but when he discovered that the young man couldn't read or write, he decided against employing him. "How can you deliver documents to other offices," he asked, "if you can't read the addresses on them?" Bitterly disappointed, Edward left the building and went to wait for a tram to take him back to the suburb where his father's smithy was. Next to the bus stop, a man was selling newspapers from a stand . "Excuse me, son?" he said. "Would you look after my stand for a moment?" For the next 20 minutes, Edward sold newspapers, lots of them. When the man came back, he was so delighted with his new assistant's honesty, that he offered him a job. Edward took it immediately. In the next few months, the two men progressed from working on newspaper stands to selling newspapers, tobacco,confectionery and other goods in a shop. Then they opened a second shop, and a third. Eventually, they had a chain of 25 shops in three cities. Edward became very rich, so he employed a tutor to teach him to read and write. The tutor was amazed at what Edward had achieved. "Imagine what you could do if you'd been able to read and write when you were younger!" he said. "Yes!" said Edward. "I could have run myself to exhaustion delivering documents for a solicitor!" When Edward applied for the job as a runner for a solicitor, _ . A. the solicitor turned him down because he wasn't intelligent enough B. the solicitor offered him the job because he was so fit C. the solicitor gave him the job but told him he had to learn to read D. the solicitor didn't offer him the job because he couldn't read Answer: D The black robin is one of the world's rarest birds. It is a small, wild bird, and it lives only on the island of Little Mangere, off the coast of New Zealand. In 1967 there were about fifty black robins; in 1977 there were fewer than ten. These are the only black robins left in the world. The island has many other birds, of different kinds, large and small; these seem to multiply very happily. Energetic steps are being taken to preserve the black robin. Detailed studies are going on, and a public appeal for money has been made. The idea is to buy another island nearby as a special home, a "reserve", for threatened wild life, including black robins. The organizers say that Little Mangere should then be supplied with the robin's food--it eats only one kind of seed. Thousands of the required plants are at present being cultivated in New Zealand. The public appeal is aimed at the conscience of mankind, so that the wild black robin will not die out and disappear form the earth in our time at least. Is all this concern a waste of human effort? Is it any business of ours whether the black robin survives or dies out? Are we losing our sense of what is reasonable and what is unreasonable? In the earth's long, long past, hundreds of kinds of creatures have evolved, risen to a degree of success--and died out. In the long, long future, there will be many new and different forms of life. Those creatures that adapt themselves successfully to what the earth offers will survive for a long time. Those that fail to meet the challenges will disappear early. This is nature's proven method of operation. The rule of selection--"the survival of the fittest"--is the one by which human beings have themselves arrived on the scene. We, being one of the most adaptable creatures the earth has yet produced, may last longer than most. You may take it as another rule that when, at last, human beings show signs of dying out, no other creature will extend a paw to put off our departure. On the contrary, we will be hurried out. For nature, tough fair, is a hard-hearted mistress. She has no favorites. Life seems to have grown too tough for black robins. I leave you to judge whether we should try to do something about it. The writer's attitude towards the protection of the black robins is _ . A. passive B. active C. unconcerned D. optimistic Answer: A When scientists accidentally killed what turned out to be the world's oldest living creature, it was bad enough. Now, their mistake has been worsened after further research found it was even older - at 507 years. The ocean quahog, a type of deep-sea clam, was dredged alive from the bottom of the North Atlantic near Iceland in 2006 by researchers. They then put it in a fridge-freezer, as is normal practice, unaware of its age. It was only when it was taken to a laboratory that scientists from Bangor University studied it and concluded it was 400 years old. The discovery made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. However, by this time, it was too late for Ming the Mollusc , named after the Chinese dynasty when its life began. Unfortunately researchers who calculated Ming's age killed it instantly by opening its shell. The researchers opened the ancient clam up to judge its age by counting growth rings inside. But the rings were so close together that scientists ended up having to count the rings on the outside to be accurate, leading CBS journalists to point out that if scientists had just started there, Ming could have lived on. Now, after examining the quahog more closely, using more advanced methods, the researchers have found the animal was actually 100 years older than they first thought. Dr Paul Butler, from the University's School of Ocean Sciences, said: "We got it wrong the first time and maybe we were a bit hasty publishing our findings back then. But we are absolutely certain that we've got the right age now." The mollusc was born in 1499 - just seven years after Columbus discovered America and before Henry VIII had even married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon in 1509. A quahog's shell grows by a layer every year, in the summer when the water is warmer and food is plentiful. It means that when its shell is cut in half, scientists can count the lines in a similar way that trees can be dated by rings in their trunks. Jan Heinemeier, associate professor at the University of Denmark, who helped date Ming, told Science Nordic: "The fact that we got our hands on a 507-year-old animal is incredibly fascinating, but the really exciting thing is of course everything we can learn from studying the mollusk." Which of the following is NOT true? A. The researchers have got the right age of the ocean quahog. B. The mollusc was born after Columbus discovered America. C. The ocean quahog was named after the Chinese dynasty. D. A quahog's shell grows by a layer every season. Answer: D Some people would have you believe that being fat is the worst thing you can be. They think that if a person is fat they have no life, no love, no reason to want to look good in their clothes. The sad thing is that many people who are fat do feel the same loathing toward themselves and others who are overweight or obese. I know what I'm talking about because I have been there. I have been that fat girl who wore big T-shirts to cover my "sins". Forget style. Forget fashion sense. I absolutely had none. I didn't even bother getting haircuts for years, just wore my hair long and straight, pulled back in a ponytail, I have to wonder if the reason the fashion industry has ignored plus sized women and children for so long is because plus sized people, feeling they couldn't possibly look great, didn't bother shopping for new clothes, and therefore no profit was to be found by producing those sizes. For me, the change that improved my outer look actually started with my outlook on life. I started by being grateful for all I do have, like great health, a stable family, a steady income, freedom, a decent home, the ability to see the trees turn orange in the fall, to hear my grandson humming in the back seat, to remember the great times I've had in my life. I started to focus on all the positive aspects of the life I already had. I actually started to feel the beauty of the Universe all around me and to realize that I am part of that perfection. The self loathing stopped. I noticed all the people in my life who loved me in spite of my size. I got off the pity pot and smiled at myself. I acknowledged my shame and embarrassment and moved through that too. The author is probably _ . A. an expert at weight loss B. a girl who is troubled by her weight C. an old woman who is much careful with her appearance D. an old lady who is happy with almost everything Answer: D World Future Society People People may live for up to 120 years and use new technology to help when people go blind, deaf and have other problems. The number of people over a hundred years old could go from 135,000 today to 2.2 million people by 2050. By 2015 people think that 100 million workers will be able to work from home for a company in a different country by using the Internet. Money Worldwide e-business will become even more successful with online shops that sell special products for each person, which will be brought to their house the next day. Environment The technology for making energy from wind and the Sun is growing very quickly. In the future wind and Sun energy could become much cheaper and many more countries could use it. This would be very useful in poor countries. The air in big cities would also become much cleaner and healthier as a result. Society and culture The Internet will help to create more worldwide friendships. Families may spend more time together as people will be able to do 24-hour online banking and shopping. Technology The new science of "nanotechnology" (very small robots or machines) will make all sorts of products smaller and lighter. Very, very small machines could take away rubbish, make things in factories, and help inside the human body by taking away fat. By 2012 people will be able to wear these small machines that look like watches, which will give them lots of information about their body and keep them healthy. How will technology help the environment? A. Poor countries will have enough energy. B. Wind energy will be cheaper than Sun energy. C. We will not need wind and Sun energy. D. Wind and Sun energy will be cheaper. Answer: D
There is an old saying: No one thinks he's a bad driver. Here's an updated 21stcentury version: No one thinks he sends annoying e-mails. But, plenty of us do. Aprefix = st1 /PrincetonUniversityresearch found that 22 percent of Americans say e-mail has added to their work pressures and caused misunderstandings. Here's a guide on e-mail etiquette to help you avoid being annoying. Experts say there are three types of e-mails with different rules--close friends, office and public e-mails.The close friends e- mail You can send your lover, your closest friends and your siblings(brothers and sisters)anything from jokes to"you gotta see this!".But bear in mind that not everyone shares your sense of humour and you may expose them to viruses.The office e-mail Don't add to people's workload. Keep e-mails short and to the point. Make the subject line factual and brief. Write in clear, concise sentences. Provide your name and phone number at the end.The Public e-mail Occasionally we have to send an e-mail to a group of people. If possible, write your public e-mails with a who, what, when, where structure. For example: Who:All members of the soccer team What:Team photo When:Saturday, March 25, at noon Where:Playing field 2. Finally, before you hit"Send", check the following. Is the e-mail a"flame"? Never send an e-mail in anger. It could stay around forever and haunt your professional and personal life. Check the "To"field. Is this really who you want to send the message to? Spell-check the message. Does it have an error that can affect you badly? According to the writer,_. WASHINGTON---Think you're savvy about food safety? That you wash your hands well, scrub away germs, cook your meat properly? Guess again. Scientists put cameras in the kitchens of 100 families in Logan, Utah. What was caught on tape in this middle-class, well-educated college town suggests why food poisoning hits so many Americans. People skipped soap when hand-washing. Used the same towel to wipe up raw meat juice as to dry their hands. Made a salad without washing the lettuce. Undercooked the meat loaf. One even tasted the marinade in which bacteria-ridden raw fish had soaked. Not to mention the mom who handled raw chicken and then fixed her infant a bottle without washing her hands. Or another mom who merely rinsed her baby's juice bottle after it fell into raw eggs---no soap against the salmonella that can lurk in eggs. "Shocking," was Utah State University nutritionist Janet Anderson's reaction. Specialists call this typical of the average U.S. household: Everybody commits at least some safety sins when they are hurried, distracted by fussy children or ringing phones, simply not thinking about germs. Even Anderson made changes in her kitchen after watching the tapes. The Food and Drug Administration funded Anderson's $50,000 study to detect how cooks slip up. The goal is to improve consumers' knowledge of how to protect themselves from the food poisoning that strikes 76 million Americans each year. "One of the great barriers in getting people to change is they think they're doing such a good job already," said FDA consumer research chief Alan Levy. Surveys show most Americans blame restaurants for food-borne illnesses. Asked if they follow basic bacteria-fighting tips---listed on the Internet at www.fightbac.org---most insist they're careful in their kitchens. Levy says most food poisonings probably occur at home. The videotapes suggest why. People have no idea that they're messing up, Anderson said. "You just go in the kitchen, and it's something you don't think about." She described preliminary study results at a food meeting last week. Having promised the families anonymity, she didn't show the tapes. For $50 and free groceries, families agreed to be filmed. Their kitchens looked clean and presumably(perhaps) they were on their best behavior, but they didn't know it was a safety study. Hoping to see real-life hygiene, scientists called the experiment "market research" on how people cooked a special recipe. Scientists bought ingredients for a salad plus either Mexican meat loaf, marinaded halibut or herb-breaded chicken breasts with mustard sauce---recipes designed to catch safety slip-ups. Cameras started rolling as the cooks put away the groceries. There was mistake No. 1: Only a quarter stored raw meat and seafood on the refrigerator's bottom shelf so other foods don't get contaminated by dripping juices. Mistake No. 2: Before starting to cook, only 45 percent washed their hands. Of those, 16 percent didn't use soap. You're supposed to wash hands often while cooking, especially after handling raw meat. But on average, each cook skipped seven times that Anderson said they should have washed. Only a third consistently used soap---many just rinsed and wiped their hands on a dish towel. That dish towel became Anderson's nightmare. Using paper towels to clean up raw meat juice is safest. But dozens wiped the countertop with that cloth dish towel---further spreading germs the next time they dried their hands. Thirty percent didn't wash the lettuce; others placed salad ingredients on meat-contaminated counters. Scientists checked the finished meal with thermometers, and Anderson found "alarming" results: 35 percent who made the meat loaf undercooked it, 42 percent undercooked the chicken and 17 percent undercooked the fish. Must you use a thermometer? Anderson says just because the meat isn't pink doesn't always mean it got hot enough to kill bacteria. Anderson's study found gaps in food-safety campaigns. FDA's "Fight Bac" antibacterial program doesn't stress washing vegetables. Levy calls those dirty dish towels troubling; expect more advice stressing paper towels. Anderson's main message: "If people would simply wash their hands and clean food surfaces after handling raw meat, so many of the errors would be taken care of." What prevents many Americans practicing better food safety in their kitchen? The students of Class Three are going hiking for their fieldtrip. Hiking is good for people's health. Many hikers like to hike in the countryside, forest and mountains. Just walking for fun is the first kind of hiking. Many people like to hike in the parks or just on the sidewalks. A hike can take a few hours or weeks. For most hiking, people just need clothes and shoes that are good for the weather. At the beginning hikers should start with walks that they can do in one day. As you get stronger, you can go on overnight hikes. Later you can go longer than that. You can make your hiking last a few days or weeks. For safety , hikers should hike with someone. You should have one or two friends with you. It is also a good idea to carry a map. Backpacking is another kind of hiking. People carry food, clothes and other things on their backs in packs. Backpackers can stay many days in the places where there is no food to buy. They carry what they need on their backs. Now put on your hiking shoes and take a hike. _ is a good idea for hiking. TOKYO (Reuters) - "Who played the father in the movie 'Kramer versus Kramer'?" That's one of the 50 questions Japanese men could face in a "daddy exam", meant to raise awareness about fatherhood in a country where men tend to work long hours and leave their wives in charge of childcare and household work. Even men who remember Dustin Hoffman struggling as a father in the movie may have a hard time answering questions ranging from baby food to politics. Tetsuya Ando, director of Fathering Japan, a Tokyo non-profit organization that came up with the test and will offer it to eager dads from next March, said the exam was an attracting way to get fathers into parenting. "There just isn't enough information about parenting for fathers. Through the exam, we want men to realize that they don't know anything about bringing up kids," he said. For the price of 3,900 yen ($34), fathers can find out whether they qualify as a "Super Dad," or are in need of more effort as a "Challenge Dad." "We have received inquiries from fathers, single men, to-be-dads, grandfathers ... even an aunt who was concerned that her nephew is too busy with work to notice the fun of parenting," Ando said. The image of fathers is gradually changing in Japan as younger men _ their own dads' hands-off way in favor of closer involvement, and a wave of new parenting magazines for male readers has been hitting newsstands. But it is still hard for Japanese fathers to cut down on their work hours and spend more time with their families. Only 0.5 percent of employed men in Japan took parental leave in 2011, compared with 14 percent in the United States and 12 percent in Britain in 2000. The magazines for male readers are popular most probably because many men _ . Ashrita Furman loves breaking records. In fact over the last 30 years, he's broken almost 110 Guinness World Records. And be recently broke the Guinness World Record for "the most ecords held at the~time by an individual". Ashrita broke his first record in 1979, doing 27,000 star jumps in one go. But since then,he 's set all sons of records: clapping non-stop for 50 hours, balance a lawn mowerp)on ds chin for almos two minutes... the list is endless. The 57-year-old New Yorker runs a health food shop but spends his free time training to break new records How does he decide which records to attempt? Simple! Ashriba studies the Guinness Book if Records online database. "I used to stay up two or three in the morning, sifting through the 10,000 records and chose the ones I was interested in." he explained. But these days, to make tare he has overall fitness. he chooses records that work different pmt of his bod3 In his attempts to break records, Ashrita often navels abroad. In 2005. he set the record for he "fastest mile on a space hopper while jumping along the Great Wall of China. In 2003, he at the record for the "longest time balancing on a Swiss ball" at Stonehenge, England. And he ikes to make his record attempts as challenging as possible. As a teenager, he met a gum(}and began studying meditation(] ." ;hanged my life... And I soon realized that limits are all in the mind." One day, his gum told him to go and "break records". So he did and he hasn't stopped since. He recently said, "The point is joy. The point is the challenge. It's something silly, but you are the best in the world at it" The.Reason why Ashrita keeps breaking so many records is that
Question: During my free time one day, I wandered down a lonely path into the woods and sat against a tree. Then I saw one of the camp _ approaching me. "Oh great," I thought, since counselors were always trying to cheer you up or make you laugh. "Hey," he said, "mind if I have a seat?" I shrugged . I wasn't going to encourage him, but I couldn't exactly stop him, either. He sat down alongside me and extended a hand. "I'm Gary," he said, "and you're Erica, right?" I nodded. "You don't exactly look like you're having a good time," he began. I crossed my arms and gritted my teeth. "Look," I said, "I didn't want to come to camp, I don't like it, I'm not having fun, and it basically stinks." I glared at Gary. "So there's nothing here at all for you, huh?" he asked. "Nothing," I answered. "Let me show you something," said Gary. He got up, and I followed him along the path until I heard a sound like a roaring freight train. "What's that?" I asked. "Wait and see," he replied, with a small smile. When we rounded the corner, I couldn't believe what I saw. There was the biggest waterfall I could ever imagine, right in front of me. "Cool!" I said, and I could feel my eyes getting bigger and a smile tugging at my mouth. "Still think there's nothing here for you?" asked Gary. "Because there's a whole lot more of this kind of 'nothing' around here." I had to admit, the waterfall was impressive. "Look," said Gary, "camp is what you make it. You can be sullen and closed-minded and have a rotten four weeks, or you can take a look around you and see some of the incredible sights and appreciate the opportunity. It would be useless for me to try to make you have fun. You can only do that for yourself. But if you loosen up a little, you might actually have a good time." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me on the path. That night, by the campfire, I found myself singing along with everyone else. By the time the four weeks were up, I didn't want to leave. I'd seen some amazing things and made some great friends. Beauty is where you find it. Life is what you make it. I think it's going to be a good year this year. I mean, I'm going to work to make it one. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to go back to camp next year! Which is the theme of this story? A. What you get out of life depends on what you put into it. B. Parents are always making kids do things they don't want to do. C. You will forget your trouble by the campfire. D. Waterfalls always make you feel better. Answer: A. What you get out of life depends on what you put into it. Question: All the housewives who went to the new supermarket had one great ambition: to be the lucky customer who did not have to pay for her shopping.For this was what the notice just inside the entrance promised.It said: "Remember, once a week, one of our customers gets free goods.This May Be Your Lucky Day!" For several weeks Mrs. Edwards hoped, like many of her friends, to be the lucky customer.Unlike her friends, she never gave up hoping.The cupboards in kitchen were full of things which she did not need.Her husband tried to advise her against buying things but failed.She dreamed of the day when the manager of the supermarket would approach her and say: "Madam, this is Your Lucky Day.Everything in your basket is free." One Friday morning, after she had finished her shopping and had taken it to her car, she found that she had forgotten to buy any tea.She dashed back to the supermarket, got the tea and went towards the cash-desk.As she did so, she saw the manager of the supermarket approach her."Madam," he said, holding out his hand, "I want to congratulate you! You are our lucky customer and everything you have in your basket is free!" Mrs. Edwards's husband tried to _ . A. make her unhappy B. cheer her up C. buy things with her D. stop her buying things Answer: D. stop her buying things Question: Dear Tommy, I'm writing to you on your third birthday. I want to tell you something about your grandma's time. I was born sixty-eight years ago in a small village. Transportation used to be a big problem. When we travelled from village to village, we used to walk or ride horses. Shopping was not an easy job, either. There were no supermarkets in the neighborhood. We used to grow most of our own food: rice and vegetables. We kept things cool in a special underground room. The biggest difference is that you have electricity. We didn't have electricity until very late in our small village. We didn't have any televisions of course. We used to perform our local music and enjoy it very much. Life used to be very hard, but I was not upset. I would like you to know about the old days and be happy about what you have. Remember , feeling good about life is the key to happiness. Love Your grandma We can know about _ from the letter. A. the writer's old life experience. B. the writer's future life. C. what a kid can do for old people. D. how the writer has changed. Answer: A. the writer's old life experience. Question: Dear Linda, I have been in England three months now, and it's my first time to be here. I hope you don't think I've forgotten you. There have been so many places to see and so many things to do that I've not had much time for writing letters. I shall soon be starting my studies at King's College. So far I've been learning about England and British ways of living. I won't tell you about London. There are plenty of books you can read and plenty of pictures you can look at. I'm sure you'll be more interested to know what I think about the life here. I find some of the customs new and interesting. People here do not shake hands as much as we do in Europe. During the first few weeks I was often surprised because people did not put out their hands when I met them. Men raise their hats to women but not to each other. Yours Alice She came to England to _ . A. study B. make a living C. learn British ways of living D. learn about life there Answer: A. study Question: A deadly strain of avian flu may have passed between people for the first time, experts believe.The avian influenza A (H7N9) virus is thought to have been transmitted between father and daughter in eastern China, according to research published online by the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The findings provide the strongest evidence yet of H7N9 transmission between humans since its discover in February, but its ability to transmit itself _ "limited and non-sustainable" by the Chinese researchers behind the study.At the end of June 133 cases had been reported, including 43 deaths. Most infections have been among people visiting markets, selling live birds or among those who had contact with live poultry in the seven to 10 days before becoming ill. The latest study examined the case of a 60-year-old father who regularly visited a live poultry market and became ill five to six days after his last visit in March. He was admitted to hospital with fever, cough and shortness of breath. Despite intensive care treatment he died of multiple organ failure on 4 May. His 32-year-old daughter, who was previously healthy, looked after him at his bedside before he was admitted to intensive care. She had no known exposure to live poultry before falling ill with a very high temperature, cough and fever. The daughter developed symptoms six days after her last contact with her father and was admitted to hospital where she died of multiple organ failure on 24 April. Follow-up investigations uncovered almost genetically identical virus strains from each patient, suggesting transmission from father to daughter. Another 43 people were also tested who had had close contact with the father, daughter or both. Dr Peter Horby, senior clinical research fellow at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Hanoi, Vietnam, said of the study: "The most likely source of infection for the daughter was her father, during the period that she cared for him while he was ill. "He said "limited person to person transmission had been reported for other strains like H5N1 , H7N7, and the pig origin flu virus H3N2. Those strains had been around for more than a decade but have not progressed any further down the path towards a world-wide virus." "Limited human-to-human transmission of H7N9 virus is therefore not surprising, but strengthening to monitor it was still needed," Dr Horby added. Which of the following is Wrong about H7N9 transmission? A. It was limited and non-sustainable B. It was person to person transmission C. It wasn't progressed any further down the path towards a world-wide virus. D. It happened between father and daughter . Answer: D. It happened between father and daughter .
Jane always goes to school early. She likes to talk to her friends before class. After school she does not go home early. She is always late. Jane stops to see the animals in the pet shop. She likes to see the dogs. One of them is a little white dog. She watches the little dog play in the window of the shop. She watches for a long time, so she comes home late. One day her father and mother ask why she is late, and she tells them about the little dog in the pet shop. Jane is not late the next day. She stops to look in the window of the shop. But she doesn't see the dog, and she is very sad. She is also very happy, today is her birthday. Mother shows her a big birthday cake and Father gives her a birthday surprise . He gives her the little white dog from the shop. Jane is very happy. The next day Jane does not come home late. She runs home to play with the white dog. Jane likes _ best. the little white dog Patients and doctors alike have long believed in the healing power of humor.It is claimed that humor not only affects patients' moods, but can actually help them recover faster. Several studies seem to support this.Patients in better spirits are known to have higher immune cell counts.Some have even claimed to have healed themselves of serious illnesses by reading comics and watching comedies. Despite all this, many researchers are not convinced.They point out the fact that many sufferings have been known to disappear naturally, with or without a daily dose of laughter.They also say that while optimism in general does seem to be related to better health, it is hard to tell which comes first. Humor in times of stress, however, clearly makes us feel better.On one level, it takes our minds off our troubles and relaxes us.On another, it releases powerful endorphins, a chemical produced by your body that reduces pain. There are cases where the appreciation of a good joke is indeed directly related to a person's health.It can show, for example, whether a person has suffered damage to one particular area of the brain: the right frontal lobe . Scientists confirmed this by having people read jokes and asking them to choose the funniest endings from a list.Subjects with normal brains usually chose endings that were based on a relatively complex synthesis of ideas.Subjects with specifically located brain damage, however, responded only to slapstick endings, which did not depend on a particular context.When pressed, the brain-damaged subjects saw the logic in the correct endings.They simply did not find them funny. Of course, humor is largely an individual matter.Next time your friend does not get one of your jokes, there is no need to accuse him of being a lamebrain.However, you might suggest that he lighten up--for the health of it. Which of the following statements is NOT true? Patients in bad moods are known to have higher immune cell counts. Fire can be very dangerous. We should be careful with it. This is what to do in a fire: Shout out. Shout as loudly as you can, because people may be asleep. Call 119. Don't try to put out the fire yourself. Tell 119 where you are and what is on fire. Keep down next to the floor. There is less smoke down there, so it's easier to breathe and see where you are going. Test the door. If the door is cool, open it carefully. If the door is hot, do not open it! Try to find a different way out. Get out. Do not stop to pick up anything. A fire can become very big in a few seconds! Don't use the lift. Always use the stairs .The lift may go wrong and keep you inside. *Don't go back. Even if your pet is still inside, do not go back for it Animals have a very good sense of smell. They often get away from buildings before people. The passage tells us that we can _ in a fire. shout as loudly as possible Cycling isn't always easy. Busy streets and few bike lanes and parking areas can make it a battle. But not even these difficulties can stop Europeans' love for cycling. According to Reuters, more bicycles have been sold than cars in 26 of the European Union's 28 states this year. In some European countries, people really love bicycles. "People ride to work and take their bikes to the grocery store", Bill Strickland, editor of Bicycling magazine, told the reporter from Reuters. So what has led to cycling's growing popularity in Europe? Cycling is "a safe, clean, healthy, inexpensive way to get around town," the Daily Star concluded. "It not only reduces traffic problems and pollution, but also contributes to public health." Bike-friendly rules have also been made. Dozens of cities have joined a European Union initiative to make bicycles a form of city transport, like cars. Quite a few cities such as Stockholm, London, Florence and Munich now offer special bike lanes. Copenhagen takes it a step further by keeping bicycles and cars separated as much as possible. On these _ , traffic lights are designed to the rhythms of bicycles, not cars. For people living far from city centers, getting to work by bicycle alone may take too much time. That's why many European countries now allow cyclists to bring their bicycles onto subway trains. Europeans are also creative in solving parking problems. Amsterdam has come up with a high-tech solution: you lock your bike to a rack , which then goes underground. When you want your bike back, it is brought back to the surface. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage? European people love bicycles. Last year, Jin Yucheng'sFanHuawas taken to Salon du livre, France's largest book fair, along with other contemporary Chinese literary works such as Bi Feiyu'sSubeiYouth"DonQuixote". The two books attracted the attention of Editions Philippe Picquier, a French publisher that specializes in translating books from China, Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam and other countries in Asia. This publisher reportedly purchased the copyright ofSubeiYouth"DonQuixote", a non-fiction work about the writer's childhood in East China's Jiangsu province, for 130,000 euros ($143,000). Editions Philippe Picquier was also interested inFanHua, but didn't follow up owing to translation issues. The book is Jin's debut novel, which is set in Shanghai and tells stories of two decades: the 1960s and the 1990s. There are no major plots, but excerpts from the lives of its different characters, threaded by dialogues. There are detailed depictions of streets, entertainment activities and relationships in the representative times in Shanghai, covering the"Cultural Revolution"(1966-1976) and the"Reform&Opening Up"phases. As Hong Kong-based film director Karwai Wong put it, the novel is full of a"rich and strong"flavor of local people's lives. In May 2011, when Jin, then an editor at a literary magazine in Shanghai, started to post interesting stories he heard about Shanghai on the local website longdang.org, little did he realize that it would become more than just fun. His stories soon attracted more readers whose comments urged him to post more. In five months, Jin, then 59, wrote more than 330,000 characters online. The novel was first titledShanghaiAbaoafter its major character Abao. The following year, Jin started serializing his novel inHarvest, one of China's leading literary magazines. Finally, Jin's efforts resulted in a book in 2013, and with it came lots of awards, including the 9th prestigious Mao Dun Literature Prize. Some critics compare it with fellow Shanghai-based author Eileen Chang's novels andDreamoftheRedChamber, calling Jin's book one of the best novels based on Shanghai. Wong also announced that he would adapt Jin's book for cinema by 2020. By August, before the Mao Dun Literature Prize winners were announced,FanHuahad sold nearly 300,000 copies. Key features of the novel include the use of the local Shanghai dialect for the narrative and focus on the characters' external responses to events rather than their psychological profiles. The copyright manager forFanHuaat Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House says,"According to my knowledge, Editions Philippe Picquier gave up because the translation work is expensive and they worry that the sales in the French market may not be able to cover the cost."For instance,ChanghenGe(TheSongofEverlastingRegret) by Wang Anyi was also introduced by Editions Philippe Picquier to French readers. The translation work took one and a half years, and the publisher spent three years completing the French edition ofit."But we have soldFanHua'scopyright of the traditional Chinese edition to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. Also Humanist Publishing House from South Korea has purchased the copyright for the Korean edition. Cultural difference is another barrier apart from language. In Asia, we have more in common when it comes to culture." What can we learn aboutFanHuaandSubeiYouth"DonQuixote"? They were both noticed by Editions Philippe Picquier.
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. Steve will ride 900 miles in 9 days to _ . Answer: The rainbow lorikeet is a kind of parrot in the northeast of Australia. It is the most colorful and noisy bird in the world. The bird has green, orange, blue, red, yellow, purple and grey colors on its body. Rainbow lorikeets are small birds. They are usually 11 to 12 inches long and weigh 120g to 140g. It is said that they can live for over 20 years in the wild. They usually live in groups. At night, they sleep in the trees in a big group. But during the daytime, they move in much smaller groups (about 20 birds). Late in the evening, you can sometimes see a larger group flying back home. These birds spend a lot of time looking for food. Most of their food comes from trees, like flowers, nuts and fruit. But sometimes they eat insects. They can get water from the leaves that they eat or drink water directly. Rainbow lorikeets usually start to have families when they are around two years old. When they have baby birds, both the parents help to feed them. Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage? Answer: A relationship is defined as a state of connectedness between people. Although in today's society with its crazy rhythm of everyday life, when people tend to live in thickly populated cities, spending most of their time in the office and hardly knowing their neighbor's name, we still find ourselves in some kinds of relationships-with friends, family, or colleagues. Family relationships are the first relationships people enter. Parents and relatives influence our emotional development by creating a model that we are sometimes bound to follow all our lives, often subconsciously . In day-care, at school, then in the office we spend a lot of time among fellow students and co-workers. We learn to keep business relationships, to work in a team environment, then form smaller groups of like-minded people and finally select some of them as our friends. What is a true friendship? How does it start? Are we destined to become friends with certain people or can we actually plan whom to be friends with? "Everybody's friend is nobody's." said Arthur Schopenhauer. Unlike a companionship based on belonging to the same team or group, friendship is a very personal and selective type of relationship. It calls for trust, sincerity, and emotional bonds. Sociologists believe that most people are looking for similarities in views, social status, and interests when choosing friends. No wonder that our friends are often people of the same age, sex, and education. Another important factor is joint activity and solidarity. This is the reason why many of us befriend our colleagues and other people who work in the same field. Most people would agree that a friend is someone who always listens and understands. Understanding in this context implies a lot of meanings-compassion, sympathy, and emotional closeness. It's a process in which your friend reads your emotional state, shares your feelings, identifies himself or herself with you. Which of the following statements is NOT true? Answer: John and Bobby joined the same company together just after they completed their university studies the same year. Both of them worked very hard. Several years later, however, the boss promoted Bobby to manager but John was still a worker. John could not take it, and gave his resignation to the boss. He complained that the boss did not think much of those who were hard -working, but promoted only those who flattered him. The boss knew that John had worked very hard for the years. He thought a moment and said, "Thank you for what you said, but I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave" John agreed. The boss asked him to go and find anyone selling watermelons in the market. John went and returned soon. He said he had found a man selling watermelons. The boss asked how much they cost every kilogram. John shook his head and went back to the seller to ask and returned to tell the boss $1.2 every kilogram. The boss told John to wait a second, and he called Bobby to come to his office. He asked Bobby to go and find anyone selling watermelons in the market. Bobby went and returned, saying, "Boss, only one person is selling watermelons. $1.2 every kilogram, and $10 for 10 kilograms. The seller has 340 melons. On the table there are 58 melons, and each weighs about 2 kilograms. They were brought from the South two days ago. They are of good quality." Hearing what Bobby said, John realized the difference between himself and Bobby. He decided to stay and learn from Bobby. We can infer from the passage that _ . Answer: We might think we know which colours do what.The idea that red wakes us up or blue calms us down is deeply rooted in Western culture.But do they really change our behaviour in the ways that we assume? When it comes to scientific research, the results are mixed and at times contested.Some studies have found that people do better on cognitive tasks when faced with red rather than blue or green; others show the opposite.The idea is that if you repeatedly have a particular experience surrounded by a certain colour, then you eventually begin to associate that colour with the way you were feeling or behaving.A school career spent reading your teacher's red writing circling your mistakes forever makes you link red with danger.Blue meanwhile is more likely to be associated with calmer situations like marvelling at a big blue expanse of sky. Of course there will always be exceptions --- the comment from the teacher saying "well done" is also written in red.It is true that people do make different associations with different colours, but whether this translates into behaving in a certain way or succeeding at a particular task is a different question. In 2009 researchers tried to clarify the situation.They sat their participants at computer screens colored blue, red or "neutral" and tested them on various tasks.With a red screen people did better on tasks requiring attention to detail, but when the screen was blue they did better on creative tasks.In practice this might be tricky.In a classroom you might want to think creatively some of the time and pay attention to detail at others. However, when another team tried to repeat the study with a larger group of people in 2014, the effect of color disappeared.The initial study consisted of just 69 people.In this new, bigger study, of 263 volunteers, background color made no difference. So colors might well have an effect, but so far those effects have been difficult to demonstrate consistently and sometimes don't seem to exist at all. It can be concluded from the results of the studies in 2009 and 2014 that _ . Answer:
It might not come as a surprise that China fell behind Western countries in a recent UN report on global happiness. China was only ranked 112th happiest country out of 156 in the UN's World Happiness Report in April. The happiest country, it seems, is Denmark, closely followed by three more northern European countries- Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands. But apart from income and lifestyle differences, there are also cultural reasons for this divide. They show that Chinese people and Westerners have different perceptions of happiness. According to a survey conducted by CCTV, income levels most affected Chinese people's sense of well- being (55.5 percent), followed by health (48.9 percent) and quality of marriage or love life (32 percent). It seems that all these criteria are lagging in China, and that the obvious explanation for greater happiness in the West is higher incomes. But not so, says Professor John Helliwell, an American economist at the University of British Columbia and coauthor of the UN report. According to Helliwell, low-income individuals may experience an initial jump in happiness when their money increases, but this feeling decreases as they adapt to their new circumstances. He stresses the example of the US, where, despite GDP figures rising consistently for the past 50 years, happiness has been steadily declining. This is because people desire more than money and material wealth. "To be happy, we need to feel connection, trust and meaningful relationships," explains Helliwell. Dr Deborah Swallow, a UK expert on cultural diversity however, believes there are some differences in the perceptions of happiness in the West and China. "For North Americans and Europeans, happiness tends to be defined in terms of personal achievement, and is best predicted by self-esteem" she says. "For East Asians, happiness tends to be defined in terms of interpersonal connectedness, and is best predicted by how well involved the self is in a social network." Living standards are not necessarily the last word on happiness, as suggested by China's Urban Happiness Ranking 2012, released by the Hong Kong-based China Institute of City Competitiveness in July. According to the survey's results, Qingdao in Shandong province is China's happiest city with a score of 95.08. Surprisingly, China's first-tier cities scored ly low, with Shenzhen ranking 94th, Beijing 96th and Shanghai in 99th position. According to the passage, which of the following about happiness is Correct? A. Happiness has nothing to do with money. B. A man with healthy body must have the most happiness. C. A man who has a strong social relationship is sure to be happy. D. People's sense of happiness is determined by many factors. Answer: D. People's sense of happiness is determined by many factors. When I was about 12, I had an enemy , a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings . Week by week her list grew: I was very thin; I wasn't a good student; I talked too much; I was too proud , and so on. I tried to hear all these as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes. He listened to me quietly. Then he asked, "Are the thing she said true or not? Janet, didn't you ever think about what you are really like? Well, you now have that girl's opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said." I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn't change (like being very thin), but a good number I could --- and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a very clear picture of myself. I brought the list back to Daddy. He wouldn't like to take it. "That is just for you," he said, "You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you will find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do the right thing." Daddy's advice has returned to me at many important periods. In my life, I have never had a better piece of advice. Why did the writer's father listen to her quietly? Because _ . A. he believed that most of what his daughter's "enemy" said was true. B. he had been so angry with his daughter's shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping quiet for some time C. he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment D. he wasn't quite sure which girl was telling the truth Answer: A. he believed that most of what his daughter's "enemy" said was true. Bill, Frank, Dave and Tom were brothers. Every year they sent their mother expensive gifts on her birthday. They liked to show her how rich they were. The eldest brother, Bill, had lots of money and wanted his mother to have the most expensive gift, but he didn't know what to buy. So he put an ad in the newspaper, "Wanted--the greatest gift for my mother". About a week before his mother's birthday, a man came to his office. He brought a big bird, this bird can speak foreign languages and sing pop songs. The man made the bird talk in French and tell a joke in Japanese. Then the bird sang a beautiful song. The next day, Bill sent the bird to his mother with a birthday card. The day after his mother's birthday, he called his mother, "Well, mother," he asked, "what do you think of the bird?" "Oh, it's very delicious, dear." said his mother. We can infer _ . A. the mother cooked the bird B. the bird flew away C. the mother kept the bird as a pet D. the mother sent the bird to Frank Answer: A. the mother cooked the bird This story is about a young man. He worked hard at his lessons. He was too busy. He didn't have time to rest, so he was ill. Every night, when he went to bed, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep . But he couldn't. He thought: "I must go to see the doctor." He said to the doctor. "I can't go to sleep at night." "Try counting numbers. When you reach one thousand, you'll be asleep." The next day the man came back to the doctor's office. "Well," said the doctor, "How are you today?" "Yes, he said," I tried counting one, two, three. . . up to one thousand. But when I reached five hundred and sixty-nine, I began to feel sleepy . I had to get up and drank some tea. Then I went on counting up to one thousand. But I still couldn't fall asleep. The doctor asked the young man _ . A. to count numbers before he went to bed B. to put all numbers from 1 to 1000 together C. to count numbers while he was lying in bed D. to go to bed earlier Answer: C. to count numbers while he was lying in bed Swim Birthday Parties Ages 3 and up. Pool parties are during recreation swim in the 25-yard pool. Each party consists of an hour of celebration in a private room. Parties are for 1--5 children. All non-swimmers or children requiring floatation must _ from the pool and accompanied by an adult or guardian. Please contact Sarah Hagan 762--8384x210. Fee: Members $ 175/Non-members $225 Youth Fitness Birthday Parties Leave the party activities to us! Your party package includes:1/2 hour set-up,1 hour program time including equipment,props,etc.1 hour party time for cake,presents,etc.,1/2 hour clean-up time and 1 or 2 hours specialists. Parents supply decorations, food and paper goods. To schedule a Youth Fitness Birthday Party, call Mary Ann Genuario (x282). Fee:$295 for up to 10 children,$10 each additional child--16 children maximum. Non-member price available upon request. The Art Spot Birthday Parties The Art Spot offers a variety of creative fine art parties for Ages 4--Adult! We supply the invitations, a balloon bouquet , paper goods, project materials and a party host; all you need to bring is the cake! Parties are one and a half hours, the first hour the group create their art project, and last 1/2 hour is for cake and presents! Parties are usually held on Friday nights and weekends but weekday parties are available. Cost: $21 per child. Rain or shine there's no better place than the Art Spot for your child's next party! Nursery School Birthday Parties If planning a party is not your thing, let us do the work for you! We offer a variety of pre-planned parties to choose from. You may also do a combination of 2 parties for boy/ girl parties. All parties are on Saturday afternoons between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and are one and a half hours in length. Parties include a craft or activity and paper goods. You may arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time to set-up. To schedule a party please contact Kim Murphy(x214). Fee(Up to 15 children):$200 Members/ $250 Non-member,$15 each additional child. If your child joins in the Art Spot Birthday Parties, he will _ . A. swim in the 25-yard pool B. spend half an hour to clean up C. create his own art project D. o activities with other kids Answer: C. create his own art project
Deception is something that people do all the time ,and it plays an important role in military strategy. Now some researchers are trying to figure out how to get robots to do it, by looking at the behavior of squirrels and birds. At Georgia Tech, a team led by Ronald Arkin , a professor at the School of interactive Computing, studied the literature on squirrels hiding their acorns .Squirrels will hide their food m a certain place, but when they see other squirrels trying to steal from them, they attempt to fool the thieves by running to a fake location. Ronald Arkin and his Ph. D. student Jaeeun Shim used that as a model for robot behavior. They programmed the robot into tricking a "predator " machine by doing what ei squirrel does: showing the enemy a false location for an important resource. The team also looked at how other animals in this case,a species of bird called Arabian babbler~ drive off predators. A babbler will make an alarm call when they see a predator and other babblers will join the bird and make more calls. They then surround the predator, all the while flapping wings and making noises. The babblers don't ever actually fight the animal they want to drive off; they just make enough noises and flaps around enough so that it seems that attacking a babbler isn't worth it They found that the deception works when the group reaches a certain size--essentially, when enough birds arrive to convince the enemy that it's best to back off . Davis modeled that behavior in software using a military scene and found that it worked even if the group didn't have the firepower to confront the enemy directly. The military is interested in this because a robot that can fool an opponent is a valuable tool. It could lead an enemy down a fake trail or make itself look more dangerous than it actually is. Which of the following is NOT the way Arabian babblers drive off predators? Answer: It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him. One day, over the phone, his mother told him that Mr. Belser died the night before and the funeral would be on Wednesday. "Oh, it's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said. "Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd recall about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him. "I love that old house he lived in. He's the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important... Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said. Busy as he was, he kept his word. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his s had passed away. The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Suddenly Jack stopped. "The box is gone," he said. "What box?" Mom asked. "There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most'", Jack said. "Now, I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said sadly. Returning to his office the next day, he found a package from Mr. Harold Belser on his desk. Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. "Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it. Inside he found these words carved: "Jack, thanks for your time! Harold Belser." "Oh, My God! This is the thing he valued most..." Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" his assistant asked. "I need some time to spend with my son," he said. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch? Answer: The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded. It has become one of the world's best-known magazines and is immediately identifiable by the characteristic yellow border running around the edge of its cover. There are 12 monthly issues of National Geographic per year, plus additional map supplements. On rare occasions, special editions are also issued. It contains articles about geography, popular science, history, culture, current events, and photography. The current Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Magazine is the well-known photographer, Chris Johns, who has photographed extensively in Africa. The foreword to Johns' own illustrated book on Africa was written by Nelson Mandela. Society Executive Vice President John Q. Griffin, and President of the Magazine Group, has overall responsibility for the English language magazines at National Geographic. Terry B. Adamson, Society Executive Vice President who also is the Society's chief legal officer and heads governmental relations, has overall responsibility for the Society's international publications. With a worldwide circulation in all languages of nearly nine million, more than fifty million people read the magazine every month. In May, 2007, National Geographic magazine won the American Society of Magazine Editors' prestigious General Excellence Award in the over two million circulation category and the best photography award for three issues of the magazine in 2006. Who wrote the introduction to Johns' own illustrated book on Africa? Answer: Many people like to travel by plane because it is fast, but I don't like it because an airport is usually far from the city. You have to get there early and wait for hours for the plane to take off and it is often late. You can't open the windows. You can't choose the food. Planes are fast, but they still take hours to get out of the airport and into the city. I like traveling by train . I think trains are safe. Railway 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 interesting things on your way. I know it takes a little more time. I also like cars. You can start your journey when you want to , and you don't need to get to a railway station or a bus stop. Also you can carry many things with you in a car. But sometimes there are too many cars on the road. ,. (5) What is the bad thing about the car ? Answer: I was twenty years old, and my parents were looking forward to the day when I would be earning my own living. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted my future occupation to be. The only thing I did know was that I did not want to spend the next 45 years teaching, being a nurse or sitting in an office. But that was before the postman delivered a catalogue of courses that were being offered at the local college. As I looked through it, I was attracted by a page that talked about the difficulties faced by deaf people in their everyday lives and how students could help by learning sign language. It went on to say that graduates of the course usually find work in different organizations, such as law companies, the Stock Exchange, insurance companies and banks. Then I saw something that really caught my eye: "Singer" are also needed for sporting events, concerts, theatrical performances and, believe it or not, circuses! By the time I got to the bottom of the page, I knew I had found the perfect occupation. I enrolled on the course, which to my parents' great delight was free of charge. The course was brilliant. My favourite part was the final lesson, when our teacher asked us to sign our favourite song. It was really difficult because not only did we have to sign the words, but we also had to find a way of showing whether the song was happy or sad and whether the beat was slow or fast. It was the hardest thing I have ever done--but also the most rewarding. Which of the following best describes the writer? Answer:
Once, looking for stories on the back roads of Ohio, _ . A beekeeper we'd been told about was away from home when we called on him. An amusement park where we thought we might find a story had shut down for the season. We began to get a little discouraged. When passing a farmhouse, we found a banner in the front yard. The banner said in huge letters: WELCOME HOME, ROGER! We drove on for a mile or two. Somebody said, " wonder who Roger is ?" We turned around, went back and knocked on the door. Roger was a soldier on his way home from the Vietnam War. His family knew he was coming, but weren't sure what day he was going to arrive. We asked if they 'd mind if we brought the camera into the house. Roger's mother said it would be all right if we could give her a few minutes to fix her hair. We weren't there more than an hour, talking to those people who were all excited about Roger coming home. That afternooon I wrote a simple story letting Roger represent all the soldiers coming home from war. We sent the film with the story to New York, and the anchorman put it on the Evening News. Rarely has any of our stories caused such a reaction from viewers. There were dozens of calls from people moved by it, and hundreds of letters came in, some of them suggesting that the story be repeated. That hour with Roger's family made it a good trip to Ohio, after all. I had done a lot of careful planning for the week's work, but in vain. Then along came a banner in a farmhouse yard. Back at the office, people asked , " How do you find these stories ?" "Well," I said," you do have to work at it." All you really have to do is look out of the window. What can be learned from the passage ? Answer: Roger's story went directly into the viewers' hearts. Louis Pasteur, one of the world's great scientists, was born in 1822, and died in 1895.While still a young boy, Louis Pasteur made his decision to become a scientist. He spent much of his life time studying the diseases of cattle, chickens and other tame animals. His wife learned to help him with his work. Almost everyone knows that Pasteur is the man responsible for finding a way of preventing milk from spoiling . Not many people know he was the first to imagine and to prove that air we breathe is full of germs . One of his greatest successes was finding a treatment for people and animals to prevent a disease called rabies . Louis Pasteur won many honors and could have got large amount of money. But Pasteur preferred to live simply. The real happiness of this unusual man came from his work. Louis Pasteur did so well in his life that the French government took up his work and created the Institute Pasteur in the year 1888. From the passage, we know that Pasteur lived a simple life. This is because _ . Answer: what he really enjoyed was a simple life. Where would you find a less than average amount of biodiversity compared to other biomes? Answer: the arctic The loss of a job can have a very serious impact on the individual. The immediate effect, of course, is a sharp drop in income. Unemployment benefits typically offer less than half the individual's previous earnings, and many people are not even entitled to these benefits-for example, the self-employed, recent graduates who have not held a steady job in the previous year, and people who have been unemployed for a long period. The economic pressure on the jobless is very severe, particularly for those who have young children or long-term commitments for expenses for houses and education. But the effects of unemployment are not merely financial; they are also social and psychological. As one out-of-work teacher puts it: "It's difficult when you strip away all the things that supposedly hold you together in terms of an identity. Your work, your money, whatever is power to you, whatever is responsibility, whatever means freedom and choice." I had to ask myself, "Who am I now? What will I do now?" All too often, long-term unemployment may thrust the individual into boredom, despair, ill-temper, and perhaps, conflict with other family members. Even those who keep their jobs are affected by rates of unemployment, for they begin to fear for own future. Lacking the confidence that workers have in times of full employment, they negotiate less aggressively for improvements in pay or working conditions, for they and the employers know that if they do not like the job as it is, others will gladly take it. Unemployment is always accompanied, in fact, by underemployment-the situation in which people are working either for extremely low wages or at jobs below their level of skill. By "underemployment"(Line 12, Para. 2), the writer means the situation in which _ . Answer: people are working for low wages or at jobs below their level of skill Are you interested in country music? I like it very much !It will take me away for a while after I am tired . The guitars and songs will take me to mountains and fields. Country music usually talks of everyday life and feelings. It's the spirit of America ,easy to understand ,slow and simple. Country music developed in the Southern United States. It was the folk music of American countryside. Many of songs tell about the lives of famers . They talk about love, crops or death. The life of the countryside can be hard, so the words in country music are often sad. At first, people played the music only at family parties. But it became more popular later. In the 1920s,people played country songs on the radio, and they made them into records. When people in the countryside moved to towns and cities to look for work, they took their music with them. Country music continued to change and became popular across America. John Denver was one of America's most famous country singers in the 1970s. His song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is well-known and people still play it today. ,,. ( ,2,10) Country music developed _ . Answer: in the Southern United States
Mr Green is an Englishman. He teaches English well His English classes are very interesting. He likes us and we like him, too. Mr Green has two children----Mike and Nancy. Mike is eight and his sister Nancy is five. Mike goes to school but Nancy doesn't. Mr Green likes to wear a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Football is his favorite sport. After school we often have a basketball match. Sometimes Mr Green watches and joins us. He plays basketball just for us. The story is about _ . A. Mr Green's son B. Mr Green C. Mike and Nancy D. a basketball Answer: B Most musicians agree that the best violins were first made in prefix = st1 /Italy. They were made inCremona,Italy, about 200 years ago. These violins sound better than any others. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren't the same. Musicians still prefer the old ones. No one really knows why these old Italian violins are so special, but many people think they have an answer. Some people think it is the age of the violins. They say that today's violins will also sound wonderful someday. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremonaare special. So age cannot be the answer. There must be something different aboutCremonaor those Italian violin makers. Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremons knew something special about wood for violins. But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this was the secret of the Italians. Maybe they understood more than we do about how to cut the wood. Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists measured these old violins very carefully. They can make new ones that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. No one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish. So no one can make the same varnish today. There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. Their secret may be lost forever. Young musicians today hope this is not true. They need fine violins. But there aren't very many of the old violins left. Also, the old violins are very expensive. Recently, a famous old Italian violin was sold for about US $ 300,000! Some people think that modern violins _ . A. will sound better in the future B. will sound worse in the future C. sound wonderful naturally D. will never be as old as those from Cremona Answer: A Which of the following is found in all living organisms? A. cell B. organ C. organ system D. tissue Answer: A If you're ever apart from your children, a new study says just talking on the phone will help just as much as a hug . If you're a parent who spends long hours on the job, you probably feel sorry for spending so much time away from your kids. But the results of a new study show that a mother's voice alone can be just as comforting to an anxious child as physical contact . In an experiment, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison asked a group of girls between the age of 7 and 12 to solve math problems in front of judges --- a stressful situation for anyone. Before the girls were set to solve math problems, the researchers measured their levels of two hormones : cortisol, which goes up during stressful periods, and oxytocin, the "love" hormone. After they were finished, some of the girls got to meet up with their mothers right away. The mums came in and hugged the girls. Another group of the girls didn't see their mothers, but received phone calls from them, in which their mothers told them how well they'd done. The final group had no contact with their mothers, but watched an animal movie, March of the Penguins instead. Finally, the girls' hormone levels were measured again. Although the movie was interesting, it did nothing to ease the children's anxiety ---- but, surprisingly, both the physical contact and phone calls from their mothers had the same effect on easing the girls' stress levels. So, no matter how old you are, if you're feeling stressed about something in your life, a phone call to Mom might be just the key to help you feel better. According to the passage, we can infer that _ . A. it is easy for girls to solve math problems B. the girls who had watched the movie remained anxious C. mothers should hug their kids as often as possible D. older girls have higher cortisol than younger ones. Answer: B Confucius was born five hundred and fifty years before Christ. Unlike Jesus Christ, he did not bring words of God to the people. He was a clever teacher and a philosopher, looking for truth and wisdom. Most of his teaching was about life in this world. Confucius was very keen to give people good rulers. Someone asked him, "What does a country need?" Confucius answered, "Enough food, a good army, and a good leader." The people then asked, "Which one is the most important?" Confucius answered, "An army is not very important. All men must die, so food is not the most important. But if the leader of the country is not good, then everything will be bad," For Confucius a man _ . A. could not escape death B. would die if he didn't have a good ruler C. was not important compared with food D. ought to die if he considered food to be the most important for him Answer: A
Mary was a four-year-old girl. She was interested in drawing very much. Mary showed her drawings to everyone. She especially wanted to impress her father, but her dad always seemed to be too busy. One day, Mary wanted to learn to draw houses. She used many hours to draw a really beautiful house with a big garden. Herself, Mom and Dad were looking out of the house. On the _ was the little dog, she wanted to have it so much. "Look, mom!" "Oh, Mary, this is so beautiful! Your best ever!" Mary was very happy and said, "I'll show this to Dad now!" She ran to the door of the room where her dad worked. "Dad!" Mary knocked on the door. "I want you to see the house I made!" "I'm sorry, Mary, I am busy. Can't you show it to someone else?" her dad answered in the room. Mary looked down at her drawing and her tears came down. "I don't want to show it to anyone else. I want to show it to my dad. You're the only dad I have!" Mary's mom felt so heavy in her heart and she got ready for a hug. But before she took another step, the door opened and Mary's dad appeared. "I'm sorry Mary. I was foolish! Come here and we'll look at your drawing!" Daughter and the only dad she had walked into the room to enjoy the child's beautiful work of art. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage? Answer: Mary's brother often played with her in the garden. Minh Pham was born in Vietnam. He left there when he was 21 years old. Minh has been in America for almost two years. There is still much he does not understand about America. Once, Minh was in a supermarket. He saw an old man and an old woman. They wanted a box of cereal .The box was on a high shelf. The man and the woman couldn't reach it. Minh saw a stepladder. He got on the ladder and got the box. He handed it to the elderly couple. They thanked him. "Where are your children?" asked Minh. "Why don't they help you buy food?" "Our children have their own lives," said the man and the woman. "We like to be independent." Minh doesn't think this is right. In his country, children help their parents. Minh gave the elderly couple his phone number. He told them to call him if they needed help. One night they asked Minh to dinner, but they never asked him for help. One day, Minh was walking with a Vietnamese friend. The two men were going to a movie. Minh wanted to go to a restaurant first. Minh took his friend's hand. He pulled him towards the restaurant. People on the street stared at Minh. In Vietnam, friends often hold hands. Minh found that the people in America are not used to men holding hands. Minh Pham is going through a process known as _ . Socialization is the process in which a person learns to live in a society. Everyone goes through this process. Minh went through it when he lived in Vietnam. But the Vietnamese way of life is rather different from the American way of life. When Minh came to America, he had to learn a new way of life. He had to learn how to live in a new society. Minh has learned a lot about American life in two years. He still has a lot to learn. The process of resocialization can take many years. According to the passage, socialization happens to _ . Answer: everyone Paula and Rory have fives kids, three dogs, and a rabbit. When the house is very noisy, Megan, one of the children, is quietly inventing. A year ago, the 10-year-old had to design an anti-smoking poster, she came up with the idea of creating something that shows the average amount of tar a smoker collects from just four packs of cigarettes. "I like people to play with things more than read and write," she says. So she researched her idea on the Internet, found a company in China that could make it, saved up her pocket money and got her idea made. Paula says her daughter "think differently": Ideas jump into her mind. After she got sunburnt on holiday, Megan invented a small plastic bracelet that changes colors in the sun, telling you when to put on sunscreen . Several sunscreen companies have expressed an interest in the idea. She also came up with an idea to make a ball filled with water to stop the dog from feeling thirsty. "But we didn't do anything with it," says Paula. Then she pulls out a picture of a special fishing rod she had designed. "There is a camera on the hook ," she explains, "and the screen is on the handle, and it shows if you've caught a fish or not." Megan doesn't want to go to university. She keeps her pink-and -cream bedroom tidy. Paula is amazed and a bit confused by her daughter. "Everything has to be in a certain order," Paula says. "Her brothers and sisters go with the flow, but with Megan, it's 'What time will that be happening?' or 'Where am I being picked up from today?'" According to the passage, which of the following about Megan is true? Answer: She designed an anti-smoking poster when she was nine. Annabelle Smith and her two best friends, Samantha and Kristy, loved going to Sand City School. Mrs. Lemming, their teacher, would read them a story. That Monday afternoon, Mrs. Lemming read them a story called Super Sophie Saves the Day. After school, Annabelle, Samantha and Kristy walked home together. "I decide that from now on I'm going to be a superhero like Sophie," Annabelle told her friends. "You mean heroine," Kristy said. "You're a girl, Annabelle." The next day Kristy and Samantha picked Annabelle up on their way to school. Annabelle had a red towel taped to her blue shirt. "I am Super Annabelle," Annabelle said. "I'll save someone on the way to school." Charlotte, another second-grader, walked past the girls. Her sweater was tied around her waist. She ran a little faster, and her sweater was nearly on the ground. Annabelle wondered what she would do. Giving her a dirty look, Charlotte ran away. Annabelle walked into her father's study when she got home. She had a homework question for him. A note on her father's desk said he was lending some books to Charlotte's father. She noticed a magazine on his desk that said Go Green. "Homework can wait," Annabelle thought. "Maybe Charlotte goes green!" In the woods, Annabelle saw a man cutting down a tree. Trees were good for the environment. She prevented him from cutting down the tree, and then she fell on the hard ground. Annabelle walked farther in the woods, where she found Charlotte picking up litter. Annabelle said, "You are the second-grade's hero, Charlotte." Charlotte stared at Annabelle. "I'm picking up litter to make the earth a better place," she said. "I don't care about being famous." Annabelle felt slightly ashamed of herself. What did Annabelle learn from Charlotte? Answer: Real heroes don't mind being famous. Many Chinese people who have been to the United States think that Americans pay a little part of their money for food each day. Yet, in the latest 13 years, food prices have gone up 30% for most American families. Everyone agrees that _ . But who is really responsible ? Many people say the farmers who produce the vegetables, fruit, meat, and eggs are responsible. But farmers say that the rise in food prices is very small compared to (...) the rise in their cost of living. Farmers think middlemen have got much more money than they do. Middlemen are those people who stand between the farmers and the people who buy and eat the food. For example, truck drivers, owners of food stores and so on. Are middlemen really responsible for higher food prices? Economists don't think so. They have found that the money that meat packers and food stores get is less than 1% in all. They say that food costs more now because modern housewives have jobs outside the home. They have less time for cooking after a day's work. They like to buy food which has already been prepared before it reaches the market. They want to buy many kinds of food that can be put on their dining tables easily and quickly. But of course they must be prepared to pay for the services of those who make their work easier. It seems that the answer to the question of rising prices is not an easy one. Quite a number of people share the responsibility for the sharp rise in food costs. What's the writer's opinion ? Answer: He thinks all those people should be responsible.

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